Tips for Creating Your Own Curriculum
Study what you love and still check those college and career readiness boxes!
One of my favorite things about homeschooling, and especially about homeschooling high school, is the freedom we have to tailor our students’ coursework directly to their needs and interests. I’ve spent many a happy hour running down resources for everything from small engine repair to Asian literature. An many an even happier hour watching my kiddos light up using those resources to learn about something that truly fascinated them.
Here are some of the interests we’ve turned into coursework over the years:
Dragonlore
Food science
Culinary arts
History of Asia
Asian literature
Kinesiology
Apologetics
Creative nonfiction
A comparative study of world empires and what caused them to collapse
And here’s an even fancier trick: As homeschoolers we can…
Study what we love to study,
Still build the skills and knowledge foundational to a solid education,
Still meet high school graduation and college entrance requirements,
And sometimes even leverage all of the above for college credit!
Win/win/win/win!
This is one of many reasons why I always advocate for parents to piece together their own curriculum when and where feasible. But I know what a daunting prospect that can be if you’re just getting started. Need some advice from a mom who's been there and done that? I’ve got you!
1. Set clear goals.
It's very easy to end up with gaps in your student's knowledge if you are making it up as you go, especially if you're inexperienced. Remember that you're providing an education, not playing school, and it’s vital that you ensure your student has the skills and knowledge necessary for college and career success. If you're not clear on the appropriate scope and sequence, do your research. This is especially important in subjects that build upon themselves, such as math. But it's also important in things like ELA. Setting clear goals for what you want your student to accomplish (writing a thesis statement, outlining, a five-paragraph essay) will help you make a plan to get there.
2. Involve your student.
There are myriad opportunities here, from brainstorming together what topics you’d like to tackle to outsourcing some of the research phase, this is a great way for your teen to take ownership of his or her education. I often bring home a stack of library books or make an Amazon list and have my students cull through them to see which ones are of highest interest. I sometimes even make designing a project or coming up with a research topic part of the course itself.
3. Doing your own thing isn't always cheaper.
You can save a lot of money by relying on library books and nature study and cheap or free assignments like essay prompts you find online. But you can also end up spending a fortune piecemeal trying to cobble a curriculum together from Teachers Pay Teachers and not even realize it. Unless you have unlimited school funds (lucky you!), it probably makes sense to keep up with what you're spending to see if the investment is worth it.
4. Don't reinvent the wheel.
There are TONS of great curricula out there! Especially if you're new to homeschooling, I suggest writing your own curriculum only when you can't find what you're looking for. Avoid black-and-white thinking: this isn't all or nothing. You can absolutely choose to use published materials for some things and make up your own for others. You don't have to buy a "school in a box" package -- pretty much everything out there is available for purchase individually, and many very cost-effectively, especially if you buy used. It's entirely possible to successfully engineer a customized curriculum using only published materials.
5. Writing your own curriculum isn't virtuous, and using a published curriculum isn't failure.
There seem to be two extremes in homeschool circles: those who want everything done for them with no investment of time or money on their part, and those who think they have to do it all from scratch. Like most extremes, they both are destined to end in disappointment. If you're invested in writing your own curriculum, you're obviously a person who takes their child's education seriously and is willing to do the work, which is important! But don't confuse that with having to do it all yourself. Brownies from scratch are good, but so are brownies from a box.
6. Enjoy the process!
If you love to research and plan, designing your own curriculum is probably for you. If not, maybe not so much. If you're burning yourself out trying to scrounge up worksheets, it might be time to bite the bullet and buy some curriculum. (See point #5.)
Ever wish you had your own personal guidance counselor? Let’s talk.
