EDIT: THANKS StumbleUponers and everyone else who has visited this post! The curriculum launched on January 1, and is available by clicking below:
Lunablog.net Free Homeschool Curriculum Page
Enjoy! –April
Coming soon!
I’m very pleased to announce that revisions are almost complete on the first of my FREE homeschool instructor’s guides. In fact, the beta version of the first year-long program will be available for download right here on New Year’s Day!
Different strokes for different folks
For a long time, I’ve admired Sonlight, History Odyssey, Winter Promise, and other literature rich “Living Book” approaches to learning history, geography, literature, culture, religion, and values. At the same time, I have also recognized that:
- Different families have different needs.
- Different children have different abilities and needs, too.
- New homeschoolers often desire helpful guides, so that they don’t feel like they need to come up with resources, schedules, and ideas on their own.
- Experienced homeschoolers often enjoy having guides as well, to help them stay motivated, accountable, or inspired.
While many homeschoolers feel the need for guidance and ideas in planning their homeschooling activities, different families need different kinds of guidance:
- Some homeschoolers want a day by day schedule that specifies exactly what can be done each day for an entire year.
- Others prefer to piece together unit studies on topics of particular interest, spending as much time on each as desired.
- Still others want a more unschooling approach, with no schedule involved at all, but they do find it helpful to have access to simple lists that point them towards useful books, websites, and resources.
I also know, from personal experience, that it can be difficult to know what approach or format will work the best with your family at any given time. Purchasing curricula can be costly at the best of times, but when you are the proud owner of a curriculum that is unsuitable for your family, rectifying the situation can cause your homeschooling costs to go through the roof.
I’ve been blessed to benefit greatly from homeschooling throughout my life. In fact, I doubt I would even be the person I am today without it. Homeshcooling, while not the ideal option for every family, is certainly a great path for many.
For that reason, it is quite disheartening for me to hear from people who would like to homeschool, but think they can’t afford it, or don’t know how to go about it. Even worse to hear of those who have taken the leap, but have not been able to find an approach to homeschooling that works for their family, and are too discouraged to keep trying costly new ideas.
What people like this need are support and options.
I want to do my part to provide at least a bit of that support and a few of those options, and crazily enough, I feel called to do this without charging for it. I’m not perfect, my methods aren’t perfect, and this won’t be the answer for everyone. Still, it seems like the right path for me to take.
So, beginning on New Year’s Day 2008, I’ll make available the first year of lesson plans.
What exactly is this first homeschool curriculum?
Well, the program is entitled “Myths, Maps, and Marvels”, and it is organized around an Ancient History theme. The full program is currently about 150 pages, and it will be available in several versions and formats to suit various homeschooling styles and preferences. The beauty of the internet is that I can create multiple versions and many options without all the overhead of traditional publishing!
- The initial format, similar to the programs mentioned above, will organize various history, literature, poetry, and geography books and resources into a day by day schedule of activities. Many of the books scheduled can be found used or in libraries. The others should be readily available at sites like Amazon.com.
- Quickly following will be formats optimized for unit studies and also unschooling
- There will be plenty of hands on activities, for those who learn best kinesthetically.
- This level will utilize Usborne’s Encyclopedia of World History.
- You will be able to choose either a version that uses Story of the World: Ancient Times or one that uses Gombrich’s A Little History of the World.
- You will be able to choose a version that covers pre-history and evolution, or you can opt for a version that omits those topics.
My goal here is to come up with guides and schedules that are helpful to as many people as possible, without imposing my personal beliefs on anyone. I am just barely humble enough to recognize that I don’t have everything in the world figured out yet, so I am excited to have the ability to provide options that suit a wide range of beliefs, lifestyles, and learning styles.
I’ve been working on this for hundreds of hours over the past 18 months, and I have finally beaten my perfectionism back sufficiently to declare it good enough to go! I have faith that you all will let me know if have suggestions or feedback about the direction I’ve taken!
If response is positive, and there are folks who feel that the materials are helpful in some way, I’ll continue to compile, refine, and release more resources like this!
I’ll be posting more thoughts and information throughout December, as we work up to the Big Release. Stay tuned, and feel free to pass this info along to anyone who might benefit from it!
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