At the beginning of the school year I went out alone and visited a homeschool supply store in town. I actually was super excited about it. I wanted to look over the curriculum choices, pour over the books, choose some great history lessons and really dial into some science options. I figured it wasn’t going to be that hard once I could get off of Amazon and actually hold the books in my hands. I was so wrong.
The store was so busy no one was available to help me. I spent an hour looking through all the options, which were so overwhelming that I didn’t even know where to turn. It wasn’t a big store, so it was crammed pack full of curriculum. I’m telling you…if you want to homeschool, you don’t have to worry about not being able to find some curriculum on what you want to teach, just the opposite, you’ll have a hard time choosing what books to actually use.
I left that store with two simple handwriting practice books and my eyes about ready to explode with tears. I cried all the way home. I immediately felt inadequate. I would never be able to choose what or how to teach my children. There were too many options, what if I picked the wrong one? What if another set of books served my child better?
It took me a bit of time to muddle through all the feelings of anxiety and inadequacy, but I was able to push through. I’ve never returned to that store and unless I know exactly which book I need to purchase, I won’t be going back.
My goal in writing these 31 days about homeschool is not to tell you how how to teach your children, I just want to relay my heart and why I do the things we do to keep us all having fun. I will say that we only utilize curriculum on a consistent basis for Math, everything else is blanketed under my “beyond school” ideal (which I will write about as well.)
What I’m trying to say is…all the options are just insane. Just totally insane. We have the power to choose though, are we going to be overwhelmed by the curriculum options? Or can we not put them on a pedestal but view them as helpers to our homeschooling routine?
Use them or don’t…just make sure the path you choose leads you down one that you all enjoy.
ps. It feels really weird to post this without a picture…but pictures of curriculum are boring and it’s 8:55pm and this is a writing challenge, not a picture challenge…wow I’ve got some great excuses to just hit “publish” without a picture 🙂
