We started our homeschool journey over eleven years ago and have all learned a lot along the way.  We learned all kinds of things about relationships, organization, time management, perseverance and patience.  Perfection was not attained in any of these areas, however, our lives have been enriched during this special season of our lives.   

During the past eleven years I have researched, purchased and used many homeschooling products that were extremely beneficial. My hope is that you will in turn benefit from my experience and that I can share things that worked for us.

When choosing curriculum it is always helpful to peruse homeschool catalogs and books written by others who have gone before us. There are catalogs put out by various companies that provide a substantial amount of assistance. Sonlight, Veritas Press, Timberdoodle and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine are some of my favorites.

This process will allow you to become familiar with the different homeschooling methods. You will naturally be drawn to certain approaches. I think it is always best to start with the one that feels the most comfortable to you and your children. Many home educators begin with a pre-packaged curriculum that gives them all the necessary components. This can be much less intimidating, especially in the beginning. Abeka, Bob Jones and Switched on Schoolhouse offer software, satellite, video and traditional textbook programs.

If a pre-packaged curriculum feels a little confining to you, think about trying a literature based program like Sonlight or Tapestry of Grace. We used Sonlight Curriculum our very first year of homeschooling and it was a great fit. The Instructor's Guide just held my hand during that first scary year. The readers and the read aloud books introduced us to some wonderful friends.

Somewhere along the line I became interested in Classical Education. While we have never attempted a full classical approach, we have implemented many of the ideas. The Well Trained Mind is a great book to introduce this model of education. Veritas Press is a curriculum provider that specializes in classical education. They offer some terrific products that I will review at a later date.