Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp. All rights reserved.
about the book
The Homeschool Diner's Homeschooler's Guide to the Galaxy
Homeschooling Approaches and Curriculum How Much Choice do I have?
By Julie Shepherd Knapp, copyright 2006
In the US, Canada, and many other countries, parents have the right to decide how their children will be educated. As a homeschooling parent you are free to choose the educational approach that is best for your family and for each particular child. That is the main difference between homeschooling and public or private schooling.
A few states have given school districts the right to oversee and approve the progress and achievement of homeschooled students -- by approving the curriculum, reviewing student portfolios, and requiring submission of standardized test scores -- but the parents (or their designees) are still in charge of the actual teaching. Does your state or province require any of these things? All parents who wish to homeschool in the US need to find out what it says in their State Homeschooling Regulations before actually beginning to homeschooling.
If you live in one of the few US states that makes it difficult for parents to use an unstructured, child-led homeschooling approach, such as unschooling -- and that is the kind of approach you wish to use -- then it is very important that you get in contact with other local unschooling families, to find out how they have been able to function within the constraints of the regulations. Start by contacting your state homeschooling organization and ask for referrals to local groups. Also check out the Homeschool Diner's Support Group Primer for more ideas on how to "get connected".
Various homeschooling philosophies and methods are described in the Guide to Homeschooling Approaches and each section also has reviews of a few popular curriculum choices for that method. Homeschool approaches are also grouped and presented according to the main types of learning materials they use. Some approaches and curriculum fit in more than one section, if so, they are listed in each.
Some homeschool curricula have been designed specifically for families who want their religious beliefs incorporated into their learning materials. If a product has a particular religious focus it is mentioned in the review.
As the homeschooling population grows in number and variety, new educational ideas are continually developed and marketed for homeschool use, so these sections will be added-to and updated periodically.