First Curriculum

When we first started homeschooling my oldest was in Kindergarten and I had absolutely no idea where to start. I wasn’t confident enough in myself to make things up or piece together a curriculum. This led me to look for an all-in-one or boxed curriculum. After lots of research and contemplation, we started out with BookShark. https://www.bookshark.com/level-a-all-subject-package. The all-in-one package comes with everything you need. For a nervous mom, this was perfect. Each subject comes completely scheduled out for you so there is no guessing what to do each day. It also has step-by-step instructions on how to teach the subject, and often it will even tell you exactly what to say. This was what I wanted and was so very helpful for those first few years. On top of being open and go BookShark has other great qualities, and the best one is its book selection. The base of our home library was built the first few years we used BookShark. In fact, the books in the kindergarten package have been some of our all-time favorites. For instance, James Herriot’s Treasury for Children is still to this day one of my favorite read-alouds. For a first-time homeschooler, BookShark was a great choice and one we stuck with for a few years. Although we have made changes curriculum wise, I still think starting with BookShark was the right choice for me, and it’s one I do not regret. Homeschooling can be very overwhelming in the beginning and that fear has stopped people from trying. So I would say anything that helps you start is a good thing. As you gain knowledge over time you can adjust as needed. I think that’s pretty good life advice in general, get started and adjust as you go. If you’re new to homeschooling find something to help you start, and if you’re a seasoned homeschooler remember that the curriculum doesn’t own you. You can always change it if you want to!