Homeschooling Gifted Children Curriculum
March 6th, 2011 | 
Author:  |
US $.01
Question: Is a bought curriculum necessary for homeschooling?
I am looking onto doing some homeschooling at leaste for this summer with my "easily distracted, yet extremely bright " 6 1/2 year old and my "gifted" 3 1/2 year old.... I may think about homeschooling full time because of the many benefits, but I was wondering if a "BOUGHT" curriculum is really necessary? And if anyone knew the best places to look for helpful ideas on building one on my own, as I believe I will be the best judge of the best ways my children learn...
Any input is gratefully accepted! 
Answer: No it isn't, but they can come in handy. Writing your own curriculums for everything would be impossible. Now I may be wrong, but you seem to think "bought curriculum" means what we tend to call a "boxed" curriculum, where you buy the entire range of subjects as a set. There are plenty of those around, but you don't have to buy them. Most people, as far as I know, buy curriculums from a range of places, and supplement with books from the library, etc. Some people "unschool." If you are particularly against buying curriculums, I suggest you do some reading about unschooling. However, since you say you have bright/gifted kids, you may want something different. I suggest you also read The Well Trained Mind, by Susan Wise Bauer and her mother, Jessie Wise; and read up on the Charlotte Manson method. The two of them work well together.
I follow the main principles of The Well Trained Mind, (TWTM)with a Charlotte Manson influence. I don't follow all the recommendations for curriculums from TWTM. I have made much use of the reviews on amazon and these two sites: http://www.homeschoolmath.net/reviews/ and http://homeschoolreviews.com/ I've drawn up a table with the grade level on the side and the subjects I want to teach along the top. Slowly I'm filling it with what I feel are appropriate resources, based on what I want the kids to learn, and how I want to do that. You need to answer those questions before you can make decisions. Reading other people's reviews (message boards are a good help too) will help you clarify your goals. Once you have a plan, you can change it when your kids require 
Of course you are the best judge of how your children learn. That is one criteria you will use to count or discount teaching philosophies, curriculums, books and other resources. Here's a good place to start anyway: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/methods/Methods.htm
Most people start off with one style and become more eclectic over time. Anyway, do what you think is best. You have to satisfy yourself, your hubby, the state and to a reasonable degree, your kids.
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Posted in Homeschool Curriculum | 
Tags: curriculum, education, games, gifted children, homeschooling gifted children curriculum, kids, math, resources | 
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