Writing curriculum is my main profession. I write curriculum for a living. I spend my days putting lessons together for children ages preschool through early elementary school. I can tell you, that as a homeschooling mom who writes curriculum, I do NOT follow any curriculum the exact way it is written. Not even my own. Every single child is unique and there is no way any curriculum writer can create a curriculum that will work for every child. In our own family, we have three very unique children. The curriculums that I create do not work for all three children as they are written. I pull all the best parts out for each specific child and we do what works best for us. The curriculum is your guide. You don't owe anything to that curriculum. Only use the parts that work for you. I cannot stress this enough. If your child absolutely loves a certain part of a curriculum, of course, go for it! Plan that into your day. If your child cannot stand certain parts of a curriculum (this goes for my own children and parts of my own curriculum)...skip it! It is okay!
When I create curriculum, I write that curriculum to be well-rounded so elements of it work for different learners. I do this in the hopes that families can pick and choose what works best for THEM. Choose curriculum based on your families beliefs and your children's learnings style. There are so many options of curriculum that it can be extremely overwhelming. Break it down.
You may also find after a few weeks of using a curriculum that it is not working as you thought it would. It is okay. Take a deep breath, and over a weekend, start your process again until you find what works. That is the freedom and beauty of homeschooling. No one is held to a certain way of doing things. You are not contracted to any specific curriculum company. Do what works best for your child!
Happy Learning, Chelsea
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