I promised I would talk about what we would be doing next year instead of Sonlight. The truth of the matter is, I am creating my own curriculum.
Did I scare you? I scare myself.
I have done this in the past, but it was an utter failure. The main reason I failed at my own curriculum was because I didn’t stick with it. It wasn’t very well thought out or planned out, so I was always trying to blindly figure out what to do next on the fly. I finally caved that year and went back to a curriculum I had used in the past to “get us by.”
This time I am taking the curriculum to the next level. I am giving substance to the ENTIRE YEAR, not in a rigid day by day schedule, but in a progression that says do this, then this, then this. I must admit, despite the long hours of planning, it has been immensely rewarding and even fun!
I started with this book: All Through the Ages
I found this book years ago at a homeschool convention. I wasn’t looking for it, but a woman standing next to me told me to buy it. {yeah, I listen to total strangers at homeschool conventions 
}
This book is a GEM! It is separated out chronologically and by age, so if you want to study Ancient Greece, you need only to turn to that page, find your child’s age group, and choose books from that list. In addition to this, there are fabulous little history overviews scattered throughout the book. I learned a lot just by reading those! Miller has also made notations of any problems you might find in the books, so you are aware.
Next, I took All Through The Ages and sat down with a piece of paper and pen and made note of all the books listed in the appropriate time frame from the appropriate age groups that I thought would be good reads. {I also used Veritas Press’ catalog. Most of their books are excellent, but you do have to be aware of the aspects I mentioned in my post on the other side of Classical curriculum.}
Many of these books I already owned, but there were several I did not. The first thing I did was to cull from my bookshelves all the books I already owned that were either on the list or went along with that time period. I put them in a box and set them aside.
Next, I went to my computer and opened three windows:
One for my local library
One for PaperBackSwap.com
One for Amazon.com
For every book I did not own, I searched my local library first.
If it wasn’t there, I searched PaperBackSwap next.
For those of you unfamiliar with Paperback Swap, it is a place where you can get rid of books you no longer want (paperback or not) and request books from other members. You post your books and when another member requests a book from you, you package it up (at your expense) and send it off to them. You get a book credit in return. Every book credit allows for you to request a book from another member (free of charge to you). You keep a running list of books you would like and when those books come available from another member, PBS alerts you, asks if you want the book, and then handles the transaction of credits.
However, you do not have to post your own books to participate! You can purchase book credits for $3.45 a piece. But, if you are like me, you likely have a few books lying around you would like to get rid of. For the record, I ALWAYS check PBS first, even if I don’t have any credits because you will be hard-pressed to find many books that are cheaper and include shipping elsewhere!
If the book is not in my personal library or available on PaperBackSwap, I add the book to my Wish List on PBS and head to Amazon.com. You can keep a running Wish List on Amazon as well that can be made available to relatives looking for gifts to bless your family with, so keep that in mind as you are searching.
I search out the “missing” books from my list on Amazon and check prices. If it is a book I know I really, really want and it is not yet on PaperBackSwap and I think there’s a good chance it won’t show up there anytime soon, I go ahead and purchase from Amazon. Otherwise, I just wait it out. {That’s the good thing about starting early on a project of this magnitude.}
After I had listed on paper where each book I wanted could be found, I started my Progression List using what I had in my box as well as the books I hoped to own or find at the library. I separated things out by time periods so there were natural breaks in the curriculum.
I also added in suggestions from Vision Forum’s Building a Winning Curriculum. This book has most of Vision Forum’s educational products divided into chronological and thematic categories. I made notations of those I owned and those I want to own so when a sale comes up, I can take advantage of that sale.
If you are wondering why I am choosing to do a Progression List rather than a full-blown Lesson Plan with daily assignments, here’s my reasoning…
1. School doesn’t always happen 5 days a week, Monday through Friday around here.
2. If I get off track, I don’t feel guilty because I don’t have a lesson plan sheet telling me I should have done such and such on Monday, but here it is Thursday and I am just now getting around to it.
3. I set the pace. I make it manageable. And I know precisely where I left off because everything is done in progression!
Please understand, this is a test…this is only a test…in the event I use this homeschool curriculum and it creates an emergency, an alarm will sound followed by another post telling you I am changing course…again. Thank you.
This sounds great…I would love to win a copy! I have thought about designing my own curriculum, too, because there just isn’t anything that meets my needs exactly. All through the Ages sounds like a terrific resource.
Thanks for sharing Amy!
Thank you so much for your blog. I find it very encouraging.
I would love to win.Thanks for the giveaway.We have tried various things in school as well.It is fun to try new things.~Nikki from Vt.
Thank you so much for sharing this insight. We are gearing up to start homeschooling later this year, so I have been researching and praying about curriculum choices.
Thank you for the chance to win the resource, as well.
I enjoy your blog very much. God bless you!
Kristen
We are not homeschooling yet, but even with my little one nearing 1 year, I am thinking about it. I understand the desire – and the effort involved – in creating your own curriculum from my teaching experience. But, I find that when I teach using my own activities, homework, projects, etc. rather than just from the content in the text (curriculum), the students learn more and we all have more fun. Best wishes!
ohh, you are sounding so organized and on top of things, yet realistic as one who has been there.
This book sounds like a great resource.
Hi Amy,
This is great. I’ve been doing a similar thing for y.e.a.r.s. One catalog I used to love for literature ideas but haven’t been able to find in a while was Elijah Company. They broke down all their books by subject and age level.
Oh…enter me in the drawing, too.
I remember that catalog! You had to pay for it, right? I remember a friend having a copy and telling me it was worth the money. I wonder if they went out of business?
You are much braver than I! I am the point of just starting with homeschooling and no where near confident enough to write my own curriculum! God Bless you, I love your blog. It is such a great resource to those of us just finding our way.
Awww, thanks so much!
Sounds exciting! I’ve thought of creating my own, maybe someday!! Thanks
May God bless you and your efforts to making a working curriculum for your homeschool. I hope that you will make it available to others, after you have tried it out. I remember my mom making “her own curriculum” for various subjects. Most of them were shorter unit type studies. That she felt she could do and save money on verses buying someone elses and she could tailor it to our family needs.
I would have bought a book suggested to me at a Homeschool convention too! Sometimes, that is the best way to shop, by what others have loved!
Great Post!! I LOVE this idea! I’m stubborn..and prefer not to follow a set lesson plan. It’s fun for my kids when, after I’ve chosen which workbook/curriculum for a particular subject, we open the book and scan through to decide how many pages per day or how many chapters a week, etc. My oldest especially loves having a general idea of what’s to come and how much we have left. This way of doing history would work well for our family, too! Thank you for being an encouragement!! I really enjoy reading your blog!
I love your plan!! I have been blessed to be handed-down an older version of Sonlight for my children, but I always do lots of tweaking on my own! If that source dries up I will probably create my own curriculum also!
This is wonderful. I love the idea of eliminating the guilt when interruptions (or rather “life lessons”) put us a bit behind on the daily work. Thanks so much for sharing! God bless!
I also own All Through the Ages with the idea of creating my own curriculum. I appreciate you sharing your plan of attack. We ended up using TOG but it is too much and school has become a chore for the kids and for me. I realized that I was making too hard to do out of fear of missing something. I have learned better now and will give it another try. I would love to have the give away book to help in my efforts. Pray for me and I for you in our DYI curriculum ventures!
Great idea! I would love to do the same. I have been using Rod and Staff and I love it but I would like to “tweek and add” at my own discresion. I love Vision Forum!
Great job with organizing your own history curriculum! I, too, have tried to pull it together in the past, but that was too hard for the season of life I was in. I think our oldest was 7 at the time, with 4 younger. Now we use Tapestry of Grace, mostly because it’s all laid out. Flexibility is the key, I’ve found, and with anything, not all book assignments will work for our family. That curriculum guide from Vision Forum sure looks good!
I know what you mean about creating your own curriculum and getting so far off track…well you just want to give up. Good luck! I’d love to win this book.
Hello Amy! I started reading your blog because of the skrit parts (as I said over on fb- I could have wrote the intro!!) I’m excited about your blog and have started using the laundry idea also! What a blessing! I’d love to be entered in your giveaway, we are going back to homeschooling after stepping away from God’s calling for two years and being in mirsery for it!
We are beginning our first “official” year of homeschooling so any help would be wonderful!! This book looks like a wonderful resource.
I love the more laid back curriculums and how you have it planned out! We currently use a box curriculum but we don’t always get things done the way we are supposed to LOL!
I love Vision Forum products.
I make up most of my own curriculum. But I will use unit studies sometimes and adapt them…I try to use lots of living books (very Charlotte Mason) but this sounds like a great resource! love Vision Forum. thanks!
How inspiring – well done and I love your lesson plan!
this is our first year of homeschooling, your blog has been such a blessing. the book looks like it would be very helpful
I am also trying to piece together a history curriculum for next year- thanks for this post!
Thanks for sharing your insight! I enjoy creating my own curriculum.
I’d love to own a copy!
I love your blog! Thanks for the great info!
My daughter’s favorite subject is social studies. I’m quite interested in this resource. I enjoyed reading your post on classical curriculum.
I would love to own that book. Thanks for the chance.
Would like to win. We are doing a classical model and the children are young… could see us changing as they are older, too. Some of the same reasons that your OWN CHILD pointed out!! And I really like to be able to choose books that can be studied…. along with the progression list… I have never thought about doing that but it goes great with our “routine” family. Thanks, Amy!!
I would love to have a copy of that book!