Home Schooling Curriculum - Setting Flexible Standards

When choosing your home schooling curriculum, keep it flexible.

One of the biggest advantages of choosing a home schooling curriculum is that you aren't always bound as tightly as you are with a public-school type course of study. This isn't always true - depending on the community or state you live in, but in general, you have more freedom with a home study platform than one that's devised to conform to a public school situation. Let's take a look at why.

A public-school syllabus is designed around a pretty strongly-dictated course of study - for example, fourth graders are supposed to be taught "x" number of subjects during the school year, then tested on those subjects and must achieve a passing grade in each before they are sent on to the next grade. (In theory, that is.) Regardless of how gifted a particular student may be, or how much in need of mentoring or tutoring, the student is really "locked into" learning at the same rate as the rest of the class - meaning there can be no adjustment for individual needs or abilities.

While most communities or government agencies, whether state, local, or city, have at least some requirements for subjects that must be covered and tested for home schooling, many times these requirements come in the form of a template that you can follow - for example, a history course might be adapted to allow inclusion of a trip to a museum to see historical exhibits on a particular period in history - something that is virtually unheard-of in the public school arena - both from a flexibility standpoint as well as a budgetary one.

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Flexibility in your Home School curriculum or program is the key

When purchasing a curriculum or educational program for your home school, look for a program with flexible lesson plans. Every homeschool student has different and changing needs.

Check out this home school curriculum resource for the widest range of teaching programs and lesson plans.

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And home schooling curriculum can be adapted more easily to a child's lifetime goals. For example, say your daughter decided she wanted to be a mountaineer. Imagine her public school teacher's horror at the thought of adapting a public school curriculum to include subjects that could interest your daughter and further her goal. Whereas if she were home schooled, you might include curriculum on world mountain ranges, first aid and CPR, rock climbing, etc. Think flexible when choosing a home schooling curriculum - and be prepared to discuss with your children their hopes, dreams and aspirations so that you can adapt their course of study to each individual's needs and interests.

Another advantage to home schooling curriculum flexibility is that you don't have to worry about sick days or missed lesson plans or days spent out of the house at the beach or the park - in short, there is a lot less guilt that accompanies home schooling. A sick child may be allowed to recover as needed from an illness - then catch up on missed lesson plans, while a quick excursion to the beach or the park can be filed under "weather exploration" or "tide observation" if need be. While these temporary digressions can't occur on a constant basis - you do need to focus on actual learning and real lesson plans as a regular part of your daily tasks - they can be incorporated with a certain amount of frequency into your home schooling day. Not only will it keep your child interested in learning, but it will be a source of rejuvenation and relaxation for both of you as well.