Where to Find Computer-Based Homeschool Curricula
In our second year of home schooling I came across a message board post regarding computer based homeschool curriculum. I decided to give it a shot and to use it as a supplement to what I was already doing with the boys. It turned out that they enjoyed it so much and it was thorough enough that we dropped our main curriculum and just did online school.
The next school year it was not in the budget and the boys wanted to do something different, as well, so we dropped the online curriculum and went back to what we were doing before. I continued to search around for complete a homeschool curriculum that could be done online at a lower cost and found several great options.
Online or computer-based homeschool curricula help children to become more independent learners. It’s important to me that my children be life-long learners and that they are given the space to figure things out for themselves whenever possible. Using online or computer-based tools helps us to achieve this goal and makes homeschooling three children at different ages and stages even more manageable.
Here is a list of some of the best online home school curricula. Not all of these options are secular, but all of them can be used as secular by skipping over any content that doesn’t fit with your ideals.
1. Time 4 Learning–T4L is the curriculum that I used with my boys when we used an online home school curriculum in the early elementary years. T4L costs about $50 per child, per month and covers Math, Science, History, and Language Arts. They have a sister site, Time 4 Writing.
2. Switched-On Schoolhouse— SOS is a computer-based curriculum. According to the Alpha-Omega Publishing website, SOS provides the five core subjects and allows children to work more independently.
3. K12— K12 can be used in three different ways: as an online, tuition-free public school (in conjunction with your local school system), as an online, private school, or as a provider of individual courses.
4. Laurel Springs–Laurel Springs functions as an online private school. For unschoolers or eclectic homeschoolers, this may be a downfall, but those who want more structure with less planning on the part of the parent, Laurel Springs may be a great option.
5. All-in-One Homeschooling – It’s free, it’s comprehensive and I love it. This may be one of my most favorite computer-based homeschooling options. It’s not a private online school that you have to sign up for, but it is organized for easy use and walks you through day by day. It’s truly All-in-One. And did I mention it’s free? There is a All-in-One Homeschooling for high school, as well.
6. CK-12 – I use this one for science and extra explanation for math as needed, but there is a way to organize CK-12 to allow children to become independent in their learning. You can track what they’ve done and how well they’ve done it so that you know what areas need more work. It’s also free.
7. Khan Academy – I’m listing Khan Academy here because it’s good and it’s free, but it’s not a complete curriculum. Unless I’m mistaken, there is no writing or literature component. But if you have a separate writing curriculum you love, Khan Academy is excellent for science and math.
