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There are no
Florida State Homeschool requirements to mandate the curriculum you use. It is up to you as the parent
to use what works best for your child.
Institutionalized school curriculum is generally designed to teach a wide
range of academic levels that are put on the same grade level.
Home Education allows for private mentorship.
You are on an entirely different journey and are teaching your child based on their individual developmental readiness,
which is sometimes sooner and sometimes later.
Just key into their needs and interests and grow them from there.
Any graded guidelines are only general guidelines.
Great Books and Teacher/Parent Resources There are
so may great books that can really help shape the way we think, do marriage, parent, home-educate, and basically do life in
general. Reading is a great family activity that helps us grow, learn, and just experience many things, places, and
time-periods. Read at your own pace. One chapter a night is sufficient and better then none.
Be sure to follow up with discussions that foster good thinking and understanding of the material read. Don’t
be afraid to share your experiences and growth, as developmentally appropriate, with your children. Teacher/Parent
Resources “The Well Trained
Mind” –A Guide to Classical Education at Home, By Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer –www.susanwisebauer.com Instruct your child from preschool through high school in all levels of
reading, writing, history, geography, math, science, foreign languages, rhetoric, logic, art, music. This
priceless resource contains a plethora of book lists and curriculum suggestions. A great resource, even
if you’re not technically a classical home school. “From Playpen to Podium”
– Jeffrey L. Myers, Ph.D. is a leadership development coach and home-education father. His training
strategies have helped thousands of parents equip their children with positive social and communication skills, as well as
leadership confidence. www.noblebookstore.com “Thomas Jefferson Education”,
By Oliver Van DeMille , founder and president of George Wythe College. He and his wife Rachel have eight
children and apply these principles in their home-education. www.gwc.edu ***Transform the way you think about education*** “The Seven Keys
of Great Teaching” – Face to Face with Greatness Seminar Series by Oliver DeMille. Do
you want to raise leaders? This is a great resource to incorporate into your home-education or any education.
It is a different approach to learning that will empower you to give your children and/or students a leadership education. ***Transform
the way you think about education*** www.gwc.edu “Children
of Character” by Bill and Marty Freeman – A great resource for parents that want to raise children
of solid character, even if they are not home schooled. Bill and Marty have seven children and have home
schooled since 1986. Bill served as the board of director for FPEA from 1998-2004. www.thefreemans.org
"How Am I Smart?" by Dr. Kathy Koch. A parent's guide to multiple
intelligences. Identify how your child can best learn and study, explore your child's characteristic spiritual struggles
and how you can awaken and nurture your child's weaker intelligences. www.authenticanswers.com “Parenting On Purpose” by Dr. Bob Barnes (1) 101The Balance of Love and Discipline
and (2) 201The Parent’s Training Wheel. Dr. Bob Barnes is the executive director of Sheridan House
Family Ministries. He and his wife Rosemary live in Florida and have successfully raised their two children
to be solid and responsible adults. For other parenting and marriage resources visit: www.shfm.org.
Curriculum
Resources
Spelling“Excellence in Spelling
– The Phonetic Zoo”: A Self-Teaching Spelling Program By: James B. Webster and Andrew Pudewa, using ideas and material from the “Blended Sound-Sight Program of Learning”
by A.G. Ingham, C.M.
2. Spelling Power –A well-known and effective sequential spelling program.
Writing/Grammar
1. The Institute for Excellence in Writing - “Writing Structure and Style” And
“Student Intensive Writing” by Andrew Pudewa www.writing-edu.com
2. Classical Writing - A well planned and organized writing program.
Classical Writing is a writing
curriculum for beginners all the way through high school. Our method is based on the ancient Greek progymnasmata, a writing
tradition which has produced many of the best thinkers, authors, and statesmen of the past two thousand years. We believe,
along with the ancients, that training in writing cannot be separated from training in virtue. Our aim is to teach students
the art of putting virtuous thoughts into words — true, beautiful, and persuasive words. Visit: www.ClassicalWriting.com 
Communication
“From Playpen To Podium” and “Secrets of Great Communicators” By Jeffrey L. Meyers, Ph.D. noblepublishing.com
Vocabulary “Vocabulary Cartoons” are mnemonics designed for learning new
words. The books have strong visual aids and are lots of fun. The pictures help the
child store the words and meanings in long-term memory. www.vocabularycartoons.com
Reading
(The following three resources, when used together,
make an effective beginning/emergent reading program. This also works well as a remediation program for
older children.) Reading Reflex-
It’s not flashy or fancy, but is definitely effective for building strong readers. ISBN 0-684-85367-1
Available at www.amazon.com and other book retailers. Turbo
Reader- an excellent, sequential, beginning to end, user-friendly reader. Explode
The Code Series- sequential, simple and comprehensive
Organization
1. Managers of Their
Home – by Steven and Teri Maxwell A well organized home-management system. www.titus2.com
2. Edu-track- A computerized home school record keeping and lesson
planning software. This program keeps track of everything and is very user friendly. Some
of the features are: lesson plans, unit studies, assignment sheets, book and movie logs, hour and grade
tracking, progress reports, report cards, transcripts, awards and certificates, forms, Diplomas, and more. www.Edu-Track.net.
Thinking
and Reasoning Skills
“The Fallacy Detective” and “The
Thinking Toolbox” By Nathaniel Bluedorn & Hans Bluedorn The Bluedorn brothers have put
together an awesome set of books to help your children and you see through propaganda, as well as, recognize bad reasoning.
Sites With Great Readers
and a Few Family Favorites
www.LifetimeBooksandGifts.com - For great books that put teaching character first. www.sonlight.com - offers great grade leveled language
arts readers, with optional dictation and creative writing. Check out the site, it is an education in itself
and well worth the trip.
These are just a few personal favorites.
“Summer
of the Monkeys”
“Where the Red Fern Grows”
“The Chronicles of Narnia”, By C.S. Lewis –
All in the series are great.
“Hinds Feet on High
Places” Children’s Edition By: Hannah Hurnard
“Invitation To The Classics” Edited by: Louise Cowan and Os Guinness - An introduction to classics and
the writers. For those just starting a classical education or those just wanting a simplified way of encorporating it.
Devotions There are lots of great devotions out there. Here are just a few
that take about 10 minutes to do. These are great for a quick devotion in a pinch or as a regular before
bedtime.
1. “ Just For Kids” Series and "For Kids Only" Series
Forgiveness, Honesty, Patience, and Kindness are a few in this series. www.familychristian.com
2. “My Utmost For His Highest” By Oswald Chambers
There
is also an updated edition
for that works well for pre-teens and teens. We read the regular/adult version ourselves and
the updated version with our kids each day, the days in both correlate.
1. “God’s Design For Sex” **Pre-Read, before reading to your child. · Book 1: “The Story of Me” (ages 3-5) · Book 2: “Before I Was Born” (ages 5-8) · Book 3: “What’s the Big Deal? Why God Cares About
Sex” (ages 8-11) ·
Book 4: “Facing the Facts: The Truth About Sex
and You” (ages 11-14) www.family.org or www.focusonyourchild.org
2.
“The Princess and the Kiss” and “Life Lessons from The Princess
and the Kiss” a companion guide. 3. “The
Squire and the Scroll” and “Life Lessons from The Squire and the Scroll” a companion guide. By Jennie Bishop and Susan Henson. Both are great
resources for planting seeds of purity in the
hearts of your children. www.ReviveOurHearts.com
4. “So You’re About to be a Teenager”, By Dennis and Barbara Rainey with Samuel Rainey and Rebecca Rainey. www.thomasnelson.com or www.familylife.com
5. “Rules For Young Friends”
by Gregg and Joshua Harris. Provides simple rules and proverbs for friends.
Sometimes, we may feel we have to just accept what is out there as “normal”,
especially if it comes from a “good place or source” or is a part of a “popular opinion.”
Well, we don’t. We can go above and beyond to teach our children what is BEST,
even if we are the only one. Above are some curriculums that have, “enlightened” me to what is best.
Don’t take the lax approach. It will only teach your children the wrong
thing by default. Be deliberate about teaching your
children to be LEADERS that will stand for what is right
and who will not grow weary of fighting the good fight.
YOU WILL TEACH YOUR CHILD(REN),
EITHER BY DELIBERATE INSTRUCTION
OR BY LACK OF. Example
is a good way, but it is not the only way. Nor is it sufficient in and of itself. You Choose!
Regret is a lot more painful then discipline, with none
of the benefit.
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