Learning Together

Family-Style Learning

Unique to homeschooling are family-style curricula that offer materials that can be used with several children of different ages/levels at the same time. Many newer

 curricula of this style are popping up. Some faith-based options include The Genesis Curriculum (from Easy Peasy All-in-one-Homeschool as an offline option which focuses on a book of the Bible for learning all other subjects), Gather ‘Round (with family-style unit studies), The Good and the Beautiful, or there’s a non-religious option written by homeschooling moms and sisters called Layers of Learning. Trail Guides to Learning is a multi-level curriculum with options focused on history or geography that comes with lots of literature and can be bought with non-religious materials only or can in a bundle with added religious titles.

Or skip the published curriculum and make your own. Find good books and stories, including history, to read. Aim for the level of the oldest child and let the little ones learn as much as they can from it--the little ones may surprise you with how much they pick up. You could add in assignments on the same topic for all but with varied expectations. So while the oldest may type a research paper on a topic studied, a younger child may write an essay, and an even younger child may draw a picture and tell how it relates to the topic. Find a science experiment that they can do together. Find educational videos to watch as a family and discuss. While you'll likely have them use different math, spelling, and reading materials, a lot of lessons can be done together.

Cheryl Trzasko
FLHomeschoolEvaluations.com