Curriculum Building
Sketch by Albrecht Durer.
There are lots of great pre-built curriculums out there, that give you materials for every subject and check-lists to check off as you go. If you are looking for more flexibility here are some options I have used & like. (For what we used this past year, you can see here.)
Classical Education: a form of education that emphasizes history, literature and language studies
Story of the World. The kids love the audios of this book series. Very comprehensive history of the world. (They have CDs, MP3s, and hardcopy books.)
The Well-Trained Mind. A tome of information on how to school your children in the Classical tradition. (I used to loan this from the library every summer, but recently purchased the most recent edition.)
Circe Institute. Love this organization. Loads on Christian Classical schooling. I subscribe to their quarterly and listen to some of their podcasts.
Charlotte-Mason Based: Charlotte Mason was a Classical Educator who taught, “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.”
AmblesideOnline. Really great reading lists. Entirely free.
For the Children’s Sake. Easy to read and very practical guide to diving into the wonderful world of Charlotte Mason-schooling. (Reading Charlotte Mason directly is better of course!)
A Delectable Education. An informative and practical podcast for learning more about the Charlotte Mason philosophy of schooling.
Beautiful Feet Books. Book packs with corresponding Teacher Guides.
Peaceful Press. Charlotte Mason based curriculum print-outs. Includes everything but Math & Phonics.
History
Oh! Freedom. This is a new curriculum we will be trying this year. U.S. History told through the eyes of African Americans, Native Americans, and immigrants.
Nature Study
Exploring Nature with Children. An incredible seasonal guide for studying nature with kids, filled with poetry and activities and resources for going deeper.
Last Child in the Woods. By Richard Louv. Inspiring book on why we need to get our kids outdoors.
Julia Rothman Books. On Nature, Food, Farms & Oceans.
Math
Montessori. We have loads of Montessori Math tools and a moveable alphabet. For how to use the materials I often consult YouTube.
Art
A Humble Place Picture Study. Obsessed with her Picture Study Aids. Highly recommend.
Simply Charlotte Mason Picture Portfolios. I often print prints for free from WikiArt, but these are well curated collections of prints by some of the greats.
Jodi Mockabee Art Study. Great general art survey study.
Growing in Faith
The Ology. Teaches Christian theology to kids in an engaging way.
The Bible. Call me old fashioned, but we mostly just read scripture aloud and discuss it together. I try to provide context that I am learning from my own personal studying.