"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled."
— Plutarch

Curriculum We Have Used

Mathematics

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Three yellow and blue math textbooks titled 'SAXON Math Homeschool 5/4' with a background of faint clock and math symbols.

Saxon

Saxon Math offers a structured, mastery-based approach with lots of review and incremental lessons. It felt rigorous and dry for our family, but it’s a solid option for students who thrive on repetition and a no-frills format.

Cover of a children's math book titled 'Simply Good and Beautiful Math: What It's All About'. The background resembles white wooden planks, with colorful smaller book covers for math levels 1 through 6 arranged around the central title.

Good & the Beautiful Math

The Good and the Beautiful Math is a free, visually rich curriculum that gave our 5th grader a huge boost in scores. It offers a strong foundation, though the pacing may require some flexibility to complete in a school year.

Cover images of primary mathematics textbooks and workbooks for grades 3A and 3B. The covers feature colorful illustrations of children playing with blocks, the numbers 1 through 5, and playful designs. The titles indicate they are U.S. editions by Marshall Cavendish Education from SingaporeMath.com.

Singapore (Primary Mathematics)

Primary Mathematics (Singapore Math) builds strong problem-solving and mental math skills through a clear, conceptual approach. It felt gentler than expected, making it a great fit for families seeking solid math foundations without the overwhelm.

Set of six children's math books with animal illustrations on the covers, including a bear, lion, unicorn, fox, giraffe, and kangaroo, arranged in sequence on a wooden surface.

Math Lessons for a Living Education

Math Lessons for a Living Education uses a gentle, story-based approach that helped build our child’s confidence and ease math anxiety. Over time, though, it felt too light and lacked the challenge we needed as skills progressed.

Collection of comic book covers from Beast Academy, featuring colorful cartoon monsters and characters, with each cover representing different grade levels 3A to 3D.

Beast Academy

Beast Academy is a rigorous, comic-style math program ideal for advanced learners who love puzzles and problem-solving. It's engaging but often a grade ahead, requiring extra time and support—best for kids who enjoy a challenge, not those needing a simpler path.

Set of educational math workbooks titled 'Dimensions Math' for grades 8A and 8B, featuring a metallic head illustration and abstract graphs on the covers.

Singapore (Dimensions 7-8)

Singapore Dimensions provides a deep, conceptual math foundation, ideal for families seeking strong understanding. It can be challenging without support, but adding video lessons made it much more manageable for us.

Cover of a skills-based intervention program called Maneuvering Math with various math worksheets, markers, and flashcards on a desk.

Maneuvering the Middle

Maneuvering the Middle is a structured, classroom-style pre-algebra program with clear organization and a solid foundation. It’s best suited for group settings, as it felt like busy work in our homeschool rather than deep, conceptual learning.

Two algebra 1 student textbooks on a wooden surface, one with a yellow cover and a light bulb illustration, the other with a scenic lake photo. Both are titled 'Algebra 1' and labeled as student textbooks.

Denison Algebra

Denison Algebra has been a game-changer for our 8th grader, building confidence through clear explanations and encouraging support. With fun characters in pre-algebra and a mature tone in Algebra, it’s a great fit for students who thrive with a positive, engaging approach.

English Language Arts

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A book titled "Writing Rhetoric" with an illustration of a fox sitting under a tree on the cover, placed on an open notebook on a wooden surface.

Writing & Rhetoric

Writing & Rhetoric blends rich literature with creative writing, guiding students to develop ideas through storytelling and discussion. We loved its literary focus, though my daughter preferred more structure—best for those who enjoy a narrative, conversational style.

A printed learning sheet titled 'Lesson 7: Long "o" or "o-w"'. It is divided into three columns labeled A, B, and C, with word lists under each. The sheet includes a rule and hint section, and an example sentence about the letter 'o' in a song. A pen is clipped into a hole on the top right corner of the sheet, which is placed on a dark wooden surface.

Phonetic Zoo (IEW)

IEW Phonetic Zoo was a hit—even requested by my 8th grader! Though designed for independent use, we’ve loved doing it together. With tiered spelling lists for all ages, it’s flexible, frugal, and easy to use across multiple grade levels.

A collage of five book covers titled 'The Lesson Book' with different levels numbered one through four. Each cover features a nature-themed illustration: a monkey hanging from a tree, a bear on a rock, a panda among bamboo, a globe, and school supplies. The website momdelights.com is shown at the bottom.

My Lesson Book

My Lesson Book is a customizable, blank-lined notebook designed for various handwriting levels. It let all three of my kids—each with different needs—do copywork, narration, and dictation together.

A spiral-bound educational workbook titled "Fix It! Grammar" with a cover image of red apples in a basket on a grassy background, authored by Pamela White.

Fix-It Grammar (IEW)

IEW Fix-It Grammar is a quick, daily program that builds grammar skills from elementary through high school. It ramps up fast—challenging even older students—and the answer key is a must. Streamlined yet rigorous, it’s a great fit for busy families.

A laptop displaying the Typesy logo on the screen with a white background.

Typesy

Typesy is an engaging, adaptable typing program that builds strong keyboarding skills through interactive lessons and games. Using a blank keyboard cover helped reinforce good habits—we just wish we’d started sooner!

Cover of a teacher's manual and student book titled "Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons," with a silhouette of a knight riding a horse at sunset in the background.

History-Based Writing (IEW)

IEW’s History-Based Writing is a rich, effective program—but strong editing skills are essential. With guidance, it beautifully integrates writing and history. If you need help, I also offer IEW editing services to support your student’s growth.

History & Social Studies

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A painting of a scholarly man with gray hair and beard, dressed in robes with an orange cloak, sitting at a desk with books and writing materials, in a setting resembling a historical or religious context.

Omnibus

We use the rigorous, literature-rich Omnibus program (Levels 1-6, starting in 7th grade) as a group, reading aloud together to deepen comprehension and discussion. Though most texts are at a 12th-grade level, the investment is well worth it for families seeking rich, classical learning.

Book cover titled "The Plutarch Primer" with the subtitle "Publicola" by Anne E. White, featuring a red apple with a gray leaf on a concrete surface.

Plutarch Studies

Plutarch felt intimidating at first, but starting with Plutarch Primer made it doable. Now we use AmblesideOnline's free guides—challenging, but the rich discussions on virtue and history are worth it.

A collection of four books titled 'The Story of the World,' each with different colored covers and illustrations on the front.

Story of the World

Story of the World is a great history program with an engaging narrative approach, but we found that it only dedicated a couple of chapters to the Renaissance and Reformation. Since we wanted more depth in those areas, we ended up switching to something else.

Animated game cover for 'World History II Crash Course,' featuring a computer cartoon character with glasses, a knight in armor with a sword, and a smiling green apple, with a blue background and historical symbols.

Crash Course History (YouTube)

Crash Course History moves fast and uses lots of visuals, making it fun and easy to follow. It’s NOT from a Christian view, but the humor and summaries spark great discussions. My son loves the wit, my daughter the visuals—it’s a great supplement, not a main source.

Four books titled "The Mystery of History" by Linda Lacour Huber, each with a different colored cover and historical-themed images on the covers, arranged in a two-by-two grid.

Mystery of History

Mystery of History follows a more traditional textbook style but is Christ-centric and presents history through a biblical lens. We appreciated that it also gave perspective to historical figures who are often maligned, offering a more well-rounded view of events.

Blue logo of Hillsdale College featuring a clock tower and the college name in blue capital letters.

Hillsdale College

Hillsdale’s free courses make college-level content accessible, with short, easy quizzes. We use them in middle school, especially the Ancient & Medieval Literature course—reading the books first helps make the discussions richer. It's advanced but very doable.

Five black-and-white maps of North America, Europe, Asia, and the United States, along with five children's books about geography and nature in the foreground.

Holling Geography Unit Study

The Holling Geography Unit Study uses rich literature, maps, and videos to bring U.S. geography to life. I loved it more than my kids did, but we made great memories—and it made learning geography feel like an adventure.

Science

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Box set of educational books titled 'Science Through History' by Dr. Jay L. Wile, featuring colorful book covers about science concepts in history, with a Reader Award badge and a note that it is voted number one by Practical Homeschooling magazine readers.

Science Through History

Science Through History (Berean Builders) is a solid, family-friendly program with leveled activities and great experiments. My kids loved the hands-on work, but the historical bios felt dry, and much of the content went over their heads.

I wish we’d waited until middle school—it’s best suited for older students ready for deeper connections.

Three people and a dog in a science laboratory. The person in the middle, wearing a lab coat, is holding a small white dog with a red bandana. The woman on the right, in a pink hoodie, is smiling at them. The girl on the left, in a red plaid shirt, is touching the dog's head. The lab table has a microscope, bottles of liquid, and a plate of vegetables. Laboratory equipment and storage shelves are visible in the background.

Generation Genius

Generation Genius is a secular science resource with dynamic, extremely well-done videos that really engage students. However, the quizzes often focus on minute details rather than reinforcing key concepts, which makes note-taking tricky.

It’s a great supplement, but we found it worked best when we adjusted our approach to the quizzes.

Collection of science and zoology books for children on topics like astronomy, botany, earth science, zoology, land animals, human anatomy, and physics.

Apologia Science

We used Apologia’s Chemistry and Physics (elementary level), and even my middle schoolers found it challenging. With a traditional approach and easy household experiments, it offered a solid, hands-on science foundation.

Foreign Language

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Educational language learning materials for children, including a book titled 'Song School Latin Book 1' with a cartoon monkey, a teacher edition of the same book, a DVD set featuring a cartoon monkey, and colorful flashcards, all on a wooden surface.

Song School Latin

Song School Latin is a great introduction to Latin, providing a solid foundation in the basics while also explaining why Latin is worth studying and from where it comes. It’s an engaging and approachable starting point for young learners.

Blue book cover titled 'Speaking Spanish with Miss Mason and François' with gold decorative birds and swirls, labeled 'Volume 1'.

Speaking Spanish with Miss Mason

Speaking Spanish with Miss Mason focuses on memory work, but it got old quickly for us. I wanted Spanish to be fun and engaging, and this approach didn’t quite capture that excitement.

Educational DVD set titled 'Latin for Children Primer A' with answer key and second disc, featuring cartoon illustrations of a young boy in Roman clothing holding a scroll and a Roman soldier, used for learning Latin pronunciation.

Latin for Children

Latin for Children is a solid program, but we found retention challenging at first—my children went through the first workbook twice. However, when we consistently used the CD chants, their memorization improved significantly.

Educational materials for learning Spanish, including books, a test program, answer key booklet, and online access card, all focusing on breaking the Spanish barrier.

Breaking the Spanish Barrier

Breaking the Spanish Barrier feels more like a college-level approach than a high school one. It’s fairly challenging without a fluent speaker to assist, whether at home or in a class setting. A solid choice for serious learners, but it may require extra support for those without immersion opportunities.

Cover of a textbook titled "Latin Alive! Book 1" with a statue of a classical woman and an emblem with an eagle and American flag.

Latin Alive!

Latin Alive! is our favorite Latin program because the videos are very in-depth, making comprehension much easier. However, checking their work can be tedious since the book’s layout doesn’t allow much space for writing.

Close-up of a smartphone screen showing the Duolingo app icon, which features a green background with a cartoon owl face.

Duolingo

Duolingo didn’t stick when my kids were new to languages, but after building a foundation, we all enjoy it now. It’s a fun, useful supplement—our whole family uses it for different languages alongside other studies.