Changing Homeschool Curriculum Mid-Year

 You’re probably heard the old joke – “How many ____ does it take to change a light bulb?”

The way I always heard it was “How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb?” The answer is none.  They aren’t changing ANYTHING!  (I grew up Lutheran, and trust me, they really don’t like change LOL)

This classic joke makes me think about homeschool curriculum and how resistant we can sometime be about changing what we are doing or using, even if it’s not really the best option, simply because we paid good money for it.

How often do we think about changing homeschool curriculum but feel we are too invested in it to make the change – even when it isn’t working?!  

Homeschool curriculum that isn’t working:

Homeschool curriculum can be like a light bulb that has become dim.  Sometimes it takes someone else – our children, perhaps – to point out that the bulb is dim – to point out the curriculum isn’t working. 

It might have been the perfect fit for our oldest, but it is drudgery for our second child. 

We had that problem with our spelling curriculum.  It worked fine for our two oldest, but it just wasn’t clicking for the youngest.  After much struggling, we decided we needed to change directions.

Research new curriculum:

Then comes the research!  There are countless sites in which you can look for reviews, curriculum fairs to attend for browsing books, and friends to ask about which program they prefer. 

If you aren’t careful, this can consume many days (and late night hours) of your life. Find step-by-step instructions for choosing homeschool materials that are affordable or even free to create a high quality homeschool education for your kids over at our sister site, Whole Child Homeschool.

In the end, we did find a new spelling curriculum.  We chose one that was more of a workbook style than what we had been using.

Take the plunge and get the new curriculum:

Last, is the hardest part – you have to pull out the wallet and actually purchase the newly chosen curriculum.

But wait, you might find it cheaper on Ebay or a Facebook swap group! 

Check out this article on our sister site, Whole Child Homeschool, about the 12 best places to find the least inexpensive homeschooling curriculum and resources when you are on a tight budget.

OK, after you have determined the cheapest place to purchase it, you will have to throw out the old, ineffective curriculum (or my favorite, re-sell it) and start using the new curriculum with your child.

If you find yourself with curriculum that needs changing, don’t be afraid to try something new. 

Changing your homeschool curriculum might just turn out to be a great way to help your students see the light!

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