The Pros and Cons of Free Curriculum

Everyone is attracted to free curriculum. Let's go over the pros and cons.

The Pros

One pro is that there is a lot of free stuff. You can find free worksheets, free games, free books and free advice on the internet. Some of it is well written and very good.

There is even a website that has free kindergarten to twelfth grade curriculum. Ambleside online is free and follows Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education. They list books and give a schedule of what should be taught for each year. Most of the books can be found at the library or downloaded from online sites for free.

Ambleside does require that you buy some books especially math. I feel that a math book is important. Math needs to be taught systematically. Most worksheets only cover addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Math understanding is much more.

There are other sites where you can download books that are in the public domain. Any books published before 1923 are no longer under copyright laws so they can be copied.

The Cons

One of the problems of free curriculum is that your child might experience gaps in his education. The gaps can happen when you take worksheets from many different places. Unless you are experienced with what children need to know you will need a plan.

I also feel overwhelmed when I look for free materials. There is so much free stuff on the internet. I find that it takes a lot of time to find what I am looking for.

Develop a Plan

A scope and sequence can provide a plan for your child. A scope and sequence will help you understand what your child needs to know at each grade level.

You might find books on grade level expectations in the library. The series What Your (First Grader) Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. is a place start.

Another place to look is on your states educational website. Here is the link for Washington State. Look under the grade level expectations.

You might also borrow a scope and sequence from a homeschooling friend.

You will need to then make a plan. Write down what your child needs to know. An example for first grade reading and math is:

For reading:

Systematically develop your child's phonemic awareness

Identify syllables in a word

For Math:

Learn how to add and subtract

Identify two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes.

Learn to measure.

Learn to collect and graph data.

Organize

After you have determined what your child needs to know look for free curriculum on line and at the library. Copy the worksheets. Place similar worksheets together. Don't forget to find some free educational games.

Keep track of what your child knows. Talk to them about the books that they are reading. Test them on what they know. Write down your observations. When you are looking for new worksheets refer to your notes so that you will know what needs to be reviewed.

How I Use Free Curriculum

To let you know I have only used free sources to supplement my curriculum. I have used worksheets to give my child extra practice in math or spelling. I have also used games to support what we are learning. Besides worksheets and games I have downloaded free books from the internet.

From the library I have borrowed videos for history. Besides fiction we have also read biographies and looked at science books.

Free curriculum is good for helping children who struggle with learning. Use games and extra worksheets to give your child extra practice. Sometimes when material is presented in different and fun ways the child will grasp the information. Free curriculum can provide an inexpensive education if you take the time to plan.

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