This is the last blog post in the blog post series Our Favorite Curriculum (Find the other four post HERE).  Apologia is a curriculum I wish we would have used sooner in our homeschooling journey.  Not that I didn’t like our science choice before, but this one has been even easier to use and has allowed me to make science an independent subject for our older girls to work on, leaving me free to take care of a baby and now toddler as well.

Here are the top five reasons we will continue to use Apologia in our homeschool journey.

This curriculum was a no-brainer when I found it. I would have taught writing very similar to IEW's approach to writing had I remained in the classroom teaching. Writing is a simple process, but I know it can be overwhelming to some. IEW takes away that overwhelm with clear and simple steps that build off each other and can help the most reluctant writer.

I settled on choosing our curriculum for reading and math fairly quickly (See the posts on our other favorites, AALP and MUS). The rest of our subjects took some trial and error on my part and time to figure out what worked best for us and fit into my vision for our homeschool.

I began trying to write my curriculum, using a concept similar to Sonlight of teaching history through literature and not a dry textbook. I kept referencing Sonlights books lists and would also pour other online lists. So approximately three years into our homeschooling journey, I bit the bullet. I purchased a Core B (Introduction to World History) from a Facebook group and pieced together the missing parts. It took us a year and a half to use that first core, then I switched to year-round homeschooling, and Sonlight fell right into place with our homeschooling journey.

Once we settled with Sonlight, here are the top five reasons we will continue to use Sonlight.

When we started homeschooling, I was unsure of my ability to teach my child how to read. I was "trained/educated" to help students interpret and analyze what they read, but not how to read. So I searched the internet, found homeschool blogs, and trolled Facebook groups. All About Reading kept coming up. So I dove in and made our first homeschooling purchase, and we haven't turned back.

This week, I shared our curriculum choices for our Together Subjects for 2023 and 7th Grade Curriculum Choices. Today I am going to share our choices for our 3rd Grader Thumper.  This year will be a growing year as she will get to start doing some subjects she hasn’t yet tackled as she advances in certain skills.

First, I will share the few staple subjects, that we have been using for several years now.

Yesterday, I shared our curriculum choices for our Together Subjects for 2023. Today I am going to share our choices for our 7th Grader Mouse.  This year she is going to be more independent, with a lot of her work, which I’m both excited for and scared for, because it means she is growing up.  My goal for her is to help her be primarily independent in her learning by 9th grade, and ultimately independent as a young adult.

First, I will share the few staple subjects, that we have been using for several years now.

Our school year will begin later this month, as we are putting back an official start date on hold anticipating moving to our first job location mid-January.  However, we will start some staple subjects (Math and Reading) while we are in transition, so that we can keep moving along in those subjects.  Just to remind some and introduce us to others.  We are a traveling homeschooling family.  I have three girls: Mouse (age 12, 7th Grade), Thumper (age 8, 3rd Grade) and Bird (age 2, Tot school).

This year I had a hard time deciding on some of our subjects together.  Then, I made choices, purchased them, and then when they arrived, I was disappointed.  So, I’m still deciding on some. What I know we are going to do this school year is our Science, Music, Bible, Poetry, and World Geography.