Favorite Curriculum (Updated)

After five years of homeschooling — and watching our kids grow from early elementary into high school — we’ve tried our share of curriculum, programs, and approaches. While not everything has stuck, some resources have become true staples in our home.

If you're looking for inspiration that blends structure with flexibility, here's what has been worked best for our family this year.

Our Homeschool Rhythm
We’ve found that about 1.5 hours of intentional, book-based learning per day is our sweet spot. It allows us to focus without burnout — especially for younger grades.

We lean toward tangible, paper-based learning versus online platforms — though I know that will likely evolve more through high school, as will the amount of dedicated book learning time.

The biggest reminder I give myself?
Homeschooling is about cultivating a love of learning — not recreating a classroom at home.

Our Go-To Curriculum

Math

  • Saxon Math – Works well for our structured, analytical learner.

  • The Good and The Beautiful – Engaging, visual, and open-ended — perfect for our creative learner.

Previously we have tried:

  • Teaching Textbooks – A great online option for students who struggle with math and need extra support. Very hands-off for parents (which helped for a season), but we missed the connection of book-based learning.

  • Beast Academy – Taught through graphic novels and full of advanced concepts. It helped build an incredible foundation for one of our daughters.

Life Skills

  • Evan Moor Financial Literacy Workbooks – A fantastic, practical way to introduce personal finance to kids. Approachable and real-life focused.

Typing

  • Typing.com – Simple and free. No bells and whistles, just effective skill-building.

Project-Based & Unit Study Learning

Gather 'Round Unit Studies
These have been a huge win for us — especially with our girls being several grades apart. Each unit is designed for multi-age, full-family learning, and we typically complete 4 per year. This year each daughter picked out 2 units for us to do.

We remove or adapt the Bible sections since we’re not a Christian homeschool family, but overall the units are packed with quality content.

Favorite Units We’ve Done:

  • Canadian Government

  • Unsolved Mysteries

  • Space

  • Human Body

When even just two of us are excited about the topic — especially if one is me — that enthusiasm becomes contagious.


Stay tuned for the next post: Our Favorite Enrichment Resources + Independent Projects for Homeschooling.

Jenn Houssin