Okay, maybe you have already read J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. But who wouldn’t love this.

Horizons is a curriculum that is a staple among homeschooling families. It is a Kindergarten through grade 6 program.

Horizons Mathematics is a workbook/textbook style math program that has a reputation of moving quickly through topics in its spiral approach to learning (students work with several topics at a time rather than a mastery approach where one topic is taught and student masters it and then a new topic is introduced). The workbooks are very colorful with a variety of additional puzzles and math topics.

The teacher manuals are occasionally less than helpful but even so this program can be a great fit for the right family. For some children this book can move rather quickly through topics but for others the pace is just right.

Have you ever wanted to have Ms. Frizzle as your teacher? Her magic school bus is a great way for kids to learn science topics. Her science and community lessons are fun, entertaining and educational. I incorporated some of these while I was homeschooling but since all of my children have enjoyed these DVDs they have been great to have around the house for that time of day when you just need a few minutes break and the kids need something to do.

I found that my children got the most out of the movies starting at age 4 through 10 years old or so. There are a variety of books including chapter books and picture book style. They are designed for a variety of ages.

Enjoy the guilt free time the kids have in front of the television. If you are interested, in addition to the variety of books, you can also purchase science kits based on these books and movies directly from Scholastic.

As detailed in the book

a classical education model begins with the foundation of a strong study in world history. Although many use these books because they like the model of a classical education others who might choose another educational model might find these books a great product to get the study of world history done over several years.

Ms. Bauer created a series of books to educate your child about history from the earliest day until modern time. The Story of the World books and activity books can be read to your child as early as Kindergarten or first grade and used to learn about history in a very interesting manner all the way through grades four or five. Using the activity books gives you coloring pages to keep your child focused on the lesson as you read (or to be done after a reading is done), and other mapping and hands on activity (interested in mummifying a chicken?) and in the end you get a strong understanding of our world’s history.

Explode the Code is another gem for those children learning to read. It is a phonics program designed to teach letters, sounds and blends necessary to learn to read and spell. The books use pictures that are circled and X-ed. It is also possible to teach children handwriting using this program or those sections can be skipped until they are ready to learn to write. There are also 1/2 books (i.e. 1 1/2, 2 1/2, etc.) which are for extra practice if the teacher feels that the student needs more repetition. They are not necessary for all children.

Get Ready for the Code A, B and C are the books that introduce the letters and their sounds. They can be used by children before they can write.

The program can be used by the very young and those with learning disabilities, too.

Switched on Schoolhouse (SOS) by Alpha Omega came in very handy during my last year of homeschooling. I was able to let my child work through the program, with my guidance and assistance, while letting the system track his work and grades, giving me time that was previously used for grading and correcting school work.
Switched on Schoolhouse is a religious homeschool computerized program designed for grades 3-12. It provides classes for Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies and Bible. My child was in 8th grade when he used this program and learned a lot of note taking and study skills as he progressed through the program.

Mathematics in the United States is changing. According to the recent 2008 National Mathematics Advisory Panel math education needs to change if the United States is going to keep up with the rest of the world. Singapore has been leading the world for several years in mathematics education. The state of California is now allowing the Singapore mathematics program to be taught in their education system.

I used this program for several years while homeschooling and I really learned a lot even though it was supposed to be my son learning the most. I learned more about mathematics and algebra using this program than I did in all of my math classes in college (which, granted I didn’t take many in college….) . The program is very simplistic looking but your brain is stretched as you attempt to solve the many problems in here the “Singapore” way.

This series is a great program to supplement your child’s public school or private school program if they still in school. The lessons are short. It uses a mastery style approach (completes one topic before introducing another). Because the program takes a different approach than standard U.S. math publishers I highly recommend that you give your student the placement test. If in doubt go down a level to make sure that your child understands the “Singapore” math program.

The supplementary books, Challenging Word Problems and Intensive Practice give additional review and the problems designed to challenge the student. I used this program without using the supplementary books but I think that it would have been a better program all around had I used them.

If you would like to purchase a different level in the Primary Maths Series please use the Amazon search in the upper left corner of this website.

These are some of the supplementary Primary math books.

These books are a great resource for teaching a child to read. BOB books are great for the very young and the not so young as the books build word recognition slowly and simply. My children enjoyed learning from them and I’m sure yours will also.

You can purchase directly through Scholastic or Amazon.com