Blue Collar Homeschool Curriculum Criteria
In order to be listed in our curriculum lists, materials have to meet certain criteria:
Items noted as "Tried and True" resources have been used by our own family, and we welcome questions!
We are not affiliated with any of the curriculum providers we recommend here, and receive no compensation in any form for our recommendation.
Multiple Subjects
There are a few products that are difficult to categorize, because they offer curriculum for multiple subjects. If you are looking for one source to cover several subjects, here are some options:
Acellus
Do you want to homeschool but don't have the time or energy to figure out a curriculum for every subject? Do you work and have someone to oversee your child, like a grandparent, but who can't accept the responsibility for teaching? Does your child need to work at their own pace, or are working at differing grade levels for different subjects? This might be the perfect program for you! It is ALL online, video based material presentation, has practice problems and digital books, and automatic record keeping. At $300 a year, it is actually quite affordable when one considers what they would spend crafting a school year and buying books, etc. themselves. Why do we like it at Blue Collar Homeschool? Because it also offers remedial courses, special education courses (Yes, for real!!) and "average" courses in addition to the traditional more challenging core classes!! If you have high schoolers, they have an entire category of career and technical education courses!! Imagine taking HVAC, Electrical Technology, and Information Management courses online in high school! Peruse their course offerings to see if this could be a good for your family!
Curriculum Pathways
Free...doesn't that have a nice ring to it? Free and SOLID curriculum options for ALL grade levels for ALL core subjects is even better! Fully online, trackable, and "tailor-able" makes this a wonderful resource for homeschoolers. Does your learner need more support and practice in a particular subject only? Create an account and dive in. This is not all "game based" as some free programs are, meaning there is some learning but nothing fully fleshed out. This is a real curriculum to cover a year of topics for any of the core subjects. Simply sign up, select what you want for your learner, and off they go! A wonderful web site which can also serve to help out during times when mom may not be able to teach due to family crisis, illness, etc.
Ed-Helper
This web site takes worksheets a step further, often allowing you to customize your own worksheets in just about any subject. Want to work on catching grammar and mechanical mistakes? Generate a worksheet with intentional mistakes to be caught! Short comprehension stories for all grade levels, thematic units, word search generators and more. This is a well loved web site by many teachers, and you'll see why when you check it out. Subscription based for a low annual fee. Also a Tried and True resource!
Enchanted Learning
A worksheet generating web site with over 35,000 possible worksheets for you to use!! A nominal annual subscription fee provides access to worksheets for every topic, for every grade level...though this really does focus more on elementary and middle school needs. They even have worksheets in Spanish! Many educating parents decide to forego textbooks in the early years and work solely with worksheets. If you are one of those, this is the web site to check out. A Tried and True resource!
Next Level Homeschool
Online courses in many subjects but with a particular focus on science that is 100% secular.
Outschool
Does your child do better in some subjects without mom as teacher? Are you looking for interesting elective offerings taught by experts? Are there topics you feel insecure about teaching? With Outschool you have access to hundreds of classes taught by certified teachers and non-certified specialists in their fields like artists, authors, etc. In addition to core courses taught in original and creative ways, there are interesting and unusual electives. Courses are reasonably priced, and the platform allows for social interaction with teacher and fellow students. A great way to perhaps take one subject off Mom's plate!
Remedia
Special needs and remedial curriculum.
Soft Schools
Free worksheets and printables for all grades and all subjects, and can supplement a traditional curriculum.
Spectrum Workbook Series
The Spectrum series offers super affordable workbooks in all core subjects, from grade K-8. You could build a school year around them with a few supplemental reading books and projects. If you want a simplified approach to homeschooling, yet want to make sure you are teaching to national standards, you can't find any more sure fire way than to use this series. Its been around a long time, that's because it works. Also great material for supplementation for students needing remedial work in a particular subject. These are no frills, but they get the job done inexpensively, and with little fuss. This is a Tried and True resource!
Starline Press
An all inclusive worktext curriculum from grades 3-12, this might be the best option for many homeschoolers who are looking for a place to find an all in one, good, basic curriculum to use with their kids that is completely uncomplicated to work with. A worktext is a combination workbook/textbook...your lesson reading material is in the booklet along with the workbook pages. This curriculum has subjects for each grade level divided up into smaller units with a worktext for each unit. The learner feels a sense of accomplishment when a unit is completed. This curriculum is moderately priced, and the worktexts have a wide array of materials covered. Used for independent study situations and by charter schools, it meets all the standard criteria. A Tried and True resource!
Stelum
While this might, at first glance, seem an odd addition to our curriculum resources, once you check this out you might become addicted! Do you have a child who loves to ask questions about complex topics, and you can't explain them in easy-to-understand language? Through clear explanations called "Simplexes", your child can explore hundreds (maybe thousands) of topics in history, science, and technology. This is the kind of web site you can dive into and hide in for hours without realizing it!
Sundance Publications
Special needs and remedial curriculum. Great for "Hi-Lo Readers."
Time4Learning
Have you heard the horror stories from some families who have used online curriculum for all subjects from a couple of different companies, because it was provided free by their state? Did you hear the same complaints that we did about it being "just like public school" when that was not what they were wanting?
Many families work well with online curriculum, but some companies have established online programs that are keeping kids at computers for far too many hours each day. They require so much work to be done, that it is almost impossible for a student to complete it in a reasonable amount of time. Add in the fact that there is direct oversight from teachers dictating exactly what needs to be done, and when, and you have quickly lost the freedom of homeschooling.
Time4Learning is your solution. It fills a real need for an online learning environment that covers all core subjects for all grades, and it does so without trying to put your child into an early grave. This online program is proven effective, and some families use it as a primary curriculum and supplement a little with some hands on activities and more reading, while others use it as a supplemental program for additional practice in areas a student may be weak in. It does all the progress tracking for you, and you can move learners up and down grade levels for different subjects, allowing you to customize it to meet your learner's needs. If you have a larger family and need more one on one time with some of your children, using Time4Learning can be a way to occupy others with strong learning activities so you can be more fully present for those needing more "mom" time. Courses for preschool through high school are offered at a fairly low price monthly subscription price, making it within reason for most families who are using it as a main curriculum source. Be mindful, however, that at the upper elementary and middle school levels, some subjects may be a bit "dry" and need supplementation, which is easy enough to do. This is a Tried and True resource!
In order to be listed in our curriculum lists, materials have to meet certain criteria:
- It must be uncomplicated to teach with.
- It must be as neutral as possible in terms of world view/religious perspectives. If it is not neutral, it must be an exceptionally good resource and be easy to "neutralize" and be able to be used by people of all faiths. This does not mean there is no mention of religion, but that religious training is not a key component of the curriculum.
- It must provide a good education which would fully prepare a student for the real world. Not all of the curriculum suggestions would be appropriate for the college bound student, but then not every student is headed for college and their needs should not be ignored as they so often are.
Items noted as "Tried and True" resources have been used by our own family, and we welcome questions!
We are not affiliated with any of the curriculum providers we recommend here, and receive no compensation in any form for our recommendation.
Multiple Subjects
There are a few products that are difficult to categorize, because they offer curriculum for multiple subjects. If you are looking for one source to cover several subjects, here are some options:
Acellus
Do you want to homeschool but don't have the time or energy to figure out a curriculum for every subject? Do you work and have someone to oversee your child, like a grandparent, but who can't accept the responsibility for teaching? Does your child need to work at their own pace, or are working at differing grade levels for different subjects? This might be the perfect program for you! It is ALL online, video based material presentation, has practice problems and digital books, and automatic record keeping. At $300 a year, it is actually quite affordable when one considers what they would spend crafting a school year and buying books, etc. themselves. Why do we like it at Blue Collar Homeschool? Because it also offers remedial courses, special education courses (Yes, for real!!) and "average" courses in addition to the traditional more challenging core classes!! If you have high schoolers, they have an entire category of career and technical education courses!! Imagine taking HVAC, Electrical Technology, and Information Management courses online in high school! Peruse their course offerings to see if this could be a good for your family!
Curriculum Pathways
Free...doesn't that have a nice ring to it? Free and SOLID curriculum options for ALL grade levels for ALL core subjects is even better! Fully online, trackable, and "tailor-able" makes this a wonderful resource for homeschoolers. Does your learner need more support and practice in a particular subject only? Create an account and dive in. This is not all "game based" as some free programs are, meaning there is some learning but nothing fully fleshed out. This is a real curriculum to cover a year of topics for any of the core subjects. Simply sign up, select what you want for your learner, and off they go! A wonderful web site which can also serve to help out during times when mom may not be able to teach due to family crisis, illness, etc.
Ed-Helper
This web site takes worksheets a step further, often allowing you to customize your own worksheets in just about any subject. Want to work on catching grammar and mechanical mistakes? Generate a worksheet with intentional mistakes to be caught! Short comprehension stories for all grade levels, thematic units, word search generators and more. This is a well loved web site by many teachers, and you'll see why when you check it out. Subscription based for a low annual fee. Also a Tried and True resource!
Enchanted Learning
A worksheet generating web site with over 35,000 possible worksheets for you to use!! A nominal annual subscription fee provides access to worksheets for every topic, for every grade level...though this really does focus more on elementary and middle school needs. They even have worksheets in Spanish! Many educating parents decide to forego textbooks in the early years and work solely with worksheets. If you are one of those, this is the web site to check out. A Tried and True resource!
Next Level Homeschool
Online courses in many subjects but with a particular focus on science that is 100% secular.
Outschool
Does your child do better in some subjects without mom as teacher? Are you looking for interesting elective offerings taught by experts? Are there topics you feel insecure about teaching? With Outschool you have access to hundreds of classes taught by certified teachers and non-certified specialists in their fields like artists, authors, etc. In addition to core courses taught in original and creative ways, there are interesting and unusual electives. Courses are reasonably priced, and the platform allows for social interaction with teacher and fellow students. A great way to perhaps take one subject off Mom's plate!
Remedia
Special needs and remedial curriculum.
Soft Schools
Free worksheets and printables for all grades and all subjects, and can supplement a traditional curriculum.
Spectrum Workbook Series
The Spectrum series offers super affordable workbooks in all core subjects, from grade K-8. You could build a school year around them with a few supplemental reading books and projects. If you want a simplified approach to homeschooling, yet want to make sure you are teaching to national standards, you can't find any more sure fire way than to use this series. Its been around a long time, that's because it works. Also great material for supplementation for students needing remedial work in a particular subject. These are no frills, but they get the job done inexpensively, and with little fuss. This is a Tried and True resource!
Starline Press
An all inclusive worktext curriculum from grades 3-12, this might be the best option for many homeschoolers who are looking for a place to find an all in one, good, basic curriculum to use with their kids that is completely uncomplicated to work with. A worktext is a combination workbook/textbook...your lesson reading material is in the booklet along with the workbook pages. This curriculum has subjects for each grade level divided up into smaller units with a worktext for each unit. The learner feels a sense of accomplishment when a unit is completed. This curriculum is moderately priced, and the worktexts have a wide array of materials covered. Used for independent study situations and by charter schools, it meets all the standard criteria. A Tried and True resource!
Stelum
While this might, at first glance, seem an odd addition to our curriculum resources, once you check this out you might become addicted! Do you have a child who loves to ask questions about complex topics, and you can't explain them in easy-to-understand language? Through clear explanations called "Simplexes", your child can explore hundreds (maybe thousands) of topics in history, science, and technology. This is the kind of web site you can dive into and hide in for hours without realizing it!
Sundance Publications
Special needs and remedial curriculum. Great for "Hi-Lo Readers."
Time4Learning
Have you heard the horror stories from some families who have used online curriculum for all subjects from a couple of different companies, because it was provided free by their state? Did you hear the same complaints that we did about it being "just like public school" when that was not what they were wanting?
Many families work well with online curriculum, but some companies have established online programs that are keeping kids at computers for far too many hours each day. They require so much work to be done, that it is almost impossible for a student to complete it in a reasonable amount of time. Add in the fact that there is direct oversight from teachers dictating exactly what needs to be done, and when, and you have quickly lost the freedom of homeschooling.
Time4Learning is your solution. It fills a real need for an online learning environment that covers all core subjects for all grades, and it does so without trying to put your child into an early grave. This online program is proven effective, and some families use it as a primary curriculum and supplement a little with some hands on activities and more reading, while others use it as a supplemental program for additional practice in areas a student may be weak in. It does all the progress tracking for you, and you can move learners up and down grade levels for different subjects, allowing you to customize it to meet your learner's needs. If you have a larger family and need more one on one time with some of your children, using Time4Learning can be a way to occupy others with strong learning activities so you can be more fully present for those needing more "mom" time. Courses for preschool through high school are offered at a fairly low price monthly subscription price, making it within reason for most families who are using it as a main curriculum source. Be mindful, however, that at the upper elementary and middle school levels, some subjects may be a bit "dry" and need supplementation, which is easy enough to do. This is a Tried and True resource!