Simple Curriculum Advice

Victoria Botkin gives sound and inspiring advice in her Curriculum Advice CDs. Parents are encouraged to give their children a passion for all that God has made and all that God has done. Wow! That is a worthwhile vision. As parents, we are first of all to consider what God wants. He desires that we equip our children to be ambassadors for Him in theology, history, science, reading and writing.

The beauty of Victoria's advice to parents is its simplicity. Read a lot, and borrow most of the books from the library. Read history to your children rather than giving them simplified history books or text books. Choose a math curriculum (they used Saxon) and mark daily. Borrow lots of "real books" for science as well, and talk about them together. Equip your children to read and write with excellence as they are called to proclaim Christ and must be able to communicate effectively. Watch your own attitude, as you are their example.

As I have considered how to educate our children, I have often returned to the thoughts that Victoria shared. Homeschooling doesn't seem so daunting when I think of it as an extension of what I am already doing with our 20 month old. We talk about books and numbers and nature, and as he grows we will build and build on this knowledge. The Curriculum Advice CDs are available in Australia from Anselm Study House, where you can also find additional information about the content. In the USA they are available from Vision Forum.