I use a mish-mash curriculum.  I use different publishers for different subjects, based on what works for us.

Some of the things I consider are price, what I like, how the children learn, how I teach, and what will hold their attention best.  Not one of those factors is the deciding factor, though.  They work together to influence my decision.

For two years, I used Learning Language Arts Through Literature.  I love, love, love that curriculum.  And I bought the teacher’s books at eBay and the student books at Christian Book Distributors (see sidebar), so the price was right.  But the boys just did not like it.  It did not suit their learning styles and it did not hold their attention.

I blame them, not the curriculum.  In fact, I might try it with Little E, just to see if he likes it.

The point is that you cannot make a curriculum work if it doesn’t.  I finally gave in and found a language arts program that works.  Actually, it’s more of a system.  I use Spectrum Language Arts workbooks for grammar units, they choose books for their own reading practice, I choose books for literature studies (usually with a purchased literature study guide), and I use a spelling workbook for spelling reinforcement.

A similar situation happened with Math.  We started with Saxon, which is a terrific curriculum, but they didn’t quite like it.  Then we tried Switched-On Schoolhouse, a computer-based program, which just did not suit us.  Finally, this year, we tried Singapore Math, which was a resounding success.  We all love it.  It is an excellent math program.  It suits my teaching style to a T.  They love it, as it fits with their learning styles (both!).  I even started Little E on the kindergarten books.

As with pretty much everything else in homeschooling, finding the right curriculum is a trial and error process.  If you are struggling with homeschooling, you might want to try some different materials before you throw in the towel.

What about you?  What do you use for curriculum materials?  Did you go through trial and error, or did you get it right on the first try?