Homeschool Happenings: 2015 Blue Ribbon Awards

I had the privilege of reviewing some incredible curriculums this year. Some of the curriculums that we reviewed have now become part of our homeschooling curriculum. Like many others on the CREW it was difficult to pick our favorites out of so many amazing curriculums and supplemental resources. Speaking for my family, I can truly say that our homeschooling experience has been greatly enriched by many of these products.

Here are a few of our favorites:

My 9th and 10th graders have found a friend in CTC Math. My oldest daughter found her math niche in Teaching Textbooks. After purchasing every Teaching Textbooks level I soon realized that this curriculum was NOT working for my next two kiddos. When I got the opportunity to review CTC Math and my two kiddos tried it out we realized that we had found a MATCH!!!! My 9th and 10th graders are understanding math and are successfully working their ways through Algebra I and Geometry with A averages!!! I posted a follow-up post on CTC Math.

I have several avid readers in my house and was so excited to be introduced to YWAM Publishing. I tend to use the literature approach to learning history and the collection of books published by YWAM have truly been a blessing. Since reviewing the book on Gladys Aylward, I have purchased over a dozen more in the Heroes of History Series and the Christian Heroes: Then and Now Series.

After having homeschooled for almost 16 years I can say that I am still learning. This year I had the privilege of reviewing several curriculums by IEW. IEW has some amazing products. I was able to review Phonetic Zoo and a Writing program. When reviewing the writing program I realized that I was teaching writing all wrong!!

My daughters absolutely loved Circle C Adventures. We reviewed Thick As Thieves too. There is something about girls and horses to draw them in.

Our family is not the most musically inclined family and so I have always found it difficult to incorporate music into our homeschooling. Well, thanks to Maestro Classics music is gaining a foothold in our home. Since reviewing I have gone on to purchase more products from Maestro Classics.

What is more fun that eating your homework!!!! We absolutely loved Ann McCallum Books. We will definitely be purchasing more in this series.

Koru, oh how I love their products. I have had the privilege of reviewing their products twice this year!!!

My son and I thoroughly enjoyed the online course with Freedom Project Education. My son has asked many times when he can take another course.

My daughters grew to love and become a bit addicted to Orphs of the Woodlands. As a mom it is not too often that I approve of my children playing games online but this one was truly different.

Thanks to Memoria Press my 10th grader is getting her needed foreign language for high school. She is loving the curriculum.

I liked Alpha Omega so much that I decided to use this with my 2nd grader this year instead of using our regular curriculum choice for this subject.

There were so many more curriculums that I reviewed and absolutely loved!!! The above was just a sampling of my thoughts about the curriculums reviewed in 2015.

The official results are in.........

Favorite Reading Curriculum: Reading Kingdom
Favorite Writing Curriculum: Institute for Excellence in Writing
Favorite Vocabulary Program: Dynamic Literacy
Favorite Spelling Program: Institute for Excellence in Writing: Phonetic Zoo
Favorite Grammar Program: Institute for Excellence in Writing: Fix-It! Grammar
Favorite Penmanship Program: CursiveLogic
Favorite Literature Curriculum: Progeny Press

Favorite History Curriculum: Home School in the Woods
Favorite History Supplement: Heirloom Audio Productions: In Freedom's Cause
Favorite Science Curriculum: Visual Learning Systems
Favorite Science Supplement: Ann McCallum Books: Eat Your Science Homework
Favorite Math Curriculum: CTC Math
Favorite Math Supplement: SimplyFun

Favorite Christian Education Curriculum: Grapevine Studies
Favorite Christian Education Supplement: Brinkman Adventures
Favorite Foreign Language Curriculum: Middlebury Interactive Language
Favorite Fine Arts Product: Maestro Classics
Favorite Elective Curriculum: Apologia Educational Ministries: Field Trip Journal
Favorite Audio Drama: Brinkman Adventures
Favorite Video: FishFlix.com