We’re living in such an amazing time for homeschooling. To begin with, there are seemingly endless curricula to choose from. And so many of them are interesting. Really, no two are exactly alike. Because so many homeschool curriculum writers share their interests and have their individual way of presenting subjects, it keeps things fresh. Especially, I appreciate the homeschool curriculum choices that come with video. Ben has always responded well to video-based curriculum, which is why we have used it often through the years. For high school, at least 50% of his curriculum is enriched with a video component.

There are a few reasons why I believe adding video to homeschool curriculum is so beneficial.

Using Video to Enhance Homeschool Curriculum

Variety Is the Spice of Homeschooling

If you’re familiar with my blog, you know that I love variety. And being a delight-directed homeschooling family, this means several things. When my son wants to learn how to do something hands-on, he’s given the opportunity. If there’s a book that he wants to read on a topic, he’s soon immersed in it. And if there’s something that he can learn by watching a video about it, I have no problem with that. As more options are given to him to learn from, it helps keep his interest and cements the new information.

Keeping Up with Homeschool When Traveling

We especially find video helpful when we are traveling.  On a recent 2-week trip out west, we spent a total of 16 hours flying or in airports, and probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 hours in the car.  There was also some downtime at night in hotel rooms. This was time that would have been wasted for Ben had he not been able to stream most of his homeschool lessons.  Even if you’re only in the car for 30 minutes driving to a doctor’s appointment, a math video can be watched on a smartphone or iPad. For some families who spend a lot of time going to medical and therapy appointments, this could save your homeschool. 

And when you can’t travel for whatever reason, video can be a nice replacement. Of course, this depends on the subject matter. But video has a lot to offer when learning about geographical locations, history, and even science. Sure, my son can certainly read several books on these topics. However, video allows him to see the sights, hear the sounds, and it helps him grasp some concepts better.  

Watching video lessons is like he gets to travel with narrators. But without the costs and inconvenience of travel. Obviously, we love the real thing, but it’s just not always feasible to travel because of time, expense, or location of preference. Video learning can be a fun replacement!

Using Homeschool Curriculum with Video Frees Up Time

Even though my son is more of an independent learner at his age, he still needs to be taught some topics. With video curriculum, I can let the expert teach him and I don’t have to be right by his side for this like I would if I were doing all of the teaching myself. My time is freed up to do other tasks that demand my time (like writing this blog post). After all, there are only so many hours in a day. As a work at home, homeschooling mom, I appreciate having some time when I’m not nodding off and should be sleeping, to get some work done.

Video Homeschool Curriculum is Easily Accessible

For the most part it is anyway. Really, we don’t have to take a jaunt down to the library to pick something out. As you’re probably aware, there are several video streaming services available today, not to mention the many options when it comes to online courses for homeschooling students. The possibilities today are nearly endless and amazingly helpful.

Learning Without Being Too Hands-On (when you don’t want to be)

Some students have a hard time with hands-on projects, in particular, things like animal dissection. Dissection is one thing that simply does not interest my son. He’s very sensitive where animals are concerned. However, he can watch video dissections with interest, since he’s not the one actually doing it. He’s also been in the observation room during open heart surgery (which is much like video learning as well). Don’t get me wrong, he loves science, and is especially interested in biology and anatomy and physiology courses. He hopes to train as an EMT upon graduation and be a Navy medic some day.

So, he was never so happy about using video learning than when he discovered there are science courses that show students the dissection process without having to physically participate in the act of dissection. You might be wondering if using video instead of physically doing dissection counts. That’s up to you as the homeschool teacher to decide. But bear in mind, students can still do all of the recording of findings they would do if they dissected the specimen themselves. And there are medical schools that have no dissection policies, relying mostly on video and models to teach future doctors. I personally feel comfortable to count video instruction as a lab and assign high school credit no differently.

Yes, it’s true. My superhero cape does hang up in the closet more often than not anymore. But that doesn’t mean I’m less of a supermom. And it doesn’t mean that you are less of one either if you decide to stash your cape in your closet and integrate video instruction into your homeschool curriculum either. Not only might you find it helpful and convenient to do so, your students will love you for it. 

What We Use for Video-Enhanced Biology — Friendly Biology

As I mentioned before, we use video for several of my son’s high school subjects, but his current favorite is biology.

When choosing the homeschool company we would use for high school homeschool biology, we had a few criteria that needed to be met: 

1. The course needed to be taught from a Christian worldview. This is one area where we will not compromise.
2. The materials needed to be mostly student-led and complete, with a student textbook written in an engaging way by one author (not like public school books where many people might contribute) qualified to teach Biology either by education or experience and include worksheets and tests (with an answer key). 
3. If at all possible, my son wanted a video component, especially for dissection labs.

Being a curriculum reviewer for many years, I had a list in my head of companies to check out, but as I searched for just the right curriculum, I happened upon a company I had noticed in social media but had not looked at closely, Friendly Biology. Because of Ben’s personal philosophy, I was immediately struck by the Hajdas’ goal in teaching biology: 

. . . attaining a greater respect for the beauty and complexity of living things

This fits perfectly with Ben’s desire to be respectful of animals in his high school science curriculum. After doing a little research (ie: reading some reviews and checking out the website), I reached out to Dr. Joey Hajda, one of the authors (along with his wife, Lisa) of Friendly Biology, and requested a review copy of his curriculum, which he happily sent to me. At the time of our initial contact, no video component was available for Friendly Biology, but it was in the works. So we proceeded, hopeful that the video component would be forthcoming. 

My son (a high school junior) has been studying with Friendly Biology for a few months now. Just a few lessons into his studies, the video lessons became available and Dr. Hajda was kind to grant us access to those as well. While Ben was already using Friendly Biology successfully and enjoying it, gaining access to the videos made a huge difference for him. Here are a few reasons we can wholeheartedly recommend Friendly Biology:

Author Education and Experience

Dr. Joey Hajda is a veterinarian by both education and experience, and also holds a masters degree in curriculum and instruction. He has taught biology at the middle and high school level as well as community college for 25 years. Lisa also has a degree in animal and veterinary science as well as a masters degree in elementary curriculum and instruction. Together, they have homeschooled their 10 children, some of which have graduated and are in college now. It is evident in both the textbook and the videos that the Hajdas are passionate about animals and biology. The textbook is very much a living book, written in an engaging manner, not boring or too “technical” but thorough just the same. The same is true of the video component — it’s also engaging and keeps my student’s attention (and mine!).

Worldview

Friendly Biology has been written in two editions to serve both Christian and secular homeschool families. The Christian Worldview curriculum is what we used because that is important to us. The main difference in the two versions is that the Christian worldview version gives credit to God as the Creator and the secular version leaves out that mention. Neither course teaches about evolution, focusing rather on observing living organisms. 

Repetition

Should you opt-in to the video component, each chapter of the book has a video to complement it. Most of the information taught in the video is contained within the text your student will also be reading. The reading is also reinforced by the questions in the student workbook. So your student reads, watches the video, and then answers questions (mostly fill-in-the-blank type questions) in the workbook. The information is solidified by this multi-sensory process. While they are optional, my son is retaining much more information since he began using the videos. His test scores are better and his worksheets have few incorrect answers. 

Labs with Video Dissection

Most lab work uses common household items, not including dissections of course, or items that can be purchased at your local grocery store. Many include food (which will make any teenage boy happy). You can see a list of the required items here on the Friendly Biology website.

If you have a student who would prefer not to do dissections himself (or if you prefer that), you will really appreciate these videos. As I mentioned, Dr. Hajda is a veterinarian. He is also the teacher in the videos. He uses the natural death of his family’s pet cow to teach dissection. He literally dissects this entire cow and shares segments of that throughout the course. It is amazing to watch.

To give you an idea of what that looks like, when Dr. Hajda teaches about the heart, your student will not only be able to watch the dissection of the heart itself, but Dr. Hajda begins with literally dissecting the chest cavity to get to the heart. He doesn’t show the goriest parts (having seen full human autopsies, I know it can be pretty disturbing to watch it all), but you do see where the heart is placed in the chest cavity, how it relates positionally to the lungs, along with bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, etc. It’s super cool to watch and I actually prefer his video instruction over any dissection I ever did in nursing school. Ben found it all fascinating as well. And it was nice to see specimens that were not discolored from preservation (and really good not to have to smell formaldehyde!). If you or your student prefers to do dissections, there are instructions for them as well. We did not, so this was perfect for us.

It is important to note the video component is not a stand-alone Biology course; it is meant to enhance the written curriculum, not replace it. On the flipside, the course is 100% complete without the video component (though not nearly as fun!). Also, while we chose not to copy the dissections at home, Friendly Biology does encourage that hands-on component. I feel comfortable not doing so and still giving my student credit for lab completion merely from the video instruction. You’ll need to make that determination for yourself.

High School Credit

Friendly Biology contains 28 lessons, meant to be taught at a rate of one lesson per week. We actually moved through it a little quicker than that, so it can be done in less than a school year if need be. It serves as one full credit on your student’s high school credit for Science with Lab.

We are now big fans of the Friendly sciences and looking forward to using more in Ben’s senior year. The ease of use, coupled with the gentle nature of the instruction and unique gifts of the authors and video teacher makes Friendly Biology useable both for the science nerd and those who may be somewhat science-averse.

Visit Friendly Biology to see lesson examples and to place your order. For a limited time, you can get the Video Bundle 50% OFF!

Over the past 9 years of homeschooling and 5 years of being a curriculum reviewer, I have learned a few things about how to choose homeschool curriculum. As we embark on our journey into high school, I want to be intentional about making the best options for Ben for a number of reasons.  As I was jotting down some notes to guide me in our selections, it occurred to me that this information might be useful for you as well. 

Below are a few suggestions for things to consider when you choose homeschool curriculum for your students. You’ll also find a free downloadable guide at the bottom of the post. Print it out (maybe even a few copies) for when you are trying to make a decision about a purchase. It will help you determine if a resource is the best fit for your budget and homeschool. 

Worldview

The best curriculum for your homeschool is one that aligns with your family’s worldview. This seems to be particularly important in the areas of science and American history. If you have a Christian worldview with young earth/creationist beliefs, you’ll want to know if the science curriculum you are considering teaches evolution as factual. If you don’t believe in American exceptionalism or have a providential view of American history, you are not going to be satisfied with a curriculum that teaches such things. 

I do want to take a moment to say that I don’t necessarily believe a more secular curriculum cannot be used for a Christian homeschool. Many times, our best choices have been “neutral” science curriculum that teaches neither creationism or evolution. This gives us the opportunity to infuse our own worldview into the curriculum without the bias of others. Just because someone claims their curriculum is from a biblical or Christian worldview does not mean it will automatically align with your own. 

Cost

I believe one of the biggest mistakes homeschool moms make is purchasing too much curriculum they never use. I know this has been true for me, especially in our early years. What’s your budget for homeschool curriculum?

Indeed, some things are worth stretching the homeschool budget for. Is this one of those things? How committed are you to using it? How detrimental will it be if you need to ditch it if it doesn’t work?

Convenience

It doesn’t matter how wonderful a curriculum is if it is not convenient for you to use. If you have a large family and the curriculum you are considering cannot combine grade levels, it may not be the best choice for you. I remember when Ben was younger and I was still working nearly full-time outside of the home, I chose a math curriculum that was very teacher-intensive. It took sometimes 45-60 minutes a day just to teach the lesson. It wasn’t long before I dumped that curriculum. I just didn’t have that much time to spend teaching one subject. 

Methodology

Have you determined the best method for your homeschool? Does the curriculum you’re considering match up with that? If you love Charlotte Mason and her directive to teach with short lessons and living books, a workbook heavy, DVD-driven resource might not be the best choice, even if everyone in your co-op loves it.

How do your children learn? You may be the planner of all planners, who craves pre-written lesson plans and a rigid schedule, filled with worksheets and textbooks. But your wiggly, tactile learner may do better with a more project-based, hands-on style. The Way They Learn by Cynthia Tobias is a great resource to help you figure this out. 

Reusability

Considering whether a curriculum is usable for the upcoming students in your homeschool might be an important factor to consider. If your youngest child is in preschool (and you’re not expecting more children to come after), you may not want to invest a lot of money into preschool curriculum. You likely have plenty on your bookshelves and hard drive for this child. However, if you are considering a rather pricey curriculum for your oldest student and it will a resource you can continue using with the rest of your children, then the investment might be worth it. 

This is also a good time to discuss copyright, because unfortunately, the homeschool community has a reputation for violating copyright for the sake of saving money. This is wrong. Please make sure you have a publisher’s permission to make copies or reuse a resource before you do so. For more information about copyright, read this article written by homeschool publisher, Kim Kautzer. 

 

Reviews

The blogosphere is filled with reviews of curriculum. Many times, homeschool publishers will link to some of them on their websites. If they do not, be bold enough to email or call and ask them if they have any they can share with you.

Veteran homeschool mom friends are also a great source of information. Asking around in your local or online homeschool groups will likely yield many opionions about homeschool curriculum. Be sure to weigh those responses with the needs I mentioned above. Just because a curriculum worked well for one family, doesn’t mean it will with yours. On the flipside of that coin — just because something did not work well for someone else doesn’t mean it won’t be a great fit for your family. Be sure to ask questions such as:

Why did you love it?

Why do you think it didn’t work for you? 

Check out Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum for some guidance. Also, there are hundreds of product reviews on the blog of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, where families actually use the products in their homeschools before writing their reviews.

I created this simple printable guide you can use to determine if a particular resource is good for YOUR homeschool. I hope you find it useful. Enter your email below to download your Free Guide to Choosing Homeschool Curriculum.

Day 1: Our Real Life Homeschool: Delight-directed, ADHD, Travel-Heavy, WAHM

Day 2: 10 C. S. Lewis Quotes to Inspire Creative Writing in Your Homeschool

Day 3: 4 Reasons Why Homeschooling with Unit Studies Works

Day 4: Homeschooling by the Field Trip Method

A huge part of homeschooling is the choice of resources that we use to either teach or supplement learning. I think I’ve established in other articles here that we’re not a very typical homeschool, mostly using a delight-directed, or child-led, approach that borders on unschooling. But does that mean we don’t have shelves (or boxes) filled with homeschool curriculum? Not at all.  I have been a curriculum reviewer for several years now. You’ll find many reviews right here on the blog for everything from books to apps to year-long resources, online programs, and even games and toys. I have publicly admitted to being a curriculum junkie. But here’s an even bigger confession I need to make . . . 

We have never used a homeschool curriculum as is.

We have loved Apologia Elementary Science, but we’ve not actually completed even one book cover to cover in 14 lessons (or any other set schedule). We have utilized many pre-written unit studies from Amanda Bennett, but we’ve not ever actually completed one from start to finish. Ben has learned writing, grammar, and vocabulary from the likes of IEW, Writing with Sharon Watson, Compass Classroom, and others, but never have we finished a year-long curriculum as is. 

So what do we do then? 

We use all of these wonderful resources as just that — resources.

When Ben wanted to learn about oceans, we pulled out the Exploring Creation with Zoology: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day book from Apologia, Amanda Bennett’s unit studies on Dolphins, Whales, Sharks, and Seashells, Shining Dawn Book’s Remarkable Rain and Captivating Clouds, and printed off some  notebooking pages and a few lapbook pieces from Homeschool Share. We filled his book basket with picture books, chapter books, an atlas, an encyclopedia from Usborne, and nonfiction books about oceans and animals. We watched amazing You Tube videos, checked out DVDs from the library, and visited the zoo and aquarium. Ben put together an amazing ocean puzzle and created a diorama.

Over and over again, this is how we have used the curriculum that most people would just work through as written. We’ve used history curriculum such as The Mystery of History, Notgrass America the Beautiful, and History Revealed — all at the same time. We’ve grabbed Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy while dissecting rats and frogs on the iPad and comparing organs. Is it a systematic way to learn? Not really. Does it work for us? Absolutely!

This method may not work for everyone. It might not work for you. But if the idea appeals to you, don’t be afraid to try. Remember that as a homeschool teacher, you should never be ruled by your curriculum. It is there to serve you. Use it in whatever way works best with your students. 

I know — you’re nervous about gaps. Well . . . then you should know, I don’t believe in gaps. I believe in loving learning. I believe in teaching our kids how to learn and why they should want to learn. If you have students who know how to retrieve, process and assimilate information, there can never be gaps. 

Go forth and teach, sweet homeschool momma. Be bold. Be brave. Be courageous. Be free. Make sure your homeschool curriculum is serving you.

Don’t be a slave to your homeschool curriculum.

Your kids will thank you.   

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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to read How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum with a Free Printable Guide.