The Limitless Possibilities of Alpha Omega's LifePac Homeschool Curriculum

CSO

I am a homeschooling mom that always took pride in steering away from rigid curriculum. In fact, I found myself scowling at Alpha Omega's LifePacs because they were workbook-based and seemed like the lazy way out of educating at home. Well, I'm now eating crow and feel that LifePacs can be a fabulous resource for some homeschoolers.

LifePacs, like all other curriculum, can be molded to fit your approach to teaching. If you prefer to teach lessons yourself, the teacher guides will give you a head's up on upcoming topics and lessons. You can prepare and teach the material, then use the LifePac as follow-up, review, or simply for assessing (testing) your child.

If your life is such that your children need to do a great deal of independent work, LifePacs are ideal. While math requires more parental interaction, much of the material can be self-taught. There are periodic "teacher checks" which will send your child to an older student or adult to check and see if they understand the material. Each individual book is referred to as a "worktext" because there is a great deal of teaching done among every page.

However, what I have grown to love the most about Alpha Omega's LifePacs is that they can truly be utilized as self-paced learning. I am not a fan of assigning a certain number of pages each day. Some aspects of a subject are more difficult or involved, and should take more time. With LifePacs, you can simply spend approximately the same amount of time each day on a subject. On "easier" days, many pages may be completed. On more difficult days or when an out-of-the-worktext project is evolving, your child may not budge an inch in that particular LifePac.

LifePacs are portable. If you find yourself waiting in the doctor's office or stuck in traffic, your kids can be learning and working with a LifePac and a pencil! You will also find that this curriculum can bring a child a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Even if you alter the amount of work required in one of the worktexts, it is fulfilling to see a unit completed.