Resource library
Curriculum & Resources
Most curriculum reviews tell you whether something is good. That's the wrong question, because almost everything popular is good for somebody. The useful question is who it fits, and what it asks of you.
How I make money here: some links below are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you buy through them at no extra cost to you. I only link things I've used or that families I know well have used, and I say which is which. Where there's a free or borrowable version, I tell you that too, even when it costs me the commission.
Start here: what your library already gives you
Before anything on this page, use the thing you're already paying for. Most Illinois library systems carry Museum Adventure Pass, which gets you free admission to dozens of Chicago-area museums. Many carry Creativebug, Mango for languages, and Kanopy. Interlibrary loan reaches across the whole state.
That last one is the big one. You can borrow a curriculum before you spend $200 finding out it doesn't fit your kid. I know very few families who do this, and every one of them wasted less money in year one than I did.
Availability varies by system, and a lot of this is never advertised. Check your library's site or ask at the desk.
Reviews are being added as I write them
I'd rather publish four reviews I can stand behind than thirty scraped from product pages. Here's the format each one uses, so you know what's coming.
The review format
- What it is. Two sentences, no marketing language.
- What it costs. With the date I checked, because publishers move on this.
- It probably works for you if. Including logistics, not just philosophy.
- It probably doesn't work for you if. The honest version: a toddler at home, a tight budget, no flexible schedule.
- What I'd do. Usually borrow or visit before you commit.
By required subject area
Illinois requires six areas. These will fill in as reviews go live, and they're organized this way so you can check your plan against the law without a second tab open.
| Required area | What counts | Cheapest real option |
|---|---|---|
| Language arts | Reading, writing, grammar, spelling, literature | Library card and a notebook. Genuinely. |
| Mathematics | Arithmetic through grade-appropriate level | Free online programs cover K-8 completely. |
| Sciences | Life, earth, physical, chemistry, physics | Library books plus a kitchen. Nature study is free. |
| Social sciences | History, geography, civics, economics | Illinois history is a free field trip away in most of the state. |
| Fine arts | Visual art, music, drama | A sketchbook. Park district classes run $40 to $90 a session. |
| Physical development and health | Movement, nutrition, personal health | Outside. Park district sports if you want structure. |
The point of that table isn't to talk you out of buying curriculum. It's that the legal requirement and the expensive requirement are not the same requirement, and a lot of new families don't know that yet.
What I'd buy first, if you're buying
One math program. That's it, for the first few months.
Math is the subject where a good spine saves you the most planning, where gaps compound most visibly, and where free options are strongest, which makes it a low-risk place to start. Everything else in elementary can run on library books and a plan for a while. If you're going to make one purchase in your first year, make it that one, and wait until week five so you know your kid as a student first.
If you've got something that's working in your house, ignore all of this. You have better information than I do.
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