Hi friends,

In Saturday's email, we tucked in a short survey that asked whose curriculum recommendations you trust most.

In that spirit, today's podcast episode comes with a wealth of curriculum knowledge from a mom who has homeschooled six kids over the past thirteen years. The Rigbys were one of the original OpenEd families - back when it was still MyTechHigh.

On the podcast she runs through the curricula she reaches for - Story of the World, Singapore Math, The Good and the Beautiful, BYU Independent Study - with the honest "this worked, this didn't" you only get from a parent who has put six kids through it.

— Charlie

P.S. If you're near Indianapolis, we're sponsoring the Midwest Homeschool Expo on June 13! It's hosted by Jean Lee of the Academy of Chaos - you may remember her from our episode on year-round homeschooling without burnout. There are 25 free tickets for new families who sign up with the code MHE2026OPENED. Forward this along to your fellow Hoosiers.

The curriculum is only half of it. What really makes Angela's homeschool work is a handful of decisions she makes differently from almost everyone else. Three stood out.

1. She refuses to be a chauffeur. Most of the learning happens at home, the library, and a garage full of tools, not in the car. The afternoons belong to the kids once the morning bookwork is done.

2. She lets them get bored. With near-zero screens and a dad the kids call "the idea guy," boredom turns into building. The empty time is the point.

3. She makes them earn the big stuff. One son mowed lawns until he could pay for half a 3D printer. New interests get a six-week trial, not a year-long commitment.

Prefer to read? We wrote up Angela's full playbook - here's the full story →