Home Ec for Everyone

"Home Ec for Everyone: Practical Life Skills in 118 Projects" is a curriculum designed to teach essential life skills through hands-on projects. Created by Sharon and David Bowers, the book aims to provide a comprehensive guide to practical skills like cooking, sewing, and home management. The Bowers, who have a background in teaching and writing, developed this curriculum to fill a gap in traditional education systems that often overlook these crucial skills​ (Hoopla Digital)​.

Differentiation: This curriculum stands out due to its extensive range of practical skills covered in 118 distinct projects. It emphasizes self-sufficiency and aims to equip students with the skills necessary for everyday living, which are often not addressed comprehensively in other programs​ (Hoopla Digital)​.

How to Get Started: Getting started with this curriculum is straightforward. It is designed as an open-and-go resource, meaning minimal preparation is needed from parents. Each project is outlined with step-by-step instructions, making it easy to integrate into daily homeschool routines.

How It Works: The program is structured to be used flexibly according to the family's schedule, with projects varying in duration. It is suitable for parent-led or independent study, depending on the child's age and the complexity of the skill being taught. The curriculum suggests spending several hours per week to thoroughly cover the skills, with each project designed to be engaging and practical.

Educational Content:

  • Cooking Techniques

  • Sewing and Fabric Care

  • Household Management

  • Basic Carpentry

  • Financial Literacy

What’s Good About It: Users appreciate the curriculum for its comprehensive approach to teaching life skills. The detailed, easy-to-follow instructions help ensure that students can achieve tangible results, which boosts their confidence and independence. The variety of skills covered makes it a valuable resource for practical learning.

What Could Be Improved: While the curriculum is well-rounded, some users feel that more in-depth coverage of certain advanced skills could be beneficial. Additionally, the inclusion of more culturally diverse cooking and crafting projects could enhance its appeal and applicability.

Advice from Parents: Parents recommend taking a relaxed approach to this curriculum, allowing children to choose projects that interest them to foster enthusiasm and a deeper learning experience. They also suggest supplementing the projects with real-life applications, such as managing a small budget or planning a family event, to reinforce the skills learned.

Who It’s an Ideal Fit For: This curriculum is perfect for families looking to equip their children with a broad range of practical skills. It is particularly well-suited for students who thrive in hands-on learning environments and those who show an interest in becoming more self-reliant.

Who It’s Probably Not a Fit For: It may not be ideal for families looking for a highly academic or technology-focused curriculum. Additionally, younger children might find some of the projects challenging without significant parental guidance.

Grades: The curriculum is suitable for students in middle school and high school, aligning with the developmental stages where these skills can be most effectively learned and applied.

Cost: The cost of the curriculum ranges from approximately $15 to $25, making it an affordable option for many families.

Ways to Get It: "Home Ec for Everyone" is available for purchase through various retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores, as well as digital platforms like Hoopla​ (Hoopla Digital)​.

Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on our site are affiliate links, which means Modulo may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no cost to you). Rest assured, we only recommend resources we’ve rigorously vetted and truly love—affiliate link or not. Thank you so much for supporting our work!

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Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)

For the last 20 years, I’ve taught over 2000 children in 3 countries (of all socio-economic backgrounds). I pioneered an English language program in a conflict region in the Middle East. I’ve worked as a bilingual public school teacher at some of the highest and lowest performing public schools and in all five boroughs of NYC. I’ve tutored 18 subjects in three languages to some of the wealthiest families in NYC, San Francisco and Paris to make up for shortcomings in private schools they were paying up to $60,000 a year to attend.

Since 2015, I’ve helped hundreds of parents start microschools (way before this was a household buzzword). I founded CottageClass, the first marketplace for microschools and learning pods that was part of the Techstars 2018 class. In 2019, I created a virtual learning program to help families through the pandemic, a free online math tutoring program (masteryhour.org), and schoolclosures.org, a hotline developed in collaboration with Twilio and 80 other partners including Khan Academy, Revolution Foods and the Crisis Text Line, that served 100,000 families impacted by school closures.

I’ve climbed trees with children in forest schools in San Francisco, and tested new digital apps with kids in seven countries.

I’ve also coached dozens of families at different stages in their homeschooling journey. Most recently, I founded Modulo with homeschooling dad, best-selling author and tech entrepreneur Eric Ries, to help families curate their children’s education, social and childcare experiences drawing from a diverse array of in-person and online resources.


During the last three years, I’ve devoted much of my time to reviewing and testing secular homeschooling curriculum and other resource. I’ve spent the last three years talking to thousands of secular homeschooling families, and poring over tens of thousands of secular curriculum reviews and testing physical curriculum and digital apps for with hundreds of students to find the highest quality, most engaging, personalized learning materials for every type of learner.

I’ve spoken about homeschooling and modular learning at multiple venues including SXSW EDU, NY Tech Meetup, and on the LiberatedEd podcast.

In 2022, Modulo was one of 8 organizations who were awarded the Bridge Grant from the Vela Education Fund to expand access to homeschooling and modular learning to under-resourced communities.

My experience in education and homeschooling has led me to believe that there is no perfect education for every child, but families have an extraordinary amount of wisdom they can apply to building the perfect education for their individual child.

My goal with Modulo is to make it possible for any family to easily build a customized education that their child will love, and that will empower the whole family to thrive, taking into account, social, emotional and academic needs.

I love to answer questions from parents and receive feedback on how we can improve Modulo, so feel free to reach out anytime! I personally answer all the questions and comments readers leave on my blogs.

In my free time, I like hiking, traveling the world, tasting ceremonial grade matcha, enjoying dark chocolate.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University with highest honors, with a double degree in French Literature and American Studies and minors in Environmental Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies.

And I love to learn!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-snoyer-5042298/
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