An Overly Critical Review of Torchlight Prek Homeschool Curriculum

Finally here is my overly critical review of torchlight prek homeschool curriculum. I really do enjoy this curriculum but I wanted to be a little extra critical so you guys can get an objective review. If you have any questions feel free to comment and ask any questions down below.
We are a secular homeschool family that focuses on great books, great games and togetherness. I have two young (suspected) gifted kids and I try to meet my children’s needs where they are and help them pursue their passions. I share all about our homeschooling journey.
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[@meganvansipe]

Finally someone put into words all of my feelings! Being “not a curriculum” and more of a book list with a schedule finally makes more sense to me after switching to Oak Meadow and experiencing a true curriculum with goals and learning objectives that make sense and are developmentally appropriate. I appreciate the niche that TL is trying to fill, but I agree it felt like a haphazard reading of pages all over the place, which didn’t engage my children at all. And they love books and stories and nature - but a paragraph here page there back to back fell flat for us. I’d rather read less books but have them engage more deeply with the content.

[@jackieinlalaland2843]

I felt the same way when we tried this curriculum as well.

[@lizcalandrino3992]

I think a lot of these criticisms are valid, but I also wanted to mention that some of them really would really depend on the child and family. My older son is more like your kids, gifted with high academic needs from a very young age, so TL preK wouldn’t have been enough for him, but for my younger ones, it was a great, gentle introduction to schooling. Goals and objectives weren’t necessary for them at that age. They also loved the projects and are more project-based learners, and while I do agree that they might be expensive if you are buying everything week to week, we just had most of the materials from other projects. I did end up with a very cool book for each child at the end between the connections projects and art projects with I sometimes tweaked a little to make a keepsake page. I think the big thing I wanted to stress is that the style of the spines, reading a page each of several books each week, is very much continued as TL progresses. I am now halfway through K with my younger ones and doing level 3 with my older son (he did TL K, 1 and 2), so just something to keep in mind if you choose to go on in K, it might just not be your style.

[@carahins1674]

Oh my gosh I so appreciate this! I know it's years later, but I'm just finding this now. These are all my feelings about Level K that we tried to use this year. I was considering PreK as a supplement to Blossom and Root for the social-emotional piece and maybe I'll just use the book list as a morning basket. The no copy and paste drives me crazy! There are lots of other amazing content creators who don't do that or get mad at people for questioning anything about their curriculum. I love a lot about Torchlight but I don't think it could ever be my main curriculum.

[@AKiHope]

I love your videos, and I really appreciate a secular homeschooling voice on KZbin! I think it's very important and helpful for curriculum videos to be specific about pros and cons, so thank you for doing so. As someone without a teaching background or gifted children, I think Torchlight is absolutely fabulous! For anyone considering Torchlight, check out Everyday I'm Motherin for several in-depth videos on levels K, 1, and 2. Best wishes, and thanks again for this video!

[@KristinaBarder]

You make me laugh 😁 You have a lot of confidence in this video :) you can tell you really enjoy talking curriculum. Love the rule about a project not needing more time to set up than to actually do! I need something that let's me slap some supplies on the table and go.

[@HomesteadBliss]

I thought this was incredibly helpful. I'm considering adding Torchlight to what we are already doing and was worried about getting off track or feeling overwhelmed. The idea of using this as a selection of morning basket readings (and perhaps adding a project here and there) has me sold on purchasing the curriculum....and having a good look at the spines before I decide to buy them!

[@mv2b]

Yes! This review feels like it's straight out of my brain! I have been slowly working through the level k with my oldest and I found it to be really wonderful. So when I realized I could use the prek with my middle I jumped at the chance. After 2 weeks, I'm already underwhelmed. The book selections are great, but the spines are just not great. We also skipped the math, and we hardly do any of the projects. I have a hard time with projects that he can't do mostly by himself. That's disregarding the fact that I hardly ever have the supplies. Any way, loved the review and couldn't agree more!

[@berthabuttt]

Thank you so much for this review! I have been researching PreK curriculum to start in a year or so. I’ve been so fascinated by TL PreK because we love reading and want to embrace diversity, but i was concerned about the lack of critical reviews online! Our small town library has limited books, and I would have to drive around the county to the other libraries to gather the materials. I think I’m going to put the booklist on my kids amazon wishlist, and if we get enough of them, then we will go for it. I am so glad I stumbled upon your videos. Thank you!!

[@cuddlepotbootcamp]

I actually bought torchlight and build your library curricula just for the booklists. I don't follow their suggested schedules! I'm just collecting the suggested books and always keeping an eye out for other books that I can add, that way when the time comes, I have a nice collection of books to delve straight into more thoroughly!

[@letitiam7985]

I was thinking the same just looking at the limited samples. And then I thought it could work but I don’t want to think I’m paying for something that I’m really not getting. I do love the book list and I may get it for that to go along with another LA program. Thanks so much for the review.

[@stellareverie9020]

I haven’t used the pre-K but we used the K level and I had similar feelings about it. The book lists are amazing. I will forever buy the curriculum to support the creator just for the book lists. (And, yes, the books have been difficult for me to find so I end up purchasing more than necessary.) However, I was underwhelmed with how disjointed it felt. There wasn’t much of a flow in my opinion and, while I don’t think I necessarily need objectives, it would be great to have discussion questions or something to tie it all together. The LA recommendations (such as Mercy Watson and Zoey and Sassafras) were great reads but really didn’t have anything to do with the countries we were studying. Maybe this is because we enjoy deep diving into unit studies but none of us really connected with the curriculum and don’t use it as written. I do recommend it though if only for the wonderfully diverse book lists.

[@myteatime5923]

This is exactly what I thought of level K. No flow.

[@TiffanyC-cu9lt]

I went back and forth between the Pre-K and K curriculum because people really enjoyed Pre-K with their Kindergartner. Ultimately I went with K and I'm so glad we did! Thank you for your honesty and reaffirming my choice!

[@bethmartin5421]

This was really spot on. We love level K, but we’re about 1/3 of the way and have dropped probably 50% of it. The copywriter issue is real - the fact that the TOC at the front is just by week so there isn’t a master list of countries by week drives me crazy. Great summary!

[@brandibelicek1795]

I am using this right now with my 4yo. Mostly I find it IS just a booklist. I only bought a few of the spines and watch the weekly books if I can find them on KZbin. Yes, the whole thing only takes a few minutes a day, which I am OK with as a fairly veteran homeschooler. I know how to substitute and supplement but would be a bit grouchy if I was relying on this has my only curriculum. Pretty sure we are headed back to Build Your Library next year for K.

[@Patty4580]

I have to say, we used K (somewhat), and are now using Level 1, (because I bought them both at the same time and love the concept), and I find myself feeling EXACTLY the same as you. As much as I LOVE the booklist and weekly themes and that the planning is done for me, a more in-depth look at it just revealed how disjointed it felt. I also found myself trying to find alternatives for half of the suggested weekly books because they felt completely out of touch with the theme. (For example: Hindu Mythology books during the Olmec Civilization week, Books only about present-day Hawaii during the Austronesian migration, and absolutely NO books related to the Mayan Civilization, just to name a few), and most activities felt like overkill. I was able to find books fairly easily to supplement, but it felt like I was somewhat building the curriculum myself. (And we don't even use the science portion of it...) Bottomline, I completely agree with you, even though we never did Pre-K; In theory, sounds wonderful, but the execution lacks organization.

[@alaisathomas5672]

OMG agree so much on the copy/paste thing. We're using level K right now and trying to plan it in Trello is making me nuts. I also tried to email it to myself so I could print it and that was a mess. Agree with everything else too, but the locked files are the WORST.

[@ea3906]

Thank you for your video. As you mentioned, it is by no means a complete curriculum--I have added other books I thought were essential and tweaked a few things to make the curriculum flow better. That being said, it has a lovely and diverse selection of books but you really don't need to pay for the book list, do you. Many of the spines can be replaced with an alternative that works for your family. Also, for people who are not based in the US (like myself) many of the books and topics are focused on children living in the US only.

[@amiwilson5130]

They really need to update the math to kindergarten math with confidence, it's by the same person who does preschool math at home but just so much more indebted I struggled wholeheartly with this curriculum, I felt so lost using it. Your review was spot on.

[@capturinglifeinprogress1999]

I feel the same way. We're using it, we like it, but lots of the spine books are unnecessary, including Nature's Wonders and the poetry book. It's a great list of books and suggestions on activities, but I felt like it wasn't exactly what I wanted. I also don't do projects that take me longer to set up than for them to do the project, or if it's a project I need to be doing way more than they are doing. We are not really doing the connection project. To be honest, most weeks we just read and learn about the things that my kids show interest in. We're still in the beginning, but I don't really like it as a full curriculum. I'll still buy the next level for the next school year and I'm happy to support someone writing a secular curriculum, but it won't be the only curriculum I'll be using.

[@AmyPatton416]

I wish I saw this review before I bought TL. I'll be starting it in Sept and bought a lot of the spines ($200?) and rented the first few weeks of books. Thankfully my kids are 3&2. If I end up home schooling again next year, I might look into a more comprehensive curriculum.

[@RahpsodyinNeon]

I am using Torchlight Pre-K this year along with Blossom & Root K (and a ton of other stuff), I love the booklist, but from the get-go I am finding the need to tweak so much. The age on the curriculum is 4-5, but my daughter is 3 and far past the math and language arts components, and most people I see are having to, at minimum, sub out the math because the Preschool Math at Home book is appropriate for 2 year olds who are just starting tot school, but definitely not for 3-5 year olds. I am also noticing how disjointed the Connections Project and the themes each week are, and the lack of objectives (I also have a teaching degree), so when I do my planning in Trello I am adding learning intentions to try to frame what we are doing. I am also finding videos and other supplements to accompany Nature's Wonders because otherwise it just doesn't make any sense lol. Anyway, after doing all of this work to flesh things out and later things, I am realizing that Torchlight isn't *really* a curriculum, it is more of a booklist with a schedule (a schedule that we aren't even really following), and that marketing it as a curriculum is a bit misleading (although it is so reasonably priced to purchase the guide and schedule that I don't really care).

[@RahpsodyinNeon]

Also, 100% accurate about the creator's obsession with copyright--you can't even see the list of themes before purchasing the curriculum.

[@Patty4580]

RahpsodyinNeon Agree. She went on a whole rant on facebook about how she contacted Trello directly to prevent people from using it and sharing boards with Torchlight content. As a lawyer, I completely understand copyright. However, if I already purchased the license, I should be able to do as I wish with it (within reason). A booklist of the week and a theme name of say, "Ancient Egypt" is NOT original copyrighted content.

[@RahpsodyinNeon]

@@Patty4580 Her reactions are extremely over-zealous, I like the booklists and some of the extras, but I have to tune her out or I would be completely turned-off to the curriculum. Upon reflection, I think the reason she is so stressed about copyright is that she realizes her curriculum isn't actually a complete curriculum, there is very little there that could be considered proprietary information, so if someone even leaks the order of the countries for level K, or the list of themes for level Pre-K, there isn't much there worth purchasing. I actually think she harms herself though, people are too scared to share photos of the projects they are doing from the curriculum in her FB group, and those sorts of photos and videos are the best kind of free advertising. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@myteatime5923]

@@RahpsodyinNeon Completely agree. Seeing photos of projects from curriculums help me get excited about using them. It also helps me understand how to do the projects lol!

[@alyciahamon9136]

I looked at the preschool math book and I definitely disagree that it is for two year olds...some of you have expectations for your children way too high. And this is coming from a mom of a gifted 5 year old who can do 2nd grade math and read on a 3rd grade level.

[@lianna1869]

Ahhhh man. Lots of similar sentiments that I had with Blossom & Root Early Years, and yes the same kinda "Glowing reviews" without any critical ones naming real problems. Thank you for this, it helps a lot. I wont be buying it, but will use the booklist to add into Build Your Library (which I at least know is comprehensive and can be used as a full curriculum to pair with your own math and english language arts curriculums). btw... The copy and pasting part!! Such a random thing, but wow does it make a difference. You can't copy and paste with BR either, and because it also has weird themes that don't match up between activities (EX: Week 1234: "nature study: go find spiders outside, reading: goodnight moon, art: make clouds", yada yada), I couldnt even reorganize the "curriculum" to build it into thematic chunks of content that actually fit and are related to eachother. Or put all of the nature study, math, art, into lists so that it didnt matter so much about themes and I could just use it as an ideas list or something. So frustrating. Thank you again!

[@myteatime5923]

Thank you for this! I was considering B&R for my preschooler since Torchlight didn't work for us. Definitely don't want to use something with similar issues.

[@brittanyespinoza5945]

Do you think you will do level K? We are a few weeks in to level K and enjoying it. My daughter goes to a 50/50 program, so we use Torchlight to supplement and do use it as a "morning basket" type of sturcture.

[@TheAbiKatt]

I think TL Pre-K is meant for kids who havent done any formal schooling, at home or otherwise. It's a great starting point especially for us who are new at this. I didnt know about the copy and paste because i do everything on paper lol

[@heathercox5801]

Have you tried Build Your Library? It is similar, I think. I'm thinking of trying it out next year. And yes, it can get expensive it you buy all the books.

[@ashmittens]

I agree with themes not matching. Drives me crazy. Why am I supposed to read about a random Strange Tree when it doesn't even relate to the country we are studying in history that week (Level 1). It's like they just added on a random book as a spine for no apparent reason...

[@shesometimessleeps]

Well darn, I was afraid of this. The sample did look wonky to me. Thank you for your honest review because this has been really helpful. I need everything to be cohesive. What do you suggest for pre-k instead? Help!

[@LoveLearningEveryday]

I love core knowledge preschool activity books! I highly recommend.

[@extrae905]

So when I was looking at Torchlight I literally hated the fact that in the sample it seemed like the themes did not seem connected in a logical way. Plus my library only had like 20 of the books and I live in a medium size urban city.

[@solidflyer286]

I think it’s incredibly expensive. You have to buy extra everything. I have K too and that’s the same. Buy science buy history by language arts by maths… why is a booklist so expensive?

[@louisescheonberg3437]

ALL OF THISSSSSSSS

[@louisescheonberg3437]

my exact feelings about torchlight first grade too

[@milaalvarez3145]

@@louisescheonberg3437 I need a review, an honest and realistic one, of level 1!

[@crunchytubiemama5081]

I personally like the lack of “goals and objectives.” I think many people decide too much for their kids and dictate too much what they should focus on and learn. I think we do a great disservice when We set materials in front of them and instruct them what they should gain from those materials or push their focus the way we decide for them. Maybe there is something else entirely different to gain from those resources that is perfect for that child, but they end up missing it because the grown up said they have to gain X, Y, and Z. Our kids will learn and absorb what is right for them. It isn’t someone else’s place to set their focus, goals, or objectives. We rob our kids of so much when we do that. It’s a huge reason we turned away from public education and why I think teachers aren’t really being well trained in how children best learn. I want my son to gain what HE wants and is interested in as he explores. Not what someone else said he should gain.

[@LoveLearningEveryday]

Yeah that is a perfectly valid stance! For me personally I like having goals and objectives not to “drill unimportant information” into my kids but to structure and give a frame work for discussions. I just find that for our family if we have more meaningful discussions after the book, they get more out of it. And I am better at implementing and focusing on the right things when I have that framework. But I completely understand every family is different and every child is different. I am glad that works for you guys though! I am sure torchlight PreK would be a great fit for you! ❤️

[@Michelle-xk9gl]

Have you tried Bookshark?

[@LoveLearningEveryday]

I have not. I think it is a little too worksheet based for me and my kids but I know people that really love it!

[@Michelle-xk9gl]

@@LoveLearningEveryday The LA and science have worksheets. The worksheets are really short and some people don't do the science worksheets and only read the books.