WE QUIT GATHER ROUND! Enough for Middle School? All-Inclusive? Homeschool curriculum review

WHY ARE WE QUITTING THE GATHER ROUND HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM? This video is a homeschool curriculum review from the perspective the mom of a Middle schooler. I've seen many youtube homeschool moms in love with this curriculum. In my opinion, most of those homeschool moms had mostly younger kids. I was drawn to Gather Round as well because it offered an all-inclusive curriculum to teach multiple grades together....who doesn't want to teach ALL HOMESCHOOL AGES together? It can be time consuming, as a homeschool mom, to teach multiple grades if you don't have family subjects. Gather Round was the first homeschool curriculum that offered a solution for all ages, even high school! But, did this curriculum deliver on the family style learning that I'd hoped? Did my 1st grader and 8th grader have all their needs met? Can the same teaching material really be used from younger grades through the upper grades? Is the cost of Gather Round worth what you are getting? Or is Gather Round, infact, just too good to be true?
This is a very detailed Gather Round homeschool review and why it did not work for our homeschool. Is Gather Round homeschool enough to be an all-inclusive homeschool curriculum? In my opinion, for Middle School, no. Gather Round may be enough for younger grades, but not for upper grades. Is Gather enough? No, I don't believe it is. The language arts OVERALL scope & sequence is unclear....In the Gather Round Earth Science unit, I didn't even feel like the language arts was even close to being substantive enough for a 7th - 9th grader. The art in this unit, and the history were also lacking real substance to be considered "enough" without you, as a busy homeschool mom, needing to do a bunch of additional planning in order to fill in the gaps. I'll show you what I mean in detail.... I can see why so many younger families are loving the idea of exploring together through the Gather Round unit study, but when your kids enter different stages of learning....going from exploring, to perhaps a more "dialectic" stage...learning all things together is more of a challenge than this homeschool curriculum claims. Let me, a Christian homeschool mom, explain why, in my very detailed Gather Round homeschool review.
CHAPTERS:
Why I chose Gather Round? 1:32
What is the ACTUAL cost of the curriculum to print? 2:14
What's the ACTUAL cost for a full year? 3:49
What I DID like about Gather Round. 4:59
What did I NOT like about Gather Round? 6:44
How do you know what the scope of each unit is, as well as the supplies needed? 8:46
What was "Gathering Around" like? 9:59
Is the language arts enough? 10:51
Why I don't think this is enough for Middle School. 12:06
What IS the ART INSTRUCTION in this particular unit study? 15:28
Is it all inclusive for younger levels, comparing MIDDLE SCHOOL to UPPER ELEMENTARY 16:26
What is the impact of "all inclusive" if you take more than 1 day for a lesson? 17:37
What did my Middle Schooler think of Gather Round? 19:15
Why are so many moms supplementing Gather Round with other language arts curriculums? 19:58
What's the NEW COST per child for your homeschool year if you have to supplement with other curriculums? 20:31
How DOES Gather Round teach language arts? What's the process & scope across all units? 22:02
Did Gather Round work as a FAMILY SUBJECT? 23:09
What about the MINI UNITS? 24:28
Why do so many homeschool families like this curriculum? 24:48
Did you know they have a FREE TRIAL? TRY IT! 26:07
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GATHER ROUND SCIENCE UNIT vs. THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL SCIENCE UNIT
Gather Round Earth Science vs. The Good and the Beautiful Marine Biology
• GATHER ROUND vs THE GO...
GATHER ROUND GOVERNMENT MINI UNIT REVIEW:
• GATHER ROUND GOVERNMEN...
GATHER ROUND EARTH SCIENCE UNIT STUDY FLIP THROUGH:
• GATHER ROUND EARTH SCI...
GATHER ROUND GOVERNMENT MINI UNIT STUDY FLIP THROUGH:
• GATHER ROUND US GOVERN...
_________________________
HOW DO YOU HOMESCHOOL A MIDDLE SCHOOLER?
MIDDLE SCHOOL HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM:
• MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICUL...
________________________
♥️ HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM I LOVE:
COMPASS CLASSROOM:
An EXCELLENT curriculum for Middle School to High school Homeschoolers
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INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE IN WRITING (IEW):
STRUCTURE AND STYLE FOR STUDENTS - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/sss
NOT CONSUMED HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM & PRODUCTS:
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PLANNER & PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS:
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*Some of the links are affiliate links. I will receive a compensation for referring you.
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#homeschoolcurriculum #homeschool #homeschooling

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Who else has bought too much curriculum only to find it didn’t work out? Any others with brand new curriculum on their shelves that they’ll never use?

[@JoyfulNoiseLiving]

The More Than Words Bible curriculum (also by Rebecca Spooner) was an expensive mistake for my family. :( I liked it for like 3 days, and then just realized it wasn't getting us the connection and relationship I prefer to have when it comes to Bible. Soooooo.... it's on my shelf now.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@JoyfulNoiseLiving that’s a bummer!! I looked at that when it first came out and it looked so interesting. If you’re looking for a good Bible study curriculum, the one we use is classical (3 year cycle) and I’m able to use for all ages. And if you want to buy activity pages, you can. But I don’t. We just read scripture and answer questions. But it’s thorough and repeats every 3 years so my kids are absorbing a ton.

[@cristinapena6303]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I was just looking at More than Words. Thanks for your comments. What bible will you recommend for younger kids, 5,6,8? Thanks!

[@cristinapena6303]

Thanks you for all your reviews, they are so well though, well explained and funny. I hope you make some more in regards to Language Lessons by Masterbooks. :) Happy Wednesday!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Awe!! Thank you so much!! My husband hears me giggling sometimes at the computer as I’m editing, and I just tell him, “I amuse myself sometimes !” I’m glad you enjoy it also! 😜

[@brittanym58]

It makes far more sense to use more traditional or structured curriculum for the basic subjects and supplement with GR than the reverse.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I agree!!

[@allisgrace1313]

This is what we have found and where doing. At this time, we have put aside Gather Round, even in that context, but I could see us using a unit here or there.

[@HomeSweetHomeschoolLife]

We use Gather Round for our core and we love it. However, our approach to homeschooling is more interest-led learning than traditional schooling. Gather Round works well for us. The great thing about homeschool is that we get to decide what curriculum works best for our home.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I can see how Gather Round would work well for interest led, especially since you can choose what units you’re interested in. Like I said, I think a certain type of learner...like you said. I’d say we are only interest led on the “elective” side. For example...my son loves technology and coding. But as you also said, this is the beauty of homeschooling. We have choices! 😉

[@carris2scents57]

Same for my Bunch 😄 I have teenage girls and 9yo boy. We have loved it❤ Of course we do other things too. But it works for us so far.

[@katrinaskidmore9443]

Thank you for this! I have been considering it and found so many glowing reviews but you addressed all the things I was worried about

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You are welcome!! 😉 I’m glad this was helpful!

[@jenniferjones6228]

Love your honesty and personality! I feel the same way! Oh and the music and camera work going through the curriculum was awesome! Made me smile! This video will be the one I share with my friends who ask what I think about master Books. You said exactly what I think about it! Thanks!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you!! I’m glad you enjoyed the video…..(and my personality 😜😜😜😜) and yes! Please share!! I often go to KZbin when researching curriculum and it’s sometimes the reviews aren’t very detailed as to what the downfalls of a curriculum may be. So I want to be honest (and still as diplomatic as possible) bc as a consumer, that’s what helps me when I’m making choices!! 😉

[@5_arrows_farm]

Thank you sooooo much for this honest review!! It helped me a lot!!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You’re welcome!!! I’m glad it was helpful! 😊

[@SevenInAll]

I loved listening to your journey and your conclusions. Gather 'Round has definitely been something that both of my sisters can do together, which is so rare with an advanced high schooler and a 4th grader...but for us, it's definitely a pure "extra," just family fun school time learning some of the extra subjects that we're a little weaker on, since we already have really solid stuff for all of our core subjects. We've done about one unit a semester thus far--since the topics I chose were South America, Artists, and Transportation...those really are "extra" type topics, not something that we thoroughly cover in our core subjects. That's the 'sweet spot' we've found. I think it also helps that we've been in some form of lockdown for a year now...so a little bit of extra schoolwork is fun when you can't go anywhere or see any people...:)

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

1 unit a semester would make it more fun!! That’s a great idea if you are really into all that extra learning, like you’ve said your family is!! “We’re homeschoolers! We just can’t help ourselves!” Lol! I still giggle at that! That should be a famous homeschool quote! 😜 The artist unit looks like it could be a fun one! So sharing art together, when properly taught...I could see that one being a fun extra!

[@adriennefiedler541]

Excellent, well backed up review. So often materials are given to bloggers and we get fluff reviews sad it didnt work, bit appreciate your honesty

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you!

[@sjones9944]

This is the best indepth video I've seen for the older kids using Gather round! I loved it, thank you!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you and you’re welcome!! I just tried to point out all the details of all the questions I had when I was researching myself! I’m glad it was helpful!

[@holywarriorforthekingdom613]

Lol, I love your videos. This one, loved the music during the what you liked section. Lol. Love all your videos. Thank you for keepin it real.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

😜keepin it real is what I do! 😎glad you enjoyed it!

[@brattyberatty]

Yes to everything over here! GR will always have a place in my heart because it is one of the resources that initially made me take the plunge into homeschooling. The idea of it made me feel like I would be capable of teaching our 3 school aged children, ages 10, 9, and 6. We pulled them out of secular school and began with GR. Then......hit the brakes (bigtime). I very quickly discovered that the curriculum is the exact opposite of what would make things streamlined and efficient for us. I felt like a human ping pong ball and realized there was NO WAY it was enough. We have a lot of gaps that we are discovering and addressing after coming out of the public system. Mainly in language arts. We need a systematic program, not something where we get little snippets here and there. We can't afford to have our elementary level children researching all day and then trying to translate that onto paper (which entails a ton of parental support and supervision). I love the idea of using it for unit studies here an there and plan to do NAB this spring). However, the plan is to take a super easygoing approach and I most likely won't make the children do the majority of the book work. I just can't see how this would be enough, even for children without gaps in LA, etc. I would like to encourage anyone who is reading this to just stop and change directions if a curriculum isn't working for you. No harm, no foul! (Aside from buyer's remorse, *sigh, which is a very real thing). It's terrible to have to plug through something if it's not a great fit- for both the children and the mama! God bless! xxo

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

What a very well-written and helpful comment!! Thank you for that! “Human ping pong ball” & “hit the brakes” lol!! First of all...great analogy with the ping pong ball. I felt similarly. But these two expressions are timely bc I just taught my 5th grader today about similes, metaphors, and idioms!! I shared what you said as example to her. 😉 I’m also smiling that you were brave enough to take the plunge into homeschooling. Facing the unknown can sometimes be so scary. But looking back, we realize, we did it! It wasn’t so bad! And those lessons we learned through our mistakes or just braving our fears and coming out on the other side are invaluable!! I hope you have better luck with new curriculum moving forward. What did you decide to switch to?

[@consideritalljoy7960]

Such a helpful and validating comment. Thank you!!

[@swertz6160]

We use Masterbook LA along side of it and only do Gather Round twice a week and fill the gaps the other days.

[@ShesMakinDough]

Love your channel! Thanks SOOO much for sharing! I was actually looking into gather round for their Easter unit..I thought it looked beautiful but didn't go with it because I figured for that price i could go get worksheets online

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I haven’t looked at the Easter or Christmas units bc I didn’t know if my oldest would enjoy it or not. But I do think those look interesting for younger ages for sure. Sometimes it’s hard to tell online. And like you said, there are many resources online where you can kind of create your own study for this also. I hope to do my own “Easter unit” with my kids so I truly can tailor it to our family. Crossing fingers I can make it happens! I’m glad you’re enjoying the content! I appreciate the encouragement! 😉

[@Momentsinmommyland]

The Easter unit was AMAZING if you like at it soley as deep dive into what Easter is truly about.

[@JustSewTrish]

You did an amazing job explaining the pros and cons of this curriculums. Very well done my favorite part is talking about spending money on curriculum that doesn’t work and being careful. I also love the idea of really taking ownership on students at different levels needing to be at different levels. A lot of times him families mess that anything that one room school house means that we sit at around table and we do everything together no matter the age. But what I’ve really learned is your highschoolers have to go off and do their own thing and your middle Schoolers are right behind them wanting to do the same. But ask for when they’re little yes you can definitely do that. And I’m right there with you with mommy decision fatigue. Well done

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you!!! Yes! I wish that we could really do it all together. But there are definitely limits to that and that’s ok. It’s a new season for them and for us, moms!!! Helping our little baby bird to fly! 😜

[@ItCameFromAVlog]

very informative video. thanks for this. ive been looking into trying this for my family.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you for watching!

[@reasonsforroots6958]

Yes, yes, yes! I was EXHAUSTED after a few months of doing all the “extras.” I loved it at first, but then, like you, I saw huge gaps for my older kids. It did give me confidence as a “newer” HS mom, so that was a plus for me.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Well that’s a bonus that gave you confidence!! I think starting anything new when it comes to your kids can be “scary.” Being a new mom.....homeschooling for the first time.... homeschooling a high schooler! 😳 but then we do it, and realize it’s not so bad. With Gods help, we can do whatever he asks of us! 😉

[@FostersFollowingJesus]

This is what happened to us as well

[@brandischwartz5968]

I’m so glad I came across your review. I just purchased botany for our family to use as a trial run for GR. We will definitely be supplementing LA if we stick with it. I am also looking into MFW.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I’m so glad this was helpful! Botany is a year 2 unit so maybe they’ve made some improvements. I hope you have fun with it! MFW is a wonderful company. We used it our first year for K and 3rd grade and have such sweet memories from all the activities snd reading!

[@joeldonivan5394]

100% agree with all of your assessments of GR and exactly why we never went beyond 2 units. I was sooooo thankful I did t buy more. I’ve talked to a lot of moms who love it and I think I’ve realized that it’s more the eclectic or unschoolers that it works well for.... I am NOT that kind of homeschooler. I’m very typeA and need lots of structure with open and go, yet still is fun for my kids. This why I’ve appreciated TGTB for many of our subjects as well as literature based learning! My advice to new homeschooling mamas is, not only do u need to find something that works for your kids but you also need to find something that works for you... and that can take a little time, so consider your personality also when choosing curriculum. -Tammy

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yes on all points!!!! I totally agree with your conclusion that it works for unschoolers. I can see that also!

[@ulandibrewer6081]

This was a very good and thorough review 👍👏👏👏 Well done!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you!!! 😉

[@heidimiller-ford-theunexpe5040]

Thank you for this review! I have been on the fence about purchasing this, and it’s definitely not for us. You saved me a lot of money, time, and heartache.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I’m glad I can help, although I have heard that they’ve improved A LOT since that first year. You’d have to get a sample week to see for sure though. But the people I know who use it, still do not depend on it as their language arts curriculum. I’d still have the questions of what’s the progression and vision for language arts if you are just picking and choosing units. It’s seems like there could be gaps depending on which units you choose. 😕

[@Shannon.Hazleton]

Thank you- this was an excellent video. I have been wanting to get on the GR wagon but my main concern was wondering how it would work for language arts. We are pretty laid back in our approach to school, but you just can’t get around the fact that kids need to be taught grammar, parts of speech, writing… I just couldn’t see how GR was going to accomplish this. So I’m glad I found your review. I thought you were very gracious but honest.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you!! To be fair, I have no idea what they’ve changed in year 2 or year 3, but most of the videos I’ve seen where moms love it, they are still supplementing language arts.

[@lizlewis]

You hit the nail on the head. I’m in this exact unit right now and I’m searching reviews for curriculum right now for this exact reason! Earth Science is our second unit and it hit me that my 6th grader is clueless as to how to write a paragraph much less and essay or book report. Also, the research makes me think she’s a reluctant writer when really… there’s just no structure or instruction for how she needs to do it or how I need to teach her how to do it. 😬 I’m glad it’s what we started with for our first couple months homeschooling because I was clueless as to what I was doing but very quickly, I learned it was lacking vital lessons. 😬

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yeah….Unfortunately….it would be nice if we knew what lessons were in each unit so when you knew if certain gaps, that might help you decide on the order of certain units. I think Gather around probably assumes that every homeschool mom feels comfortable teaching that with little direction and not every mom has that comfort level. 😕

[@stephaniem6646]

You have such pretty handwriting 😄! (Couldn’t help but notice hehe) Thanks the video!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you so much!! 😊

[@gardenia77]

I love that you provide such honest, detailed reviews. So often, I only see videos with everyone jumping on the bandwagon of the most popular curriculum and I often will look at them and have concerns about the very same things you being up, but nobody is talking about it. Specifically, LA curriculum that just held kids to write and doesn't break down HOW to write. That is a pet peeve of mine. I'm sure many families have children that are already strong writers, but that would be because either Mom is teaching them outside of Gather Round or they used something different before Gather Round. Or the student just isn't really learning 'how' to write.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you! I try to provide the info that I would want to know or look at because I often found the same as you…..many reviews didn’t quite answer all my questions. I’m glad it’s helpful for you!

[@faithgracehomeschool1797]

Aren’t we all tempted at times 😅 I’ve purchased curriculum that ends up on my shelves but it’s just part of finding what works best! love your videos!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

True!! And I’ve also had it sit on shelves and I eventually use it for a different child. 😉thanks for watching!

[@homeschoolingthroughhighschool]

Great response!

[@momofmany6619]

Thank you for this review!!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You’re welcome!

[@ambers4524]

Thank you! Appreciate honest review. What stopped me was others saying middle schoolers are basically researching online and writing paragraphs all day long. That’s just not for us. I liked your video. I found the music and piano very distracting and hard to follow.

[@noellegunderson7831]

I'm so glad you reviewed as you did. We started with earth science too. I have a middle schooler (that hates reading and writing), an upper elementary, and a pre reader. My youngest literary hated doing this each day, my oldest put in no effort, and my middle child liked it OK. They loved watching the videos, but I was so bored reading the information to them. I was a public school English teacher (middle school) and the language arts was severely lacking for all the reasons you've stated. I bought writing strands for both my older kids, fix it grammar, and wordly wise as well. But, with all the res arch they were to do, we hardly fit it all in each day. I have three more units purchased and feel like I have to do them, but I'm at a loss because I'm so conflicted over this curriculum.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Your experience and mine sound so parallel. My opinion on using curriculum….just my opinion. If you don’t want to do it, is it even going to be effective? Enthusiasm and desire to learn is a huge part of the journey in teaching your children. And my experience is that if Mama isn’t enthusiastic about it, they are going to sense that and follow suit. I would cut my losses and move on. What did you buy the units to cover?? History and science? You can TOTALLY do those the rest of the year, without needing to buy another formal curriculum. I did a video on how we are doing history this year without a curriculum. It may interest you. And you could take the same approach with science. Pick a topic you’re interested in and explore it through books and videos. If you are needing gather round for language arts for your younger ones, you could look into Masterbooks as a cheaper option. It’s about $45. Or TGTB honestly…..it has so much in it and for the price of about $66 a level, it’s well worth it. TGTB also has a free science unit you could download…Marine Biology, and it’s a super FUN unit!! Still our favorite! I didn’t finish either of the gather round units we did bc they were so dry and not so engaging. And I don’t feel like we missed out. We just read books instead and switched to TGTB this year.

[@noellegunderson7831]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I just needed science and social studies when I found gather round. We'll use them for that purpose only from now on. My youngest does explode the code and a handwriting book besides gather round. We also read Bob books and just read books from the library she picks out. I have tgtb downloaded though and may give it a whirl 😁. Thank you for your honesty in reviews.

[@HomeschoolMountainMama]

Thank you sooooo much for breaking this down. I’ve been seeing this curriculum EVERYWHERE and was starting to think I was being too inflexible with my curriculum choices. (I have a really tough time justifying a change if things are working.) I’m realizing this curriculum would just not fit MY teaching style. My neurotic brain would end up in the weeds trying to choose supplements and lesson extensions. I would much rather dedicate my time to enjoying my kids and instilling a love of learning without all that stress. 😬 Thank you for your honest review!🙏🏻

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

YES! YES! YES!! I feel your neurotic tendencies! Lol!! 😜 Absolutely! If you are satisfied with your curriculum choices, don’t change!! I’ve tried so many curriculums only to be disappointed so I can assure you, there is none perfect....no not one!!! 😉 What are you using now? I’m curious what curriculum has made somebody stay with them and avoid switching.

[@randi.yeshuas_disciple]

What curriculum do you like the most?

[@cherylrivera8747]

I am so sorry you didn't enjoy the unit study you tried. I kind of felt the same way with one of the year 1 units. Now we are finishing up Oceania, which is way better than the year 1 units. Like you said it isn't for everyone and for every age. My middle school and high schoolers are doing great with this curriculum. I think this is more of an independent way of learning and it depends on what you as a parent and teacher would like to focus on. Not sure how you calculated the cost but I buy the digital family pack and print it at Barnes & Noble press. It costs me $21.85 per kid per unit. Thank you for taking the time to review the program.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I calculated the cost at .06/page which is what it costs me to print it at home. 3 kids plus a teachers manual. I’m glad it’s working for you and that they improved year 2. But knowing that year 1 needs improvements and is many peoples first impressions, they should probably discount it or go improve it bc if people are like me, they aren’t going to try it again. It’s like they say, 1 chance to make a first impression. But like I said in my video...I acknowledge that many love this snd I do believe a lot had to do with a style of learning. Somebody else in my comments suggested that it was more like unschooling. Perhaps? The Good and the Beautiful says they are Charlotte Mason also and I don’t think they are very much like Gather Round in terms of style. Or maybe Charlotte Mason is such a broad style. 🤷‍♀️ 😉 I’m curious....does your middle schooler and high schooler use this as their all-inclusive curriculum?

[@frozenjonesfam]

I have been so tempted to get GR because it looks so lovely! But, we will have 6 in school next year (our oldest 2 have graduated) and there are several less expensive options that allow you to have all of your students learning different levels of the same topic!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yes there are!!! There are many ways you can do family style learning! 😉

[@10529Erin]

Thanks, this was interesting. I never jump on the new curriculums. Everything is a fad for a bit. I wait for the real reviews. And I have never done well with one curriculum for all subjects. I'm always ahead in one area, behind in others and annoyed with other parts. That said, I think after this review, I will check out her mini unit on govt. I know my kids and if government were just dry textbooks and work books, I think they would do the work and remember it just long enough to fill in the workbook pages. So I might check out her govt. mini unit. And I agree that it is always wise to start slowly. I have overbought TOO many times.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Amen to that!!

[@laceyhall1122]

I have a 7,9,12 year old and I feel exactly like you with gather round homeschool.. We are going to be trying out the good and the beautiful for next year.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I think The Good and the Beautiful is a great option for learning together!! There ARE other curriculums that can help achieve this dream of doing more as a family!! 7,9, and 12! You and I are like right there together with the ages of our kids! ❤️ it’s going by too, too fast!!

[@staceyfraker6222]

I totally agree with you. We tried Gather Round for two weeks, and it didn’t work. It’s way to expensive for what it offers (a spine or outline to go by) and it’s just not enough. It needs a lot added to the language arts- in fact, they need to come out with a language arts curriculum that is separate. There are a lot of gaps, and you are going to be sorry if you use it for a few years for language arts and spelling and realize how little they’ve learned compared to where they should be academically. I don’t think we need to be on track with the school system levels, but basic things need to be taught in a certain order. The price is outrageous compared to other curricula, and I don’t see it staying at that price forever and surviving. I really wanted it to work. I loved the idea of it, but with my two kids (10 and 13) it was a big disappointment.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yep! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. :)

[@robandcrystalcooper2571]

You echoed many of my same thoughts and feelings I've been wrestling with the last few weeks! I really love the idea, and the beauty of each unit. However, I also don't feel the LA is enough, and I don't want my middle schooler constantly researching. I am really struggling with what to use next year.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Every year feels like a new stage, right? Is this your first year? Or have you homeschooled in the past? And if so, what have you used?

[@robandcrystalcooper2571]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan this is my 7th year. We used CLE for the first 5, it was really thorough, but we got burnt out on worksheets. Last year we did MB, and this year Gather Round with MB Math and LA. I'm figuring out next year. lol

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@robandcrystalcooper2571 well you are a homeschool vet!! But I feel like with every new stage my oldest enters, it’s more for me to learn also!! I really love Masterbooks the company. The only thing I don’t like about it is it’s not as family style. That’s the Conundrum, right? I’ve struggled with what to do for science and history also. But I will say, I loved the good and the Beautiful science units! And so does my middle schooler. I’ve also looked at my fathers world. They have family cycles. The only things I don’t like about them is you can’t substitute as easily bc their lessons plans are so integrated. You can choose Lang and math. But everything else is kind of “built in”. I hope you get some inspiration soon!!

[@audreymcnair350]

I agree with this. We used a free sample for a week. My oldest (8th grade) just did not have enough work. With starting high school next year, he needed much more. I'm sure it's great for younger kids, definitely not for older kids without some supplementation.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

High school is a different beast, right??? It’s both exciting and scary. 😜 and it definitely feels like we’ve got to buckle down and have more focus at this age. We are entering a new world, mama!!! Closer and closer to launching these “arrows.” (I keep hugging my son asking when he grew up 🥲)

[@letitiam7985]

Haha I did jumped on the bandwagon when they had the sale and got year 1 but after going through the units I agree with you on the basic subjects, LA, Spelling, writing etc needs a lot more for upper elementary and beyond. I do love the mini units because they are short and if I want to add more it would be appropriate. I do love the topics for year 1 and some of year two but I have this now as a back up for when we have reduced schooling but there is no way this would suffice for a solid year of actual learning IMO. It’s a great introduction at best for younger students. This is coming from a fairly new homeschooler. Thanks for the honest review.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you!! Yes and even after I made this video, as I pondered more....I can’t see how even the science would be sufficient. The way GR issues credits for high school, is if you do 10 units. Well if you’re trying to do this as family subjects...I have yet to hear of people completing 10 as a family. Most take it slower. So high schooler would be falling behind. And also....science labs!!!! Most colleges are going to require labs. Well if you’re doing Asia.....are science labs in there? Or is it just another thing for mom to figure out? 🤔

[@faithfullyinfertile]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I absolutely LOVE Gather Round for my Elementary students BUT I just can’t grasp how this could work for middle and especially high school, especially for a college bound student. I also think the units are way too much for the lower elementary (students learning to read)! My two are at the prime for GR. (They are 9 and 11 but due to special needs they are more on the 2nd-4th ish grade range which I think is the perfect time to do GR!) My oldest is a very unique child 🤪 and honestly I *might* could see GR working for her middle school years. I can’t think about high school yet. Too stressful! I need to go watch Rachel’s high school video she did a bit ago!

[@cjt8915]

It is interesting hearing different perspectives. I’ve been on the fence ever since hearing that Rebecca was planning to write this and finally started with NAB. I heard her answer a question once on what order to use. She said the units build on each other. In NAB it explains how to write a paragraph.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I know she’s said they build on each other for early reader or pre reader, but she’s also said any order. She needs to put together her vision for how this all builds in which units. We don’t really know unless you look at the sample of every single unit, and maybe take your own notes as to what the items taught are. It’s requires too much digging. On this, she could make the info on her site more user friendly for those wondering. So you did NAB? I know a lot of people loved that unit and as a bird study, it does sound fun! Like I said, I think as single subject unit studies, GR could work. I’d love to learn about birds! 😉 (just not sure $60+ for 1 unit study is cost effective for my family)

[@callalilly402]

Thank You for this video 😊🤗 You just saved me a lot of $$$$ 😮 This curriculum just is just to complicated and deffenitly not a simple curriculum to use in anyway. Thanks again for the great curriculum review😊

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You’re welcome! Although I have heard that their most recent years are better….(they’ve improved).

[@katieknapp9223]

I agree with a lot of your points, both pros and cons. I do use Gather Round, but not as our main curriculum. I basically use it for geography, general science introduction, and for fun writing projects. I cull the worksheets so we don’t do all of the activities, just about half. However, I’m fine with this set up and for paying for Gather Round though this might not work for every person. On top of that, I only plan on doing about 5 units per year. It works for us, my kids (ranging in grades 1st-8th) so far have loved the units we have done, it has really broaden their horizons and they have made connections to other aspects of their schooling and life with this. I don’t do more than check out library books and watch a few videos that are already on the app. So our read alouds for 6 weeks all reference the current unit. My oldest, 8th grader, does the upper elementary specifically because of what you said about the middle school researching topics. She already has her set coursework, so this is just for her to participate and for exposure. It takes us about an hour to read and do the work that I’ve chosen for them relating to the unit. The only extra I add is they do map work each day when we do continent studies. Anyways, I appreciate your video even though I am a GR user. Sometimes when someone is honest about the negative experiences they have had with a much loved curriculum, they can get some backlash. I see that you have a video on your opinion on the differences between GR and TGTB science. I look forward to watching it to see how TGTB science compares. Thanks!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you for your perspective and for the encouragement!! I really appreciate that! I’m glad GR works for some. I really wished it would’ve. I was super excited about using it and hopeful that it could be used in high school. But at the same time, I’m not surprised. Middle school snd High school just have more requirements all around. And I didn’t say this in my video....but different states requirements also, right? I live in a very relaxed state as far as requirements. But all states, once you get to high school....even gather round cant claim full credits on some subject for high school last I looked. It’s tricky.

[@katieknapp9223]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan Definitely, each state has different requirements, and even then some state requirements do not always meet college requirements, so it is important to get a good sense of what colleges expect as well. My oldest is in 8th grade, so we are embarking on highschool work now since she has started taking credited classes this year. I was homeschooled from 4th-12th grade and went to college on a scholarship, but being the teacher now I feel insecure, especially since I am eclectic and I pick and choose what we use. With having 4 kids that I am currently homeschooling (1st, 3rd, 6th, 8th) and a 3 year old, I have come to terms with having to outsource some of my oldest's subjects with online courses. However, it is working really well for us, and we love the results! Do what works for your family! There's no one right way to learn. Thanks for the video!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You’re right. State requirements don’t necessarily mean enough for college!! I’ve found that in my own research already. Thank you for watching!

[@ServiceDogPuppyRaiser]

My 16 year old has finished all her state requirements for high school, but we have decided not to graduate her early...but she ADORES Gather Round, so she is doing units for her senior year that shes picking out. My 9th grader also loves it and does really well with it. My 13 year old son has severe adhd and really struggles with the open-endedness of it. However, we just started doing the new Careers & Trades unit and the Botany unit all together in the evenings with my husband too. I love learning together as a family...and over the last 9 years of homeschooling, my views have changed 180 degrees on what's "important" in our homeschool. I want our time together to be centered on relationships ship, on God, and on a love of learning. I'm much more concerned about those things than I am on checking any "school boxes". So we do whatever seems to foster those things. We do Good and Beautiful for language Arts (well, my 17 year old is a natural writer and loves reading...in fact she spends all her free time doing those two things, and has developed an incredible writing talent thru just those two things alone. Writing/Literature curriculum never inspired her and only hampered her enthusiasm, so we quit those for her 2 years ago). We do whatever seems good at the time for math. My son loves Good and Beautiful history, so he does that too. My 14 year old wanted to learn more astronomy after doing the gather round unit, so shes doing a video curriculum now for that. We do lots of read alouds, read lots independently. But that's what works for us. My 14 and 13 year olds struggle immensely with adhd and focus, so I have to pretty much sit with them to keep them focused on anything we do. And my sons brain doesnt understand read and regurgitate curricula (which is really weird)...but he just cant answer questions well. He can though read or listen to something and tell me all about it. So most traditional curricula just dont work for him. At least we all live now though. Theres SO MANY choices available now for how to teach....even than there were just 10 years ago! Cant imagine how homeschooling was 20 or 40 years ago. 😊

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment!

[@familyforever3475]

It’s definitely not for everyone but we absolutely LOVE it! I don’t expect every subject to be in every unit but over the course of the year, it will cover every subject in depth. My kids love hands on learning so we use the app and just pull out one hands on idea for each lesson. It’s been amazing for us!!!! I have one child in grade 5 and one child in grade 7. We have completed approximately 20 units (mini and full) and am very happy with the curriculum.

[@ourthriftyhomeschool]

I agree! I tried the free smples and loved it.....but didn't feel like it was enough considering the cost.

[@Beckybluebird]

I am just getting into this... I'm proud of you for not over buying, too, lol.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Ha ha!! Thank you! Thank you!! 😜

[@katrinaskidmore9288]

Woof, so glad I reread this? I looked at this curriculum 2 years ago and closed the door. I was reconsidering it right now. Thank you. I'm sure they are improving things but I don't really want my kids to be the tester group.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yeah! I’m not really sure how it is now. It’s still hard for me to understand how it could be a languages curriculum! Some of that, especially writing formal papers, requires a systematic approach. I don’t know how you can accomplish that if the order of the units doesn’t matter. But maybe they have an explanation on their site. But like you, i don’t want to be the test. 😉

[@jillk9956]

Yes, everything you said! That's why we are now using tgatb.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yep! TGATB had tapped into something that I can’t quite find anywhere else.

[@angelamcdaniel849]

Good review!

[@janet1947]

You just said EXACTLY what I discovered!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I’m glad I was able to express it but sorry you found the same thing. 😢

[@just.a.therian.g]

We just do it for a bit of an interest led topic and have supplimented with a couple text books. English, geography And history. Only one grade 9 at home though. I find breaking up the reading and getting my son to do a worksheet then go back to the reading and watching a you tube video works well.

[@ambers4524]

I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that there’s no sequencing to the curriculum. You choose a unit and go and so there is not a plan for building language and writing arts. I need to teach my kids about grammar and sentences and paragraphs, etc. It’s almost as if Gather Round would be better if it were just science, social studies, and art as a curriculum. But for the cost it’s not with it. It would be $1,000+ for my family to purchase 10units….which I doubt we’d finish. So it just isn’t a good fit for us. It’s not teaching your kids what they need to know. It is an idealistic view of what education could look like, without teaching the needed skills and instruction.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I agree. It’s fine as a unit study for the topic at hand. But then the cost is very expensive.

[@Isthisreal32]

This is the most in depth review I've watched. I watched one video and the reviewer didn't give a great in depth critique. Pros or cons, no detail whatsoever. Thank you for making this video using the materials to show us, for a fair review and breaking it down into bite size pieces.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You’re welcome! Thank you for that encouragement! It definitely takes a longer to make a review like this bc we have to think through what we’re gonna say. And sadly, not every KZbinr takes the time to outline their points. I know it’s frustrating bc like you, when I want to know about a curriculum, I want to know why this or that. I’m glad I can be helpful to you!

[@jessicarutledge8050]

Do you have a favorite place to find a general scope & sequence by age/grade for what children should learn for language arts to make sure there aren't any gaps? I've read GR year 2 is better with LA than year 1 was. I'm thinking of trying out one of the most recent units first & working from there hoping they will update the earlier ones before I go back to those.... which makes me sad 😥 because the continent units would be fun with the recipes.... and their cursive starts at North American Birds..... so I'm prepping my children with early cursive learning now since we will miss that part....

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I agree the continent units look like fun. I was bummed it didn’t work for that reason. But Masterbooks does have a countries study for young ones and I feel like I saw that they had recipes in them. I don’t know where you could get a general scope and sequence. I just know some from experience. BUT.... Masterbooks curriculum have samples online, and I bet you can look at their table fo contents and get an idea for certain grade levels. But every curriculum teaches a little differently. Many people do supplement using Masterbooks language lessons for a living education to pair with gather round. LLFLE is a very gentle approach. I hope that helps.

[@JoyfulNoiseLiving]

Gathered 'Round is SOOOOO APPEALING! We haven't jumped into it... I couldn't justify the cost.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

It’s very appealing bc of the idea of doing it all together, right? I watched your video on MFW ECC from a couple years ago, though, and that looks like so much fun! I feel like the family cycle in MFW is similar in thought. (Family style) I just wonder if it ultimately takes all day? Or maybe that would depend on the ages of the kids. But I loved MFW when we did it our first year and my kids were 3rd grade and younger.

[@paula-bethtoller8021]

So thankful to have found this video. We are planning to homeschool next school year: 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 10th. The all inclusive family style was appealing, but my fears of how it would work seem to be a reality based on your review. I’m curious, though-could I use this as an all inclusive science or history curriculum and then do something like master books for the other subjects? I’m so overwhelmed with how to teach four children and not be stuck doing schoolwork all.day.long!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Maybe it could be your history and science. It probably depends on which unit you choose. For high school, however, if your child is considering college, you do have to think about labs bc most colleges will want two years of science with labs. And I’m not sure how much more work that would be for you to coordinate. I’m not sure what every unit has in terms of science labs. If you aren’t concerned with college, you have a lot more freedom, IMO. You could also check out campfire curriculums for specific units. Again though….not sure about labs. For my younger ones (4th and 8th next year) we will be doing science here and there (not necessarily from a curriculum-I haven’t decided exactly yet) but my high schooler will be doing high school science (biology) and when he does his labs, my younger ones will join in. For your younger kids, (depending on your states requirements) you really don’t need a formal history and science curriculum. You can sprinkle that in here and there. That may ease some of your burden. Another family style curriculum you could look into is My Fathers World. They have a family cycle for 3-8th grade, but you could totally have your 2nd grader join along. And your high schooler could do more independent work and join in here and there.

[@keirajones5062]

We have purchased our first unit after hesitating for about a year, - my kids are 13, 11, 9&7, we are starting with a year 2 unit and for my older kids I'll use other language arts resources some of the time. I plan to read some, then watch some videos, then read a bit more, if a lesson stretches over a couple of days, so be it. The app has resources listed for each lesson for each unit so that will be helpful. From the looks of the scope and sequence there seems to be more language arts covered in the year 2 and 3 units. We are pretty relaxed homeschoolers though and if something isn't covered and I feel it's necessary, then we just supplement with worksheets, or a KZbin video. I have goals for each of my kids that I want them to master each year, so as long as i tick those off, whether by GR or other ways, I'm satisfied, and if they dont hit every single language arts concept, so be it, theres plenty of time, and one of my goals is for them to know how to learn, so they can learn things we dont get to themselves. We also don't do the core subjects every day. We do language arts two days a week, and math the other two days ( we only homeschool 4 days a week) so I'm probably more relaxed in that regard than a lot of people as well. I'm also in NZ where we have little to no expectations on us, no record keeping expected or credits, so that too allows me not to worry that everything is being covered . I don't plan on this being our main curriculum, we will alternate with Harbor and sprout, which is similar but non faith based ( we are secular) and isn't as thorough with information, but my kids still enjoy it. And ultimately it will be more for science, history and geography. I like knowing that they will at least be hearing a lot of information. Overall I think this unit ( and Harbor and sprout) work best for interest led homeschoolers.

[@tkcrew7039]

Yes! 100% agree. My middle daughter is 6 and is really interested in learning to read...GR did not provide that. We used NAB as a science unit which worked great. Asia did not work for us. We're currently doing Earth Science because we're in the middle of a move and I wanted something simple. It works fine for that, as like a break from regular schoolwork. But I 100% agree with your opinion!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you! (Although I’m sorry it didn’t work for you either. 😕)

[@kristinpatel8230]

I think you did a very good job of presenting many of the pros and cons of this curriculum in a very restrained and respectful way. I agree with much of what you said. I have only done a few of the units but do not use any of them as my only curriculum. I will say that the continent units are much better in terms of including history and language arts but do lack in science while the science units are obviously science-heavy and lacking in the other subjects. I have also found many mistakes in the curriculum which make me very frustrated. You are so right that it is very expensive and while it is beautiful, it is not enough for older children who want to be prepared for college.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Thank you for this thoughtful comment!! I was so intrigued by the Asia unit, especially, and really wanted to try it. But the gaps and the cost (and that my children didn’t enjoy all the reading of the “textbook” that I can’t. But I’ve also heard that many loved those continent units, as well. I think it would be so fun to learn and immerse yourself in the learning by adding some ethnic food....:( I’ve seen a countries study by Masterbooks that looked like it might have some recipes and different activities. So who knows....maybe someday we’ll get an intense study of other countries cultures! 😉

[@kristinpatel8230]

If I was allowed to share my digital copy, I would share it with you! Now I want to check out this curriculum from MB...I have a problem!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@kristinpatel8230 haha!!! I like to call it “squirrel syndrome!” 😜😜😜 Have you seen the Disney movie, “Up?” The dog, Dug, is where I got that from!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@kristinpatel8230 and that is sweet that you’d share your curriculum!! I wish it were that simple. (Another con against GR....you can’t resell or gift curriculum like you can with every other curriculum’s teacher manuals)

[@kristinpatel8230]

Yes, I do feel like that dog when it comes to curriculum and books! And yes, that is a huge frustration of mine with GR. Your video really made me think a lot about the cost of this curriculum and see that I really don’t get much for the cost considering I cannot share it with anyone else once I am done with it. I know you mentioned TGATB for LA and science but what do you use for history?

[@sarahgattis4084]

I felt like we waisted our entire last school year trying to make gather round work for us. We started with North American birds. Using both early reader and pre reader for my 1st grader and preschooler. Then they changed the pre reader and added the letters and numbers and ready 2 ready programs. We attempted Asia and it was way to much for my 1st grader so we then switched to letters and numbers and ready 2 read and it was still just not enough for my kids. So this year we’re back to the good and the beautiful but now my kids have gaps which has made me so frustrated.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Oh I’m so sorry!! But yeah...the gaps is a concern. The joy of learning, if your kids are interested in the topic, I could see. But there are some things you just have to keep on top of. I’m sorry, but you’ve got lots of years to make it up, I promise!!! 😉 your kids probably aren’t as behind as you might think and they grow by leaps and bounds in surprising ways!

[@L--C]

I looked into GR when it first launched to see if it would make my life homeschooling 4 (with 2 tag alongs) easier. Soon as I saw that Wikipedia was used as a source I was out 🤣. Honestly so glad I never jumped on the bandwagon. We’ve been using TGTB since 2018, and every tine I stray away from them in any subject I end up going back to TGTB and just modifying something. Homeschoolers love to jump around, it’s so tempting! New shiny curriculum! 🤣

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yes!! We like shiny and new! 😜 I never noticed the Wikipedia. I didn’t look or think about it that closely, but that is a good point! Wikipedia is definitely not necessarily trustworthy.

[@meganpease552]

Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one. Thanks for being brave enough to say it.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You’re welcome! I wonder how this curriculum has improved, though. I’ve had several reach out and say that year 2 and year 3, they addressed some of these things.

[@JaniceCrowell]

Yes, this confirms to me that I need to stick with TGATB if I do unit studies.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I’m glad it was helpful for you!

[@fjb7380]

We’ve used GR for one Christmas school and a few lessons from a bird unit study but yes I felt it was all a bit light for us. So we might use it supplemental in the future.

[@ambers4524]

And to supplement this! WoW, it would be very expensive to purchase this on top of our core curriculum.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Agreed!! 💯

[@wildhill_reads]

This is our first time homeschooling and I’m so guilty of overbuying 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Well....hopefully you can resell it! It's so easy to shoot for the stars when planning for a school year, and I always find that a few weeks in, I'm already thinking, "How can I simplify?!?!?!" :)

[@Momentsinmommyland]

I hear what you're saying - and we're a full time Gather 'Round family. That being said, we use it as the base for our socials/science/history curriculum. We add spelling, printing, grammar, math, and novel studies on the side, so it works for us :)

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

To each their own and that’s 100% ok!! I’m glad there is curriculum out there for all of us!

[@FostersFollowingJesus]

We switched from gather round to A Gentle Feast for all subjects and then something like BJU press online videos for LA and Math Gather round was Beautiful but it was not enough, it didn’t have that living book side we needed for history and science. A gentle feast is amazing at bringing the family together and BJU is great for LA and math (4th and 6th grade)

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I’ve seen a gentle feast in reviews and it does look lovely!!

[@karendavis4793]

We dipped in it last summer by starting with North American Birds. My 8 yr. old liked it, but we lasted only 3 birds. I almost bought a whole year during the sale last summer. Glad I didn't!!!!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Only 3 birds?? That’s too bad. I’ve seen so many that really loved that unit snd I’ve even been tempted to get it at some point just go learn about the birds. Like a summer unit or something. I’ve seen some on the Facebook group so excited that they bought not just a whole year, but lifer!! And they hadn’t even tried it yet. 😳😳😳

[@karendavis4793]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan We might pick it up again this summer. We'll see.

[@jasminehartley9692]

I LOVE the idea and I loved the curriculum, my 6 year old however didnt retain anything in the teacher reading and didnt retain a bunch from the worksheet layouts...im bummed for me but TGTB really works for her and i love that curriculum as well, especially love how it is scripted for me and is VERY thorough!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I agree! TGATB has hit the nail on the head in this arena!!

[@tracy8591]

Where’s the sweet spot for TGTB science? My daughter will be going into grade 1 and my son in K; should I wait a year or two to start TGTB science? Do you recommend a certain unit to start with? I did purchase the Safety Unit but not sure where to go from there.....I’m using Masterbooks Science currently and I appreciate the gentle approach to each lesson.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@tracy8591 we’ve only done Marine Biology and Arthropods. In both units, my first grader was pretty engaged. Marine Biology was a lot of fun!! Since you have a kindergartener…..let me throw this twist in. Have you looked at My Fathers World Kindergarten?!?! We did that with my middle and it was SO MUCH FUN!! Lots of activities that your first grader would also enjoy. So you could just supplement your first grader with math, language arts, and handwriting. And together they could enjoy all the goodness of the my fathers world kindergarten. But I do also love the Marine Biology unit. :) you could also consider taking these units slower than intended. You’d kids are really young. And science is also just getting outside and exploring. I wish I had done even more nature walks when mine were younger. 😊. I think you’d be fine waiting on science units. But if you’re wanting direction for additional fun learning, I’d definitely look at my fathers world!!

[@tracy8591]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan too funny! I was just looking at their geography curriculum. So my K will be attending half days at school just for this next year and my daughter (first grade) will be in blended learning (half teacher and half parent led) so I don’t want to overload her. I’ll be mainly responsible for LA and Science while she attends two days of school for her other core subjects and PE. This year I bought SO MUCH and just love all the tips on KZbin from HS mamas! I was going to hold off on TGTB for science as I thought it might be too advanced but perhaps I will give it a go and try a unit! I really enjoy looking at their site, it’s so appealing!

[@samanthagraveswalters8443]

Thank you for this. I barely made it though NAB

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

oh no! You weren't enjoying it? I've seen other videos where moms just loved that unit! I do think it just depends on individual styles of learning and teaching.

[@swertz6160]

We love Gather Round... but I only have one child in 4th so right now it's working for us and we only do the unit twice a week and so the extras in between. We also use Masterbooks for Math and LA so he knows how to write a paragraph, spelling etc. Before Covid we were attending science classes and art classes. But I see how it can be troublesome for a high schooler etc. We arnt there yet and the units are slow going since there is sooo much to cover in some we do take out time. But covering the same unit for 3 months can also become tiresome. My main pull to Gather Round is the constant Christian themes and I do love Rebecca's heart in all of it. Good luck on all your schooling and searches. Thanks for your review. ❤❤

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You’re welcome!

[@Mimisbooklove]

This is my first year homeschooling. I loved GRH at first. Now I believe it's not enough and I have to supplement a lot for my 4th and 6th graders. Now I'm looking into another curriculum. Like someone said below, it's better to supplement with GRH. The cost isn't worth it for us. Any ideas on a good curriculum for older kids?

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Oh I have lots of ideas for curriculum!!! 😜😜😜 Are you looking for something that covers it all, or piecing something together? I really like the good and the beautiful science units. They are very fun! I’ve also enjoyed my fathers world in the past. MFW, however, you have less freedom to choose your own science and history, etc bc it’s all integrated together. But it’s a mix of classical, Charlotte Mason, and also unit study approach. Institute for excellence in writing (IEW) is excellent for teaching the process of writing. My children have started that as early as 4th grade, but it will require mama to “model” a lot for them (meaning help a lot with the writing) but that’s ok. They learn well that way. I also like the good and the beautiful language arts bc it includes geography and art also! If you have specific needs, or ideas for what you want, let me know. Though I’ve not tried every curriculum, I have a lot of homeschool friends, and have done a lot of research, so I might be able to point you in a other direction.

[@Mimisbooklove]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I’m thinking it would be best to piece things together. I love the options you’ve given so far. Thank you!

[@kimberlygray1349]

Great review! I was hesitant to try GR and it definitely would not have been a good fit for ME as mom and teacher lol. We tried MasterBooks and switched halfway through the year. My kids didn’t enjoy it and it was very redundant and not enough in terms of practice or challenge.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You switched FROM Masterbooks? To what? There are things I love about Masterbooks and things I don’t. Every curriculum is like that! Haven’t found a perfect one yet! 😜

[@randi.yeshuas_disciple]

What curriculum did you choose?

[@AliciasKeysPiano]

Love the honest review and I totally understand where you are coming from. I have a 4th and two 6th graders and we enjoy GR, but not as a full, all inclusive curriculum. It has great information and beautiful illustrations, but there isn’t the proper language arts that I was looking as you’ve mentioned. I would disagree with the thought that LA needs to be done daily though (at least for my kids), but when we do it, there needs to be guidance on how to improve and understand writing, spelling, grammar, etc. We use GR as a unit study to take place as either our specific Science (ex. Human Body) or History (ex. Government) and we did it twice a week. I am eyeing the Artists unit study to be one we do once a week as our main Art focus, but again not as our main curriculum. Great video!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

The artists unit does look like fun! And as you said, using it for 1 subject, makes more sense to me also. The units do have great info! Language arts needs to be done regularly, we can agree on that! :) i think how often probably depends on what you’re doing, how old the child is, and how much you’re doing at one time. It may also depend on how easily your child grasps it. Thank you for your thoughtful comment! I really appreciate it and am glad that others are sharing how their school works! I love that about the freedom we have as homeschoolers!

[@sarahreeves7790]

What are your thoughts on Rebecca Spooner’s video How To Know If It’s Enough?

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Her entire point was about standardized testing. I don’t care about that either. But there are basic things all of our kids should know. And we can tailor our children’s education to them as individuals. But we still need want certain things from the curriculums we are purchasing and that’s based on the goals we have for our children. Her goals and philosophy of education are not identical to mine. And my goals for my own children are based on their individual needs. And my goal as a teacher, is that I want a curriculum to be my spine where I add very little to it and I can cut what I want. But I don’t want to buy a curriculum and feel like I need to add a bunch to it (which is how GR made me feel). And it has nothing to do with standards that somebody else set. It has to do with what I think my children need….what they need to be challenged and to learn to love learning. The high school credits that gather round says are available through 10 unit studies a year (which many families do NOT do) are not enough for 99% of the colleges in the US. Those colleges would also say it’s not enough for admission. So if you’re looking for college as a goal, you have to consider that. I also think it ironic that the recurring concern that many parents have about this curriculum is the language arts. And the GR website has quite a few grammatical errors, which doesn’t give much confidence to this concern. It’s certainly gives the impression that things are being rushed out. Having said that…. I understand she’s just a homeschool mom trying to start a business based off of how she enjoys doing school. But these facts do remind me that she’s not an expert, so her video is just her opinion based on her own philosophy and what she values. She probably also uses the curriculum very differently than some homes. Like I said in my video, I don’t want a bunch of extra planning to do to figure out what needs to be added. This may come naturally for a mom like Rebecca. Some moms may want more direction (which is a point I addressed.) I’m not talking about state testing and all of that. I don’t care about the world’s standards in that way. Every child is different and has talents unique to them. And Every parent, in charge of their own children’s education has to determine their goals and decide “what’s enough.” Rebecca doesn’t need to tell me. Just like you don’t have to believe me. Make your own decisions for your own children based on them as individuals. For us, Gather around did not meet our educational goals and left us wanting….therefore for us, “it wasn’t enough.” 😉

[@jessicajones611]

Thank you for this review. What’s ur favourite LA curriculum for grades 2-6? X

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I think as with every curriculum, some depends on what the needs of your children are. I really like The Good and the Beautiful so far. This is our first year using it for my 2nd grader snd 6th grader. But I also like Masterbooks. I just did a comparison of those two. That video is on my channel. I do like IEw (institute for excellence in writing) products. But they are very different than TGTB and MB. They are more systematic and less frilly (fun). BUT….they get the job done also. 😉 They might be a little too old for your 2nd grader depending on what you’re looking at. I also like “a Reason for Spelling”. I did a video on them. If you have a struggling speller. I think their curriculum is very compatible with Masterbooks. Sometimes kids are just at different levels for theee subjects so the all-inclusive language arts doesn’t always work. If you do look at TGTB, you need to take their placement test. Their levels do not necessarily correspond to grade level. They are more advanced. So for example, my 8th grader last year did level 6. If ANY curriculum has a placement, I’d always go with that and don’t worry about. The level is just where YOU’RE child is. And that’s why we homeschool, so we can tailor the education 😉 I hope that helps.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I also like Logic of English foundations. I do not like their essentials program. But the foundations has lots of fun built on. It’s a little more teacher intensive. It also says for ages 4-7 but I don’t think so. Their essentials program is too hard and not as fun, so I think it’s too “not fun” for an 8 year old. I made that mistake and moved my daughter to their essentials program when she was 9 and we had tears daily. Logic of English is more expensive though with lots of parts. But my daughter did love it. Their reading program was also good. It is secular. I would say IEW is neutral also. They’d probably say their Christian, but I don’t think they incorporate any faith into their curriculum that I can see. TGTB has good character and a few Bible verses here and there. Masterbooks is very Christian. Lots of teaching incorporated. Same with “A Reason For”.

[@ourfamilyvideos7283]

As I watched you flip through, what comes to mind is Unschooling...with a twist...like a spine to touch what’s NEEDED. but then gives the child option to explore further if interested. I haven’t done this curriculum as we are high schoolers now.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Perhaps...that makes sense. But GR would say this is more Charlotte Mason. But for brand new homeschoolers.....many don’t understand what these styles are and they want clear direction. So honestly, those were who I was thinking of as I made this review. And also.....I’m not un-schooler LOL! Props to those who do it and I can see beauty in it....It’s just not me! So what do you think your style is for High school? What curriculum are you using?

[@ourfamilyvideos7283]

Our style is Eclectic and visual. In HS we have found actually to start the “credit count” in 8th(our umbrella let’s us use foreign Lang and physical science as a credit towards high school ). We used American Sign Lang free with Lifeprint on KZbin...it’s Amazing. Non mathy student so we tried Saxon(too rigorous and not explained well for us), tried TT and it went well once child took notes and kept always having to look back but then at pre alg we took a nose dive...it just stopped working so I searched all summer and found Learn Math Fast and child actually enjoyed Alg 1.( ps math isn’t like it was in our time,,,it’s more along the lines of college algebra). LMF is one lesson per week, with about 15-20 problems...they learn it until they know it...answers worked out in back so that we both knew how to figure it out...bought Geometry. History for HS ...we enjoyed Notgrass (used what we wanted out of it, like the general lesson and Bible) , changing it up to U.S. Detective next year. Lang Arts is a combo(writing,LIT, grammar per our umbrella)...we enjoy essentials in writing, watch the dvd if lost...he guides well...grammar- fix it grammar has worked well child is a grammar star. Lit- we take from History that we’re using. Biology- we aren’t into dissection...we shouldn’t have to kill something to learn about it...enjoyed the 101 series...Westfield does a great job...out of the box labs that’s fun. Electives- driversed.com(they give certificate), Amy maryon has a free home ec/household management (KZbin channel too).we also keep “The big Fat notebooks” on our shelf in case we need to look up something. Also check out cliffnotes, sparknotes online....Pinterest too....the app mathphoto is helpful.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@ourfamilyvideos7283 wow!! This is such valuable information!! I might have to refer back to this for curriculum choices sometime! So many things here I’ve never heard of. I’ve looked at Notgrass and I like it, but it also looks intense and full of things I may not necessarily need or want. That’s the problem with curriculums that include more than 1 subject....on the one hand....how wonderful if you want all of it. On the other hand, tailoring can be difficult if you want to use something else for say geography or Bible.... There are so many great curriculum choices out there! This is why I like to attend homeschool conventions so I can look at them or talk to somebody in person about them!

[@ourfamilyvideos7283]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan so our requirements for history was Bible based, color, great layout. Notgrass did that. So each chapter is labeled, not too long, very colorful, Bible verse at end(I had them copy it then write what it meant to them). They have book choices listed online too so we added that for our Lit part. We’ve actually done Notgrass for years and love it but need a little change so next year a will be US Detective( A place to nest did a review)

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@ourfamilyvideos7283 me more question about notgrass....for high school...was it 5 days a week and how much time per day?

[@WAGSMadison]

We were looking at Gather Round because we use and love Teach Me Health & Homeopathy which is Charlotte Mason and done extremely well and covers Art, Science and Health. We were looking for something similar for other subjects, but it sounds like GR is not as organized with supply lists and teacher plans. So, thank you!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Keep in mind, this review was done when they only had 1 year. You might check more recent years and see if they’ve improved (if they show examples on their site!) 😉

[@debbiannelauper4402]

Thoughtful !

[@s.t.5389]

It is so nice to hear honest reviews. Thank you. Can I ask that you consider not playing music while you speak? It is so difficult to follow someone while music is competing. I pray this does not offend you as I think you have a wonderful plat form. BTW - I never thought I would like Gather Round. I love listening to Rebekah, but the curriculum doesn't seem like it would be a fit for our family. I have been homeschooling for over 20 yrs and have bought my fair share of curriculum. I teach many subjects as a family. My current favorites: TGTB for language, history, and some science Language - FLL, then Shurley English Science by Design or Sonlight for early years (prefer living books and/or unit studies) MUS, BJU, & Ray's Math for Today for math LOE Phonograms for reading IEW for writing Critical Thinking Co. for Logic Art - still in pursuit; looking into Waldorf art programs Nature Study - Exploring Nature With Children and Blossom & Root for preschool-K

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

First of all thank you for watching and being so kind!! I’m not offended by any feedback, but feedback is tricky because while one person doesn’t like one aspect of my editing, I get compliments by others on the same aspect. Somebody just sent me a private message on Instagram today also telling me how much she loved my editing style, especially the jazzy music in the background. But i do appreciate knowing these things from everybody because many things I do, (some are bc I enjoy it myself) but some things is to keep people watching longer. Unfortunately, KZbin has an algorithm that only pushes out videos (where I can be found by new viewers) if people watch my videos for a certain amount of time. (It’s called audience retention, like how well am I keeping your attention). And in the day we live in, people get bored quickly. And they click out of the video as soon as they’re bored. The music helps them “not fall asleep.” 😜😎 But I will tell you this...I’m trying to strategic about where I place it and I try to turn it down to where it’s barely noticeable while I’m giving info. And I do have some great videos where I absolutely thought it was way better without the music. So I’m learning what’s working best for my whole audience and also to get KZbin to help more people like you discover me. It’s tough being a small channel! 😉 it takes awhile to be discovered by “your people.” I hope that makes sense and I hope you continue to watch! As for Curriculum-I’ve tried many of the ones you mentioned also! I’ve heard of Shurley and that it is very strong!! (And FLL for that matter) there are so many great curriculums to choose from....really!! As you said, it’s just a matter of finding what works best for your family. And I’ve found that what worked well one year, didn’t necessarily keep working well bc family dynamics change. We used to be a classical conversations family...4 years! And I never thought I’d do anything different. And even this year, my intent was to fill in a year during Covid, and then go back. But after trying some “non-classical” curriculum this year, I’ve discovered, I’m not sure I want to keep doing it that way. There are things I love about classical. And there are things I love about Charlotte Mason and delight-led learning. So an eclectic style it is! And then we can tailor each course of the study to the child and to that particular year in our home. Thank you so much again, for your thoughtful comments!! And I hope you stick around on my channel for more! 😉

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I just watched this again and I can see where at some points the music is louder than I’d like. 😉 I’ve made music adjustments to videos made after this and tried to turn it down or turn my voice up. So I have noticed the musical distraction snd am working on adjustments as I learn. 😉 So I really do thank you for your feedback!!

[@faithfullyinfertile]

This was an excellent review of GR and how it worked (or rather, 'didn't work') for your family. I share some of the same concerns especially when it comes to middle & highschool and GR LA. We have been doing our first GR unit in full (NAB) and we are really enjoying it. That being said, I knew after the first week that there was no way GR LA would be sufficient for our family and we would definitely continue with Masterbooks LA. In fact, I have found that MB LA & GR LA actually complement each other pretty well. We don't really care for MB copywork but we enjoy GR copywork & dictation so we don't do MB copywork. Since the units can be done in ANY order, I am very apprehensive in using just GR LA (even for elementary students) because I totally agree with you that LA is meant to be taught from the foundation up. I am just not sure how that is accomplished when you can use the GR units in any order. It seems like there would be lots of gaps in LA instruction. Another concern I have is that, on average, it looks like families are getting through about 5-6 units per year which is just a little over half of what is intended to be the "full year curriculum". That sends red flags to me. The grammar in GR LA feels like a great complement to what my kids are learning in their Masterbooks LA, which is a very thorough, solid LA program that builds on itself every year (level). MB writing instruction is very gentle in the Language Lessons series, but I like that. It has been a good fit for my kids. I'm okay with waiting until they are in middle school (so finished with Language Lessons) to really hit the writing instruction (I am not sure what we will use - maybe IEW??) after they have had this solid foundation for writing built with Language Lessons. The GR writing projects are so fun, but I do see a lack of actual writing instruction. There was the "hamburger model" taught in ONE lesson in the Oceans unit (I think it was). That's a big lesson to be crammed in ONE lesson. Maybe it shows up elsewhere in the GR units & I just haven't seen those units. MB teaches that hamburger model multiple times and has the kids practice writing & MASTERING paragraph writing in levels 3 & 4. I have appreciated that very much. So, again, we use the GR writing project as reinforcement for the writing instruction they are getting in MB LA. After using GR since January of 2020 in various ways in my homeschool, I have come to the conclusion that while it states it can be used to teach ALL children prek to highschool, my opinion is that is a pretty lofty goal and I personally think it works BEST for kids that are in the Early Elementary & Upper Elementary notebooks. Below that, and the information is a little overwhelming. Above that and it's just not going to be enough (for MY kids!!). Again, that is my personal opinion and what I have seen from doing 5 units. I just happen to have two kids using those 2 notebooks, so right now, GR has been an awesome fit for us in this season of homeschooling! I'm planning to start our school year next year doing Ancients (my oldest has been begging to do that unit for a long time as she LOVES ancient history) and then we will go from there. Honestly, I am going to let my kids decide. If they want another unit, we will do another unit. If not, we will do something else for history & science. And then we will continue on with Masterbooks LA & Math which have been an absolute perfect match for my kids for those core subjects! As far as printing GR. You really do need a top notch printer if you are going to commit to GR. We already had a great printer so I think I print pages for about a penny. :) I have never looked at Trello boards and never will. hahahaha!! That stresses me out just thinking about it. We have found with the units we have done (Space, Oceans, S America, Human Body & now NAB) that the activities in the TG suit us just fine. If we can pull it together to do right then, we do. But often I save up all the activities to do on a "Fun Friday". I have also found (especially with space, oceans & S America) that 5-10 min clips of videos on YT was just what we needed to bring something to life. All the hands on crafts and activities are great and all, but honestly I don't want the clutter in my house! hahaha! So we might do one project per unit (like the space mobile - it's hanging above me still as I type this & fits this space in my home well so I leave it) but a project/craft for EVERY lesson?? No way! haha! The GR app is very helpful too. Books, YT videos, and then anything that I happen to have hanging around the house that goes with the units (like puzzles & games) is all the "extra" we have done and it has been more than sufficient for my kids! I'll be honest and say I tried to stop using GR after Oceans, but my kids literally begged me to keep doing GR. But again, I think it's because we are in that GR "sweet spot" where it just really does work well for Early Elem. & Upper Elem aged kids. Wow! I wrote a novel, but this is something I have been working through in my own mind now since we did our first unit over a year ago. I think I have FINALLY found how GR will fit best in our homeschool and in this season it does fit well. That's the beauty of homeschool for sure. We have a multitude of resources to potentially use in our homeschools. Once we find something that brings JOY & PEACE to our homeschools AND the kids are showing progress and growth....THAT'S the best thing you could be using for your homeschool right then no matter what it is!!!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Next time, I’ll just have you make the video!!! Lol!! Thank you for that valuable input!! Those are very astute observations! I think you may be right about the sweet spot being lower and upper elementary bc my youngest (early reader) was never into it. I just wondered if it was just the unit i chose. I was curious about Asia and NAB bc so many love those. (Honestly, they still intrigue me) but I just can’t justify the cost for what I’d use it for. Sounds like I need your printer. Is it a Canon? Somebody else told me they had a Canon that printed for a penny. I tried to talk my hubs into an eco tank and he said it was so pricey that it would take a couple years to break even. The HPs are $100 and under most of the time. So I guess it’s all a balance. How long do these printers last. Hopefully long enough to make up the cost. So what printer do you have? Do tell!! 😜

[@faithfullyinfertile]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan haha! I have been wrestling these things in my own head for 15 months now!!!! :) Finally deciding to do a unit in full as an "experiment" has given me vision and direction for how to use GR in my homeschool in this season. I've had a lot of time to form all these opinions. The printer I have is the Xerox Phaser 6510.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@faithfullyinfertile I’ll have to look into that!! So it only costs you a couple dollars to print a GR book? I feel like every time my kids print a page we didn’t need or something we print messed up...I’m alway saying, “that’s 6 cents! And it adds up fast!” 😂😂😂

[@faithfullyinfertile]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan When we first started using GR, I was all in a tizzy one night because I had messed up with printing something and was so mad at myself for "wasting all that ink & paper". I can't remember what exactly my mistake was, but my husband looked at me like I was a nutcase and said, "You do realize your mistake was about $2, right? Stop stressing!" I said, "Oh....okay, that's pretty awesome." (I'm very frugal and hate to waste!) So, yes, it's about 1-2 cents per page using this printer, which isn't bad at all. I don't print TG's because I cast to the TV because that really keeps my kids engaged by following along as I read and being able to look at and enjoy all the awesome pictures! So yes, I can print a GR student book for about $2ish dollars!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@faithfullyinfertile that helps immensely! I already had our guides printed before my husband showed me I could cast it. That certainly helps cut costs but would drive me nuts trying to plan ahead! Sometimes I just want paper!!! I’m a paper planner girl!

[@theclassysassymama7515]

We have bought a lot of things that just didn't work out for us as well (hello TGATB that we hated). I agree that Gather 'Round is not enough it is really not all inclusive. We use it as a Spine for a Unit Study so one unit can last us anywhere from a semester to a year depending on the topic and we do all of our other core subjects in different curriculum.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yep! I can see it used as a single unit study. Kind of like their mini units!

[@fjb7380]

Regarding science my kids have loved Berean Builders, which is all grades experiment led very straightforward lessons and I liked that it was historically chronological and creation based 🌎

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I’ve looked at that before. It looks like a solid curriculum!! 😉

[@simplejoyfilledliving]

I really wanted to like GR too. But I have an early reader and a high school student. There was no where near enough for high school. I have no idea how people issue credits with this curriculum for their high school students. It also wasn’t enough for my early reader to begin to read. It is a nice idea, but not super practical for me.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I agree on both points! They do have in their FAQ section how to issue credits for high school. And it’s 1 credit for LA, 1/2 for history, 1/2 for social studies, 1/2 for geography, and 1/2 for art. And that’s IF you do all 10 units. So if you’re doing with an early reader....and the pace is too fast for them since the information is so much, (and so many don’t do it everyday) you can’t slow down...because you’d have high school credits to consider! Oh and 1 credit for general science. General..... General isn’t going to cut it for all of high school and where are the labs then? 🤔

[@HomeSweetHomeschoolLife]

In the Year 2 units, the Teacher’s Guides are more engaging.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I’m glad they’ve made improvements!

[@thirtysomething4532]

I truly tried to love gather round. We did oceans first. I loved it. Not sure about my daughter. Then space. Space was torture for me. Then we made it halfway through artists. And me and my daughter said. Ok no more of this. Every unit is structured the same way. Tons of information and the student workbook she was doing the same thing every day.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yep!! At least you loved the first unit!! But the structure of every lesson…yes…it gets monotonous. This is why we put eyes were easily turned towards the good and the beautiful. Their curriculum has so much variety without making the parent do too much planning. I love the idea of gather round. But the execution is lacking.

[@mamabear6278]

What are you using for grammer and language arts?

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

We use iEW right now. I have a few videos about it. This is the playlist with all my IEW videos: kzbin.info/aero/PLSGIl3wBXjD8YgTu57dP6ds_9l4BNBxf3&si=sMKfaffwNnikLr3x

[@wholesaleskinnywraps]

We experienced this with gather round too. I loved it for elementary but as I started looking for my sixth grader I had to keep adding more to make it enough. I think it would still be fun as a unit study, but not a full curriculum. I bought a whole classical memoria press set for this year and am already regretting. I live it but my son hates it. Already wishing I could return it all.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I agree about GR and it being an interesting unit study. But all-inclusive is a no-go. I’m so sorry about classical memoria...I’ve never looked into that, but classical education is different than what we’re used to and if you didn’t start with it from the beginning, it can turn some off 😕.....(this is me not knowing anything about this particular curriculum, just classical education through classical conversations.)

[@wholesaleskinnywraps]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan It is a beautiful curriculum, however, I have discovered my son has a puritanical aversion to ancient history, that is just a wee bit of a problem with classical considering the entire ideology is based on ancient greeks and romans....lol...

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@wholesaleskinnywraps lol!! Well there is that! “Puritanical” LOL! I love it!

[@NovasYouTubeName]

Do you have something for open and go for English?! I’m searching through your videos and made myself a playlist of all you ;) ;)! Haha. I struggle with spelling so am not sure how to teach my children all the English details!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I answered you on your other comment also. 😜 A reason for spelling is what we used when I was concentrating on my daughters spelling. We use TGATB langauage arts I’ve used IEW for many things: This is a link to their fix it grammar. 😉 IEW.com/affiliate/280966/FIX

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Here is my video showing A reason for Spelling: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r53HY4hrj5aAnrc

[@NovasYouTubeName]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan thank you thank you!

[@stephaniemurphy4501]

Have you tried Campfire Curriculums? They include everyone in the family, while being a supplemental curriculum and they have a Volcanology unit!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I have not. I watched a video of somebody talking about and still haven’t quite grasped how it works. I got the impressions that it was made for Dads to lead and I just don’t see my husband doing that. He enjoys letting me lead in the school arena and he’ll pipe in here and there, maybe go on a field trip. He teaches my kids about food science, bc he loves to cook. But not about volcanoes or anything like that. Am I correct that it’s intended for Dads to lead?

[@stephaniemurphy4501]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan totally understand! You are correct in that it was originally created to be used by dads so they could get involved with their children. However, lots of moms are using it, too. When you said that you all enjoyed the volcano lesson and watched a movie with a lot of the science in it, I thought you all may like the Volcanology unit by them.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@stephaniemurphy4501 you are correct! Volcanoes are so fun!! Infact, a field trip to Hawaii....I mean...if we’re really going to know everything we can about them, we need to immerse ourselves into the hands on education. 😜😜😜😜 I’ll have to check it out. I only looked at 1 video awhile back and haven’t looked into it since. Thanks for letting me know!

[@colesonamission]

This is exactly what I needed...thank you! I'm also a very busy mom w middle schoolers and new baby. What curriculums do you recommend? I have grades 2,4,6,8 and baby. 😅

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I’d recommend something you can do altogether and the good and the beautiful seems to work well for that. For your ages…..the science and history isn’t necessariy to do everyday. Concentration on math and Language arts and then just read alouds and letting them choose their own interests would be a wonderful school day!

[@fjb7380]

Girl…God bless you!

[@joylalime4725]

I really appreciate this, I'm on my way to watch your video about the good and beautiful.. I have a 4, 7, & 12.. so preschool, 2nd, and 6th. I was intrigued by Gather round but I was like is this for real? I was more nervous for my 6th grader because she is behind because of a learning disability, one of the reasons why I pulled them from public, and I'm like I need to get her up to speed would this really help or would it creat more learning gaps or more work for me.. thanks for saving us money and time❤️

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

People who use it regularly HAVE said that their current years have fixed some of these issues. HOWEVER…..some of my reasons probably can’t be fixed. Like the language arts. I haven’t seen anybody on KZbin who is using this as their language arts program from upper grades. I’m not sure how this could be remedied and still be able to do all the “rabbit trails” that many would want to. I suppose not impossible. But like I said here….it could be a pricey risk.

[@2cornichons]

I did two units over the summer. I have an early reader and there were no sight words or anything that he could read by himself. My upper elementary it was fine but as I was reading I didn't think it would be appropriate for a high-school.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Agreed!

[@jenniferharley8987]

purchased Christian Liberty Press for my upcoming 5K kiddo. inexpensive and beautifully done but there are parts we probably won't use or will finish very early. DS is working through the kindergarten readers now

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I’ve never looked into that curriculum. Do you know style it is?

[@jenniferharley8987]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan traditional teacher lead curriculum. Lots of living books. Great for my little wiggle worm who gets frustrated with work books. For 5K the only workbooks are phonics, math and handwriting. Simple one page lessons.

[@RockSimmer-gal4God]

We use gather round for middle school and some of the pages we don’t feel appropriate so miss those pages. My 10 year olds are kinda advanced. We are undecided wat we think about this curriculum. I use it for most subjects and use an extra language arts. I buy the units as we are ready. We use the pdfs on the tablets. We onli use extras I feel will help. The supply list isn’t helpful. We break up the reading. I’ve noticed that they ask for tasks that there’s no information in. The teachers guide. The research is annoying for us as well, we let it take it extra time and we don’t move on until we are ready. The writing projects take my kids a longer time. We loved TGTB science better!!!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Using the tablet is a great idea!

[@tracy8591]

I’m so torn on this curriculum. My kids are still young so I would wait to try a unit anyways but my obsessed homeschool brain likes to look far ahead haha! I love the idea of GR, but I feel some hesitancy on a few things with it. I don’t want to waste money and I don’t want to feel scattered everyday with GR.....there seems to be such different opinions on this curriculum.....I also wonder if TGTB will provide for a more consistent and thorough lesson? I just don’t know! Haha.....anyways, tnx you for your thoughts! Much appreciated 🙂

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

It never hurts to get ideas of what difference curriculums offer! ;) and there are differing opinions bc every family is different. You have to decide what works best for you and sometimes it’s hard to know until you try it. So my advice is, if you DO want to try this, try the free trial first. If that goes well, but 1 unit. And that’ll give you and idea if you like the style. Same with TGTB for science, anyway. The good thing about TGTB for language arts is it’s also free downloadable. So you could try it and not print it ALL out. You could print a few lessons and see if you like it. I’ve tried a lot of curriculums through the years and sometimes it’s just hard to know from research. In the end, it has to bring joy to both Mom and children. Because if Mama doesn’t want to do it……we’ll, how are you going to inspire your kids. And if they hate it….. (I am definitely of the opinion, however, that it had to work more for Mom than kids….like 60/40 weight! 😜😜😜because my enthusiasm (or lack thereof) will influence them. Good luck, Mama!! You already have an advantage since you are starting out with your kids so young. You will be able to take things slow and experiment and see how your kids learn! You’re doing great!!

[@NikiLivi5]

We found that what worked for others didn’t work for us. Me & my youngest have adhd & both have to take our meds or we are all over the place. She came home in 7th grade due to bullying and being my last I had 3 months over Christmas holidays and we took Jan off because I withdrew her mid year. She’s been home now a year and a half. We ended up scrapping 7th grade and starting it over that august. She has always barely passed each grade while her twin brother was straight A’s. My older 3 kids are all straight A kids. She thought something was wrong with her. She’s very smart. She just didn’t have any confidence in herself and she isn’t a good test taker. So after ordering curriculum sending it back ordering more and sending some of it back & ordering more till I found what works for her. Thankfully I found a moma on here that has 3 boys that was a laid back but get it done kinda moma. So she helped me a lot listening to her videos. We have some masterbooks but we just pick and choose what we want out of it, I like fix it grammar, writing strands, daily grams, we use gather round but we don’t do everything that’s in there. We also use some of the good and the beautiful. And we use time4learning for math but I also buy some of the math workbooks that are for real world applications from Amazon. If she’s really interested in a unit like entrepreneurs we are definitely going to spend more time on it. We do most of the reading together and she plans with me. She makes most of the decisions on what we are going to do it and I make her plan it. Of course, I’m making sure she’s getting everything in and making good choices. A lot of her work is independent. If she understands something I might only make her do a little of the written work. If she is struggling I’ll give her more of that for practice. We mark out anything repetitive that she has mastered or I don’t see the need in. If gather round doesn’t cover something in one of the subjects I think she needs we pull out Masterbooks and add that in. We use gather round and the good and the beautiful together in pieces to make sure she gets enough practice work on the things she struggles in. I haven’t decided which one we are going to use for 9th grade starting next year. High school scares me. I may let her do both but chose the units she wants to do each year of high school while doing the good and the beautiful. She needs the practice. I’d love to know from any veteran homeschool moma’s that used the good and the beautiful for high school how they liked it and did their kids have any troubles getting into college. That’s my worst fear as far as homeschooling is not having her to where a college will except her and if they do not having her prepared for that type of schoolwork.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a homeschool high school grad who’s had issues with college. Infact, I’ve heard that colleges want homeschoolers bc homeschoolers have such a good reputation for being able to work independently and are responsible. So don’t fret about high school….really. It’s more learning HOW to learn than WHAT you learn. 😉

[@michellecalais2482]

I have not used the earlier units but we are using one of their year 3 units. I've heard that year 3 is much better layed out than previous. It would be interesting to hear your opinion on these newer units compared to year 1. Mainly because I would like to try some of year 1 and I don't want to be disappointed. Ha!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You’ll have to decide if anything I said is still valid for year 3 because I won’t be buying any GR units again. ;) it’s makes sense that they would improve. How was the art??

[@michellecalais2482]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan so far I would consider the art portion more of "arts and crafts." We are building a diorama of a Viking village. So lots of drawing/tracing, cutting, and gluing. Perfect for my elementary age kiddos. But maybe not for a high schooler.

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@michellecalais2482 yeah….although I personally…think dioramas are so fun! I should totally add that to my list of things to do this year! 😜

[@brandymyers8409]

@@michellecalais2482 I’ve been a struggling GR user from the start. I agree with all the points in this video, but keep trying to come back to GR. It has grown in three years and evolved, but still not far off from many points in this video, stilll. We’re using Vikings currently, but modified. I only printed off about 45 pages from a student book, supplement LA still and have incorporated all our own notebooking. As a history “program” with adaptations it works, but I can’t see it for anything else as a complete curriculum, not even science. It just makes it very costly for us as I still must add things to it. I do like the “guide” it provides and for us that’s an investment in this phase I’m ok with, but in leaner years this would never make the cut.

[@aVTprepper]

What curriculum are you using for your middle school child?

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

I have a playlist of curriculum choices by grade level. Here is the one for Middle school:kzbin.info/aero/PLSGIl3wBXjD841_W8V0s1Ta-8fa5ytrm1

[@jennythomas3985]

What ages do you think would be good for TGTB science units?

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

They are made for K-8 but I really think it depends on your child’s interests. If you have a very curious Kindergartner, it could definitely work. Or you could just take each lesson slowly. They have snippets of reading, activities, time do reading books, KZbin video suggestions…..and depending on the topic, there are always movies you could add in. Marine Biology was so fun and we watched Finding Nemo on more than 1 occasion bc it surprisingly had a LOT of science in it. When we finish Arthropods (or maybe when we just finish the ant portion,) we may watch “ A Bugs Life” that always makes it fun, to notice things you’ve learned “in school,” in the movies. 🤓

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

To make it even “harder” for my 8th grader, if we had any sort of research project, I had him make a presentation (he loves PowerPoint) and I’d invite his grandparents over. So he could present. My daughters sometimes joined in with their own presentations also.

[@jennythomas3985]

@@OurHOMEschoolPlan my kids are 4 and 5

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@jennythomas3985 you could always print the marine biology for free and see how it goes. But honestly at that age, Id follow their interests. So if they ARE interested in a science topic, you could start with books an exploring. And if they want to do more, then try more. Usbourne also has some great science books with some experiments!

[@Brigsgirl22]

My sifter also really struggles with spelling. Can I ask what you used to help your daughter with that particular subject?

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Yep! I used “A reason for spelling”. Here’s a video I did explaining how it works. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r53HY4hrj5aAnrc

[@Brigsgirl22]

I meant daughter! Lol 😅 🤦‍♀️

[@Brigsgirl22]

I will try that out! Thank you!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

@@Brigsgirl22 😂 I figured you meant sister! 😂

[@Brigsgirl22]

Lol! I'm really hoping this works. My daughter also has ADHD and her focus is really bad. I know you made that video a long time ago. Is she still using that program? Are you doing something different now? I noticed some of what they use in this program is similar to TGTB.

[@debbiannelauper4402]

So what curriculum do you recommend?

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

It depends on for what!!!! I have a whole playlist of curriculum reviews: kzbin.info/aero/PLSGIl3wBXjD83p7fIdkysJCNd0SaVOaJL

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

Campfire curriculum looks more appealing to me bc it doesn’t claim it’s all subjects. It’s one subject for family style learning. I haven’t done a unit yet but this year may be the year!!