WHY WE QUIT TORCHLIGHT LEVEL K | SECULAR HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM REVIEW

Hey y’all!
My name is Megan and I am a homeschool mama of two. In this video I go over the reasons we quit the Torchlight Level K curriculum. Torchlight is a well produced and beautiful product that just didn’t fit our family’s homeschool style. If you are considering purchasing Torchlight there are many great reviews and flip-throughs on youtube. I hope that this review is insightful….choosing curriculum can be stressful and for sure overwhelming!
If you liked this video and would like to see more homeschool content, hit that subscribe button.
My Instagram:
/ betterdonethanperfect1
Zoey and Sassafras:
www.zoeyandsassafras.com/
*I could not source the youtube channel mentioned towards the end of the video...sorry!

[@ddchomeschool]

I find reviews like this SO helpful. Thank you for sharing!

[@mandymarth8050]

Thank you for this video! We’re trying TL pre-k and I’m having the same troubles. This is my first year homeschooling and this curriculum wasn’t a good fit for us. As a newbie, your video and perspective saved me from feeling like a total failure. Thank you again. Hitting the subscribe button.

[@BoldSchool1]

Welcome to the homeschool community! I am so glad you found this video helpful...no need to feel like a failure. This stuff is a process. Trust me we're four years in and we experience trial and error ALL the time.

[@luminyam6145]

I am so sorry you have faced such challenges in homeschooling and I am really pleased that you are not letting it get in your way. Kudos! Wonderful video, thank you.

[@BoldSchool1]

Thank you so much!

[@mamamatheson1889]

We used TL preK- level 2 for two kids. Finally after 3 years of struggling with a lot of the same problems you experienced, I decided to give Blossom and Root a try. My main gripe with TL was the workload for me. Juggling two levels was insane. I very rarely ever got everything accomplished. This year we have been mixing Build Your Library level 1 for history with B&R levels 1&3. We have loads of read aloud‘s, copywork, memorization, all the bases are getting covered and I’m not completely overwhelmed. B&R is a much better fit for me. We also absolutely love Poodle Knows What. That’s a new one for us this year and an absolute joy. If you don’t know it you should definitely check it out.

[@ashleymaldonado8381]

I feel so much better about our experience with TL after watching this. Unfortunately I bought PreK and K before coming to the realization that neither will be fully used in our homeschool. Thank you for this video - I feel less of a crazy person now ☺️

[@BoldSchool1]

No problem! Searching for resources can be soooo frustrating. I hope y'all found something that works for your homeschool!

[@maggiepanning356]

As a Torchlight user I really appreciated your honest review. I am using Level K with my second grader this year and because A) he’s older and B) I LOVE research and planning I went through the curriculum, the Facebook group, online reviews and KZbin reviews with a fine-tooth comb and changed a bunch of stuff up. Which meant that, on the positive side, I was able to avoid almost all of the problematic (excessive) purchases. But, on the negative side, I have spent hours and weeks (I still spend hours almost weekly) adding and subtracting things to it until TL became like the partially complete scattered bones of a prehistoric creature. I have loved our year (I basically made unit studies for countries, going MUCH slower and way more in depth with lots of extensions) and I don’t think I would have come up with many of the resources I have without TL as my jumping off point, but it has been a ton of work. I think TL’s main weaknesses lie in A) the lack of simple tweaks that would make it so much easier to use: country names on the list at the beginning, the lack of authors & editions listed with book titles, and the abbreviations, etc. And too many (often good) resources that are too spread out. A 32 page book should be listed as a one time read, not extended over weeks. This curriculum could make use of a group of families to test it, review and offer up suggestions for updates. Somehow I have avoided the negativity you found in the fb, group. but I think that is because I have become quite good at immediately skimming past anything that looks like a fight brewing, a sad skill to need, but I have changed all of my social media habits. I already own L1 and we will be using it next year, but once again I will spend hours and hours and hours going through it to make it work for us, something that on one hand I love, but on the other makes me question if I shouldn’t just do history, lit, art, science, etc. all totally separately using some curricula and write other parts of that plan myself. Because we do SO MUCH SCHOOL. Because we still add in math and language arts and science and nature studies and, and, and… And I realized early on that TL, while it feels like the heart of our homeschool (dang we love studying the world) is actually just a really big elective because all of our core subjects are covered elsewhere. Thank you for your in-depth review, I just found your channel yesterday and I look forward to more thoughtful reviews from you (especially on all things history). I am also a secular homeschooler in a rural area, so I hear your need for connection. Plus, I have an only child so red flags are flying all over the place when other people hear what we’re up to, ha! I wish you well on your homeschool journey.

[@BoldSchool1]

Yes for secular/rural homeschoolers! TL really could benefit from some constructive criticism-similar to a focus group. I am glad that is working for you....hopefully the planning continues to be manageable??

[@emilieelizabeth3831]

These are the very reasons I choose not to use Torchlight. Side note this curriculum taught me to look up the book list in the library catalog if can't find them at the 2 library systems I use it is not a good fit. I too joined the Facebook group while I was considering it, I definitely noticed what you were talking about within that group.

[@BoldSchool1]

Yes! I need to get more savvy with the library catalog system we have here. I have definitely learned to research curriculums in a totally different way because of this experience. I like your approach and I wish I would have done the same.

[@Emaline90]

This is sooo accurate. We love TLK but we have DEFINITELY modified the curriculum. We watch a lot of videos. At the beginning I freaked out getting all the books but it wasn’t worth it.. now if it’s at the library, great.. if not maybe it’s on KZbin.. if not I grab another book that ties in. We HATED the art curriculum! I now find my own that tie to the theme. We also loved the hiho kids channel kids eat “country” videos.

[@user-fb5ze9fx7e]

This was a great review. I bought Torchlight K with the intention of using it as a supplement to Build Your Library O. Now I need to find the honest reviews for BYL0. I'm also running into the issue of not being able to find most of the BYL0 books in our library system (and we live in a city with many branch libraries).

[@raisingelements8169]

Thank you so much for this. I had the same experience with Torchlight and I've always felt horrible about not being able to make it work. I'm the type of homeschooler that quits a curriculum if it's not working for us, but this one was different. The fb groups I'm in sing the praises of this curriculum and I felt like something must be wrong with me. Thanks for making me not feel so alone, now I need to finally recycle all of the pages I printed lol

[@lexieamann]

It felt like a glorified booklist to me and I could not justify purchasing that many books often only used once or twice. For me it didnt flow well, required way too much planning, and the financial expense of purchasing every single book it was too much. I think open and go curriculums fit my style better.

[@capturinglifeinprogress1999]

I had the same problem with the books in both level PK and level K. They were hard to get and then were barely used. Some I returned once I opened them, because I knew I'd never use them. I felt very frustrated as well. I also don't get the order of the lessons. Maybe I need to spend more time doing it, but right now we're following Build Your Library and just using Torchlight as an extra list of resources. I already bought the next level of both and plan on doing the same thing, using BYL as our curriculum and adding resources from TL. I think BYL is way more our style. I still need to find a group where I feel like I fit in, with supportive, nonjudgemental moms. Kind of a hard thing nowadays. I even had close friends telling me I should stop homeschooling and send my child to public school. It hurt. Thank you for being honest.

[@BoldSchool1]

I'm so sorry that you had close friends not supporting your decision! That would be very difficult. I have also heard good things, or at least better things, about BYL and I am glad that you returned books. IDK why I never thought of that??? It's interesting that you said you use TL as an additional resource. I love many of the books...may be I should look at their booklists which are published and just pick off of those in future?!

[@numbersandstars]

Oh girl! I have not used Torchlight simply because of financial reasons! And you are talking about the same frustrations I have and I am sure I would have had if I had used Torchlight. I still stare at it at least once a week, LOL!... BUT, it is SO overwhelming financially and stressful just to look at. You should write a curriculum. I would totally buy it! I certainly and totally love and believe in Literature Based curricula but hear me out: This Consumerist American Culture makes Charlotte Mason absolutely overwhelming and leaves you BROKE! We need boundaries. We need to be considerate, realistic and mindful of our time and money. My goodness. We still have to teach Math and Language Arts and usually our own Science. This is not a mindful curriculum. It is beautiful and rich but not considerate of our finances and time.

[@BoldSchool1]

I want to turn this comment into a billboard! Honestly, I am speechless. As homeschooling parents boundaries are key to our happiness and mental health. I would love to find curriculums (because I need them to exist) that recognize the limitations that come with educating your children at home-limitations generally being time and money. When I was a public school teacher I sat on textbook committees. We would attend luncheons with publishers and listen to their pitches. The reps would try so hard to win you over with flashy extras, beautiful illustrations and enticing marketing. However, the glamour usually hid a poorly designed curriculum that burdened the teacher with filling all the gaps and adding substance... I guess my point is: I wish I would have remembered that lesson before purchasing a homeschool curriculum that stretched my budget and caused me to run ragged trying make it something it wasn't. I will no doubt reference back to your comment before purchasing future curriculum!

[@kghadzic]

I fell into the literature source trap too but with a classical science curriculum. Struggled with the booklists and projects, we set it aside. Also support rural, secular homeschool-it can be a lonely group. We are not technically rural ( town has about 3000 people) but add the religious component and we sometimes feel like we are on a deserted island.

[@BoldSchool1]

Yes!!! Secular/rural homeschoolers are out there and online communities need to be a place of support and resources. I think the literature based curriculums are so appealing because I just love books, but more structured 'traditional' curriculums usually come with extensive book lists.

[@StephanieMT]

i love this video, i have not come across a homeschool curriculum that fits my life

[@BoldSchool1]

Right?! I think there will never be a 'perfect' curriculum, but I am a little envious of people who seem to find a curriculum that just works for them in most ways.

[@ashleyr8765]

Thank you for this video. I had kept hearing so many good things about Torchlight and a similar Build Your Library curriculum. I have been on the fence for a couple months about getting one but now I definitely won't be. The issues you had addressed some of my concerns and does not seem like a good fit at all.

[@BoldSchool1]

This is the video I wished I had seen before purchasing! Good luck finding a curriculum that fits.

[@OdetoAbode]

New sub here! And fellow homeschool youtube mom! I haven't used TL, but I could tell by looking at it that it was kind of a glorified book list. Same with B&R LA. It stinks, because I love the intention. We are going to be trying out Core Knowledge Language Arts for more clear structure.

[@BoldSchool1]

Yes! Us youtube/homeschool mamas got to stick together. Haha... Have you ever watched any of Love Learning Everyday's videos? I know that she has experience with Core Knowledge...pretty sure

[@OdetoAbode]

@@BoldSchool1 I'll have to look her up! Thanks

[@samanthawoods615]

We noticed the same thing about B&R LA. I wish I would have known before we bought it.

[@OdetoAbode]

@@samanthawoods615 yes that was a curriculum we tried and it didn't work at all

[@samanthawoods615]

@@OdetoAbode We are going to still read some of the books but I just was so disappointed to see it was basically a glorified reading list.

[@user-en2lc3ou1q]

What brother and sister show are you referring to?

[@Ergmermerg]

A lot of people that use Blossom and Root switch to or from Torchlight. Have you tried B and R before?

[@BoldSchool1]

I have not tried B&R, but I am looking into their science curriculum.

[@lexieamann]

We tried both K and level 1 but I just could not get into it. It was way too much work to source books and materials. It felt like a glorified booklist and just didn’t flow that well. I think open and go fits a lot better for my style. We ended up leaning towards TGATB although not secular. The pickings are so slim for secular materials.

[@Nambazi]

Ive been looking at torchlight. Its affordable but i feel as a homeschool family that is very experiential focused there needs to be activities accompanying the list to justify the cost

[@karasuthedreamer6353]

One of the main reasons I’m looking at Torchlight is because of the diversity element. I feel like I’ll need a complete, full box curriculum due to my ADHD and difficulty with organization. Do you have any suggestions for a different secular, diverse, complete curriculum?

[@BoldSchool1]

I have really stopped looking for a complete curriculum. I will say that there are several good suggestions in the comments of this video. In terms of diversity in language art, we've had really good luck with BraveWriter book list suggestions.

[@maisieliberty1319]

Bookshark is another curriculum that's similar. :)

[@user-en2lc3ou1q]

What do you think about BYL0?

[@StephanieMT]

what do you use now instead of torchlight

[@BoldSchool1]

I have two recent videos on what I use now. I found several 'open and go' curriculums that I really like...but I haven't found one all encompassing curriculum that just does it for me.

[@Noeysearles]

Can I just tell you that I bought the pre k in 2022, and went to join their Facebook group. They denied me, and I messaged and asked why... It was because they scrolled my Facebook page from 2020/21, and decided I "wasn't a good fit for their group" 🙄😂 the only thing I could assume was my public posts about covid offended them. But it was the most ridiculous rude thing ever! Imagine not allowing someone to join a curriculum support group, because of their previous posts and stance on covid. Like there is any connection there at all. 🤦

[@monicacolling4614]

These issues seem to be a big problem with literature-based curriculums. When I was homeschooling I often felt underwhelmed by what I got (BYL), which felt like a glorified reading list. I discovered I preferred using parent-intensive math and reading curriculums to focus on those basics, and then I ended up getting books from the library for my daughter that she might like with no real regard to theme. To me social studies and science at that age should be more about exposure to age-appropriate ideas and having fun. I'd fill one of my Instacart bags with picture books thinking to myself: "science, social-emotional, history, math, etc" and make sure to get books from different subjects." I wish I could have loved literature-based curriculums. Also, any time I tried to use them ended up in tears. My kid does better when I set her up to work independently and check for understanding and help when she needs it.

[@monicacolling4614]

oh, and adding about access to materials. That was a HUGE thing! People would recommend the library, but 1. they didn't have the books and interlibrary loan was often a chaotic process, and 2. the library was the opposite direction from other places I went and about 45 minutes away!

[@BoldSchool1]

I can relate to everything about your comment! I have found that separate curriculums designed for specific subjects generally work better for us. My daughter enjoys math, but has yet to be able to do so independently. We are located in a rural community and our local library, although wonderful, does not have the widest selection of materials...I love the idea of maybe laminating a checklist to take to the library that includes the broad topics you mentioned. Thank you for your thoughtful comment!

[@jessicamontaperto810]

American girl has Wellie Wishes books for 4-7 year olds!.

[@StephanieMT]

why i no longer use facebook, too many negative women now days

[@BoldSchool1]

I think people in general are more negative on facebook groups OR the negative ones are just so loud that it's hard for me to navigate past that and find anything useful.

[@jessicamontaperto810]

Sounds like Torchlight fb group was very cliquish. Really sorry that you went through that.

[@BoldSchool1]

Thanks! I was never attacked or harassed. The group just wasn't productive. I hope that has changed.

[@jessicamontaperto810]

@@BoldSchool1 me too.

[@solidflyer286]

I was an early adopter and found I’d purchased a lovely booklist but that was about it. One thing about the FB group is that as a mum of a boy I got a quick wake up call on the harm my previous very feminist views can cause for boys (in my country working class white boys like my son are at the very very bottom of education attainment. They need extra help and positive reinforcement)