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Home Learning Year by Year, Revised and Updated: How to Design a Creative and Comprehensive Homeschool Curriculum
Finally, homeschoolers have a comprehensive guide to designing a homeschool curriculum, from one of the country's foremost homeschooling experts., Rebecca Rupp presents a structured plan to ensure that your children will learn what they need to know when they need to know it, from preschool through high school. Based on the traditional pre-K through 12th-grade structure, Home Learning Year by Year
The integral subjects to be covered within each grade
Standards for knowledge that should be acquired by your child at each level
Recommended books to use as texts for every subject
Guidelines for the importance of each which knowledge is essential and which is best for more expansive study based on your child's personal interests
Suggestions for how to sensitively approach less academic subjects, such as sex education and physical fitness From the Trade Paperback edition.
The integral subjects to be covered within each grade
Standards for knowledge that should be acquired by your child at each level
Recommended books to use as texts for every subject
Guidelines for the importance of each which knowledge is essential and which is best for more expansive study based on your child's personal interests
Suggestions for how to sensitively approach less academic subjects, such as sex education and physical fitness From the Trade Paperback edition.
576 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2000
328 people are currently reading
1627 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Rupp
25 books36 followersRebecca Rupp is the author of SARAH SIMPSON'S RULES FOR LIVING, JOURNEY TO THE BLUE MOON, THE DRAGON OF LONELY ISLAND and THE RETURN OF THE DRAGON. She lives in Swanton, Vermont.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
June 30, 2016
I borrowed this book from our local library when looking for books about homeschooling. To be honest, I didn't read the entire book, as it's not written in a "read cover-to-cover" format. Rather, this book is set up in a way such that a reader can use the sections that are most helpful without needing to read it all the way through.
This is not a book that demands that its readers subscribe to any particular philosophy of homeschooling; rather, the author readily admits her belief that a child's age shouldn't determine what grade level they are in, but rather what skills they have mastered at any given time. For instance, you may have a child who reads at a third grade level but is struggling with kindergarten math skills. This book offers guidelines for what children should be learning and in what order, but when parents have a child whose learning is a bit uneven, they can use this book as a guide to find materials that will help that child move along at his or her own pace.
I appreciated the ease of accessibility this book offered, as well as the decidedly secular approach. Unlike many other homeschooling books I've read, this one does not use religion as a basis for choosing curriculum, though parents can easily inject their own personal religious lessons based on their beliefs and values.
This is not a book that demands that its readers subscribe to any particular philosophy of homeschooling; rather, the author readily admits her belief that a child's age shouldn't determine what grade level they are in, but rather what skills they have mastered at any given time. For instance, you may have a child who reads at a third grade level but is struggling with kindergarten math skills. This book offers guidelines for what children should be learning and in what order, but when parents have a child whose learning is a bit uneven, they can use this book as a guide to find materials that will help that child move along at his or her own pace.
I appreciated the ease of accessibility this book offered, as well as the decidedly secular approach. Unlike many other homeschooling books I've read, this one does not use religion as a basis for choosing curriculum, though parents can easily inject their own personal religious lessons based on their beliefs and values.
October 2, 2019
In almost 20 years of homeschooling our five kids, this is the book I have most often used myself and recommended to other homeschoolers over the years. Now it is even better, as Rebecca Rupp has updated it with all kinds of wonderful new suggestions for books and other resources.
Rupp, a homeschool veteran herself, goes into great detail for what children "should" be learning in every subject for every grade from preschool through high school. However, she is the best kind of homeschool author in that she stresses that there are no hard and fast rules and that kids should learn at their own speeds and learning should be organic and fun. She points out that families may have reasons to learn history in very different orders than what kids might learn during the typical scope and sequence, for example, and her suggestions work well for unschoolers and eclectic homeschoolers who may just be looking for general ideas of what to focus on rather than a checklist of things their kids need to know every year. She reminds the reader often that the main goals are to instill a love of learning and that learning should take place in ways that are creative, engaging and fun.
Suggestions are given for great books to accompany each topic, along with games and other resources. She even includes excerpts of her own homeschooling records over the years, so readers can get an idea of how homeschooling looked in her home.
Highly, highly recommended.
Rupp, a homeschool veteran herself, goes into great detail for what children "should" be learning in every subject for every grade from preschool through high school. However, she is the best kind of homeschool author in that she stresses that there are no hard and fast rules and that kids should learn at their own speeds and learning should be organic and fun. She points out that families may have reasons to learn history in very different orders than what kids might learn during the typical scope and sequence, for example, and her suggestions work well for unschoolers and eclectic homeschoolers who may just be looking for general ideas of what to focus on rather than a checklist of things their kids need to know every year. She reminds the reader often that the main goals are to instill a love of learning and that learning should take place in ways that are creative, engaging and fun.
Suggestions are given for great books to accompany each topic, along with games and other resources. She even includes excerpts of her own homeschooling records over the years, so readers can get an idea of how homeschooling looked in her home.
Highly, highly recommended.
June 23, 2019
Two million kids in the US are homeschooled. Eighty percent of parents expressed concerns over a negative school environment and dissatisfaction with school academics as principle reasons for homeschooling. Clearly, many homeschool families did not always intend to learn at home, but found themselves doing it as a result of the school environment the kids found themselves in. Other families have always known it would be the path the family would take. Home Learning Year by Year, Revised and Updated, is a helpful resource for homeschool families regardless of why they chose home education. This comprehensive book provides year-by-year curricula guidance and book, educational websites and learning clubs suggestions. The reference is broken out by subject and grade. If you are a homeschooling family who plans to make your own curriculum, this book is very useful.
September 16, 2023
Such a great resource for a home schooler. Wishing I would have started with this book instead of other books and people’s opinions. However, I am making my way there thanks to this one.
January 12, 2024
Reference book for beginning homeschooling families. Secular. Year by year. I think LA component recommendations are a little easier than they should be, mathematics seems right on track- science and history quite idealistic given the age recommendations. For example, the book suggests that a first grader learn about complex historical topics like Westward Expansion and Civil Rights, and a 2nd grader be able to explain the war of 1812. Hey- more power to you if that’s how you want to spend your time, but we choose rich exposure to a variety of stories from history and then allow the kids to more deeply explore events that interest them. They have plenty of time to discover these richer historical moments as they get older.
Long story short, this book is not as well done and not as encouraging was well trained mind, but worth a flip through for the recommendations alone. I took pictures of recommended science topics as well as some book suggestions and websites. If you only want to read one book like this, I suggest The Well Trained Mind. But if you have time to dabble in various content suggestions by age, this could be interesting to you.
Long story short, this book is not as well done and not as encouraging was well trained mind, but worth a flip through for the recommendations alone. I took pictures of recommended science topics as well as some book suggestions and websites. If you only want to read one book like this, I suggest The Well Trained Mind. But if you have time to dabble in various content suggestions by age, this could be interesting to you.
August 19, 2017
What I appreciated most about this book was that it analyzed all forms/types of education and what exactly each one meant. In one smallish section there was several pages of the types of schooling (classical education for instance) and the philosophy of each of those types and what atmosphere/size of class each is conducive to. It's a broad, bird's eye view of all the different types.
And then each grade has a chapter devoted to it. Within each chapter the goals for that year is discussed in detail with resources given for curriculum, extra curricular activities, books for parents to read to aid in teaching their children, books and magazines for children to read, computer software, websites for educational ideas and online book lists. It is truly a wealth of information!
This is in my "to read again" booklist here on goodreads. This is a book I wouldn't mind owning!
And then each grade has a chapter devoted to it. Within each chapter the goals for that year is discussed in detail with resources given for curriculum, extra curricular activities, books for parents to read to aid in teaching their children, books and magazines for children to read, computer software, websites for educational ideas and online book lists. It is truly a wealth of information!
This is in my "to read again" booklist here on goodreads. This is a book I wouldn't mind owning!
August 23, 2017
Good resource for homeschooling. Gives a good overview of each grade-what should be taught. This book is one that would be good to look at each grade before you teach it. Gives you some ideas for curricula and a nice book list.
March 13, 2025
Normally I wouldn’t put a book like this (a resource book meant to be flipped through as needed) on my “read” list. But alas. I read this cover to cover because I enjoyed the authors ideas and the resources offered so much. I saved so many ideas both to use now and in the future.
September 3, 2024
A heavy literature based homeschool curriculum/philosophy book, but delved into each subject area. Overall, a helpful read.
January 30, 2020
A good resource of resources and ideas of what to teach/use at each age level. It provides general guidelines what each grade level "should" know or be learning.
"...almost all homeschoolers, at some point or another, run into the puzzling question of sequence. Where do we start? How do we assure that our kids have an adequate grounding in the basics? What are the basics?" (Pg 2).
As I am not following one particular curricula program. It's nice to have this guidebook. I rented it from the library, but I've already added it to my Amazon list.
Although I teach from a Christian perspective, I appreciate the inclusive viewpoint the author used. She also includes all teaching styles and doesnt preach/push any particular one.
"...almost all homeschoolers, at some point or another, run into the puzzling question of sequence. Where do we start? How do we assure that our kids have an adequate grounding in the basics? What are the basics?" (Pg 2).
As I am not following one particular curricula program. It's nice to have this guidebook. I rented it from the library, but I've already added it to my Amazon list.
Although I teach from a Christian perspective, I appreciate the inclusive viewpoint the author used. She also includes all teaching styles and doesnt preach/push any particular one.
Read
September 3, 2020I skimmed parts of this. Looks like a good resource for what to teach. Has curriculum recommendations but is not comprehensive: I'm aware of many more options just from hanging out in homeschool groups on Facebook.
July 9, 2025
I’ll definitely pick it up again when I actually start homeschooling! I took a lot of book recommendations from her lists. Took two stars off because she’s obviously pushing undertones of her own political and cultural views that I felt were unnecessary and took away from her trustworthiness.
September 21, 2025
This book provides lots of ideas of topics to cover by grade and recommendations of books to use in covering them. The very detailed rundowns give you enough to look up, say, how to teach about congruent figures or major global landforms to cover.
September 21, 2022
Such great content to help plan for homeschool each year!
Read
June 12, 2019One of my favorite planning resources isRebecca Rupp's Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School. She opens her book by stating, “There is no effective one-size-fits-all mode of education.” Every child is an individual, and homeschooling allows parents to custom-fit their lessons to their children's skills and interests.
All homeschooling parents know this and yet fret over whether their children are learning the basics and don't have holes in their education. Finding those holes is where Rupp's book can help. She explains that while standardized classroom curriculum may not work for your children, it can serve as a reference point and guide. Her book synthesizes the public school curricula of all fifty states and draws from various private sources and innovative educational organizations. Each chapter enumerates the standard goals for each grade and suggests resources to help parents achieve these academic goals.
The preschool chapter lists books, catalogs, magazines, software, and websites for both parents and children. For each of the school grades, the author covers Language Arts, Mathematics, History and Geography, Science, Foreign Language, Art, Music, and Health and Physical Education. The core subjects are broken down into subcategories. For instance, Language Arts includes Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking Skills, and Study Skills. Mathematics, Science, and History are also divided into subtopics.
The fourth-grade chapter, for example, starts with the Language Arts section. Under the subtitle Reading, the author begins with an introduction paragraph and suggests three literature curricula. Next, she states specific goals, such as “3. Define elements of figurative language.” Below this, she lists five types of figurative language and descriptions of different kinds of poetry. Then she offers two books and two websites about poetry as resources.
To avoid repetition, Rupp references previous entries for some subjects. For instance, under fourth grade Foreign Language, she refers the reader to the kindergarten chapter where foreign language resources are listed.
This book contains five appendices: Technology, Textbooks and Resources, Lesson Plans, Book Lists, and Distance Learning. These appendices direct you to various resources, many having websites. An index concludes the book.
To use this book, you simply turn to the grade you want to study. For instance, my son will be in fourth grade next year. So, I will begin my planning by reading the fourth-grade chapter. I will also review some sections in the previous chapters to check for any areas that we've missed.
As I consider these goals, I keep in mind that they are only guidelines and reflect the objectives of the public schools and might not coincide with my educational plans for my son. I often find the skill lists helpful in knowing what my son should know at a given level.
When you need assistance in navigating through the educational ocean, use this book as your compass.
All homeschooling parents know this and yet fret over whether their children are learning the basics and don't have holes in their education. Finding those holes is where Rupp's book can help. She explains that while standardized classroom curriculum may not work for your children, it can serve as a reference point and guide. Her book synthesizes the public school curricula of all fifty states and draws from various private sources and innovative educational organizations. Each chapter enumerates the standard goals for each grade and suggests resources to help parents achieve these academic goals.
The preschool chapter lists books, catalogs, magazines, software, and websites for both parents and children. For each of the school grades, the author covers Language Arts, Mathematics, History and Geography, Science, Foreign Language, Art, Music, and Health and Physical Education. The core subjects are broken down into subcategories. For instance, Language Arts includes Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking Skills, and Study Skills. Mathematics, Science, and History are also divided into subtopics.
The fourth-grade chapter, for example, starts with the Language Arts section. Under the subtitle Reading, the author begins with an introduction paragraph and suggests three literature curricula. Next, she states specific goals, such as “3. Define elements of figurative language.” Below this, she lists five types of figurative language and descriptions of different kinds of poetry. Then she offers two books and two websites about poetry as resources.
To avoid repetition, Rupp references previous entries for some subjects. For instance, under fourth grade Foreign Language, she refers the reader to the kindergarten chapter where foreign language resources are listed.
This book contains five appendices: Technology, Textbooks and Resources, Lesson Plans, Book Lists, and Distance Learning. These appendices direct you to various resources, many having websites. An index concludes the book.
To use this book, you simply turn to the grade you want to study. For instance, my son will be in fourth grade next year. So, I will begin my planning by reading the fourth-grade chapter. I will also review some sections in the previous chapters to check for any areas that we've missed.
As I consider these goals, I keep in mind that they are only guidelines and reflect the objectives of the public schools and might not coincide with my educational plans for my son. I often find the skill lists helpful in knowing what my son should know at a given level.
When you need assistance in navigating through the educational ocean, use this book as your compass.
July 26, 2012
I guess this book was okay but kind of a waste of a library rental for me. The title says "preschool through high school" but then the preschool section is just her saying she doesn't believe in preschool curriculum. Even more puzzling, she then goes on to kinda allude to adhering to such a curriculum but still insists it is just so self explanatory that it need not be spelled out. I have no problem with her putting her beliefs into her book, however poorly stated, but at least reflect that in the title. Just call it "kindergarten to high school" and be done with it!
Her recommendations for foreign language instruction for k-12 take up not even a full page in the book and are pretty laughable.
The rest of the elementary section was okay (nice mix of topics for the social studies and language arts sections) but the high school section was miserable. A student who follows her suggestions for grades 9-12 will be very poorly prepared for a university-level education. 12th grade and more advanced subjects like calculus are skipped over completely.
The reliance on computer programs is also a bit troubling at every level. Especially in regards to the quality of the programs suggested.
I suppose if your child can't attend public school for various personal reasons, this curriculum is better than nothing. But your child certainly won't learn more at home or be more challenged than they would in any standard (or even sub-standard) American public school.
Her recommendations for foreign language instruction for k-12 take up not even a full page in the book and are pretty laughable.
The rest of the elementary section was okay (nice mix of topics for the social studies and language arts sections) but the high school section was miserable. A student who follows her suggestions for grades 9-12 will be very poorly prepared for a university-level education. 12th grade and more advanced subjects like calculus are skipped over completely.
The reliance on computer programs is also a bit troubling at every level. Especially in regards to the quality of the programs suggested.
I suppose if your child can't attend public school for various personal reasons, this curriculum is better than nothing. But your child certainly won't learn more at home or be more challenged than they would in any standard (or even sub-standard) American public school.
December 14, 2009
Especially since my kids don't go to a traditional school, and especially since we'll probably transition to homeschooling in the next academic year, and ALSO because I'm a big nerd, I loooooove those lists of required skills, broken down by grade. I don't often act on them yet, but I find it useful to know what, for instance, our community school corporation thinks that kindergartners should know by the end of the year, to see what's meant to be average, and my kids actually adore all the books I've checked out for them from their grade-leve reading lists.
This book really isn't so much how to design a curriculum, although it does offer web sites and reading lists, etc., so you could make a curriculum, but it's much more that kind of series of lists of what the average kid at any particular grade should know in a variety of subjects. I'm happy that it includes many more categories and is much more detailed than a public school curriculum list, with lists of goals for art, foreign language, geometry, etc., even for young children.
If we do homeschool, and I do want to break down my kids' own unschooling business into their educational categories, lists like this would be madly useful, as well, for its modeling and suggestions. Would I have figured out on my own to categorize a kid's interest in weather or the seasons as earth science in a curriculum list? Ummmm...
This book really isn't so much how to design a curriculum, although it does offer web sites and reading lists, etc., so you could make a curriculum, but it's much more that kind of series of lists of what the average kid at any particular grade should know in a variety of subjects. I'm happy that it includes many more categories and is much more detailed than a public school curriculum list, with lists of goals for art, foreign language, geometry, etc., even for young children.
If we do homeschool, and I do want to break down my kids' own unschooling business into their educational categories, lists like this would be madly useful, as well, for its modeling and suggestions. Would I have figured out on my own to categorize a kid's interest in weather or the seasons as earth science in a curriculum list? Ummmm...
August 25, 2020
I checked this out from the library and then bought a copy for myself to mark up and highlight. I can not recommend this book enough. Whether you are homeschooling or simply trying to take an active role in your kids education, it outlines what each grade should level student should learn plus books and other resources to teach and reinforce the concept.
February 10, 2020
Home Learning Year by Year is a homeschool book written by Rebecca Rupp. The book is designed to comprehensively guide homeschool parents through each year of schooling-recommending not only the topics to be learned, but also resources for those topics. This edition is an updated and revised addition to the 2000 guide.
My Thoughts: Years ago when I started researching homeschooling, I checked out a very large stack of books from the library-searching for any books that would aid me on this new homeschooling journey.
Home Learning Year by Year was one of those books. I recognized it for the true gem that it was-so much helpful information contained in a single book!
I bought myself a copy, and every year when approaching a new grade level with my children, I have pulled out this book and taken copious notes-making it a part of my lesson planning for the year.
When someone on Facebook or at the library asks me for homeschooling book recommendations, this is one of two I always recommend (the other being Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie.) These two books combined make a powerful force for any beginning homeschooling teacher, and are great resources to come back to again and again.
I was very excited to see a new and updated version of this book on the market, and knowing that I already loved it, I eagerly requested to review it.
I am so happy! I love that so many newer books, resources, and websites are listed (including Sarah Mackenzie, which doesn’t hurt one bit!)
I feel I have a new treasure trove of books and information to glean from, and am glad I still have one young enough that I can go back through the information for younger students, and feel like I didn’t miss out.
This book provides good reminders all in one place for me too-to remember that yes, I loved that book with an older child, and need to remember it for a younger, etc.
If you can’t tell yet, this is one of my favorite homeschool books, and one I consider to be a staple for homeschooling families. An update only makes it all the better!
If you are planning on starting a homeschool journey, or would just like a little boost in your planning-start with Home Learning Year by Year. It’s a keeper!
I would like to thank Crown Publishing and Broadway Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Although, I must admit, I will probably be buying myself a paper copy of this one so that I can start marking it up-and pass my older copy on to a new homeschooling family.
My Thoughts: Years ago when I started researching homeschooling, I checked out a very large stack of books from the library-searching for any books that would aid me on this new homeschooling journey.
Home Learning Year by Year was one of those books. I recognized it for the true gem that it was-so much helpful information contained in a single book!
I bought myself a copy, and every year when approaching a new grade level with my children, I have pulled out this book and taken copious notes-making it a part of my lesson planning for the year.
When someone on Facebook or at the library asks me for homeschooling book recommendations, this is one of two I always recommend (the other being Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie.) These two books combined make a powerful force for any beginning homeschooling teacher, and are great resources to come back to again and again.
I was very excited to see a new and updated version of this book on the market, and knowing that I already loved it, I eagerly requested to review it.
I am so happy! I love that so many newer books, resources, and websites are listed (including Sarah Mackenzie, which doesn’t hurt one bit!)
I feel I have a new treasure trove of books and information to glean from, and am glad I still have one young enough that I can go back through the information for younger students, and feel like I didn’t miss out.
This book provides good reminders all in one place for me too-to remember that yes, I loved that book with an older child, and need to remember it for a younger, etc.
If you can’t tell yet, this is one of my favorite homeschool books, and one I consider to be a staple for homeschooling families. An update only makes it all the better!
If you are planning on starting a homeschool journey, or would just like a little boost in your planning-start with Home Learning Year by Year. It’s a keeper!
I would like to thank Crown Publishing and Broadway Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Although, I must admit, I will probably be buying myself a paper copy of this one so that I can start marking it up-and pass my older copy on to a new homeschooling family.
January 21, 2020
I received an advance review copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Rebecca Rupp lays out a great scope and sequence with out-of-the-box ideas in a graceful way that removes stress to do things identical to public schools. The book lists are great jumping of points, very well researched to make teaching on a wide range of topics accessible in whatever style or method you prefer. They also include movies and games to help your kids learn, without worrying about major topics falling through the cracks.
I kept both Goodreads and my library website open while reading this book to keep notes on books I wanted to look up or get later when I'm at the point with my kids that we'd be covering those particular subjects. I am a homeschool graduate and have been researching homeschool material for over a decade. I constantly comb living book lists for recommendations so while there were of course familiar titles, there were plenty of new ones in all of the subjects in each grade to make this a worthwhile read.
Rarely are textbooks recommended or specific homeschool curriculum.
I appreciated the reminders such as, "Remember, this is a public school guideline; kids develop reading skills at different rates." After all, you know your kids best and sequence may vary.
"An important point here is that kids should write for a reason. Instead of rote practice in a vacuum, writing should be the cool thing you do when you’ve invented a story about alien grasshoppers or you want to tell Grandma about your trip to the zoo."
"High school, education-wise, is the Age of Textbooks— and while it’s not a bad idea to have one for reference purposes, most researchers agree that textbooks aren’t the best way to learn. Better is to get input from a varied range of sources, among them videos, podcasts, websites, television programs, lectures, mentors, periodicals, and books."
"In public school, curricula become somewhat more amenable to individual interests once a student enters high school. Kids in secondary school generally have the option to select one or more elective classes each semester and can, to a certain extent, begin to concentrate their efforts in specific academic areas. States have minimum requirements for high school graduation, however, as do many colleges for enrollment eligibility."
This would be a great book for a homeschool reference shelf to refer to when planning your school year.
Rebecca Rupp lays out a great scope and sequence with out-of-the-box ideas in a graceful way that removes stress to do things identical to public schools. The book lists are great jumping of points, very well researched to make teaching on a wide range of topics accessible in whatever style or method you prefer. They also include movies and games to help your kids learn, without worrying about major topics falling through the cracks.
I kept both Goodreads and my library website open while reading this book to keep notes on books I wanted to look up or get later when I'm at the point with my kids that we'd be covering those particular subjects. I am a homeschool graduate and have been researching homeschool material for over a decade. I constantly comb living book lists for recommendations so while there were of course familiar titles, there were plenty of new ones in all of the subjects in each grade to make this a worthwhile read.
Rarely are textbooks recommended or specific homeschool curriculum.
I appreciated the reminders such as, "Remember, this is a public school guideline; kids develop reading skills at different rates." After all, you know your kids best and sequence may vary.
"An important point here is that kids should write for a reason. Instead of rote practice in a vacuum, writing should be the cool thing you do when you’ve invented a story about alien grasshoppers or you want to tell Grandma about your trip to the zoo."
"High school, education-wise, is the Age of Textbooks— and while it’s not a bad idea to have one for reference purposes, most researchers agree that textbooks aren’t the best way to learn. Better is to get input from a varied range of sources, among them videos, podcasts, websites, television programs, lectures, mentors, periodicals, and books."
"In public school, curricula become somewhat more amenable to individual interests once a student enters high school. Kids in secondary school generally have the option to select one or more elective classes each semester and can, to a certain extent, begin to concentrate their efforts in specific academic areas. States have minimum requirements for high school graduation, however, as do many colleges for enrollment eligibility."
This would be a great book for a homeschool reference shelf to refer to when planning your school year.
December 6, 2024
Excellent, comprehensive, and practical book of homeschool advice, structure, and resources. This is the first book I’ve officially read on homeschooling as my husband and I begin to think ahead to how we are going to begin educating our oldest (and subsequent other children) in three years or so. I took many notes for my future use until the time comes for me to buy this book for myself. I love how engaging and personal the author was and I especially enjoyed the beginning sections and outlines of homeschool as an entire journey. Due to the detailed amount of recommendations and guidelines I would say this book would be most useful in building your own curriculum completely from scratch.
As a Christian, I found myself overwhelmed by all the options included pertaining to secular education (keeping in mind the Christian options I already have researched). The content of many of the educational resources themselves were not geared towards much of my priorities in possibly choosing to homeschool. However, those looking for a secular resource will find this very helpful and different from many other homeschool resources out there.
As many noted, this is more of a year-by-year guide that one will return to for the “next steps” each year throughout their homeschool process. I do not necessarily recommend reading it all at once like I did. In ways, the “requirements” or expectations of each grade (specially for kindergarten, first, and second) shocked me. I thought back to my early years in school and don’t remember knowing or learning most of the things described at such a young age. More so, as an adult now I don’t know if I could even describe some of the things Rupp says kids at these ages should know. This shock has slightly deterred me from wanting to homeschool at all— How am I supposed to teach my children all of this AND could I really do it better than a professionally trained educator?
After reading this book my head is spinning with possibilities and “what if’s”. I’m walking away with tons of resources and excitement at what could be but also with many hefty doubts. Before reading this book I was 100% set on homeschooling and I’m walking away wondering if we should homeschool at all (whether or not I really am capable of teaching my children all of these things). Overall, Rupp’s advice is VERY informative and comprehensive.
As a Christian, I found myself overwhelmed by all the options included pertaining to secular education (keeping in mind the Christian options I already have researched). The content of many of the educational resources themselves were not geared towards much of my priorities in possibly choosing to homeschool. However, those looking for a secular resource will find this very helpful and different from many other homeschool resources out there.
As many noted, this is more of a year-by-year guide that one will return to for the “next steps” each year throughout their homeschool process. I do not necessarily recommend reading it all at once like I did. In ways, the “requirements” or expectations of each grade (specially for kindergarten, first, and second) shocked me. I thought back to my early years in school and don’t remember knowing or learning most of the things described at such a young age. More so, as an adult now I don’t know if I could even describe some of the things Rupp says kids at these ages should know. This shock has slightly deterred me from wanting to homeschool at all— How am I supposed to teach my children all of this AND could I really do it better than a professionally trained educator?
After reading this book my head is spinning with possibilities and “what if’s”. I’m walking away with tons of resources and excitement at what could be but also with many hefty doubts. Before reading this book I was 100% set on homeschooling and I’m walking away wondering if we should homeschool at all (whether or not I really am capable of teaching my children all of these things). Overall, Rupp’s advice is VERY informative and comprehensive.
April 21, 2024
If you are considering homeschooling your child or you are currently a home educator, this book is informative without being overwhelming. The book is broken up by subject and grade level so you can skip to what is most relevant for you. The author emphasizes that every child is on their own unique learning journey and that asynchronous development is not only common but natural. We all have different strengths and struggles. This is merely meant as a guide with ideas for what is commonly introduced for each grade level. For example, a child may be “on grade level” for reading but several grade levels up for math. The way the book is laid out makes it easy to find appropriate resources and suggestions based on your child’s needs. It’s designed to be more of a jumping off point rather than a definitive step by step book of rules or a checklist.
I reference this book before making curriculum and resource choices for my child each year and it helps me prioritize our learning goals. It is a religiously neutral resource but it does offer some suggestions for topics related to religion studies making this accessible for anyone regardless of faith.
If you are an eclectic homeschooler who doesn’t have an all-in-one curriculum, this is especially helpful so that you can customize your child’s education. It’s also great for those of us who worry about gaps in our child’s education. (reality: all children whether public, private or home educated will have learning gaps) I do think this book will help minimize those gaps. I definitely don’t follow all of the suggestions in the book but that is the beauty of homeschooling…freedom to choose what is best for your unique child and family.
I reference this book before making curriculum and resource choices for my child each year and it helps me prioritize our learning goals. It is a religiously neutral resource but it does offer some suggestions for topics related to religion studies making this accessible for anyone regardless of faith.
If you are an eclectic homeschooler who doesn’t have an all-in-one curriculum, this is especially helpful so that you can customize your child’s education. It’s also great for those of us who worry about gaps in our child’s education. (reality: all children whether public, private or home educated will have learning gaps) I do think this book will help minimize those gaps. I definitely don’t follow all of the suggestions in the book but that is the beauty of homeschooling…freedom to choose what is best for your unique child and family.
May 31, 2024
I found this a wonderful book for easing my mind about homeschooling. I recently decided to take my 4th grader out of public school and homeschool, and let me tell you, I have been overwhelmed! I've been researching for hours trying to figure out what curriculum I should follow, what he needs to know by the end of a certain grade, and so on. Most curriculums I had found were very much Christian/religion based and I was looking for something secular.
It isn't a read-through type of book, it's more of a pick the chapter that pertains to you at the time, kind of book. It's divided into grade levels and I found that extremely helpful. I also like how it's broken down into the individual subjects in each grade. It gives you piece of mind and you feel more like "YOU CAN DO THIS" after looking through it. It's a good starter if you are feeling overwhelmed!
It isn't a read-through type of book, it's more of a pick the chapter that pertains to you at the time, kind of book. It's divided into grade levels and I found that extremely helpful. I also like how it's broken down into the individual subjects in each grade. It gives you piece of mind and you feel more like "YOU CAN DO THIS" after looking through it. It's a good starter if you are feeling overwhelmed!
September 11, 2020
This is a book that you read the first 60 or so pages of, then skip to the relevant grades. It's very newly updated but parts of it will be obsolete fairly quickly (but that's often the case with homeschooling books, I've noticed). Obviously, the content is the opinion of the author, and she seems to have a bit of a Charlotte Mason/Unschooling approach, at least as far as younger kids go.
It's less of a "how to" guide than a "these are things you should focus on by year," maybe without so much "why." She also tries hard to find things that are interesting for kids (the rote-learning approach of Classical Education would probably drive this author insane).
So, as with everything, take it with a grain of salt, but it's actually a great gathered list of resources for learning.
It's less of a "how to" guide than a "these are things you should focus on by year," maybe without so much "why." She also tries hard to find things that are interesting for kids (the rote-learning approach of Classical Education would probably drive this author insane).
So, as with everything, take it with a grain of salt, but it's actually a great gathered list of resources for learning.
February 4, 2022
-Reads like a book catalogue; organized by grade level along with what I would call a "breakdown of standardized expectations."
-Once in a while the author includes journal entries from her own experiences.
-Some of her book recommendations weren't highly rated on Goodreads. She mentions that some others are out of print.
-She identifies her family as "secular and scientific," so expect some of her recommendations to reflect that.
-My oldest is in fourth grade; consequently I stopped reading during the grade five section. (This book is probably not meant to be read from cover to cover.)
-While reading, I discovered hundreds of books to add my Goodreads to-read list. It was a labor of love and I don't regret it.
-Once in a while the author includes journal entries from her own experiences.
-Some of her book recommendations weren't highly rated on Goodreads. She mentions that some others are out of print.
-She identifies her family as "secular and scientific," so expect some of her recommendations to reflect that.
-My oldest is in fourth grade; consequently I stopped reading during the grade five section. (This book is probably not meant to be read from cover to cover.)
-While reading, I discovered hundreds of books to add my Goodreads to-read list. It was a labor of love and I don't regret it.
January 8, 2020
As a veteran homeschooler, grandparent of homeschoolers, and early reviewer of this book, I was excited by the prospect of guidance it would give families in forging individual curriculum plans, especially to those treading the home schooling ocean for the first-time. It's easy to feel uncertain about whether you're "on track" or not (which is a whole discussion in itself). This book gives guidance for learning at various ages. Especially beneficial is that each section includes a ton of resources so that parents can look for what will work best for their families. If we know one thing, it's that no two homeschooling families are alike, nor should they try to be.
November 8, 2023
My first kid is only 2, so we haven't actually started a curriculum, but I think this book is exactly what I've been looking for! Especially for the early years, I don't really need/want a book that spells out each day or lesson exactly. I'm more looking for a general "don't forget to teach them about money!" and "they're probably capable of learning to recognize nouns, verbs, and pronouns" so that I can integrate these learning opportunities into our lives. This book seems perfect for that! It provides a general idea of what a kid "should" be learning at each grade level, and some potential resources to help.
August 15, 2025
The book is comprehensive and useful if you haven't already been jaded by the public school system. If you're taking your kids out of public school and starting here, it's unrealistic, since in many schools, social studies and science are not taught in lower grades. I'm actually a 7th grade teacher myself, and noted that in 2nd grade, this author recommends teaching the US Constitution. That's great! However, my 7th graders don't usually come in knowing what continent they live on, let alone how their government works. Written 25 years ago, this book almost serves as a historical document, showing us what kids used to learn.
February 2, 2020
This book is great for anyone that is homeschooling or considering it. I have not started my homeschooling journey yet but I loved all the inspiration and ideas that will not only help me once my daughter starts homeschool but throughout her homeschooling career. I liked how this book was organized and it was easy to read and understand. No matter where you are in your homeschooling journey you will definitely get some valuable information from this book.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
March 3, 2021
Convinced me to send my kids to public school (if that's still a thing). Maybe if this book had been updated it would be better. This copy was published when I was in elementary school. It was clear that it was not this was not written by an educator who has had continual professional development. It's written by a parent who found some books at the library. Nothing wrong with that- I'm currently a stay-at-home mom who frequents the library often. There are some classics to take away from this but I wish there were a newer virtual version.
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