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We've put together a list of common questions we hear from our customers. Check it out and send us an email with any questions that we don't answer here!
What is this?
Gather ‘Round Homeschool is a curriculum designed to be all your subjects but math for every grade from Preschool to Grade 12. It doesn’t give you extension activities, it comes with 6 individual student notebooks that vary in level and give targeted grammar, spelling, writing, art, reading & comprehension, geography, science, social studies, history, Bible, and MORE lessons. All on one central theme that you introduce in a beautiful, full-color teacher’s guide. One mom (and/or dad)... all of your kids, gathered around and working on this beautiful, in-depth, cohesive curriculum. No more being the human ping-pong ball my friends. This is changing the homeschool game.
How long are units designed to last?
Each unit is designed to be 4-5 weeks. Our main units and most of our mini units include 20 lessons and can be done as a 4-day school week (lasting 5 weeks) or a 5-day school week (lasting 4 weeks) to offer flexibility. You're in control! Set a schedule that works best for your family and your pace will dictate how quickly you complete any given unit.
How long will the lessons take?
It depends on the age of your kids as the notebooks get progressively more detailed. Pre-reader will be about 10 minutes a day, I recommend having them color while they listen to you read. The Early Reader will be about 30-40 minutes, the Early Elementary about an hour, and the Upper Elementary 1 1/2 hours or so. The Middle School will be 2-2 1/2 hours and the High School could be 2-3 hours depending on the day. The reading can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending on if you discuss throughout, look up things, etc.
How are the digital units reusable?
There is so much more to come! With more than 40 units currently released (as of June 2023) and all that we have planned, you will get to recycle these units over and over again. After several years of working through units, the idea is that you can start back at the beginning with your kids working at a higher notebook level. They'll get the chance to better absorb the information about the unit theme and learn all new concepts, while applying everything to the real world around them. So, if you already own all of the notebook levels for our current units, you'll have everything you need to start over. Just print what you need and you're all set! (To have all of the notebook levels for each unit, you would need to either purchase the full digital bundle for each unit.
Can I pick and choose from the units or do I have to go in order?
The choice is yours! There is no advantage or disadvantage either way, so go in order if that suits you or choose your units based on interests.
What is the difference between pre-reader and your preschool/kindergarten books?
Our pre-reader student notebook is created to be an add-on to your full preschool or kindergarten program. It provides you with two simple pages for each lesson of every unit so that your young child can have activities that tie in with the content of the lesson that older siblings are working on.Our Letters and Numbers books are a full preschool program that covers everything from A - Z for your young child. Think letters, numbers, shapes, colors, cutting practice etc.
Our Ready to Read books are a complete kindergarten through first grade program that will focus on teaching your child to read, but covers so much more. Everything children at this age and stage should be focused on at their stage will be taught and enjoyed by your student.
If I don’t use the units in order, won’t my kids miss things?
Gather ‘Round is both spiral and mastery, so nothing will be missed. Different concepts are covered in different units. For one unit we might focus on adjectives and then the next unit sentence structure (which reminds them about adjectives but if they haven’t covered that, it isn’t critical) then another unit might be types of sentences, etc. We'll cover it all again in the years to come so that it gives your child lots of practice to master topics. By the time they have mastered a concept they will be moving up to a higher notebook level where new things will be taught and eventually mastered!
Is this Christian or secular?
The lessons are Christian though we also recommend adding More Than Words (Rebecca's Bible curriculum through Masterbooks). We are doing this for two reasons: first of all, the Biblical approach in the units is more of a worldview and touch on, not in-depth teaching. We use scripture for copywork to learn spelling and there are Bible connections and sometimes it is touched on through the readings, but it doesn't go into specific teaching. More Than Words Bible curriculum goes into details about who God is, what it means to be a Christian and how to have a relationship with God and walk out your faith. It also includes picture studies which I purposefully left out so that we could save our printers.
What subjects are covered?
The pre-reader includes one coloring sheet and one activity page each day. Our other student levels, in all units cover: geography, science, social studies, history, spelling, grammar, writing, some reading and comprehension, art, Bible, etc. Lessons vary day to day so there might be other things we add in. You will need to add math for your kids as well as some independent or one-on-one reading time.
For reading instruction and those wanting more we recommend our Letters and Numbers or Ready to Read program.
Is the geography/socials specific to Canada or the US?
It is worldwide! This first unit is more based in North America but the other units will be going through continents, learning about the earth, space, the human body, oceans around the world, and we will be doing world history for this year. If you live anywhere other than North America and are concerned about that, this year it won't be a problem other than maybe in this first unit which applies to both Canada and the US. Next year I may go into more specific US history but have Canadian socials add ons coming this year as well for my fellow Canadians.
How would you list this for High School credits?
Based on the more traditional "Carnegie Unit" method which bases credits off of hours, you would operate on the system of 1 credit for a 1 year course. Under that method, your student would receive the following if you completed a minimum of 140 lessons of Gather ‘Round for High School during the school year.
And, if you apply credits for Bible, include 1/2 Bible credit. (We recommend adding More Than Words which would then apply a full credit for Bible.)
Have you seen our High School credits quiz? We've developed this tool to help families plan ahead and map out their students four year plan. Check it out!
Please note: Each state and province varies on requirements and expectations for the number of hours to a single credit hour so be sure to familiarize yourself with the homeschool laws for where you live so you know how to comply and keep accurate records.
Can I pay for my order through my charter school, school district, or scholarship funding?
Gather 'Round accepts third-party payments on our website from schools or organizations that are part of our vendor program.
Do not allow a school/organization to purchase products on your behalf, if they are not a registered vendor with Gather 'Round, as you will not have authorized access to the materials due to copyright. Contact schools@gatherroundhomeschool.com with more questions.
What's the difference between print and digital?
With digital you have a family license to use within your own immediate family as much as you want. For print, you would need to order more student notebooks if you wanted to add to it later. If you choose to go with print you will need a teacher's guide and notebook for each child each month. If you choose to go digital you will have access to all the student notebook levels (when you purchase the family bundle) and the teacher's guide for much cheaper. Learn more about the differences here.
How do I figure out which notebook my child should be placed in?
The recommended ages are listed below:
Pre-reader: 4-5 years old
Early reader: 5-7 years old
Early Elementary: 8-10 years old
Upper Elementary: 10-12 years old
Middle School: 13-15 years old
High School: 15-18 years old
You can read more here.
