If you're new to Gather 'Round Homeschool and wondering how it works (and don't want to watch an hour long video), this page is here to help! We've collected all your frequently asked questions and put together a simple explanation that will help you figure out where to get started, how to place your kids, and how it all works! Grab yo'self a cup of coffee and let's dig in!

What is it? 

In short, Gather 'Round Homeschool is a unit study approach that covers all your subjects (but math) for all your kids (K-12) through the lens of one topic. This allows you to choose units based on your children's interests and show how everything connects. Learned tends to stick because it has context and meaning, and without all the stress of bouncing around from one subject to the next and one grade to the next . . . homeschooling becomes a whole lot more peaceful. Everyone learning together, God in the center of it all, yes . . . you can actually love homeschooling! 

How Does it Work? 

Lessons are designed to be done every day. You will begin by reading from the Teacher's Guide with everyone listening. Afterward, they will work in their individual student notebooks (available from Pre-Reader all the way through High School) where they will have five worksheets that connect to what they just learned. This is a mixture of all your subjects everyday. For example, in a lesson about a bird in North American Birds, you will read about migration patterns of birds. In your student books, we might have a geography page where you track their migration. We might have a social studies page showing the difference between migration and immigration. Learning about various bird calls, you might have a history page about battle cries through history and so forth. This connected approach to learning means you will be covering your subjects a lot more, with a lot more diversity and yet deep meaning attached. 

We have two different types of units: full units and mini units. Full units are 20 lessons long and designed to be done 4 days a week for 5 weeks, or 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Pre-Reader is a lighter workbook with only 2 pages per day, while the rest of our books have 5 pages each day to work through covering their various subjects. Mini units on the other hand do not cover all your subjects. They are primarily focused on the topic at hand and only have 2 student pages each day. This makes them great for either an add on to do alongside a full unit, or even to break up your workload when you want to take a break from output and focus on fieldtrips or more experiential learning. 

Can you really teach all your kids together?

Yes! I can't promise there won't be any difficulties. We still have attitudes and personalities and character flaws and interruptions and all the normal things to work with. However, in anywhere from 2–4 hours a day, you can get in a rich education while still leaving you room for life. 

Still not convinced? 

If you've been doing something more rigorous, or are pulling your kids out of school you might still be questioning if 2–4 hours can truly be enough. Check out this short video to give you permission to try it out. If you feel ready to dip your toes in, you can try a free sample to test it for yourself.