We're DOING it!!!! I've been toying with one week on one unit and flipping to another the next week. Soon as we complete North America our next unit/s will be doubled up but NEVER at once/same day I don't feel it'll be rushed...it just offers "change" and OHHHH do my boys need change-joy of homeschool
@@SimplyLivingIt Yes, exactly what I said ...eventually I've asked around in some groups etc and all feedback was no its too much, I wouldn't do it Well....we are 😂🤷♀️ And the only reason I even thought if it was my boys - when we got to the end of units you could just see ... human body (or whatever unit) AGAIN ...so as I was preparing this unit I'm like...I wonder but didn't "jump" We shall see 🙂
This coming year I just planned and plan on doing 6 weeks per unit and doing a main unit 3 days and a mini GRH or TGTB or campfire the other 2 days. One of the 6 weeks we will be attempting two units at once...artists and inventions :)
We are doing it with North America and Oceans. I thought I would love it and my kids would also. We did the first two weeks, but now they don’t and I don’t either.😂 We ended up just finishing Oceans and next week we will finish North America. Try it though! I think it is doable!
I appreciate gather round as a first year homeschooler but it also has encouraged me to create my own units for my kids because I can tailor it specifically. It showed me how easy things can be of planned right. I now do gather round less and specifically to give myself a break from planning my own.
I LOVE that Gather Round has been such a blessing in your homeschool, friend!! You can just hear the joy in your voice when you talk about it. THAT'S what it's all about!
Love this! Gather Round has changed our home. There is something so life giving about it. I also appreciate all of the prayers that Rebecca and team pray on our behalf. The big selling point for me was when Jonathan came on a FB live and talked about it from a Dad's perspective, and how this would have helped him as a student. I have ALL boys, and seeing a grown man talk about education made the difference for my boys. So much of the homeschool world is dominated by Mom's (which is GREAT!) but sometimes a young man needs to hear things from a man's perspective. I SO appreciate him being willing to jump in and offer that.
My name is Eve , I’m using my hubby’s account but I feel you so much! I’ve been praying for this exact thing and being new to homeschooling I’ve felt so overwhelmed! I feel so much of what youre saying ! I pray that this is the answer to my prayers too! I have two boys and I would love to sit with them together and have them be excited to learn and bond together 😍
This video could well have been me talking. Sounds a little extreme but it’s actually been life changing for our home and homeschool. Life. Changing. I am not going anywhere anytime soon. I’m all in for Gather Round right now. It was an answer to prayer for me as well. I’m so glad Rebecca has a heart who listens to God.
I love that you don't feel pressured to complete any specific number of units in a year! That's so good! And I didn't realize you only do it 2-3 times a week. That's a good idea to not have to push through it and go at your pace :)
I have some units sitting -- this first year has been a tough adjustment for my boys and especially me. I've never been good at scheduling and structure and still trying to figure things out myself. I'm leaning into God more and praying that I can do better this 2nd school year.
We are 2 weeks into our first ever unit of GR. Oh my GOODNESS! Our world has changed! I was hearing from a friend about it, then started watching your videos and all I can say is I wish I had started sooner. I was burnt out, lost in my head, not feeling anything. No more! I’m SO excited for school again and my kids LOVE IT! TY!! ❤️
My son shocked me and asked to switch back to Gather Round. We tried it in the beginning of the school year and it went terribly, but he was new to homeschool curriculum and structure (1st grade). I was READY to order Botany because that's right up my alley, but he surprised me again and chose Inventions and Ideas. 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽 Praying it goes well this time around because he is SO excited.
Yes!!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼❤️❤️ When I heard about GRH we were just moving to Haiti, the boys were trying out the missionary kid school here that ended up being an epic fail for one of our kiddos and so when I started looking at curriculum again realizing id need to keep homeschooling them here in Haiti, we tried GRH. At that moment I was so worn and weary and broken from what happened to my sweet guy at the school for half a year and my heart was heavy. He was in a rough place too. Then God brought GRH into our lives and we haven't looked back since. School has been so refreshing and good and even fun since. Out of everything we've tried over 6 years...this has been the best fit!
I promise you, it’s been a Godsend in our home! We will most definitely be using it again next year! This year we have completed Space, Europe, Christmas, Oceans, Africa & finishing out the year with Botany. I can’t believe all the things my kids have learned. They are truly learning and not just memorizing facts for a test or what someone thinks kids need to know for a standardized test. It’s freeing on so many levels.
I feel like this is me talking! I was so bunt out and the kids were not enjoying learning until we found Gather Round last summer as I was researching curriculum. I immediately felt the Holy Spirit stir me to look into it more and it was without a question the answer to prayer. We found our excitement to learn again and I love that we are together. I love that they learn about God on every page. Thank you for your videos, you have no idea how much of a help they are ♥️
This is so beautiful. I occasionally use GR, even though I was not crazy about their Easter and Passover Unit. That’s why I was so disappointed, because I had been so happy with them. But I also think it’s the idea of the unit study together as a family. I’ve really transformed my homeschooling into that.
I absolutely LOVE GR. My kiddos love it too. As a brand new homeschool mom it has been exactly what we needed. We started with Christmas and we are doing Ready to Read with my kindergartner and numbers and letters with my preschoolers. We really love it. I cant wait to add in one of the regular unit studies as well!! Just love watching your videos!!
I’m so glad you posted this because I have done a couple of the GR unit studies... and I like them!! But I also love Master books and I love knowing others work it around to use GR maybe a couple of days a week! That’s what I’m going to try this next year. Getting the best of both worlds!
Thank you for doing this. Literally this is ME! I followed Rebecca since keep calm and homeschool On for all the reviews and we started with North American birds. I felt like it wasn’t enough. I’ve come BACK to it every year (questioning) yet we’ve been floundering trying other (lots) stuff. I’ve been present in convention and it’s tugging at my heart to switch to it full - dive into the years and pick what we want. I’m prepared to add extra LA as needed for year 1 and shift from there. Love your transparency and heart! 🔥
Oh my goodness, yes! Her words during convention, man! She is speaking truth and I'm so ready to throw everything out the window and lean in!!!!!!!! 💕💕💕💕
We absolutely LOVE Gather Round. We have 4 kiddos and do most things all together so it makes sense to do our school for the most part like that as well to me! Of course we do Math separately and they have their own reading level. We are also going through year one as well , but I did get Farming, and we are going to get living off the land when it comes out. My kids and my husband were looking over my shoulder excited to get these units when I was looking online at them and that is a pretty good feeling as a Mama for all of them to be as excited as me! It is such a blessing to our family!
Year two is so different from year one! I would definitely do Botany before the end of the year so you have a feel for the difference between the two years. I know I was amazed. It went from just a unit study for us to basically the spine of our school.
We are on our third year with gr and it’s so refreshing we adore it. Especially that it brings us together rather than seperate us. My kids love the videos shared in the app especially for the continent units.
Thank you for this review. This is the second time watching you and being encouraged by what you have said. I've been struggling as someone just starting homeschool this year to find the right curriculum and came across together. I was looking for a review and yours popped up this is definitely what I think a beginner needs.
This is our second year homeschooling and my children are still young (6&4) but we’ve been loving it! The unit study way of teaching is really how my brain works. I absolutely love that with GR I can use what I want and add in anything extra I want to add in. It’s been a blessing to us as well ❤️
Your love and passyfor this is exactly how i feel about the good and the beautiful. But now i eant to find something my preschoolers to 8th grader can all do together. I will definitely check out a unit or 2 for them. ❤️
You are speaking to my heart! This was me with 3 older kids and 2 almost 3 year old twins. We tried the sample and have been hooked! We are so close to finishing all Year 1 units and it has been the best blessing.
I love your honesty and your heart. I totally watched a your live! I’ve thought about doing two units at one time, but I haven’t done it..😬😬😬 I remember seeing Rebecca post when she was starting to release the units.. my kids were still in public school, once I got the cahones to pull them out I went straight for Oceans and I haven’t turned back! We use lots of other stuff, but I feel that GRH will always have a space in our homeschool, we all love it and make it work for us.♥️ We just started our first year 2, Ancient Civilizations... but, we didn’t do the first half of year 1, since we started with Oceans.
I love GR too. You were an introgal part of deciding to do it. So far we have only done 2 units but I think that's what fits for us. In between I pull things together for language and read a lot for books. I love how I can use it as a base and add what I feel my kids need. I also love Rebecca Spooner's heart and her vision so I feel good about the source. It has been so good for us this year.❤️
We double up on units but still take our time doing them. I pick one that is more social studies based and one that is science based. We do them on a loop style and just alternate each day. Some days my son is laser-focused and we can get two lessons done in a day but that's not often. The days in between lessons we use to take rabbit trails or do fun things that reinforce the lesson. This is my first year homeschooling and my first year using GR. So far we have finished Government, Space, Africa, Oceans, Asia, and Human Body. We are planning on finishing North America and Europe too but I might shift gears and do Botany since it's planting season. We absolutely LOVE Gather Round! It has been a Godsend for us too! :)
Thanks for this video! I have been intrigued by Gather Round, but haven't used it yet. It was great to hear how you use it in your homeschool. I will probably use it the same way if we end up trying it out.
I'm a new subscriber to your channel from New Brunswick Canada! I appreciate your thoughts on this curriculums. We are starting Gather Round this year and I wish I would have known about it when I first started homeschooling.
Thanks for another great video. I liked that you mentioned learning something new and that's what I think I am missing when I create my own unit study.
Same girl. I had the realization last school year that I would be teaching more than one kid in the near future. I felt a bit panicked and started praying. We did Christmas and later NAB and the rest is history. We've had such a productive year and my kids love learning together. I love how it encourages feeding our minds and hearts. I plan to use GRH as long as it serves up and I think that'll last a long time since it's so versital.
I do gather round as a side thing... I will say I don’t love it but I LOVE that we’re all different! I love My Fathers Word.. but again it’s what I started with and keep going back to.
I’m new to Gather ‘Round. I homeschooled my oldest for 5 years and then hit major burnout. I sent her to a Christian school this year. It was the break we both needed. But we’re missing each other & God is beckoning us back together to homeschool this coming year. Thank you for this video. It’s very encouraging. If you only use GR 2-3x per week, do you mainly use it for history and science? As I noticed you use TG&TB (which I also love) for language.
I use GR for all the things but we research together. Instead of sending my oldest on researching tasks...we do it together and talk about it out loud as a family! It works for us! Monday's video will dove deeper into how GR looks for us! ❤
Gather Round came onto my radar thanks to your videos! They are having a sale on Year 1 units tomorrow so I'm jumping in and buying several! So excited!!! A sale on Year 2 is coming up next month!
We picked up a couple of the Letters and Numbers for my little guy but that’s all we have so far. I am super interested in using this though for other units! Do you have a favorite to start with first?
Love this!! I am SO excited to start GR full time next year...with Masterbooks Math & LA. :) It has been the PERFECT combo for our family and I am SO happy to be in this place right now.
Hi! This is an older comment but I'm curious...you are doing GR (which is everything but math??) But also using MB LA and math? Do you feel that GR isn't enough for LA? We have done MB for the last two years and I really don't have major issues except I really want to be able to do everything together as a family and not have to just sit with each kid individually. I would love to try GR, it sounds great but our budget won't allow me to switch back if I don't like it or need more. Just curious how this is going for you as I research 😊
You can always try just one unit and see how you feel. No need to go all out and switch everything but maybe just try one unit if you feel like you are wanting to! 💗
Girl, I'm the same! 😍 You can even just buy the digital version, print what you need at home and give it a shot! If it works well, great! If not...now you know! 💗
Do you ever get overwhelmed with the amount of reading to the kids? I’ve only tried government and it was a lot of reading and my son doesn’t learn well with me reading so much to him. I want it to work so bad do you have any suggestions??
We love GR! We are currently on week 3 of Earth science and are loving it! Our favorite has been space. Although, We loved Easter as well. Looking forward to year 2 as well. I haven’t used two units together. In fact I’m thinking of slowing it down a bit and doing like 2 or 3 days a week with additional rabbit trails the other days because I think more retention will be there, and less burn out! Currently we use it 5 days a week.
We are new to gather round and are loving it!!! We don’t add in extra language arts but do a lot of rabbits trails. We sit in lessons for a few days. We are planning a year 2 unit after the human body unit. We’ve tried to teach in a different way to public school!!! If we have plans we may not do all the lesson or do the added stuff another day. I don’t wanna rush thru as well.
How do you do your homeschool? What other curriculum do you use on top of gather round? I am feeling so defeated and overwhelmed homeschooling two kids. I want more connection with my kids. Thank you for doing this video. I would love to know how you do your lessons along with gather around homeschool.
Are the unit studies a one time thing or does it build on the topic for older grades? Could you reuse these units as your kids get older? Does that make sense?
I love hearing this. Gather Round appeals to me for many reasons, but I do feel I'll need to add more LA and obviously Math. Also, my own choice of Bible curriculum is important for us. But hearing you use the unit studies at your leisure and with other curriculums helps me a lot. I like the idea of using the unit studies more as supplement and learning altogether, instead of relying on it to provide all of our foundational needs.
Thank you for sharing your heart! I am a mom of three 8 year old 6 year old and 2 year old this is my first year homeschooling and I am at that burnout stage. I find myself overwhelmed with am I failing my kids am I teaching them enough?! Comparing myself to the way that other homeschool moms teach math and other things and I'm thinking oh my gosh I need to send them back they're not learning enough with me!! What advice can you give to me at this point? Also a family of Believers here I love the way gather round sounds do you add that to your math and language arts what is this considered in your home how do you implement it to your day? For me we do math and language arts from Master books everyday and handwriting we have our morning circle with reviewing the same things everyday and are Bible memorization. In between the weeks I'm just going with the flow and one day I'll throw in some abeka science readers and health and manners readers and history readers. On Friday is my main focus for Spanish and I subscribed to hola Amigo box that we're trying out. We have a lot of fun doing in nature activities with the big books that I have but I think my biggest struggle right now and just feeling so overwhelmed.
I am a GR super fan 😁 We have done NAB, Asia, Christmas, Space (our favorite!), Europe (not our fav), and now we are doing US History 1. We started Underground to Canada, but I had to pause it because we just started TGATB LA this week and I’m finding myself burnt out by the time we are done with the lesson. I hope this passes soon! Also, I have artists and earth science already for next school year! I wanted to try TGATB science units since I’ve only ever tried GR, so we will try the free Marine Biology unit after US History is done and see how it goes!
So u said u only do GR 2-3x a week, correct? What do you do the other allotted "school" days? I'm really leaning towards Gather Round next year but unfortunately haven't been able to see their curriculum in person this year and don't feel comfortable jumping in without having seen any of it first hand
I don't understand how to put Gather round as a part of our curriculum. Do you just do the unit study and then add math? I have to show at the end of the year my kids growth with a Portfolio, how would this work?
As far as a portfolio goes, I'm not sure on that! That's not something we have to do. Can you just save their workbooks from each unit????🤔 Again, I'm not familiar with portfolios! 😀 Also, if you have Facebook you could reach out in the group and ask other mamas! Their are thousands of mamas there who would be able to guide you! I am sure of it! 💗
I love GR! The only unit I had trouble with was space . I have a K and 1st and the lessons were just to long for them. Do you have any recommendations for instances like that? We loved oceans! With space it was just overwhelming with math and LA on top of it.
Do you find it works well overall for kids that are so young? I know you said you had trouble with space, but were the other units ok? I love this idea, we did unit studies this year for my kids in pre-k and kindergarten but I built them myself. Unit studies work so well. GR is what I would love to try, but I’m hesitant just because I want the material to be easy enough for my littles to do and enjoy without me having to supplement a ton of extras.
@@MsThumper16 I had to slow down quite a bit. So one lesson would take me 2 or 3 days instead of one. But I also do LA and Math. I had to take a break and not doing a unit now because it seemed overwhelming so I am just sticking to the 3 R's for now 🤣. I figured next year we can try again. I do love the curriculum though.
Thank you for your reply, I’m in that “wrapping up this year, planning next” mindset and looking where to go for our next year. We are completing our first year homeschooling and I have had huge success following a unit study approach. I want to do it again but in a more cohesive way. I built them myself this year and know I didn’t cover things very thoroughly, but my kids are 6, 4 & 2, we have time!! We also do LA and Math and would do that on top of GR, so it’s good to know it’s a solid choice and I’m completely willing to slow lessons down if needed. Thanks again!
@@SimplyLivingIt Thanks. First time homeschool mom and Im not wanting to bite off more than I can chew. He is in 7th grade and Ive not ran across anyone using this or TGATB that has only one child. I was concerned the " family style" would be too much teacher led and not enough independent work.
Thanks for your review. I have always considered school subjects in two different categories : knowledge (history, geography, science, etc) and skills (reading, writing, math are the main ones). You can explore knowledge in any order, but skills do need to be taught sequentially. How does that work when you mix the two in unit studies ? It is unclear to me, for instance, how you would teach a child to read with unit studies done in any order... how does that work with GR?
We do what fits us, mama! It's worked for 9 years so far! My kids are older and are already excellent readers. If you have a child learning to read the units look different. There is a separate set for that specific reason, that go in order!
We are doing Artists and Transportation, my 5th grader picked one and my 2nd picked the other. We just alternative and so far so good but we haven't finished so maybe I'll have to come back and update lol.
Joni Lloyd... I’ll have a high schooler next year! Do you use only Gather Round with your high schoolers or add in additional things for them? Feel like I might have way too many things on my list for my upcoming 9th grader.
@@Stacey.Hamrick We do use Easy Grammar/ Daily Grams as grammar skill maintenance, along with a math program, sometimes times Saxon, sometimes Teaching Textbooks. We also pair unit studies that I gather together myself to go along with GR units, like we did an in depth look at both WW I and WW 2 when we did GR Europe. We did the American Revolution when we did GR government. You can really add more or take away parts that don’t work in your learning. We also add a lot of videos to the mix and read alouds. Hope that helps!
Great video Gather round is not going anywhere here either, that will be one of the stable things in our home Do I supplement-sure, do we dive deeper-ehh sometimes Is it the most perfect curriculum ever made - of course not, but I DONT want perfect...what's "perfect" for one may not be so great for another
Is this sponsored or were you given the curriculum? I hear your heart that they approached you to speak on your experience.,.. I’m not trying to be intrusive hope it’s not perceived this way but I’m so confused with my homeschool curriculum choices…I have toiled over buying curriculum and watching review after review I’m starting to feel like “who can I trust?”…seems like there are so many influences with these reviews. Are they legitimate or are people just selling endorsements? I purchased several programs based on reviews but now I’m questioning whether or not people are being honest or if it’s based on companies giving programs for people to review. Your video seems so sincere I’m so interested in trying this program but I feel a bit duped by digging deep and seeing so many of these reviews biased
I am NOT sponsored and was NOT given their curriculum, nor was I paid for my opinion... none of the above. Just my heart. Not that in sharing my heart I couldn't be sponsored, I think you can do both and still be very honest and upfront. But with Gather Round, no! never sponsored. 😊
Also, remember...homeschooling is very individual! It is normal to try something out and realize it doesn't fit but also, to fall in love with something after many seasons of other things "not fitting!" Homeschooling is a journey for sure and you have to try it for yourself! Just because we love something doesn't mean you will! It's very individual, for sure! ❤
08:53 I absolutely agree! I am in love with her devotion to keeping everything God central! It's been an answer for us, too. My oldest was struggling with the idea that God was real and it's not just science. It's a struggle. With Gather Round, it's coming around. I think he is finally seeing how God is the creator. 11:34 I love the flexibility as well. No day is ever the same in homeschool and when those days that are like trudging through mud come around, Gather Round has helped us through those days! It also helps on the days when we finish early on accident and we can take an extra little while go to down a rabbit trail! I love those rabbit trails!! My most favorite is how Rebecca brings God into everything! Because God is everything! But she makes it simple and kid friendly.
⭐Let me know...HAVE YOU PAIRED TWO UNITS AT ONCE? How did it go?!
Let me know!⤵️
We're DOING it!!!! I've been toying with one week on one unit and flipping to another the next week. Soon as we complete North America our next unit/s will be doubled up but NEVER at once/same day
I don't feel it'll be rushed...it just offers "change" and OHHHH do my boys need change-joy of homeschool
Please keep me in the loop as to how it goes! I need to just DO IT! 😃
@@SimplyLivingIt Yes, exactly what I said ...eventually
I've asked around in some groups etc and all feedback was no its too much, I wouldn't do it
Well....we are 😂🤷♀️
And the only reason I even thought if it was my boys - when we got to the end of units you could just see ... human body (or whatever unit) AGAIN ...so as I was preparing this unit I'm like...I wonder but didn't "jump"
We shall see 🙂
This coming year I just planned and plan on doing 6 weeks per unit and doing a main unit 3 days and a mini GRH or TGTB or campfire the other 2 days. One of the 6 weeks we will be attempting two units at once...artists and inventions :)
We are doing it with North America and Oceans. I thought I would love it and my kids would also. We did the first two weeks, but now they don’t and I don’t either.😂 We ended up just finishing Oceans and next week we will finish North America. Try it though! I think it is doable!
I appreciate gather round as a first year homeschooler but it also has encouraged me to create my own units for my kids because I can tailor it specifically. It showed me how easy things can be of planned right. I now do gather round less and specifically to give myself a break from planning my own.
We LOVE GR! It's a game changer. Just for the record, I have used a ton of curriculum over the past 22 years. I plan to use it permanently. - Shell
I LOVE that Gather Round has been such a blessing in your homeschool, friend!! You can just hear the joy in your voice when you talk about it. THAT'S what it's all about!
Love this! Gather Round has changed our home. There is something so life giving about it. I also appreciate all of the prayers that Rebecca and team pray on our behalf. The big selling point for me was when Jonathan came on a FB live and talked about it from a Dad's perspective, and how this would have helped him as a student. I have ALL boys, and seeing a grown man talk about education made the difference for my boys. So much of the homeschool world is dominated by Mom's (which is GREAT!) but sometimes a young man needs to hear things from a man's perspective. I SO appreciate him being willing to jump in and offer that.
YES!!!!!!
My name is Eve , I’m using my hubby’s account but I feel you so much! I’ve been praying for this exact thing and being new to homeschooling I’ve felt so overwhelmed! I feel so much of what youre saying ! I pray that this is the answer to my prayers too! I have two boys and I would love to sit with them together and have them be excited to learn and bond together 😍
This video could well have been me talking. Sounds a little extreme but it’s actually been life changing for our home and homeschool. Life. Changing. I am not going anywhere anytime soon. I’m all in for Gather Round right now. It was an answer to prayer for me as well. I’m so glad Rebecca has a heart who listens to God.
That’s amazing 🙌
I love that you don't feel pressured to complete any specific number of units in a year! That's so good! And I didn't realize you only do it 2-3 times a week. That's a good idea to not have to push through it and go at your pace :)
Yep! We go at our own pace, mama! We only school 4 days a week to begin with! 😍
I have some units sitting -- this first year has been a tough adjustment for my boys and especially me. I've never been good at scheduling and structure and still trying to figure things out myself. I'm leaning into God more and praying that I can do better this 2nd school year.
We have the same! ive tried to sell them then changed my mind 😂 so we’re going to go back to the units I’ve have sitting and transition from there!
We are 2 weeks into our first ever unit of GR. Oh my GOODNESS! Our world has changed! I was hearing from a friend about it, then started watching your videos and all I can say is I wish I had started sooner. I was burnt out, lost in my head, not feeling anything. No more! I’m SO excited for school again and my kids LOVE IT! TY!! ❤️
& it was Botany we have started with. So awesome!
That was my main reason for choosing GR, because of rebeccas heart for God and homeschool! Thank you for sharing your journey! 💕
YES! Agreed!!!!!!
My son shocked me and asked to switch back to Gather Round. We tried it in the beginning of the school year and it went terribly, but he was new to homeschool curriculum and structure (1st grade). I was READY to order Botany because that's right up my alley, but he surprised me again and chose Inventions and Ideas. 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽 Praying it goes well this time around because he is SO excited.
Yes!!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼❤️❤️ When I heard about GRH we were just moving to Haiti, the boys were trying out the missionary kid school here that ended up being an epic fail for one of our kiddos and so when I started looking at curriculum again realizing id need to keep homeschooling them here in Haiti, we tried GRH. At that moment I was so worn and weary and broken from what happened to my sweet guy at the school for half a year and my heart was heavy. He was in a rough place too. Then God brought GRH into our lives and we haven't looked back since. School has been so refreshing and good and even fun since. Out of everything we've tried over 6 years...this has been the best fit!
That is so amazing, April!
I promise you, it’s been a Godsend in our home! We will most definitely be using it again next year! This year we have completed Space, Europe, Christmas, Oceans, Africa & finishing out the year with Botany. I can’t believe all the things my kids have learned. They are truly learning and not just memorizing facts for a test or what someone thinks kids need to know for a standardized test. It’s freeing on so many levels.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel like this is me talking! I was so bunt out and the kids were not enjoying learning until we found Gather Round last summer as I was researching curriculum. I immediately felt the Holy Spirit stir me to look into it more and it was without a question the answer to prayer. We found our excitement to learn again and I love that we are together. I love that they learn about God on every page. Thank you for your videos, you have no idea how much of a help they are ♥️
This is so beautiful. I occasionally use GR, even though I was not crazy about their Easter and Passover Unit. That’s why I was so disappointed, because I had been so happy with them. But I also think it’s the idea of the unit study together as a family. I’ve really transformed my homeschooling into that.
What was disappointing about the Easter/Passover units?
I absolutely LOVE GR. My kiddos love it too. As a brand new homeschool mom it has been exactly what we needed. We started with Christmas and we are doing Ready to Read with my kindergartner and numbers and letters with my preschoolers. We really love it. I cant wait to add in one of the regular unit studies as well!! Just love watching your videos!!
Heather, that's so amazing!!!! I am so happy that you found just what your family and home needed for this season! ❤
I’m so glad you posted this because I have done a couple of the GR unit studies... and I like them!! But I also love Master books and I love knowing others work it around to use GR maybe a couple of days a week! That’s what I’m going to try this next year. Getting the best of both worlds!
Thank you for doing this. Literally this is ME! I followed Rebecca since keep calm and homeschool On for all the reviews and we started with North American birds. I felt like it wasn’t enough. I’ve come BACK to it every year (questioning) yet we’ve been floundering trying other (lots) stuff. I’ve been present in convention and it’s tugging at my heart to switch to it full - dive into the years and pick what we want. I’m prepared to add extra LA as needed for year 1 and shift from there. Love your transparency and heart! 🔥
Oh my goodness, yes! Her words during convention, man! She is speaking truth and I'm so ready to throw everything out the window and lean in!!!!!!!! 💕💕💕💕
We absolutely LOVE Gather Round. We have 4 kiddos and do most things all together so it makes sense to do our school for the most part like that as well to me! Of course we do Math separately and they have their own reading level. We are also going through year one as well , but I did get Farming, and we are going to get living off the land when it comes out. My kids and my husband were looking over my shoulder excited to get these units when I was looking online at them and that is a pretty good feeling as a Mama for all of them to be as excited as me! It is such a blessing to our family!
Year two is so different from year one! I would definitely do Botany before the end of the year so you have a feel for the difference between the two years. I know I was amazed. It went from just a unit study for us to basically the spine of our school.
OH I LOVE THAT!!!!! Thank you! I have been hearing that SO much in the GR community and girl...I think that's what we will do!!!! 😃
It really gives us time to take those rabbit trails and enjoy what we’re learning. It truly is a blessing!
We are on our third year with gr and it’s so refreshing we adore it. Especially that it brings us together rather than seperate us. My kids love the videos shared in the app especially for the continent units.
I needed to hear this!! I feel I have failed this year and your testimony has encouraged me tremendously!! Thank you!
Oh sweet mama....YOU HAVE NOT FAILED! 💗💗💗💗💗
Every single homeschool mama has felt that in her journey. I promise you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. 🤗
Thank you for this review. This is the second time watching you and being encouraged by what you have said. I've been struggling as someone just starting homeschool this year to find the right curriculum and came across together. I was looking for a review and yours popped up this is definitely what I think a beginner needs.
This is our second year homeschooling and my children are still young (6&4) but we’ve been loving it! The unit study way of teaching is really how my brain works. I absolutely love that with GR I can use what I want and add in anything extra I want to add in. It’s been a blessing to us as well ❤️
Your love and passyfor this is exactly how i feel about the good and the beautiful. But now i eant to find something my preschoolers to 8th grader can all do together. I will definitely check out a unit or 2 for them. ❤️
You are speaking to my heart! This was me with 3 older kids and 2 almost 3 year old twins. We tried the sample and have been hooked! We are so close to finishing all Year 1 units and it has been the best blessing.
I love your honesty and your heart. I totally watched a your live!
I’ve thought about doing two units at one time, but I haven’t done it..😬😬😬
I remember seeing Rebecca post when she was starting to release the units.. my kids were still in public school, once I got the cahones to pull them out I went straight for Oceans and I haven’t turned back! We use lots of other stuff, but I feel that GRH will always have a space in our homeschool, we all love it and make it work for us.♥️
We just started our first year 2, Ancient Civilizations... but, we didn’t do the first half of year 1, since we started with Oceans.
I love GR too. You were an introgal part of deciding to do it. So far we have only done 2 units but I think that's what fits for us. In between I pull things together for language and read a lot for books. I love how I can use it as a base and add what I feel my kids need. I also love Rebecca Spooner's heart and her vision so I feel good about the source. It has been so good for us this year.❤️
We double up on units but still take our time doing them. I pick one that is more social studies based and one that is science based. We do them on a loop style and just alternate each day. Some days my son is laser-focused and we can get two lessons done in a day but that's not often. The days in between lessons we use to take rabbit trails or do fun things that reinforce the lesson. This is my first year homeschooling and my first year using GR. So far we have finished Government, Space, Africa, Oceans, Asia, and Human Body. We are planning on finishing North America and Europe too but I might shift gears and do Botany since it's planting season. We absolutely LOVE Gather Round! It has been a Godsend for us too! :)
Thank you for sharing how you do it! It totally sounds manageable that way! 💗
Thanks for this video! I have been intrigued by Gather Round, but haven't used it yet. It was great to hear how you use it in your homeschool. I will probably use it the same way if we end up trying it out.
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I'm a new subscriber to your channel from New Brunswick Canada! I appreciate your thoughts on this curriculums. We are starting Gather Round this year and I wish I would have known about it when I first started homeschooling.
Welcome, friend!!!!!! I am so happy you're here!!!!! You are going to LOVE Gather Round! 💕💕💕
Thanks for another great video. I liked that you mentioned learning something new and that's what I think I am missing when I create my own unit study.
P.S. You look pretty, Jamie! (I LOVE your lip color!)
You are too sweet, Ashley! 🤗 Love you, friend!
Same girl. I had the realization last school year that I would be teaching more than one kid in the near future. I felt a bit panicked and started praying. We did Christmas and later NAB and the rest is history. We've had such a productive year and my kids love learning together. I love how it encourages feeding our minds and hearts. I plan to use GRH as long as it serves up and I think that'll last a long time since it's so versital.
Yes! We learn so much that we would never learn. That’s my favorite thing about Gather ‘Round.
I do gather round as a side thing... I will say I don’t love it but I LOVE that we’re all different! I love My Fathers Word.. but again it’s what I started with and keep going back to.
I’m new to Gather ‘Round. I homeschooled my oldest for 5 years and then hit major burnout. I sent her to a Christian school this year. It was the break we both needed. But we’re missing each other & God is beckoning us back together to homeschool this coming year. Thank you for this video. It’s very encouraging. If you only use GR 2-3x per week, do you mainly use it for history and science? As I noticed you use TG&TB (which I also love) for language.
I use GR for all the things but we research together. Instead of sending my oldest on researching tasks...we do it together and talk about it out loud as a family! It works for us! Monday's video will dove deeper into how GR looks for us! ❤
Gather Round came onto my radar thanks to your videos! They are having a sale on Year 1 units tomorrow so I'm jumping in and buying several! So excited!!! A sale on Year 2 is coming up next month!
YES! I'm so excited!!!!!📚🎉
Thank you for this! I have 8 children and 6 are school aged. I will definitely give this a go ESPECIALLY when the other 2 start school 😅.
We picked up a couple of the Letters and Numbers for my little guy but that’s all we have so far. I am super interested in using this though for other units! Do you have a favorite to start with first?
Love this!! I am SO excited to start GR full time next year...with Masterbooks Math & LA. :) It has been the PERFECT combo for our family and I am SO happy to be in this place right now.
YAY! That is so awesome, sweet mama!!!!!💗🤗
Hi! This is an older comment but I'm curious...you are doing GR (which is everything but math??) But also using MB LA and math? Do you feel that GR isn't enough for LA? We have done MB for the last two years and I really don't have major issues except I really want to be able to do everything together as a family and not have to just sit with each kid individually. I would love to try GR, it sounds great but our budget won't allow me to switch back if I don't like it or need more. Just curious how this is going for you as I research 😊
You can always try just one unit and see how you feel. No need to go all out and switch everything but maybe just try one unit if you feel like you are wanting to! 💗
@@SimplyLivingIt I do not know why this didn't occur to me 🤦🏼♀️ I am clearly a "jump in with two feet" kind of person 😂
Girl, I'm the same! 😍 You can even just buy the digital version, print what you need at home and give it a shot! If it works well, great! If not...now you know! 💗
Do you ever get overwhelmed with the amount of reading to the kids? I’ve only tried government and it was a lot of reading and my son doesn’t learn well with me reading so much to him. I want it to work so bad do you have any suggestions??
We love GR! We are currently on week 3 of Earth science and are loving it! Our favorite has been space. Although, We loved Easter as well. Looking forward to year 2 as well. I haven’t used two units together. In fact I’m thinking of slowing it down a bit and doing like 2 or 3 days a week with additional rabbit trails the other days because I think more retention will be there, and less burn out! Currently we use it 5 days a week.
My boys love taking school to the camper too!!
😂😂😂 That is awesome!!!!
Gather round was an answer to prayer for me too as a first year homeschool mom trying to find curriculum that felt right!
I feel this so much! We’ve been using GR for over two years now and it changed our homeschool life.
YESSSS!
We are new to gather round and are loving it!!! We don’t add in extra language arts but do a lot of rabbits trails. We sit in lessons for a few days. We are planning a year 2 unit after the human body unit. We’ve tried to teach in a different way to public school!!! If we have plans we may not do all the lesson or do the added stuff another day. I don’t wanna rush thru as well.
This has been our first year using GR, and it has been our best year of homeschooling yet! Coincidence? I think not. ;)
This is how I feel about for the love of Homeschooling....We do Gather Around, but the Mini unit are easier to me, I struggle with the big units
How do you do your homeschool? What other curriculum do you use on top of gather round?
I am feeling so defeated and overwhelmed homeschooling two kids. I want more connection with my kids. Thank you for doing this video.
I would love to know how you do your lessons along with gather around homeschool.
Are the unit studies a one time thing or does it build on the topic for older grades? Could you reuse these units as your kids get older? Does that make sense?
Yes, absolutely! They are meant to revisit later!❤
I feel you on the hard place! So glad you found your “it.”
I can’t do two units at once .. I love just diving deep into one and then the next ☺️ we love GRH!
See...I don't think I can either...but I so want to! 😃😂
It was an answered prayer for us too.
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I love hearing this. Gather Round appeals to me for many reasons, but I do feel I'll need to add more LA and obviously Math. Also, my own choice of Bible curriculum is important for us. But hearing you use the unit studies at your leisure and with other curriculums helps me a lot. I like the idea of using the unit studies more as supplement and learning altogether, instead of relying on it to provide all of our foundational needs.
Thank you for sharing your heart! I am a mom of three 8 year old 6 year old and 2 year old this is my first year homeschooling and I am at that burnout stage. I find myself overwhelmed with am I failing my kids am I teaching them enough?! Comparing myself to the way that other homeschool moms teach math and other things and I'm thinking oh my gosh I need to send them back they're not learning enough with me!! What advice can you give to me at this point? Also a family of Believers here I love the way gather round sounds do you add that to your math and language arts what is this considered in your home how do you implement it to your day? For me we do math and language arts from Master books everyday and handwriting we have our morning circle with reviewing the same things everyday and are Bible memorization. In between the weeks I'm just going with the flow and one day I'll throw in some abeka science readers and health and manners readers and history readers. On Friday is my main focus for Spanish and I subscribed to hola Amigo box that we're trying out. We have a lot of fun doing in nature activities with the big books that I have but I think my biggest struggle right now and just feeling so overwhelmed.
This was absolutely an answered prayer for us as well. Found GR by watching your videos! Thank you so much for your perspective and thoughts :)
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Wow, I can't believe its been out 2 years already, I swear I just started hearing about it like six months ago.
Do You buy individually or the yearly plan? We’ve done some of the space unit and will probably finish it over the summer. Love it.
I buy individually!😊
We love Gather Round❤️
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I am a GR super fan 😁 We have done NAB, Asia, Christmas, Space (our favorite!), Europe (not our fav), and now we are doing US History 1. We started Underground to Canada, but I had to pause it because we just started TGATB LA this week and I’m finding myself burnt out by the time we are done with the lesson. I hope this passes soon! Also, I have artists and earth science already for next school year! I wanted to try TGATB science units since I’ve only ever tried GR, so we will try the free Marine Biology unit after US History is done and see how it goes!
This is our first time doubling up because we couldn’t decide on just one😂
Please let us know how it goes!!!!!
Never heard of Gather Round! Looks great! 🧡
So u said u only do GR 2-3x a week, correct? What do you do the other allotted "school" days? I'm really leaning towards Gather Round next year but unfortunately haven't been able to see their curriculum in person this year and don't feel comfortable jumping in without having seen any of it first hand
I don't understand how to put Gather round as a part of our curriculum. Do you just do the unit study and then add math? I have to show at the end of the year my kids growth with a Portfolio, how would this work?
As far as a portfolio goes, I'm not sure on that! That's not something we have to do. Can you just save their workbooks from each unit????🤔 Again, I'm not familiar with portfolios! 😀
Also, if you have Facebook you could reach out in the group and ask other mamas! Their are thousands of mamas there who would be able to guide you! I am sure of it! 💗
I love GR!
The only unit I had trouble with was space . I have a K and 1st and the lessons were just to long for them. Do you have any recommendations for instances like that? We loved oceans! With space it was just overwhelming with math and LA on top of it.
Do you find it works well overall for kids that are so young? I know you said you had trouble with space, but were the other units ok? I love this idea, we did unit studies this year for my kids in pre-k and kindergarten but I built them myself. Unit studies work so well. GR is what I would love to try, but I’m hesitant just because I want the material to be easy enough for my littles to do and enjoy without me having to supplement a ton of extras.
@@MsThumper16 I had to slow down quite a bit. So one lesson would take me 2 or 3 days instead of one. But I also do LA and Math. I had to take a break and not doing a unit now because it seemed overwhelming so I am just sticking to the 3 R's for now 🤣. I figured next year we can try again. I do love the curriculum though.
Thank you for your reply, I’m in that “wrapping up this year, planning next” mindset and looking where to go for our next year. We are completing our first year homeschooling and I have had huge success following a unit study approach. I want to do it again but in a more cohesive way. I built them myself this year and know I didn’t cover things very thoroughly, but my kids are 6, 4 & 2, we have time!! We also do LA and Math and would do that on top of GR, so it’s good to know it’s a solid choice and I’m completely willing to slow lessons down if needed. Thanks again!
Hi, is Gather Round on it’s own enough for high school?
I love fresh new things, too!
And you will LOVE Africa! Omg it was our favorite
Does this style work well for only child households as well ?
Oh absolutely!
@@SimplyLivingIt Thanks. First time homeschool mom and Im not wanting to bite off more than I can chew. He is in 7th grade and Ive not ran across anyone using this or TGATB that has only one child. I was concerned the " family style" would be too much teacher led and not enough independent work.
Thanks for your review. I have always considered school subjects in two different categories : knowledge (history, geography, science, etc) and skills (reading, writing, math are the main ones). You can explore knowledge in any order, but skills do need to be taught sequentially. How does that work when you mix the two in unit studies ? It is unclear to me, for instance, how you would teach a child to read with unit studies done in any order... how does that work with GR?
We do what fits us, mama! It's worked for 9 years so far! My kids are older and are already excellent readers. If you have a child learning to read the units look different. There is a separate set for that specific reason, that go in order!
How many pages is the typical unit study? How many lessons? Just trying to get an idea if I want to try their Botany
such a beautiful channel you have here. l love all aspects of your channel,and am happy to subscribe here.l,m evo form Australian
Thanks for being here!
I really want to try gather round! Will probably try the next coming year ❤
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I haven't tried Gather Round yet, but I'm looking forward to diving into the U.S. Govt unit soon. Any recommendations as to what we could add in?
The Tuttle Twins books for SURE! 😃
@@SimplyLivingIt oh my gosh I have the whole set! Why didn't I think of that? 😂 Thanks!!
@@SimplyLivingIt I just bought those books, because of how much your family enjoyed them. My kids are still pretty little. Lol
Maybe some Nathan hales hazardous tales as well.
Also rush revere series. They have audio version too.
We are doing Artists and Transportation, my 5th grader picked one and my 2nd picked the other. We just alternative and so far so good but we haven't finished so maybe I'll have to come back and update lol.
YES, PLEASE DO! 😃🤗
A truly Christian review from a truly Christian mother🤗🤗🤗 you are so lucky to have all these unique curricula for your kids!
We love GR! We homeschool 3 high school boys and it works beautifully for us!
3 high school boys! Ohhhh mama! That is amazing!
Joni Lloyd... I’ll have a high schooler next year! Do you use only Gather Round with your high schoolers or add in additional things for them? Feel like I might have way too many things on my list for my upcoming 9th grader.
@@Stacey.Hamrick We do use Easy Grammar/ Daily Grams as grammar skill maintenance, along with a math program, sometimes times Saxon, sometimes Teaching Textbooks. We also pair unit studies that I gather together myself to go along with GR units, like we did an in depth look at both WW I and WW 2 when we did GR Europe. We did the American Revolution when we did GR government. You can really add more or take away parts that don’t work in your learning. We also add a lot of videos to the mix and read alouds. Hope that helps!
Great video
Gather round is not going anywhere here either, that will be one of the stable things in our home
Do I supplement-sure, do we dive deeper-ehh sometimes
Is it the most perfect curriculum ever made - of course not, but I DONT want perfect...what's "perfect" for one may not be so great for another
YES and AMEN mama!!!!!😍🤗
I cant wait for you to try a Year 2 unit.
We are ALMOST THERE! 😍
SO, with the gather round units..what is Necessary in your opinion to buy
Do you print them yourself? Do you buy all the books or use the library?
Print at home and I split it between library and purchases! I want to build our at home library...but can't afford ALL the things...so we do both!
Do you get the full year studies or pick and choose as you feel it?
I pick and choose as we move through the units! 💗
You provide amazing tools for parents! Have you considered sharing Spanish learning tools as well?
We would love to partner with you! ❤️
I question if it's enough for history. I keep looking at it, but it seems to jump around in history.
Is this sponsored or were you given the curriculum? I hear your heart that they approached you to speak on your experience.,.. I’m not trying to be intrusive hope it’s not perceived this way but I’m so confused with my homeschool curriculum choices…I have toiled over buying curriculum and watching review after review I’m starting to feel like “who can I trust?”…seems like there are so many influences with these reviews. Are they legitimate or are people just selling endorsements? I purchased several programs based on reviews but now I’m questioning whether or not people are being honest or if it’s based on companies giving programs for people to review. Your video seems so sincere I’m so interested in trying this program but I feel a bit duped by digging deep and seeing so many of these reviews biased
I am NOT sponsored and was NOT given their curriculum, nor was I paid for my opinion... none of the above. Just my heart. Not that in sharing my heart I couldn't be sponsored, I think you can do both and still be very honest and upfront. But with Gather Round, no! never sponsored. 😊
Also, remember...homeschooling is very individual! It is normal to try something out and realize it doesn't fit but also, to fall in love with something after many seasons of other things "not fitting!" Homeschooling is a journey for sure and you have to try it for yourself! Just because we love something doesn't mean you will! It's very individual, for sure! ❤
@@SimplyLivingIt yes absolutely. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain. I’m enjoying your videos
@simplylivingit What do you recommend for a rising Kindergartener?
What Math and LA do u suggest for 5th grade...a strong, student...
You most likely already know this but tomorrow Friday April 16th there's a sale on year one bundle and individual units.
YESSSSSS girl!!!!!
What math have you found pairs well with GR? Thanks for the video 🤍
We like Teaching Textbooks for the older grades!
Is it online?
08:53 I absolutely agree! I am in love with her devotion to keeping everything God central! It's been an answer for us, too. My oldest was struggling with the idea that God was real and it's not just science. It's a struggle. With Gather Round, it's coming around. I think he is finally seeing how God is the creator.
11:34 I love the flexibility as well. No day is ever the same in homeschool and when those days that are like trudging through mud come around, Gather Round has helped us through those days! It also helps on the days when we finish early on accident and we can take an extra little while go to down a rabbit trail! I love those rabbit trails!!
My most favorite is how Rebecca brings God into everything! Because God is everything! But she makes it simple and kid friendly.
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I would like a video of you and your boys doing a lesson together please.
I have shared a glimpse into our homeschool day with GR here in a few of my DITL videos! 💗 I will definitely add another to the list! 😊