Using Gather ‘Round units with the STAR Homeschool reading plans

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I first heard of Gather ‘Round two years ago, at the beginning of the school year. I was at a Creation & Worldview class with my girls (taught by the creator of Jonathan Park, Pat Roy—what a cool opportunity!). I introduced myself to a mom who was sitting on the floor at the back of the class, looking through her Gather ‘Round curriculum. I asked about it and she showed it to me. I had just started STAR Homeschool Community that year, and I had begun creating the reading plans for STAR families.

I was intrigued though. I loved that another curriculum designer was choosing to use a whole-family homeschooling approach. In my 20+ years of homeschooling, I have found this kind of approach to be the best, and I am a huge advocate of it! Gather ‘Round units are meant to be used with all of your children at once, just like the STAR reading plans! I love that.

Fast forward to January—that same mama enrolled her kids in STAR. I knew she loved Gather ‘Round, so I made a list for her of which Gather ‘Round units went with each of the Cycles we were going through at STAR. That year, we were in Cycle 2. Today, I’ve updated that list and I’m sharing it with you!

Aren’t Gather ‘Round and STAR Stand-Alone Programs?

Yes—and no. I know homeschool moms, and I know that most like some variety and change. Maybe you want to stick with the four-cycle approach of STAR but you’re curious about Gather ‘Round—so you’d like to try a unit, or a mini unit.

Or, perhaps you’re dedicated to Gather ‘Round, but you’d like a plan for which units to tackle each year. And, maybe you want to dig into the STAR book lists that line up nicely with the units you’ve chosen for the year.

Whatever your situation, I hope this list is helpful to you!

How were these subjects chosen?

I have created a four-cycle plan with all of the subjects: history, geography, science, etc. I looked through all of the currently available Gather ‘Round units and mini units and decided the cycles they would fit into best.

Cycle 1

Mini Units

Cycle 2

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Cycle 3

Full Units

Mini Units

Cycle 4

Mini Units

Any Cycle

Full Units

Mini Units

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