Whole-Family Homeschooling
Created for Whole-Family Learning
One of the most beautiful things about homeschooling is the opportunity to gather the whole family together around the table, on a rug, or on comfy couches and study a subject together. It’s a different picture from public school, where every grade is studying a different period of history, a different science subject and different authors altogether. So many homeschool programs tend to mimic public school in this way, and the family’s learning is disjointed. It takes more time for a homeschooling mom to keep up on what each child is doing, and there is no discussion amongst siblings about the topics they are learning together.
While it may not be possible to study math and language arts all together (unless your children are very close in age), there are still several subjects that can be taught in this way. These reading plans are designed so that the following subjects can be learned together as a family:
- Handicrafts
- Bible
- Hymns
- Apologetics*
- Literature*
- History*
- Geography*
- Nature Study
- Science*
- Composer
- Artist
- Poet
- Character
- Life Skills
*Middle and High School students have additional reading with bigger concepts than their younger siblings might be able to grasp, of course, in the subjects with the asterisks beside them. We call our Middle and High School students our Form 4 and Form 5 students at STAR.
I hear moms of teens saying they miss reading aloud to their kids, it was their favorite part of homeschooling.
I say, don’t stop!
- They’re not too cool
- Tell them, this is our family culture, this is what we do
- They can still read books at their own level, but first, spend some time all together
The Forms
Forms are grade-level groups, and this is how Charlotte Mason divided children in her schools.
The Forms on this page are like Charlotte Mason’s, as follows:
- Form 1: first through third grade (6-9 years old, sometimes divided into Form 1b and Form 1a)
- Form 2: fourth through sixth grade (9-12 years old)
- Form 3: seventh and eighth grade (12-14 years old)
- Form 4: ninth and tenth grade (14-16 years old)
- Form 5: eleventh grade (16-17 years old)
- Form 6: twelfth grade (17-18 years old)
When I first started STAR Homeschool Community, the forms were set up a little differently. I have adjusted the STAR reading plans to line up with Charlotte Mason’s Forms, in order to avoid confusion.
The Forms listed on this site are the suggested forms for reading each book. This is flexible, and many of these books are great for whole-family reading, and would be good resources for younger or older students than suggested. The goal is to find a book for each subject that can be read aloud to all of your children at once. After you find the right book (or two!), choose a book (or two!) for each child who can read independently.
Here’s some more information about the reading plans…
The STAR Homeschool reading plans are a wonderful resource for homeschool families, and this page is designed to show an overview of everything that is included.
The STAR reading plans are for all grades, and were created to promote a whole-family learning environment.
The STAR Homeschool reading plans are designed around four cycles. Feel free to start in any cycle you choose, and then move to the next cycle the next year. When you finish Cycle 4, start with Cycle 1 again.
You can begin using STAR at anytime during your child’s school years, of course, but if you start when your child is in first grade, your child will go through each cycle three times before graduating from high school. This is such a fabulous way to reinforce knowledge, and imagine the depth of research and conversations that can happen by high school!
Every subject listed is optional. Please do not feel overwhelmed by the amazing amount of resources listed on this site. Pick and choose what you will do for the year. Remember to spend plenty of time outdoors and being creative, as well! You will come back around to each cycle, so you don’t have to do everything this school year.
I believe that whole-family homeschooling is the key to beautiful days. Because of this, I schedule reading plans, with living books, around four chronological cycles, and include resource for all of the “forms” (grade groups).
The STAR reading plans are:
Christ-Centered
Start your day with Bible reading, hymns and apologetics. Memorize Scripture together using Claritas Publishing memory work. You and your children will be able to see how God’s Word applies to every other subject throughout the school day.
Charlotte Mason-Style
These reading plans include living-books, lots of read-aloud time, opportunity for recitation and memory work and nature study. These are just some of the key components of a Charlotte Mason-style curriculum. Ever since I first learned about her, I’ve soaked up every bit of information I could about Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophies. I’m not a Charlotte Mason-purist, but I would call these reading plans Charlotte Mason-ish, or Charlotte Mason-style. I am learning more and more about Charlotte Mason regularly. If you have suggestions for me about how to make these plans more aligned with Charlotte Mason’s philosophy, please make sure to comment and let me know!
Full of great literature
Members of STAR Homeschool Community read one chapter book at a time aloud to their children and then discuss it in class each week when we meet. You can feel free to join us and read beautiful stories to your children.
Gentle
Reading aloud is one of the most gentle, precious and connection-creating ways of teaching children. Singing hymns together and memorizing God’s Word and other fun and useful facts together is also a gentle and beautiful way to teach. To top it all off, make sure to head outside every day to explore God’s creation!
Thorough
The reading plans include every subject you can think of! There is no expectation that your family will get through every single subject in every year. Grab bits and pieces of this feast and add it to your plate, however big it is, and enjoy.
Customizable & Flexible
Choose the subjects that you would like to study and how much of each subject you would like to accomplish through the school year. You might read one history book at a time, or five, depending on your preference and time. If the curriculum isn’t working for you part-way through the year, no problem–change it to fit your family’s needs.
A Four-Cycle Program
The reading plans take students from the beginning of time (Cycle 1) through current day (Cycle 4). If you begin using STAR in pre-school or kindergarten, your student will cycle through all four cycles three times before they graduate from high school. This is a beautiful way to absorb and reinforce information!
Four or Five Days Per Week, 28 Weeks
Whether you are attending STAR Homeschool Community one day per week or doing something else with your time, four days per week is a doable schedule for most families. This is flexible, too. If you want to get all of your assignments done in two or three days per week, or read ahead for an upcoming vacation, feel free!
STAR Homeschool Community meets for 28 weeks through the school year, and therefore the reading plans are also set up as a 28-week program. Feel free to stretch this out longer if you’d like, or to get through it at a faster pace. Twenty-eight weeks allows for ample holiday breaks and does not take away from the summer months.
I’ve posted a lot of information for free for you, because like Charlotte Mason, I believe everyone should have access to a liberal (broad, wide, full) education. If you would like to support the work I do, you can purchase products that I create at the STAR Homeschool Store, and/or you can click on the affiliate links on this site and make a purchase. Thank you for your help!
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