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Hand-picked curricula from trusted publishers. Browse freely, or take the BOWER Compass to see the best fits for your family.
Faith-based
Literature-based
Grades PreK-12 · Sonlight Curriculum
Literature-based Christian curriculum built around read-alouds and global literature. Designed to reuse across siblings; expensive for one-child families.
Charlotte Mason
Grades PreK-8 · A Gentle Feast · Julie Ross
Charlotte Mason families wanting faithful CM implementation with beautiful materials and generous scheduling flexibility
Charlotte Mason
Grades PreK-12 · Heart of Dakota Publishing
Christian families wanting structured, Charlotte Mason-influenced daily plans with character focus; works well for kids with learning differences who benefit from consistent daily rhythm
Charlotte Mason
Grades PreK-12 · My Father's World, Inc.
Large Christian families wanting all children learning the same topics together with minimal prep and a global missions focus
Classical
Grades PreK-12 · Memoria Press
Families committed to rigorous classical Christian education with Latin, memorization, and daily lesson plans; customizable packages reduce overwhelm
Charlotte Mason
Grades PreK-12 · WinterPromise Publishing
Christian families wanting well-organized Charlotte Mason unit studies with minimal prep time; kids BEGGING to do school is a common report
Classical
Grades K-12 · Lampstand Press · Marcia Somerville
Christian families with children in grades 6-12 wanting rigorous classical history + literature integration; co-op users (specifically designed for group use); families committed to biblical worldview integration across all disciplines
Classical
Grades K-11 · Master Books · New Leaf Publishing
Christian families wanting gentle story-first approach with minimal parent prep; early elementary students (K-4) who respond to narrative over drill; families holding young-earth creation worldview wanting it integrated throughout; new homeschoolers needing approachable...
Literature-based
Ages 1-12 · Grades 1-12 · Christian Light Publications
Families wanting maximum structure with built-in assessment and accountability; parents who need a curriculum their child can complete independently without daily instruction; budget-conscious Christian families (one of the most affordable complete packages); families...
Unit Studies
Grades PreK-12 · Gather Round Homeschool · Becca Beebe
Multi-age families and microschools wanting all children studying the same topic at differentiated levels; Christian families wanting faith integration without it feeling forced; co-op leaders needing a single curriculum that works across grade bands; operators who want...
Classical
Ages 1-10 · Grades 1-10 · Rod and Staff Publishers
Families wanting mastery and drill-based learning with real rigor at extraordinary price point; traditional learners who thrive with repetition and sequential skill-building; secular families specifically seeking the English grammar or math books who can look past religious...
Interest-led
Grades K–12 · Funschooling / Thinking Tree (Sarah Brown)
Student-directed learning journals: children research, draw, write about self-chosen topics. Provides structure without dictating content.
Charlotte Mason
Grades K-12 · Grades K-12 (Early Years track + developed High School program) · Charlotte Mason Educational Center
A faithful, full Charlotte Mason education for K-12 with a real community and — rare for CM — a genuinely developed high school program. Membership-based.
Charlotte Mason
Grades PreK-12 · Grades 1-12 (plus a Before Age 6 early-years guide) · Charlotte Mason Institute (CMI)
Charlotte Mason done faithfully but organized for real life: detailed daily lesson plans across all grades, a broader booklist than the purists, and real co-op and school support.
Interest-led
Grades K-12 · Grades K3-12 (PreK-12) · BJU Press (Bob Jones University Press)
The gold-standard traditional Christian curriculum: complete, rigorous, classroom-grade for every subject K-12, run as textbook kits or video distance learning. Protestant, conservative.
Secular
Literature-based
Ages 4–13 · Grades K–7 · Kim A. Howe · Moving Beyond the Page
Literature-based, hands-on unit studies that weave science, social studies, and language arts around great children's books.
Literature-based
Grades PreK-8 · BookShark
Secular families wanting Sonlight-quality literature-based learning without religious content; 4-day schedule appeals to busy families
Charlotte Mason
Grades PreK-8 · Torchlight Curriculum
Progressive secular families wanting intentionally diverse, multicultural literature with Socratic dialogue and whole-child emphasis
Charlotte Mason
Grades PreK-8 · Emily Cook · Build Your Library
Secular eclectic families wanting CM-influenced literature-based learning without busywork or crafts, with maximum flexibility
Waldorf
Grades PreK-12 · Oak Meadow, Inc.
Creative, kinesthetic learners in grades K-6 from families philosophically aligned with Waldorf (delayed reading, developmental rhythm, seasonal arts); NOT recommended for academically accelerated children or high schoolers using enrolled option
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No paywall, no catch — just well-built materials worth sharing.
Zearn (nonprofit) · Grades K-5
Microschool operators wanting a free or low-cost rigorous math program aligned to Eureka Math; programs needing a hybrid digital + paper math curriculum that balances screen time; operators wanting built-in assessment and progress tracking without manual grading;...
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Mystery Science (Discovery Education) · Grades K–5
Every lesson opens with a real question: why don't woodpeckers' heads break, where does the night go, why is the sky blue. Then walks through the answer like a story.
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Museum of Science (Boston) · Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) · Grades K-5
Standards-aligned K-5 engineering units from the Museum of Science. Each unit centers a real-world engineering challenge (designing sun hats, pollinators, magnetic dog doors, plastic filters, safety vests) and walks students through the engineering design process across nine. .
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John Muir Laws / Heyday Books · Grades K–12
Twenty years as a field biologist, ten years teaching kids to observe carefully, and observation is the foundation of every real science.
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Mark Rober × NSTA · Grades 6–8
Free middle-school STEM from Mark Rober's team in partnership with the National Science Teaching Association.
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University of Colorado Boulder · Grades K–12 (into intro college)
Free, research-based science and math simulations — kids explore circuits, gravity, fractions, and chemical reactions through hands-on virtual experiments
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Charlotte Mason · 1886–1923 · Grades Parent reference for all ages
Six volumes laying out Mason's complete educational philosophy: narration, nature study, living books, habit training, short lessons.
View Resource →Khan Academy (nonprofit) · Grades K–12+
Every pod's free backbone for math and science practice, with the safest AI tutor we've reviewed as a $4 add-on
View Resource →Chris Sevillano (independent) · Grades 3–12
Kids 8+ learning to direct AI with precise language — prompt-writing as a daily game, no student data collected
View Resource →AmblesideOnline (volunteer Advisory, est. 2001) · Grades K-12 (Year 0 through Year 12, plus bridge years)
The complete free Charlotte Mason curriculum: twelve years of detailed weekly schedules and booklists, maintained by volunteers for 25 years. The plan is free; you source the books and bring the time.
View Resource →Core Knowledge Foundation (E. D. Hirsch Jr.) · Grades PreK-8 (CKLA PreK-8; CKHG K-8; CKSci K-8; math units still in development)
Free, fully scripted, knowledge-rich curriculum PDFs from the Hirsch foundation — language arts, history, geography, and science, K-8. The strongest fully-secular free option.
View Resource →The Good and the Beautiful · Jenny Phillips · Grades PreK-High School (LA & Math free PDFs K-8)
Beautiful, open-and-go Christian curriculum with a signature Language Arts and Math both free as full-year PDFs (K-8). Family-style history/science. The free-and-gorgeous on-ramp.
View Resource →Discovery K12, Inc. · Grades PreK-12
The structured, secular, screen-based free option: daily assignments on one page, auto-graded quizzes, real emphasis on research and writing, PreK-12.
View Resource →Before the committees, before the consultants, there were books that simply taught. The McGuffey Readers, Ray's Arithmetics, Harvey's Grammar — the tools that built American literacy for a century.
Concentrated, no filler. Most predate 1890, before progressive reformers deliberately lowered the bar. Still in print because they still work.
Eclectic Education Series (Various 1860s–1900s)
Multiple 19th-century American publishers · Multiple
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"Used at Alpha School" reflects Alpha's published app stack (MacKenzie Price, May 2026). BOWER is not affiliated with or endorsed by Alpha School.
