There is a pervasive myth that for a high school curriculum to be “rigorous,” it has to come in a box that costs as much as a vintage upright piano.
I’ve spent years in the professional world of editing and writing, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that the stars don’t charge for their light, and neither should the classics.
When you look at big-name classical programs, you’re often paying for the brand name, the heavy binders, and a lot of administrative overhead. It is exciting to open the box when it comes in the mail and get that shiny New Curriculum Feeling but not all of the books are approachable, and sometimes kids end up stalling out on one. Then you feel guilty having spent so much money…
While those programs are lovely, they can be financially draining for a family trying to live a creative, joyful life.
Enter my new curriculum that will come out February 20th!
What do you think of my cover design? Please let me know in the comments! I was going for watercolor aesthetics, reminiscent of those gorgeous seasonal checklist kinds of art we have all probably seen floating around Pinterest. The notebook cover will have an option labeled with character names and one without.
My Journeying Through the Classics curriculum covers the same heavy hitters – Homer, Shakespeare, Austen, Lewis, and many more greats – but with a focus on the Soul of the student, not the depth of the parent’s wallet.
As a person who has worked in the literary world, I know what skills are important and which are filler. I also know what books alight the imagination and which ones we read because we are forced to!
Why I Created This Curriculum
As homeschool parents, we want our children to fall in love with great literature—not just analyze it to bits and take the beauty out of it.
We want them to know Elizabeth Bennet’s wit, Anne Shirley’s imagination, and Jane Eyre’s strength. We want them to understand how these stories connect across centuries and cultures.
But we also know that high school needs to be rigorous. Students need to learn to write compelling literary analysis, know grammar rules, be able to spell well, craft persuasive arguments, and conduct serious research. They need vocabulary that stretches them and art that helps them remember what they’ve read.
So, I created a curriculum that does both: nurtures a love of reading while building serious academic skills.
Unlike many paid programs that focus strictly on “read and repeat,” this curriculum integrates art lessons, deep-dive literary criticism, and twelve different types of essays. I wanted my kids to be college-ready, so I made this with them in mind and am sharing it with you for free!
It’s as thorough as any “Name Brand” program, but it leaves you with enough in the budget for a few extra almond milk lattes and that plushy chair you’ve been eyeing for your book nook.
I’ve built in vocabulary development, MLA citation instruction, and character analysis that rivals the most expensive sets on the market. Because education should be a light that guides your child, not a burden that weighs down your family budget.
The best part of this is that it is going to be free for subscribers!
It will be featured in the Resource Library. The password for the library comes to you immediately upon subscribing.
Honestly, I want to grow my blog (yes!) and I want to help you homeschool with joy (yes!) so this option checks all my boxes.
I don’t feel that I’m devaluing my work by giving this away for free, even though I have worked countless hours on it. I want to add joy to the world and help homeschoolers, so this fulfills my mission.
The reading assignments are all works that I personally feel passionate about and am excited to share it with you! The curriculum will launch for subscribers on Friday, February 20th!
Today, subscribers can login to the Resource Library and check out the Scope and Sequence as a special teaser.
That way, you can see if it is right for your family.
Next Friday, I’ll release the full book list to subscribers!
Then on the 20th, the full 250+ page curriculum – I’m still working on it, it might go longer… – will be available to you for free!
Homeschool With Joy 