2024-2025 Homeschool Curriculum (Traditional Catholic + Classical)

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In this post, I’m sharing our Traditional Catholic + Classical Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum choices for 2024 – 2025.

After several months of detailed researching and planning (and a whole lot of coffee!), I finally put together our plans for the upcoming school year.

But also, this is the earliest, I’ve ever been this far ahead! And while it was a little stressful to plan for the upcoming year while simultaneously teaching the current school year, I’m so glad that I did it this way.

Now I can just focus on organization and pre-reading / prep this summer. Without the pressure of ordering and planning close to our start date!

We are following along with The CMEC again this year. However, there are a few changes that I make to the plans for Catholic sources of history, catechism, literature, etc.

For the CMEC materials, I won’t share specific details, because of copyright. But will share the other items that we are including into our curricula to make it Traditional Catholic + Classical.

We are following along with Charlotte Mason for most things, but with a few additions like Latin in the earlier years, changes to English/Grammar, and some Catholic based programs that aren’t specifically living books. But they are still beautiful and rich in classical education.

The things that I still continue using from Charlotte Mason are shorter lessons, spreading the feast with rich living books, narrations, nature study & observations, habit & virtue formation, and more.

Our 2024-2025 Curriculum Choices

I put together our plans with a variety of sources that are both Traditional Catholic & Classical too. This year, I have students going in to Kinderleben, 3rd grade, 5th grade, and one that is special needs.

For the most part, I put together our supplements from Memoria Press and TAN Books with a few other additions included.

If you’re interested in how we spread this feast over the course of year and how we combine lessons with a variety of age groups, comment below and I’ll write up a post about this.

✨ Btw, I have a discount code for you from TAN Books at the end of this post!

Art Instruction

The CMEC offers many great resources for art instruction, which we have loved using over the past few years. We will continue using their brush drawing, chalk drawing, and clay work courses.

This year, I wanted to test out something new for my 5th grade child. In addition to what The CMEC offers, we are also going to test out the Beauty Ever Ancient, Ever New program. Which will also include some art instruction lessons.

Additional Catechism and Catholic Faith Resources

In addition to our Catechism lessons, I do have a 10 minute independent spiritual reading time on their daily schedules. This has been working out really well for the children.

During this time, they are free to choose a lives of the saints or other spiritual book from our library.

Some favorite resources for the younger students are these lives of the saints.

Angel Food for Boys & Girls and Catholic Stories for Boys & Girls are also tied to specific lessons throughout the school year.

Here I also have shared about additional catechism resources and recommendations for the Catholic homeschool.

Catholic History

Currently we are doing a general history as a common family subject with additional focus based on grade level. I’ll share more about individual history lessons when I talk about Classical Studies below.

Last year, we began using the Land of Our Lady Series with “Founders of Freedom” and really loved it. We are continuing this series with “Bearers of Freedom”.

I have been enjoying using this series as a common subject. We are also reading through A History of England for Catholic Children: From the Earliest Times to 1850 — which we started last year. We only read a few chapters per term, but they are wonderful Catholic Stories.

I have been so disappointed in the past with so many anti-catholic bias & pro-reformation history books in many of the recommendations from popular Charlotte Mason programs. So, I have taken a lot of time to research and find good Catholic history books for our family.

I also did not like the sources available from most Catholic curriculum programs. But we are very happy with the Land of Our Lady series!

History Supplemental Reading

In addition to our history, we have a lot of history supplemental chapter books that the children can enjoy in leisure reading time.

Some of my children are ferocious readers so I may have to add to this list over the course of the year.

Since we are studying early American History this year, I have pulled these books as supplements based on the time period. These are leisurely readings for my older students mostly.

• Priest on Horseback: Father Farmer
• Blackrobe Peacemaker: Pierre De Smet
• Cross Among the Tomahawks
• Padre Kino and the Trail to the Pacific
• Colonial Governor Thomas Dongan
• Adventurous Lady: Margaret Brent of Maryland
• De Tonti of the Iron Hand and the Exploration of the Mississippi
• Chuiraquimba and Black Robes
• Blessed Marie of New France

Music Study

In addition to the recommendations from The CMEC, we are testing out a couple of options from Memoria Press.

Music Appreciation – This is something completely new for us and so it is to be determined how we feel about it yet. But I love to play classical works quietly while the children are studying or busy with independent play.

Lingua Angelica – This is mostly for my 5th grader this year. We don’t study the recommended hymns from The CMEC, but I replace them with a variety of Catholic hymns instead. And I chose all latin hymns this year from Lingua Angelica.

I wanted to start using this program last year. However, I decided to focus on Latin grammar first which has worked really well for all of the students, even my special needs student has picked up some knowledge here.

I also put together playlists of Catholic hymns and clean folk songs to include in our morning time throughout the year.

In addition, we are listening to one composer per term. This isn’t something that I make super complicated. We just focus on a composer and enjoy his works over a term. We don’t study their lives too in depth either, but read some of the PNEU articles or info that we find in the resources from The CMEC.

I also love to play some quiet or softer classical music from the term’s composer during quiet study time or while the children are taking exams.

My oldest child will begin this intro to Music Theory program from Memoria Press this year.

The children have also been taking piano lessons in the afternoons. Since we live very rural, we use Hoffman Academy online and it has been a great & fun resource for the children.

In addition, I’m still researching options for taking guitar & cello online for my 5th and 3rd grade students. If you have a good suggestion, please let me know!

Modern Language

We have used Speaking Spanish with Miss Mason and Francois from Cherrydale Press as our core Spanish lessons and will continue this year.

In addition, we have a variety of songs and short stories in Spanish on a playlist. The CMEC also has a few additional recommendations for modern language songs each term.

Citizenship

My 5th grade student and I are reading through a couple of Plutarch’s Lives this year.

I’m super excited that we are beginning our first year with Plutarch this year. I love history and Plutarch has been fun to pre-read and prep!

• Plutarch’s Lives vol. 1
• Plutarch’s Lives vol. 2

Geography

I like to do a lot of my pre-reading and summer prep while the children are in summer catechism lessons with the Religious Sisters at church.

So peaceful!

Kinderleben – we will be using a variety of picture books.

3rd grade geography: My 3rd grade student will be using Home Geography for Primary Grades this year from Living Book Press. He will also read through The Travels of Marco Polo over the course of the year.

5th grade geography: She will read Nellie Allen’s North America as the core of her geography lessons.

In addition, she’s also reading through the Complete Book of Marvels, The Tree in the Trail, and Minn of the Mississippi with map work included.

Special Needs: we are working on map work and land forms for her skill level.

Language Arts

Since this covers such a wide area of subjects with the English language, I’m going to break this down by grade level. I love Charlotte Mason, but I have found that teaching English and grammar could use improvement with my students so I add some classical supplements.

Kinderleben Language Arts

The CMEC has put together a great Kinderleben Guide – it is an excellent resource and I read through this guide each year before prepping school lessons. I would recommend it for all mother-teachers even for those who don’t have kinderleben students.

While the children are still young, this is how we “teach” kinderleben reading lessons.

3rd Grade Language Arts

This year, we are using a couple of options Simply Charlotte Mason – the Spelling and Using Language Well bundles in level one which covers both 3rd and 4th grades.

For extra practice, I am taking a few lessons from IEW for grammar and writing. These are Adventures in Writing and Fix It! Grammar – level one Nose Tree.

5th Grade Language Arts

We are also the Spelling and Using Language Well bundles in level two which covers both 5th and 6th grades.

In addition, we are using Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales Writing Lessons and Fix it Grammar – Town Mouse and Country Mouse.

And for my little Narnians, I found this fun writing book to practice their cursive and penmanship. For K & special needs, they are using this print version.

Also for extra reading practice, we like these Catholic Cardinal Readers.

In addition, and in keeping with a Charlotte Mason education, we work on both oral & written narrations, copy-work, dictation.

Math

We’ve tested so many math programs over the years and I have yet to find one that works for the entire family! So, we have a variety of programs to use this year.

Kinderleben – number stories + how we teach math lessons in the early years.

3rd grade – The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic

5th grade– she really has enjoyed using Rod & Staff math. It’s been working well so we will continue with this.

For my special needs student, we are using Simply Classical from Memoria Press.

Science

This is a subject that I struggled with finding a good solid Catholic based science program that wasn’t too dry, free of modernism, and the children would find interesting. I’ve purchased many options and did not like most of them – even those from some popular Traditional Catholic programs.

I settled on options from TAN Books for my students. I have just skimmed through them, and so far the texts and workbooks seem to be free of any error – I will have to dive in to them more fully over the summer.

The pictures are absolutely stunning too.

3rd grade: he will be using Earth – Exploring Our Home, and also Oceans – Mysteries of the Deep. He is also reading through Insect Life, Wild Life in Woods and Fields, and Bird Stories from Yesterday’s Classics.

5th grade: she will be using Cells & Systems – Living Machines, and also Space – A Tour of the Cosmos. Plus reading through The Sciences by Holden, and Life and Her Children by Buckley.

We are not using the video series, just the textbook & workbook.

Kindergarten & Special Needs: both girls will be using the Fields and Flowers science from The Good and the Beautiful. Generally, I don’t like their other curriculum options, but this is perfect for our needs in a gentle science program for the younger years.

In addition, we are taking time for regular nature study observations. We are fortunate that we live in the middle of nowhere on a cattle ranch. There are plenty of opportunities for nature walks & observations!

I have shared some of our favorite nature study resources here.

Literature & Read-Alouds

I try to provide a variety of options for independent reading as well as family read-aloud options through the year. This is a huge selection, but we read a ton throughout the year!

And as I’ve mentioned before, my children basically devour books. So, I’m sure that I will add to this list throughout the year.

Because this list keeps growing, I will write future posts broken down by grade and literature used per grade level, read-alouds, and those used for independent reading.

• City of the Golden House
• Parables from Nature
• Once on a Time
• Inventors and Inventions
• The Talking Wire
• King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
• American Tall Tales
• The Chronicles of Narnia set (must be read in the original publisher’s order! 😉 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe > Prince Caspian > The Voyage of the Dawn Treader > The Silver Chair > The Horse and His Boy > The Magician’s Nephew > The Last Battle )
• The Little House on the Prairie Series
• Winnie the Pooh
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm
• The Tale of Despereaux
• Heidi
• Black Beauty
• Fr. Finn Series
• Lassie Come Home
• Justin Morgan Had a Horse
• Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers
• By the Great Horn Spoon!
• Mother Cabrini: Missionary to the World
• Saint Isaac and the Indians
• Mother Seton
• Kateri Tekawitha: Mohawk Maiden
• The Moffat’s
• Mary Fabyan Windeatt Series
• The Tale of Three Trees
• The Tale of the Firebird
• King Midas and the Golden Touch
• A House is a House for Me
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins
• Just So Stories
• Pinocchio

+ plenty of picture books too! I shared some of our favorite pictures books here.

Myths & Fables

Kinderleben & Special Needs – The Green Fairy Book, The Violet Fairy Book , and The Brown Fairy Book, Aesop’s Fables, Animal Folk Tales of America

3rd grade – Tanglewood Tales by Hawthorne  and Tales of Troy and Greece by Lang, and American Tall Tales

5th grade – Heroes of Asgard, The Age of Fable, The Children’s Homer, and The Aeneid for Boys and Girls

Shakespeare

I initially thought about skipping Shakespeare, but decided to keep it this year because we enjoy it so much and there’s so much value in the readings even for the youngest children. We read them together as a group subject.

• Term 1: Midsummer Night’s Dream (we’ve already covered this in the past, but it really is a favorite that I wanted to revisit it!)
• Term 2: Julius Cesar – perfect pairing with our Plutarch lessons this year!
• Term 3: The Merchant of Venice

For Shakespeare, I purchase a Dover edition of the work for each student to follow along with. I use a copy from Folgers as an additional resource and we listen to the play on Audible together.

They have fun acting out certain scenes or with a variety of other narrations.

Poetry

Selections from poetry are used for mom to read-aloud and for student’s recitations, dictations, and copywork.

• Harp & Laurel Wreath
• Poetry Every Child Should Know
• Poetry Every Catholic Should Know 
• A Child’s Garden of Verses 

Handicrafts & Extras

For handicrafts, my children will be working on sewing, embroidery, and wool felting – I just picked up basic supplies at Hobby Lobby. If time allows, I would like to begin instructing the older girls with crochet.

In addition, my 5th grade child and my special needs child will be using this learning Sewing with Saint Anne during their free time.

My 5th grader will also begin typing lessons this year too. We are using The Good and Beautiful Typing 1 this year.

Special Needs

I wanted to finish with a brief note on special needs. I have included some of the things that we are using whenever possible. Other times, we are using a variety of items from Simply Classical Special Needs Program from Memoria Press.

Since each special needs or those on the spectrum are so wildly different, it is hard to box it in to one set of books or program. At least that is how it works for my daughter. Her needs vary greatly and I’ve had to piece together her program for what I think will work well for her.

Whatever doesn’t work, I make adjustments whenever necessary. I would also like to mention that Memoria Press has worked really well for her and we struggled with so many other programs in the past.

If you’re struggling with a special needs student, I would highly recommend looking into Simply Classical. And also check out this book – it was super helpful for me!