Layers of Learning homeschool curriculum
by Layers of Learning (website )
A flexible, secular unit-study curriculum covering History, Geography, Science, and Art for K-12 students learning together.
Best Fit For
Large families teaching multiple grades together who prefer a secular, hands-on, and library-based unit study approach.
Not Recommended For
Busy parents who need an 'open-and-go' curriculum with a pre-set daily schedule and minimal preparation time.
What Reviewers Say
Layers of Learning is widely celebrated by the homeschooling community for its incredible flexibility and its ability to engage multiple children of different ages at once. Reviewers, including Cathy Duffy and users on The Homeschool Mom, consistently highlight the 'library-style' approach, where the curriculum provides a menu of options rather than a rigid schedule. This allows families to dive deep into topics that interest them. However, the most common trade-off mentioned is the high 'mental load' for parents. Because it is not an 'open-and-go' curriculum, parents must spend time selecting activities, sourcing library books, and gathering supplies for the many hands-on projects. While it is strictly secular/neutral, which appeals to a broad audience, families seeking a pre-planned daily schedule might find its modular nature overwhelming. Overall, it is considered a high-quality, comprehensive resource for families who value exploration and creative learning over rote memorization.
How It Works
At the start of the week, the parent looks through a unit guide and selects two or three 'explorations'—hands-on activities or experiments—and a list of books from the provided library list. On a typical day, the parent reads aloud from a library book or the unit summary while children of all ages work together at the table on a project, such as building a historical model or conducting a science experiment. Each session usually lasts 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the depth of the project and the children's interest levels. Students then record what they learned in a 'Learning Notebook,' creating a personalized scrapbook of drawings and narrations rather than completing standardized worksheets.
Switching to This?
Since Layers of Learning is designed for a family-style 'one-room schoolhouse' approach, there are no formal placement tests or diagnostic tools needed. Most families start with Year One to follow the four-year chronological cycle, but because the curriculum is modular, you can begin with any unit or time period at any point in the year without falling behind. Families switching from 'open-and-go' programs should prepare for a transition period where the parent takes on the role of curator, selecting which activities to do and which to skip. There is no need to wait for a natural break; you can simply choose a topic your children love and start mid-year by purchasing that individual unit.
Curriculum Details
- Price
- $5 - $550
- Grades
- K - 12
- Available As
- Digital Print
- Coverage
- All subjects
- Subjects
- History/Social Studies Science Art Music Writing
- Pacing
- Flexible
- Parent Time
- 45-120 min/day
- Parent Involvement
- Moderate
- Student Independence
- Needs instruction
- Academic Level
- Grade level
- Worldview
- Secular
- Teach Multiple Ages
- Yes
- Engaging for Reluctant Learners
- Yes
Units are sold individually or in bundles. A single digital unit is $5.99; a print unit is $14.99. A full year's package (36 units across all subjects) costs approximately $180 for digital or $540 for print.
Videos
Reviews We Consulted
Highly recommends the program for its exceptional flexibility, noting it allows parents to teach multiple children of different ages the same topics simultaneously using a family-style unit study approach.
"Layers of Learning makes it much easier for homeschooling parents to keep all their children working on the same or similar topics at the appropriate levels, and families can pick and choose which courses or individual units to use."
Praises the curriculum's artistic focus and hands-on explorations but warns it is prep-intensive and not suitable for families seeking an "open-and-go" experience.
"It is more intensive for parents in preparation as you will need to get the books they recommend, or choose your own. Parents will also need to get all the supplies needed for the explorations. If you are looking for a pick-up-and-go curriculum, this is not one for you."
Enthusiastically supports the curriculum for those who prefer "living books" and want a flexible framework that bridges Charlotte Mason and Classical homeschooling styles.
"What I love about this curriculum is that it gives you a lot of flexibility in how you use it. If you love reading living books, like we do, you can use the units as a guide for selecting books as you work through the units."
Community members appreciate the ability to set a custom schedule without a preset routine, though some find the large amount of material overwhelming without clear parent-led boundaries.
"I really like what I've seen and I think it would work well for you based on what you said above as it doesn't have a preset schedule - you set your own schedule using as much of the material a you want."
Highlights the program's structured four-year cycle and the utility of the mentor guides, which provide various grade-level resources while maintaining family flexibility.
"With Layers of Learning, you'll follow a unit-study curriculum that cycles through themes across four years... this social studies homeschool curriculum is meant to be flexible for families."
Updated: March 2026
How This Compares
Compared to Moving Beyond the Page, which provides a fixed daily schedule and separate workbooks for each grade level, Layers of Learning provides a single guide for all ages and requires the parent to decide the daily pace. When weighed against literature-heavy programs like Build Your Library or Torchlight, Layers of Learning is more flexible because it suggests a 'menu' of library books rather than requiring specific, expensive titles that must be read in a certain order. Against Story of the World, which focuses primarily on history, Layers of Learning acts as a more comprehensive unit study by integrating science, geography, and art into the same historical time period. Parents choosing between this and a digital program like Time4Learning should know that Layers of Learning is highly social and hands-on, requiring significantly more parent interaction and preparation time. Ultimately, it is the preferred choice for families who want to teach all their children together using a creative, project-based approach rather than having students work independently on computers or workbooks.
Getting Started
Find Your Level
An age-suitability resource that explains how to scale the curriculum for older students and meet high school graduation requirements.
See What It Looks Like
A comprehensive introduction to the four-year cycle and how the program integrates history, geography, science, and arts for all ages.
Provides detailed instructions on using pacing guides and the Mentor Planner to organize a single unit or an entire school year.
Get Support
Offers specialized support for families using charter funding or needing to align the curriculum with specific educational mandates.
Purchase
The primary portal for purchasing individual unit PDFs, full year bundles, and physical student journals directly from the publisher.
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