Blossom & Root

Blossom & Root is a homeschool curriculum that its publisher describes as nature-based and secular and as inspired by Charlotte Mason and Waldorf philosophies. It is sold as PDF downloads from Early Years (ages 2 to 5) through Level 6 (grade 6), and the publisher lists parents who want a curriculum a child can do completely independently among those it is not for. In our assessment its range is broad but uneven: Levels 0 to 5 are each sold as a full-year bundle, while Level 6 is only partly released and Level 7 is in development.

Last updated: 2026-10-08 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Charlotte Mason and Waldorf inspired and nature-based (the publisher's wording); the publisher says it does not follow a purist approach to either philosophy
Worldview	Secular: the level pages describe the curriculum as strictly secular
Grades	Early Years Vol. 1 (ages 2 to 4) and Vol. 2 (ages 4 to 5), then Level 0 (kindergarten) through Level 6 (grade 6, partly released); Level 7 (grade 7) is in development
Formats	Digital: PDF downloads only; the publisher offers no printed or bound products at this time
Cost tier	Budget (our classification). Regular prices on the publisher's Gumroad store, retrieved October 2026: Level 0 bundle $67, Level 1 bundle $133, Level 2 bundle $147, Levels 3, 4 and 5 bundles $162 each
Parent intensity	4 (our rating); the publisher's level pages list parents who want a curriculum a child can do completely independently among those it is not for
ESA-common	Not stated. The publisher's Contact page lists "charter school orders and ESA orders" among the reasons to email Kristina, but the publisher's pages name no state program or marketplace
Accredited	Not stated. The publisher says it is not a school, charter or umbrella and does not enroll students
Publication history	The About page says Kristina began developing the curriculum soon after she started blogging; it gives no release date for any level
Website	blossomandroot.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

The scores and reasons below are Every Homeschool's own judgment, based on what the publisher describes on its public pages.

Criterion	Score	Notes
Academic rigor	3	Gentle in our judgment; the publisher says Level 0 is not for parents who need a rigorous academic kindergarten and that it does not align its materials with Common Core or with public school grade levels
Ease of teaching	4	Weekly prompts, a scope and sequence linked from each of the Level 0 to 5 pages, and 30 to 45 minutes of weekly preparation per the Level 1 and other level pages
Content quality	4	Arts and nature study built into the weekly prompts, with artists named on the Early Years Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Level 0, Level 4 and Level 5 pages and musicians or composers named on the Early Years and Level 0 pages; we did not review the book lists
Flexibility	5	The publisher says it is designed to be adaptable and flexible, and its FAQ says pieces are sold individually and can be mixed across levels
Value for money	4	Full-year bundles from $67 to $162 for Levels 0 to 5, but books, supplies and, from Level 1 up, a math program are not included
Worldview scope	5	The publisher's wording is strictly secular, and it tells families who want Bible study that they may add their own
Visual/design	4	Our judgment of the publisher's public pages; we did not open the parent guides
Support resources	3	Email support (the publisher asks families to allow up to 3 business days), a Facebook families group, no phone support

Who the publisher is

The About page says Kristina started Blossom & Root to share "our home education journey" with other nature-based homeschooling families, and that she began developing the curriculum soon after she started blogging. It gives no release date for any level or product.

The Contact page names Kristina as Director of Curriculum Development and Co-Owner of Blossom and Root, and Arlene as Director of Community Support. The About page says Arlene is the admin of the Blossom and Root Families Group on Facebook. The Early Years and Level 0 to 5 pages name Kristina Garner as the writer of those curricula; for example, the Level 3 page does. The pages for Level 6, Level 7, Book Seeds and A River of Voices carry no author credit.

The FAQ describes the publisher as a tiny team.

What the publisher offers, per the About page and the level pages (ages as the publisher states them):

Product	Ages stated by the publisher	Status on the publisher's pages
Early Years Vol. 1	2 to 4	Released
Early Years Vol. 2	4 to 5	Released
Level 0 (kindergarten)	5 to 7	Released
Level 1 (first grade)	6 to 9	Released
Level 2 (second grade)	7 to 10	Released
Level 3 (third grade)	8 to 11	Released
Level 4 (fourth grade)	9 to 12	Released
Level 5 (fifth grade)	10 to 13	Released
Level 6 (sixth grade)	11 to 14	Science and language arts released; art and nature study in development with no estimated date; no full bundle yet
Level 7 (seventh grade)	12 to 15	In development; some novel studies released
U.S. History (A River of Voices)	Not stated	Vol. 1 (First European Colonies to 1791) and Vol. 2 (1790s to 1890s) released
Book Seeds	Seasonal issues adaptable for ages 2 to 8+; Profiles in Science issues adaptable for ages 6 to 12	Several issues available

The home page headline reads "Creative, Nature-Based, Secular Homeschooling." The publisher's page on Charlotte Mason and Waldorf influences says those influences are threaded through its curricula in a fully secular way, and it cautions that many Charlotte Mason resources found online or in books are not secular.

On worldview, each level page says the curriculum is strictly secular. The Early Years and Level 0 to 5 pages also list parents who need a curriculum that includes Bible study or a religious perspective among those it is not for, and add that non-secular families may add a Bible study of their choice. The publisher describes its literature selections as diverse; see, for example, the Level 0 page. The Level 3 page describes an optional weekly geography prompt in Language Arts that the publisher says covers creation stories from around the world and an introduction to several world religions.

The core pedagogy

The Charlotte Mason and Waldorf page says narration, copywork and dictation are the foundational practices in Levels 0 and up, and that they look quite different from the language arts approach in most schools. It suggests families supplement with other resources if a child needs more support with writing, grammar and spelling.

Early Years and Levels 0 to 5 each provide 36 full weeks of lesson plans, built on weekly prompts. For Levels 1 to 5 the publisher describes language arts, science, nature study and art, with an art curriculum at Levels 1 to 3 (Exploring the Math in Art) that the publisher presents as an art curriculum inspired by math concepts, not a math curriculum, and Nine Profiles in Art at Level 4 and Level 5. Science runs by level: geology, weather and seasons in Level 1; plants and fungi in Level 2; zoology in Level 3; physics, engineering and human anatomy in Level 4; oceanography and astronomy in Level 5. Language arts at Levels 1 to 5 follows a literature theme; Level 4's, for instance, is "Heroes and Myths."

The FAQ says light grammar work with weekly copywork prompts begins in Level 2, and that parents can add outside grammar resources if they want a more rigorous approach. Math is not part of the program from Level 1 up; the publisher's Math Recommendations page names Math with Confidence, Wild Math and RightStart Mathematics as favorites among Blossom and Root families and lists Singapore Math, Teaching Textbooks, Math Mammoth, Beast Academy, Art of Problem Solving, Denison Algebra and Beauty of Play as other popular options. At kindergarten, math is gently integrated into science.

The FAQ says there are no tests in Early Years through Level 5, with assessment through projects and narrations or notebooking.

How a week works

The publisher does not describe a daily schedule. It does state how much time each level takes, on the level pages, and the table below uses only those statements.

Level	Focused time stated by the publisher	Typical lesson	Weekly prep
Early Years Vol. 1 and Vol. 2	About half an hour to an hour, five days a week; the pages' not-for lists say about an hour a day, four to five days a week	Around ten minutes	Half an hour or less
Level 0	One to two hours a day, four to five days a week	Fifteen to twenty minutes	30 to 45 minutes
Level 1	One to two hours a day, four to five days a week	About twenty minutes	30 to 45 minutes
Levels 2 and 3	One and a half to two hours a day, four to five days a week	About twenty minutes	30 to 45 minutes
Levels 4 and 5	Two to three hours a day, split between independent work and time together, four to five days a week	Twenty to twenty-five minutes	30 to 45 minutes at Level 4; about 45 minutes at Level 5

The Early Years and Level 0 to 5 pages also say the publisher wants children to have lots of time for free play and outside time. The Early Years Vol. 1 page says children do not need to know their letters and numbers beforehand. The Level 0 page says a child should recognize most letters and be familiar with most of their sounds, notes that it helps if the child can match quantities to numerals up to 10, and points children still learning letters and sounds to Early Years Vol. 2 first.

What they do exceptionally well

Arts, music and nature study inside the weekly plan. The Early Years Vol. 1, Early Years Vol. 2 and Level 0 pages name the artists and the composers or musicians they cover. Level 0 names nine artists and nine musicians and composers, and Level 4 and Level 5 each carry nine artist profiles. The Level 1 to 3 pages describe math-inspired picture studies and do not name the artists. Nature study has its own parent guide and student notebook at Levels 0 to 5. In our assessment, families who treat arts and nature as core subjects rather than extras will find that weight here.

A clearly stated secular position with a stated path for other families. The publisher says strictly secular on each level page and tells families who want Bible study that they may add their own. In our assessment, that clarity makes it easy for a family to judge fit before buying.

Published time and prep figures. The Early Years and Level 0 to 5 pages state the focused time, typical lesson length and weekly prep. In our assessment, those figures let a parent plan the week before purchasing.

Pieces sold separately. The FAQ says families can pick and choose pieces from multiple levels, such as third grade language arts with fourth grade science, and Levels 1 to 5 are listed by subject on the Gumroad store; Level 3 language arts alone is $65 and science alone is $56, retrieved October 2026.

What they do poorly

Math, books and supplies are not included. The FAQ says grades 1 and up require a separate math curriculum, and that a purchase includes only the PDF parent guides and student notebooks. Required literature books, science spines and supplies must be bought or borrowed. In our assessment, the sticker price therefore understates the total cost of a year.

PDF only. The publisher sells no printed or bound copies and says families may print at home or at a printing company. Its Printing Questions page says most people prefer to print at least the student notebooks and gives no printing cost. Families who want a bound or boxed product will not find one here.

Not designed for completely independent work. The Early Years and Level 0 to 5 pages list parents who want a child to work completely independently among those it is not for. The Level 4 and Level 5 pages say they build independence in language arts but that the curriculum still requires focused time together each week for science. In our assessment, a parent should plan to be present for most of the focused time.

There is no full bundle yet for Level 6 or beyond. The Level 6 page says art and nature study have no estimated release date and that there is no estimated date for a full Level 6 bundle, and the Level 7 page says Level 7 is in development with some novel studies available for purchase. The publisher's pages list no grade 8 product and no high school product. In our assessment, families with children beyond grade 6 should check the Level 6 and Level 7 pages for what is available before committing.

No tests in Early Years through Level 5, and no history in the grade-level bundles. Per the FAQ, Early Years through Level 5 include no tests, and bundles for grades 1 and up do not include math or history. The publisher's history offering is the separate U.S. History product, A River of Voices, whose page says many of its required spines have been temporarily unavailable in physical format on and off and that the publisher offers no refunds on that account.

Limited support channels and no refunds. The Contact page asks families to allow up to 3 business days for non-urgent email and says the publisher offers no phone consultations. The FAQ says all sales are final, with no refunds, returns or exchanges.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Blossom & Root if (our judgment, using the publisher's own lists of who each level is for): you want a secular curriculum built around nature, literature and the arts; you are comfortable spending one to two hours a day of focused time together at Level 0 through Level 3, or two to three hours a day split between independent work and time together at Level 4 and Level 5; you want about 30 to 45 minutes of weekly preparation; you are comfortable adding your own math from Level 1 up and sourcing books from a library or used; and you are willing to print PDFs or read them on a screen.
• Skip Blossom & Root if: you need Bible study or a religious perspective built in; you want a curriculum a child can do completely independently; you prefer workbooks to hands-on activities; you want an online school; you need a program that mirrors what is taught in brick-and-mortar schools; you need every supply, book and material included; you need a printed or bound product; or you need a full-year bundle for grade 6 or beyond right now (the Level 6 page lists no full bundle yet, and the Level 7 page says Level 7 is in development with some novel studies available).

Cost honest assessment

The publisher's regular prices on its Gumroad store, retrieved October 2026:

Product	Regular price
Early Years Vol. 1 (ages 2 to 4)	$22
Early Years Vol. 2 (ages 4 to 5)	$45
Early Years Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 bundle	$59
Level 0 (kindergarten) full bundle	$67
Level 1 full bundle	$133
Level 2 full bundle	$147
Level 3 full bundle	$162
Level 4 full bundle	$162
Level 5 full bundle	$162
Level 6 Science: Wonders of a Living Earth, Vol. 1	$64
Level 6 Language Arts: Creativity and Community	$72
A River of Voices, Vol. 1	$36
A River of Voices, Vol. 2	$36

The publisher's FAQ says it runs three sales a year, each 30% off everything in its store: March 15 to April 30, August 1 to September 15, and November 15 to December 31. No sale was running when we retrieved these prices, so they are regular prices. Levels 1 to 5 are also sold by subject, with prices listed on each product page.

The prices cover only the PDF parent guides and student notebooks. Per the FAQ, required literature books and science spines are not included, supplies are not included, and from Level 1 up a math curriculum must be added. The level pages, for example Level 0, say most books can be found at a library or bought used and that a year can be completed with minimal supplies. The publisher's web pages give no estimate of book, supply or printing costs, so we do not give an all-in figure. Compare each publisher's current price on its own site before deciding.

ESA eligibility notes

The publisher's Contact page lists "charter school orders and ESA orders" among the reasons to email Kristina. The publisher's pages name no state ESA program or marketplace where its products are listed, and we found no approval list on its site. Because the products are digital PDFs sold through the publisher's Gumroad store, families should ask their own program administrator whether such a purchase qualifies before buying.

Verify with your ESA marketplace administrator before purchase.

Alternatives

• Build Your Library. In our judgment, a family with children beyond grade 6 would look at Build Your Library, which describes itself on its home page as a secular, literature-based curriculum for levels K to 12, because the publisher's pages describe Blossom & Root as partly released at Level 6 (grade 6), with Level 7 in development and only some novel studies available.
• Torchlight. In our judgment, a family would compare Torchlight with Blossom & Root when it wants another publisher that describes its approach as secular; Torchlight's home page says it takes a distinctively secular approach. Compare each publisher's scope, book lists and prices on its own pages.
• AmblesideOnline. In our judgment, a family whose first constraint is cost would compare AmblesideOnline, which describes itself as a free Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum, with Blossom & Root at the prices listed above. AmblesideOnline's own description refers to God, and the Blossom & Root page on Charlotte Mason and Waldorf influences notes that many Charlotte Mason resources are not secular.