Blossom & Root Level 0

Blossom & Root Level 0 is the kindergarten level of the Blossom & Root curriculum. The publisher describes it as a gentle, joy-filled year of kindergarten for children ages 5 to 7, Charlotte Mason and Waldorf inspired and strictly secular, delivered as PDF downloads across 36 weeks of lesson plans. The Level 0 page names Kristina Garner as its writer.

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

At a glance

Method	Charlotte Mason and Waldorf inspired (the publisher's wording), with nature study, picture and music study, and literature
Worldview	Secular: the Level 0 page says Level 0 is strictly secular and that non-secular families may add a Bible study of their choice
Grades	Kindergarten (ages 5 to 7 per the publisher)
Formats	Digital: PDF download only; the publisher offers no printed or bound products at this time, and families may print at home or at a printing company
Cost tier	Budget (our classification): full bundle $67, regular price retrieved October 2026
Parent intensity	3 (our rating); the publisher says Level 0 takes one to two hours a day, four to five days a week, of focused time together
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 Blossom & Root curriculum soon after she started blogging; the publisher's pages do not state when Level 0 was first released
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. We did not open the parent guides or the sample files.

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	3	Kindergarten pacing in our judgment: phoneme review, CVC word building and an introduction to copywork and narration; the publisher says Level 0 is not for parents who need a rigorous academic kindergarten
Ease of teaching	4	Weekly prompts, 30 to 45 minutes of weekly prep per the publisher, and most lessons around fifteen to twenty minutes
Content quality	4	Nine named artists and nine named musicians and composers, a two-part nature study sequence and an astronomy-centered science year; we did not review the book list in full
Flexibility	5	The publisher calls it adaptable and flexible, and sells it as a full bundle or in three parts
Value for money	5	The full bundle is $67 (retrieved October 2026) for 36 weeks of lesson plans; books and supplies are not included
Worldview scope	5	The publisher's wording is strictly secular, with a stated path for families who want to add a Bible study
Visual/design	4	Our judgment of the publisher's public Level 0 page; 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. The Contact page names her as Director of Curriculum Development and Co-Owner of Blossom and Root. The Level 0 page names Kristina Garner as the writer of the Level 0 curriculum. The FAQ describes the publisher as a tiny team.

The publisher's current range runs from preschool and pre-k through sixth grade, plus U.S. history and Book Seeds, with Level 7 in development, according to the About page. Level 0 is the kindergarten level. The Early Years volumes cover ages 2 to 4 (Vol. 1) and ages 4 to 5 (Vol. 2). Products are sold in the publisher's Gumroad store, which its site links as its shop.

The home page headline reads "Creative, Nature-Based, Secular Homeschooling." The publisher's page on Charlotte Mason and Waldorf influences says it does not follow a purist approach to either philosophy and that their influences are threaded through its curricula in a fully secular way. The Level 0 page describes the curriculum as strictly secular and its literature selections as diverse.

The curriculum is delivered entirely as PDF download. The Level 0 page says the publisher offers only digital downloads at this time and no printed or bound products, and that families are welcome to print a copy for their own use at home or at the printing company of their choosing. The Printing Questions page recommends Hard Copy HQ for families in the U.S. and Homeschool Print and Prep for families in Canada, and says Blossom and Root is not an affiliate of either company.

The core pedagogy

The Level 0 page describes weekly prompts across 36 weeks for nature study, picture and music studies, art projects, suggested literature with hands-on activities, an imaginative science program with integrated math, gentle lessons that review phonemes (letter sounds) and read and build CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, a gentle introduction to copywork and narration, journaling prompts, and a "history of me" program. Level 0 is sold as a full bundle or in three parts, and each part includes parent guides and student notebooks. The publisher's Level 0 page lists these page counts:

Component	Files and page counts
Language Arts	Parent guide 84 pages, student notebook 124, optional cursive copywork pages 6
Science	Parent guide 105, student notebook (Captain's Log) 52
Nature Study	Parent guide 73, student notebook 53, animal photos 45
Arts and The History of Me	Parent guide 128, History of Me notebook 64

The publisher also includes a clickable links guide, which it says is not meant to be printed. In our assessment, the guides are sizable files for a kindergarten year, though the publisher says the lessons themselves are short.

On method, the Charlotte Mason and Waldorf page says narration, copywork and dictation are the foundational language arts practices in Levels 0 and up. The Level 0 page says children are introduced to narration and copywork and complete a weekly journal entry inspired by the literature selection. Narrations and journal entries can be done orally with a parent transcribing, or, for older and more advanced learners, written phonetically by the child. The reading foundations prompts review phonemes and build CVC words with hands-on manipulatives. The publisher expects a child to recognize most letters and be familiar with most of their sounds at the start, and it directs a child who is still learning letters and sounds to Early Years Vol. 2 first.

The Level 0 page describes the science component as a play-based astronomy curriculum that also covers living and non-living things, nutrition and health, human anatomy and the senses, with gently integrated math topics such as counting up and down, quantities, patterns, addition, subtraction, comparing quantities and shapes. The nature study component covers North American mammals in the first part of the year and eggs and seeds in the second part. The History of Me component has children explore their personal history, the geography of their home, neighborhood and country, and the lives of the artists and musicians they study.

Signature mechanics, per the publisher's Level 0 page: (1) Short lessons. Most lessons run around fifteen to twenty minutes, adding up to about one to two hours of focused time together, four to five days a week. (2) Parent guides and student notebooks in every part. (3) Named artists and musicians. The picture study lists Claude Monet, Ruth Asawa, Marc Chagall, Elizabeth Catlett, Diego Rivera, Louise Nevelson, Faith Ringgold, El Anatsui and Maria Martinez, and includes weekly art project prompts. The music study lists Errollyn Wallen, Scott Joplin, Frédéric Chopin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Joanne Shenandoah, Unsuk Chin, Undine Smith Moore, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Leonard Bernstein. (4) The History of Me. A personal history and geography program, which the publisher describes as inclusive and designed to support and celebrate families of all kinds.

How a week works

The publisher does not describe a daily schedule. The statements below are the ones it makes on the Level 0 page.

1. A typical week requires around 30 to 45 minutes of parent preparation. The publisher suggests looking at the book and supply lists in the parent guide as soon as possible and collecting materials before the school year begins.
2. Lessons are short, most of them around fifteen to twenty minutes, adding up to about one to two hours of focused time together, four to five days a week.
3. Families read the suggested literature selections together and complete the related hands-on activities.
4. In language arts, the weekly prompts review phonemes and build CVC words, with copywork and narration introduced gently and a weekly journal entry inspired by the literature selection.
5. Nature study uses living books, video recommendations and outdoor activities; the science student notebook is called the Captain's Log.
6. The publisher wants children to have lots of time for free play and outside time, and says it does not track or report lessons, grades or any other kinds of records to any entity.

What they do exceptionally well

Arts and music at the center of the year. The Level 0 page names nine artists and nine musicians and composers, and the History of Me program has children explore where each of them came from. In our assessment, families who treat arts exposure as foundational will find that weight here.

A secular position with a stated path for other families. The Level 0 page says Level 0 is strictly secular and tells non-secular families they are free to add a favorite Bible study. In our assessment, that clarity makes fit easy to judge before buying.

Low prep, short lessons and a stated price. The Level 0 page puts weekly preparation at 30 to 45 minutes and most lessons at fifteen to twenty minutes. The full bundle is $67 at the regular price (retrieved October 2026).

Pieces sold separately. Level 0 is sold as a full bundle or in three parts, and the publisher's FAQ says families can pick and choose pieces from multiple levels.

What they do poorly

PDF-only delivery means the family does the printing. The publisher sells no printed or bound copies. 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, shipped product will not find one here.

Not a phonics-from-scratch program. Level 0 reviews phonemes and builds CVC words rather than teaching letters and sounds from zero. The Level 0 page says many children will find its reading instruction sufficient and that many will benefit from or need additional phonics instruction, and it lists All About Reading, Logic of English and Pinwheels by Rooted in Language as resources families have used.

Not for every family. The Level 0 page lists parents who need Bible study or a religious perspective, who want a child to work completely independently, who prefer workbooks, who want an online school, who need a rigorous academic kindergarten, and who need every supply, book and material included, among those it is not for. In our assessment, a family that needs integrated faith content will need a separate religion curriculum.

Math is gently integrated into science only. The FAQ says families who want or need a structured math curriculum in kindergarten will need to source one, and its Level 0 page names Math with Confidence, Wild Math and Right Start Math as favorites among Blossom and Root families.

Support is by email, and sales are final. 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 Level 0 if (our judgment, using the publisher's own list of who it is for): you want a secular kindergarten with nature, arts and quality children's literature at its center; your child recognizes most letters and knows most of their sounds; you can spend one to two hours a day, four to five days a week, on focused time together; you want about 30 to 45 minutes of weekly prep; you are on a budget and can source books through a library or used; and you are willing to print PDFs or use them on a screen.

• Skip Blossom & Root Level 0 if: your child is still learning letters and letter sounds (the publisher recommends starting with Early Years Vol. 2); you need Bible study or religious content built in; you want a program a child can do completely independently; you prefer workbooks to hands-on activities; you want an online school; you need a rigorous academic kindergarten; you need every supply, book and material included; or you want a bound, print-shipped product.

Cost honest assessment

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

Level 0 product	Regular price
Kindergarten (Level 0) full bundle	$67
Reading and Language Arts only	$37
Nature Study and Integrated Math and Science	$19
Arts and the History of Me	$19

By our arithmetic, the three parts bought separately total $75, against $67 for the full bundle. 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.

The prices cover only the PDF parent guides and student notebooks. Per the FAQ, required literature books and supplies are not included. The Level 0 page says a year can be completed with minimal supplies and that most books can be sourced through a library or purchased used. The publisher's web pages give no estimate for book, supply or printing costs, so we do not give an all-in figure.

In our classification, Blossom & Root Level 0 sits in the budget tier at its regular bundle price; the trade-offs are the ones listed above, including PDF-only delivery. For other kindergarten programs, compare each publisher's current price on its own site, as listed in the Alternatives section below.

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 Level 0 is listed, and we found no approval list on its site. Because Level 0 is a digital PDF 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

• Oak Meadow Grade K. In our judgment, a family would compare Oak Meadow with Blossom & Root Level 0 when it wants another kindergarten program that its publisher describes as secular and Waldorf-inspired; Oak Meadow's kindergarten page uses those words. Compare each publisher's format, scope and price on its own pages.
• Torchlight Level K. In our judgment, a family would compare Torchlight Level K, which the publisher describes as created for learners ages 5 to 7, with Blossom & Root Level 0 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.
• Build Your Library. In our judgment, a family would compare Build Your Library with Blossom & Root Level 0 if it wants a secular, literature-based curriculum from one publisher through grade 12; Build Your Library describes itself on its home page as a secular, literature-based curriculum for levels K to 12.