My Father's World

My Father's World is a family-founded, literature-rich, Bible-integrated curriculum that combines Charlotte Mason and classical influences into a unit-study approach. It is the curriculum most commonly chosen by families who like Sonlight's literature emphasis but want tighter Bible integration and more project-based work.

Last updated: 2026-04-20 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Unit-study / Charlotte Mason / classical hybrid, Bible-centered
Worldview	Christian-evangelical, missions-oriented
Grades	PreK-12
Formats	Print teacher's manuals + physical books + some online support
Cost tier	Standard
Parent intensity	4
ESA-common	Yes, on most marketplaces
Accredited	No
Established	1995
Website	mfwbooks.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	Solid across grades; good primary-source engagement at secondary
Ease of teaching	3	Teacher's manual is clear; unit-study approach requires coordination
Content quality	4	Well-integrated Bible, history, and literature
Flexibility	3	Designed as a whole; partial use possible but awkward
Value for money	4	Reasonable pricing for completeness; books reusable
Worldview scope	2	Christian-evangelical, missions emphasis; less denominationally-narrow than Abeka
Visual/design	3	Functional; materials are book-centric
Support resources	3	Strong parent community, active forums, customer service

Who the publisher is

My Father's World was founded in 1995 by David and Marie Hazell, former missionaries who had been teaching their own children on the mission field. The curriculum grew from their family's homeschool practice and from David Hazell's conviction that a unit-study approach, with Bible at the center and history, literature, science, and geography integrated around it, would produce children who saw the world as an integrated whole rather than as disconnected subjects.

The Hazell family remains centrally involved, and the company has retained its family tone. My Father's World is, in our editorial estimate, a top-ten homeschool curriculum publisher by user count and one of the most-recommended programs in the missions-oriented evangelical community. The name itself, drawn from the hymn "This Is My Father's World", signals the publisher's philosophical posture: creation is the Father's, history is the Father's work of redemption, and the child's education should reflect that coherence.

The curriculum scope includes five core unit-study programs (From A to Z, God's Creation from A to Z, Adventures, Exploring Countries and Cultures, Rome to the Reformation, Creation to the Greeks, Exploration to 1850, and several others) that rotate through different historical periods and geographic emphases. Families typically use the unit studies from K through eighth grade, then transition to a high school program (Ancient History and Literature, World History and Literature, U.S. History to 1877, and more).

The core pedagogy

My Father's World's pedagogy is a unit-study approach with Bible as the unifying thread. Each year's program has a theme, "Countries and Cultures" studies world geography and missions; "Rome to the Reformation" studies that historical period; "Ancient History and Literature" studies the ancient world, and every subject (history, literature, geography, science, Bible) is woven into the theme. A family studying "Creation to the Greeks" is reading Old Testament history, Greek mythology, ancient history, and early science, with a shared vocabulary and conceptual framework across subjects.

Scope and sequence is structured as a multi-year cycle. Families typically do: K (From A to Z or God's Creation), 1st (Adventures in My Father's World), 2nd (Exploring Countries and Cultures), and so on, progressing through the full cycle across grades. The curriculum is designed for family-combined learning, children of different ages can often study the same theme together, with age-appropriate activities for each.

Signature mechanics: (1) Family-combined learning, the single most distinctive feature. Children ages 6 through 12 can study the same year's unit (Countries and Cultures, for example) with differentiated reading and assignments. This is ideal for larger families. (2) Bible as spine. Bible is not a separate subject; it's the thematic organizing principle of each year. (3) Literature-rich, the curriculum uses real books and living narratives rather than textbooks. (4) Hands-on projects, unit studies include significant craft, geography, and hands-on project components. This is more "making" than Sonlight, more structured than a pure Charlotte Mason approach.

A day in the life

A third-grader using MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures starts the morning with Bible time (25 minutes, reading, discussion, memory work around the weekly missionary country or theme). Then country study (40 minutes, reading the week's country-focused books, map work, discussion). Math (parent-chosen publisher. Singapore, Saxon, or similar, 30-45 minutes). Language arts (MFW's own language arts or parent-chosen, 30-45 minutes). Science (MFW's science component, 25-35 minutes). Reading (30 minutes). A hands-on project or geography activity (30 minutes, often 2-3 times per week). Total parent-involved time: 2-3 hours; total student day: 4-5 hours.

A ninth-grader using MFW Ancient History and Literature reads primary-source selections (Homer, Hesiod, Plato excerpts, Old Testament prophets), writes essays and responses, does Bible study, studies ancient geography, and pairs with outside math and science. The high school programs are more independent, the student does much of the work solo after morning discussion, but the teacher's manual provides daily structure.

What they do exceptionally well

Family-combined learning. For families with multiple children in the roughly 6-12 age range, MFW's unit-study approach is genuinely efficient. A family can do one "morning time", Bible, history, literature, geography, and science combined, with all children at once. This saves parent time in a way few other curricula can match.

Bible integration as organizing principle. MFW doesn't bolt Bible onto a secular curriculum or treat Bible as a Sunday-school appendix. Bible is the organizing theme of the year. This matters for families whose theological posture is that Christianity shapes everything. The integration feels native rather than applied.

Missions and global emphasis. Because the Hazells came from missions, the curriculum includes unusual depth on global missions, world geography, and non-Western cultures. A student who does the full MFW cycle knows more about the world than their peers in most other Christian homeschool programs. This is a real and sometimes-overlooked strength.

What they do poorly

Year planning requires commitment. Because each year is a thematic unit, families who want to skip or rearrange years face real coordination challenges. MFW assumes you'll do the cycle in order; mid-cycle entry or rearrangement is awkward.

Math and high school science are outside the publisher. Like Sonlight, MFW does not publish its own math or high school science, and families source those separately (most commonly Singapore, Saxon, or Apologia). This adds coordination work and cost.

High school program is less developed than the unit studies. MFW's high school materials are respectable but feel less distinctive than the elementary-through-middle unit studies. Some families transition out of MFW for high school and use Sonlight, Memoria Press, or Veritas for the secondary years.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick My Father's World if: you have multiple children in the 6-12 age range and want family-combined learning; you want tight Bible integration without daily drill; you value missions and global-perspective education; you like unit studies and hands-on projects; you want a middle-priced alternative to Sonlight with stronger Bible integration.

• Skip My Father's World if: you are secular; you have only one child or very-age-spread children who can't combine; you prefer subject-by-subject curriculum over unit studies; you want a complete K-12 program from one publisher (high school is weaker); you don't like Bible as the curricular organizing principle.

Cost honest assessment

A full MFW year for a single student runs approximately $300-$500 for the core unit study package and $150-$250 for language arts. Math and science from outside publishers add $100-$300. All-in for one child: $600-$1,000.

For families using family-combined learning, the cost efficiency improves substantially. A family with three children all doing the same year's unit pays approximately 1.2-1.5x the single-student cost for the core, plus per-child language arts, math, and independent readers. Three children all-in: $1,200-$2,000.

Compared to Sonlight ($1,000-$1,500 per elementary child), MFW is less expensive for the same class of literature-rich Christian curriculum. Compared to Masterbooks (similar pricing), MFW is more tightly integrated thematically but harder to mix with other publishers.

ESA eligibility notes

My Father's World is approved on most state ESA marketplaces where Christian curricula are permitted, including Arizona ClassWallet, Florida Step Up For Students, West Virginia Hope Scholarship, Iowa Student First, Utah Fits All, and Arkansas LEARNS. Because MFW packages include multiple books and components sourced from different publishers, families on ESAs should confirm with their marketplace whether the MFW package can be purchased as a single unit or whether line-item approval is required. MFW's customer service is responsive to ESA ordering questions and can provide documentation.

Alternatives

• Sonlight, a family would choose Sonlight over MFW because Sonlight has more literature depth, more secular-friendly (broadly-evangelical) tone, and a broader selection of living books.
• Heart of Dakota, a family would choose HOD over MFW because HOD's instructor guides are more prescriptive about daily structure and activities.
• Beautiful Feet Books, a family would choose Beautiful Feet over MFW because Beautiful Feet specializes in American history and geography through literature at a lower price point.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed My Father's World's catalog at mfwbooks.com, sample teacher's manuals from Exploring Countries and Cultures and Adventures, and MFW's Bible and language arts components. We cross-referenced against Cathy Duffy's review, HSLDA's publisher profile, and community feedback from current MFW families.