Unit Studies by Susan Kilbride

Susan Kilbride writes the budget-conscious secular alternative in a unit-studies market dominated by Christian publishers, a small catalog of self-published science and history studies that under-promises and quietly delivers.

Last updated: 2026-04-24 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Unit studies / topical integration
Worldview	Secular
Grades	K-8 (heaviest use grades K-5)
Formats	Print paperbacks; Kindle ebooks; PDF where offered
Cost tier	Budget
Parent intensity	4
ESA-common	Varies (paperback book purchases sometimes reimbursable; not a marketplace SKU)
Accredited	No
Established	2012, first publication
Website	funsciencefortheyoung.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	3	Sound elementary content; not designed for advanced learners or middle-school depth
Ease of teaching	3	Hands-on activities require parent prep and supplies; not a hand-it-to-the-child format
Content quality	4	Clear writing, accessible activity design, no fluff
Flexibility	5	Stand-alone units; mix freely with any base curriculum
Value for money	5	$5-$15 per book delivers substantial unit-study content
Worldview scope	5	Secular and worldview-neutral; usable across all family backgrounds
Visual/design	2	Self-published black-and-white interior; serviceable but spare
Support resources	2	Author website, blog, and direct contact; no curriculum-publisher infrastructure

Who the publisher is

Susan Kilbride is an independent homeschool author who has self-published science and history unit studies since 2012. Her catalog centers on the Fun Science for the Youngest Learners series for grades K-3, the Our America history series for elementary students, and a handful of stand-alone topical unit studies covering ancient civilizations, the solar system, the human body, and other elementary-friendly subjects. Books are published as paperback originals and Kindle editions through Amazon's KDP self-publishing platform and similar print-on-demand channels.

The publishing model is small and personal. Kilbride writes, edits, illustrates (in line art), and self-publishes; there is no editorial board, no fact-checking team, and no curriculum-publisher infrastructure. The author's website serves as the catalog, the blog, and the contact point. This model produces low prices and tight focus at the cost of the polish, professional design, and customer-service depth that larger publishers offer.

The audience is specific: secular homeschool families looking for affordable unit-study content, families using a primary curriculum (Charlotte Mason, classical, eclectic) who want supplementary topical studies, and families piecing together a budget elementary curriculum without committing to a full publisher's program. Kilbride's books appear on most secular-homeschool resource lists and are commonly recommended on the Secular Homeschool community forums and similar secular-curriculum aggregators.

The core pedagogy

Unit studies in the homeschool tradition integrate multiple subjects around a single topic, for example, a unit on ancient Egypt might combine history reading, geography mapping, archaeology activities, art projects, and writing assignments under the unifying topic. Kilbride's studies follow this format at a budget price point. Each book is organized around a topic and provides reading passages, hands-on activities, optional art and writing prompts, and a list of recommended living-books supplements. Length varies from approximately 50 pages for a focused single-topic study to 150-plus pages for a series book like Our America Volume 1.

The pedagogical posture is hands-on and activity-led at the elementary level. The Fun Science for the Youngest Learners series provides weekly experiments and projects using common household supplies, with brief explanatory text aimed at parent-led reading and discussion. The Our America series introduces United States history through short reading passages and simple project assignments, organized chronologically. Kilbride's writing is conversational and accessible without being condescending; the activity design assumes a parent willing to gather supplies and supervise.

Signature mechanics: (1) Stand-alone topical organization. Each unit study is independent of the others; families can buy individual books and use them in any order. (2) Activity-led pedagogy. Hands-on experiments, art projects, and craft activities are the primary instructional vehicles, with reading and discussion as supports. (3) Parent-supplied materials. Activities use common household items and inexpensive craft supplies; no proprietary kits or specialized materials are required. (4) Living-books integration. Each unit recommends supplementary library books, encouraging integration with the family's broader reading life rather than functioning as a sealed-off curriculum.

A day in the life

A first-grader using Fun Science for the Youngest Learners Volume 1 as a once-a-week science block sits down with the parent for forty-five to sixty minutes on a designated science day. The parent reads the week's introductory passage aloud, gathers the materials for the activity (typically items already in the kitchen or art bin), and guides the child through the experiment or project. The child draws or writes a short observation in a notebook, the parent prompts a brief discussion, and the session ends. Total parent prep time: ten to fifteen minutes the night before to read ahead and check supplies.

A third-grader using Our America Volume 1 as a primary U.S. history program works through one chapter per week across an academic year, completing the reading on day one, the project on day two or three, and a brief written narration or summary on day four. The book's chronological organization carries the family through pre-Columbian America, colonial settlement, and the founding period over the course of the volume. A subsequent volume continues the chronology. The format is closer to literature-based history than to textbook-driven instruction, which fits Charlotte Mason and eclectic-secular family rhythms naturally.

What they do exceptionally well

Secular content at a budget price point. Among unit-study publishers, the dominant catalogs (Konos, Five in a Row, Tapestry of Grace, Heart of Dakota) are explicitly Christian. Kilbride's secular content fills a genuine gap in the market, and her books are among the few unit-studies resources that secular families can use without filtering or substitution. The price point, generally $5-$15 per book in paperback or Kindle, makes the content accessible to families who cannot afford full curriculum subscriptions.

Activity design with common materials. The hands-on activities are designed around items most families already own, paper, glue, tape, kitchen supplies, crayons, household measuring cups. Families who bristle at curricula that require specialized kits or expensive supplies find Kilbride's design refreshing. The activities work; children produce real outputs; the parent's grocery list does not include anything exotic.

Honest scope and pricing. Kilbride's catalog does not over-promise. The books are clearly elementary-level content, clearly self-published, and clearly priced accordingly. There is no marketing claim that the studies replace a full curriculum, no upsell to premium tiers, no annual update pressure. Families that want a small, focused, affordable unit-study supplement get exactly what is described.

What they do poorly

Self-published production values. The interiors are black-and-white, the line-art illustrations are functional rather than illustrative, and the layout is consistent with Amazon KDP self-publishing standards rather than with full-color illustrated curriculum publishing. Children accustomed to richly illustrated books from larger publishers may find Kilbride's books visually plain. This is a tradeoff for the budget price; it is not a flaw, but it is a limitation.

Limited scope at the upper grades. The Fun Science series is genuinely strong at K-3; the Our America series works through grade five comfortably. Middle-school students will outgrow the content quickly, and high-school subjects are not in the catalog at all. Families who want a unit-study approach through middle school typically transition to Beautiful Feet Books, Trail Guide to Learning, or another publisher with deeper grade-level scope.

Minimal publisher infrastructure. Customer service is direct contact with the author. There is no live chat, no toll-free phone line, no community forum hosted by the publisher, and no convention booth at most homeschool conventions. Families that want active publisher support and community will not find it; families that want low-friction, low-overhead supplements appreciate the simplicity.

No assessments or scope-and-sequence documents. Kilbride's books are content-focused; she does not provide testing, formal scope-and-sequence documentation, or grade-level alignment to state standards. Families that need documentation for portfolio reviews or for ESA reporting will need to construct their own. This is consistent with secular Charlotte Mason and unit-study traditions but inconvenient for families with administrative reporting obligations.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Susan Kilbride's unit studies if: you are a secular family looking for budget-friendly elementary unit-study content; you already have a primary curriculum and want supplementary topical studies; you can do hands-on activities with common household supplies; you are using a Charlotte Mason or eclectic approach; you want stand-alone units you can mix and match; you are not concerned about polished production values.

• Skip Susan Kilbride's unit studies if: you want full-color illustrated curriculum from a major publisher; you need a complete K-8 program with scope-and-sequence documentation; you have older students (the catalog tops out in middle school); you want active publisher support and convention presence; you want a Christian unit-study program (look at Konos or Five in a Row).

Cost honest assessment

Susan Kilbride's books retail at approximately $5-$15 each on Amazon and through her author website as of April 2026, with paperback prices typically $10-$15 and Kindle editions $5-$8. The Fun Science series spans multiple volumes; the Our America series similarly. A family that buys the complete Fun Science set and the complete Our America set spends approximately $80-$150 for elementary science and history unit-study supplementation across the K-5 range, a fraction of what a full curriculum would cost.

Compared to Five in a Row at approximately $35-$50 per volume, Konos at approximately $90-$120 per volume, and Trail Guide to Learning at approximately $200-$300 per year-long study, Kilbride's catalog is the cheapest substantial unit-study option in the elementary market. It is also the only major secular option at the budget tier; the cheaper Christian alternatives have strong worldview integration that secular families would have to filter.

A realistic family budget for two elementary students using Kilbride's unit studies as a science-and-history supplement is approximately $50-$150 across multiple years, with the books reusable across siblings.

ESA eligibility notes

Kilbride's books are not typically listed on state ESA marketplaces because the small-publisher status and Amazon-fulfillment distribution do not align with marketplace vendor processes. Families using ESAs that allow direct reimbursement for curriculum purchases, Arizona ESA on a non-marketplace allowance, Florida Step Up For Students when reimbursable books are permitted, Iowa Students First, Utah Fits All, can typically purchase the books through Amazon or directly from the author and submit receipts for reimbursement under most ESA frameworks that allow general educational materials. Because the content is secular and contains no religious framing, no state-level religious-materials restrictions apply. Marketplace listing varies; direct purchase plus reimbursement is the more common path.

Alternatives

• Five in a Row, a family would choose Five in a Row over Kilbride because Five in a Row's literature-based unit studies built around picture books offer a more polished and structured curriculum with explicit Christian worldview framing, suiting families that want a published-curriculum experience and Christian content.
• Beautiful Feet Books, a family would choose Beautiful Feet Books over Kilbride because Beautiful Feet's literature-based history programs include curated reading lists, study guides, and timeline integration with a higher production standard, suiting families willing to pay more for fully developed curriculum.
• Konos Curriculum, a family would choose Konos over Kilbride because Konos's character-based unit studies offer a comprehensive multi-subject integration framework with extensive Christian worldview content, suiting families that want a complete unit-study program rather than topical supplements.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed the Susan Kilbride author website, her Amazon author page for current paperback and Kindle pricing, and individual book listings for the Fun Science and Our America series. We cross-referenced against secular homeschool community recommendations on the Secular Homeschool forums, the Cathy Duffy review listings for unit studies, and competitor unit-study publishers (Five in a Row, Konos, Beautiful Feet Books) for comparative pricing and scope. Prices and program details verified April 2026.