Home educator Laura Berquist presents a modern curriculum based on the time-tested philosophy of the classical Trivium—grammar, logic and rhetoric. She has given homeschoolers a valuable tool for putting together a "liberal arts" curriculum that feeds the soul, as well as the intellect. Her approach, covering grades K - 12, is detailed and practical, and it is adaptable by parents and teachers to any situation.

This third revised edition includes a much expanded section for a high school curriculum, and an updated list of resources for all grades.

The listings of books and curriculum is limited to just what Berquist personally used. For example, one math curriculum company seems to be used throughout all the grade levels. If this book were truly for someone to design their own curriculum, I would think that if they tried Ms. Berquist's recommended math curriculum and the family did not like it, that they would need some help and guidance to find a different curriculum. The book would live up to its title if it contained a variety of different curriculum company options with Ms. Berquist's opinions of the pro's and con's of each. In this case the reader would have to turn to other sources to find ideas for books or curriculum that may fit their own custom-designed curriculum for their child. (However, that is the beauty of designing your own curriculum, that no two programs will be identical, right?) For anyone looking for that type of review, for additional information, I suggest two (non-religious) books: Rebecca Rupp's The Complete Home Learning Source Book. Or for less curriculum but more books and materials that you can truly custom-create your own curriculum, I suggest The Home School Source Book by Jean and Donn Reed. (These two books are different from each other and are not duplicates in any way.)

Each recommended book and curriculum is footnoted with a source. This is nice yet it is unavoidable that companies change their inventory constantly. I found that some of the recommended books were unavailable at the recommended sources when I attempted to buy them. The author didn't include ISBN numbers for the recommended books, and I had trouble finding the books doing a general book search without the ISBN (for example, many books are called "children's bible" and no author name was listed for that volume). Lastly, Internet Website addresses were not given for any of the sources although many of the companies do have a Website. I used a search engine to track down the websites with success.

I think the strongest area is Berquist's detailed recommendations for quality teaching materials for the subject of Catholicism. The religion curriculum is very detailed: more detailed than other subjects and I found it very helpful. I feel that some of her recommended courses of study are weak, such as using the game "Mommy, it's a Renoir" to teach art spanning several grade levels.

Two homeschooling mothers that I know who read "The Well Trained Mind" (TWTM) first and wanted to design their own Catholic Classical Education program for their children said they felt this book was invaluable and both recommended that I read this book. They found it easy to read, felt that it had good resource listings, and said it helped quelch a bit of fear about what they perceived was an overwhelming task after reading TWTM: to custom design a classical education for their own children.

This is definitely worth reading if you are starting out homeschooling with the intent to design your own classical curriculum, which includes teaching Catholicism to your children. You may not choose to duplicate Berquist's program 100%, but you will find many good recommendations, good source lists to obtain catalogs from, and will be inspired and will feel that you are capable of designing your own curriculum plan!

60 of 63 found the following review helpful:


Invaluable resource  Jun 09, 2000
I can only imagine that the reviewer who didn't find "detailed advice" in this book was expecting day-by-day lesson plans instead of a general resource book. (And Ms. Berquist does sell those syllabi separately, btw....) To the contrary, I found the book quite detailed in its explanation of materials for each grade level and felt it to be a fabulous resource for starting to plan a homeschool curriculum. (This book, combined with "Catholic Education: Homeward Bound," (Hahn, Hasson) provides a broad jumping point in finding and "feeling out" suitable materials.)

This book could have been improved in three ways. One would be if the author included more materials to choose from -- rather than just including her personal selections, she could have listed materials which she hasn't used herself, but still would be appropriate for building a classical education curriculum. (Particularly when the ones she recommends are out of print!)

The second way it could have been improved would have been to include at least a small taste of a sample day in detail for each grade. The author includes only general sample schedules for each grade level, consisting of which subjects would be studied on each particular day -- without even a timeframe for each! While I wasn't expecting to have the year laid out for me on a daily basis, I felt somewhat like I'd been throw an armful of books and a general schedule -- and had a huge hole still to fill. Showing even a day's sample lesson plans for each grade would go a long way towards showing the reader how to put theory into practice.

And third, I found one significant flaw in the book was its weakness in the area of science, particularly in the early grades. My own planning includes a heavier emphasis on science than the author allows.

Finally, my own philosphy is a that a Catholic education is one which is rigorous in content and in harmony with our faith -- but *not* one in which anything the child ever sees must have been written or created by a Catholic. The fact that the author includes books by those of other faiths offends me not in the least -- and in fact, I believe makes for a more well-rounded and openminded, questioning education.

Like any book of this nature, this volume should be read with a "will this work for my child?" mindset rather than slavish acceptance. Given that, though, this book, all in all, belongs on any "classical" homeschooler's bookshelf.

33 of 33 found the following review helpful:


Thanks for all your efforts Laura!  Mar 07, 2001
... After looking at the massive amount of material on the market today, it was so nice to find someone who has sorted through everything and really narrowed things down. Since we started with her program 2 years ago, I find I am more pleased with it as time goes on. The best part is that it is extremely do-able, especially if you are doing more than one grade at a time. I find that we have no "busy" work and there is ver little overlapping of topics, which I think is why the all-inclusive programs are so cumbersome. We concentrate on the essentials and actually have time to do extra things like nature walks and art projects. The year by year lesson plans are definately necessary if you really want to follow this program. They are relatively inexpensive though and are worth the cost. I find her program is the perfect mix of the "hand-holding" that some of us need without the rigorousness and deadlines of an all-inclusive program. Also it leaves plenty of room for substitions, deletions or additions if there is anything out there that you like better. After reading Karen Andreola's book "The Charlotte Mason Companion" (which I highly recommend), I was so pleased at how many of her suggestions Laura has followed.

44 of 46 found the following review helpful:


This is what homeschooling is about!  Apr 10, 2002 By Christina Martin "Carmel Sundae"
Generally, we choose non fiction books that present perspectives similar to those we already hold. This was the case for me when I bought Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum. I knew that the author was a respected educator, with a solid Catholic background. What I didn't know at the time was just what "classical curriculum" entailed.

This was one of those books that opened my mind. At first, reading her recommendations to focus on classical material made me uneasy. It didn't seem relevant to modern education. As I continued through the book, however, two things struck me: first, that classical education is far more relevant than my first instinct had told me. Second, Berquist's ideas are helpful in much more substantial ways than curriculum suggestions.

More than simply a reading list or a pre-designed curriculum, the book offers guidelines and ideas for how to develop your own educational approach. Whether or not you use her classical material recommendations, her ideas can give you solid assistance in planning a syllabus and schedule that conforms to your family's abilities, scheduling needs, and educational objectives. The "classical" suggestions are the bonus.

Whether or not you plan to use a mostly classical approach, this book is worth reading and re-reading at curriculum planning time.

25 of 25 found the following review helpful:


Truly outstanding advice  May 24, 1999
Although the bulk of the text is devoted to curriculum suggestions, which can be easily found elsewhere, the resource lists will be very helpful to any homeschool family, Catholic or not. Yet it is the introduction that I found most helpful in solidifying my concept of the philosophy of Classical Education in general, and homeschooling in particular. One caution however. The book includes an article on what NOT to do in an appendix at the end. This really should have followed immediately after the introduction since the advice is very important. I am sure that some readers will inadvertently miss this treasure, and that is a shame.

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