Meet Offshoots: A new path for learning. Offshoots is a fresh take on elementary learning – one that’s rooted in knowledge, built for connection, and designed to be flexible and easy to use. Learn more about these multi-age unit studies designed for the whole family to learn together.
What is Offshoots?
Offshoots is a collection of multi-age, thematic unit studies designed for elementary-aged learners – and their families.
Each unit is a 4-week deep dive into a topic, combining science, social studies, language arts, fine arts, hands-on activities, discussion, and rich vocabulary into one connected learning experience.
The unit studies are designed to work together or stand-alone. Do one unit, eight, or sixteen. Everything you need to teach is provided with your downloads – from detailed lesson plans, to carefully crafts printables, book lists, supply lists, vetted multimedia links, and full-color images to bring learning to life.
An Overview of Offshoots
As of May 2026, the program includes 16 thematic units covering topics like weather, communication, toys & movement, architecture, animal adaptations, rocks & minerals, and more.
Offshoots is an elementary unit study program that allows you to customize learning in a way that works best for your family. Each unit is 4-weeks long, broken into four subtopics with 16 days of detailed lessons. These topics allow for a deeper dive into each unit. The units in Offshoots were specifically chosen for their rich vocabulary, ability to translate across domains, and depth of topic.
Offshoots is a mixed-age program, undefined by grade levels, that helps children build deep, lasting knowledge while encouraging critical thinking and shared learning experiences.
See Free Homeschool Curriculum Sample
Why Offshoots Works
Offshoots brings learning to life through rich themes, meaningful connections, and joyful experiences shared as a family. Rather than separating subjects into individual boxes, each unit blends them together into one immersive study.
When children experience learning across multiple domains, ideas stick. Science connects to art, vocabulary connects to history, and discussions carry naturally into hands-on projects and discovery. Instead of memorizing disconnected facts, children begin building a fuller understanding of how ideas relate to one another and to the world around them.
Each month-long unit is intentionally designed to build knowledge through layered experiences, deep conversations, and engaging activities. With everything planned for you, families can spend less time piecing curriculum together and more time learning, exploring, and growing alongside one another.
See Free Homeschool Curriculum Sample
Fully Planned, Ready to Go
Offshoots was created to take the overwhelm out of planning meaningful family learning. The research, lesson organization, activity ideas, and thematic connections have already been thoughtfully built into each unit, so you can stop trying to assemble everything yourself.
Every unit is clearly laid out.
Every week is thoughtfully curated.
Every lesson is open-and-go.
Activities include step-by-step guidance, discussion support, and clear teaching notes to help parents feel prepared and confident. Throughout the units, you’ll also find approachable background information woven into the lessons, making it easy to learn alongside your children without needing to research topics ahead of time.
While each unit has a central theme, like science, social studies, or literature, the learning goes far beyond a single subject. Every unit blends in poetry, fine arts, language, STEM, sensory play, movement, and dramatic play to create a rich, layered experience.
You can choose the order of units based on your family’s interests or the time of year. Inside each unit, though, lessons are carefully sequenced to build knowledge step by step, so it’s important to maintain that order.
How Offshoots Works
Offshoots is a unit study program designed to help your family experience knowledge-building in context. Units are sold as singles, in pre-made sets, year-long bundles, and a mega bundle for multiple years of learning.
This isn’t a set of worksheets or rigid textbook-style plans. These are thoughtfully written lessons that invite curiosity, connection, and critical thinking.
Inside the program, you’ll find:
- A consistent daily flow to help kids feel comfortable and confident
- Fully planned lessons with clear explanations for parents
- Light scripting and built-in teaching tips to support you as you go
- Curated multimedia links to bring learning off the page
- Carefully designed printables, specially made for each unit
- Detailed supply lists for each unit
- Unit specific suggested materials, including books, games, and a Spotify playlist
And to make getting started easy, Offshoots includes a Start-Up Guide that walks you through how the program works so there’s no confusion, no second-guessing, and no extra prep.
It’s structured without being rigid. Supportive without being overwhelming.
Flexible, affordable, and made for real life.
A Peek Inside Offshoots
Every Offshoots lesson follows a steady, easy-to-follow routine so you’ll always know what to do and how to do it. The structure helps kids stay engaged and gives parents the support they need to teach with confidence.
Here’s how a typical day flows:
- Begin with a quick review to activate prior knowledge
- Read a book that ties into the unit theme
- Spark a discussion with a guided family conversation
- Practice a language skill like grammar, poetry, or copywork
- Dive into a hands-on activity that brings the topic to life
- Wrap up by revisiting the big idea and connecting the day’s learning
Consistent, thoughtful, and designed to help learning stick.
Unit Introduction
Weekly Overview
2-Page Daily Lesson Plan
2-Page Daily Lesson Plan
A consistent daily rhythm, easy-to-follow lessons, and clear guidance remove the stress of planning, boost your confidence, and help your child(ren) feel comfortable and excited to learn.
See Free Homeschool Curriculum Sample
Learning Through Discovery
Offshoots units are thoughtfully crafted to blend subjects together, rather than teaching them in isolation. With a focus on the discovery subjects – like science, social studies, and the arts – this curriculum invites curiosity, inspires wonder, and encourages children to make meaningful connections with the world around them.
Science
Investigate physical, Earth, and life sciences with engaging experiments, thoughtful discussions, and simple demonstrations.
Language Arts
Strengthen language arts through themed writing prompts, copywork, and gentle grammar practice woven into each unit.
Social Studies
Foster personal growth and global awareness through meaningful topics and open-ended conversations.
Fine Arts
Discover meaningful works of art and music thoughtfully connected to each unit’s theme.
STEM
Build engineering, applied math, and technology skills through interactive activities.
Literature
Develop a deeper appreciation of literature with curated book lists, diverse genres, and poetry studies.
What Multi-Age Learning Looks Like
Offshoots was built with real families in mind, whether you’re teaching one child or a whole group of siblings. Instead of dividing by grade, Offshoots invites learners of different ages to grow together. This includes the parent as a learner, too. Open-ended prompts and flexible extensions allow every child to contribute in a way that matches their own thinking and stage of development.
Take a question like, “Why don’t animals at the bottom of the ocean float away?” A six-year-old’s response may be wildly different from a ten-year-old’s, but both are thoughtful, creative, and exactly right for where they are. That’s the beauty of this approach: it creates room for every voice and for everyone to learn from each other.
See Free Homeschool Curriculum Sample
A Look at Your Day
Offshoots units fits easily into your day without feeling like too much. Each lesson weaves together conversation, reading, hands-on exploration, and creativity, all within about 45 to 60 minutes (not counting the rabbit holes your kids may joyfully follow).
With a 4-day week, there’s space to breathe, whether that’s for appointments, park days, co-ops, or just slowing down. The lessons are organized, thoughtfully outlined, and gently guided, but always adaptable to your family’s rhythm.
Not Only for Homeschooling
You don’t have to be a homeschooling family to use Offshoots. This program is designed to reach all families – whether you homeschool or traditional school. Foundational knowledge, building memories with kids, and cultivating a lifelong love of learning is important – no matter how your family does “school.”
Offshoots is a homeschool curriculum, a summer break curriculum, an evenings together curriculum, and a “because my kid is really into rocks” curriculum.
Support & Guidance While Teaching
Along with the full curriculum, you’ll receive a 20+ page Start-Up Guide that walks you through exactly how Offshoots works, so there’s no confusion about where to begin, how to teach, or why the lessons are structured the way they are.
You can read the guide as a digital PDF or listen to the audio version, read by author Susie Allison, M. Ed, for a more flexible introduction.
Additionally, each weekly overview also comes with Notes Before Teaching – a collection of information to help you, the teaching adult, feel confident with the materials and build your own background knowledge.
A Program that Fits Your Family
Offshoots takes the stress out of teaching at home by giving you a clear, organized path. No more scrambling for resources, second-guessing your choices, or wondering if you’re covering enough.
It’s everything you need to teach your family together, with lessons that are structured but not rigid, flexible but never overwhelming, and supportive without adding pressure.
Designed for real families and real-life days, Offshoots brings learning to life through hands-on activities, meaningful conversations, and moments that truly stick.
Learning at home should feel doable, joyful, and just right for your family.
And with Offshoots, it does.
See Free Homeschool Curriculum Sample
Subscribe to my free newsletter and I’ll send you “35 Easy Toddler Activities to Break Up the Day!”
Leave a Comment