Compare / Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum, matched to how you teach
Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum, matched to how you teach
Charlotte Mason living-books plans from preschool through grade 12, plus two literature-based packages people compare with that method. Not a classical Latin program and not an online school.
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About three minutes, no account. Matches are fit-ranked.
Quick take
Choose Simply Charlotte Mason when you want Christian Charlotte Mason plans: family lessons for history and enrichment, plus math, science, and language arts for each child.
Choose Sonlight when you want a shipped Christian literature year with an Instructor’s Guide, not Charlotte Mason lesson plans.
Choose BookShark when you want that literature year without a Christian curriculum, and you are fine with a program that leaves origins and spirituality to you.
There is no trophy winner. Simply Charlotte Mason is the Charlotte Mason method on this page. Sonlight and BookShark are planned literature programs. They are not Charlotte Mason lesson plans with a different label.
Side-by-side
Fit dimensions — no winner trophy
Dimension
Simply Charlotte Mason
Sonlight
BookShark
Worldview
Christian, with a Biblical approach and books chosen to align with Christian values.
Christian, with Christ-centered readings and discussion.
Faith-neutral, in BookShark’s own words.
What you are buying
A school-age year of family history and enrichment, plus math, science, and language arts for each child.
Literature-based packages with Instructor’s Guides, preschool through high school.
Literature-based packages with Instructor’s Guides through high school, including Level I, Level J, and newer World and U.S. levels.
Open-and-go
Yes for planning, because the lesson plans already schedule the day.
Yes for planning, because the guide schedules the day.
Yes for planning, and BookShark’s FAQ calls preparation very little: you just open your binder and start teaching.
Parent time
Medium, because you still read, narrate, and teach the short lessons.
Medium, because read-alouds and discussion are the day, not a side task.
Medium, with the same read-aloud load, and a 4-day schedule that leaves a fifth day open without removing the reading.
Format
Lesson plans you assemble for the family and each child, with many scheduled books sold separately or in bundles.
Books, shipped with the guide.
Books shipped with the guide, with optional BookShark Virtual for schedules and quizzes while students still read the paper books.
Budget
Mid, and the total changes with how many children and which plans you add.
High.
High.
Scope
An all-in-one once you assemble family history and enrichment plus each child’s math, science, and language arts.
All-in-one when you buy a full package, and narrower if you buy only one subject.
All-in-one on an All-Subject Package (reading with history, language arts, science, and math, plus handwriting or spelling on some levels), and narrower on Reading with History only.
What it is not
Not one boxed package with every subject and book, not a screen school, and not a day your child does alone.
Not Charlotte Mason lesson plans, not secular, and not low parent time.
Not a Charlotte Mason program, not a Christian curriculum, and not a program that teaches evolution for you.
Simply Charlotte Mason
Worldview
Christian, with a Biblical approach and books chosen to align with Christian values.
What you are buying
A school-age year of family history and enrichment, plus math, science, and language arts for each child.
Open-and-go
Yes for planning, because the lesson plans already schedule the day.
Parent time
Medium, because you still read, narrate, and teach the short lessons.
Format
Lesson plans you assemble for the family and each child, with many scheduled books sold separately or in bundles.
Budget
Mid, and the total changes with how many children and which plans you add.
Scope
An all-in-one once you assemble family history and enrichment plus each child’s math, science, and language arts.
What it is not
Not one boxed package with every subject and book, not a screen school, and not a day your child does alone.
Sonlight
Worldview
Christian, with Christ-centered readings and discussion.
What you are buying
Literature-based packages with Instructor’s Guides, preschool through high school.
Open-and-go
Yes for planning, because the guide schedules the day.
Parent time
Medium, because read-alouds and discussion are the day, not a side task.
Format
Books, shipped with the guide.
Budget
High.
Scope
All-in-one when you buy a full package, and narrower if you buy only one subject.
What it is not
Not Charlotte Mason lesson plans, not secular, and not low parent time.
BookShark
Worldview
Faith-neutral, in BookShark’s own words.
What you are buying
Literature-based packages with Instructor’s Guides through high school, including Level I, Level J, and newer World and U.S. levels.
Open-and-go
Yes for planning, and BookShark’s FAQ calls preparation very little: you just open your binder and start teaching.
Parent time
Medium, with the same read-aloud load, and a 4-day schedule that leaves a fifth day open without removing the reading.
Format
Books shipped with the guide, with optional BookShark Virtual for schedules and quizzes while students still read the paper books.
Budget
High.
Scope
All-in-one on an All-Subject Package (reading with history, language arts, science, and math, plus handwriting or spelling on some levels), and narrower on Reading with History only.
What it is not
Not a Charlotte Mason program, not a Christian curriculum, and not a program that teaches evolution for you.
Pricing and package contents change. Check current packages on each publisher site.
Day-to-day differences
Simply Charlotte Mason days are short lessons from living books, with the parent teaching. Their curriculum guide splits the day in two. Topic lessons are for the family together: history, Bible, geography, picture study, music, poetry, and nature study. Skill lessons are one child at a time: math, science, and language arts at that child’s level. The plans include a book list, a daily itinerary, and teaching notes, so you are not building the schedule. “Open-and-go” here means the plan is already written. It does not mean your child works alone. Parent time stays medium.
Preschool and kindergarten are not that school-age assembly. Their preschool page is for three- and four-year-olds and says formal lessons can wait. On the overview chart, preschool and kindergarten science are informal outdoor play, and math is informal math activities. Living science and elementary arithmetic start in grade 1. Grade 12 science is an elective.
Sonlight days are read-alouds, readers, and discussion from an Instructor’s Guide, with Christian faith in the material itself. Sonlight describes the program as fully planned and open-and-go. “Open-and-go” means you are not building the book list. It does not mean your child works alone, and it does not mean the day is a Charlotte Mason lesson plan.
BookShark days are the same shape as Sonlight: a guide, real books, discussion, and hands-on science in the science packages. BookShark schedules four days and leaves the fifth open for co-ops, errands, or catch-up. You can stretch the work onto a fifth day. The parent is still the teacher.
BookShark’s FAQ is the line that matters for worldview. BookShark says it does not espouse or oppose any faith. Its science and history programs do not teach evolution, creationism, or intelligent design. Origins and spirituality are left to parents. That is not the same thing as a secular science program that teaches evolution. If that is your hard filter, this is not an automatic yes.
Do not treat Sonlight and BookShark as one book list with a Bible pulled out. BookShark’s own account is that the program was based on the Sonlight literature-and-guide approach with faith materials removed. That does not mean the lists are identical, and it does not mean they share no titles. Neither one is Simply Charlotte Mason.
Who should pick Simply Charlotte Mason
Fits Christian families who want Charlotte Mason living books, narration, and short lessons, with one history and enrichment plan for the family and, in the school-age years, separate math, science, and language arts for each child.
Pick Simply Charlotte Mason if:
You want a Biblical, living-books day rather than a textbook spine
You want the family together for history and enrichment, preschool through grade 12
You are fine assembling the year from their plans, with many of the scheduled books sold separately or in bundles
Medium parent time for reading and teaching short lessons is acceptable
A mid budget that changes with the number of children is acceptable
Skip Simply Charlotte Mason if you want one boxed curriculum with every subject and every book, a screen-first day, or a program that does the teaching without you. Preschool and kindergarten are informal. They are not a full elementary day.
Fits Christian families who want Instructor’s Guides, real books, and faith in the year’s readings, and who can give medium parent time to read-alouds.
Pick Sonlight if:
You want a Christian literature program, preschool through high school, by package
You want the books shipped with the guide, not a Charlotte Mason plan you assemble
Medium parent time for reading and discussion is acceptable
You are ready for a high budget for a shipped package
Skip Sonlight if you need Charlotte Mason narration and short lessons, a non-Christian spine, or a low-cost year. It is not secular, and it is not hands-off.
Fits families who want Instructor’s Guides and a literature year without a Christian curriculum, and who accept that origins are left to the parent.
Pick BookShark if:
You want literature-based plans without Bible study built into the program
You are fine that science and history do not teach evolution, creationism, or intelligent design
You want a 4-day guide and can still sit for read-alouds (medium parent time)
You want an All-Subject Package, or you are fine starting with Reading with History and adding the rest
A high budget for shipped books is acceptable
Skip BookShark if you need Christian readers, Charlotte Mason lesson plans, the curriculum itself to teach evolution, or a cheap or screen-only day. BookShark is not a school and is not accredited. State requirements are on you.
A secular science program that teaches evolution as part of the curriculum. BookShark does not. Read samples of any other program before you assume it does.
One box at one price with no assembling. Simply Charlotte Mason is not that product.
“Neither” is a valid answer. We will not force a winner.
Simply Charlotte Mason
Fits Christian families who want Charlotte Mason living books, narration, and short lessons, with one history and enrichment plan for the family and, in the school-age years, separate math, science, and language arts for each child.
Fits Christian families who want Instructor’s Guides, real books, and faith in the year’s readings, and who can give medium parent time to read-alouds.
We compared these three because families shopping for Charlotte Mason living books often land on a literature package instead. Simply Charlotte Mason is first because it is the Charlotte Mason lesson-plan program. Sonlight and BookShark follow as the shipped literature contrast. We did not rank them by how Christian they are, and we did not rank them by rigor.
Simply Charlotte Mason is Christian, mid budget, medium parent time, books, and open-and-go for planning only, preschool through grade 12. The school-age year is assembled: family history and enrichment, plus per-child math, science, and language arts. Preschool and kindergarten are informal, and grade 12 science is an elective. We do not print a dollar total, because the cost depends on which plans and books you choose.
Sonlight and BookShark are high budget, medium parent time, books, and open-and-go for planning, from preschool into high school by package or level. Sonlight is Christian. BookShark is faith-neutral on its own FAQ, and we do not describe it as a program that teaches evolution.
Charlotte Mason wording is taken from Simply Charlotte Mason’s curriculum guide, preschool page, and overview chart (retrieved October 4, 2026): a Biblical approach, family lessons for topic subjects, preschool described as informal for ages 3 and 4, overview-chart preschool and kindergarten science as informal outdoor play and math as informal math activities, living science and elementary arithmetic starting in grade 1, grade 12 science as an elective, and the overview running through grade 12. Simply Charlotte Mason’s store, A Pageant of History book bundle pages, and Geography Books Bundle page were retrieved October 17, 2026. BookShark’s worldview wording is from BookShark’s FAQ (retrieved October 3, 2026): it does not espouse or oppose any faith, and its science and history programs do not teach evolution, creationism, or intelligent design. Sonlight’s Christian positioning is taken from Sonlight’s own description of a Christ-centered, literature-based curriculum.
Full method is on our methodology page.
FAQ
Is Simply Charlotte Mason one boxed curriculum?
Not as one package with every subject and every book. For the school-age year you assemble family history and enrichment, plus math, science, and language arts for each child. Simply Charlotte Mason also sells many of the scheduled living books, including book bundles for each year of A Pageant of History and a Geography Books Bundle. Preschool and kindergarten are not that assembly, and grade 12 science is an elective. The total depends on how many children you have and which plans and books you choose.
What ages does Simply Charlotte Mason cover?
Simply Charlotte Mason’s overview chart runs from preschool through grade 12. Preschool, on their preschool page, is for three- and four-year-olds and is informal, and kindergarten is informal too. On that chart, preschool and kindergarten science are informal outdoor play, and math is informal math activities. Living science and elementary arithmetic start in grade 1. Grade 12 science is an elective. Match the grade page to your child before you buy individual studies.
Are Sonlight and BookShark Charlotte Mason?
No. Both are literature programs with Instructor’s Guides and shipped books. Sonlight is Christian. BookShark is faith-neutral and does not teach evolution, creationism, or intelligent design in science or history. Neither one is a Charlotte Mason lesson plan from Simply Charlotte Mason.
Are these open-and-go?
For planning, yes. The plan or guide tells you what to do next. For the parent’s day, no: you are still reading and teaching, which is medium parent time. Open-and-go is not unsupervised seatwork.
Does Simply Charlotte Mason include high school?
Yes. Their overview includes grades 9 through 12, with individual lessons and family lessons in the upper grades. It is still a homeschool plan you teach. It does not enroll your student in a school.