Campfire Curriculums vs. Gather Round: Which Christian Unit Study Is Best?

If you hang around Christian homeschool circles for more than five minutes, two names almost always pop up in the same breath: Campfire Curriculums and Gather Round Homeschool. And it makes sense—both are Christian, both use the unit study method, and both promise to save your sanity by letting you teach multiple kids at once.

But… which one is actually worth your time, energy, and printer ink?

Let’s break it down in a fun (and hopefully not too worksheet-heavy) way.

First Things First: What’s the Unit Study Method?

Picture this: instead of doing math, language arts, science, and history as separate boxes to tick, you tie them all together under one theme.

Studying volcanoes?

• Math: calculate lava flow speeds.

• Reading/Language Arts: write an eyewitness account of Mount Vesuvius erupting.

• Science: make your own vinegar + baking soda explosion in the kitchen (bonus points if it gets all over Dad’s work laptop).

That’s the unit study method in a nutshell—take one topic and weave it across subjects.

It’s hands-on, it’s immersive, and it keeps your kids learning together instead of splintered off into separate grade-level books.

No wonder unit studies have a loyal following.

And that’s exactly why Campfire and Gather Round get compared so often: they’re two of the biggest names in this style of learning.

The Big Similarities

Let’s be fair—these two curricula do have a lot in common:

• Both are Christian. They bring Jesus and the gospel front and center.

• Both use unit studies. You pick a topic, then every subject branches out from there.

• Both allow multi-age teaching. You can sit down with your preschooler, your middle schooler, and your high schooler and go through the same lesson together. (This is huge for large families!)

• Both offer digital and printed formats. You can order pretty, bound books or grab cheaper PDFs you can reprint forever.

So if you want a gospel-centered, family-style homeschool program, both Campfire and Gather Round check the box.

Price Point: “Pretty Similar,” But Tricky to Compare

Here’s where things get interesting.

Comparing prices is a little like comparing Starbucks drinks—depends what extras you add in.

• Campfire’s phonics and reading program runs about $200 USD.

• Gather Round’s Letters + Numbers bundle runs about $200–240 USD.

So yes, they’re pretty similar but not exactly the same.

Both also sell one-off units(holiday or mini-units), which range in price depending on subject and length.

👉 And Campfire and Gather Round also both sell shorter, week-long units (like their Christmas units). If you’re buying several of these, costs can add up quickly—especially if you were hoping it could replace a core all-in-one curriculum.

The silver lining?

PDFs can be kept forever and reprinted for multiple kids, which makes these curriculums a lot more affordable if you’ve got a house full of learners.

Gather Round: The Good and the Not-So-Good

Gather Round is probably the more “famous” of the two—it’s everywhere on Instagram, with moms sharing glossy photos of kids sitting around the table doing themed units.

What people love about Gather Round:

• It’s family-friendly and covers a wide range of themes (dinosaurs, space, human body, you name it).

• Units typically take 4–5 weeks to complete.

• Strong Christian worldview with plenty of Scripture references.

• Printable PDFs mean you can scale it for multiple kids.

But here’s where some parents hesitate:

• Gather Round can be worksheet heavy. Some love the structure; others feel their kids lose interest.

• Many say it works better as a supplement than as a full curriculum. If you tried to cover your whole homeschool with just Gather Round, you’d need several units per year, and some subjects might not be fully covered to everyone’s satisfaction.

• A mom I heard from said she bought a unit study during a sale on impulse and regretted it. Her words: “It’s a good supplement if you’re interested in a theme, but not a good replacement for all subjects besides math to me.”

So Gather Round shines as a fun, flexible program—just don’t expect it to carry the whole homeschool year on its own.

Campfire Curriculums: Stronger Academics, Quirky Topics

Campfire takes a slightly different angle.

It’s written by a homeschool dad and tends to be a little more in-depth than Gather Round but with fewer worksheets. For example, they often sell shorter units on unique themes like Home Defense or Natural Medicine.

What parents love about Campfire:

• It’s often described as more academically solid and thoughtfully written than Gather Round.

• Families say they retain more information with Campfire—less busywork, more deep learning.

• It’s open-and-go. No massive prep required—you can pick it up where you left off, which is a lifesaver for busy moms.

• Quirky themes make learning fun. One mom said:

  “We did the Home Defense unit and it was very informative. We learned lots of good tips, and there were activities that really got you thinking about how secure your home is. It’s open and go, and you can pick it up where you left off when you have time. I also have the Natural Medicine unit, but we haven’t used it yet.”

Where it falls short:

• People who want lots of worksheets didn’t like this one; also, it’s good if your kids want to take notes; not great if they don’t.

• Just like Gather Round, people don’t always think it measures up to a complete stand-alone curriculum. You may feel that you need a spine program or that some core subjects are covered elsewhere. Some parents are okay with it, though, and say they don’t supplement it.

Worksheets vs. Retention

One of the biggest dividing lines is how kids actually interact with the lessons.

• Gather Round = more worksheets. Structured, predictable, but for some families, a bit dry.

• Campfire = fewer worksheets, more hands-on, and many families say the kids remember more.

So ask yourself: does your child thrive with check-the-box workbook style?

Or do they absorb more when it’s discussion and activity-based?

That answer alone might push you toward one or the other.

Multi-Age Learning: Why Moms Love These Programs

Let’s circle back to the biggest selling point: teaching all your kids together.

I can’t stress enough how huge this is.

Imagine trying to juggle a preschooler’s alphabet, a middle schooler’s essay, and a high schooler’s biology project—all before your coffee’s gone cold.

With Gather Round or Campfire, you read one lesson, then let each kid work at their own level.

Your 6-year-old might color, your 12-year-old writes a summary, and your teen dives into the deeper questions.

That alone makes these curricula attractive, even if you still need to supplement with math or phonics.

Which One Is “Better”?

Okay, here’s the million-dollar question.

• Gather Round is great if you like structure, longer themed units, and don’t mind worksheets.

• Campfire is great if you want stronger academics, quirky short units, and kids who retain more without drowning in busywork.

For me?

Campfire comes out on top. It just feels more polished and engaging.

But—and this is a big but—I don’t think either one works perfectly as a full curriculum.

They’re amazing supplements, and they can absolutely make learning fun, but most moms I talk to still need an all-in-one curriculum as the foundation.

Why Not Use Both?

Here’s a little secret: you don’t actually have to pick just one.

Many families use Campfire and Gather Round together because they complement each other so well.

• Gather Round gives you those longer, structured units with plenty of worksheets.

• Campfire brings in shorter, quirky, hands-on studies that kids remember.

Used side by side, you get the best of both worlds: structure and creativity, worksheets and retention.

It’s like peanut butter and jelly—good on their own, but way better when you smoosh them together.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, both Gather Round and Campfire Curriculums do what they promise:

• They point kids to Jesus.

• They bring families together.

• They make learning immersive and fun.

If you want a Christian unit study to spice up your homeschool, either one will work—it just depends whether you want structured worksheets or more open-ended, thought-provoking activities.

But if you’re like me and want a curriculum that doesn’t leave you scrambling to plug gaps, check out my list of all-in-one Christian homeschool programs moms actually love.