Unbox Next Year With Me | Homeschool Curriculum Haul for the New School Year!

Naturally, after all the effort it takes to plan and purchase homeschool materials for a new school year, you have to unbox them, right? Welcome back to Making Everyday Magic. If you’re new here, hi! I’m Shanna, a homeschool mom of two, and we’re just wrapping up our eighth year of homeschooling. Today, we’re diving into a big moment in our annual tradition—Unbox Next Year With Me!

Each year, around this time, I like to give you a peek inside what we’ve ordered, how we’re prepping, and what’s changing as we head into a brand new homeschool season. It’s our homeschool curriculum haul, and yes, it’s as fun as it sounds.

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Why We Love to Unbox Next Year Together

There’s something incredibly exciting about cracking open those boxes of fresh curriculum. New books, new ideas, new possibilities—it’s the homeschool equivalent of back-to-school shopping with no long lines or overly perfumed aisles. This year, our Unbox Next Year With Me moment feels a little different: fewer boxes, more intention, and a solid reflection of how much we’ve grown in eight years of homeschooling.

What’s Inside: Our 2025-2026 Homeschool Curriculum Haul

Let’s start with the big names you know and love. We’ve got goodies from Timberdoodle, Royal Fireworks Press, a few gems from Barnes & Noble, some great finds on Amazon, and upcoming plans to order from LEGO Education. We’re also diving deeper into amazing secular resources like Crash Course Black American History and the new Crash Course Native American History—both supported by printable study guides from Teachers Pay Teachers.

Here’s a quick overview of what’s in our homeschool curriculum haul this year:

🔹 For Our 8th Grader:

• The complete Michael Clay Thompson Level 5 Language Arts set from Royal Fireworks Press

• The Word Within the Word, The Magic Lens, and Advanced Academic Writing

• Readers, practice poetry, and the full instructional guides

• From Amazon: Murdle Volume 2

• From Timberdoodle:

  • Graphic Shakespeare, Asteroid Escape, and The Usborne Creative Writing Book

  • Color Scheme

  • A few creative and hands-on supplements just for fun

🔹 For Our 4th Grader:

• Caesar’s English I and Practice Town (Michael Clay Thompson Level 2)

• Evan-Moor:  Animals 10–11

• Murdle Junior – a Barnes & Noble exclusive

• From Timberdoodle:

  • Titanic and Wolf Stone Carving Kit

  • Panda Pickagram & Cards, My Crazy Invention Sketchbook

  • Skill Sharpeners Geography Level 4, Write and Draw Your Own Comics, and Math-U-See Epsilon

It might not seem like a lot, especially when I remember the 89-pound Timberdoodle haul from just a few years back (yes, really). But this year’s “less” is very much a “more.” We’ve pared down to what truly fits our needs, our space, and our family’s rhythm.

A Transition in Homeschooling

This year marks a big shift for us. Our youngest is heading into 4th grade, and our oldest is in 8th—which means no more tiny homeschoolers. We’re moving out of the early years and into the thick of upper-level work. As our family grows and our learning evolves, so does our curriculum haul. Fewer items, but more intentionality.

That’s why Unbox Next Year With Me has become such a special tradition. It’s a reflection not just of what we’re teaching, but how we’re teaching and why we’re choosing the resources we do.

What’s Still Coming

You’ll notice we haven’t yet ordered our LEGO Education resources, and we’re also holding off on Denison Geometry to get the most out of our subscription timing. If you’re curious about either, just let me know—I’m happy to share those when they arrive.

Also, I’ll be featuring some mid-to-upper level secular history options and amazing language arts finds soon. Spoiler alert: David at History For The Ages and Lindsay Sodano’s secular curriculum, Hearth & Story, might make an appearance. Huge fans here!

Want a Closer Look?

If anything in this Unbox Next Year With Me haul caught your eye and you’d like a deeper peek, don’t be shy. I love diving into the details and showing you how these resources really work in our homeschool. Just drop a comment or message me over on Instagram @makingeverydaymagic.

Let’s Chat: What’s in Your Boxes?

Scroll down and let me know—how many boxes (or pounds!) of homeschool goodies are landing on your doorstep this year? I would love to know I’m not the only one who mayyyyybe gets a little overexcited when ordering for the new year.

Wrapping It Up

So that’s our 2025–2026 homeschool haul. It’s tidy, intentional, and totally us. I hope this Unbox Next Year With Me post helped you feel inspired, reassured, or maybe just entertained. Remember, there’s no one right way to homeschool. Whether you’re hauling in 89 pounds of books or just a few PDFs, it’s all part of the adventure.