Getting Started with Hearth & Story Complete 5th Grade

A big welcome to those who are using Hearth & Story Complete 5th Grade in their homeschools this year! We've pulled together some tips and resources to help you and your student have the best possible year.

Below are a few tips and tricks to help you get started.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases of linked items.

Supplies

You will need the following books to complete this level:

• Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd

• Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

• The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

• The Giver by Lois Lowry

Printing

Some families print their Hearth & Story curriculum at home, while others use one of the homeschool-focused printing companies. We strongly recommend printing in color.

If you're looking for a quality color inkjet printer that doesn't use up too much ink, we recommend the Epson Ecotank. In our house, we were able to print two full grade levels of Hearth & Story plus many other items without running out of ink!

If you want to kick it up a notch and buy a color laser printer for your homeschool, we recommend this Brother version.

Setting Up

Here's a quick video showing one way to set up your Hearth & Story binder. However, families have used many different organizational systems with great success!

Here's one more video about the "Book Rules" project in Fifth Grade Brain Food.

Optional But Awesome

Homeschool Art: We’ve partnered with Soul Sparklettes Art, the creators of the beloved Glitterbombers art membership, to bring Hearth & Story’s literature, poetry, and short stories to life in the most colorful way imaginable.

Students using Glitterbombers for their art curriculum will:

• Paint a watercolor whale while reading The Last Mapmaker

• Apply a painting technique inspired by Brazilian artist Clara Cristina to design a multicolored songbird while reading “The Nightingale”

• Learn about the Sami people and Sami artist John Savio while designing reindeer art and reading the poem "Winter Time"

• And much more!

Learn more about Glitterbombers membership plans and sign up by clicking here. (Disclosure: If you sign up through our link, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Hearth & Story!)

Homeschool Music: For your homeschool music class, we recommend online piano lessons from Hoffman Academy. We started using Hoffman Academy way when back when it was still just a YouTube channel! What began with free online lessons later grew into a full music curriculum perfect for homeschooling. The free lessons are great, and the premium membership adds printable sheet music, music theory, and practice games that turn short daily lessons into a full curriculum.

If you’ve been thinking about adding piano to your homeschool, we can’t recommend it enough! You can use the coupon code LEARN for 10% off Hoffman Academy Premium, and if you sign up through our link, you’ll help support our small family business too.

Any Questions?

The families in our private Facebook group are incredibly helpful and kind! Feel free to drop a question there. We love seeing everyone's gorgeous artwork and delicious food creations, too!

Happy Homeschooling!