Timberdoodle Curriculum Review: Is It Actually Worth It for Your Homeschool?

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If you’ve spent more than five minutes in a homeschool Facebook group, someone has probably mentioned Timberdoodle. Maybe you’ve drooled over their catalog, wondered if it’s just hype, or felt that familiar mix of excitement and sticker shock when you clicked over to their website. Same, friend. Same.

We’ve been homeschooling here in the Pensacola area for several years now, and I’ll be honest — I held off on Timberdoodle for a while. It felt like a lot of money for things I wasn’t sure we’d actually use. But after enough recommendations from mamas I trust, I finally ordered a kit, and I’ve got thoughts. Real ones.

Here’s my honest Timberdoodle curriculum review — the good, the “eh,” and the “we just didn’t need that.”

What Exactly Is Timberdoodle?

Timberdoodle is a family-owned homeschool curriculum company that builds grade-level kits for preschool through high school. What sets them apart is the curation — instead of a dry textbook approach, they pull together hands-on tools, manipulatives, art supplies, logic games, and living books into one cohesive package.

They also let you customize. You can build a full kit or just grab individual items. And if you’re using the Florida PEP Scholarship, Timberdoodle is an approved vendor — which is a huge win because that means you can use scholarship funds toward your purchase.

What We Actually Ordered (and Why)

We tried the Elementary kit for one of our kids who was in the K-1 range at the time. I customized it a bit — swapped out a couple of items and added a few things that aligned better with our Charlotte Mason approach.

Here’s what stood out:

The Hands-On Stuff Is Genuinely Good

Timberdoodle has a reputation for stocking quality manipulatives and thinking games, and that reputation is earned. The logic puzzles and spatial reasoning toys they include are the kind of thing my kids will pick up voluntarily — on a rainy afternoon, or while I’m out checking on the chickens. That’s the real test, honestly.

If your kids are the type who learn by touching, building, and doing (and most elementary kids are), this is where Timberdoodle really shines.

The Nature Study and Science Components

Okay, this is where my Charlotte Mason heart got genuinely excited. Timberdoodle regularly includes nature-forward science tools and resources. We’ve seen kits include things like a pocket microscope for close-up observation, bug collection kits, and art supplies that work beautifully alongside nature journaling.

We already do a lot of outdoor nature study — it’s one of our favorite parts of our homeschool day. (If you’re not doing nature journaling yet, go read How to Start Nature Journaling with Kids — it’s such a simple habit to build.) Timberdoodle’s science selections fit right into that rhythm without feeling forced or overly structured.

We also use a nature journal and Faber-Castell watercolors for nature sketching — and honestly, those are the kinds of supplies Timberdoodle tends to include or pair well with.

The Art Supplies and Creative Tools

Timberdoodle doesn’t skimp on quality here. They tend to include real art supplies — not the cheap stuff — which matters when you’re trying to give kids a genuine creative experience. This aligns so well with the Charlotte Mason philosophy of giving children access to beautiful, quality materials.

What I Customized or Swapped Out

Here’s where I’ll be real with you: not everything in a Timberdoodle kit will be a perfect fit for every family. And that’s okay — they actually make it pretty easy to swap things out.

Language Arts: We use All About Reading for phonics and reading, and we’re happy with it. So I swapped out the reading component in our kit. Same goes for handwriting — we prefer Handwriting Without Tears for our kids, so we skipped whatever handwriting was in the original kit.

Math: We’re Math-U-See people, full stop. If Timberdoodle includes a math component that doesn’t match our approach, I just remove it. The kit customization feature makes this easy.

The point is — Timberdoodle works best when you treat it like a starting point, not a rigid prescription. Customize it to fit your family’s actual approach.

Is It Charlotte Mason Compatible?

This is the question I get asked most, and the honest answer is: mostly yes, with some caveats.

Timberdoodle leans hands-on and creative, which fits naturally with Charlotte Mason ideals. They value living books, real experiences, and quality materials. You won’t find a lot of workbook-heavy drill-and-kill in their kits.

That said, Charlotte Mason purists might find some components too structured or might want to supplement more heavily with living books, narration, and free outdoor time. If you’re deep into Ambleside Online or a similar CM framework, check out my Ambleside Online Honest Review to see how I think about layering resources.

For our family, Timberdoodle fills in the tools and enrichment layer really well — it’s not our entire curriculum framework, but it adds a lot of value to what we’re already doing.

What About the Price?

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Timberdoodle kits are not cheap. Depending on the grade level and customization, you’re looking at several hundred dollars.

Here’s how I think about it:

• If you’re on the Florida PEP Scholarship, this becomes much more manageable. Timberdoodle is an approved vendor, so you can use those funds directly. That changes the math considerably.
• Quality over quantity. The items in Timberdoodle kits tend to be things that last and actually get used — not cheap filler that ends up in a closet.
• Resale value. A lot of what they include can be resold after your kids outgrow it.

For our family, it passed the “is this worth it” test — but I also didn’t use it as our sole curriculum. It’s a supplement and enrichment layer, not our entire school year in a box.

The Bottom Line: Who Is Timberdoodle Best For?

Timberdoodle is a great fit if you:

• Want hands-on, creative, quality materials without hunting everything down yourself
• Have a nature-based or Charlotte Mason-leaning homeschool
• Are using the Florida PEP Scholarship and want an easy approved-vendor purchase
• Like the idea of a curated kit but want the flexibility to customize

It might not be the right fit if you:

• Are already fully committed to a complete all-in-one curriculum
• Are on a very tight budget with no scholarship assistance
• Prefer a more traditional, textbook-based approach

Overall? We’ve genuinely enjoyed what we’ve gotten from Timberdoodle, and I’d order from them again. The quality is real, the curation is thoughtful, and for a Charlotte Mason family that loves hands-on learning — it just fits.

If you want to browse their full catalog and see what’s available for your child’s grade level, their website makes it easy to build or customize a kit. I’d also recommend checking Rainbow Resource as a companion source for any living books or supplemental materials you want to add.

We’re always finding new ways to make our homeschool feel more like childhood and less like school — and honestly, Timberdoodle helps with that. Whether we’re out in the backyard sketching the chickens in our nature journals or working through a logic puzzle at the kitchen table, the goal is always the same: real learning, real childhood, real life.

Hope this helps, friend. Come find me over on Instagram if you have questions — I’m always happy to chat curriculum.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• Charlotte Mason Daily Schedule for Elementary Ages: What Actually Works for Our Family
• Charlotte Mason History Curriculum Honest Review: What Actually Works for Our Family
• Charlotte Mason Narration Activities by Grade: What Actually Works at Each Stage

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Timberdoodle curriculum worth the money?

For most hands-on, nature-based homeschool families, yes — especially if you’re using the Florida PEP Scholarship, which covers Timberdoodle as an approved vendor. The quality of materials is high, and most items actually get used. That said, it works best as a curated supplement or partial kit rather than a complete curriculum for families with a strong existing framework.

Is Timberdoodle compatible with Charlotte Mason homeschooling?

Mostly yes. Timberdoodle leans hands-on, creative, and away from heavy workbook-style learning, which aligns well with Charlotte Mason values. You may want to customize the kit to swap in living books, nature journaling components, and remove anything too structured — but the overall philosophy fits well with CM families.

Can I use the Florida PEP Scholarship to buy from Timberdoodle?

Yes! Timberdoodle is an approved vendor for the Florida PEP (Personal Education Program) Scholarship. This makes it much more accessible for Florida homeschool families, since you can apply your scholarship funds directly toward a kit purchase.

Can I customize a Timberdoodle kit to remove things I don’t need?

Absolutely — and this is one of Timberdoodle’s best features. Their website allows you to build a custom kit, remove components that don’t fit your curriculum approach, and add individual items. So if you already use Math-U-See or All About Reading, you can simply swap those out and only pay for what you’ll actually use.

What grade levels does Timberdoodle offer curriculum kits for?

Timberdoodle offers kits from preschool all the way through high school. Their elementary kits are particularly popular and well-reviewed for the K-5 age range, which is where most Charlotte Mason and nature-based homeschool families find them most useful.