A Journey Through Culture, Science, and Real Stories
Step into the rhythms, challenges, and beauty of life in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This unit immerses your family in the vibrant culture of the Caribbean—where microbiology meets mango trees, ecology blends with coral reefs, and pirate history crashes into present-day island life. (Best paired with our Pirates of the Caribbean unit—but totally optional!)
Walk alongside real locals through stories that span generations, including the tale of a Swiss immigrant who helped transform the landscape with his bare hands. Explore the science behind island ecosystems, see what it’s like to live in the culture, uncover the truth behind pirate legends, and reflect on the complexities of life in a place where natural beauty meets real-world struggle.
This isn’t a surface-level tour—it’s a deep, respectful exploration of what it truly means to be an islander.
This is an Extra Large Mini Unit, designed for the whole family to use together, whether you have one student or many. It includes 6 flexible lessons, typically stretched over 2 – 4 weeks (depending on your pace).
Most families complete 6–8 regular full units per year. Think of this unit like a single “mini chapter” in a year-long curriculum.
This isn’t one-lesson-per-day curriculum. Each lesson may span multiple days. You set the rhythm.
Every unit is delivered as a PDF digital download, so you can start instantly. Prefer a printed book? You can get that, too! Want to understand all your print options? Flip to the “Print or Digital” page in our BROCHURE for a full breakdown of how to access print copies.
There are digital guidebooks:
- Early Learner Guidebook (pre-reader to 1st grade) – Designed to keep little hands busy and minds engaged while older students go deeper.
- Growing + Advanced Combo Guidebook (elementary through adult) – Some of our units include a Combo Guidebook, which merges the Growing and Advanced versions into one seamless file. It’s easier for families to use (less to manage, same amount of content). Don’t worry; nothing’s missing. The price is the same because the content is the same… just organized more efficiently.
This is intentionally designed to mimic higher-level education and real-world learning. You won’t find a separate teacher’s manual or student workbook because we don’t believe in busywork. Instead, each guidebook is written directly to the student (and the parent learning alongside) with real instruction, interactive prompts, and a flow that mirrors real-life, higher-level learning.
You’ll see natural cues like “Do this now,” “Write this in your notebook,” and “Pause to discuss,” built right into the lesson. Students learn through notebooking, narration, dictation, and hands-on exploration—no pre-planning required. It might feel different at first. That’s because it is… and it’s intentional.
Included is a Core Connections Companion, which dives deeper into academics across subjects, specifically integrating with the main unit topic. This is how you cover all your core subjects except math. That includes history, science, language arts, geography, art, and more. For transcript and syllabus help, see the links directly above.
Campfire encourages students to think deeply, not just check boxes. That means we don’t ask for rote answers; we ask for reflection, connection, and real understanding. For students used to worksheet-style learning, this can come as a shift. You might notice a transition phase as their brain adjusts to a higher level of engagement, and that’s part of the growth.
Some younger learners (especially ages 6–8) may need extra support or time. It depends on the child. If your student is used to rich read-alouds and open discussion, they may jump right in. Others might benefit from starting with just the Early Learner Guidebook or waiting for Campfire until they’re ready for more independent thinking.
We’ve seen some 7-year-olds fall in love with it. Others needed to wait until 9 to tackle everything comfortably. You know your child best, and this curriculum gives you the freedom to meet them right where they are.
Each unit includes access to our private LINKS page with videos, supply lists, book lists, and bonus resources—everything pre-screened and organized for easy use. Some units also have optional MP3 add-ons for auditory learners.
PAGE COUNT:
ISLAND LIFE: 80 (GROWING/ADVANCED), 23 (EARLY LEARNER), 45 (CORE CONNECTIONS)
PIRATES: 48 (GROWING/ADVANCED), 15 (EARLY LEARNER)
RELEASED: 2020, 2024
Brettani Shannon (verified owner) –
Campfire Curriculum is our first ever unit study. I had heard the concept and really wanted to try it. I was initially sold on CC as an effort to get away from busy-work. Ready to get away from worksheets and shallow experiences, I was looking for a way to choose interest-led learning without going the distance of an “unschooler.” The guidance you provide in your video to allow your student to choose the subject and not caring what order they go in felt like a perfect balance of interest-led free choice with structure and guidance. The “open and go” plan, core connections for Language, science and social studies made this the perfect fit for me. I looked through the CC shop with my child and she wanted to do all of the units! It just so happened that we chose “The Real Pirates of the Caribbean” first and I am so glad we did! I was surprised to see that this unit did not have the core connections, but that turned out to be perfect. It was a wonderful soft start into unit studies. It is so engaging! The story and content are balanced, thought provoking, and so beautifully written that I feel inspired as a writer! The conversation questions (some around social issues) have been thought provoking for both of us. I asked my child every day what was her favorite part of the day (and we did a lot of fun things) and every day, it was “pirates!” Truth be told, it was my favorite part of the day as well! Let me tell you a bit more about that…
One of the reasons I wanted to homeschool is how tortuous school morning are in our house. My child is so hard to get up and moving in the morning. We spent most days last year crying on the way to school. She loved school once she was there and had a positive experience, but mornings were taxing on our relationship. She loves reading, so I had the idea that waking her up with a cup of tea and snuggles on the couch with some good reading material would be a positive change. We opened up “The Real Pirates of the Caribbean” on day one and fell in love. Day two, my daughter asked if I would wake her up early for “pirates.” I was planning on doing CC 3 days a week, but she wants to wake up to it 7 days a week! This unit study literally turned my child into a morning person (and has consequently been a blessing to our family dynamic that is beyond measure).
We are onto “Island Life” and “Through the lens of a Photographer”‘ now and loving it them both as well. The “Cool Teacher Moments” are really great. And I have seen God work in such sweet little ways through it, confirming that this is the right choice for us. CC will permanently be at the core of our homeschool journey.