Mixing It Up with SchoolhouseTeachers.com

When a homeschooling family's life gets complicated, there is likely to be some improvising.  This past month or so I had the opportunity to review the Yearly Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com and it came at the perfect time!  With a surprise move followed by holidays galore, routine and regular schooling was difficult at best.  Getting to explore brand new (to us) videos and classes provided a fun way to continue some schooling when we were really out of sorts!

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is the curriculum site for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and provides some extensive resources for anything homeschooling related.  Seriously, ANYTHING.  One of the first places I explored was the Planners & Resources section.  I always enjoy another planner option!  There are 6 different planners, including a special needs option and various school age options.  While that was the initial draw for me, the planners were only a small portion of that section.  Encouragement articles, Recordkeeping, Meal Planning help and the list continues.  With the choice to homeschool permeating every aspect of your life (whether you like it or not!), I appreciate how much this website is a resource  for more than just curriculum.  It can be pretty frustrating to me how interdependent all the aspects of managing a household and homeschooling become on each other - like choosing between laundry and lesson planning because the exhaustion won't allow for both - and so often the biggest hurdle isn't finding just the right curriculum, but perhaps just managing life is.  I'm newer to this lifestyle, but it is clear that the authors of this website know the complexity of a homeschooler's life and are trying to fill needs as they can.  I like that.

In the List of Lists section!

In my life and now in my children's lives, nature and the outdoors is a really significant aspect of our lives.  As an extension of that and my awareness of kids' needs to run and play, screen time is kept at a minimum around our house.  When it has come to making choices about curriculum, I've been very proactive in not contracting my kids learning time out to the computer or ipad on a regular basis.  An internet based homeschooling resource is by nature going to have screen-heavy options and depending on how I used the resource as a whole, that certainly isn't something I love about it.  Still, the video series, From Aardvark to Zucchini, from the Letters, Shapes, Numbers and Animals class was a really neat change of pace for my preschooler and kindergartner.  The videos combined learning about the alphabet with talking about prayer.  I appreciated the positive messages that are often hard to come by these days.

Coloring Abraham Lincoln

There are, of course, many non-video resources available. ABC with Me highlights a different person in history for every letter of the alphabet and provides some activities, along with good information on their life.  We had a fun while totally random conversation about Abraham Lincoln after trying out the first lesson.  Everyday Easels and Elementary Art are two classes that I ended up not having time to really invest in, but am going to make a part of our ongoing work.  Since I'm a music person, focusing on art is probably one of my weak areas.  These lessons are very straightforward, but rich in research and history at the same time!  It makes them a fantastic supplemental resource.

All in all, SchoolhouseTeachers.com is a great companion for the homeschooling family.  Whether you are in need of a whole subject curriculum, just a little extra help in an area or ready to mix it up entirely, all the various options are a valuable asset. There's just no way to plan or prepare for everything in each child's educational journey, but having a group of resources like SchoolhouseTeachers.com all in one spot can really fill in those gaps.  

As a part of this review, from now until January 31st you can purchase a 1 Year Subscription for 50% off with the coupon code: CREWFOLLOWER.

Taking Home With You {A Homespun Holidays Review}

This past week, my husband and I decided to buy a new house.  Though we have considered this move for years, the real life expectation was not for another 6 months at least and as a result, our entire household has erupted into a blind tizzy.  It has certainly pushed me into protective mama bear mode, looking for ways to draw us together in the midst of the biggest change my children have ever seen.  Days before all of this I had prepared to write a review for the Schoolhouse Review Crew considering the ebook Homespun Holidays:Fall and Winter from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and suddenly it became clear.  While the holidays would not be normal this year because we would be packing around Thanksgiving and moving right before Christmas, we especially needed to draw close to each other - not necessarily a house or location.  Whatever home has come to mean to us, we needed to find ways to take it with us outside of any walls.

As the title suggests, this book is full of fall and winter holiday ideas and resources for your family.  The information has been separated into Fall and Winter sections and further divided into Fun or Food.  Even within that there are a variety of options like crafts, traditions, books, recipes, menus and even some advice for when not to cook!  This collection of ideas comes from several TOS staff members and includes their printable holiday recipes at the close of the book.  Since I will be emptying the contents of my current home in the midst of a usually house-focused and traditional time of the year, I decided to pay extra attention to the family-centered suggestions the book offered in an attempt to fill in the gaps my holiday season is likely to have.

One writer turned the annual burden of leaf raking into a working family tradition with a yummy reward in Family Leaf Raking Day.  With all of the packing and moving we have to do, I am turning the daunting task into another Tree House Adventure, where we are all participating and celebrating together. I see Gingerbread Pancakes or Peppermint Cocoa in our future!

As a homeschooling family, a new house is also a new school building.  Change is hard for everyone, but my 2 year old and 5 year old are especially vulnerable to confusion or difficult-to-communicate emotions.   Even as adults, when things are different, we tend to focus on what's bad or 'just not the same'. So, for the week of Thanksgiving, we are going to use the "I'm Thankful for You" Treat Bags idea (kind of like Valentine boxes) to appreciate each other and the blessings God has allowed us.

There were a few holiday traditions that were not new or revolutionary. Some things I already try to do,  like decorating the front porch for fall. Some activities I don't see as particularly valuable, like a few of the crafts are out-dated or just not that exciting.  Still, it is a neat compilation of many of the things that characterize this fun time of year!

When you choose to homeschool, there are many extra responsibilities you take on, whether you realize it or not.  Your home provides the main source of routine and consistency, even if it is inconsistent.  This packed little book has drawn my attention to all the ways holiday traditions can create consistency in the middle of changes.  We are creating a home - not just a house - that will go with us wherever we may be.