SchoolhouseTeachers.com: A PreK-12 Curriculum Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

When I first became a part of the Homeschool Review Crew, I was excited for the chance to try new different educational products and utilize my blog more, but I had no idea the kind of resources that were going to be at my fingertips.  After 4 years on the Crew, I feel like I have finally woken up to the full toolbox I have as a homeschool educator.  Between the village of experienced parents I can poll at any time and exciting products to try out, I have always felt in pretty good shape.  What I didn't completely appreciate was the vast options at my disposal through the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com that we are given every year as part of the Old Schoolhouse Magazine family.  It seems fitting then that our first curriculum review of the year would be of this amazing collection of all kinds of courses, planning materials, videos, and support for the homeschool family.

What We Received:

We were given a year membership - the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual  Membership - to Schoolhouseteachers.com.  This means that we are given one account that has full access to everything they offer for all of my children.  So, for my PreK, 1st and 3rd grade students as well as my husband and I, we can access curriculum and supporting materials at the appropriate level.  Or any level for that matter.  Sign language has always been something I have toyed around with and want my family to know so we pulled up the ASL Adventures course and tried it out, despite it being labeled for 6th-12th grade.

What It Includes:

Their newest slogan is 'Every Subject. Every Grade. Every Student.' that highlights their recent achievement of providing a complete curriculum for every grade level. That means Art, Bible, Computer, Drama, Electives, Language, Geography, Health, History, Language Arts, Math, Music, Science, Socials to start with.  For planning, they provide lesson planners, schedule builders, scope and sequence help, and record keeping with Applecore.  They provide a fantastic video library through RightNow Media with all kinds of Christian worldview videos.  One of the things we explored was The Slugs and Bugs Show from the creator of Veggie Tales.  Through silliness and songs, the characters discuss quality concepts that reinforce our faith.  It's been a big hit so far.

The videos weren't just for kids either.  The library seemed to cover all kinds of subjects from Christian Living, Leadership and Apologetics.

What We Thought:

One of the ways I love using SchoolhouseTeachers.com is for filling in gaps.  It's a great resource for handwriting practice sheets!  When I realize either I've missed a subject or something needs reinforcing, I can always find something to do the trick without having to buy anything extra.  Daily Grammar is one of the courses we used to review and reinforce some ideas that might have gotten lost along the way.  It's straightforward, effective and digital so of course reproducible too.  The more students you have, the more important that option becomes to you! For large families who are likely on a budget, a membership to Schoolhouseteachers.com becomes very cost effective when you consider how far it can go with various level students, parent and ministry support.

Keep Up With Schoolhouse Teachers on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SchoolhouseTeachers/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOSMag/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tosmag/ 

If you are new to homeschooling and would like to discover what other families thought of SchoolhouseTeachers.com, click on the picture below to read their reviews!

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.