His Treasure Seekers

I love online resources.  They’re convenient, easy to search through, and best of all, they don’t take up any extra space on my bookshelves.  So I was excited at the chance to review a Yearly Membership Option with SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a subscription website run by The Old Schoolhouse that provides online resources for multiple aspects of home education.  (If you’re not already familiar with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, I would encourage you to check it out.  You can read the current digital issue for free online!)

There is a wide variety of content on the SchoolhouseTeachers.com for everyone from toddlers to parents and every age in between. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for by browsing through using the grade levels headings.

My little ones were fascinated by the animated e-books in the Children’s Story Corner (our computer is hooked up to the television so they could watch as Ian clicked on the interactive features).  I started going through the class in Charlotte Mason Homeschooling from the Teacher Lesson Archives in the Library. (I love that there are classes for me!)

Lessons are available in core subjects like reading, math, and history as well as unique electives such as classical archeology and violin.  When my boys get a little older, I know they’ll love the “Tinker’s Club” that teaches about things like engines and mechanical gizmos.  You could use the site as the source for your entire curriculum if you wanted.  I tend to be a bit more eclectic, however, so I like that I can pull bits and pieces to supplement what we’re already doing.  I do a lot of planning from scratch, but as I look over all that is on SchoolhouseTeachers.com, I know I’ll be taking advantage of the lessons already put together by others.  For example, I went to the “Schoolhouse Preschool” and quickly found some fun holiday activities in include in our Advent celebration.  After the holidays, I’m looking forward to using the literature units that go along with some of our favorite books.

I was impressed by how many types of resources the site offers.  I expected helpful ideas and lesson plans to use with my kids (and there are those in abundance, especially in the archives), however there is a lot more to the site than just curriculum.

• Downloadable/printable planners that are full of great information specifically geared toward homeschool parents and students at different levels
• Video and audio recordings of past The Schoolhouse EXPO online conference sessions (It’s like having a homeschool conference on demand at home!)
• E-books containing curriculum, encouragement, and informational reading for students (12 new books available after each month of membership over the first year)
• Certificate and awards gallery with templates you can personalize and print out to help celebrate your child’s achievements
• Access to past issues of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
• Members are also eligible for discounts many other homeschool resources through the TOS Family Discounts Program (including a free membership to Apple Core, an online course tracking program to help you keep records of your child’s education from preschool all the way through high school)

Although I was a little overwhelmed at first by how much I found, it only took a few days to begin to feel more at home on the site.  The Yearly Membership Option ($139) gives you access to all that I’ve talked about and so much more.  To read what other Crew members had to say about SchoolhouseTeachers.com, visit the Crew website or click on the banner below!