Homeschoolers come together in a community called TOS, and we are so much more than pages in a magazine! Join us and have all these things and more! Within each issue you’ll find amazing resources, candid interviews with business owners, glimpses into the routines of other homeschools, articles from the experts in homeschooling, as well as up-and-coming innovators helping our days run a little more smoothly. Find them all in our pages along with their insight, expertise, and honesty as we all homeschool together! Educational experience, edification, and excitement are available for you.

Act now and receive the Turning Points E-book ($12.45 value) with one-year new and renewal subscriptions (U.S. and Canada only), and the Turning Points

Turning Points E-Book text ($12.45 value):

Whether you're trying to get your bearings as you consider homeschooling or looking for encouragement to stay the course, you'll find both in this new E-Book from The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine.

Turning Points in Homeschooling offers ample support and incredible insight that will help answer many of the troublesome questions you may have.

When confronted with difficult decisions and circumstances, don't follow the pull of a worldly compass that will lead you off track. Instead, search for and follow what is authentic and true. Let God's Word be your compass, and be assured that you can trust His guidance for your family.

Schoolhouse Expo to Go text ($19.99 value):

Our first ever Schoolhouse Expo, held May 12-14, 2010, was a huge success! We had wonderful speakers, topics, free gifts, and door prizes that helped to bless and encourage attendees from around the world.

US 1-yr. subs - $9.95 + free E-book: Turning Points ($12.45 value)

Canadian 1-yr. subs - $9.95 + free E-book: Turning Points ($12.45 value)

US 2-yr. subs - $17.95 + free E-book: Turning Points ($12.45 value) and Expo To Go ($19.95 value)

Canadian 2-yr. subs - $17.95 + free E-book: Turning Points ($12.45 value) and Expo To Go ($19.95 value)

Have you caught the bug? If not, we invite you to!

This is no mealy bug or biting mosquito! It's the queen bee of a well-planned and "buzzing" homeschooling lifestyle: helping you to outline lesson plans, schedule activities, plan menus and shopping lists, stay within budget, inventory important household items, maintain school records, and much more.

We've caught this bug in the Schoolhouse Store, and you can catch it too. It's the organizing bug!

And it's spreading and swarming with organizing help and 27 amazing free gifts worth over $190!

From now until August 5, when you purchase The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner, you will receive 27 fabulous E-Books absolutely FREE--to help you plan fun, hands-on learning all through the homeschool year!

From now until midnight on August 5, you'll receive . . .

All 12 2008 Schoolhouse Planner modules and
our WeE-book™ Insect Bundle!

And there's more! Through August 15, you'll also receive . . .

All 12 2009 Schoolhouse Planner modules! In this un-bee-lievable package of gifts, you'll instantly download all 24 supplementary Planner modules designed to complement the 2008 and 2009 Schoolhouse Planners. These planner modules are mini unit studies centered on high-interest topics complete with an array of enjoyable activity pages, informational write-ups, engaging links, copywork pages, and more. Plus, the twelve 2009 modules have integrated high school content and the addition of lapbooking for your younger learners.

Hurry! At midnight on August 5, the 12 2008 Schoolhouse Planner modules and the WeE-book™ Insect Bundle are gone! At midnight on August 15, the 12 2009 Schoolhouse Planner modules are gone too!

Travel Kits Ebook by TOS - A Review

Product: Travel Kits - A Simple Way to Bless Others (An Ebook)

Price: $12.45

Author: Donna Rees

Where to Purchase: TOS

Age Range: For all ages

Other products by this author: TOS E-books

Brief Summary:
If you are planning a long car ride with young children, you might as well make it fun. Donna Rees has come up with a clever way to do just that. Make a travel kit. A travel kit is filled with gifts for each child to be given out at times that you determine. Sound intriguing? Read on for more details.

In-Depth Look:
Donna Rees encourages us to try out a simple way to bless others. It is called a Travel Kit. It is a way to make road trips just a little more fun for young children. Actually it could be used for all ages, but Donna mainly focuses on ideas for younger children.

You can make the kit as simple or extravagant as you choose. You can make it as "cheap" or expensive as you choose. You can make it for your children or use it as a way to bless another family. Put it together, wrap it up and hand it out at intervals that you determine.

Donna gives very detailed specifics. Ideas for girls and boys. Ideas about how to wrap the gifts and containers to put them in. Suggestions for when to hand them out. She gives suggestions about games, books, snacks and more. With this e-book you will be well-armed to make a travel kit of your own.

So, since we are going on a road trip to Boston next week, I set off to make a travel kit for my children. I have 3 girls: 11, 8, and 1. It is a 3-hour ride to Boston and my plan was to have them open a small gift every 15 minutes.

I went to the Dollar Store with the goal of getting a lot of gifts for a little bit of money. Mostly for the 2 older girls. I already had some age-appropriate items to entertain my youngest. So how did the shopping go? Well, it took longer than I expected. I spent about an hour in the store looking around for ideas. And it ended up costing $25 for a total of 12 bags each for my 11 and 8 year old daughters. It cost more than I expected. I had hoped to find more $1 items with multiple things inside that I could divvy them up between the girls. But I could have reduced the cost by spreading it out to every 30 minutes, instead of 15 minutes. Then I would have only needed 6 bags each, instead of 12.



I found the cutest paper lunch bags with Disney characters on them at the Disney Store. One set of Tinkerbell to put all of my 8yo daughter's gifts in. One set of Princesses to put all of my 11yo daughter's gifts in. I bagged everything up and numbered them. I bought them the exact same things to avoid arguments. I numbered them so that they would open the same thing at the same time, to avoid spoiling the surprise for the other sister.



I also printed out some activities from online, such as pre-printed sheets of Hangman and Tic-Tac-Toe. Printables are a great inexpensive way to entertain young children.




I put everything into a tote bag and set it aside for the big day. Once we got into the car, I told my girls about the surprise. They had no idea and were so excited. I handed them a package every 15 minutes. It was just little things...a pen and notepad, a few pieces of gum, an activity pad, etc. But each was a surprise, something to look forward to. My daughters enjoyed it not only because of the gifts, but because they kept telling us how much more quickly time was passing because of it.

It was a huge success. My daughters loved it and I loved doing it for them. It made the ride a pleasant experience for us all.

So would you like all the insider information on what to buy, how to package it, when to present it? Ideas for putting together a package for other families? Boy gifts, girl gifts, group gifts? Gifts for younger kids and older kids? Then check out this ebook by Donna Rees. She has so many excellent ideas and tips.

Check out my crew mates' reviews .

Disclaimer: I was asked to review this product as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. The above is just my opinion. Please remember that opinions may, and do, vary.

Travel the World - June 2010 Module (A Review)

Product: Travel the World - June 2010
Module to the 2009 Schoolhouse Planner

Age Range: My estimate is 3rd grade & up (includes high school supplements)

Price: $7.95

Owner: The Homeschool Magazine

Where to Purchase: TOS

Other Modules Available: TOS Planner Modules

Brief Summary:

Travel the World is a module study of the continents and the oceans, along with map skills. Various printables and online links help to increase understanding and retention. Lapbook resources are also included.

In-Depth Look:

I had no experience with the TOS Planner Modules. So, I didn't know what to expect. I looked it over a few days ago. It is such a neat idea. This module is called Travel the World and is a unit study of the continents and oceans.

TTW (Travel the World) begins with a brief definition of geography, some map skills and a short intro to the oceans.

Then it takes the student on a grand tour of the seven continents. Each section gives a little information about a continent. Within the sections are click-able links to definitions, more details, and online games.

For example, Australia has links to greater studies of Australia, Oceania, the Pacific Islands, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Outback. It also links up to an online game for memorizing the Australian Regions.

TTW includes some printable activities such as a Word Find, Word Scramble and Crossword Puzzle. I liked the very nice maps to label and color. The beginnings of a lapbook and also links to more ideas are listed. Copywork in both print and cursive are included.

An extra study is available for the high school level, with an introduction into mathematical, physical and political geography. A high school level word search and some recipes can be printed out.

Lots of online and TOS resources are included at the end, as well as the answer keys.

I was impressed with this unit study. How neat to have so many click-able links right in the text. Just read the lessons and click on any of the additional resources...definitions, in-depth articles, games, more e-books. Then print out the hands-on activities...Fill-in-the-Blanks, Rebus Puzzles, an Acrostic Poem. Later, decide if you would like to learn more and then check out all the additional resources listed at the end.

Below is an example of one of the copywork sheets.



Based on our experience and my impression of the module, I think the unit study would work nicely as a read-aloud for 3rd-5th grade. 6th grade and up should be able to work on it independently, delving deeper into all of the included links.

To read other crew members' reviews, click here.

Disclaimer: I received this ebook free of charge to review, as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. The above is just my opinion. Please remember that opinions may, and do, vary.

Psalm 141:3

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Before you SPEAK, you should THINK...
-Is it TRUE
-Is it HELPFUL
-Is it INSPIRING
-Is it NECESSARY
-Is it KIND