As the mom and teacher in our homeschool, when I need inspiration, I turn to Pinterest and Google. These two sites hold a goldmine of ideas and information. If they got married and had a baby, it would be The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Having never read the magazine before, I am absolutely blown away by the amount of helpful and surprisingly necessary information I found between the covers. Although it is written primarily for moms, I see why it is called the family education magazine. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is a monthly, worldwide, digital publication that offers copious amounts of good information, ideas and encouragement for free. Yes, you read that correctly- it’s free.
Because the magazine is digital, you can access it from a multitude of devices. It is available on Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Android and Nook. Find and download the app you need at http://TOSAppls.com. If you are wanting to read the latest issue from your computer, you can access it directly at TOS Magazine.com .
Within the first few pages of the magazine you will find a “Homeschool Faculty” page that includes a picture and bio for every writer and columnist; I thought that was neat. The “From the Reader” section is evidence that these articles are not flippantly written but are prayed over. The authors obviously seek God’s guidance in what they write. You will find testimony after testimony from readers saying how much they have been blessed by the magazine and some who knew certain articles were “written for them”.
What articles interested/impacted me the most in the November/December Issue?
She gave a great reminder that we don’t public school at home, we homeschool! Our day will not or in my opinion, should not look like a brick and mortar school day. It’s okay if we don’t get to everything. We do not need to sit at the same table, or a table at all for that matter, to have school. Jennifer reminded me of our own homeschool. We use an eclectic curriculum with some Charlotte Mason mixed in. We have school indoors and outside, at the Children’s Museum and the park. Yes, I’m that mom, “We spent the afternoon at the park. Science, nature, social studies, gym... check!”
Learning to have Silence and Solitude by Sheila Campbell
Sheila is a woman after my own heart. She pinpoints something most homeschool moms and families deal with- too much media and technology in our children’s lives. In our home, we don’t watch TV that often nor do the kids spend enormous amounts of time at the computer. There is a time and place for technology, of course. I am so thankful for Netflix; it has so much to offer the homeschooling community! Over the years I have come to realize there is no need for background noise; it’s okay to hear yourself think. We moms need silence from time to time. How else will we hear God speak? In the same way, children need silence. Something Sheila said that really stood out was, “Filling their minds with information is an essential part of learning, but children also need time to develop their own thoughts and to become comfortable with silence.”
Can we TEACH Godly Character? By Jessica Hulcy
As homeschool parents we put so much into our children. We plan and prepare their schoolwork, protect them as much as we can from the outside world, pray for them and their future, hold family bible study and much, much more. We pray that they will grow to be Godly men and women. We try to teach them Godly Character but are we getting through? I have tried several different Character Studies and have let every single one fall to the wayside. Some were not a good fit for our family while others just took too long. Jessica had one piece of advice that was so obvious yet I had never done it. Define the trait. Define the characteristic according to God and in terms you know the kids will understand. She writes this, “Kids will listen but they may not understand if they are not on the same page with the same definition.” Why have I never thought of that?
Other Topics included in some of the other articles:
- Preparing for college
- The history of traditional thanksgiving foods
- Holiday craft ideas and encouragement when little ones are involved
- Easy (and free!) ways to introduce children to classical music
- Wonderfully simple yet effective ways to bring children up with a servant’s heart
- Home management
- History of the English language
- Political topics that have the potential to greatly impact homeschoolers
- Art study (after reading one particular article, I almost felt knowledgeable enough to teach a class!)
- Loads of ideas and suggestions on how to both teach your children to read and nurture their love of reading
Being a homeschool magazine, you expect to find curriculum lining the pages. I am happy to say that the ads are there but not overwhelming. Sections like “Spotlight on Subject” and the 2013 Excellence in Education Awards offer some of the best and newest curriculum available, some I have never heard of but look forward to familiarizing myself with.
While I do wish I could hold a print copy of the magazine in my hands, the digital copy has its advantages. Throughout the magazine are links. You can click on those links and access things like a curriculum website from an ad or the blog of a columnist from the magazine itself. This beats having to make notes, circle and highlight things I want to look up later like I do with a print magazine!
Over all, I cannot recommend The Old Schoolhouse Magazine highly enough. I will definitely be reading the bi-monthly issues as they come out and am looking forward to the annual print issue that comes out in January. You can find the annual and older print issues here. Read more reviews on the Schoolhouse Crew Review website. Check out The Old Schoolhouse Website to see all the resources The Old Schoolhouse has to offer.
I love TOS Magazine -- I always find new ideas!
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