Houston, TX (PRWEB) August 30, 2006 -- Knowhomeschooling.com is a new
community-based website. As part of its grand opening, the owners held a drawing
in mid-August for $500. Knowhomeschooling.com is pleased to announce
Katherine Loop as the winner of their $500
prize.
Knowhomeschooling.com (www.knowhomeschooling.com) was created by husband and
wife homeschooling parents of five, George and Jill Manty. Jill enjoys
researching and often uses Wikipedia, the most well-known community-based
website, or wiki.
"While Wikipedia is great for many researching general
topics, it is not really ideal for finding in-depth information on a specific
topic," said Mrs. Manty. "We thought that we could take the idea of a wiki and
create something really great for the homeschooling community."
Although
there are many homeschooling websites out there, Knowhomeschooling.com
differs because it will utilize the collective wisdom of all participating
homeschoolers to provide exposure to a wider variety of resources for
homeschoolers. Rather than depending on only the research or interests of one
person creating a website, a community edited website can reflect the tastes,
opinions and knowledge of a whole community.
When asked why they ran a
contest for their grand opening, Mrs. Manty had this to say, "We are really
excited to provide this opportunity for homeschoolers, but we also recognize
that homeschoolers are often Moms who aren't aware of the latest technologies.
Even though learning something new can be a bit intimidating, we know that
homeschoolers aren't afraid to step outside of their comfort zone when they need
to. We created the contest to encourage homeschooling Moms and Dads to take the
step to learn how to add things to the wiki. We really felt that if they tried
it, they would see how easy it is and would continue to participate in the
wiki."
Any homeschooler who registered and created or edited a page
between mid-July and mid-August was eligible to compete in the drawing. When the
random drawing was held, the winner was 21 year old homeschooling graduate and
website owner Katherine Loop. Miss Loop wrote an article on Math from a Biblical
Worldview that reflects the information found on her website, www.christianperspective.net and in her book "Beyond
Numbers, A Practical Guide to Teaching Math Biblically".
Miss Loop
explained how she plans to use the money to further help the homeschooling
community.
"I'm currently working on a supplemental curriculum for
homeschoolers that presents the different concepts in math biblically, and see
the $500 as God's perfect provision to help with those expenses."
She
further added, "The money came as a little hug from heaven. A few days prior to
winning this, my brother had just been given a $500 scholarship for doing well
in college. Meanwhile, I was home trying to keep the house in order while my mom
was gone for three weeks caring for my sick grandmother. The Lord has used this
to remind me that He has not forgotten about me, that I am doing what He wants,
and that He will meet my needs before I even know about them. I am going to
write this down in my book of God's provisions/lessons that I don't want to
forget so the memory can encourage me for years to come."
The wiki has
grown considerably since it started in mid-June. Mrs. Manty definitely feels
that the contest was part of that success. She also pointed out that many
homeschoolers have been instrumental in spreading the word.
"Harvey and
Laurie Bluedorn have been really supportive, sending out information about the
wiki to various lists they're on. Scott Somerville was also instrumental in
getting the word out to homeschooling bloggers who added the first large batch
of information to the wiki. We've been really encouraged by many emails from
homeschoolers who feel like this is something that can really benefit the
homeschooling community. And we just couldn't be happier about the way God has
used the contest to encourage and support Katherine in her desire to reach out
to the homeschooling community and continue in the work he has called her
to."
All homeschoolers are invited to participate in the wiki, even
though the contest is over. Adding pages or editing is really a pretty simple
process, and there is even a tutorial on the site to walk writers through the
process.
I thought you all might like to see what's been keeping us all so busy. It's this Spring promo. Take a look at it and think about it two different ways....
First - As a subscriber! If you are going to reach the homeschool market, you need to be reading TOS. Consider it your trade journal. You'll see the trends and your competition. You've got to do your homework! And your subscription may be deductible as a business expense.
Second - As an advertiser! The companies participating in our promo are getting the chance to introduce themselves to literally thousands of homeschoolers. Martha Greene has raved about what being in promos has done for her in the past. If you want to grow your business, you should seriously consider contacting Lisa Barthuly, our Director of Sales and Advertising, to get into a future promotion.
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Spring Bouquet of Gifts!!
Whether you are new to our magazine or a long-time subscriber, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has an incredible offer that you won't want to pass up! In the past, we couldn't offer the renewing subscribers the 19 free gifts - those were only for new customers. But for a limited time only, RENEWING subscribers get all 19 gifts (over $200 value), too!
I'm a new subscriber…what do I get? With your paid two-year subscription to TOS you'll receive: •A 2-year subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine •19 FREE gifts for you All this for ONLY $39!Click Here to Purchase Online Or, call 1-888-718-HOME
Already a subscriber? Renew now and receive: • Two more years of your favorite homeschool magazine and 19 FREE gifts (valued at over $200)! All this for ONLY $39!Click Here to Purchase! Or, call 1-888-718-HOME
Need some gift ideas? We are offering one-year bundles of past The Old Schoolhouse Magazine issues with 2 Draw Right Now books – 1 for you and 1 for a friend – for only $35! Click here to purchase.
This special offer will expire soon. Subscribe or renew today so you don't miss out on this opportunity! Subscribe online or call 1-888-718-HOME, or mail your order to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, PO Box 10, White Pine, TN 37890.
Your NINETEEN free gifts include valuable resources from the following companies. Below is each one's value with shipping and processing. (You get ALL of these):
Paws and Tales www.pawsandtales.org Receive an audio episode on CD: To Have and Give Not - in which a fun-loving third grade weasel, Gooz, learns through trial and error to share the wealth God provides, as the rest of the animals in the club learn how best to spend their club dues .
Zoobooks www.zoobooks.com Receive two Zoobooks, filled with color illustrations, photos and facts plus a Tiger poster!
Answers in Genesis www.AnswersMagazine.com Receive a free six-month subscription to Answers Magazine, the premier magazine from Answers in Genesis.
Alpha Omega Publications® Phone: 800.622.3070 www.aophomeschooling.com Free curriculum DVD and first unit workbook for LIFEPAC® Drawing Basics featuring renowned artist, Thomas Kinkade.
Accelerated Christian Education www.aceministries.com/homeschool/lca.asp Receive The Great Commandment DVD, which presents the biblical mandate to train children daily through God's Word.
Knowledge Quest www.knowledgequestmaps.com Starter Pack of Blackline Maps (plus two additional free gifts).
BJU Press www.bjupress.com Phone: 1. 800. 845. 5731 Receive the book The Next Fine Day by Elizabeth Yates. In this story, a painter and a lonely boy find friendship and healing out on the English countryside.
Googol Learning www.googolpower.com/ Receive a free six-month Googol Power Online Membership ($24.95) The Googol Power members' section provides a safe educational website for families to be able to watch math videos, listen to award-winning music, play games, print off layered learning worksheets, read ebooks and have fun while learning their math facts.
ACT Advantage www.actadvantage.org Free three-month subscription! Enhance your curriculum with our extensive educational video rental library.
Write Shop www.writeshop.com One Copying and Dictation Exercises for WriteShop I, plus a WriteShop I sample lesson. Suitable for grades 6-10.
Marmee's Kitchen www.MarmeesKitchen.com Phone: 864.369.0930 Spring Has Sprung is the first booklet in the Hospitality Series of Special Days Any ordinary day can be special with a little time and care - the memories made will last a lifetime!
TEACH Magazine www.TEACHMagazine.com TEACH Magazine puts the HOME in HOMEschooling and HOMEmaking. Receive one free issue and a free CD!
Grapevine Studies www.grapevinestudies.com Stickfigure the major characters and events of the Old Testament with Grapevine Studies! Learn how the gospel begins in Genesis and where the books of the Bible fit in chronologically! Teacher and Student book on one CD.
Hope Chest Legacy www.HopeChestLegacy.com Create your own felt needle-case in about an hour. All supplies included except scissors.
Urban Homemaker www.urbanhomemaker.com/catalog Receive the CD cookbook, Fast and Healthy Recipes for Busy Homeschool Moms. Reliable, whole food recipes and bonus whole grain baking section for busy families in the spirit of Titus 2.
Home School in the Woods www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/timeline.htm Receive a history sampler, including samples from our History Through the Ages Historical Timeline Figure sets and Record of Time notebook. Also included is a mini resource pack on authors showing multiple options for using the timeline figures in other hands-on ways along with a couple of lessons from our new unit study series, Time Travelers.
Hands of a Child www.HandsOfAChild.com Your Premiere Lapbook®-Style Project Pack provider offers you everything you need to complete Lapbook®-Style folder projects for history, science and literature. Receive a $12 coupon for a free Project Pack!
Video Text www.videotexthomeschool.com VideoText provides complete, easy-to-understand algebra and geometry courses on DVD. Receive a DVD sampler from VideoText Homeschool Mathematics which includes full-length algebra and geometry lessons from their award-winning program, along with PDF files of the print materials that accompany each lesson.
Homeschool Tracker www.homeschooltracker.com Homeschool Tracker Basic Edition is an affordable record-keeping software program allowing you to track attendance, assignments, grades, resources, and field trips, and to generate reports of that information suitable for portfolios. It is a fully-functional, non-expiring program offered on CD-ROM. Free customer support and customer discussion group are included.
You get ALL NINETEEN of the above gifts, postage paid! But only to the first 3,000 respondents.
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is approx 200 pages, full color, gloss, and packed with support and fun! Contests and a multitude of product reviews abound, as do excellent columns like Creation Answers with AiG's Ken Ham, Resource Room for special needs homeschooling with Christine Field, Diana Waring's HisStory column, our Finishing the Race (High School) department, and Show and Tell – where readers share their own detailed methods and curriculum choices. And don't forget our lengthy Teachers' Lounge where homeschool parents hang out and talk homeschooling! Jenefer Igarashi chats each issue as well, and Dr. Ruth Beechick drops in from time to time. Keep up with mainstream news with Zan Tyler and Amelia Harper. It truly is "a homeschool convention wrapped up in a journal!"
Already, packages are selling! Price for the two year subscription is only $39 total. And you'll pay nothing for the 19 gifts! The companies will pay the shipping of your gifts, too! That's it! Enjoy!
Julie has challenged each of you to come up with your own "sticky" slogan for your business. But what we want for this month's contest is just a great general homeschool slogan. One of my favorites is "Every home is a school. What are you teaching in yours?"
To enter this month's contest, you must be a PRMama subscriber. If you aren't a subscriber, you can subscribe by clicking the link in the sidebar! Subscription, as always, is free. We want you to post a comment with your best homeschool slogan in this entry bymidnight central May 10, 2006. Our PRMama Team will choose one winner who will receive a free 1/4 page ad in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine! Be sure to leave your name, the name of your business, your website, and an email address where we can contact you if you are the lucky winner!
You may also enter by mailing your entry on a postcard to:
PRMama March Free Ad Contest
c/o The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
P.O. Box 1701
Dandridge, Tennessee37725
Disclaimer and Legal Notice:
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC (“Company”) is sponsoring the PRMama Homeschool Slogan Contest, running from April 14, 2006 – May 10, 2006.You must be 18 years of age or older and follow all rules to participate.Entering the contest constitutes full and complete acceptance of, and a warranty that the entrant has read, understands and agrees to, all contest terms and conditions, including without limitation all of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC Contest Rules (“Official Rules”) at http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Contests/index.phpand The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Writer Guidelines and Terms and Conditions for Submitting Queries (as published on the Internet at http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/writers/).All Official Rules apply.Entry also constitutes full consent and unlimited permission for Company to print, publish, broadcast and use all intellectual property and personal information submitted as part of the Contest entry on the Internet and in any and all Company publications in accordance with the Rules.Entries become the sole property of Company and will not be returned.Employees and independent contractors of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, Contest sponsors, individuals or entities furnishing Contest prizes and their family members may not participate in this contest.Company reserves the sole, discretionary right to determine contest winners and to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the contest or the Rules at any time with or without notice or cause, subject to applicable law.See Official Rules for details.
No purchase necessary.Void where prohibited by law.
For a full copy of the Official Rules, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine: Official Rules Request, P.O. Box 1701, Dandridge, Tennessee37725.
March was awesome here at HSB. Gena just sent me this great news!
Check this out. Here is January, February and March of this year's results (and no, this is not an April Fools joke even though I did a double take when I saw March's this morning).
January - Uniques: 113,000. Page Views: 4 million. Actual Visits: 290,000. February - Uniques: 118,000. Page Views: 4.35 million. Actual Visits: 290,000. and drum roll please for March.... March - Uniques: 151,000! Page Views: 5.35 million! Actual Visits: 372,000!
Goodness, that is cool! HSB is going bonkers. We don't even have that many banners out there, either. Imagine if we advertised.
A blog here for you could mean some great exposure for your business. 151,000 different people came to visit HSB during March. Join in the fun!
The Homeschool Marketer is the place to gather all your tips about homeschool marketing and public relations! Whether you are considering marketing to home educators, are a homeschooler attempting to spread the word about your business efforts, or just want to know the news from the busy bees at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, this is the place to get the "buzz".
Gena Suarez is the co-publisher of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC. She and her husband Paul (the other "co") reside in the foothills of the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The magazine, found in Borders and Barnes and Noble bookstores, is a family affair and is run out of their home.
Dena Wood, Schoolhouse Store Manager, is a homeschooling mom of five, freelance writer, and Co-Owner of Trigger Memory Systems, home of Times Tales and other creative, non-traditional learning products.
