- Homeschool Blogger

Black Friday Sale Going on Right NOW!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:34:00 -0600

What a great time to shop at the Schoolhouse Store! Black has never looked so good. We don’t want you to miss out on any of the outstanding items so our sale is not only on Friday but it starts today, Wednesday, November 25 and runs until Sunday, November 29. Not only will you be able to cash in on some wonderful bargains, but you also have an opportunity to receive an outstanding selection of freebies with various purchasing levels. You can go HERE for all the details.

In addition to subscribing to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for an unheard of $7.95 for US customers ($17.50 for Canadian subs or $27.95 for international subs), you will find bargains on some quality literature. Looking for some great Christmas gifts for the whole family? Check out all the great items we have in our “Fun Stuff” category and “Gift Ideas” category. Or maybe you are shopping for a homeschooler but aren’t exactly sure what to get. A Schoolhouse Store Gift Certificate makes a perfect gift for anyone.

Don’t miss out on all the fantastic finds during the Schoolhouse Store Black Friday event.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Midweek Markdown - November 25, 2009

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:52:00 -0600

Here we are on the day before Thanksgiving. Do you have your dinner rolls baked and the turkey stuffed? Thankfully, we go to my sister's for Thanksgiving. So I bring a few dishes, but I'm not responsible for the entire meal! Everyone brings something. It's a great way to do a big dinner like Thanksgiving. I highly recommend it.

Let's move our thinking from Thanksgiving for a moment to Christmas. Today's midweek markdown is to help prepare you and your children for Christmas. Christian Perspective is offering their e-book: Jesus-the Promised One for $12.99 today only. That's a $5 discount from the regular price of $17.99.

You're going to love this journey through Advent, especially if you have elementary aged children. Each day there is a devotional reading which takes you through the plan of salvation as it is woven through the very beginning of the bible to Jesus' birth. The readings are not lengthy and, although they are easy enough for a child to understand they will keep the attention of every adult as well.

The thing that makes this Advent study unique is the book that your children will make as they complete each day's devotions. Everyday there is a coloring page or a cut and paste activity for children to do while reading. All of the pages are bound into a book, when the study is done on Christmas day. Your children will have a lovely book as a keepsake of their Advent journey.

All you really need to do is print your pages and get started with this Advent devotional. You don't need to hunt down any special materials or shop for supplies. Print the pages to color or cut, and then read the devotions beginning on December 1st and you are "good to go!" That's my kind of Advent study!

Don't forget, this great e-book is only available at the special price today, November 25, 2009.

E-Book: Jesus- The Promised One

Regular Price: 17.99

Sale Price $12.99

Today only!

I'd love to know what you and your family do during the advent season to prepare for Christmas. Do you light an advent wreath? Do you do special devotions? Please leave a comment and share!

November 18 Midweek Markdown

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:40:00 -0600

Today we've got two great resources from one of our favorite vendors, Grace and Truth books. I love this vendor because they sell such quality books. These are the books Charlotte Mason would have called "living books." Grace and Truth has taken older books and republished them for children and teens today. Their books focus on character and encourage children who read them to grow spiritually, and today's midweek markdown is no exception.

Our first offering from this wonderful vendor is the Children's Character Building Collection. There are 11 books in this set. All 11 will challenge your child or pre-teen to strengthen their character. But these books aren't just for children, adults love them too! The books in this series are:

The Bible in the Wall

Little Daisy and the Swearing Class

Godliness is Great Gain

The Little Medicine Carrier

A Little Rebel Becomes a Saint

The Reward of Childhood Truth

Roses and Thorns

Tampering With Temptation

Theobold the Iron-Hearted

The Weed With an Ill Name

Wandering May

Regularly priced at $49, you can get these valuable books for $10 off today only. You will receive all 11 books for $39! And don't forget, there's always free shipping!

Next, we have Of Knight's and Fair Maidens. This charming book tells the story of one young couple who took it upon themselves to interview the married couples in their lives to learn how to court successfully. Their interviews and courtship experience became the book Of Knight's and Fair Maidens. My husband and I haven't really planned how to deal with the subject of dating for our boys. This book would be a great place for us to start this conversation. Of Knight's and Fair Maidens normally sells for $11, but today you can get it for $8.95.

If you would like to read a review of Grace and Truth Books, go here. Learn more about the company that provides us with such quality reading.

So, that's it for today. Pick up your copies of these books. Maybe you have some people on your Christmas list that would appreciate these excellent books. If so, getting them today would be a great way to get the most for your Christmas money.

If you get a copy of today's midweek markdown, stop back at the blog and tell me what you've purchased. If you've purchased Grace and Truth books in the past, add a comment below and tell me what you think of their books!

Until next week,

Meet Trigger Memory Systems

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:43:00 -0600

We are excited to introduce you to Trigger Memory Systems! We carry 10 products by Trigger Memory Systems in the Schoolhouse Store, including Times Tales and their Clean N' Flip chore systems. Below is an interview with owners Marillee Flanagan, Jennie von Eggers, and Dena Wood.

Give us a general overview of the products you sell through the Schoolhouse Store.

Marillee: We found that both parents and children are tired of multiplication drills. So many times it is just vain repetition with very little success and a lot of frustration. Times Tales is a unique way of learning the upper times tables. Frequently, we hear from our customers how much fun their children had working through Times Tales and how they beg their parents to do more. Our Story Flipchart is made up of ten simple, one to two sentence stories that are easy to remember. When you begin the program, it is not even necessary to tell the child they are learning their upper times tables. Just have fun with the stories. Within an hour most children will have memorized their upper facts without even knowing it! The program also includes a Roll-em Cube Game, crossword puzzle, flashcards, assorted tests, and our Memory Story Guide. All these aid in "anchoring" the upper times tables in the student's memory. We have found this step-by-step process through which the student moves from stories to the actual multiplication facts is quick, highly effective and a great way to make multiplication FUN!

We now offer three Clean N' Flips in our series. The one that started it all is our Bedroom Cleaning for Kids. This Flip Chart offers a fun, step-by-step system to clean a messy bedroom. The pictures are easy to follow and it is a great tool for all ages. There is even an optional job list located in the back that allows the parent space to add extra jobs if needed. Our second Clean N' Flip is Zone Cleaning for Kids. This Flip Chart provides the child with a step-by-step system to clean the major areas of the home: kitchen, bathroom and living room. Again, the pictures are easy to follow and it is ideal for all ages. What is unique about this Flip Chart is that we designed it so the child can check off boxes as the jobs are completed. It can be used over and over again with the dry erase marker that we include with the product. It is also totally customizable for your individual family needs and offers several spots where the parent can add jobs to make it the perfect fit for your home.

We are excited to introduce our latest addition to the Clean N' Flip series- Laundry for Kids. This Flip Chart provides children with a step-by-step system on how to do the laundry. Again, it has easy-to-follow pictures and is great for all ages. All three of our Clean N' Flips help children visually and systematically work through various cleaning processes. They make it fun and easy for both parents and kids.

Tell us an interesting fact or story about your company.

Jennie: When I was in high school, I would make up funny stories or acronyms to help memorize for tests. At the time, I had no idea I was using a memory tool called "mnemonics", I just knew that it worked. Later, when I was employed as a waitress, I again used mnemonics to help memorize orders without writing anything down. This proved to be quite profitable as customers were so impressed by my little "trick" they would often tip me generously. So, later in life when my two homeschooled boys were struggling to remember their upper times tables, it was a no-brainer to incorporate mnemonics in this area too.

The boys and I made up a few silly stories for each math fact. By the next day, they had those pesky upper times tables down pat! I was amazed at how successful and easy it was. A few months later, while visiting my sister in Oregon, I told her about this little mnemonic trick I had used for my boys. She suggested that it might be something we could try to sell. Within two weeks, three of us homeschool moms (myself, my sister and a friend) formed a company called Trigger Memory Systems and started selling our first few copies of Times Tales on the Internet. Much to my surprise, I returned home from my visit to Oregon as a new co-owner of a company.

How can your products best benefit the homeschooling community?

Jennie: Most of our products geared toward visual and hands-on learning which work well with the homeschool lifestyle. We also strive to make sure anything we sell makes learning fun! We have heard from parents tell that when a Trigger Memory Systems package arrives it looks so fun they can hardly wait to get started. Another goal of ours is to keep all our products affordable and non-consumable.

Dena: We feel that learning life skills and being an integral part of the "work" of family is critically important for children of all ages. Chores allow children to gain important skills, grow in self-confidence and develop a strong work ethic. Unfortunately, training in this area can often be pushed aside because Mom is short on time and it's easier to just take care of chores herself so that she can get to the schoolwork and other "important" duties. We understand that! Our Clean N' Flips series is aimed at making the training process as quick and easy for Mom as possible.

We also try and make the Flips as fun and enjoyable for the children as we can because a good attitude is such an important part of chore training. We know that a clean house, happy kids and a relaxed mommy can make a world of difference in the atmosphere of the home. We're hoping our Clean N' Flips help with all three.

Marillee: Both Times Tales and the Clean N' Flips save time and reduce stress and frustration. Every homeschool can use that!

What new items can we expect to see from your company in the next year?

Dena: We're working on a totally different type of product that we are all pretty excited about. It's a surprise, but involves an area all three of us are passionate about, will include both the parent and child, and should be a great deal of fun!

Which of your products are you most excited about?

All: We are really excited about our Times Tales program. A few months ago, we decided to offer a free trial download of Times Tales on our website. This has been a huge success. It offers those customers that are curious how it works to test drive Times Tales and see it in action.

What age groups are your products most appropriate for?

Dena: The stories in Times Tales are geared toward your average third grade student learning their upper multiplication facts. However, the mnemonic device works for all ages. In fact, we've received several emails from moms who tell us they now remember their facts! By adapting the Memory Story Guide for older learners and moving quickly through the flipchart, the program works well as a memory tool for any age. I used Times Tales with a High School boy and a Junior High girl, both excellent students that just couldn't recall their facts. I spent less than 30 minutes with each and they were both able to recall the stories (and their facts) with no problem. Times Tales has also received a very enthusiastic response from parents of children of all ages who struggle with dyslexia.

Jennie: Since our Clean N' Flips provide visual steps on how to complete chores, they work for any age. Even moms have emailed us telling how they use our Clean N' Flip System! At the same time, pre-readers can follow along simply by looking at the pictures. It truly is a "works for all ages" product.

What makes Times Tales unique from other math curriculums?

Dena: I would not consider Times Tales a "curriculum". It is a memory tool, only. In fact, that's one of the reasons we don't include the lower facts in our program. We want to be sure children understand the math and feel they should be able to mentally calculate the lower facts quickly. Times Tales does not teach the concept of multiplication. It is simply a memorization tool that will save you hours and hours of time over the old flashcard method of memorization. We tested Times Tales on my then six year old daughter. She could quickly tell you what 7 x 8 or 9 x 9 was but would say, "I don't know" if you asked the answer to 1 x 1. For that reason, Times Tales is most definitely a supplement to your regular math program. The fun thing is that it doesn't matter when you use it. For example, when my daughter reached third grade we learned the concept of multiplication and the lower facts. Then I said, "You already know the rest because they're all Times Tales" and she did!

Will one clean and flip work for a family or should each child have their own? Are they reusable?

Dena: Either way will work. If your children are willing, the bedroom flips can easily be shared. However, at $7.95, it’s nice for each child to have their own. Personally, I would purchase just one Laundry flip and keep it in the laundry room. Zone Cleaning can be shared by the entire family and adapted to work best for your particular situation. An instruction insert offers suggestions for usage.

Can children with learning disabilities use your products?

Times Tales has received extensive praise from parents of learning disabled children. Recently, we experienced an overwhelming response from the Dyslexia community when Susan Barton, of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, Inc., recommended Times Tales to her newsletter subscribers. Through the years, we've received many heartfelt testimonies about how Times Tales worked for a learning disabled child when others failed. Times Tales is simple and works for all types of learners.

Thank you Dena, Jennie, and Marillee!

As always, if you have used any of these products, be sure to stop by and share how they worked for you in your homeschool!

Midweek Markdown - November 11, 2009

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:59:00 -0600

Do you and your family acknowledge Advent in your home? If you’re not familiar with Advent, it is the period leading up to Christmas. Some families or churches begin the day after Thanksgiving. Some Advent studies begin on December 1^st and lead you up to Christmas Day, December 25, 2009. In the past our family has done different Advent studies during the Month of December. One year we used a book as a guide. One year we listened to specific audios every day leading up to Christmas. I always plan a special study that the boys and I do during the day together leading up to Christmas as a special Advent study just for us in addition to what we do with Daddy in the evening. During the month of December when things get a little crazy I can be sure that we are still getting a little writing, maybe some art and music, and some reading completed each day by working through our special Advent study. I love to have a new study for our family each year.

If you are still looking for that perfect Advent study, I may have just the thing for you today. Today’s midweek markdown comes to you from Graham Family Ministries. Today we are offering the E-Book: The Glorious Coming - A Jesse Tree Advent Celebration for a special price of $5.00. That’s $2.95 off the regular price of $7.95.

This E-Book will help you and your family to create a Jesse Tree. To quote the description from our Old Schoolhouse Store, a Jesse Tree traces “the family line and heritage of the family of God, of human beings from the beginning of time to the coming of God Himself, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” Each day there is a scripture to read and a short reading. Then, there is an ornament for you to hang on your Jesse Tree. You can print these on cardstock and laminate them to use year after year. Your Jesse Tree could be a branch you bring in from the yard, or you can draw a Jesse Tree on a sheet of poster board and hang your ornaments there. This is an Advent study that you can do as an entire family. The readings are short enough to keep a younger child’s attention, yet worded well to keep the attention of older children and adults.

Graham Family Ministries is donating all of their proceeds from the sales of The Glorious Coming during the month of December to Samaritan’s Purse. Each year, the Graham family finds a worthy charity to receive the blessings of their sales in December. This year, the recipient they chose was Samaritan’s Purse. So, the portion of your midweek markdown purchase that goes to Graham Family ministries will go directly to this charity that focuses on blessing needy children all over the world.

So, there’s plenty of incentive to purchase The Glorious Coming – A Jesse Tree Advent Celebration.

#1. It’s a study that will bless your family, bring you closer together, and closer to our Saviour.

#2. It’s at a great price!

#3. Part of the proceeds will help children all over the world.

If you do pick up a copy, stop back to the blog and let me know how your Jesse Tree goes this Advent season. I’ll be looking for those comments!

Midweek Markdown - November 4, 2009

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:36:00 -0600

I have a lot to share with you today, so I won't bore you with my personal stories! This week's midweek markdown comes to us from vendor Amy Puetz. She is offering six of her e-books at very special prices to you. As always, these specials will only be for one day, Wednesday, November 4, 2009. So, get yours today!

E-book: Countdown to Christmas

Regular Price: $21.95

Sale Price: $17.00

Countdown to Christmas is a book that will lead your family from the first of December right up to the 25th, Christmas Day. Every day you and your family will gather around the kitchen table or cuddle up on the sofa and read a story or article about Christmas and then do an activity together around that reading. Many of the readings are from writings in the 1800s and 1900s. This book has a feature from one of my favorite authors, Louisa May Alcott, as well as, Edith Nesbitt, Hans Christian Anderson, the Bible, and the editor/compiler of the book Amy Puetz.

If you get this ebook today, you will have plenty of time to get your activities planned before the first day you begin this charming path to Christmas. This is a large book, 150 pages, so when you order it, you will have four separate downloads. Check out this great seasonal resource today!

E-book: Costumes with Character

Regular Price: $21.95

Sale Price: $17.00

This 112 page e-book is chock-full of history. In it you will find the patterns for eleven costumes ranging from the 1620's to the late 1800's. But this is not only a costume book, it is also the basis for a unit study. You will find facts and quotes from each time period that you can use for copy work or to make mini-books for a lapbook. There is also a list of resources for further study of the time periods. Pick up a copy of Costumes with Character at this special price for today, one-day only.

Read a review of costumes with Character here.

And finally, all four of Amy Puetz's Heroines of the Past e-books are on sale for this special one-day only sale. In each book you will find a complete unit study for that period of history featuring the famous, and some not-so-famous women of that time period. Each book contains biographies, activities, (usually a costume), games from the period, book reivews, a quiz, art appreciation and so much more. These e-books are truly a treasure and unlike any history unit in the fact that they are about historical women. Check them out today. Each of these e-books normally sells for $14.95. Today you can get them for $11.50 each. Follow the links below to the product page to pick yours up or learn more about these e-books.

E-Book: Heroines of the Past: Civil War 1861-1865

Regular Price: $14.95

Sale Price $11.50

E-Book: Heroines of the Past: Colonial 1630-1775

Regular Price: $14.95

Sale Price: $11.50

E-Book: Heroines of the Past: Patriot 1775-1783

Regular Price: $14.95

Sale Price: $11.50

E-Book: Heroines of the Past: Victorian 1870-1900

Regular Price: $14.95

Sale Price: $11.50

So, I've left you with a lot to consider today. You can pick up a resource for the upcoming Advent Season, or maybe an e-book or two to spark something in your history studies! I hope you find something that will bless you this week! If you do, leave me a comment and tell me what you got!

Until next week,

Midweek Markdown - October 28, 2009

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:08:00 -0500

Here we are again for the midweek markdown. I'm really excited to share this with you because this week's midweek markdown is FREE! We will be offering a new freebie each quarter, so tell your friends to subscribe to the blog so that they won't miss a freebie. Remember, as with the regular midweek markdowns, this will be available for one-day only, in this case, Wednesday, October 28, 2009.

This week, we are offering all of you a free copy of one of our Schoolhouse Planner Modules. To see all The Schoolhouse Planner Modules, go here in the Schoolhouse Store. The Planner Modules are a great idea to spark something different in all of our homeschools. You can subscribe to the planner modules and receive a new module each month. All the modules are filled with great ideas, information, and activities. Go here to view the 2009-2010 Planner Module Membership.

The module we are offering to you today is Amusing Mathmatics. This was the November 2008 module. For me, this couldn't come at a more perfect time, being about a fourth of the way into our school year, our guys are pretty tired of the old routine! Taking a day for some different and fun math activities just might be the ticket to get them out of our rut! I'm planning on downloading this module and using it to break up our math lessons in the coming weeks.

Included in this book are math jokes and riddles, lots of activity pages, coloring pages, math tricks, and even copy work. I know our boys are always amazed by number tricks where you add, subtract, multiply, and divide one number and somehow the person giving you the trick can tell you what your ending number is. Do you know those? Well, learning those number tricks will impress every grandparent! So get your copy of this week's Midweek Markdown, and start impressing!

Download your copy of Amusing Mathematics today! Because it won't be free tomorrow!

If you would like to read a review of this particular module, check out what a fellow homeschooler had to say. (hint: she gave it 5 stars!)

Midweek Markdown-October 21,2009

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:42:00 -0500

One addiction I seem to share with a lot of other homeschool mothers is a love of books. I love looking over all the wonderful books offered by Grace and Truth Books. My wish list for this vendor is very long and today we have THREE special offers for you!

If you have girls in your home, today’s midweek markdown is a wonderful way for you to fill your bookshelf with these valuable treasures. The Girl’s Heritage Set from Grace and Truth Books contains 8 books. That’s more than 900 pages of quality character reading. If you get this set, you will receive the following books:
First Impressions of God
Grace Raymond
The Little Girl's Treasury
Behind Mr. Bunyan
The Dairyman's Daughter
I Have A Soul
The Young Cottager
Patty's Curiosity

Since we are planning to read Pilgrim’s Progress this year, I may pick these up even though I have two boys. “Behind Mr. Bunyan” would fit well with our plans. And, after all, I’m a girl! I know I could benefit from some reading for my character!

If the girl’s heritage set is not a good fit for your plans, how about two excellent books to help parents? Courtship or Dating: So What's the Difference? and Parenting From the Heart: Practical Parenting From a Mom of 14 Children are two great resources to help you on your parenting journey.

Courtship or Dating: So What’s the Difference? has been touted as “the most sensible and Biblical book on courtship.”

Finally, Parenting From the Heart: Practical Parenting From a Mom of 14 Children is a gem full of practical advice and tips for parenting and homeschooling. You will glean so much from this book. It, too, comes highly recommended.

So, there are quite a few recommendations for a Wednesday! Don’t forget, these prices are only valid today, Wednesday, October 21, 2009. Don’t miss them!

Grace and Truth Midweek Markdown,
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Girl’s Heritage Set
Regular Price: $39.00
Sale Price, one-day only: $31.00

Courtship or Dating: So What’s the Difference?
Regular Price: $6.00
Sale Price, one-day only: $4.95

Parenting from the Heart: Practical Parenting from a Mom of 14 Children
Regular Price: 9.75
Sale Price, one-day only: 7.99

If you would like to read the TOS review of Grace and Truth books, go HERE.

And don’t forget, you always get free shipping! Go to the Old Schoolhouse Store today and pick up your copies!

New Vendors in the Schoolhouse Store!

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 18:38:00 -0500

We are happy to welcome two new vendors to the Schoolhouse Store: Mapletree Publishing Company and Math A Big Deal.

Mapletree Publishing Company has 3 new books to help and encourage you while you homeschool. Math A Big Deal has a math game designed to increase proficiency of elementary math skills.

Be sure to stop by and check them out, and as always, let us know if you’ve used these items and how they have helped you in your homeschool!

Have a wonderful week!

Midweek Markdown

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:56:00 -0500

When I was in school, I never really cared for History class. Most of our homework required reading the textbook and, although I LOVED to read, I found our history texts to be terribly boring! When we had our boys, I was so excited to learn about Charlotte Mason's ideas of using living books to teach children. This opened up a whole new world to me. Now I love history. I can't get enough historical fiction or biographies!

If you enjoy historical fiction, then you'll enjoy today's midweek markdown. Today we are offering the E-Book, Father's Birthday and the Great Chicago Fire by Gail Kappenman of Kap and Pen Publications for only $1.

Did you know that the Great Chicago Fire occurred in October, 1871? It did. And Kap & Pen's book chronicling events that took place during the Great Chicago Fire will provide you with lots of information you didn't already know about this tragic event in American History. Loosely based on the author's great-grandfather, Father's Birthday and the Great Chicago Fire tells of William and his family who are living in Chicago in October, 1871. Not only are they in the city during the fire, but they are also part of the clean-up and restoration after the fire. I learned things about the occurences surrounding this fire, just from reading the synopsis of the book!

And this book isn't just about the fire. There are many other things to be learned just from conversations you get to "hear" while reading about William's family. Subjects such as marbles, the history of chess, and D.L. Moody are mentioned in Father's Birthday and the Great Chicago Fire.

So, pick up your copy today. You will not only enjoy the text, but also the pen and ink illstrations in this 73 page book. For $1, you can add to your history study in immeasurable ways!

E-Book: Father's Birthday and the Great Chicago Fire

Regular Price: $3.95

Sale Price: $1.00

October 14, 2009 only