I like to keep my frugal minded readers up to date with the latest sales and freebies in the homeschooling world, and I HAD to share these sales and great prices from The Old Schoolhouse.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is having an amazing sale on subscriptions during their annual Black Friday Sale November 26 – 30. For those 5 days only, they are drastically reducing their one-year subscription price to $7.95! That’s the price you would usually pay for just one issue at a bookstore!  I can’t believe this price, this is a BIG magazine and is definitely the premier Christian-based homeschooling magazine on the market, don’t miss out!  This sale is for new subscribers only.

This is their lowest price ever on the magazine and they want all of you to take advantage of this offer and share the info with your friends.

Your one-year subscription will pay for itself time and time again as you receive practical tips and Biblical encouragement to keep going strong in your commitment to homeschooling and to the Lord. Since it’s a quarterly magazine, they even have a monthly subscriber’s only E-Newsletter called Teacher’s Toolbox that will give you seasonal teaching ideas and a free E-Book download! It’s like joining a unit study of the month club! The free E-Books alone are valued at almost $250/year. It’s really perfect for people who are homeschooling on a shoestring or just wanting to add in some little extras to your teaching.

Plus during the Black Friday Sale, they have all kind of bonus gifts when you spend $50, $75, $100, or $150. Some are electronic downloads that you can download immediately, while other are physical products mailed from various vendors directly to your home.

AND, their Win Big contest is going on so if you just happen to be customer 67,000, you will receive a prize package valued at almost $500 which includes a $150 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store! Who couldn’t use that? And you can qualify to win it no matter how much or how little you spend!

Mark your calendars for November 26 - 30th and do a little shopping from your seat, not your feet at the Schoolhouse Store’s Black Friday Sale!

www.TheOldSchoolhouseStore.com

Many of you are likely familiar with the Bluedorn family.  Husband and wife team, Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn are co-authors of the definitive Christian classical homeschooling text, Teaching the Trivium.  Their children are all exceptionally talented as well, penning works of children’s fiction, books on teaching logic and painting beautiful pictures (not to mention their handwork).

I’m happy to announce that our readers have the opportunity to receive two free ebooks from Trivium Pursuit.

1.The 73 page ebook of the entire text of Chapter Twelve: “Ten Things to Do With Children Ages Ten Through Twelve” from the book Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn.

I can tell you that this is a must read!  So many parents struggle to involve their children in early academics, producing stress for the entire family.  This chapter is literally ALL you need to read for the early years of homeschooling your wee ones.  If you choose to do more, that’s okay, but this is much needed encouragement to add some relaxation to your homeschooling days.

2.The new 94 page ebook Ancient Literature: Significant Excerpts from the Books of Classical Authors Which You Can Use to Supplement Your History Curriculum - Volume Two: Alexander the Great.

My dear ones are a bit too young for this ;), but you may be able to use this in your history studies with older children.

You will receive both of these ebooks when you subscribe to the Homeschooling with the Trivium newsletter. This offer is only for new subscribers to Homeschooling with the Trivium and is good only through November 30. Go here to subscribe.

In addition, if you subscribe to Christian Logic’s Fallacy Detective News you will receive two lessons from the logic textbook The Thinking Toolbox by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn (Lessons 12 and 13, along with exercises and answer key). This offer is only for new subscribers to The Fallacy Detective News and is good only through November 30. Go here to subscribe.

Again, my little girls are too young for formal logic, but I LOVED the brief study provided in my high school years.

So, go sign up and let me know how these resources have blessed you!  Enjoy!

As a child I was a prolific reader, a tendency that hasn’t changed to this day.  As a homeschooler I expect that my own children will be bibliophiles as well, with the potential to read 2-3 short paperbacks each day.  With this assumption in mind, and the limited resources available through the local library system I set about establishing our families personal library shortly after our first daughter was born.  After 5 years of purchases and bargain hunting it has become apparent that finding books at a reasonable price is an extraordinarily time consuming proposition.

Going to garage sales, library book sales, thrift shops, using book trading websites and perusing online advertisements for used books and keeping eyes peeled for online discounts is nearly a full time occupation in itself it can seem at times!  It’s only recently that I discovered a website that simplifies the entire process, and I’m excited!

Homeschool Library Builder is owned by two homeschooling mothers each the mother of four children ranging from 8 to 20 years old.  Together they have assembled an extensive collection of new and used discounted books of interest to homeschoolers.

You MUST look through their site!  The prices are excellent, and the books are so well categorized.  If you are working with a specific curriculum such as Ambleside Online, Five In a Row, Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace and others, you can select your curriculum and your year/volume to bring up the titles recommended for your course of study that they have in stock!  What a time saver, it just amazes me.  Other categorizations are available such as the book topic, age range and country/region.  If you know the title of the book you are looking for, you can use their handy search function to quickly see if it is in stock.  If it isn’t already included in the large selection of titles on hand, you can take advantage of their Book Search program.  If you are looking for a specific title let them know, they’ll keep their eyes open for you and seek to obtain it.

However, Homeschool Library Builder offers more than a wonderful bookstore that you can’t resist purchasing through.  They offer a free monthly newsletter in which helpful homeschooling sites are recommended, families can promote their homemade products for free, and the monthly specials and sales are shared.  This month, if you order from November 2 - 6th (time’s running short!) you receive FREE SHIPPING on your entire order.

The owners are also dedicated to helping others through their Helping Hand program.  Currently they have a special category of books called OPERATION HURRICANE.  Any titles purchased from this category go towards hurricane relief efforts and are matched dollar for dollar by the owners.  You get a book while helping others!

If you sign up as a member on their site (completely free of charge) you also qualify for referral benefits and book points.  Each time you refer a user to their service or purchase books you earn points that can be redeemed for, you guessed it, more books in the future!  Psst….if you sign up, tell them Jennifer Bogart sent you ;).

So, if you are a thrifty book buyer, you’ll want to bookmark Homeschool Library Builder and head their first for your book purchasing needs.

Remember when I reviewed and recommended The Old Schoolhouse Magazine digital edition back in August? And when I shared Why I Like the Old Schoolhouse Magazine WAY back in April?  If you’re not a subscriber you might not understand all the raving, but if you visit the sample magazine online you’ll catch a glimpse of the vision.  The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is the BEST most comprehensive homeschooling magazine on the market for Christian families.  There is simply no better way to keep up to date on new resources and curricula than to subscribe.

That is why I’m so eager to share the Fall promotion that The Old Schoolhouse has on right now!  Check it out!

I wanted to tell you all about The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s Fall Special. You can get two years of the  magazine, 6 fabulous physical gifts (no downloads!) worth over $120, plus the current issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine that is full of ideas for the new school year, so you start receiving your magazine in a flash!

It really is one of their best deals ever and you don’t want to miss out. In fact, they’ve got a really cute Homeschooling with Heart tote bag (valued at $13.95) for the first 1000 to subscribe. About half of them are gone, but you should still be able to get one if you hurry! (They will remove the info from the subscription page when the bags are all gone.)

The total value is over $212, but you receive it all for only $39 - 50% off of cover price! Plus subscribers get their online monthly Teacher’s Toolbox which focuses on a different topic each month, giving you words of encouragement, hands-on teaching ideas, book recommendations, field trip ideas, and a bonus download item.

This is such a good deal on a great resource that I HAD to share it with you all :).  I have one of the new tote bags on the way myself, but you’d better hurry if you want to receive yours for free, looks like they are going fast.  They are so cute (and in such a stylish colour scheme), I can’t wait to receive mine!  Now this promotion is for US readers, but there are other free gifts available for International and Digital subscribers as well.

One of my blogging friends, Penny Raine has an e-booklet about family devotions for homeschoolers that will be available for FREE tomorrow at Homeschool Freebie of the Day.  That’s Friday, October 03rd, so don’t miss it!

Here is a short review I wrote for her:

Whether you are new to family devotions or a veteran, Penny Raine will challenge and encourage you in her new e-booklet, First Things First: The home schooling parents guide to leading family devotions.

Penny calls families to set their priorities straight, starting the day by worshipping the Lord and learning of His ways.  From getting started to suggestions on scriptures to start with, Penny’s suggestions are sure to bless every Christian family.

So, head on over there tomorrow and download away!

Robin Sampson at Heart of Wisdom has two free homeschooling audio downloads available at her blog.

Click here to go get them!  I haven’t listened yet, but have perused her website, blog and read through some of her teaching approach samples.  She is definitely a deep thinker with a heart for the Lord. I so appreciate her focus on keeping Jesus first in our homeschools, and keeping everything biblically focused.

Thanks for the free downloads Robin!  Robin no longer travels to do in person conferences, so here is your chance to hear her speak live.  Enjoy :).

A few days ago I noticed that I had missed an excellent free resource over at the Homeschool Freebie website.  The day after I saw that I had missed out my husband mentioned that he would like for me to start teaching our oldest daughter (5 years old) how to sew.  She’s definitely too young to learn machine sewing yet, and I am a bit…sewing challenged.  I can muster basic repairs, and sew by machine, but I was never taught hand sewing in  a comprehensive or structured way.  When I started my search today (emailing my trusted homeschooling reviews yahoo group) - one of the ladies sent me a link to this same sewing resource.  Jim Erskine has decided to offer it for free on an ongoing basis!  Here is the link :).

If you are domestically challenged you can use it to teach yourself, then use it to teach your daughters!  The Bible tells us to be keepers at home, and knowing how to effect basic repairs, and more advanced hand sewing skills definitely fall into the keeping the home category.

Such sweet words to the ear of a bibliophile and Mother.  I’ve never had early talkers, my youngest turned 2 in April, and she is now starting to speak in complete sentences and phrases.  One of the earliest to surface, as well as one of the most oft repeated is “Readee me Mommy!”, often repeated two to three times in rapid succession if I don’t respond quickly. 

At times this request is followed by the title of a book “Readee me Mommy, JeeJee lubs bee (Jesus Loves Me).”  Sometimes it is the title of the book that is repeated several times, accompanied by book waving in the air.  The incessant demands can become a bit trying, but above all else, I’m thrilled that she has discovered the delights to be found in books, and that their value is already well established in her life.

I am a dyed in the wool reader, which makes me suspect that my parents must have read to me often as a small child, though I have only sporadic memories of this taking place.  Both of my parents love books, and I have followed in their example.  Fostering this love of literature in my own children has proven to be surprisingly simple: regular storytimes scattered throughout the day, consistent bedtime stories and devotionals each and every night, books within easy access of little hands.  Before I knew it my children were entertaining themselves by ‘reading’ books without me.  Just sitting on the floor, quietly leafing through books to look at the pictures, sometimes stopping to ask me questions.  My oldest daughter, K - 5, pointing out pictures and events in storybooks to her younger sister.

How have you fostered a love for reading in your tiny ones?  What are the fruits of your efforts that you are now seeing in their lives?  Please share in the comments of your adventures with literature and children!

Well, I’m an admitted resource junkie, and I just discovered that the good folks form over at Homeschool Radio Shows (offering a weekly free, oldie but normally a goodie radio show - some we don’t download) have a new site Homeschool Freebie.

Every weekday they will be posting a new homeschooling resource, for free on this site, for you to download.  Join their mailing list so you don’t miss out on any updates!

Quick note: Are you a homeschooler in Canada?  If so, you should visit the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival!  Their blog features a weekly visit through Canadian homeschooling blogs.  This week the deadline for submissions is May 26th, so head on over :).

On to the post!

Here in the province of Alberta we are blessed to receive funding from the provincial government for our children’s education if we choose to home educate.  In Canada education is governed provincially, and the regulations are different from province to province.  I think this is similar to the U.S. where the individual States get to make decisions regarding education.

In Alberta we are required by law to register our children with a school board, whether or not they attend a physical school.  So, willing non-resident school boards have been established specifically for homeschoolers to register their children with.  A facilitator from the school board normally meets with your family twice a year to monitor progress. This meeting can be in your home, or at their office, depending upon your board.  Funding levels also vary from board to board and option to option.

In Alberta you can register your children as ‘fully provided’, meaning that you are striving to meet the provincial educational standards and guidelines in your homeschool.  Legally, this is the same as if your children were attending school, and you were their teacher.  You are required to help them meet the Alberta standards.  You can register as ‘blended’, similar to fully, but more flexible, you do not need to meet the Alberta standards in every subject area.  Or you can register as ‘traditional’ - this means that you are not necessarily trying to meet the standards of the province, but rather are home educating your children as you see fit.  Legally this is the true, classical idea of homeschooling, and your rights can be defended as a homeschooler legally by an association such as HSLDA (Canada).  As you can imagine, registering as ‘traditional’ allows you the greatest freedom in your homeschool, facilitator evaluations will be much more flexible and casual etc.

Now, all this being said, we aren’t yet registered with a school board.  Our oldest daughter, K, was 5 in April, but in order to receive funding for her, she would have needed to be 5 at the end of February.  Sorry K - you’ll have to wait until next year for those funds!  For some reason I was under the impression (last year) that we could qualify for funding this year.  Sadly, I was wrong!  What can I say, I am gung-ho to buy neat resources for my daughter!  Of course we still spend money on educational materials for our children regardless of funding!  We do have a board I’m keeping in mind for next year though - Education Unlimited.  They support parental choices and sovereignty in their child’s education, I’m all for that.  In case you are wondering, this year funding is around $700/eligible child that is registered as ‘traditional’.  ‘Fully provided’ students can receive $900/eligible child with some boards.  However, that $200 isn’t worth the compromise of my own plans (and Christ’s!) in my children’s education.

Likely more than you ever wanted to know about Alberta homeschooling regulations, but there you go!