Thrift Schooling

  Challenge games are the perfect addition to any homeschool bookshelf—or travel kit. This past summer our family traveled to several homeschool conventions. The kids had filled their backpacks with coloring books, printable games, snacks, and small toy cars to keep them entertained in our monstrous 15-passenger vehicle with no CD, DVD, or even tape players. The radio works, but when traveling across state lines, attempting to find a radio station everyone agrees on without exposing the kids to unpleasantries never seems worth it. Even though going in, I knew the car rides were covered (after many years of practice!), I had a different challenge in front of me—keeping the kids entertained at the convention booth for each event. My kids can only visit the other booths at events so many times—even with my strict rule of only one piece of candy per booth per day. (I do not want my kids to be the annoying ones visiting booths throughout an entire event, wiping all of a company's marke...

  Back-to-School for homeschoolers tends to look different than in the traditional school setting, but we can still have fun! Something about the new school year gets kids excited and ready to learn—even if you hear a little complaining along the way.  Push through the complaints, and you might be surprised to see how excited they really are. This is your special time with them. You kept them home, and that is precious. Adding a few surprises and treats at the beginning of the year can help ease the transition, making back to homeschool  a pleasant experience not only for children, but parents! Thrifty Ways to Celebrate 1. Buying new folders, binders, notebooks, and themed school supplies Are your kids into space this year? How about music? Buy cute stickers or space-themed materials to use in your homeschool. Sometimes it is just the simple things that count. This year, we found fun, themed erasers  to help keep the momentum going with the beginning of the new year...

Teaching geography in our homeschool can seem daunting, and I'll tell you why. At the exact moment when we think our child knows certain *basic* facts, we find out at the most inopportune time—that he does not.  “What do you mean, you do not know the names of all of the continents?” “Or oceans?” “Or which continent WE live on!” Do you wonder at this moment where you failed in your homeschool? In basic everyday education? While these moments can seem like failures, they are not. Rather, they are stepping stones for directing our kids towards higher educational standards. Instead of becoming frustrated with yourself (or your child), use it as an opportunity to allow your child to grow.  You don't always know what they don't know.       This is why I appreciate the various geography materials in my son's 4th Grade Timberdoodle Kit  for the 2026–2027 school year. In the kit, my son has been enjoying the  Puzzleball Globe  activity and the  S...

  Teaching geography in our homeschool can seem like an elective, but it shouldn't. Knowing where we are, who we are, and what we are in relation to the rest of the world is foundational. Children are often taught about other countries and places with a disconnect, rather than with purpose. Let's make sure that we define the purpose for teaching our children geography while they are young.  Having traveled to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East—all before I was thirty helped me realize how narrow-minded I was before ever crossing the pond. I then learned the importance of changing. Exposure to other countries, cultures, and ways of life is one of the best gifts you can give to your child of any age.  How Can We Incorporate Free Geography Lessons in Our Homeschool? 1. Free Resources from Trusted Homeschoolers Use resources created for homeschoolers, by homeschoolers. Most likely, these types of resources were created to meet a need for a specific homeschool and are n...

  It's a new school year! Instead of loading your teen with piles of bookwork or online classes, consider adding hands-on problem-solving activities to help sharpen her mind this year. In the younger years, it is easy to remember to add breaks and games into the school day—but what about with our teens? The IQ Circle from Timberdoodle is a perfect way to keep your teen learning while breaking up the monotony of the school day.  With so much amount of time and energy dedicated to ACT/SAT and career prep throughout these pivotal years, we cannot forget about the importance of including opportunities to develop critical thinking skills. Having these skills developed will prove useful in real-life situations, even while still in high school: Driving Tests Job Interviews Volunteering Ministry  Household Chores Study Habits All of these situations require our teens to think on their feet and to use problem-solving skills in a practical ...

Letting our kids loose to learn and explore on their own sounds scary. Are they actually going to learn anything? When left to their own devices, what will happen? Psalm 119:45 says, "I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts." This is a beautiful reminder that there is more freedom than restriction when we are truly seeking after the Lord. When we first understand his precepts.  How does this play out in our homeschooling? Building a biblical foundation in our homeschool helps us to make God-centered decisions rather than decisions based on the fear of man.  How many workbooks have we purchased, or resources have we bought simply because we feared what a non-supportive distant family member might think if Johnny isn't reading at grade level at the next family gathering? Our aim is not to please man, but to please God, and when we do it wholeheartedly, God will teach us how to teach Johnny to read—on His timetable, not Aunt Sally's.  Once we un...