Thrift Schooling

  Cats & Boxes   is another incredible game available from Timberdoodle that is perfect for your homeschool. One player games are great to have on hand when homeschooling multiple children. This year is the most intense (and wonderful) homeschool year yet. I have a senior in high school that will be graduating this spring  plus I have a first grader that is in the beginning stages of his home education journey. All I can say is, it is intense and lovely at the same time. Our family has been doing this since the beginning so you would think it would be a breeze but there is always so much to learn.  One thing that has never changed in all the years of homeschooling is the fact that games are at the top of our list of boredom busters. My kids have never really been huge fans of video games, though they do play them occasionally. Rather, board games are a huge hit—for them and for me.  I personally am a fan of Cats & Boxes because having single player ...

  Game on, Thrift Schooling friends! We are big game people in this household. As I write this, three of my five children are deep into a board game that will most likely last for hours. How does this happen? How can we encourage our teens to choose playing a good old fashioned board game over scrolling the Internet in their spare time? Two things. First, introduce them to board games when they are young. My kids have a huge shelf of games that they can choose from. When young it can be a struggle or fight because we are dealing with character issues that have nothing to do with the game itself (sharing, taking turns, not being a sore loser, etc.), but as they grew, so did their desire for spending time with one another—and games are a great way to make that happen.  Second, introduce them to easy games at first that keep their attention. The  Battle Sheep board game  is a perfect example of this. Kids are able to learn to play quickly, the rules are simple, and it i...