Thrift Schooling

  Are you a member of your state's homeschool organization ? Many state homeschool groups organize an annual Day at the Capitol , which is an incredible opportunity for homeschoolers to sit in on a session, tour the state's capitol building, and learn more about how politics work in their state. If your high schooler is ready to learn about the ins and outs of his government on a deeper level, this is the year to include Exploring Government , by Notgrass History , into your routine. If you have a child with a bent towards politics, go all out and develop a year filled with field trips, politically-based YouTube playlists, and a debate class. If you are a delight-directed educator, then you can make this year a year to remember. Homeschooling high school means you only have a few years (or one if this is your child's senior year) with your child day in and day out. Maybe your child has already picked up a part-time job or volunteer opportunity, and the reality is starting t...

Welcome to the Thrift Steading launch! This month is filled to the brim with incredible content from homesteaders across the map to help you get started or continue in your homesteading endeavors. How The Launch Works 1. A new post will go LIVE on the blog each weekday in August. Posts will include guest contributors, giveaways, and sneak peeks into the Garnet Creek Farm homestead. All posts will be linked to the launch linky  at the bottom of the launch page. 2. New podcast episodes will be released each Thursday, keeping you up to date with what is happening on the blog. 3. Check your inbox each Friday for the week's recap AND exclusive subscribers-only content! 4. Subscriber perk! If you are an email subscriber, you are welcome to include one homestead-themed link to the LINK-UP on the Thrift Steading launch page . Let's get to know each other!                                      Gi...

  The car ride to Gettysburg felt shorter listening to audio dramas about the Civil War—even with the traffic jam we were stuck in about an hour away. Completely at a standstill, my two elementary boys and I pulled out the PB&J fixings and made the most of it. Sounds of gunfire in the background and action packed dialogue from the car radio built up the excitement ahead. That trip was memorable in so many ways but what made it unique was that I only took my younger ones. My older ones have seen Washington DC, the Booker T. Washington museum, and other iconic US landmarks. This was the time for my younger ones to have similar experiences. Middle school is one of my favorite times to present these experiences, both in person and in our curriculum choices. I have found that elementary school is a great time to introduce ideas in the area of history but the brunt of the work ends up being reading, writing, and math. History left to the wayside. Many homeschool moms will admit that ...

  My high school Economics class in high school was the period immediately after lunch. I seem to remember always falling asleep as the teacher droned on about the glass ceiling. I do not remember retaining much in that class and could not wait for the bell to ring so I could head off to gym class (unless we were square dancing that day!) What I love about homeschooling is I don't have to organize all of the classes into neat little 45-minute periods, although I used to. Once, I planned an entire year based on that type of system, neatly scheduling each class into the day from 8:30 am until 2:00 pm—complete with two breaks, one to go on the swing set and one for lunch.  Why I thought I needed to recreate the typical classroom model, I do not know. Lack of confidence? Fear? Habit? Whatever the reason, I quickly learned that as I added more kids to the mix, that type of education did not fit our routine. Needing to nurse a baby or going to rescue a runaway goat made me need to ...

  History is a tricky subject—but it did not used to be. In the 1800s, American school children learned about the origin of their country from school books, family stories, and Independence Day celebrations complete with the full reading of the Declaration of Independence. Now, American history is convoluted and viewed through political lenses, often distorting the reality of what actually happened. Do you ever wish you could go back in time and experience it for yourself? (If anyone is working on a time machine, please let me know.) Or do you ever wish you could speak first-hand with someone who heard the Liberty Bell ring on that memorable day? I know that I do.  Since I cannot do those things, the next best option is to carefully select history materials from an accurate and Christian worldview. Why Christian? Because Christianity formed America. Were those Christians perfect? No, but was the early church perfect? Is the modern-day church perfect? I am sure that we would al...

  The title of this curriculum says it all— Our Star Spangled Story . Written by a team at Notgrass History , these materials do just that—tell a story. History is an interesting subject. Many either love it or hate it. Some despised it in school and are learning to love it as adults. Why is that? Many of us who grew up in the public school system or private schools feel like we were spoon-fed what they wanted us to learn. Pieces of history were completely left out. Stories were left untold. Of course, this can happen in any educational system, but when we are providing our children with a strong Christian worldview, we don't want to leave anything out, especially the Christian influences. I cannot tell you how many homeschooling parents I have met—men and women—who fell in love with history for the first time because of homeschooling. I believe this happens because of the hard work put into the resources and compilation of not only well-known but little-known facts in history that...

  Exploring World History  is a full year-long high school history course by Notgrass History . This course can be counted as credit on your teen's high school transcript for Bible, English, and History. This quality course takes your student on a deep-dive into the history of our world beginning with focusing on worldview. Many Christian curriculum companies begin world history with Creation—which I respect and look for in a homeschool history class—but Notgrass goes the extra mile to lay a biblical foundation first. Even before discussing the Creation of the world, hard questions are addressed for an entire chapter such as understanding God, our world, and our place in the world.  Once a biblical framework is established—the text dives not only into historical facts and landmarks but discusses creation, sin, and questions from Genesis. I love how each chapter of this curriculum concludes with a Bible study from Eternity Before Creation to Eternity After This World. With...

  From Adam to Us   by Notgrass History  was an absolute life-saver in our early homeschool years. I was in dire need of a well-formatted, organized curriculum that added a strong literature element. Our family of seven had committed to a year-long ministry opportunity in Mexico, and we needed a homeschool curriculum that was flexible yet structured. Missionary work looks different for everyone, but in my experience, regardless of the country or type of work, it is typical to have more downtime than you are used to—at least that has been my experience. With two children under the age of four needing consistent nap times, a lower elementary student, an upper elementary student, and a middle schooler—we were all across the board! This meant lots of time at home and the need for consistent structure.  Although each child's math, reading, and spelling needed to be at grade level, science and history did not need to be. Since the beginning, I would pick a science and hist...

  Our family once traveled from Canada to Mexico in one summer—with a nine-month old! I'm not complaining though because we had an incredible vehicle, a Sprinter van with enough seats for the whole family plus a queen size bed in the back. It certainly was an upgrade from the minivan without the fuel costs of an RV. That was a summer to remember filled with plenty of memories! Although we did not make it to all of our planned stops, I figure that we still have eleven more years of homeschooling . That sounds overwhelming considering I've already graduated one and will graduate two more in a few years but I'd rather look at the years ahead as an opportunity—an opportunity for adventure! Though I wish we could visit all fifty states during the next eleven years (with the graduates tagging along, of course!) it simply isn't practical. I know plenty of families do it, but as homesteaders with milk cows and a running greenhouse, we can hardly sneak away for a weekend trip m...

  I am so excited to talk to you today about  Exploring World Geography by Notgrass History. You would think homeschooling two high schoolers would be easy—pretty hands-off. For the most part, spelling is really the only subject in which we are completely engaged with each other. The only other hands-on aspects are grading math tests and English papers and explaining (or trying to find a related YouTube video to explain) a difficult concept. Yet the most challenging part of homeschooling high schoolers, other than ensuring they are keeping up with their work and doing it to the best of their abilities, is finding the perfect courses for each student. Someone asked me recently which curriculum I use, and I gave the same canned answer. I started with Abeka, and now I pick and choose different curricula for each kid and each subject based on their needs. Most homeschoolers do it that way. Some find a boxed curriculum that works from preschool through high school, but most find t...

Notgrass History  has homeschoolers covered when it comes to teaching middle school. These years are not as intimidating as it may seem. Those of us who were public schooled and are now homeschooling moms and dads may remember middle school in a negative light—I do. Why is this? Middle school is the time when children are figuring out who they are. What their interests are. Who their real friends are. In previous years many friendships are created because of forced playdates that parents create. Hobbies are generally guided by the parents. Middle school is an important time in our children's lives because they begin seeing the bigger picture and they begin asking the hard questions about life. Trust me. If they are not asking them at home then they are asking them with their peers whether it is at school, youth group, or online. Middle schoolers are curious.  Homeschooling gives us a beautiful opportunity to guide these conversations while we are reading with our children, tea...

  Now that the 2024–2025 homeschool year is in full swing, I would like to introduce you to Thrift Schooling's Platinum Sponsor for the year— Notgrass History . While some states begin in August and others in September, for the most part, many of us have several weeks of the new year under our belt. I hope you are getting into your groove! Our groove right now is a tradition that spans many years, from when my teenagers were little. When they were little we ventured through the entire Little House on the Prairie book series reading every single book in Laura Ingalls Wilder's initial series, including Farmer Boy. What I was missing then was a quality unit study to go along with the books . We read the books, and attempted a few recipes but I did not have an affordable unit study to work through with them. The whole time we read the books (which takes a decent amount of time), I was wishing I had a study to help move things along. I am excited to share that now with my younger...