Thrift Schooling

The 4th Grade Timberdoodle Kit continues to gain momentum as my son works through it. The beginning stages of the homeschool year are crucial when it comes to igniting a passion for learning, but how does this happen with a struggling reader?  Graphic novels (comic books) have been working surprisingly well when it comes to encouraging independent reading—even with history, generally a topic that can be met with resistance.  The  Disasters in History 8-Book Compilation  is a book that can be read anytime, anywhere, by a child of almost any reading level.  This book is divided into two sections: Part One: Exploration and Space Disasters The Donner Party Shackleton and the Lost Antarctic Expedition The Apollo 13 Mission The Challenger Explosion Part Two: Fire and Wartime Disasters The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire The Hindenburg Disaster The Attack on Pearl Harbor Teaching about historical disasters needs to be handled with care—...

  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...

  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 ...

Hands-on homeschooling just got real with  iBrick STEM kits for kids ages 9–12! Have you ever attempted to begin your homeschool day and, instead of finding your kids throwing spitballs at you like you would see in a classroom, you see that your kids snuck bricks into their pockets to play with while you read history? Maybe you eventually gave in and let them play with them while you read (sheepishly raising a hand over here). Now homeschoolers don't need to feel guilty for their desire to build during homeschooling . What better way to teach discipline than to incorporate it into their schooling? Rather than attempting to set aside a certain time of day to play with bricks, or using them as an incentive for completing school—it now is school! The discipline comes with teaching them how to use them productively.  When my 10-year-old opened his iBrick kit for the first time, he could not believe that it was for school. He still can't, and he has completed dozens of models over ...

  Look what showed up on our doorstep! My fourth grader could not wait to open this box so he could see what is in store for him during the 2026–2027 homeschool year. Are you just as curious as he is? Come join me in my dining room and help me unpack this incredibly hands-on, educational kit.  At first glance, my son saw the puzzle globe, which caught his eye immediately. That is definitely going to be his first project. He also noticed that most of what came in the kit were activities. Games. Puzzles. Engaging projects . Even the math manipulatives are something he is looking forward to. He has been used to doing math strictly online, so I was not quite sure how he would do with the switch to a more tactile approach in that subject—but it is needed. Though he is generally strong in math, his division needs work. Implementing the Math-U-See Delta program this year will be perfect.   The Timberdoodle kit for fourth grade definitely meets the Thrift Schooling crit...

Simply Draw with Bob Parsons  is part of  Timberdoodle's 7th grade Curriculum Kit  but can be used with any child in any grade. This unique drawing program is the perfect addition to any homeschool that can be added to your regular routine, or used during Christmas or summer break to keep the workload light yet educational.  What I love about this program is that the lessons can be completed directly in the workbook. I did buy an extra notepad for my kids to practice the techniques on, just for extra practice, but this book has space for kids to create—it is not just a textbook. Plus, you also have access to a PDF of practice pages that go along with what is taught in the lessons. With guides to follow, the lessons are self-explanatory with online access as the icing on the cake. The video-based instruction helps kids home in on basic skills needed to build a strong foundation in their drawing.  What does a Simply Draw with Bob Parsons purchase include? 178 page...

  The Nomadic Professor: US History 1 & 2  is a high school level option for homeschoolers. The program is set up for a classroom-style approach so if a homeschooling parent has several high schoolers, she can log into her dashboard and keep track of one or multiple students. A separate login is available for parents and students. I appreciate this feature with homeschooling programs. It helps me to keep track of what my child is doing without messing up the progress on their end of the program. I can essentially see what my child is doing "behind the scenes" while she is trudging along, doing her work, at her pace.  As the parent/teacher, the first thing you are going to want to do is decide if you want this to be strictly online or if you would like your child to practice their handwriting offline. I tend to approach each subject differently in my homeschool for my teens. Yes, I want them to know how to physically take notes and write papers with pen and paper, but ...

  The  Panda Pickagram Bundle  is a brand new part of Timberdoodle's Second Grade Curriculum Kit  leaving kids with an exciting new way to do school this year. Pickagram is a magnetic puzzle that builds spatial reasoning, creativity, and logic. What I appreciate about Timberdoodle's creative line is the variety of puzzles with seemingly unending levels. Children can easily have unending play with the Pickagram, but, with the bundle, your child also receives 52 designs to work on. The challenges help them get started in their creativity, allowing them to go off script (or card) and make their own creations. Right out of the package, my son went immediately towards working on the prompts from the cards. Every child is different. Learning styles vary. Having the prompt cards available work well for the child that can get overwhelmed easily, unsure of where to begin. This would be the child who is still sitting in their room two hours after you asked them to clean their ...