Dear Christina,

Don't you just love it when someone asks, "So where do you get your curriculum?" It's like they think it's a quick easy answer. But oh no, little do they realize that you actually have a mountain of catalogs, magazines, and websites that you've been using to research which would work best for each child in your family for each subject!

You know what I like to do though? I try to keep my stash of catalogs and the such gathered together in one basket so that I can quickly pass them off to those new homeschool moms who start out asking, "So where do you get your books?" It's a good place for them to start and it helps me control the clutter around here.

Enjoy every minute!

Nancy Carter and The Homeschool Minute Team

P.S. Don't forget that you we have a ton of product reviews on the TOS website. You can see what our reviewers have to say about the curriculums that you are considering!

P.S.S. Have you heard about the Homeschool Blog Awards? Voting ends Friday and our very own Gena has been nominated in the Current Events category for her Home Where They Belong blog. You don't have to be a blogger to vote, just head on over there and vote for your favorites!

HOME Where They Belong

So many good products, so many choices, what to do? I've often heard that attending a local homeschooling convention can be a daunting task. You walk into the vendor hall and your eyeballs pop out. You twitch. You sweat. The "fight or flee" instinct kicks in and wild thoughts begin swirling about the brain which is having spontaneous electrical discharges and misfirings just about now anyway. Do I run and hide? Do I fight back? (How would one "fight" a vendor hall anyway? That's strange.)

Actually, you mosey. You slow down and look around. You tell yourself, "I don't have to buy a THING. I'm here to learn, to discover. I'm here to mosey." And then you do it, you know, MOSEY. Slowly you walk from booth to booth, meeting the vendors and learning about their products, their philosophies. You eagerly accept their samples, their catalogs. You smile as they share from their hearts. You relate. And maybe you buy. Maybe you don't. It's all good. The conference is there for YOU. It's created lovingly by tireless convention planners specifically with YOU in mind.

I strongly recommend that you "mosey" over to your local convention or book fair this year. You may not buy anything, but you'll certainly learn a lot about the various curriculum choices out there. You'll touch and feel (and smell!) the goods. And you'll get an idea of the heart behind homeschooling itself as you mingle (and mosey) with other likeminded families. See you at the fairs this year!

- Gena

Homeschool Heart

I guess I've been homeschooling for 9 years now and through the years I've used plenty of different curriculum - A Beka, Bob Jones, Saxon, Apologia, Sonlight, Mystery of History, Switched on Schoolhouse, Five in a Row, and a bunch more. You name it, we've probably either tried it or considered it!

But no matter what we've used (or not used), I'm always amazed at what God does in our humble little homeschool. Somehow through all of this hodge-podge of materials and busy family life, the kids are considerate, articulate, and learning more each day.

If you're struggling with what to buy this year or struggling with the fact that you really can't buy much this year, don't worry. You truly are your child's best teacher, no matter the curriculum. God has great things in store for your family this year. Just keep your eyes on Him and the rest will all fall into place.

- Nancy

Homeschool Freebies!

Hey - if you've ever wanted to get God's World News and WORLD Magazine at a deep discount, check out this special just for TOS readers! If you're a homeschool support group leader, click here!

And speaking of curriculum choices...Cindy Downes has a page on her website entitled Step by Step Guide to Choosing Curriculum. that is very comprehensive. She even has some free downloads.

Here's a blog post from Spunky that I found quite interesting. I happen to agree with her wholeheartedly...for what it's worth.

Also, don't forget to check out Donna Young's website for some free planning forms. These will help immensely as you compare the different features and benefits of each curriculum.

See ya next week - I'm off to go...uhmm...shopping.

- Julie

Schoolhouse Store Spotlight

When you’re looking at curriculum selection your best resource is often someone who has “been-there-done-that.” The Schoolhouse Store offers several products with veteran homeschoolers sharing their experiences.

Our Secrets of Successful Homeschooling Audio CD shares the best tips and encouragement from real-life, experienced homeschooling parents just like you. Also available in E-Book format. The Well Integrated Homeschool is an encouraging audio CD from The Old Schoolhouse® publisher, Gena Suarez on how to make relaxed learning an integral part of your daily life. You’ll find lots of good information and a few surprises as well! Christian Homeschooling: Foundations and Practices by Christian Liberty Press is an inexpensive 128 page book offering help and advice in setting up and planning out your homeschool.

And, while it doesn’t deal specifically with curriculum you’ll most certainly want to take advantage of our newest E-Book: Homeschool Dialogues, a compilation of interviews with many of the top names in homeschooling including; Josh McDowell, John Taylor Gatto, Lisa Welchel and many more. An invaluable resource, to be sure!

Better yet, check out our brand new TOS E-Book Combo Pack! You can purchase all three of our TOS E-Books: Secrets of Successful Homeschooling, Homeschooling the High Schooler and Homeschool Dialogues for only $24.95!! That's a savings of $13.40.

If you're not sure you'll benefit, take a quick peek at the reviews on Secrets HERE and High Schooler HERE.

-Dena

Mercy in the Morning

The mere volume of curriculum offerings can totally overwhelm me. Some years I have purchased something and not used it. Some years I’ve made a commitment to use what I already had. Some years I don’t have a clue. Here’s my normal plan of action now:

1. I write out educational goals for each child, and then fill in the blanks with curriculum I have on hand, or new curriculum I have reviewed. This is a great time of year to start thinking about next year’s plans.
2. I go over the list with my husband, making sure I add or subtract what he suggests. I have learned to really listen to him – he often ends up being right anyway! If he doesn’t have any idea on a certain subject, the next step is really important.
3. I put it all before the Lord in prayer as HE has the only real insight into my kid’s hearts and minds. I pray for the right curriculum at the right time at the right price for the right child. What’s overwhelming to me is easy for Him. I also pray that God will show me the giftings and abilities He’s placed in each one and how I can help them use those for His glory.
4. I put this scripture into practice:

I have decided that what is more important than choosing the right curriculum for my children is choosing to follow their earthly father and their Heavenly Father’s leading. The old phrase, “Father knows best!” really says it all.

-Deb

"I just wanted to let you know how much we are enjoying the magazine and newsletters! Every issue is a blessing. I wanted to concur with Nancy Carter's review of The Bronze Bow. We read this two years ago in our Sonlight curriculum and it is AWESOME!! It would be a wonderful book to recommend a non-Christian homeschooling family to read because of its gentle, yet powerful message of Christ's mercy.

Also, in the winter issue The Scarlet Stocking Spy received rave reviews. We recently purchased this book on that recommendation, and it did not disappoint! We are working on a Revolutionary War unit, and this came just in time! Beautifully illustrated, quick read, exciting, moving--and we never would have known about it if you hadn't recommended it!

We also recently purchased the Chore Flip Charts from the TOS Store, and LOVE it so far! It is especially (go figure!) good for our teenage son, who-um- needs guidance to remember what "cleaning the bathroom" means (it does entail more than swishing out the toilet bowl!!)

Anyway, thanks so much again for being such a blessing to our family and countless others. May you all have a blessed Easter."

~Jennifer ,TOS Subscriber & THM Reader ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"My homeschooling has been so enhanced by ideas I've read in this magazine! I love to find quiet time here and there to read everything. I even take notes for future plans of the advertised curriculum I want to add to our homeschool. Thank you!"

~Laura, TOS Subscriber ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I want you guys to know that The Homeschool Minute is the highlight of my week and it always is pertinent to what I am dealing with. It always resonates deeeeeeeeeply with me! It's like being thirsty and having my thirst slaked by a tall, cool glass of water. Please know that you are touching many!"

~Leanne, TOS Subscriber & THM Reader