The Old Schoolhouse Planner 2009/2010

The Old Schoolhouse Planner is back and even bigger than before! One of my very first reviews for the TOS Crew was last year's planner. That was the debut version and I was pretty impressed at the time. You can check out my thoughts HERE.

I still use several of the forms from last year, especially the grocery lists and meal planners, so I was interested to see what this year's version would bring. NEW RECIPES! Yeah, so you may be able to tell that I'm all about the food and it's supposed to be a homeschooling planner. That's the great thing about this, it's a homeschool planner but so much more. It tries to be a HOME planner and I think it succeeds pretty well.

This is a huge e-book. There are household forms and educational forms to choose from, including various schedules for one or more children at a time. My favorite feature last year is still my favorite feature this year- you can type directly into the schedule. I love, love, love this! Of course, this also brings me to my least favorite feature. In order to save, I have to save a copy of the entire planner. Last year I saved two copies, one for my senior's individual schedule and one for my sophomore's individual and the five younger one's combined schedule. I also have my original copy saved. Three copies of a giant e-book takes up a good bit of space. I'd love to be able to save the individual pages, or even just the schedule section, individually.

It's not all just forms though. I already mentioned recipes but this thing is full of articles and encouragement in homeschooling. There is a theme for each month with information and links listed. Modules are available to add each month, making this a great starting point for unit studies. A creative mom could use this planner and the added modules as her curriculum base for the year. Or if you're less creative, like me, you could simply sit down with your kids, check out a few of the links, and see where it takes you. We have a bulletin board in the bathroom, positioned just right for reading when spending a little time in there, and I plan to print off and post some of the pages of interesting facts and tidbits each month. My planner makes this easy! And I love easy.

The Old Schoolhouse Planner 2009/2010 has more forms and information than any one family could use in one year and that's what makes it fun. It's like a big buffet and you get to choose what works for you! I can just about guarantee that you'll find something in here that fits your family.

Check out all the details HERE, I'm sure you'll be impressed with the list of goodies inside. If you want even more information, the entire Table of Contents is listed HERE. This is the Thanksgiving Dinner of planners and it's available at The Old Schoolhouse Store for $39.00.

Have you used the planner yourself or read over the huge table of contents? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. I love comments!

Note: The Old Schoolhouse Store is running a special offer right now, "Order between June 11, 2009 and July 12, 2009 and receive the 2008 Planner Excerpts FREE". Sweet!

Voyagers- Reviewing is Discovering

This is my second year with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Review Crew(or TOS Crew) and so I have been named a First Mate. One of the great things about being a First Mate is having a "Mini-Crew" of  first year reviewers to work with, connect with, and support. We've named our unit, Voyagers. I've always thought of homeschooling as an adventure. What's an adventure without a little discovering along the way?

Check out my fellow Voyagers and encourage them along the journey;

Nikki at Joy in the Journey



Debra at Footprints in the Butter
 
Katie at Camp Corbett

and First Mate Lori (me) here at Hearthside Homeschool Reviews

The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul

Summary: "Donita K. Paul’s 250,000-plus-selling DragonKeeper Chronicles series has attracted a wide spectrum of dedicated fans–and they’re sure to fall in love with the new characters and adventures in her latest superbly crafted fiction novel for all ages. It’s a mind-boggling fantasy that inhabits the same world as the DragonKeeper Chronicles, but in a different country and an earlier time, where the people know little of Wulder and nothing of Paladin.

In The Vanishing Sculptor, readers will meet Tipper, a young emerlindian who’s responsible for the upkeep of her family’s estate during her sculptor father’s absence. Tipper soon discovers that her actions have unbalanced the whole foundation of her world, and she must act quickly to undo the calamitous threat. But how can she save her father and her world on her own? The task is too huge for one person, so she gathers the help of some unlikely companions–including the nearly five-foot tall parrot Beccaroon–and eventually witnesses the loving care and miraculous resources of Wulder. Through Tipper’s breathtaking story, readers will discover the beauty of knowing and serving God."

About the Author: "Donita K. Paul is a retired teacher and author of numerous novellas, short stories, and eight novels, including the best-selling DragonKeeper Chronicles, a series which has sold more than a quarter million books to date. The winner of multiple awards, she lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she spends time mentoring and encouraging young writers. Visit her online at donitakpaul.com."

My Thoughts: My fourteen year old son began reading Ms. Paul's DragonKeeper series a few months ago and really enjoyed them. When I had the chance to review her newest book, I knew he'd want to be involved and we both set to reading. I soon found myself transported to a world of talking parrots and intelligent dragons (could there be any other kind?). The characters were intriguing and very likeable. I finished in about two days, more than willing to be drawn into the lives of Tipper, Beccaroon, and the not-as-crazy-as-he-seems wizard.

This was a gentle fantasy. I would have enjoyed a little more adventure and drama, but my attention was captured by the characters and I wanted to spend more time with them. The writing was vivid and I could clearly "see" the action in my mind. I would love to see this on the screen, but doubt it could match the beauty of my imagination.

This is not an overtly Christian book, although the Christian theme is certainly present and readily available for thought and discussion. I was glad the author did not tie everything into a neat little Christian bow at the end. Some of the best Christian stories are the ones that do not preach but instead draw you into a character's life and let you grow and learn along with them, subtly. I think this is one of those books.

It did not come as a surprise to learn the author is a former teacher! The story is full of characters with interesting vocabularies and grammatical peculiarities. This would be a lot of fun to draw from and maybe use for a short, little unit study. Some of the dialogue is just ripe for reading aloud and quoting frequently. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age who would enjoy a gentle fantasy.

If this is the beginning of a new series, I'm on board!

My Son's Thoughts: It was a good book. I liked that she brought back some familiar characters from her other series, especially the quirky one. The new characters were interesting and I liked already knowing the background. At this point, I prefer the DragonKeeper series but would love to read more if this is going to be a series. The DragonKeeper series may be better to read after this one, as it comes first in the timeline. I would recommend to anyone who likes fantasy.

Our First Graduate

Thirteen years ago seems so far away and yet it went by so quickly. We had three kids then and Jake had just turned five. I remember my grand plans to get my teaching degree. My husband and I were just finishing Bible college and wanted to go start a church and Christian school in Vermont.

God had other ideas.

I was slightly familiar with homeschooling but hadn't really considered it for our children. This was the beginning of AOL and chat rooms and Internet friends. It seemed as though the homeschooling idea was everywhere I turned. It wouldn't leave me alone and so I began praying. My husband began praying. We prayed together and started really investigating the idea.

One day, we got down on our knees (literally) and surrendered our will in this area and committed to home educating our children. We ended up in Connecticut soon thereafter and my husband is now pastoring in Cape Cod. "Many are the plans in a man's heart..."

There were many days (weeks? months?) that I questioned my ability to homeschool. I know I could have done better. I know I could have done worse. But I always came back to that commitment and knew that if God called me to something, He'd give me the ability to see it through.

And He did. And does.

My goal in homeschooling is to teach my children how to learn. I know I cannot teach them everything in the span of thirteen years. They need to know how to teach themselves.

I'm finished officially homeschooling my oldest. My goal has been reached with him and I can call it a success. It's hard to let your child go and become his own man but it's also an amazing thing to contemplate. And I'm thankful that thirteen years ago, God had other ideas.

We have our first graduate.



Only six more to go...