Did you know that our TOS (The Old Schoolhouse) Crew is composed of over 200 bloggers? Our goal is to let you (our readers of the homeschool community) know about the many, many materials that are available for homeschoolers.

This week’s Blog Walk is composed of blogger reviewers that have been reviewing homeschool curriculum and materials for two years or more. So each blog is a treasure house of homeschool reviews. I invite you to visit each one by clicking on every Blog title. You’ll most likely find that they have reviewed a material that you are interested in.

1. 1 of 100 plus 25 TOS Crew Reviews
2. Homeschooling Hearts and Minds
3. Homeschooling Drewper
4. Burkherts Brigade
5. Families Again
6. Homeschool and Family
7. The Sunny Patch
8. Life on the Hilltop
9. Our Busy Homeschool
10. Homeschooling Blessings

I have a niece who loves photography, so much so that she has invested in professional digital camera with all its accompanying accessories and gadgets. She takes her camera with her all the time and calls it her youngest baby. Needless to say, I love her pictures. Everytime I look at her pictures, I feel as if I am transported to the place where she took those pictures. She can see things differently and can translate what she sees to her photographs. I just love it!

Imagine what it would be like to be ‘transported’ to three different ecosystems around the world – places that I know we can only dream of going – and that is what The Digital Field Trip Series is all about. This award-winning DVD is produced by Digital Frog International, a software company dedicated to producing high-quality, multi-media  CD-Roms dedicated to the study of biology and ecology.

The Digital Field Trip Series brings your homeschool to three different ecological systems around the world. Through the use of your PC, you can take a virtual field trip with your children and learn so much about these systems.

The three ecosystems you and your family can visit are:

The Wetlands in Southern Ontario where you can learn about the mechanisms of wetlands, types and study of a bog and much, much more.

The Rainforest in Belize, Central America, where you can actually hear the different cacophony of sounds that is produced in a rainforest.

The Deserts in North America, where you can learn about the different desert types, the animals that live there and how people can affect this ecosystem.

WHAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS DVD:

I was very excited to review this DVD with my children because these are places that we only dream of going to. We concentrated on the Rainforest. For my children, it’s as easy as plugging in the DVD and watching it to see where it goes. They have already taken a virtual field trip to the rainforest and investigated the different kinds of animals that live there. The study of animals are most interesting because they have live videos of the animals. Then there are field notes that you can read through that gives the facts about the system. At first I was afraid that it might be boring for my children, but surprisingly, it has kept their interest for long periods.

As for me, while watching it with my children, I was thinking to myself: “How can I possibly make sure that these kids actually learn something from this DVD and that this is not just for entertainment?” Well, after going on our TOS Crew forums, I learned that included in this DVD are workbooks that we can use for more interesting and in-depth study of these ecosystems. The Digital Field Trip Series is interactive and has games for children to play as they keep on learning about it. As of this writing, we have only scratched the surface of what this DVD has to offer. There’s far more to it than I am able to describe.

I’d like to thank the fabulous people at Digital Frog International for sending me The Digital Field Trip Series for review.

The Digital Field Trip Series is available for sale from their website for $125.00 for a home license. If you find that too steep, they have each digital field trip for sale individually for $60.00 for a home license. Also available are The Digital Frog – a virtual frog dissection CD and Sciencematrix – Cell Structure and Function.

Notice of Material Disclosure: I have received this item as a part of the TOS Homeschool Crew for free in exchange for this review. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions stated here are mine.

This is the second part of my answer to the missionary mom’s letter which I blogged here and here. However, I got another letter from another mom and I’m posting her note here because I would be giving similar answer to both questions. My answers are printed in blue italics.

Letter from Missionary Mom:

Just wanted to ask about your homeschooling system i.e. how you got the kids “enrolled”, what age did you start each kid, do they take regular tests sa DepEd to get accredited, etc etc.

Letter from Inquiring Mom (I called her this because the subject of her email is “INQUIRY”)

Hi Miss Michelle! I’ve read some of your great and inspiring blogs! May I please ask where you enrolled your kids? How do you go about homeschooling?

Your insights will be a big help for our family! Thanks so much!

The question “How do you go about homeschooling?” seems like a very general question that can have a lot of answers. Homeschooling is different for every family just because every family is different. So there’s really just no point of comparison. But just to answer this question, I’ll share a few things about us.

First, we started with a goal in mind. One of the goals we had was that we wanted our children to be educated at home because we wanted to be their main influencers in life. We believe that sending them to school would also mean giving up our reins to their teachers. Every family who is considering to homeschool must begin with a goal. This goal would carry them through all the trials that they would be experiencing. The goal must be deeper than just saving a few thousand pesos. Because if that is the only goal, then as soon as you have the money to pay the tuition fee of a regular school, off to school your child will go.

Then, I read all I can about homeschooling and I still do until now. I researched a lot that’s how I found so many sites online about it. You have to be aware, though, that the research can actually overwhelm you because of all the information that is available. But the continuous reading on my part has helped me tremendously in my homeschooling philosophy.

I spoke to a lot of Filipino homeschool families, attended orientations and studied the available materials available here. My children have gone through two homeschool providers then studied independently, and this is now our 3rd year with Kreative Kids, Moms and Dads.

I started homeschooling when Guitar Babe was 7 years old. We used Alpha Omega Lifepacs which are very good. Artsy Princess was only 4 years old then and I did not formally teach her anything until she was 7 years old. I did not enroll Artsy Princess when I started teaching her. What I did was to buy workbooks from Powerbooks. I did purchase Sing, Spell, Read, Write for her and it went great. She only learned to read when she was past 7 years old because I did not believe in starting her academics too early. It’s a different case with Sunshine Girl now, because she really wants to learn. So I’m already teaching her now even if she is only 5 years old. They have not yet taken any DepEd tests and when they do, I will share it here.

Our homeschool at home is not as consistent as I would like it to be. I mean that I try to follow a schedule as much as we can, but life really just happens. I always have to remind myself that my priority is to teach my children at home. However, I’ve also learned to view the life experiences as opportunities for my kids to learn about real life.

The one thing I’ve found that helped me is to always have a plan, no matter how loose it is. Plan what the children will study for the school year, what materials to use, how long they will study, the days of school, the holidays. The quote “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail” is just as applicable to homeschool.

Finally, the best thing that I believe I can do is to pray and commit our homeschool to the Lord.

Proverbs 16:3 (New Living Translation)

Commit your actions to the Lord,
      and your plans will succeed.

Missionary Mom and Inquiring Mom, I hope that I have somehow answered your questions and that I have been of help to you and your family.

God bless you!

I’ve just reread my blog post answering Missionary Mom’s letter if I ever sent my kids to regular school. I believe the next logical question to ask would be if I would ever consider sending my kids to regular school again. Missionary Mom did not ask this question but it just seems like the unasked question in her letter.

After seven years of homeschooling, going through all its ups and downs, I would still gladly keep on teaching my children at home. Up until my last child, Flash Boy, finishes high school, at least. If you do the math, that’ll mean another 15 long years – and this is just fine with me. I’ve written in my previous post why this is our conviction.

Some people tell me right out that my children will miss a lot of the experiences that children going to regular school have. Well, let’s see now exactly what those experiences are that my children are missing.

1. They’ll miss the daily commute to and from school, in the middle of traffic, pollution, rains and floods.

2. They’ll miss the daily rush and the intense pressure in the morning of getting everyone fed, clothed and sent to school.

3. They’ll miss the peer pressure from other children in their school.

4. They’ll miss having to do tons of assignment after they have been to school for eight hours.

5. They’ll miss having to compete with 50 other students for one teacher’s attention if they don’t understand the current topic of study.

6. They’ll miss the influence and authority of other adult figures in school, whether positive or negative.

7. They’ll miss being forced to rush through a topic that they barely understood just to get in with the teacher’s schedule for the day.

8. They’ll miss the friends that they will make in school.

Below are a few good things that they will really miss because they are not going to school:

9. They’ll miss the teachings of a really, really good teacher who is an expert on her subject.

10. …

So far, I can’t think of anymore to put in number 10. My point here is this, if those are the things that my children are missing, then they are not missing much. Even number 9 is also not a big deal because there are so many in the family and among friends that are experts in their own right with whom our children are exposed to.

My children tell me that sometimes friends ask them if they don’t miss school. They will ask back with this question, “What’s there to miss?” Their friends would respond with having school friends, the prom, etc. When Guitar Babe had this conversation, she said that she’s not missing much. She has lots of friends in church and among our homeschool group. As for the prom, she asked, “What’s the big deal about proms?” I replied that they get to wear nice gowns or outfits and party with their friends. Both Guitar Babe and Artsy Princess said, “But the prom is not the only place you get to wear a nice outfit and party with your friends!”

To end with, my husband and I firmly believe that whatever it is our children are “missing” are definitely not as valuable as teaching them at home. We place great value in family and our faith in God. And we are able to impart these values everyday in our homeschool and daily life.

I received a short note from another mommy that I met online. I’m sharing it here for others who may have the same question. This is only the first part of my answer to her letter because I don’t want this to be such a long post. I’ll be answering the rest of her questions in another post.

Hi Mommy Michelle! Once again, I really thank GOD for allowing us to meet kahit virtually lang. Anyway, I know you’ve got a lot on your plate now, but I’d like to get some tips from you sana, if you don’t mind. Just wanted to ask about your homeschooling system i.e. how you got the kids “enrolled”, what age did you start each kid, do they take regular tests sa DepEd to get accredited, etc etc. Did you ever try regular school before? We’re leaving for mission again soon and I just want to get all my facts straight even if (mys son) is only turning 4 in October. Thanks so much! God bless always!

Hi Mommy! Thanks for the note. I guess you’re not able to catch me online lately so you decided to write me instead, right? Well, that’s just fine because it actually gives me more time to answer. I hope you don’t mind that I answered you here on my blog, as I also would like to share letters like yours here, in case another mom has the same question. So here goes:

Did you ever try regular school before?

When my eldest, Guitar Babe, was 5 years old, we enrolled her in our church school for two years. It went fine, she learned how to read and how to count and all the other stuff they teach in schools. My beef with them was that it was a necessity for me to tutor her at home everyday after having been to school for three hours. I was still working full time then with another business on the side. There came time when I was spending so much time on my sideline business that I was unable to tutor her at home. Sadly, her grades dropped and her teacher blamed me for it.

I felt so bad and guilty but inside I was also fuming mad. I send my child to school where the teachers should have been the ones responsible for making sure that their students learn, and yet I’m being blamed for her low grades. Aside from that, another teacher had bad English diction. My daughter learned to say “es-nake” for snake and “es-cool” for school When I complained to the school administrator about this, she said she can’t do anything about it. The worst is that when I tried to correct Guitar Babe, she answered that this is how her teacher taught her, so her teacher is right and I’m wrong. Here is where I started to feel that I have lost authority in my child’s life with regard to her academics. She believes in her teacher more than she does me.

After two years, she graduated and was ready for Grade 1. It was also about this time when I heard about homeschool.

My heart is filled to overflowing today as I think about our family’s past week. I am so grateful to the Lord for He hears us and answers our prayers. How good and great is the Lord our God Almighty!

Well, since it’s the start of the rainy season, it’s no surprise that the kids got a touch of cough and colds at the start of the week. It’s not a surprise, but tough on us. What made it even tougher for me is that I also came down with diarrhea at the end of last week. It has left me weak and tired all the time. And even if the diarrhea stopped, I felt that my tummy has not settled down completely since I still can feel my tummy rumbling.

I’ve spent the last few days assessing where my children are with regards to their homeschool. I’ve been reading The Trivium Mastery by Diane Lockman. I received this book from the author so that I can review it but I did not know how much it will bless me until I started reading it. She also has a website with a tutorial which I’ve been doing this week. I’ll write more about this in a future review. For now, suffice it to say  that I am tremendously blessed with The Trivium Mastery.

Also, I’ve done research on what resource I can use to teach my preschooler, Sunshine Girl. Believe me when I say that there are just so many, many kind and generous people who have created curriculums for preschoolers and have put it up for our use for FREE.

In my search, I’ve decided that the curriculum that I wanted should be Bible-based, encourage the reading of rhymes and books, should be full of craft activities, and should not require me to source books that are not available here. Before I share what I’ve decided is the best fit, I’d like to share first the various preschool helps/curriculum I’ve found online:

If you think that you will need to purchase an expensive curriculum to teach phonics to your child, look at this website first. Progressive Phonics is a FREE all-in-one reading program. It has books that you can either read online with your child or have it printed and bound. You will need to register to use this site but it is free to register.

Starfall is an online, interactive reading program that will hook your kids. It is cartoon-like and is very interesting. Sunshine Girl loves to get on this to learn her alphabets with music and games.

The Letter of the Week Preschool Curriculum by Brightly Beaming Resources has a complete complete curriculum to teach your child with books and songs.

Now my Sunshine Girl loves to create. She loves to paste things and has done a lot of creative crafts on her own. So I’ve looked for more ideas for crafts for kids. And here are some:

DLTK’s Sites has so many wonderful craft projects for kids to learn their ABC’s, shapes and numbers. It is a huge sight that includes Bible crafts, animal crafts, countries and cultures and many, many more.

Confessions of a Homeschooler is a blog owned by one of my fellow TOS Crewmates. She offers a lot of printables that we can use to teach our own preschoolers. I’ve learned a lot from her, too.

Tot School is fun time with your tot, says 1+1+1=1 the blog owner. Just like Confessions of a Homeschooler, her site is full of ideas and printables that you can use to teach your tot at home. I love this site, too.

No Time for Flashcards is brimming with so many different ideas to teach your child. I haven’t been through so much of this site but I have used some of this site’s great craft ideas.

Homepreschool and Beyond is a blog owned by Ms. Susan Lemos. She blogs about faith-based, developmentally appropriate homepreschool / homeschool using a literature approach. She believes homepreschool should be based on the 4R’s: Relationship (with God and family), routine, readiness, and reading aloud. She has published a book which I, hopefully, can review in the future but you can read excerpts and a lot of ideas on her blog.

Now I use a lot of great ideas from all the resources above. Sunshine Girl expecially likes Starfall, so I’m going to let her keep using that. But there is one site that I will be using to teach her.

HUBBARD’S CUPBOARD offers a complete curriculum for ages 2 – 6. It comes complete with weekly and daily lesson plans, printables, book list. It uses the rhymes and Bible stories, Bible memory verses and is full of craft activities. I’m using this because it looks like the best fit for me and my child. We’ve been through week 1 so far and it’s been good.

I’ve presented here several sites for you to go through. It can get overwhelming at first, but don’t let this get you down. See what works best for you and your child and only use those. If it doesn’t work, discard it.

God bless you all!

In our TOS Homeschool Crew forums, one of the members asked us our reasons for homeschooling. There are 250 of us in the TOS Homeschool Crew and there are as many reasons for each family. Here’s our family’s core reason for homeschooling our children:

“After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord.”

                                              Judges 2:10-13, NLT

When we were prayerfully considering homeschooling our eldest child, God gave me a vision for our children. The vision is that each one of our children will become leaders when they grow up, and they will be strong leaders for the body of Christ.

I grew up in a non-Christian family with values that changed every time the wind changed directions. My husband, on the other hand, grew up with Christian parents who brought him and his siblings to church every Sunday. Still, the family values he grew up with was still askew. He remembers that they were not taught how to live the Christian life. He thinks that maybe it’s because his parents thought that taking them to church every Sunday was enough.

We started homeschooling with the desire to teach our children about God, how He loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins. We wanted to teach them how to live a righteous life in God’s eyes. We desired for them to grow up seeking the will of God and obeying it in their lives.

In that vision, we saw how our present decisions will affect not only the lives of our children, but also the lives of the generations that will come after them – our grandchildren and great grandchildren and so on,

No, we don’t want any in our next generations to grow up with no knowledge of God and how great and mighty He is. We don’t want them to forget God’s faithfulness to our families. By God’s grace, every generation that will come after us will know and love God, their lives becoming a testimony for others that will bring praises and honor to God.

It is this vision that pushes us to keep on doing what we are doing despite all the odds against us. I pray that this vision will carry us through the years to come.

Speaking of our TOS Homeschool Crew, here are ten more of my crewmates’ blogs for your reading pleasure.

1. Second Star to the Right and Straight On Till Morning
2. Surviving The Testosterone
3. Family Style School
4. School Around The Bible
5. 1628 The Story of The Goebels 5
6. Morris Family Madness
7. Homeschool Musings
8. Homeschooling (and then some!)
9. Heartfelt Homeschooling
10. following Him home

The Old Schoolhouse® is thrilled to share this FREE resource with you—a digital supplement to the Schoolhouse Expo . . . The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine Homeschool 101 Supplement. Get a broad overview of homeschooling in general, or enjoy reading up-to-date articles from some of the best authors and homeschool companies that TOS has been bringing you for years. With almost 200 pages full of supplemental homeschooling articles and resources, you won’t want to miss this . . . and you don’t have to—it’s totally FREE!

Instructions for downloading:

1. Click on the picture above or the words in red.

2. You will be redirected to another site The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool 101 Digital Supplement.

3. At the bottom of this page, look for this button:

4. Click on the button to be redirected to the digital magazine. Enjoy this super-packed resource for your homeschool!

Note: What you are getting is the digital magazine. You can download this magazine in PDF to your hard drive so that you can print the bonus pages. To do this, find this

Download Directions

5. Click on Download Directions to find out how to download the PDF file to your hard drive.