SchoolhouseTeachers.com Review

 

Disclosure: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

A new year for the Homeschool Review Crew has begun. One resource that I have used a lot this year is SchoolhouseTeachers.com. 

The Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership gives you access to over 450+ courses for everyone in your family-yes that means mom, dad, toddlers, and everyone. There is a section for special needs, high school help, and much more.  One price covers everyone in your family which makes this a very economical solution for homeschooling. All you need is a computer, internet, and a printer. All the courses are from a Christian Worldview. SchoolhouseTeachers.com is always expanding and new courses and resources are constantly being added.

A few other perks with your membership is a complimentary issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine and a lot of other bonuses for being a member. You have access to the World Book Online too and their many libraries, and so much more.

This has been a crazy year and I know many of you missed going to a physical homeschool convention. It threw my plans off but, I quickly realized that I had access to a plethora of courses within a few clicks with my membership.  SchoolhouseTeachers.com saved my homeschool with quality courses.

Throughout the years of homeschooling, I have used an all-in-one curriculum. Now that my kids are older I find that I need to piece together a curriculum to meet a need or to replace a curriculum that didn’t work for our homeschool. Whether you are needing a supplement to fill in the gaps, a subject, or an all-in-one curriculum it’s there. You can customize your schedule your way! Access to your membership is 24/7 with just a few clicks. You can download the curriculum or print it. 

Classes have different resources like videos, downloadable text, audio, and other components. The courses are clearly marked too. This applies to several subjects throughout the site to enhance your curriculum. 

Not sure where to start - I would suggest that you first look at the Scope & Sequence which you can look at by either grade or subject. This is an easy way to narrow your search down, Or you can just browse the toolbar tabs by grade or subject.

No textbooks are needed and this makes homeschooling extremely economical. There are several subjects: Bible, math, computer and technology, electives, foreign language, geography, health and fitness, art, history, language arts, music, science, social studies, unit studies, speech, and more.   

Let’s explore a few of the gems you will find:

Focused Learning Centers: are a wonderful resource that will give you additional help and narrow down searching on the website. This could be math, reading, science, high school, special needs, career centers, hands-on learning resources, and many more areas.

If you are needing more science resources you will quickly discover that in the Focused Learning Centers that you will find something for all ages like Advanced Chemistry, Geology, or Wondrous Weather are just a few. Some are full courses while others are just a few weeks. It doesn’t matter if it’s a few lessons or a complete lesson as they all have lesson plans. I appreciate Lessons Plans to help me get started and plan. They are also flexible to work with my homeschool schedule.

School Boxes: This has a complete grade curriculum from K-12th grade. All the planning is done for you. It's like buying a complete box curriculum. Every subject plus electives. One advantage over a box curriculum is that you have the option to tweak it if needed! If you have a child who is advanced in math but other areas are at grade level you can make it fit your homeschool needs.

Literacy Center: has something available for all abilities from teaching your kid to read, remedial help, fluent readers. If you’re not sure you can download a PDF to determine your child’s reading level with a guided assessment. Other resources are included in the PDF with clickable links to take you to more resources. It also includes teaching reading, hands-on activities, and other resources for reading.

With so many local libraries closed, it's nice to have books that can be downloaded for K through 4^th grade. Those earlier years are pivotal to get them reading good books. For early readers you have Trek’s Travels has twelve books which you can read out loud or have the computer read to them. The books are available in English and Spanish. That is just one of the series of books.

World Book: This is an online encyclopedia that you can use for research and dig deeper into any topic for your homeschool. One area that I utilized and found helpful this year was the Research Center for my high schoolers. They could work with different topics and make personalized areas to separate different assignments. We also have used many of the interactive maps and atlases.

Streaming Videos: for everyone in your family. You have academics, entertainment, Biblical resources, and more. Some of the videos are tied in with lessons that you will come across in the curriculums. Several of them are on RightNow Media and other videos you can stream on the SchoolhouseTeachers.com site. Like several episodes of Drive Thru History that include worksheets and answer keys.

Planning Tools: several resources available like calendars, customized schedules, planners, and informative charts, and AppleCore Record Keeping. 

Just for Parents: Whether you want to learn about Charlotte Mason Homeschooling, Dealing with Emotions, Everyday Organizing, Teach Kids Algebra, and so many other beneficial courses for all aspects of your life. 

How did I use SchoolhouseTeachers.com in my homeschool?

When you first sign in it may make you feel overwhelmed with all the resources. Take a deep breath and start clicking around on the tabs. You will see that it’s organized and everything has a place that is logical to navigate.

I have been using SchoolhouseTeachers.com for several years and I have seen lots of updates and new things being added. This year I have used it a lot in my homeschool and have been very grateful to have such a resourceful resource in my homeschool.

Here are a few things we have done this year.

This is a complete year long course, but you can adjust to fit your needs. Everything is organized and we check of each lesson to keep track. 

Working on Lesson 18

We are finishing up “Introduction to Architecture” with my son. We started it last January but decided to save it this year for his 9^th grade to enhance his other resources he is using for architecture.  I'm glad we did put it off as it really goes well with his other resources. This is a 37-week course for grades 6- 12. 

Example of a lesson showing the reading and activities throughout

The lessons cover several ancient and modern architectural structures. He has read about Petra, Hoover Dam, Frank Lloyd Wright, Sydney Opera House, the Pyramids, to name just a few. He is learning about a nice variety of structures throughout the world and history. He reads the information provided which is typically a few pages long. Throughout each week you have links within the PDF. Some of the links are videos and others are articles. Some links are activities like maps or other hands-on activities.

Each week I print out his weekly assignments, and I write down any additional notes for him to do and check off.

A completed worksheet

Each lesson provides a schedule for reading, activities, videos, map work, and other assignments. I print out the weekly Lesson Planner for him to refer back to and he can check off when completed. The majority of the lessons have worksheets for vocabulary and questions to answer. I print off these pages weekly and put them in his binder. He is reading the course on his Chromebook. With the links, this is a better fit for him to read it on the screen rather than me printing it out. Like all the courses you can choose to print out the course and put it in a binder. Answer keys are provided at the end of each lesson. When he is done in a few weeks I can print off a certificate of completion.

Another course he has been working through- Public Speaking.

A comprehensive course for introducing Public Speaking. It can be done in a semester.

Navigating through a course is easy. Each course has the same format with Getting Started, Course Outline, More About This Course, and when you open up each section you will have more information. Transcript Information is provided in the High School courses.

Public Speaking is  for grades 8-12. This was a topic I asked him to do and honestly, it’s not his favorite subject. Public speaking is so important to learn and practice. 

Several Exercises throughout and reading assignments

The course starts out covering some of the basics of speaking and goes over well know speakers. Assignments from reading to writing or it could be watching a particular show and doing a presentation around it.

Homework assignments that are fun a easy to implement in your homeschool.

 There are videos and exercises throughout. We are hoping to complete this by the end of the school year. 

The course can be used on your transcript like several of the other courses.

He found out that he can do a pretty good sales pitch, all you need is the right tools to be successful. Throughout the course he has developed some great skills.

My senior is my special needs daughter. She is pretty stuck on watching the “Drive thru History: American History” over and over. As soon as I pull up the site her Autistic brain can’t get past it and that is okay as she is loving it and watching something educational. We have had a lot of changes the last few months and I haven't added to many new things this year for her.

Last year she started ASL Adventures for her foreign language. Learning sign language has been challenging for her. I let her watch the videos and she works on the signs. I trying to give her two years of ASL. I went to school to be an Interpreter for the Deaf and have several books that I work with her also.  She is slowly picking up signs that she can do regularly after a year in a half.

I like that I can look up resources to fit into her skill level. In Language Arts we can use something in 3^rd grade and in math I can go into a higher grade. I like to use this as a resource to fill in her gaps.

I have used several of the courses and resources from SchoolhouseTeachers.com over the years. I have come to rely on many of the features throughout the site. Don’t forget to go and look around SchoolhouseTeachers.com.

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I am 1 of several reviewers for SchoolhouseTeachers.com and their UltimatePreK-12 Annual Membership. Many of the reviewers are exploring resources other than what I have used. Stop by their sites and see what they think. Click here or on the graphic below.