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AdventuresinHomeschooling
Adventures in Homeschooling
 is a Navy family, homeschooling two of their three children and has been a Timberdoodle subscriber and convention visitor for years. Their Navy life has added some adventure for you to follow along with. You can also find her on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Facebook.

As_they_grow_up
Samantha of As They Grow Up is a mom to four children, homeschooling the two that are elementary-school age; their oldest is an RN, and their other daughter is in college. They love many things such as organic gardening, biking, camping, and hiking. When asked what theme song would play when she enters a room, she answered, “Everything Is Awesome (can you tell I’m a mom). Seriously though, I love having fun with my kids and love my family dearly. I’m always positive and upbeat. No negative Nancy here. Funny thing. When I asked my boys what my song should be after I started writing this, they said, “Everything is Awesome” without missing a beat. Sure it isn’t a cool song, but it’s a fun song!!” Check out their blog to find out more about how much fun they are. You can find them on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Google+, and Facebook too!

Ben_and_me
At Ben and Me, you find a mom who is a former labor and delivery nurse homeschooling her adopted son aptly named Ben, who use a “delight-directed” homeschooling method. (Check them out if you want to learn more about this; you won’t be sorry.) They work through all of their challenges that they see as gifts, and their attitudes about everything truly will bring a smile to your face. When asked about blogging, she shared, “By far the best thing about blogging is the honor to mentor; teach; and be in community with other homeschool moms.”  If you can’t get enough of them from their blog, you can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

big_family_blessings
Big Family Blessings
 is written by Amanda, a single homeschooling mom to 6 and “avid Momtographer.” She loves hobbies and baking, but most of all her family. She brings you into her life and her family through posts like Homeschool Nature Hunt and finding our tribe. She also guest posts over at Living Well Mom where you can find some great healthy living inspiration, including recipes, family, and DIY ideas. You can get to know them on Facebook, Google+, Instragram, Pinterest, and Twitter too.

Chasing_Supermom
Chasing Supermom is a pastor’s wife, mom of four, aspiring author, and has set out to do what she can to help moms take a realistic view of life and help them get through it. She’s aware of the view the world has set up for women, and has made her website a place where moms can come to “receive validation, find useful tips, realistic recipes, and a true-to-life picture of everyday motherhood.” She also runs the website Learn with Books. She certainly is chasing Supermom, and we’d say she’s right on her heels! You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Chocolate-covered_boy_joy
Chocolate Covered Boy Joy
 follows a widowed mother of two boys with very different personalities. She is very excited to share with you her joys and challenges of home educating, cultural resources, enrichment programs, activity ideas, rites of passage programs, and the many other things that she is using to grow her boys into men. You will have so much fun getting to know her boys and getting to peek into their lives as you follow along. And if you just can’t get enough of them from their blog, follow along on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, or YouTube. Or go for all of them!

embark_on_the_journey
At Embark on the Journey, Tara is a homeschool mom with many years of experience under her belt. She has homeschooled all of her three children for at least some of their schooling years. She started her blog to have a place that others could come to for inspiration and many different kinds of helpful options. Find her also on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Farm_Fresh_Adventures
Farm Fresh Adventures
 is a mom of two farmboys with very different learning styles, so she has to get creative sometimes with the best ways to help them learn. You will find a plethora of topics on her blog, from reviews to gardening to printables. Sample more of her life on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+.

flanders_family
The Flanders Family Website
 is a very family- and faith-focused website; there to help you build your love for your family and each other through witnessing this husband and wife team and their twelve, yes a dozen, children take their commitments and vows very seriously and to show you the importance of doing the same. They also share plenty of fun links, ideas, homeschooling tips, recipes, and money-saving ideas. Jennifer is also an author. You can check out her books on Goodreads. Catch up with the family on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Grace_Christian_Homeschool
Grace Christian Homeschool
 has been homeschooling their three children for many years now. The “Grace” in their site name has nothing to do with their family name, but their focus on their faith. Right now they are Blogging Through The Alphabet With God’s Word one letter at a time. To see more of their fun ideas, check them out. You can also find them on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Google+.

greatly_blessed
Greatly Blessed
 is a family with 10 kids, both biological and adopted. They are working through some pretty severe special needs and just the busyness of life while homeschooling, crafting, and trying to add fun to every day and culture into their lives. You can follow along on Facebook, Google+, and Instagram.

Growing_up_Creative
On Growing Up Creative, Jess and Jenny are mothers who have two children each, blogging together, unschooling and raising bilingual children in two different states. Their blog has bilingual areas as well, so if you’re more comfortable reading in Spanish, or you’d like to work on your Spanish, you definitely want to check this one out. Jenny is a military spouse raising her children while working on an as-needed basis as a Spanish consultant for a marketing firm. She graduated with a master’s degree in Human Resource Management after first earning a bachelor’s in Telecommunications with a specialization in Production and a minor in Spanish. Jess now stays home with her two children, but only after first graduating with a bachelor’s in Fine Arts, traveling some of the world working in customer service with an airline, signing with two major agencies in Miami as a makeup artist, but following her passion for teaching and teaching for two years. And now these very accomplished and busy ladies want to share their experiences with you. Follow them on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube also.

homeschool_gameschool
Meg at Homeschool Gameschool explains that her blog name comes from their love of using games in learning. They’ve been homeschooling their 6 children for more than a decade and a half, so she knows what she’s doing. They are very much into games and hands-on learning; how can that ever be a bad idea? She also blogs at This Big Happy, about mindful and frugal living. She’s found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google+ as well.

Hopkins_homeschool
Hopkins Homeschool
 is a mom of four, adopted and biological, homeschooling the school-aged children. She posts reviews, helpful meal suggestions, fun ideas, about her family, and soon will be posting Timberdoodle reviews. Since daddy is a truck driver (and also the principal), they are very thankful for the flexibility in scheduling that homeschooling allows. You can get to know them better via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.

Imperfect_homemaker
It’s clear what Imperfect Homemaker is all about from the name of her blog, but just because she realizes she’s not perfect (none of us are!), doesn’t mean she doesn’t work hard to help create a place where everyone can go to find encouragement and help. She is a mother of four, who loves to write about homeschooling and healthy living. Other than her blog, you can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram.

Investing_Love
Investing Love
 is a mom of four, sharing her story of love, life, and family. She is a homeschool mom, a photographer, and a writer who has contributed to several blogs and even been featured in a couple of magazines. Follow along as they learn, craft, and share their lives. She is also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Little_Earthling_Blog
Little Earthling Blog
(formerly A Baker’s Dozen and Apollo XIV) is a long-time Timberdoodle fan and reviewer. Renee and her husband have fourteen children: five adopted and nine biological children. This year, two are homeschooling while others are in public school, college, and university. Check out her photography site, where she specializes in birth and newborn photography. You can also find her on Instagram and Facebook.

Mama_Smiles
As a busy mother of four, Mama Smiles is not only a pediatric cancer survivor, she holds two degrees from Stanford University: a master’s degree in education, with a foreign language teacher’s credential; and an undergraduate degree, where she studied organ and vocal performance. As if that weren’t enough, she she returned to graduate school to earn a PhD in medicine from the University of Edinburgh. She says that she uses all of these degrees on a daily basis sometimes in unusual ways, in the teaching of her children. She also loves to share hands-on ideas, recipes, pictures, and many other fun ideas. You really should check her out, not just on her page, but on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Mommy_Octopus
Mommy Octopus
 is a law-enforcement wife and homeschooling mom of five in Georgia, who posts a lot of helpful reviews, money-saving tips, giveaways, and meal plans. You will get to follow along on a lot of fun family travel posts as well. When asked who made her laugh recently, her response was, “That would be my goofy 4 month old son. His sweet toothless and slobbery grin makes me smile and laugh daily. He will ‘talk’ back when talked to and his conversations and faces are priceless!” Catch up with her, and maybe catch a glimpse of the slobbery grin yourselves, on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as well.

Moms_Heart
Mom’s Heart
 is a mother of two boys and two girls, blogging about homeschooling and family life. Her children are in a younger range, so if you’re looking for tips for your littles, you should check out her page. She shares, “I hope to encourage others through my trials and triumphs; and also to encourage them to be true to themselves and not try to replicate any other school or homeschool.” To get more insight into her thoughts and ideas, check her out on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Munchkin_Time
At Munchkin Time, Love is a mom of two girls, who shares DIYs, recipes, and crafts. And the gorgeous photos on her site will have you wanting to make everything on there! When we asked her who she admired recently and what was admirable about that person, she had this touching response, “My mom; she raised 5 kids by herself and that alone is so admirable. Everytime my kiddos get sick or when it gets hard I always remember my mother and how she never gave up on us! She is one amazing mother.” How can you not love Love? You can also find her on Google+ and Instagram.

My_Three_Girls
Well, you can probably guess how many girls Heather, over at My Three Girls has. 😉 She keeps very busy homeschooling her girls while also taking care of the home and running a photography business. When we asked her to tell us something she learned recently, part of what she had to say was, “I have learned how to homeschool in a way that brings rest to my family; and a better approach to learning together.” She shares with us the most visited post on her blog, which is that of their homeschool room. Besides the blog and her photography page, you can find her on Pinterest and Facebook.

Natural_Beach_Living
Natural Beach Living
 is a momma to five, and as you can probably guess, loves the beach and nature. She has a background in early childhood education and is using that to teach her own children. Her family focuses on living a natural, eco-friendly lifestyle. If you visit her site, she can help you learn how to do that too. Not just that though, she also has great homeschooling activities, printables, book suggestions, and so much more. Another blogger said, “I love this blog and reread it often. She always has great information. I also have shared her blog with friends who homeschool, and they love it.” So you don’t just have to take our word for it. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Our_Pretty_Little_Girls
Beth at Our Pretty Little Girls is a homeschool mom of two girls who is into fitness, gardening, photography, and all kinds of crafting. Her blog is centered around her faith and her family, but also a great place to find recipes, DIY projects, parenting helps, and homeschooling tips, among many other things. She wrote about blogging, “I think the best part of blogging is easily the relationships that are built as a result of it. Over the past two years of blogging I have formed some amazing friendships with my readers that will last a life time. It has been such a joy to meet and connect with others.” Join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram too.

Pig_n_dac
Pig & Dac
 is a mom to two boys who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and worked in social services before becoming a stay-at-home mom. She is new to homeschooling since her sons are young, but she’s happy to share her experiences and ideas. She also has the blog Jessica Dimas. When asked what theme song she would want to play when she enters a room, she chose, “Remedy (I Won’t Worry) by Jason Mraz because the beat is inspiring and makes me happy; and the line “I won’t worry my life away” is my motto! I’m here to have fun and enjoy everything that comes my way.” Catch up with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Quad_Squad
Quadsquad
 is a YouTube-based blog where each of their children like to show their own interests in their own favorite types of videos. We’ve been following this channel, and love to hear and see each child’s presentations. So professional and engaging! They are a homeschooling family with four children who love to share not only their favorite homeschool projects, but “Kitchen Adventures,” “Craft Time,” and the way they have fun with learning using science and games. You can track them down on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as well.

Proverbial_Homemaker
Proverbial Homemaker
 is about what Tauna is striving to be every day, only in recognizing where those abilities come from. The header under her blog name is wonderful and very relatable, “Domestically challenged. Divinely equipped.” She is a wife and a mother of five. You can expect to read about homeschooling littles, frugal living, reviews, Biblical marriage and parenting, and so many other things that you’ll have to check out her blog to find out about. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram also.

Raising_Lifelong_Learners
If you want to find an expert in gifted education, check out Raising Lifelong Learners. She has a master’s degree in gifted education and “spent over ten years as a gifted intervention specialist advocating for the bright {and often misunderstood} children with whom I worked.” She has since become an author of several books, which you can take a look at here, including a publication of free resources for elementary teachers.  She now has her own twice-exceptional children and advocates for the needs of gifted children everywhere. She has four children and they all enjoy getting outside as often as possible doing a large variety of fun things. You can follow along not only on her blog, but also on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google+.

Schmovies
Schmovies
 is another YouTube-based blog, sharing their experiences through their “family vlogs.” Tim, the dad, was homeschooled, and now he and their wife, Dana, homeschool their 6 children (or at least those that are school aged). Their most recent family additions are identical twin girls. They don’t just share videos about homeschooling, they really allow you to follow along with their family adventures of all kinds. As of this post, they have 1,164 videos, so if you visit their channel, you won’t be bored! Tim and Dana each have their own social media accounts, so you can follow Tim here: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+. Dana’s social media accounts are: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Instagram.

Smithspirations
At Smithspirations, Kristen is a mom of six, writing about Faith & Family Life, Natural Living & Wellness, Real Food & Recipes, and so much more. She has a college degree in art education, which likely comes in very handy while homeschooling her children. She typically shares a monthly “A Peek Into Our Homeschool” where she shares their homeschooling highlights for that month. She shared with us what she loves about blogging: “I love connecting with readers and building a community; as well as having an outlet to share things I’m learning and doing while being a bit creative with photo editing and writing.” So click on over and connect with her. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube.

So_Every_Day
So Every Day
 is a mom of five, trying to balance everything and homeschool her kids on her own, but still trying to find the beauty in everything and share that with her kids. As she says, “Because we do live in the Every Day. And I’d like that ordinary to be a little more . . . extraordinary. To praise the simple for its beauty… To cherish the Every Day. Every day.” I think we could all do better to remember that. Check out her blog to follow along on her not so ordinary life.

The_Neighborhood_Moms
The Neighborhood Moms
 is written by a small group of neighborhood moms, who, between them, have six children of various ages. On their site you will find everything from reviews, to travel, parenting, home & living, recipes, and crafts & DIY. And they claim their recipes are “recipes any mom can do,” so test them out and see for yourself. If they’re right, you’ve just increased your arsenal. And I’m betting you’ll find at least one recipe you’ve never heard of; I mean how many of you have heard of “Irish Potato Candy”? I know I hadn’t until today. Find them also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest.

the_relaxed_homeschool
Jennifer at The Relaxed Homeschool is a homeschooling mom of a busy little boy, whose goal is to help people just starting out on their homeschooling journey. Part of what she says is best about blogging is, “I am a writer at heart so blogging is only natural for me. I am someone who wakes up every morning and is actually excited to get to get to work. Not many people can say that! The best part about blogging is my ability to help people.” As you can probably guess from the name, she wants you to just relax, go with the flow, and have fun with it, but she’s also there to help you through it. If you want to learn more about her approach, you can read her post on Why I Homeschool! Catch up with her on Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook too.

thoughts_from_her
At Thoughts From Her , she keeps herself very busy with a teenager, a preschooler, and very recently welcomed twins. Her preschooler is enrolled at a local preschool, but they also supplement with Timberdoodle’s first-grade curriculum kit for him at home because that is the level he is learning at. In her own words, she writes about “travel, local venues, food & much more.” To find out more about each of these, please make sure you check out her blog, or you can find her on Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Or check out all of them.

to_sow_a_seed
To Sow a Seed
 is a large missionary family, parenting nine, some biological some adopted. They are homeschooling, have been for many years, and having to adapt for many special needs, but also with so many children, blessed many times over. You can meet the kids here. On their page, you can learn not only about their family, but also their ministries, resources, and about their days in general. You can find their eBooks, and find out about booking Christopher and Heather for a speaking engagement. You can follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

 

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Doodle Timberdoodle’s 2016 Catalog!

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Would you like your family’s artistry featured in a Timberdoodle catalog? Or perhaps you’re more interested in winning one of the 3 amazing prizes or taking up to $5 off your next Timberdoodle order?

We’re collecting doodles for consideration in our 2016 Curriculum Catalog and Curriculum Handbooks, and we would love to consider your doodles! Entries of all skill levels are welcome; we find the toddler’s “bug” as appealing as the teenager’s B-17 or Dad’s beehive.

If you or your child isn’t sure where to start, take a look at this PDF packed with suggestions!

To Enter:

1. Doodle
Use a black marker for the best results. We are looking for simple graphics which can be printed easily, so a fine-point pen or pencil is not advisable. No color please – for best print quality we need to start with simple black & white sketches.

2. Label it
Include the name of each doodle, as well as the artist’s name and age; this may be included on the same page as the doodle or in your email entry. (Parents, your doodles are welcome too, and no age is required! Do feel free to add in Mom of 7, Homeschool Dad, Lawyer, New Homeschooler…)

3. Please Doodle Anything!
The ideas provided are just to jump-start your creativity. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

4. Email Us Your Entries
Take a picture of the doodle or scan it for us and send it to doodles@timberdoodle.com (Do take a moment to be sure the art is in focus and the light is bright enough for us to see it. Every year we have a few that are too dark or blurry to use.)

That’s all there is to it!

5. Each doodle will also be entered in a drawing to win:
$100 Timberdoodle Gift Certificate & Simbrix Expert Kit (1st Winner)
$50 Timberdoodle Gift Certificate & Simbrix Expert Kit (2nd Winner)
$25 Timberdoodle Gift Certificate & Simbrix Expert Kit (3rd Winner)

There are no limits on how many doodles your family can enter, so doodle away!

Contest closes Monday, March 14th, at noon PST.

Details
All entered works of art become the property of Timberdoodle and will be used at our discretion, including being considered for the 2016 Timberdoodle Curriculum Catalog and Handbooks.

Artistically gifted or not, your creative designs are very much appreciated! Of course any unmistakably slipshod work or careless scribbles will not be awarded points or entered to win the amazing prizes. And I’m sure it won’t surprise you to learn that ALL entries must be family-friendly!

We will credit your family’s Timberdoodle.com account 20 Doodle Dollar Reward Points for each qualified doodle, up to $5 worth (100 points) per family. These points do not expire and may be redeemed on any future online order.

Looking for ideas? Check out our PDF of ideas:

doodle_Ideas

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Should I Get Timberdoodle’s Preschool or PreK Kit?

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I am trying to decide on curriculum for fall this year, and don’t want my child to be bored. He knows colors, shapes and numbers to ten and can recognize letters. He can cut straight lines only. He will be 4 in October of this year. Should I get the PreK or the preschool?

From the description of your son’s aptitudes, his preschool skills seem to be quite solid. Our PreK kits are designed for ages 3-4, so he perfectly fits into the typical age range for the PreK curriculum as well.

Placement really (depends, hinges, is based upon [you’d then remove the following “on”]) on the individual child…where their interests are, their learning styles and levels, etc. If it seems like a close call, we would generally suggest gravitating toward the higher level (PreK rather than Preschool), because even if there are some things in the curriculum you have to set aside for a bit because your child isn’t quite ready for them yet, you would be making an investment in the future rather than spending money on resources you’ll only use for a relatively short time.

If you haven’t already done so, you might want to look through the items in the Preschool level, specifically with the intention to evaluate whether your child already has a pretty good handle on the areas being covered there. I wouldn’t be too concerned about whether your child has used particular tools or resources, but simply whether he/she has a basic grasp of the skills and concepts being worked with. This would help you determine whether or not he is ready for PreK.

The other thing you can consider, if you think it would make a better fit, is customizing your curriculum package to include some resources from both the Preschool and PreK levels. That way you could pull in some tools from the Preschool if you thought they’d still be helpful, and at the same time you could leave out tools from the PreK if there were some you thought your child might not be ready for for some time.

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What If Someone Else Ran Your Booth?

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Since announcing Why Timberdoodle Won’t Be At Conventions in 2016, we’ve been blown away by all the generous offers to staff a Timberdoodle booth for us. Knowing the work that goes into just family scheduling, unloading, and reloading, we are stunned that you could even consider doing this for us. Unfortunately though, there are multitudes of complicating factors such as taxes, training, product demo logistics, etc. that make it impossible this year.

For instance, we estimate that just the demo copies of the grades and their displays would be close to 1,000 pounds. Can you imagine the shipping to bounce that from convention to convention?

Each member of the team here must be fluent in literally hundreds of items from grades 0-12, as well as the alternates for each and the items we considered but didn’t add. We find that new team members here take significant time to master this knowledge, let alone someone who is just seeing some of the materials for the first time.

On top of that are the complexities with taxes. As some of our fellow vendors have discovered the hard way, every company representative and every state in which Timberdoodle products are sold will multiply the complexity of tax reporting. Temporary tax permits, state/county/city tax rates, establishing a nexus… this is the stuff of nightmares!

Then there is the screening process. We’ve had the opportunity to observe dozens of product reps while on the road. Some are so amazing that it would be an absolute pleasure and delight to have them representing us. But others leave lots of room for improvement. How would you screen for that?

How would we handle accounting? We’re not comfortable giving others access to a customer’s private information, and the logistics of security seem a bit overwhelming to us.

Also, we find it typically takes at least five people to keep things moving in our booth. This would be a coordinator’s nightmare, especially when you are states away and find out that one family has been struck by the flu or has had a car failure or…

None of these issues is absolutely insurmountable, but the combination means that we cannot pull it off this year. It is definitely something we’ll keep toying with though, and possibly considering in the future. Thank you for caring. You’re a blessing to us!

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Why Timberdoodle Won’t Be At Conventions in 2016

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Texas 2014

After much prayer, deliberation and discussion, Timberdoodle has made the difficult decision to forgo all homeschool conferences this year.

Hanging over the overpass, after swinging a 180 on I90.
Dangling over the overpass, facing the wrong way on I90 in Montana.

We totaled both our rig and our trailer in our wreck last year, which plunged us into much consideration and debate as we sought wisdom from God to see if we should pursue investing in a new rig, or whether we should take a year off from attending conferences to regroup. It is with both sadness and peace that we have concluded that a year off from conferences is our next step.

WA in 2015
Christian Heritage Conference, 2015

Our convention crew will truly miss you all, your friendly faces, support, laughter and making new friends. Our last few years have put thousands of miles on our vehicles, and given us just as many treasured memories.

2015 Convention Team with Author Sharon Watson

The team anticipates that being home will enable us to roll out some new ways for you to see our products and ask us questions. And you may be sure that we will reevaluate towards the end of 2016 to set a course for 2017 and beyond.

The artist behind these beautiful owls!
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Coloring: A Surprising Brain Booster

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One of 2015’s biggest and perhaps most unexpected art trends has got to be the intricate coloring books for adults. Widely peddled for their stress-relieving benefits, I see their advantages through a slightly different lens. Not only have I taught five children to read, but I have also communicated with countless parents around the globe who have confirmed that beginning readers are often the fingernails on the chalkboard of homeschooling. While it is vital to listen to a beginning reader as he painfully sounds out word after word, if you find this task not just mind numbing but threatening to suck the joy out of homeschooling, there are options. For my children, I did a lot of knitting, and keeping my hands busy alleviated the bulk of the tedium. However, if coloring books like these had been available then, they would have been another delightful diversion.

Likewise, some of you have children who are already accomplished readers yet desire your presence while they do their schoolwork. So you balance your checkbook, bring your shopping list up to date and transcribe all those recipes from Pinterest, and this is only day three into the school year. A coloring book will give you something relaxing to do, and will inspire your children in their own artistic endeavors.

Plus, coloring books counteract the hyperactivity of the region of the brain called the amygdala, which is why so many find coloring a calming activity. Coloring also stimulates brain areas related to motor skills, the senses, and creativity, and while coloring we activate different areas of our two cerebral hemispheres, resulting in improved cognitive abilities and increased attention span. That is why coloring enthusiasts claim that coloring makes them feel mentally clearer, happier, and more relaxed.

If you or someone you love has reached an advanced age, you will be happy to know that even here coloring has multiple benefits. First, because coloring requires fine motor skills, it necessitates extra work by the brain to coordinate actions and muscle control in hands – an important skill that is lost as we age. And if the design we choose to color is a bit challenging, it may also help fight cognitive loss.

Finally, there have been several studies about why people should engage in creative activities. Unlike other hobbies, coloring has a low barrier to entry, so there is some hope that coloring can act as a “gateway activity” to pursuing other forms of art-making. Coloring offers creativity without the paralysis that a blank page can cause – with coloring, you just choose a color and fill the space.

Ready to start coloring? So were we! But it took reviewing boatloads of coloring books to find what we were looking for: top quality books, with cheery, friendly illustrations that you will love coloring. Check out our current coloring book collection at Timberdoodle.com Timberdoodle.com

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Why Did Timberdoodle Add Curriculum Kits?

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From time to time we’re asked why the focus of Timberdoodle has changed from the original DIY emphasis in 1985 to our current curriculum kits.

At its inception Timberdoodle specialized in hard-to-find tools that would enable parents to develop their own curriculum plans for each child. Thirty years ago, the offerings were slim and hard to come by. But as the years passed, resources proliferated until it truly became overwhelming to new homeschoolers. Family after family contacted Timberdoodle to ask, “Well, if it was your 1st grader, where would you start?”

By 2009 we had lists of suggestions for each grade, but decided it would be even more helpful to actually offer a full-fledged curriculum. So, in 2010, we introduced Timberdoodle Curriculum Kits. We have loved the ability to add in details to help new homeschoolers get up and running quickly. Tips, tricks, and even a weekly schedule checklist are included in each grade’s friendly Timberdoodle Handbook!

But we’ve never lost sight of our initial goal – the best fit for EVERY family. To accommodate that we have each kit available in 3 models: A Basic kit typically includes language arts, math, and thinking skills. Complete Kits add in science, history, and hands-on tools, such as construction sets. Elite Kits include all that plus “the fun stuff” like a stop-motion animation kit, advanced robotics, art sets, etc. (Did you know our kits won a Practical Homeschooling Reader Award in 2015? Second Place in Elementary Curriculum – we’re so excited!)

Even that wasn’t enough for us. We now have non-religious editions available for those who are ordering through a charter or public school.

Best of all, we have custom kit builders that will allow you to fine-tune the standard kits to include only the items you need. You can even swap items, or grade levels if, for instance, you needed a more advanced math!

And, as always, almost every component in each kit is available separately as well.  We even developed a free version of TimberdoodleSchedules.com to generate a checklist customized to your child, regardless of what curriculum choices you’ve made for this year. So if you’re an experienced homeschool parent who knows what you’re looking for and would prefer to purchase items individually, we’re thrilled! After all, that just brings Timberdoodle full circle.

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Is Teaching Textbooks Math Too Easy?

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Math as Foreign Language
In many ways, math is like a foreign language. Different courses will teach concepts in slightly different ways and even in different sequences. For instance, one might teach greetings first, while another emphasizes colors. Of course, neither approach is wrong, they simply reflect their teachers’ interests, approaches and opinions on the best possible way to learn the material. If you took a test part way through the course, you’d find you did better in one area than another, and depending on the bent of the test-writer, you might even find that your knowledge of greetings gave you a much higher score than the score of your sister who used the other course. At the end of the courses, however, you would expect that both of you would have covered both greetings and colors, and your scores would reflect your actual knowledge rather than the bias of your instructor.

Let the Weaving Commence
This applies to math as well. While math definitely builds skill upon skill, there is a lot of latitude in which concepts are introduced when and how they are woven together. Rather than looking at Teaching Textbooks as a one year program, think of it as a ten year course in which all the elements are woven together progressively. At the end of the whole series, you’ll look back and find that you haven’t missed anything and that your students are extremely well prepared for the SAT, college-level classes, etc.

Don’t Be Distracted By These Two!
On a practical note, there are two things that I think may give a person the wrong first impression. The first is the placement test – each covers the minimum knowledge your child needs to start the grade. It doesn’t test your child on everything he will learn over the year; it just makes sure he won’t be lost on the first lesson. It’s not a lesson sampler. 🙂

The second thing that may help to know is that Teaching Textbooks does an astonishingly good job of review. They anticipate that any grade might be your child’s first exposure to Teaching Textbooks and spend a significant time reviewing math concepts that your child will need to proceed. The beauty of this is that your child will not be stumped by a concept that last year’s program didn’t cover, and will build both mathematical confidence and speed as he dives into the new grade.

 

Honestly, I Wish I’d Had Teaching Textbooks!
Does that help at all? We’re so impressed with this program that we hate to see people missing out because they don’t understand how it works. I’m sure I would have understood math much more had Teaching Textbooks been available when I was being homeschooled. I suspect I would even have found myself enjoying it!

 

Let’s Ask Them
That’s not just our opinion, we’ve been in touch with Teaching Textbooks directly for their input. Authors Greg and Shawn Sabouri are brothers with Harvard degrees themselves, along with years of experience in teaching math. The first thing they told us is that they do not follow every state standard and do not cater to those type of exams. They want the students to understand the concepts, not teach to the tests. Isn’t that what we want? We want kids to understand math in a nitty-gritty, put-it-to-work way! They continue:

 

College Level
The Teaching Textbooks series is rigorous and it is designed to prepare students for college level work. The courses also provide students with excellent preparation for college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT. In fact, many of the problems in the Teaching Textbooks high school books are modeled after problems found on those exams. We have had countless reports of students improving their SAT and ACT scores dramatically after switching to Teaching Textbooks. Our students have gone on to succeed in colleges and universities all over the country, ranging from the community college level to the Ivy League.

Which Topics When
Any concerns that you might read about Teaching Textbooks on websites probably stem from which topics are covered in which books. All publishers have been dealing with these kinds of issues, ever since the rise of “state standards.” Every state now has a list of math topics that should be covered in each grade. Public school-oriented people often compare the standards to the topics covered in a particular book. If something is left out, they worry that the book is incomplete or not rigorous. But the reality is that most publishers cover almost exactly the same topics, as long as you look at their entire series of books. Teaching Textbooks is no exception. If you go through our complete series, your students will cover everything on the standards. They’ll get all they need for college and more. You can’t look at the topics in one book in isolation. (Another math publisher) has had an issue with this because they don’t have a separate geometry book. They cover geometry in their algebra books and in their advanced math book. That means the student won’t cover all their geometry lessons until he/she finishes 12th grade.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat?
To deal with this situation, some publishers have started to include the same topics in multiple books. For instance, they might have a lesson on exponential functions in every book from Pre-Algebra through Pre-Calculus. That’s the same topic in 5 books! This ensures that their books will always have every topic covered on all the state standards. There are two problems with this approach, however. First, with so many topics in each book, there’s not enough room to provide adequate explanation of anything. The courses degenerate into rote learning. Second, putting more advanced topics in earlier books can frustrate and discourage the student. (Exponential functions has always been a topic for Pre-Calculus or at the earliest Algebra 2.)

Room to Explain
As you know, TT has been designed especially for homeschoolers to learn from independently. That’s why our courses have so much more explanation than other books. It would be impossible for TT to cover the same topics over and over (particularly in the higher grades). We would never have room for the extra explanation. So what we’ve done is include the topics where we think the student can learn them best. Then we explain those topics fully at that stage. If you stay with our series, your students will cover everything on the state standards. And more importantly, we believe they will learn more than they will from any other series. Ultimately, what matters is whether the student truly understands the math concepts, not how many topics were covered in a particular book. If having the most topics were of primary importance then U.S. students wouldn’t score so poorly on international tests. Because of the state standards movement, U.S. textbooks now have far more topics than books in Asian countries. Yet the Asians score significantly higher on tests than our kids do.

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Timberdoodle’s 2015 Conference Schedule Announced!

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It’s a crazy-busy time here at Timberdoodle!

Our 2015 Curriculum Kits are about to launch, our 2015 Curriculum Catalog is almost ready to go to the printer, and we are just weeks away from embarking on another season of homeschool conventions. As we busily get ready to travel thousands of miles back and forth across the country, we’re looking forward to seeing many of you along the way!

Stop by our booth at any one of eight conventions to get a hands-on look at our hands-on curriculum. While you’re there, find out how you can earn a free eraser puzzle by trying our Smart Games. Plus you’ll get a free Timberdoodle 30th Anniversary Tote Bag with your conference purchase!

Here are the conventions we’re looking forward to attending this year:

 

Midwest Great Homeschool Convention
Cincinnati, OH
April 9th-11th
Click here for details

Teaching Parents Association Homeschool Convention
Wichita, KS
April 17th-18th
Click here for details

Christian Heritage Homeschool Conference
Redmond, WA
April 23rd-25th
Click here for details

THSC Convention (formerly Homeschool Book Fair)
Arlington, TX
May 7th-9th
Click here for details

FPEA Homeschool Convention
Kissimmee, FL
May 21st-23rd
Click here for details

CHOIS Convention
Nampa, ID
June 4th-6th
Click here for details

WHO Convention
Puyallup, WA
June 12th-13th
Click here for details

OCEANetwork Annual Conference
Portland, OR
June 19th-20th
Click here for details

 

Looking for more information?

If you have specific questions about our convention schedule, feel free to contact us at mailbag@timberdoodle.com, or call us toll free at 800-478-0672.

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Doodle Our Catalog 2.0 (and 121 Doodle Ideas)

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Would you like your family’s artistry featured in a Timberdoodle catalog? Or perhaps you’re more interested in winning one of the 3 amazing prizes or taking up to $5 off your next Timberdoodle order?

We’re collecting doodles for consideration in our 2015 Curriculum Catalog and would love to consider yours! Doodles of all skill levels are welcome; we find the toddler’s “bug” as appealing as the teenager’s B-17 or Dad’s beehive.

Here is a PDF of suggestions – don’t hesitate to have your kids glance over the pages and see if any interest them.

To Enter:

1. Doodle
Use a black marker for the best results. We are looking for simple graphics which can be printed easily in our catalog, so a fine-point pen or pencil is not advisable. No color please – for best print quality we need to start with simple black & white sketches.

2. Label it
Label each one with the name of the doodle, as well as the artist’s name and age. (Parents, your doodles are welcome too, and no age is required! Do feel free to add in Mom of 7, Homeschool Dad, Lawyer, New Homeschooler…)

3. Doodle anything
The ideas provided are just to jump-start your creativity. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

4. Email us your entries
Take a picture of the doodle or scan it for us and send it to doodles@timberdoodle.com (Do take a moment to be sure the art is in focus and the light is bright enough for us to see it. Last year we had a few that were too dark or blurry to use.)
That’s all there is to it!

5. Each doodle will also be entered in a drawing to win:
A Sphero Robot (Grand Prize)
$50 Timberdoodle Gift Certificate (2nd Winner)
Boogie Board of your choice (3rd Winner)

3 Doodle Prizes

There are no limits on how many doodles your family can enter, so doodle away!

Contest closes Monday, February 23rd at noon PST.

Details
All entered works of art become the property of Timberdoodle and will be used at our discretion, including being considered for the 2015 Timberdoodle Curriculum Catalog.

Artistically gifted or not, your creative designs are very much appreciated! Of course any unmistakably slipshod work or careless scribbles will not be awarded points or entered to win the amazing prizes. And I’m sure it won’t surprise you to learn that ALL entries must be family-friendly!

We will credit your family’s Timberdoodle.com account 20 Doodle Dollar Reward Points for each qualified doodle, up to $5 worth (100 points) per family. These points do not expire and may be redeemed on any future online order.

Here are the doodle ideas as pictures in case this is more convenient for you than the PDF:
Doodle Ideas Page 1

Doodle Ideas Page 2

 

 

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