Big Dreams Creative Designs E-Book (Review)

I have had the chance to review another e-book for The Old Schoolhouse magazine. It is called, "Big Dreams Creative Designs" and it is written by Donna Campos. This new e-book offers many ideas for creative learning opportunities, even if you're on a tight budget.

In this 54-page e-book, Donna shares with you some of the ways she's used inexpensive items to transform her homeschool. The first section of the book gives you several ways to use something as simple as a three-sided science fair display board! From just this one item, you can make an adaptable calendar, a puppet theater, a scrolling story board, personal partitions (for those of you who are homeschooling more than one child), and activity center partitions! Donna doesn't just show you how to make each of those things, she also shows you how each one can be used in different ways with pictures and detailed directions.

The next section of the "Big Dreams Creative Designs" e-book deals with organization - specifically, how to keep your school supplies/books/posters/etc. organized for daily use. Donna converted an old computer desk into a multi-use educational center that can be wheeled around in your house so you can take your "school" with you! I love this idea and would love to incorporate it into my home at some point. If you don't have room for such a large piece, Donna tells you how to recycle items you might not have thought about using for school storage.

After reading this book, I started to think about organizing my own school area. This afternoon, I did some rearranging with great results. I found an old crate that had been in the garage for quite some time that I dusted off and am now using as a shelf to hold my daughter's collection of coloring books on her desk. Her desk had been quite cluttered with all of her art supplies, so I found creative ways to store those as well. This e-book was just the nudge I needed to get myself in gear!

If you buy this wonderful e-book, you will also learn how to use file folders to create timelines that don't take up a whole wall and index cards to design a variety of activities for use in your homeschool. Donna Campos is very creative and invites you to think outside the box (literally!), while providing you plenty of help and direction along the way. This new e-book will be available very soon at The Old Schoolhouse store. I will post again when it has been released!

Good Stuff

If you are a homeschooling mom and need some encouragement or if you are thinking about homeschooling and just don't know where to start, there are two items I'd like to tell you about. I have recently discovered the Old Schoolhouse, where they offer great products for homeschoolers, including a magazine that is available in print and digital form. I just got my Summer issue and as someone who is new to this journey, I am finding it to be extremely helpful! It is full of wonderful articles that will guide you along the way. Lesson plans and unit studies are just some of the fun things included in the magazine. You will also learn about various learning styles and teaching methods. As much as I love holding a magazine in my hand and flipping through the glossy pages, I can definitely see the advantages to having a digital subscription. The weblinks that are referenced in the articles are ready to click so that you don't have to remember to look at them later (and I never remember!). You also have quick access to the blogs and websites of the authors themselves so that you can interact with them on another level. Usually I just skip over the advertisments in magazines, but since all of the ads here are tied to homeschooling in some way, I find myself actually reading the ads (and clicking over to their websites as well!). It's also nice to know that the magazine is tucked away in my computer, instead of the loose pages I would normally pull out and stick in a folder somewhere for future reference (yeah, right!). Plus, you are being environmentally friendly by using the online edition and it saves you money (the digital subscription is almost $10 less than the print version). If you want to share articles with a friend or download the offline version, you are able to do so right from the magazine on your screen. You can search within the magazine and bookmark pages that are important to you. These are such great features that you don't get with a printed magazine. You can find out how to order a digital subscription for yourself at the Old Schoolhouse Store. And, so you don't have to just take my word for it, here's a peek at last year's Summer Issue.

I am even more excited about another product from the Old Schoolhouse. It is called the Schoolhouse Planner. This is a wonderful resource for all homeschoolers! It especially appeals to me because I love organizing and calendars and planners, etc. (I could go on, but I won't!) I had seen the sample pages online, but when I received my own planner, I found that it included not just a few fill-in-the-blank calendar pages, but a TON of forms and lists to help you keep up with grading sheets, curriculum planning, memory verse records, science labs, household chores, weekly menus, budgeting, Bible reading schedule...seriously, I could keep going because this thing is 247 pages, each helping you to get a handle on your schedule and keep things running smoothly. There are even recipes, articles and activities for each month. The very best part about this planner is that you can type right into it and save all the changes you make! Then, you can print only the pages you need. I am thrilled to have this planner and can't wait to put it into practice!! :)

I hope my review of these products has helped you. If you don't homeschool, but know someone who does or is thinking about it, please feel free to point them to my blog. I am planning to do more reviews like this in the future because I don't buy much anymore without reading the opinions of people who've actually used the products in which I'm interested. Hopefully I can return the favor!