Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew.
We chose to begin homeschooling when our kids were in primary school. At first, it was really easy as they learned through play and worked well together. We did all of our lessons together and they loved almost everything.
As they’ve gotten older, though, their own unique interests and abilities have come to the forefront, and with every year it’s more important that I design studies that fit each child. That’s why we love the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com is a subscription-based website that operates like a … well, like a college. It holds courses and curriculum, video libraries, digital book libraries, banks of printables for parents, and so much more. With the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership, it’s all there, waiting, so that you can access as much or as little or whichever parts you want, when you want.
I really love that flexibility. We design our school schedule around family events and the history competitions that we love, and so we aren’t on a September-through-May schedule. Because the classes are digital, and you can take a single session or entire courses, you can really design your own schedule to suit your child specifically. I love this aspect of it – we can hop in and pull out the elements that we need to work with what we’re doing without being locked into a bigger chunk that’s more than we want.
My Big Helper has taken a few classes from courses because she was super interested in those specific things. I’ve also pulled pieces from courses to supplement our own assignments when we’re working with subjects that aren’t … ahem … my favorite. Foreign language, anyone?
My Big Helper has been loving all the options available. She’s very slowly working her way through the Introduction to Architecture course. This was especially wonderful when we were building a replica of the Temple with our youth group, because she had already studied it, mapped it out, and had a ton of resources at her fingertips that she could easily share with the other kids. Because she’s a super busy kid, and this class isn’t one that she formally needs right now, she’s not able to take it at a normal pace, and that would create problems with other venues. Because most classes remain hosted on the SchoolhouseTeachers.com website for quite some time, however, and you’re able to work at your own pace, My Big Helper is slowly but surely working her way through as she’s able.
She’s also going to start taking ASL Adventures when she finishes the project she’s currently engaged in. She’s been fascinated with sign language for a long time and is looking forward to taking this class to meet part of her foreign language requirements.
My Little Man loves the video library. I like that there’s a selection of holiday videos, and he enjoyed watching the Advent ones in December.
He’s also especially fond of the World Book Readers. He loves nonfiction books, books full of facts and trivia, and books about animals – all of which are plentiful here! I love that everything he’s reading is safe for kids and it’s super educational, too.
Whether you’re an experienced homeschooler or just starting out, whether you just need the occasional resource or you need it all, the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership will have what you need. It’s a great resource! Don’t take my word for it, though – click here to read other reviews from the Homeschool Review Crew.
