10 Reasons To Join The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew

As you may know, we’re a part of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, and have been so for the past 6 years.  Indeed, much of our homeschooling revolves around doing homeschool curricula reviews for the Crew.  It’s that time of year again when the doors open for applications to join the Crew for the upcoming calendar year.  I thought I would share some of the reasons that the Crew has enriched our homeschooling life.

1. We have been able to use curriculum that we haven’t heard about previously, that has enriched the children’s education.
2. We have been able to try out curriculum that otherwise we would not have been able to afford.
3. If a program works well for us, we will continue to use it; if it’s not a good fit for the children, then after the 5-week review period they can put it to the side guilt-free with nothing lost.
4. Having review deadlines helps us keep going when we’re felling blah.  It keeps us accountable.
5. Writing reviews helps improve my blogging to try to make it onto the Top 10 list of as many Crew Reviews as possible (about 2/3 of our reviews have made it into the top 10 this year).
6. Over the past 6 years I’ve made some friends both nearish and far through the Crew.  Homeschooling here in Northern Ireland (and many other places, too, I’m sure), can feel isolating so it’s great to chat to others who are living the same life.
7. In the online forum we can ask questions about the review curriculum, as well as others, chat about anything in life, and there’s also a board for prayers for those who would like to participate in asking or giving them.
8. I can mix things up for the children as new curriculum is added throughout the year.  This is great for year-round homeschoolers like us so that things don’t become stale.
9. Being based in the States, most of the reviews for the Crew are for American companies, both big and small, but we’ve also reviewed programs from Australia, the UK, and learned about some world cultures over the years.
10. When you’re a member of the Old Schoolhouse ReviewCrew, you also have access to the entire SchoolhouseTeachers.com site! That’s a wealth of information and classes right through from pre-k to grade 12, with both core and elective classes, the World Book resource library, and the new homeschooling forum for members.

If you have any questions about joining the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, don’t hesitate to contact me and I’d be happy to give you my experience.  And if you’d like to join, you can do so here.