This Week in History by A Thomas Jefferson Education REVIEW

                         As a homeschooling parent, one website I’ve heard a lot about is A Thomas Jefferson Education and their books, CDs, and downloads.  To really understand their philosophy on education and how to effectively teach (and learn), check out the 3 Types of Education article on their website.  They truly want to help instill a deep, passionate love of learning in anyone using their resources.  Additionally, they want to help light the fire under educators that impact students on a regular basis!

One of their products that really is at the heart of this mission is This Week In History.
                      

For only $9.99 per month, you will receive a wealth of information that can easily be incorporated into your existing curriculum or serve as a starting point for history and social studies.  Check out a sample week.You will be able to access the week’s information either online through their website and/or through a weekly  optional email.We used the email feature so that I would remember to use the resource better.  I tend to lose login information with all of the various programs I use, so this option worked best for us.  I loved the emails because they were chock full of great information and creative ideas.  For example, the email for the week of July 26th included information on a state joining the United States, lots of resources related to that state (including links for further study), and great questions to ask students for further discussion and research.  That was less than 1/4 of the email and it was a TON of information!  I loved the poem of the month that was included, as well as the mention of special fun days that fell within this time frame (like Friendship Day).  Our favorite parts of the emails were the HUGE amount of pictures to illustrate the information, and the links to projects and recipes to make related to the goings on that week.  We had a lot of fun exploring it all!  My kids looked forward to flipping through the email, and I enjoyed going back THROUGH the email and choosing several projects and activities to further study.  I don’t particularly love history or science, but these emails provided enough of that kind of information that I felt like we “covered” those subjects adequately just by doing the activities and visiting the websites suggested.  This made it REALLY easy to see what the kids were into and going with it!I would say that this product is good for all age ranges and levels.  Not only were there projects, pictures, and ideas that my 2 year old could get into, but I found myself learning tons from the cool material provided.  It would definitely be good for pre-K through 12th grade.  Younger children would enjoy more of the hands on, pictures, and basic information.  Older students would be able to use the suggested websites and resources to further study the topics and answer some of the higher order questions presented.  I am looking forward to keeping up with these weekly emails!  Some weeks, I’m sure we’ll just skim it (and save for future reference, of course!).  Other weeks, I know that we will use it to really delve deep and have a good time.  I want to create EXCITING and fun memories for my children.  When they look back on their school years, I need them to remember all of the cool things we experienced together as a family.  This tool is perfect for that!If you want to see what others thought about this great resource, check out the Schoolhouse Review Crew.*As a reviewer with the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received a complimentary subscription to this service.  While I was able to test the product for free for the purpose of my review, all opinions and suggestions in this post are mine alone.