We will soon be announcing the application process for the 2015 Schoolhouse Review Crew year!
I wanted to take just a moment to give those bloggers who might be interested in joining us some ideas of what we’ll be looking for:
- First of all you must be a homeschool mom or dad. You don’t have to homeschool all of your children, but you must homeschool at least one.
- You must be willing to use the review products with your students for about six weeks in your homeschool, before writing your review. Review periods have deadlines and requirements for the reviews. You must be willing to follow our requirements. No, that doesn’t mean you must write a positive review. And we don’t tell you what to write. But there are minimum requirements for length and certain elements that must be included with every review.
- You must have an active blog on which to publish your reviews, and a minimum number of followers. By active blog, I mean that you should be blogging regularly, at least weekly, about your family and homeschool. In fact, it will be required that you publish at least one non-promotional post per week while on the Crew. Your blog should have followers — RSS feed or email subscribers and social media followers. I’m sorry, but we don’t accept brand new bloggers who just set up their blogs for the purposes of applying to our team. We need established bloggers who like to write and enjoy the social media aspect of blogging.
- Are you using social media to promote your blog? Activity on at least one social media platform is a requirement to serve on the Crew. Which one is up to you — Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest. You will need to commit to promoting your reviews in social media.
- You must be willing to check into our Review Management forum. This is where we communicate with our team. We do everything possible to make things easy for you, outside of writing the actual review, but you need to be willing to participate by checking in nearly daily and completing required forms when reviews become available. You will also be required to post your reviews in prescribed windows of time, and link them up here on our blog.
- Sample reviews are helpful. If you’ve never written a review on your blog, go ahead and write one for curriculum you are currently using in your homeschool. This will help us see how you approach writing reviews. You will be required to link to a review in the application. You may also be asked to write a review with instructions we will provide to you.
If you can meet these requirements and would like the opportunity to join the Schoolhouse Review Crew 2015, watch the blog next week. You can subscribe here so you don’t miss the announcement. We will announce when we are accepting applications here first!
Here’s what a few of members have to say about being on the Crew:
When I first joined the Review Crew, my thoughts were honestly on helping our meager budget for homeschooling our four children. Over the years, the Crew has definitely filled that initial motivation by providing some of the most high quality homeschool products and curriculum that have been used by each of my children spanning elementary school through high school. What I did not bargain for was the professional creative outlet it provided for me personally in my writing for both reviews and non-review posts. Many times when we homeschool, the person we were before being a mom and especially a homeschool mom seems to vanish. Blogging and being a part of the Crew has changed that. It has also really given me a much broader knowledge of what is out there allowing me to be a resource for so many other homeschool families in our community! Got to run, our youngest is hollering to start his Chinese (another great Crew review product).
Dawn Oaks — Double O Farms
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I love being on the Crew because we all benefit in some way:
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I get a chance to do something creative and useful, work with deadlines that keep me accountable to someone outside of my family, and apply my love of writing outside of homeschooling…I get to be a grownup!
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my kids get to try out such a variety of products that it makes it so much easier to find out what works for each of them individually without risking my cash to do it
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our blog readers get to read our honest opinions before they buy so they can make more informed decisions about how to invest their homeschooling dollars
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I get to be part of a wonderful team of reviewers that provide a great network of support
Kelly Burgess — KGB That’s Me
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As a veteran homeschool mom, I have often looked at the Schoolhouse Crew reviews when trying to decide on new curriculum. I never imagined that I would one day be a part of the Crew. Being on the Crew has allowed me to work with so many amazing vendors, grow as a blogger and be blessed with a support system of fellow homeschool moms that is more helpful than I could have ever imagined. This experience has been about so much more than just receiving curriculum in exchange for an honest review (although that is GREAT)!
Adena Foster — AdenaF
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Thanks to the Crew, not only was I introduced to new curriculum, but my children received materials that opened doors to learning, allowing them to grow spiritually and thrive academically. Being a mom to special needs children, I’ve witnessed a complete turn around in attitude and progress. Watching my son move from “just getting by” to taking the initiative and responsibility for his education, makes both my husband and I thankful for the Crew and the opportunities it’s brought our family.
Sara — A Mama’s Story
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Curriculum Junkie? I was queen. The crew helped me to move beyond collecting curriculum to using it. The accountibility portion of the crew is why I have stayed on for four years. The vendor expects us to use the products, not just read about them and look them over. The Crew encourages us all be creative to use the resources with our learning styles and teen boys.. Instead of bookshelves filled with used book store curiosities, I have top of the line resources that I know inside and out. The proof has been in the pudding, as my boys have excelled farther than I expected them to grow.
Angie Wright — Petra School
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Being on the Crew has been a blessing in so many ways. First and foremost, I am able to receive the best curriculum for my children. Equally meaningful is the camaraderie, support and friendship amongst the members of the Crew, of which I’m honored to be a part.
Lisa Boyle — Home to 4 Kiddos
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Being on the Schoolhouse Review Crew is always such a blessing for our family! We have received products that I never would have thought of but that have turned out to be just what we needed. My kids have been able to do fun and educational things as part of reviews. We’re very thankful for the Schoolhouse Review Crew!
Leah Courtney — As We Walk Along the Road
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Being on the TOS Schoolhouse Review Crew is such a blessing to our family. So many times we have been blessed with just what we needed at just the right time. We are so thankful for leaders that pray over us and how the products are distributed. Our homeschool is richer being on the crew and we absolutely love the opportunity!
Bethany — Little Homeschool Blessings
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Being a part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew has been a huge blessing to my family. My boys have gotten to try out some great homeschool curriculum (most of which we would never have heard of otherwise), I’ve made some awesome friends with the other ladies on the crew, and I’ve learned a lot about keeping an active blog. I can’t wait for another great year, both for my kids to have the opportunity to explore other products and for me to continue to develop my writing and social media skills.
Wendy — Simplicity Breeds Happiness
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Being on the crew has blessed my family and I countless times over the last four years. As we struggled to put together a budget for curriculum, the crew has saved me many years by providing a way to teach my kids without spending a lot of money. In addition, the relationships I have formed with the ladies on the crew have been instrumental in my life. Their kindness, encouragement, and expertise, have helped me in too many ways to count. We laugh with each other, cry with each other, pray for each other, and share ideas, advice, and experience. I love being a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew!
Brandy Brockhausen — Kingdom Academy Homeschool
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“The Schoolhouse Review Crew has been such a blessing to my family and me. We have had an opportunity to use products for our homeschool that I may otherwise have never heard of. I’ve also been blessed by the many friendships that I’ve made along the way. These ladies are a true treasure.”
Becca — C Family of 6
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Why do I love being on The Crew? Experience, opportunity, fun, friends, joy, support, encouragement… I could go on and on. 2014 has been an unbelievable blessing to our family. Being a part of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew has made many learning opportunities possible that we would never even have known existed! We have gained fun, experience, growth, and so much more than we could ever have expected. This year with the Review Crew has been beyond our wildest dreams.
Lori H. — At Home: where life happens
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We use a boxed curriculum in our homeschool and being on the crew allows me to discover new vendors to help round out my daughter’s education. I truly had no idea there were so many homeschool companies out there and now I have friends seeking my input on homeschooling their own children.
Being on the crew I also get to connect with many other homeschooling families around the world not just on my block!
Kemi Quinn — Homemaking Organized