Died trying

Surely there would have been some help for her in our forums, if she’d only asked!

What’s Your Passion?

What’s your passion? What do you know a lot about? Is it a craft, a school subject, a hobby, a lifestyle choice, or . . . ?

The Swap is looking to add specialists in a variety of areas who will each monitor ONE forum thread about their specialty. The initial post in the thread will be a short article YOU write, designed to help a beginner get started doing the thing in which you specialize. (Short or long is fine . . . help is available if you aren’t a writer.) Then, you would just need to check the thread on a somewhat regular basis, to see if anyone has posted questions for you to answer. To make sure you understand, you would be monitoring only one THREAD on a forum, not an entire forum.

Each specialist will be promoted on a regular basis on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter. All you “get” is a bit of publicity, and the knowledge that you are helping others enjoy something you enjoy. When it’s time to promote your specialty, we’ll add a link to your blog, website, or whatever you would like to draw attention to.

Yes, you may specialize in more than one area (and then you would have more than one thread to monitor).

Ideas are endless: couponing, cloth diapering, home birth, getting started homeschooling, homeschooling high school, building birdhouses, organizing a closet, collecting stamps, etc. The only requirement is that it’s an activity you LOVE and have experience with yourself.

Hopefully, this can grow to be an enormous resource of many specialties. There is no substitute for experience, and The Swap includes members with a variety of talents and abilities. Please contact me if interested, by clicking the little “Email Me” icon at the top, left of this page.

Along with our active members, new members or lurkers are encouraged to consider doing this, as a way to get more involved in the forum. You don’t need to be a professional writer. This is intended to be one parent to another, and should be approached in a lighthearted and personal manner.

Blogging Course Winner!

Congratulations to Amy, who won the blogging course in our latest giveaway! Thanks to everyone else who entered.

They do offer a free pre-course: Free Blogging Course

If you are interested in taking the full eight-week course, it’s actually very affordable at just $25.00:  Blog Writing Course

Congratulations, Tamie!

Congratulations to Tamie, whose name was drawn in our latest contest. Tamie will receive a copy of Story of the World, by Susan Wise Bauer. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Win a Free Blogging Course!

~by Kel

This is the online blogging course I took several years ago. I was discussing it with a Swappie who asked about learning to blog recently and, coincidentally, they are offering a contest to promote the new, fully automated course design. I  just might have to take it again!

The great thing about the lessons is that you have a blog started with several posts and maybe even a few followers by the time you finish. This is a terrific opportunity to take the course for FREE! Just leave a comment here that explains, in 75 words or less, why you want to take the course. (To learn how to blog from scratch? To update your current blogging skills? Just because you’ve always wondered how blogging works?)

Entries will be accepted through Tuesday, February 15. The entrant whose comment best convinces judges that the course will be utilized and completed will be the winner. Judging will be done by a group of three Homeschooler’s Curriculum Swap members (who are prohibited from entering). Anyone may enter; you do not need to be a member of The Swap. The winner will be notified and posted here on Wednesday, February 16.

Here is a description from the developers of the course:

Blogging 101 is a fully automated 8-week online course that covers everything you need to know to plan, start, write, and build an audience for a brand new blog. The eight units of Blogging 101 (which can be completed in less than eight weeks, if you choose) include:

1. Introduction to Blogging (all the basics for the beginning blogger)
2. Laying Your Cards On The Table (blog titles, platforms, and start-up instructions)
3. It’s All About Me (blogging safety, “About Me” pages, and blog design)
4. Build That Content and Make It Snazzy (writing quality posts, commenting, and adding media)
5. It’s The Little Things That Count (sidebars, widgets, categories, and static pages)
6. Mi Blog es Su Blog – – Building Community (growing a readership, blog promotion, and blogrolls)
7. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained (more blog promotion strategies and monetizing your blog)
8. Looking Back and Looking Forward (tips and strategies for continuing to grow your blog after the course)

Want Some Blog Traffic? A Contest!

~by Kel

1. Share a link to your own blog in a comment on this post, along with a brief idea of the kinds of things you write about.

2. VISIT and COMMENT on someone else’s blog.

3. To enter, email me by clicking on the little pink envelope at the upper, left of this page and tell me the name of the blog you visited.

4. A random drawing of all entrants will be held on Saturday, January 29. The winner will be posted here on Sunday, January 30 and will receive a BRAND NEW copy of Story of the World, by Susan Wise Bauer. (If you already have one, you can sell your prize in The Swap’s classified ads!)

Free Online Storybooks for Homeschoolers

~by Kel

I was made aware of a great offer from Mighty Book, Jr.  They are offering free subscriptions to homeschoolers! Just go to http://www.mightybookjr.com and click on “Subscribe Now”. Enter “learntoread” in the big Coupon Code box at the top. Choose the $99 Single Household Subscription and fill in the rest of the information. You only have to provide your name and email address and choose a user name and password. The payment fields disappear when you put in the coupon code. 

In addition to a huge selection of animated story books, there are printables and teaching helps. I was pleased to find some things that my son, Joshua, will enjoy in the Special Needs section.

It looks like they’re adding more content on a regular basis. This is really a fun site, and you can’t beat the price.