If you subscribe to Home Educating Family Magazine, you may have noticed that the main categories on the blog correspond to sections of the magazine (The Point, The Hub, The Pace, etc.). However, if you examine the table of contents closely, you’ll see one section is missing on the blog–The Craze.

Don’t worry–that’s on purpose! The Craze is the section of the magazine that contains product reviews. Well, we have an entire site for that! When you click over to homeschoolconvention.com/reviews, you’ll find a website filled with reviews of curriculums, books, games, media, and more.

Here’s a few things you may like to know about our review site:

• Our reviews list pros and cons. We know you like it when your girlfriends share what they like and don’t like about a product. It helps you see all sides, and you may like something that someone else says she doesn’t!
• You can leave your own rating for the product and your opinions in the comments! This feature lets the homeschool community help each other out as they consider materials for their family.
• There is NO advertising on the review site. We want our readers to know the Review Team’s opinions are their own, and not purchased.
• Our reviewers often mention what their family thought of the product, giving you even more insight.
• Companies can request multiple reviews. We realize each family is different and will see things with different eyes.
• You will find a quick-read box at the top of each review to help you get a feel for the basics before you read the in-depth review. That little box is packed with worldview, price, website, author, company, and more.
• Each week, you will find discounts and giveaways! You can find the giveaway widget at the top right of the review. Discount codes are below that. What more could you want–information, discounts, and a chance to win free materials!

Today, we’re going to get to know a few members of the review team a bit better. I asked the team members to share one of their favorite or out-of-the-box field trips. Here is what they told me:

Ann: “Combine ride during harvest! I happened upon this accidentally (because I’m not an out-of-the-box thinker, so the ideas just have to smack me upside the head!!), but we’ve learned SOOO much the past two seasons. The first year, it was rice harvest, and the second it was corn harvest.”

Jennifer M (military mom): “Rome. Paris. The Alps. Australia. Dole Plantation in Hawaii. Unfair, I guess, since we’ve been blessed to live overseas for many years! We did actually come home from Australia and then did a whole unit study to learn more about the country. We were able to vist a German farm and see how differently farmers do things in other countries. We recently went to the Nat’l Art Gallery here in D.C. and were thrilled to see paintings we’ve studied for years. Some of our other most memorable trips too were visiting the Anne Frank and Corrie Ten Boom houses in Holland. I could go on and on, but I’ll stop.”

Stephenie: “A drive to California and back. We are from the midwest, so seeing the ocean, mountains, and the California missions was a treat for us.”

Sarah: “We don’t have any super unusual ones. Our daughter is still pretty young and the budget tight. We do have a couple of favorites. Greenfield Village is local to us, so we have a pass and spend a lot of time there. I really enjoyed being able to point out things in the exhibits that we had read about in the Little House books. Our other most fun day was a free trip to the Detroit Zoo provided by my husband’s employer. Zoo trips are so full of science and our little animal lover soaks it in!”

Teisha: “Since our oldest will be seven next week, we haven’t done any really different field trips yet. The kids did enjoy seeing all of the fire trucks at the local fire station though! There really are so many interesting things locally that I want to take advantage of when they are just a bit older!”

Anna: “Most my children say their favorite field trips have been to capitols, Jefferson City, MO; Denver, CO; and Washington, DC. We’ve also become volunteer visitors at a veterans home.”

Lea Ann, our Reviews Director: “We always love historical sites, art museums, zoos, gardens, and science exhibits. Not only do we frequent them often in our own metropolitan area, but we seek them out during family vacations as well.”

Thank you to our Review Team for letting us get acquainted, and also for their insightful reviews. You can click on the “Reviews” tab at the top and be whisked away to our informative site. You may want to grab a pen and paper first so you can write down discount codes!

Now it’s your turn! Have you visited our review site? What do you think? Leave a note in the comments!