Writer's Guidelines and Upcoming Themes

Thank you for your interest in writing for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine (TOS), the premier publication of The Old Schoolhouse® Company, and the nation’s trade magazine for homeschool families. If desired, you may subscribe to get a feel for the rich content The Old Schoolhouse® provides within its pages: www.theoldschoolhouse.com.

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is available, worldwide, in an open-access format via online browser and (http://TOSMagazine.com) via the free apps (http://TOSApps.com). It is also available in print format and is shipped quarterly to subscribers and is found in stores like Walgreens, Target, Barnes & Noble, Food City, Kroger, and many Christian book outlets.

As the trade magazine for homeschooling, TOS has acquired a valued reputation as the quarterly (125–150 pages) publication homeschoolers can trust. Please query us with a well-structured article proposal that includes a catchy lead, a summary of the article (including approximate length and sidebar ideas), and appropriate details. Links to clips and portfolios are of assistance as well. Here are some helpful tips for success (How to Write for TOS).

All queries and other submissions are subject to the Terms of Submission posted on our website. Queries should be submitted electronically using the forms provided on our website. Queries submitted to TOS should be written specifically for our publication. Your article must be an original article that has not been previously published elsewhere, including on your blog or website. As compensation, contributing authors will receive a cash payment, agreed upon between both parties. Maximum word count per article is 800. Your article cannot promote or sell any product. You must write about your expertise, not your product. Your biography, which will be placed beneath your article, free of charge, may promote your product, website, book, etc. With our interactive digital format, readers will have instant access to your company/website/blog via hyperlinks. You are welcome to purchase an ad that promotes your company/resources; to learn more about advertising opportunities, please contact our advertising department at sales@theoldschoolhouse.com.

Below is a list of the themes and special features for upcoming issues of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. If you would like to contribute an article about any of these topics, or if you would like to suggest additional topics that you would like to write about, please use the Query Submission button at the bottom of this page to share your ideas with the TOS editorial staff.

Upcoming Magazine Themes

Winter 2020/2021

Publishing: December 1, 2020

Article Deadline: August 31, 2020

Advertising Deadline: September 30, 2020

Article Queries Closed

Feature Articles: Gun History (WW2 weapons; Trojan-horse-era swords; flints; black powder; musket; Civil War weapons; longbows; crossbow; battle axes; melee weapons: hand or fist weapons and fans, edged and bladed weapons, picks and pickaxes, axes, clubs and blunt weapons, pole weapons, and spears. Ranged weapons: thrown, bows, sling, blowgun. Gunpowder weapons: composite projectile. Flexible weapons: whips, sectional and composite, chains, and ropes. Defensive weapons: armors, i.e., shields/swords)

• Theme: Is College Necessary? What About Trades & Internships?

• Theme: Logic, Latin, and Cursive: Lost Arts?

• Theme: Music Grows Your Brain

• Theme: Homeschoolers & Horses

• Theme: Nina, Pinta & Santa Maria (early America unit study(s) and lesson plans)

• Theme: Preparing for the High School Years

• Theme: Growing Mission-Minded Children

• Theme: Organization Ideas for Your Homeschool

• Theme: Classical Education

• Resource Guide: Post High School Opportunities: College & Trade Schools

• Resource Guide: Homeschool Parent Helps



Spring 2021 - Twenty-Year Anniversary Issue!

Publishing: March 1, 2021

Deadline: November 30, 2020

Advertising Deadline: November 30, 2020

Article Queries Closed

Feature Articles: Plant Professions - Careers Involving Plants, Florist, Landscaper (Landscape Designer), Arborist, Forestry - Ranger, Plant Geneticist, Agriculture Engineer, Horticulturist, Herbalist, Bio-engineer, Topiary artist/ designer, Hydroponic/Aeroponic farmer, Tree service (Lumberjack), Paleobotanist, Plant taxonomist, Greenhouse/floriculture, Greenskeeper (Golf Course), Agronomist, etc.

• Theme: Your Favorite Homeschool Speakers and Leaders: 20 Years

• Theme: Gardens and Greenhouses Make Money - Stories

• Theme: Raising an Entomologist (Insects!)

• Theme: Book Reports: Why Do Some Kids Hate Them?

• Theme: Nature Studies & Journaling (Unit Studies, Ideas)

• Theme: Kids Explore Careers

• Theme: Chickens! Coops and Broods! Tell Us Your Stories

• Theme: Spelling & Phonics: Give Us Hands-On Ways to Teach

• Theme: Language Arts: Writing and Grammar

• Theme: Special Needs Homeschooling: Share Your Experiences, or Teach Parents What They Need to Know

• Theme: Science: Slime and Other Crazy Concoctions

• Resource Guide: Family Farms & Small Business Owners

• Resource Guide: Creative Learning, Reading, and Writing

Summer 2021 - Twenty-Year Anniversary Issue!

Publishing: June 1, 2021

Article Deadline: February 28, 2021

Advertising Deadline: March 31, 2021

Click here to submit a query

Feature Articles: Rescue Careers and Volunteering for Community. Hometown Heroes. High School Age Homeschoolers or Grads Going into Service Careers Which Impact Community

• Theme: Unit Studies and Lesson Hacks Focusing on Math

• Theme: Virtual Careers for At-Home Moms, Working from Home and Homeschooling Simultaneously. How to Become a Virtual Assistant. Selling Ads in a Homeschool Magazine (Real Stories)

• Theme: Drowning in Busy Work? Hacks & Helpful Ideas Not To

• Theme: Unschooling: Why It Works for Us. Give Us Your Testimony. Show Us How Your Kids Are Doing Now

• Theme: Staying Sane When Your Kids Are Constantly Bickering. Character Training. Teaching Siblings to Love Each Other and Get Along

• Theme: SchoolhouseTeachers.com - How Is It Working for You?

• Theme: Second-Generation Homeschool Parents – Continuing the Legacy

• Theme: Grandparents Who Homeschool

• Theme: Back to School (Planning, Supplies, Curriculum)

• Resource Guide: Higher Education: Colleges, Universities, and Career Training

• Resource Guide: Back to School: Planning, Supplies & Curriculum

Fall 2021 - Twenty-Year Anniversary Issue!

Publishing: September 1, 2021

Article Deadline: May 31, 2021

Advertising Deadline: June 30, 2021

Click here to submit a query

Feature Articles: The Future of Robotics, Emerging Markets, Entrepreneur Opportunities in Technology, STEAM, STEM, Kits, Schools, Internships, Coding

• Theme: Don’t Forget Cursive - What Research Shows About the Brain

• Theme: The Math Brain: How High Will You Go?

• Theme: Teaching Character - Use the Highest Source

• Theme: Gifts for Christmas - Toys that Teach

• Theme: Freezer Meals to Prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas

• Theme: STEM and Homeschooling: Ideas, Stories, Instruction, Success

• Theme: Science (What to Teach and When)

• Theme: House Rules for Kids & Technology

• Theme: Strategies for When Your Child Is Falling Behind

• Theme: Teaching Tips: How to Make the Most of Your Time

• Resource Guide: STEAM & Smart Toys

• Resource Guide: Best Homeschooling Resources for All Subjects

Winter 2021/2022 - Twenty-Year Anniversary Issue!

Publishing: December 1, 2021

Article Deadline: August 31, 2021

Advertising Deadline: September 30, 2021

Click here to submit a query

Feature Articles: Trains and Transportation

• Theme: Workbooks or Living Books?

• Theme: Notebooking and Lapbooking!

• Theme: Learning Through Literature

• Theme: Raising a Reader

• Theme: Charlotte Mason Homeschooling

• Theme: Babies and Preschoolers

• Theme: The Arts: Music, Art & More

• Theme: Why Foreign Language and When?

• Theme: Classical Education

• Resource Guide: Foreign Language Learning

• Resource Guide: Literature and Curriculum

Spring 2022

Publishing: March 2, 2022

Article Deadline: November 30, 2021

Advertising Deadline: November 30, 2021

Click here to submit a query

Feature Articles: Charlotte Mason and Nature Studies

• Theme: Why Are So Many Homeschoolers Entrepreneurs?

• Theme: Middle School Math – Tears or No Tears?

• Theme: Language Arts from Preschool to High School

• Theme: The Science of Spring (birds, bugs, and blooms)

• Theme: The Wars of History and What We Learned

• Theme: How to Create an Inviting Schoolroom

• Theme: Raising a Doctor or Lawyer

• Theme: Keeping Home: Raising an Herb Garden

We will acknowledge receipt of your query within 45 days and decide to accept or decline the proposed article as quickly as possible. The review process normally takes between four and six weeks but may take longer at times. Our editors will contact you if we decide to accept a queried article. Publication of accepted materials may take from three months to more than a year, based on our needs and publication schedule. Terms of publication vary based on article length and content. At TOS, we slate authors’ works for future issues far in advance of the publishing date. Therefore, if you are interested in submitting a query, please do so immediately so that it may be carefully reviewed and considered prior to upcoming submission deadlines. Click here to submit a query.

Thank you for your interest. The production staff at The Old Schoolhouse® looks forward to reading your query!