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. You may get a feel for the rich content The Old Schoolhouse® provides by viewing the latest issue on the TOS App. Visit TOSApps.com.
As the trade magazine for homeschooling, TOS has acquired a valued reputation as the quarterly 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 2023/2024
Publishing: December 1, 2023
Article Deadline: August 31, 2023
Advertising Deadline: September 15, 2023
Submission Queries Closed
THEMES:
• Theme: Bring Fun and Games into Your Homeschool
• Theme: History and Geography Can Be Fun!
• Theme: Reading, Writing, and Reasoning
• Theme: Mythology, Poetry, and Classics
• Theme: Why Teach Cursive
• Theme: Starting a Homeschool Co-op or Network
• Theme: Marvelous Math
• Theme: The Traveling Homeschool
• Theme: Homemaking Mama: Homesteading
• Resource Guide: History and Geography
• Resource Guide: Gift Giving for the Whole Family
In this issue, you will also find articles, advertisements and/or resource areas highlighting: special needs homeschooling (some very specific), homeschool support/encouragement, Show & Tell (your experiences or picture essays), creation science, and news shorts. Research-based, stats/data-filled journalistic queries will have special consideration for publication.
• Learning from Missionaries
• Community Involvement
• Special Needs
Spring 2024
Publishing: March 1, 2024
Article Deadline: November 30, 2023
Advertising Deadline: December 15, 2023
Submission Queries Closed
THEMES:
• Theme: Battles Homeschoolers Face
• Theme: Music to My Ears
• Theme: Learning in the Great Outdoors
• Theme: Learning from the Animals
• Theme: Biographies: Saints Worth Studying
• Theme: Speech and Debate
• Theme: When Creativity Meets Critical Thinking
• Theme: Good Grammar Matters
• Theme: Homemaking Mama: Shortages, Conservation & Rationing
• Theme: Finances and Money Management
• Theme: Word of Mouth Testimonials
• Theme: The Importance of Conventions
• Resource Guide: Best Homeschooling Resources for All Subjects
• Resource Guide: Get Outside and Explore
In this issue, you will also find articles, advertisements and/or resource areas highlighting: special needs homeschooling (some very specific), homeschool support/encouragement, Show & Tell (your experiences or picture essays), creation science, and news shorts. Research-based, stats/data-filled journalistic queries will have special consideration for publication.
Summer 2024
Publishing: June 1, 2024
Article Deadline: February 28, 2024
Advertising Deadline: March 30, 2024
Click here to submit a query
THEMES:
• Theme: Don’t Stop Learning in the Summer
• Theme: Cultivating Your Child’s Passion
• Theme: Raising Christian Kids in a Secular World
• Theme: History and Government
• Theme: Healthy Habits and Homeschooling
• Theme: Home and Garden
• Theme: How Co-ops Helped My Homeschool
• Theme: Poetry and Prose
• Theme: It’s a Small World: Foreign Language
• Theme: Novel Ideas: How to Get Your Kids to Love Books
• Resource Guide: Back to School: Planning, Curriculum, and Supplies
• Resource Guide: Products for All Styles of Homeschooling
• Special Author Directory
In this issue, you will also find articles, advertisements and/or resource areas highlighting: special needs homeschooling, homeschool support/encouragement, and news shorts. Research-based, stats/data-filled journalistic queries will have special consideration for publication.
Fall 2024
Publishing: September 1, 2024
Article Deadline: May 30, 2024
Advertising Deadline: June 15, 2024
Click here to submit a query
THEMES:
• Theme: Homeschooling Leads to Success
• Theme: Dads and Discipleship
• Theme: Science Reveals the Hand of God
• Theme: Homemaking Mama
• Theme: Hands-On History – Early America
• Theme: Finances and Money Management
• Theme: Preparing for College: Making it Affordable
• Theme: The Craft of Writing
• Theme: Sports and Physical Education
• Theme: Holiday Giving
• Resource Guide: Giving: Tis the Season
• Resource Guide: Preparing for the Future: High School & Beyond
In this issue, you will also find articles, advertisements and/or resource areas highlighting: special needs homeschooling, homeschool support/encouragement, and news shorts. Research-based, stats/data-filled journalistic queries will have special consideration for publication.
Winter 2024-2025
Publishing: December 1, 2024
Article Deadline: August 31, 2024
Advertising Deadline: September 15, 2024
Themes and Resource Guides coming soon!
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!