After polling several homeschooling families on what they thought was the one must-read book for high school girls, we’ve put together a list of thirty-two books that all girls should read in middle and high school. They include old classics and new favorites, and have lots of character-building lessons, too! Parents should always preview books first….many of these are only appropriate at the high school level.
For more literature resources, check out SchoolhouseTeachers! It includes all classes, for all grades…and it’s one price for the entire family. There are many different learning styles to select from, so if you have one visual kid who needs a relaxed pace and one aural kid who needs a more stringent pace, there are classes that will fit them each. With over 475 classes available, plus extras for mom and dad, this is my favorite resource to offer new families wanting to dip their toe into homeschooling!
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Boys tend to fall staunchly into the ‘reader’ or ‘non-reader’ category. Sometimes it just takes a little push toward more action-packed, exciting, adventure-filled stories to move them from one category to the other! We’ve put together a list of thirty-two books that all boys should read in middle and high school. Not only are they full of adventure (which they’ll love), but they have lots of character-building lessons, too! Parents should always preview books first….many of these are only appropriate at the high school level.
For more literature resources, check out SchoolhouseTeachers! It includes all classes, for all grades…and it’s one price for the entire family. There are many different learning styles to select from, so if you have one visual kid who needs a relaxed pace and one aural kid who needs a more stringent pace, there are classes that will fit them each. With over 475 classes available, plus extras for mom and dad, this is my favorite resource to offer new families wanting to dip their toe into homeschooling!
This is sure to be the most-unusual back-to-school season in our lives… How will it work? Where will we school (for those families who outsource some or all of the school day)? What will we need? Will masks be a school day requirement?
Seasoned homeschool moms will attest to this list. We welcome new homeschool moms into our fold…..no denim jumper required! Here are fourteen must-have supplies for moms homeschooling middle and high school…
Food / snacks
The number one most-under-projected purchase is the amount of food you’ll need to keep on hand for any one day of school. These are teens…and they’re home ALL DAY….and don’t forget about Second Breakfast!
Library Card
Each December, our library spits out a little piece of paper showing us how much we’ve saved that year by using the library instead of purchasing the items we checked out. Without fail, that number has been over $25K every year! And it’s only grown as the kids have gotten older and their materials have gotten pricier. That’s not to say we don’t buy curriculum, because we definitely do, but those subject-specific books (like “The Real Fighting Stuff“) can be really expensive…thank heavens for the library!
3 hole punch
One of the most underappreciated members of the secretarial lot, the 3-hole punch allows you to take a chaotic mess of papers and organize them into binders. There is not beauty in the chaos when you have three kids’ papers scattered all over the kitchen….punch them, put them in binders, and put them on the shelf until you need grades.
Coffee / wine
Whether it’s 6 am or 6 pm, one of these is always going to be appropriate. Which end of the day you choose to put them is entirely up to you…. Just don’t let your stock dwindle. That could be a bad day.
Shortcut to ST on desktop
We can’t say enough about SchoolhouseTeachers, which basically lets you sign the kids on and then teaches them all their classes. Video-based, downloadable, interactive…pick your poison. Each student’s desktop needs a shortcut directly to their SchoolhouseTeachers dashboard so you can turn over the algebra headache instruction… What is ST?
Favorite chocolate hidden in a tampon box
You made cookies and didn’t get any. You bought your favorite candy and only found empty wrappers. We’ve been there. Solution? Get your favorite chocolate, and hide it in an empty tampon box! No one will steal it now…
Stapler
This one seems like an easy oversight, but every home office needs a stapler. ‘Nuff said.
Desktop / laptop
Whether you choose cumbersome or portable – and they each have their benefits – it’s good to have an actual computer on hand, rather than just tablets and cell phones. There are so many things that require all the functions of an honest-to-pete computer, both online and offline.
Printer & ink
Did you buy digital curriculum? What about that nifty five-page freebie you just had to have? Are you really going to pay someone to print out eight pages of flashcards for you?
None of us got out of high school unscathed…so why would we think we can get out of teaching high school unscathed? Some days are going to be better than others. Pull on your big girl panties, try to keep it light, and remember what Annie said…. ‘You’re never fully dressed without a smile!‘
Quiet place / lock on bathroom door
Hmmm. Those days when our toddlers would just barge into the bathroom? They’re not gone. The kids just stand behind the door now talking to you. I like to keep the tap running…for an hour…so that I can’t hear them…while I read quietly in the bathroom.
Laminator
Everyone thinks they don’t need a laminator. Until they do. And you do. Need one. That is if you don’t already have one. Flashcards, printable games, and dry-erase worksheets are all vastly improved and gain an extended life with a laminator. We also like to make booklets, like the Memorization Book, which will last kid after kid after kid…
Plan / goals
Um, yeah. Your kid is in high school. Which means that s/he is about to leave the nest (hopefully). Do y’all have a plan? College, votech, career? This is the time to make goals and help your student move ever closer to the edge of the nest…get those wings ready!
Dry Erase Pouches
Not just for elementary school parents! These dry erase pouches are fantastic for reusing with things such as graph paper, mapwork, and geometry graphics. Students who need a little extra practice on math facts and handwriting can put them to use as well.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
If your older student has younger siblings who are doing schoolwork or playing, it can be distracting and frustrating trying to concentrate on schoolwork. Noise cancelling headphones help your student tune out the pitter and tune in to classwork.
Coil binder
You might think you don’t need a coil binder. If you have a great printer – such as Family Nest Printing – you might not. But you’ll want to ask them to bind your printed books for you. This allows you to buy digital curriculum once, print a book for each kid (as it’s needed), and bind it up like printed textbooks!
Pre-Planned Goodies
Remember that analogy about putting on your own mask on an airplane before putting one on your children? Homeschooling moms can easily fall into the trap of forgetting to take care of themselves, too… Schedule a monthly reminder to step back and regularly take care of yourself! See our Seven Ways to Pamper Mom!
Secure your entire curriculum by purchasing a family membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com. One membership covers every subject. Every grade. Every student.
Can I just pull my child out of school? Is that even legal?
The short answer is, yes, you can pull them out and it’s
legal. But each state has different
laws, but HSLDA knows all of them. If
you’re planning to homeschool, joining HSLDA is
a must, no matter which state you reside in, because they’ve got your back.
How
do I get started?
Homeschooling can be expensive if you don’t put some thought into it at the beginning. {See The Costs of Homeschooling.} The first thing you should do, especially if you are pulling kids out of public school, is to plan for an adjustment period. You might hear this referred to as ‘deschooling.’ This will give you time to take some notes and make a plan, but it also gives your student(s) time to transition. (The longer they were in public school, the longer this may take.) This is when your child comes to realize that the days of being lectured and provided answers have passed, and it is now time to be more proactive and take some responsibility for their learning. Trust me…they’ll come to appreciate this.
Deschooling also gives your family a chance to find a new
rhythm. Remember when everyone had to
pull their kids out of school, without warning, during COVID? People were overwhelmed. Their lives were being turned on a dime. This transitional time allows you to get past
the “argh! We’re together all. the. time.”
phase and into a more family-oriented groove.
I’m not gonna lie…it can be hard for some families, particularly those
who are accustomed to running all the time.
But you’ll get there.
Deschooling, however, doesn’t mean watching tv and playing video games every day. This is a chance to re-ignite that natural passion for learning. Take up a craft or art project. Read some books. Get outside. Take field trips. This is a chance to get back to the basics of learning.
Tips for Transitioning to Home-School
Keep a routine as best you can. Set up a daily schedule that includes work, rest, and play.
Try to regulate screen time. This may be difficult if classes are being held online, but try anyway.
Be patient with yourself and others.
Be willing to learn alongside your kids. You might find you enjoy the lessons!
If you are working from home, be willing to check in on your kids every 20-30 minutes to be sure they are doing their classes.
One fantastic option for families just starting out is called SchoolhouseTeachers. ..
One family membership covers all the kids…whether there are two or twelve…and everything you need to homeschool every subject for every grade!
There are varied course options, including streaming, interactive, and downloadable. We personally (here in rural-ville) tend toward the downloadable ones, but I know many families would rather have streaming.
Use promo code: SHARK20 right now and receive the low rate of $179 for TWO years—only $89.50/yr! You’ll also receive a FREE canvas tote and PRINT back issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine (tote color and magazine issue will vary, no refunds). Every subject. Every grade. Every student.
But how am I supposed to get it all done in a day?
First-time homeschoolers generally try to replicate
public school at home. It’s what they know, and it’s familiar.
Trust me…many mommas have gone down this road before!
Learning to re-frame the day, however, is the first step
toward homeschool freedom. When you understand and accept that there is
considerable learning value is almost everything you do, it relaxes your
attitude toward school…which transfers to your students and makes for a more
enjoyable experience.
How to re-frame?
First, learn the lingo.
Does your child understand something? Wonderful! They have ‘comprehension.’
If you quiz your child on his ABCs, does he know them? Great! He just passed an ‘assessment.’
Second, master documentation.
Say your elementary student spent two hours outside,
skipping rope, playing with sidewalk chalk, catching bugs and examining them,
and making leaf prints. That’s physical education, art (or handwriting,
depending on what was drawn), science, and nature study!
Baking cookies together as part of holiday
preparations? This activity has math (measurement and time), chemistry,
reading, home economics, and nutrition lessons!
We’re not suggesting that everyday consist of this type of schooling, though there are families who do ascribe to this theory – it’s called Unschooling, and you can learn more about it here.
The point is that each day doesn’t need to consist of
books, papers, and pencils to ensure that learning is happening. When
children are excited about something, they’re sure to learn and retain more!
What
do I do about my special needs child?
This is a subject that’s near and dear to the Homeschool
House leadership, as each and every one of us has at least one special needs
child. You’ll find several articles on
our blog about this subject. Here are
just a few….
In a word, yes.
Benjamin Franklin once said,’ Failing to plan is planning to fail.’ What that means is that you need to have some
idea of goals before you start teaching.
Is college a goal? What about
learning to read by the end of the year?
Different ages require different goals.
Some parents plan an entire year in advance. Others plan for the month, or the week, while
some just plan for the day. How you
choose to plan is going to be largely dependent on your preferences.
Me? I’m a
planner. But I don’t like planning long-term
because things are always changing (hello…COVID, anyone?). After many years of homeschooling, our family
has found that planning for the week ahead works perfectly for us. Even then, there are some weeks when things
change and the planning book gets marked up.
Life happens.
Some people do their planning online, while others prefer to use a paper planning book. As part of the planning, you’ll review what’s coming up in each curricula subject, make sure you have materials and library books on-hand, and take into consideration any upcoming appointments during the school day.
If you’re planning for an entire month, plan to sit down
for about a full day to lay out exactly what needs to be done. If you’re
planning for a week at a time, prepare to spend about an hour laying out the
week’s work. Some people (no finger
pointing at one of our Shack leaders J )
prefer to write down at the end of the day what was accomplished….no planning
required and her book is never marked up with changes! Again….personal preferences.
Planning a Bit Easier
There are some curricula that take all of the planning
out the mix. A World of Adventure,
BookShark, Sonlight, My Father’s World…these are all curricula that provide the
planning sheets for you. It’s open and
go…just make sure that you have any materials on-hand for art or science
lessons (they’ll tell you what you need).
If you’re just starting your homeschool journey, and very anxious about
planning and making sure that everything is covered, you might start out with
something like this.
How
on earth do I homeschool multiple ages at once??
Whether you have two children or eight, homeschooling
multiple children is a juggling act. One
of the best things that you can do is have some ‘schooling together time’ so
that there is a set time when everyone comes together as a unit.
Teach Together
With children of about the same age – up to four years
apart – you can teach some of the subjects simultaneously. Curricula such as The Good & the
Beautiful, Gather ‘Round, BookShark, or A World of Adventure lend themselves
toward this type of family-style teaching, with cohesive read-alouds and
teaching time while each student gets an age-appropriate workbook.
Read-aloud time doesn’t have to mean that all the
children are lined up neatly and politely on the couch! Legos, coloring books, and other quiet play
toys are a great way to keep little (or not-so-little) hands occupied during
this time. Discuss the reading as a
family at the end of each session.
Unit Studies
Similar to the curricula cited above, unit studies allow
your entire family to work together on one topic, with each student researching
or studying at their own level. After a
family trip to the aquarium and some study-together time, a toddler might color
a page about seahorses, while a high schooler might do a research paper on the
same topic. Together, all of the
students could complete a science experiment, play a game, and do art projects.
Individual Subjects
While it’s easier to combine history and literature, subjects such as math and science need to be a bit more age-specific once students hit middle school. Again, if they are only a couple of years apart, students could still study together. Middle school, however, is when students begin to work independently, so this is a good opportunity to give them some of that freedom. For many families, math is the one that requires each student to have different, grade-appropriate lessons, and tends to take the most of mom’s time. An outside course, such as the Saxon Dive CDs, can really help here!
What
curriculum do I need?
Choosing the right curriculum for your family means first determining your family’s homeschooling style. Some families are strictly one style, while others prefer a blend of styles. Within the leadership of the Book Shack, we cover nearly every style imaginable…so if you ever have questions, just ask, and one of us will be glad to assist you. You can also check out reviews!
Your family might try out one style and find that it’s not for you. It may take a few years to settle down into the right fit for your family, and that’s completely normal. When contacting the Book Shack for assistance, however, it helps us to help you if you know your family’s preferred style.
What style is best for your family?
When choosing a style (and there’s a good chance you’ll change as your children grow), consider these questions…
What’s your teaching style?
What are your goals?
How do your kids learn best?
What values do you want to instill in your children?
What’s your lifestyle? Do you prefer routine or flexibility?
There are five of us here at the Homeschool House. DeeDee and Erin are our ‘people-people,’ while Nicole, Jennie, and myself do a lot of the behind the scenes work. It takes all hands, each with a different strength, to make it work!
Tonight, though, I want to write you from my own voice. My name is Yvie, and I run the website for the Homeschool House. If there’s been a tech glitch…well, it’s probably my fault. My apologies!
One of my sisters and her husband are active duty Coast Guard. They also have two young children who, until this week, were in day care and school. Like so many other families around the nation and world, they’ve found their lives suddenly turned upside down and have become overnight homeschoolers.
I sat down during the early part of this week and helped come up with a plan to help them educate the kids / keep them occupied so that she can continue to work from home at the same time. I’m making these same plans available to other families as well, in the hopes of alleviating stress for other families in the same situation.
Why? Well, because what I’ve heard from her several times this week is that she’s overwhelmed. So many companies and people are trying to be helpful, but it’s all just too much, too fast. I’m figuring there are a lot of parents out there in the same boat.
Hey lil sis…
I know you’ve gotten emails and seen social media posts about all these free homeschooling conventions online that teach you how to homeschool. Those are good, and I know a lot of the folks talking at them. If you had the time, I’d say go for it….but after talking to you for five minutes earlier, I also know this is out of the question.
Yes, you’re overwhelmed. Do you remember when we first pulled the kids out of school? No? Well, it was a lot like this….only we had planned for it. But there were still growing pains as we found a new not-public-school groove. Not if, but when, you need someone to vent to for a minute….you know the number!
SO. Here’s what you’re gonna do.First, you take a deep breath. Ok, good. Now take another one. Go make a half-caf, too, to sip on while we go over this. Give me twenty minutes and you can be on your way. Ten if I talk like you! (She talks really fast.)
Second, put a lock on that pantry. The girls will eat you out of house and home before you know it now that y’all are home all the time. I am so not kidding…ask any of your homeschooling friends from gymnastics or scouts.
Third, print out that list of classes I just sent you. It has a chart for each kid, with the core classes plus some electives. I know your time is crazy-busy, so I’ve picked out ones that will be easy for them to use and require the least amount of assistance from you. You’ll still need to check in and look over their work every so often, but it won’t require full-time one-on-one. (Readers – you can access that list here.)
Totally FREEResources (yes, we’ve used them all, mostly when the boys were younger)
www.Starfall.com – Reading & spelling for elementary school
www.SpellingCity.com – spelling for any grade
www.ABCMouse.com – preschool and elementary school learning games
Use this Scribd resource for accessing books to read aloud together or for novel / unit studies. Also use your local library’s download service (Hoopla, Overdrive)
LitWits.com is offering FREE fun studies. Use 17READ4FUN at checkout to get one free. These are good for ‘Fun Fridays’ or any other day when you just feel like snuggling on the couch and doing nothing.
If you just want to try out the SchoolhouseTeachers thing before committing, you can get the first month for only a dollar with code ONEDOLLAR. Sign up for the month to month and just cancel once the school year is over (unless I can convince you to come to the dark side!!!)
I love you! It’s going to be a long couple of weeks as you find your new groove, but we’ve been through worse, and I know you’ll look back on this time and be glad you got to bake cardamom bread, catch bugs outside, start a garden, and enjoy the time with the kids….even if you did it all while juggling your base job. HUGS!!!
We’re all in this together. Some of us have been doing it a lot longer, but you know what? We all started out the same way. The only difference was that we had a little more time to get our ducks in a row….and some of us are still doing that. Got a question? Reach out and ask for help! You’ve got this, mama! Take care, stay healthy, and give hugs! ~Yvie
When we first started homeschooling, there were days I wanted to pull my hair out. My mom liked to tell me, “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!” In honor of her support (she has always been a great ear), we’re going to take 50% off everything in our store through April 15th! Use code TIEAKNOT.
After polling several homeschooling families on what they thought was the one must-read book for high school girls, we’ve put together a list of thirty-two books that all girls should read in middle and high school. They include old classics and new favorites, and have lots of character-building lessons, too! Parents should always preview books first….many of these are only appropriate at the high school level.
