The Good & the Beautiful is a breath of fresh air for your homeschool! The price is very affordable for families, there are morals included in every lesson, and it’s designed for the busy mom with its open-and-go format. While it is Christian-based, it offers up a neutral world-view, allowing parents to tailor it toward their family’s beliefs. The print quality is amazing, and the vintage reading material is a delightful change from what our children were gravitating toward before we switched to this curriculum. At the high school level, the curriculum is set up to reinforce time management skills and responsibility.
The courses combine subjects, using a cross-curricular approach to tie concepts together. It is faith-based, with a general Christian, non-denominational worldview with the goal of producing not only intelligent minds, but also high character and the ability to recognize and appreciate what is good and beautiful in life and in learning. The goal is not to teach specific doctrines, but to teach general principles of moral character such as honesty and kindness. Affordability is another aspect that separates this curriculum from others — namely, it is affordable! In fact, the company makes their math and language arts curriculum, from levels 1-8, completely FREE for anyone to download
Language Arts
The Good & the Beautiful’s language arts is one of my favorite program components, as it covers reading, spelling, writing, dictation, literature, grammar, vocabulary, geography, and art. By including geography and art, it takes a bit of a unit study approach. For example, in High School-1, unit five covers the Arctic areas. They read a book about the Arctic, and the geography, art, vocabulary, and writing assignments tie in with that region. You can cover quite a bit with just the one class! Each high school course is one credit of English, ½ credit of geography, and ½ credit of art. Pencil drawing is taught in each level. The other mediums taught are watercolor, charcoals, and acrylic paint.
The curriculum is set up to reinforce student responsibility and time management skills in addition to grammar, writing, and reading. Each year is divided into ten separate units. The student is able to take a unit and work on it for two to three weeks before turning it in for grading. However, some students need a little more guidance. In the online support group, there are course schedules free to download in the files section. Additionally, Sparks Academy offers live / blended classes for students using the Language Arts curriculum (level 7, and high school levels 1-3 are available). These classes meet with a flexible schedule on a weekly basis, as well as live meetings quarterly via video chat. Students have schoolwork assigned each week and work on group assignments throughout the year. These classes help not only the student, but the parent as well, as it puts the burden of teaching onto an outside source, provides a sense of accountability for the student, and allows for grading from a source other than the parent.
The current history includes read alouds, audio recordings, and accompanying worksheets. At the high school level, each quarter (each historical era), the student has a short list of research projects to complete before we move on to the next era. This goes back to student responsibility and time management. I use the term ‘current’ because TGTB is in the process of re-writing all of their history units, but we don’t know when they will re-release or what they will look like.
One of the things I like about history is that it takes the classical education approach – of four different eras of history – and teaches from all four of those each school year. Rather than doing an entire year of ancient history, we’re doing one quarter on ancient history each school year (with each year focusing on a different region, such as Egypt or Greece). It’s easy to get burnt out on a particular era when you’re knee-deep in it for an entire year, so we like that things get mixed up! The history curriculum has a minimum of four read-alouds each year, so if you don’t like reading together, it might not be a good fit for your family. However, for us, it’s given the kids the perfect excuse to still curl up with mom in their teen years.
For folks wanting something a bit different, or teacher-led, Sparks Academy offers live / blended classes for middle and high school students using The Good & the Beautiful’s Constitution course for Government and Economics and Notgrass for World and American History.
These subjects are topics that come up regularly in the TGTB with Middle and High School Students group. The short answer is that TGTB doesn’t currently offer these subjects specifically for high school and there is no one recommended program, but dozens of choices. You’ll need to choose the one that fits your family’s teaching style, and your student’s learning style, the best.
While you won’t need to keep everything from the courses for a portfolio, you’ll want to keep copies of any essays or research projects, as well as some of that beautiful artwork! Some states require more record-keeping than others, so always check into your state requirements. For our own family, we keep one complete language arts unit, in case there is a question of what type of work was completed, in addition to the above list. Also, you may want to add complete course descriptions (many of which can be found in the files of the high school support group). These, along with the aforementioned portfolio pieces, will usually satisfy any inquiries from colleges or other outside sources…include well-meaning family members.
If you’re thinking on college prep and being ready to submit all that information, we have created a low-cost program for parents homeschooling high schoolers that covers college-prep topics. Check out Through the Door: Homeschool to College Success!
Sparks Academy provides live / blended classes for high school students, using The Good & the Beautiful for language arts, Apologia / Berean Builders for science, and Notgrass for history. These classes meet weekly, allowing students the opportunity to discuss the literature, get additional instruction on concepts covered, and show off their art projects and recitations. Students receive a grade for these courses from a source outside of the home.
Sparks Academy is not affiliated with The Good & the Beautiful, but is run by parents who use and love their curriculum. They are providing support, accountability, and community for upper grades families who use this curriculum by creating an online homeschool co-op for high school students. Currently, students can register for High School Levels 1-3 in language arts. For families who just need a bit of extra help, there are writing consultation packages forLevels 6, 7, and High School(for those who only want essay feedback).
When you were a kid, did you learn more from textbooks or from reading books just for fun? I definitely learned a lot more from historical fiction than from any history textbook!
Trying to recreate public school at home, right down to the textbooks, is something new homeschoolers often do (especially those pulling students out of school). But, by using living books in your homeschool, coupled with family-style learning, it can be so much more FUN and rewarding. Plus, when you use living books in your homeschool, your students are apt to retain more once the year ends.
What is a Living Book?
Living books are reading material that pull you into a subject and get you emotionally involved with the characters (a la chapter books), so it’s easier to remember the events and facts. These books literally bring the event(s) they are talking about to life with storylines and imagination! When is the last time a textbook made you feel alive and invested in what was being studied? Probably never.
Living Books….
Allow the reader to visit another era and experience the culture or history. During the ‘Rona, one of the books we read together was Fever 1793. We like to take our read-alouds and turn them into learning units, like this one, to reinforce concepts learned in the story.
TIP: If you’re using read-alouds as a base for school, it’s helpful to read multiple books about the same event. Having different perspectives helps students to learn critical thinking skills.
Put the reader into the book. This allows your children to experience different cultures and places that they may not otherwise see. The more detailed the descriptions, the more vividly your child will relate, and it is through learning about and relating to other cultures that we break down barriers.
TIP: Cultural literacy is learning about other perspectives, including across genders, world regions, and historic eras. It is helpful if you have some background knowledge to incorporate the protagonist’s perspective — so if you are going to read a book set during the Civil War, do a bit of research on the Civil War before reading the novel. It will help bring the story to life!
Benefits of Family-Style Reading
Reading together as a family helps to encourage a lifelong love of reading and literature. Whether you begin when your child is a newborn or as a teen, there are so many positive effects!
Note to parent: If you do not start reading aloud until your child is a teen, there will be a transitional time as they become accustomed. Do not give up!
Tips for Using Living Books as Read-Alouds
1. Do the voices
Sure, you might feel goofy at first, but nothing gets children engaged in a story faster than having a different voice for each character! Through the years, we’ve had many a good laugh as mom tried to pull off several accents, with varying degrees of success. But you know what? They remember the stories!
2. Let them be active
Legos, play-do, and coloring books are great quiet activities to keep hands occupied while ears are listening. It never hurts to pause and ask a few questions, but you’ll probably find that they are more engaged than you think.
3. Read from many genres
Mix it up, with historical fiction from multiple eras, contemporary fiction, and the occasional non-fiction.
4. Keep a home library
Yard sales, Facebook groups, and consignment stores are a great place to scout used books. Even if your child is a toddler, when you find a classic piece for a few years down the road, go ahead and snag it. A good home library will encompass many different topics and genres, including both fiction and non-fiction books.
5. Read every day
Whether you read for five minutes or an hour, set aside some time each and every day to read. We get it…busy days mean shorter reading times. But it’s too easy to get out of the habit, so make it a priority! If necessary, use an audiobook to do the reading in the car.
6. Pass the book
If your children are old enough, take turns reading. Keep it age-level appropriate and for short lengths of time. When my children started reading aloud with the family, they read one paragraph at a time, then a page, and then a full chapter.
7. Read at level AND below level
As an adult, do you only read collegiate-level and above books? Neither do I. Sometimes it’s nice to settle in with a fun book, regardless of the target age range. For struggling readers, this can help them feel more successful, too, as they build those skills.
8. Use picture books.
In the non-fiction realm, picture books are an excellent way to help illustrate and explain difficult concepts… I’m looking at you, science! But also understand that not every book needs pictures. Not having pictures in a book allows children to stretch their imaginations and come up with those mental images.
Choosing Quality Books
As with everything in life, there is yin and yang. When choosing living books for read-alouds, or as a base for studies, keep in mind that not all books are “good” books. “Good” books…
Have realistic characters. They are flawed. They live in the real world. But they often learn to overcome their flaws during the story.
Teach a moral lesson. Whether through acceptance or overcoming, the protagonist learns some sort of character lesson in the story.
Are engaging. These are not dry reads, but intriguing plots full of details that will keep the reader hooked and involved.
“Bad” books…
Are not real world. In these books, everything is awesome. Or horrible. There are no real-life events. Or they are overly moralistic.
Are poorly written. With poor grammar and speech (we’re not talking about the use of dialects, which can add to the authenticity), these books do more harm than good for your student’s mastery of language arts.
Have poor characters. They are boring, self-absorbed, and do not learn anything through the story.
Using Living Books to Study Core Subjects
Sparks Academy
The language arts classes at Sparks Academy utilize five to six novels each year to teach history, geography, character, and literary concepts. Each of the four levels builds upon the last, until students are ready to write in any form requested of them – whether at a career or college! There are four levels offered currently, including High School 1, High School 2, High School 3, and Level 7. (The last one is for 7th/8th/9th grade, depending on your student’s skills.) This is an online co-op, with weekly student interaction in the private classroom forum. Learn more here.
Homeschooling is a big job! If you’re trying to be mom, wife, housekeeper, chauffeur, and teacher…you’re going to tucker out quickly. Homeschool planning can help you start off on the right foot!
Remember this, you can be flexible and creative with your schedule. There are as many different ways to homeschool as there are homeschooling families. Also, your home is not a school, and you don’t have to re-create school, so don’t be afraid to do what works for you!
You’ve heard the phrase, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Some folks may think they don’t need a planner (I’m guessing these folks are under 40), and truthfully, failing to plan may not be quite that bad, but it does mean forgetting important things. Maybe you’re a tech person, or maybe you prefer pen and ink, but find a planning method that works for you!
Start by outlining the year. Make a note in each month of birthdays, holidays, vacations, and any planned time off. This could include upcoming moves, pregnancy due dates, or other big events. After noting these, make sure you have the minimum number of required school days for your state (usually 180).
While you’re planning, include some field trips. If you like routine, maybe plan a specific day each month (eg, third Friday), or you can just wing it! Also be sure to leave some blank spaces – days for catching up, following bunny trails, and for those #LifeHappens moments.
Homeschool Planning: Choosing a Groove
Now that you have an idea of what your calendar year looks like, decide what rhythm you want the school year to have.
Do you want to follow a traditional school schedule, mimicking the public school calendar of August through June, with similar breaks? This might be a good option if your children have cousins or friends that they want to see on school breaks.
Do you want to school year-round, spreading out the work at a relaxed pace and taking time off regularly?
Do you want to have a four-day school week, leaving one day each week free for field trips, appointments, and playdates? This can be a good option if you need to schedule regular appointments, as you’ll know you always have this day of the week free.
When you’re making your plan for the year, you’ll want to put in scheduled appointments and schedule out the first few weeks of school work, but don’t plan too far in advance. Why? Because life happens. You might need to adjust the class work load, adding more or relaxing it, depending on your student’s progress. No need for you to waste time planning every single day of school when it will change.
Each month, reevaluate where your student is and plan out schoolwork for the next month around the appointments, field trips, and blank spaces. Oh ya. And write in pencil. Because things change. When it comes to planning, we follow the Robinson’s advice with curriculum lessons and just, “Keep Moving Forward.”
For older students – in middle and high school – it’s never too early to help them start their own planning as well. This teaches personal responsibility and time management. Check out the Five Best Planners for Teens to find an option perfect for your teen.
Depending on the age of your student, you’ll need to plan a little more or a little less. In general, the younger the child, the laxer you can be.
Birth to Age 3
This age is about learning through play. Life skills, motor skills, and language development are the primary goals.
Preschool and Kindergarten
While children should still be focusing on learning through play, there can be a slight switch to academic goals. Learning letters, numbers, sounds, how to print their name are the primary goals.
Elementary School
There is still some learning through play, but more focus on academic goals. This is the time to decide what type of curriculum you want to use – classical, traditional, unit studies, Charlotte Mason, etc – and be sure to cover reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as introductory science and social studies. Follow your student’s interests and curiosities!
This is when students really begin to buckle down in academics, becoming more intentional about learning. Classes become more difficult, electives are added into the day, and students begin to think about career options for down the road. Students become more independent and start taking more responsibility for their learning at this age, too.
High School
Start with the end in sight. Have an idea of what your child might like to do after graduation, and plan courses around this. Classes are divided into core subjects (science, math, language arts, history) and elective classes. Don’t forget to plan for standardized testing if college is a possibility. Internships, hands-on projects, and volunteer hours should all be recorded, too.
You may not consider meal planning part of homeschooling planning, but it’s really important! Without having a plan in place for dinner, it’s suddenly five o’clock and you have nothing thawed out. This leads to a lot of take out, going out to eat, and stressed, hungry family members.
Consider your weekly schedule when meal planning. If Tuesdays are a full, busy day with evening activities, plan a freezer meal. Or make a large meal on Monday and serve the leftovers the next day. Save those time-consuming family favorites for days that are more flexible.
You have everything in place to have a wonderful homeschool year! But don’t forget to attend to yourself, too. Homeschool moms are notorious for wearing twenty hats at once! We go and go and go and go until we just can’t do it anymore…it’s called burnout.
You probably spent much of your time in elementary homeschooling completing hands-on activities and projects to enhance your child’s learning, but these tend to taper off as kids get older and play is replaced by textbooks. Here are forty hands-on activities that your older kids will love (and will keep them learning!).
Craftsman Crate(See a full review here) This is the perfect box for teen guys who want hands-on projects. It’s also a convenient way to try out new hobbies, use your hands to create, learn skills you can keep using, and have fun, too! Comes with real tools, complete kits, and a new project every month. There are also video reviews for this box on our YouTube channel. Use coupon code FIRSTTEN to take 10% off The Cost: $33.77 / month (price drops with 3, 6, and 12 month subscriptions)
Creation CrateLearn how to program and build electronics with new and more challenging projects delivered to your door each month! Creation Crate uses hands-on projects to teach 21st century skills! Users receive a new project/course every 30 days with access to an Online Classroom. Projects become more challenging as you learn new skills. All projects and courses are approved by STEM.org. Original Crate $29.99 / month
Summer is synonymous with fun and games, but who says learning can’t join the party? This summer-themed math fact game board from Schooling With Grace, turns fact practice into an engaging math fact adventure for your early elementary age student.
The American flag is probably the most easily recognized flag in the world. In this American Flag Mini Unit Study from Homeschool Helper Online, your elementary kids will learn about Betsy Ross, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner, the significance of the stars and stripes, how the flag has changed over time, and more with multi-subject, hands-on activities and lessons.
In this S’mores and Camping Unit Study for Early Learners from Whole Child Homeschool, your kids will learn about the process of making s’mores, the science of marshmallows, and the history of our national parks, as well as reading cute camping stories and pretend playing “going camping” and “making s’mores”. There are also several activities for your older kiddos too, like planning a campfire cookout for the family so be sure to read through and find the activities that will work best for your family.
Whatever adventures await you this summer, more than likely you’ll want to avoid a crisis. No one likes to have the perfect summer outing hijacked by a child’s inability to handle water on shorts, a nagging need for a snack when no allergy-friendly options are available, or a serious medical issue. Our Crazy Adventures In Autismland shares some ideas on How To Pack The Perfect Backpack For Autism Summer Adventures.
Looking for fun and affordable ways to keep your kids busy this summer? This list from My Joy-Filled Life is packed with simple, budget-friendly ideas like backyard games, DIY crafts, and outdoor adventures that are perfect for keeping kids entertained without spending a fortune.
Whether you are planning a stay-cation or want to plan a mini backyard camp, Ten Minute Momentum shares some great ideas for summer fun with kids!
Summer is the perfect time for play…regardless of age. Homeschool on the Range has forty hands-on activities that your older kids will love (and will keep them learning!). Looking for a fun summer boredom buster? Look no further than these cute summer-themed I Spy Find and Count printables from Heart and Soul Homeschooling. Practice counting skills and more with these colorful worksheets. Includes some tips for using them creatively to keep kids engaged with learning skills this summer.
When our children were young, we read aloud to them and alongside them. Granted, we still do that a bit as they get older, but they also take up their own interests and reading adventures, and we parents don’t always have time to read those books ahead of time. So how do we connect with them and engage with what they’re currently reading?
Choosing Good Books
We want to make sure that our teens are reading books that are ‘acceptable,’ and every family is going to have their own criteria for what that means. It’s also important to remember that reading can help stretch your teen’s perspective, expose them to new worlds, and even teach about places, eras, and skills.
There are many places you can find booklists for teen reading, such as:
The Good & the Beautiful’s Booklist – spanning preschool through graduation, this booklist also gives a short summary and merits of the book
Read Around the World – geared toward elementary and middle, these books help to develop an understanding of what it’s like for people who have a different race, culture, religion, or socio-economic status.
Audiobooks for World History – audiobooks count, too! These cover fiction set at different eras in world history.
Without knowing the plot and characters, it can feel intimidating to discuss the book with your teen, so how do you engage?
Cliffnotes – These were handy when you were in college, and they’re handy now, if you can find one for the book your teen is reading. If not, simply go online and find a book reviewer who has written about the book. You’ll find the summary, character introduction, a little commentary, and probably a spoiler or two.
Skim the Book – Read chapters one and two, skim the middle, and read the last two chapters. Not effective if you’re going to be tested, but it will give you a good feel for the flow of the story.
Read the Book – Granted, you probably don’t have time to do this for every book, but choose one of the books your teen is reading and read it, too. This not only allows you to talk more in depth, but is something that will show your teen how committed you are to what they are interested in.
Watch the Movie – We’re not being tested, so it’s not cheating. Be aware, however, that the movie plot often deviates from the book plot, so you may get a slightly different story.
Ask the Question
One of my favorite things about homeschooling teens is how the conversation naturally flows throughout the day. Well…maybe not before lunchtime, but that’s only because their brains are still sleeping. Just as the day ebbs and flows, hitting both the important and the minutiae, our conversation about their books takes the same track.
Start by asking how the book is coming along. This opens up the floor for whatever they want to tell you…which might be the entire plot and how it relates to something else they saw or read…or it might be, “fine.” (If you have boys, I know you’re feeling me here.)
Follow up on their response. If you got the “fine” answer, you might ask for a little more information. What’s happened in the book since you last checked in? What do they think about the story so far? These questions are designed to elicit more than a one-word response…
Challenge their opinions. Whether you agree with them or not, one of the things we get to do as parents is teach our children to think critically about their own opinions and learn to defend them, but we do so from a place of love and support. This is a way to dive into deeper conversations about your family’s beliefs, too.
Compare and contrast. How does the book stack up to another one they’ve read? Is it derivative? Is it outlandish? Is there a certain theme to the stories they gravitate toward? Does it relate to any current events or recent movies?
Peer Engagement
When I think ‘book club,’ my mind gravitates toward my grandmother and her friends sitting around sharing cookies and tea in the afternoon and, quite frankly, doing more discussing of what’s happen around town than what’s happening in the pages. BUT…a book club can for teens can actually be a lot of fun (albeit still devolve into chattiness)!
When teens discuss books with other teens, they get the perspective of someone their own age, rather than an adult who has a different life view and wisdom set. They get a chance to bond with a friend over something they book really enjoyed, or hated, or maybe disagreed over and ended up having a controversial, yet enlightening, discussion. As part of a book club, you can use novel study units for discussion prompts, hands-on activities, and additional background learning. These are perfect for a co-op or small group setting!
Virtual book clubs are another option for peer engagement. Each month Literary Adventures for Kids hosts an interactive book-of-the-month club. Students delve deeper into a novel, discuss various aspects (symbolism, foreshadowing, and even just how the weather is looking that day around the country), and make peer connections with other homeschooling teens. Additionally, each month students are invited to embody the book through dressing up for the live meeting, such as in this one about The Hobbit.
Growing up on a farm, our kids learned the value of hard work and a good work ethic at an early age. What they didn’t necessarily get was an allowance or paycheck from that work, and although fresh eggs, homegrown meat, and garden veggies are pretty nice earnings to an adult, they were more interested in earning money for books and Legos.
Our oldest began entering writing competitions, earning a little bit here and there, but mostly he won things like selfie sticks, art kits, or books. Our youngest went a different route, beginning to sell fresh eggs in the neighborhood and starting a nice little cash cache hidden in the nightstand. (Seriously, y’all, it surprised us all when we discovered it!)
When you live in the country, the traditional teen jobs aren’t as readily available since, by the time you factor in time and gas, those part-time jobs wouldn’t be paying anything. However, even for kids in more urban areas, the number of jobs available to teens has dwindled considerably over the past few of decades.
This is not to say that there aren’t any opportunities, but it might take some creativity. Sure, there are still positions as cashiers, babysitters, and waiters and busboys, but even those jobs aren’t in as steady a supply as before. These days, teens can also work as part-time virtual assistants or social media assistants, tutoring younger students, or as an entrepreneur. It just takes a little more creativity than back in ‘the good old days.’
Benefits of a Job
Besides getting to earn some money for car expenses, something they want, or to set aside for college, there are some non-tangible benefits to having a job. These include:
Independence & Responsibility – Learning to work with a supervisor, without mom or dad to help
Balancing Act – Learning how to juggle academics, activities, and work hours
Public Experience – Learning customer service, public speaking, and how to work with people who think and act differently, both customers and co-workers
Personal Finance – Learning how to pay taxes, manage expenses, and allocate an income
Reaching Goals – Learning to set a financial goal and take steps to reach it
Work Experience & Interview Skills – Both of these look good on a resume and college application
Pitfalls of a Job
Every job comes with its own set of challenges, but there are a few more homeschooling teens face, including:
Labor laws – Each state has different laws, ranging from a simple age limit to needing a permit to work, and you want to make sure you follow these laws (some states won’t let teens work during traditional school hours, even if they are homeschooled)
How to develop a groove – It takes a bit to find that balance between work and academic hours
Adjusting to a boss – If they’ve only answered to mom and dad, they might find that their boss thinks differently than they do, has different expectations than what they’re accustomed to, and might just not be a very nice person (or might be wonderful)
Getting to work – Depending on whether they have a car, mom and dad might be responsible for getting them to and from work each day, which can be taxing on both kid and parent
Is Your Teen Ready for a Job?
Every teen is different, and the decision should be made by both parents and child, taking into account academic needs, extracurricular commitments, and financial or career goals. Consider whether they are ready for that independence and responsibility, have a financial goal to help stay motivated on the difficult days, and the skills / ability to work in an available opening nearby.
In the end, the boys created their own jobs, as there simply weren’t any positions close enough to the farm to be a viable option. The youngest grew his egg business, branching out into deliveries and using word-of-mouth advertising. He put earnings back into the business and grew his flock. The oldest combined his love of design and history to open a small business creating historic reproduction pieces, a business which has steadily grown through word of mouth as well.
Depending on your family’s circumstances and your teen’s goals, it might be very easy to secure a part-time job or might take a little creativity, but it can be a worthwhile venture!
Once you have a high school plan, you’ll want to plan out courses and curricula toward a post-graduation goal. When choosing curricula, keep in mind questions of whether you want to manage the course yourself or outsource it, whether to use physical or digital curricula, and what your student’s learning style favors. It’s worth noting that what works for one subject (eg, math) might be different for another (eg, history).
For each of the core subjects – history, math, science, and language arts – look at your student’s goals. Is the class something that will help them succeed in their career path, or is it simply a state requirement to check the box? Does your student learn this subject best through reading, video, or instruction with real-time feedback?
Outsourced & Online Classes
If you’re planning to outsource to online classes, you’ll want to check out whether they run synchronously or asynchronously, accreditation status, and decide whether to choose a full program or individual classes. It’s worth noting that when outsourcing a class, you often don’t get to choose the base curriculum being used for that class. Also keep in mind when choosing outsourced and online classes that:
Technology has glitches
Communication is crucial
Time management is key
Online doesn’t equate to an “Easy A”
In the past few years, we’ve experienced an educational revolution of sorts, with a cultural shift toward online learning. You can learn a lot more about choosing the best online options for your family in Four Things to Consider with Online Classes. There are so many options, though, that it can be overwhelming! After vetting hundreds of options, here are some of the Best of the Best Online Learning Options.
Sparks Academy is one source of online classes that are offered in both synchronous and asynchronous options. All core classes, including math, history, science, and language arts, are offered at various high school levels!
Advanced Learning Options
Dual Credit – Local community colleges are usually accessible to high school students, and courses can be taken online or in person. This is a good way for students to get a jump on college credits at a reduced cost and can help with the transition from high school to college classes. There may be mature discussions and readings as part of dual enrollment, as these courses are intended for college-age students, so be sure that this is an appropriate fit for your student.
If you plan to use dual enrollment credits to transfer toward a four-year degree, you will want to check with the intended transfer college to make sure they will accept the coursework. Not all colleges will accept coursework from outside, and some have very stringent standards. Be sure to contact the college directly and get an email with your answers; this way you have that information in writing.
CLEP – CLEP tests allow you to earn college credits via exam. You can take a course through websites such as Modern States, or you can simply sign up and take the exam if you feel confident in your knowledge. As Modern States is free, it’s worth enrolling and completing the online videos, and you may be eligible for an exam waiver after completing the course.
Free & Discounted Curriculum Choices
Sign up to receive this semester-long FREE course for high school students on the subject of Psychology. In this course, they use video and text to take a jaunt through the brain — how it works, when it gets miswired, and how to cope with those issues.
Snag an e-book on Homeschooling the Upper Grades. This covers a wide variety of topics and issues facing the homeschooling parent of teens. In this FREE book, we are also blessing families with fun goodies!
If you use The Good & the Beautiful for language arts, bookmark the TGTB extensions page, where you’ll find video playlists, extra printables, quizzes and practice tests, and more that homeschooling moms have created and pulled together all in one place!
At Sparks Academy, your students will be part of an interactive co-op with other high school students. Current class offerings are for The Good & the Beautiful language arts and Notgrass history (four levels of each subject), Apologia science (three levels), and Consumer Math.
SAVE 10% on Homestead Science with code RANGE10. This hands-on science course includes agricultural and entrepreneurial principles, making it a cross-curricular course that will appeal to students not pursuing a STEM major post-graduation.
These are the programs we used and found comprehensive and quality for middle and high school. Remember to start with the end in sight, including the required number of credits for each subject, per your state law. In addition to curriculum choice, you may also include living books, hands-on studies, and novel studies to enhance the learning experience!
We hear a lot about living books and how these are used to foster a love of both reading and learning in children, but what about living math?
Living math is real-world applicable and can include things like balancing a checkbook, altering a recipe, comparing prices, building a treehouse, making change for a customer, or calculating square footage. It can also be more playful, such as using math for arts or crafts.
As with living books, students are more apt to retain principles when they are tied together with other ideas and subjects. If your student is working on a fun project and comes across the need for a particular math principle, they learn it and incorporate it with that creativity, and that’s where the magic sticking point comes into play.
Living Math in Action
Our son began his work at the tender age of five. His earliest works, all made of cardboard and duct tape, were crude adaptations of Greco-Roman armor that he had seen in picture books. Fast-forwarding, he learned how to use the internet to look up pictures of other, more specified, types of armor and added aluminum foil and basic sewn pieces into the mix.
Through the creative process, he was also learning how to measure, how to calculate said measurements for fitting, and how to size things up or down to scale….all math principles, and all to a kid who abhors math. (Seriously y’all, I don’t think I have a single ‘bad homeschool day’ story for this kid that didn’t begin with math.)
Today, he does welding and metalwork, creating full-scale arms and armor from scratch and to historic standards. He does the research, creates the pieces, and then gives it a personalized flair. He does so many calculations for every single one of these pieces, but since the math has a purpose and application, he says that it doesn’t feel like math to him. If you have a budding artist, chef, or builder, you will probably see the same trend as well…play to it!!
Today, he’s learning entrepreneurship along with his creative math skills, where at Sparks Forge & Armory, he creates beautiful, accurate, and detailed historical reproduction crossbows, scabbards, swords, daggers, maille (chainmail), armor, and other medieval artifacts. Each piece is handmade and unique!
You can see many of his patterns and early work at Cullowhee Creates, a website / blog he started as a portfolio. Unbeknownst to him, he was also learning organization, cataloging, and basic HTML as well!
For an even more basic start on patterns and creating hands-on costume projects, check out Recycled History. All projects are created with items found around the house….many that would be headed for the trash bin….and the book includes directions and photo-directions. Projects are history-based, and span from ancient civilizations to modern times. They are designed to get kids excited about learning, and include sculpture, costumes, flat art, woodworking, and more!
Boys of our boys are right-brained learners when it comes to math, which made it very difficult for this left-brained mama to adjust to teaching. However, rather than teaching math facts using pencil and paper and sterile problems, we had to find out what each kid really likes and relate math to that. For example, our other boy loves shopping, so we decided to teach him how to use money while shopping, and then work with him as he saved up for something special.
Hands-on learning and movement are very important to right-brained learning, especially when it comes to math. Manipulatives are your friend here! There are so many manipulatives available for elementary school, but fewer for the upper grades. Here are some of the best hands-on resources we’ve discovered and loved:
Coordinate Board – This oversized dry-erase board is perfect for students in pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry who need to master coordinates and use them for linear equations and geometric functions.
Beautiful Discovery – These boxes help students to learn math, art, science & code, in a beautiful way, deCODING nature’s patterns. Each one includes natural wonders & all you need to model them with art, math, and code. Each month’s box has a webpage full of videos and interactive models to help students discover deep patterns & beautiful math underlying nature’s diversity.
Number lines – These dry-erase boards are perfect for learning to add and subtract with littles, but can help with skip counting and multi-step problems with older children. My only complaint is that there isn’t a negative numbers board, which can be butted against the positive one, as many students struggle with the concept of adding and subtracting positives and negatives. In this case, simply turn one upside down and use it for negative numbers!
Money set – If you don’t have one already on-hand from the elementary years, it’s never too late to use a money kit to teach about borrowing and carrying, as well as to master counting change – a skill that many employers complain kids don’t know how to do today!
Magnetic Tiles – While it’s true that they may know the basic fractions, many students struggle with adding and subtracting fractions, borrowing and carrying, and that’s what this set helps with as they visualize it, move the pieces around, and master it.
Place Value Flip Chart – If you have a student who has mastered place value at an early age, congrats! Many students, however, don’t master this until middle school, and special needs learners may take even longer. This flip chart uses different colors to make it easier to distinguish between different place values for number manipulation (adding, etc).
Place Value Chart – Another dry-erase board, this one goes hand in hand with the flip chart to help students with adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing using proper place value placement.
Incorporating Real-World Math
We make time for the things that are important, and this is no exception. If your school day is strictly planned out, with no time for creative play, you’ll find it difficult to get that hands-on experience which incorporates living math. Here are some strategies to help:
Slow down. Build in free time each day for play, creativity, and even boredom. (Boredom breeds creativity…ask any Gen-Xer.)
Stock up. Have the supplies on hand for creative play, be that cardboard, aluminum foil, Legos, crayons, various types of foods, or whatever your student is into.
Step back. Allow your student to get creative without direction, criticism, or even an excessive amount of praise.
When they enjoy the project, and aren’t just completing projects in a textbook, your children will be more apt to pick up on, retain, and love the skills they are learning!
More Information
Although it’s workbook-based, these real-world math problems are an alternative to regular textbooks and incorporate many facets of daily life. Download the book here.
Real-World Math for Students who Ask “WHY?” For so many students, math is thought of as boring and unnecessary. They just don’t see the reason why they need to learn the material. Do you have one like my middle school student…who struggles constantly with math, and is always asking WHY?!
Teaching Math to Visual Learners Most people have a combination of learning styles, but tend more toward one than the others. If your child prefers to draw pictures with his word problems…he might be a visual learner.
College isn’t for everyone, and the number of kids that are falling into the ‘other than college’ category is growing by the year. Economic and societal changes have caused some families to rethink college, while others are just realizing that you don’t need a four-year degree to do many specialized careers. So what do you do if you are homeschooling a kid who has no intention in going to college?
The first thing to note is that if there is any hesitation or unsurety there, homeschool as though college is the end goal. It is much easier to take a college-prep education into a vocational school or career training program than it is to take a career-prep education and apply to a traditional college.
If your kid is sure, however, that college isn’t for them, then you have a beautiful opportunity as a homeschooling family to provide them with alternative learning opportunities, including extracurricular, volunteer, or career exploration.
Through these alternatives, students can still learn quite a few academic and non-academic skills, including computer proficiency, graphic arts, formal writing, marketing, public speaking, planning and logistics, and trade-specific skills. They also develop EQ / people skills, such as patience, tolerance, empathy, accountability, and responsibility.
Volunteering is a fantastic way to learn a skill or trade while serving others. There are always a plethora of volunteer positions available…you just have to look around! Non-profit agencies, libraries, municipalities, businesses, schools, and agricultural organizations run off of volunteer hands. By choosing to volunteer with an organization that aligns with their interests and goals, your kid can pick up skills, develop connections (for those reference letters!), and decide if this is a path they want to continue on, or if it isn’t really for them and they want to pivot.
Career exploration might look like a part-time job or an internship, each of which can also help with pocket money or saving up for post-graduate plans. Be sure to check out the labor laws in your state before applying for a job, however, especially if your kid will be working a lot during regular school hours.
Internships and apprenticeships can usually be located through networking or through the local vocational school. They may be paid or unpaid, and are usually available in trade skill positions. If you have a student who is interested in a trade, such as electrical work, plumbing, construction, HVAC, welding, graphic design, nursing, medical assistance, or CNC machining, check out your local trade school for programs that can be completed during the high school years, which may lead to apprenticeship or career opportunities.
Special Needs Teens
For families homeschooling special needs kids, there are other challenges to consider as they move onto a post-graduate path. Be sure to check out Homeschooling Special Needs Students & Creating an IEP for insights into preparation and execution of a life skills-based homeschooling plan.
When it comes to high school coursework, it’s important to remember that even if college isn’t the end goal, students still need to meet their state’s basic requirements for graduation. Does that mean that those three required math courses need to include calculus and higher math? No. That could include algebra, geometry, and consumer math – life skills that are utilized everyday. If chemistry is a required course, there are options, such as kitchen science, that will teach the basics incorporated with life skills to cover that requirement.
If your kid has a post-graduate goal, use that to guide your course planning. At Sparks Academy, our high school counselor is available to help guide you with planning your high school course map, meeting with you and your student to develop a personalized plan.
Finally, don’t forget to create a transcript. Even if your kid doesn’t need it for college, it is still a document that is often required by other organizations or employers, and you will want to have that prepared, accurate, and accessible to your student for future needs.
One of the challenges of transitioning to high school and post-graduate years is developing the independence. It doesn’t happen overnight, and students need support as they move away from parent-led schooling into independent-schooling. Here are some study tips to help champion your student!
Why work on independence in the school day?
Frees mom up to work with younger siblings or provide one-on-one instruction as needed
Boosts problem-solving skills and allows them to develop their own ‘groove’
Hands over the responsibility for both setting a schedule and completing the work
Maintain communication.
This is not the time to just let go of the strings and see what happens. Check in with your kids on a regular basis, be that every few hours, once a day, or once a week (this will depend on the kid and what’s going on at any given time). Review what has been done and what is coming up next. This will help them stay focused and on track, plus it will give both of you a structure to work around.
By outsourcing courses, students also learn to be responsible to someone other than mom and dad, but still have parental support and oversight. At Sparks Academy, for example, students are provided a schedule and taught in teacher-led and teacher-graded courses, but parents are sent a quarterly newsletter and progress report as a reminder to check in regularly.
If your student isn’t sure about their learning style, have them take this free quiz. By learning and playing toward learning style strengths, students are more likely to maximize their study time and improve their academic performance. This might include working with music or wearing noise-cancelling headphones, working in a brightly lit or dim area, working with others or working alone. Additionally, you’ll want a comfortable chair or desk, adequate supplies, and a place to spread out books and resources.
Unless being used specifically for academic purposes, electronics should be put away during school time to limit distractions. This is particularly true for students with ADHD or other special needs. You might even go as far as to use a scheduler to block social media sites during school time, if needed. By setting the right tone, your student will have a better chance of staying focused on the tasks at hand.
Probably the most important skill your teen will learn is time management, which translates across all aspects of life, not just academics. Students need to learn to prioritize tasks (we call it triage in our house) and set the pace for completing those tasks. Rather than constantly telling them what to be doing when, allow them to take a set of tasks, prioritize them, and complete them in their own time (with a set deadline).
Be sure to enforce the deadlines, too, even though there will be times when they don’t meet them and need some sort of natural consequence. When this happens, it’s a good time to work on ‘working backward,’ taking a large task, breaking it into smaller tasks, and scheduling each in order to meet a deadline. Whether in college or on the job, there are always deadlines to be met and someone to answer to for our responsibilities…and by allowing them to start developing those skills now, you’re giving them a leg up.
Set Manageable Goals.
Checklists are wonders. They can really keep a person on track, be that mom trying to accomplish all the things or students trying to remember assignments. By learning to use planners and checklists in high school, students can find a system of organization that works best for them and will set them up for better success post-graduation. There are both physical and digital planners, and there is no right or wrong option…only the one that is right for them! As a bonus, planners (particularly physical ones) can be used as documentation of academic assignments and performance. Just toss it aside at the end of each semester or year to have on-hand if needed.
Note-taking used to be much more common than it is now, and even when teens are taking notes these days, it tends to be digitally. However, there is so much to be said for learning to take hand-written notes. Using old-fashioned pen and paper engages several senses and an area of the brain that facilitates learning. Follow these four rules for note-taking, and you should see marked improvement in your academics: be prepared, write neatly, stay organized, and write down questions.
There are as many different forms of note-taking as there are students. You’ll need to find what works best for your learning. Visit this post on Note-Taking for Teens to learn about several different styles and to learn more about teaching the art of taking notes.
Look for more in-depth discussion of this topic and more in Through the Door: Homeschool to College Success!This book & worktext set will help you and your high school student breeze through the steps of college and scholarship applications, as well as brushing up on study habits and life skills. The worktext includes activities, worksheets, and planning pages, and accompanies the book.
A lot of folks seem to be intimidated by the idea of homeschooling their teens through high school and graduation. When we first began homeschooling, we met some pushback, but persisted and even fifteen years later were still got asked occasionally if they kids were going to high school. While one son did do dual enrollment, the right fit for him, and another did votech classes at the local community college, again the right fit, both boys also took several classes at home as well. They graduated from homeschool.
If you’re planning to graduate a teen from homeschool, there are a few things you’ll want to plan for first.
Know Your State Law
Be sure that you know the homeschooling laws for your state so that there are no surprises at the end of the journey! Some states, such as New York, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania, have very specific rules governing how a homeschooler can get a diploma, while most other states simply offer guidelines. Check HSLDA to find your state’s specific laws.
If a college or program requires accreditation, know that your homeschool and curriculum are not accredited. Most colleges, however, will accept a homeschool diploma if your students meets the entrance requirements, and it’s worth noting that not all public schools maintain their accreditation either.
Have an Idea of Your Student’s Plan
Start with the end in sight. Choose courses and a high school plan based on what the student plans to do post-graduation, be that a college major or setting off on a career path. If college is the plan, check their admissions requirements and plan accordingly. If career is the goal, you’ll still need to meet basic requirements for graduation, but choose electives based on that future path.
Generally, most students should be taking four years of language arts, three years of science, three years of history, three years of math, two years of a foreign language, and several electives to total approximately 26 credits. Some states will have additional requirements, such as state history or health and physical education, so be sure to check those laws and your state department of education website.
If your student isn’t sure of the post-graduation plan, homeschool with college as the end goal. It is easier to go down a career path with a college-prep education than it is to apply for college with only career-prep courses.
Start keeping the high school transcript in ninth grade, and eighth grade if they are taking advanced classes. It’s not only colleges who will ask for it, but many first-time employers and scholarship providers will as well. Be sure to transfer grades from any online programs or outside grade sources to the transcript and keep any certificates your student earns as well. In Through the Door, you’ll find transcript templates and instructions for putting together each section of this important document.
Standardized testing is another important part of record-keeping, especially if college is the future goal. Most students will need to take either the ACT or SAT entrance exam. College-bound students might take the exam more than once, both to get a superscore (where the highest scores from each subsection are combined from across all testing experiences) and for the test-retest effect. However, even if your student isn’t college-bound, it can be a good idea to take the exam simply to back up the grades you have given in homeschool, just in case you are ever questioned about them.
Stay in the Loop
Make a connection with the local high school counselor and learn where they post information for students. Get on that communication thread and stay in the loop. While traditionally-schooled students are often inundated with information about when testing dates are, what career and college fairs are on the horizon, or other opportunities for teens, homeschoolers aren’t usually privy to that information…and you want to be. This can also be a good place to learn about local scholarship programs or job shadowing events.
Plan a Graduation
After you’ve kept the coursework, met the requirements, and printed the transcripts, it’s time to issue a diploma. Many families choose to join a local group for a formal graduation ceremony or host their own at home.
If you want to host a ceremony at home, it can be as simple as playing the commencement song, saying some words, looking over pictures from kindergarten through graduation, and handing out a diploma. Some families host a reception, similar to a wedding reception, afterward, with food and fun.
Admittedly, rather than hosting or joining a ceremony, we provided our sons with graduation experiences. England, Germany, South Africa…these travel opportunities provide a lifetime of memories and new cultural experiences. Travel is important to mom and dad, and we roadschooled across the country with the kids when they were younger, so it was a natural progression to spend that money on an overseas trip of their choice, and they preferred it over a big party event. Again, the beauty of homeschooling is that each family can make a choice that is right for them!
Seasoned homeschoolers with a few graduates under their belts can easily remember the anxiety of homeschooling that oldest child, making sure to meet all of the requirements and hoping that it was the right move for their future. We all want what is best for our kids, and by being informed, you can confidently proceed toward a successful homeschool graduation.
A gap year is a period of time, typically a year, between years of formal education. Some choose to take a gap year between high school and college, while others might take a break during the college years. During this time, students may travel, volunteer, or work, as they gain life experience and explore the world.
The concept of a gap year is not new; it goes back centuries to the European elites who would finish their schooling and then take a grand world tour, visiting a variety of places, learning about different cultures and languages, and making connections. It fell out of vogue during the Napoleonic Wars, but came back into play in the 20th century. During the 1960s, it became popular in America with the baby boomers. Their theory was that by travelling and learning about other cultures, they could foster world peace.
The gap year often provides flexibility to explore special interests, travel, do an exchange program, or volunteer. For students who may not have the same financial resources, it is also an opportunity to explore career options, work to earn money for college expenses, take a rest from academics, and explore special interests or take a trip. The common thread among nearly all gap years is that they are a time of self-discovery when students can gain practical life experiences that help them make those important future decisions.
Should you take a gap year?
Students looking for more independence will have an opportunity to make their own decisions, manage their own finances and schedule, and cultivate peer connections.
Students looking for cultural experiences and a broader worldview can travel, volunteer with travelling organizations, interact with other cultures, and face new life experiences.
Students who are undecided about their next steps can take some time to explore career opportunities, gain life experiences, explore various fields and interests, and make an informed decision about their future academic or career tracks.
Students looking to cover college expenses without major loans can mitigate those expenses by continuing to live at home and working full time. While this is the least “fun” of the gap year options, it still provides an opportunity for self-reflection, gaining life experiences, and laying a strong foundation for the future.
There are some drawbacks, however, to taking a gap year. Some students may feel left out, as their peers head into college and they do not. Without adequate planning for both the gap year and what happens afterward, students might stall or spend the entire year unwisely, not gaining the experiences they wanted. If there is a lot of travelling involved, there might be a large cost for the year. Finally, after taking a year off, it can be difficult to get back into the academic groove to finish out college, and students may not have the same resources they had (to assist with college planning) in high school.
Gap Year Pros and Cons
Pros Work Experiences Life Skills Cultural Experiences Self-Reflection & Growth Save / Earn Money Explore Interests Rest and Recharge
Cons Feeling Left Out / FOMO Stalling Cost Lack of Structure Difficult to Get Back Potential Lost Time Restricted Resources
One additional pro of taking a gap year is that students will have fodder for all those college and scholarship application essays! However, it is of the utmost importance to spend time responsibly planning the gap year. Map out experiences, break down the months into an ‘experience calendar,’ and research different gap year programs that provide travel, volunteering, and other life experiences. (Caveat – these can be expensive.)
Before heading into a gap year, remember to get copies of transcripts, letters of recommendation, references, and any other academic resources from the school that will be needed during the transition from gap year to a return to academics. If the plan is to return to college, remember to keep that end goal in sight, too. Bon voyage!
Teaching writing takes time and one-on-one instruction. It involves modeling, editing, providing feedback, and publishing, something that not all parents feel equipped to handle. While there are ways to outsource writing instruction and feedback, every parent can master the basics with a little guidance!
Break down the assignment
Whenever they start a new, major writing assignment, I always tell students in the Sparks Academy classes, ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!’
Break assignments into daily goals, and hold your student accountable for meeting those goals. If they have a persuasive, five-paragraph essay, daily goals might look like creating an outline, researching and citing works, developing a rough draft, writing the first half, writing the second half, editing and polishing, and writing the bibliography. Need help getting started? Download this free 12-page booklet on writing a research paper.
Make a Plan
This one goes hand in hand with breaking down the assignment into bits, but I’m big on planning and organization. After all, failing to plan is planning to fail…and no one wants to fail.
Give It a Purpose
“Why” is not a question that goes away after the toddler years, and you might find it cropping up even more in the teen years than in the previous ones. With writing, as with anything we’re told to do, it’s important to know the why. Are they writing solely for a grade, or is there some intrinsic motivation as well? Will it be published in a magazine, like at Sparks? Turned into a book, such as these amazing options? Published in a paper, magazine, or on a blog? Included in the student portfolio? Repurposed later as a college or scholarship application essay? (For the record, I’ve found the last one to be a real motivator for my older teens…who know all too well the pain of writing and re-writing dozens of essays for said applications.)
Write for Fun & Variety…and for Yourself
I’ve found that when I give my teens a choice about what they write, they’re do so much less begrudgingly. I have one that prefers to write either historic non-fiction or dystopian stories. Another prefers mystery / crime solving stories and would happily never write another research paper. Those are their preferences, so when it’s time to just practice writing, that’s what they opt for, but it’s important that they also work on other skills, too.
Poetry and symbolism
Descriptive writing with vivid details
Expressing an opinion (logically and thoughtfully)
It’s true that we do many of these things orally, sometimes on a daily basis, but it’s important to also know how to write effectively, without visual aids (emojis, graphics, charts, etc) or tonal inflection from our voices.
When you want to practice writing skills, but don’t have a specific assignment (summer fun-school, anyone?), writing prompts are a handy tool. There are so many different options to choose from, including pop culture, history, science, animal-themed, anime-themed…you’re pretty much guaranteed to find something that sparks your teen’s interest. Maybe they’re really into the Hobbit and want to try your hand at writing a fantasy novel of their own…
Teach Self-Editing
After writing a rough draft for any type of writing, students should take the time to read over it themselves before passing it off to the parent / teacher. You can print out the checklists below and let them use it, or just tell them to set it aside for a night and read over it the next day. (You’d be surprised how many errors can be spotted just by having a fresh set of eyes!) Reading the paper aloud is another good way to spot issues with flow and communication, too.
Use a Checklist
After self-editing, it’s your turn to read over their paper and provide feedback. Use these free downloadable checklists to guide you through grading your student’s writing assignments. Remember that it’s also important to point out all of the things your student did WELL on the assignment. Editing with grace is more likely to net well-received feedback. Honey, not vinegar.
Still unsure about grading your teen’s writing assignments? Enlist the Writing Consultation Service offered by Sparks Academy! While there are no grades offered for this service, the feedback provided is detailed enough in content, structure, and style for the parent to assign a grade. Consultations are provided by an accredited language arts teacher with thirty years teaching experience.
The transitional period from middle sets the tone for the high school years and strongly influences post-graduate life. I’ve always told my children that they can course correct, but setting the right course in the first place goes a long way toward a smoother path.
In the public schools, formal transitional planning is provided to all 8th graders entering 9th grade, including psychological, academic, social, and experiential preparations, so that they have an idea of what comes next and how to navigate it. If you’re interested in utilizing the resources schools are providing to students, or at least using them as a jumping-off point, you can download this six-page guide.
Strengthen Areas of Weakness
Every child has his own strengths and weaknesses, and these can be harnessed to form an individualized plan, but it’s also important to note areas of weakness and choose which ones to strengthen during these high school years. Perhaps your child is not as tech savvy as they’d like (or is that just me?) and wants to learn some additional skills. Or maybe they are still socially awkward and want more opportunities to explore friendships, events, and other social situations. Some kids need more experience with writing skills, and this is a good time to take additional writing courses or get one-on-one assistance and feedback to brush up those essays.
Special needs students who have not yet completed a formal IEP and set forth accommodations might undertake this paperwork with their parents, as it can help with standardized testing and other requirements for college entrance. For more specific information on teaching special needs teens, visit Teaching the Special Needs Child and Life Skills for Special Needs Teens.
All students should also take this opportunity to catalog their strengths. Where do they shine? What make them unique? Whether they plan to go to college, into the job market, or are undecided at this point, knowing your own strengths and weaknesses is an advantage…it provides a starting point and allows you to set mini-goals to get to your big goal!
Just because most ninth grade students take algebra, biology, world history, and composition doesn’t mean that your student is ready for those courses yet…or maybe they completed them in eighth grade. One of the beautiful things about homeschooling is that we can tailor each individual subject to our students’ strengths. Maybe they are fantastic at writing, but struggling with math. In this case, you can provide more advanced language arts classes and a slightly remedial math class. (Please remember that, especially with math and writing, it’s more important to master the basics before moving on than it is to academically try to ‘keep up with the Joneses.’)
If you have a student ready for a math challenge, then allow them to take that algebra class in early and count it for high school credit. Two caveats here – first, be sure to note on the transcript that the course was taken in eighth grade, and second, do not use it as a way to skip out of classes later in the high school years. If your student took algebra in middle school, then colleges are going to want to see some advanced math courses in eleventh and twelfth grades.
You can tailor academics with any curriculum, but here’s a walk-through for how to tailor them specifically with the SchoolhouseTeachers.com School Boxes…
Let Your Teen Have a Say
“Do a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Allow your child to choose the coursework he’s interested in, and he’ll enjoy his school day. Granted, you can’t let him choose every single thing, but electives are an easy way to give him that freedom. Once he finds something he loves to learn about, you might find that he works harder at the basics so that he can get to electives!
Another way to foster that independence and feeling of self-direction is to allow them to have more control over their day (scheduling). One of the reasons teens give us attitude is because they are floundering between being an adult and being a child. They want to be the adult, but they still need you to be the parent. It can turn into a real power struggle. Similar to allowing him to choose his electives, allow him to structure his day.
We used responsibility charts – the kids knew what work must be accomplished each day. While there were a few things that had to be done at certain times, they had a lot of freedom about structuring their own day. Math was almost always shoved aside until last, but occasionally one of them did it first, saying “I just want to get the bad stuff done with.” Lessons being learned…and now they are capable of that same discipline and self-regulation in their college studies.
High school is when we begin to transition our students into college life. A big part of that transition is learning time management. As a teen, your student is juggling classes, extracurricular activities, athletics, a part-time job, and friends and family. It can be difficult to remember all of the details!
A good planner works for you and your needs. What is right for one person may not be the best option for someone else, so take a moment to investigate several options and find the one that works best for your student. After they have that planner, allow them to be in charge of their day, set expectations, and give guidance, remain actively involved – have regular meetings with them. These might be daily or weekly, but choose a rhythm that works best for you and your teen.
That said, transitioning to independence doesn’t mean completely letting go of the reins. Teens still need you to be the parent (as do college-students, albeit with a more freedom), and this is not the time to let them fly without a landing spot. When it comes to academics, let them have that freedom and responsibility, but read ahead in their textbooks and syllabi so you know what’s coming up. As the parent, you also know what’s coming up with family and can help them remember to plan for all the things…
Improve Study Skills
Most kids don’t work on note-taking until the high school years, and it’s difficult to remember specific details without good notes. The process of note-taking cements learning further by involving all three modalities of learning. The engage the auditory when hearing the information, the kinesthetic by writing the information (by hand, not computer!), and visual when reading the information again. If this is a new skill for your student or you just want to know why handwriting trumps typing in this case, you can access more specific information on note-taking skills.
The Through the Door: Homeschool to College Success bundle includes several lessons to brush up on specific study skills in addition to inventories, college prep assistance, and life skills for adulting in the early years.
By beginning to work on these five skills during the middle school years, you’ll help pave the way for a successful high school experience and what comes next!
When we first began homeschooling, we met some pushback. Granted this was long before homeschooling became en vogue and the explosion occurred, but the one thing that seemed to ‘calm’ the fears other people were having was that we were (per their assumption) going to send the kids to public high school. (No, it was never my intention to send them back to school unless it became clear to us, mom and dad, that it was a necessary change, but why pick a fight years before you have to?)
Fast forward nearly fifteen years and we’ve experienced an explosion of the homeschooling community like no one could have predicted (thank you, covid). We still got asked occasionally if they kids were going to high school, but simply said they were flourishing at home. One son did do dual enrollment, and that was the right fit for him. Another did votech classes at the local community college – again the right fit – but both boys also took several classes at home as well.
A lot of folks seem to be intimidated by the idea of homeschooling their teens through high school and graduation. They don’t think they can do the academics. They don’t think they have the patience to be around their teens that much. Yet there are so many FANTASTIC reasons to love homeschooling your teens!!!
Kids learn to work independently. Some of the most important things for our kids to learn are work ethic, how to learn, how to ask for help, and independence. (I realize the last two seem counter to each other, but each is important.) With these, a person can go much further than someone who has memorized a lot of academic facts without mastering these four skills. As teens, our kids are learning to step away from the nest, take responsibility for their learning, and find their own groove. This will help them as they move to college or career, since mom and dad aren’t going to be there at every step to ensure they wake up, get to places on time, and do whatever they’ve been assigned. Instilling these four life skills will help them, regardless of the post-graduation path.
Kids are exposed to less peer pressure. True, there will still be times they are exposed to peer pressure through extracurricular activities, events, and other classes (like dual enrollment). But much like a plant that is allowed to grow indoor for a bit before being hardened off in the spring, the longer we are able to protect that innocence in our kids, the more they will have a chance to learn who they are (and be comfortable enough to express that individuality) and what they believe before facing this tough world.
Rest and health are prioritized. Most teens in public schools are not getting enough sleep. Circadian rhythms aren’t really a priority for school systems, who have to juggle running the busses and employing teachers that have students of their own in the system. However, homeschooled teens have the chance to sleep late, getting the rest they need as their bodies undergo this rapid period of growth and change. They can work within their natural rhythms, being the early birds or night owls they were born to be!
Parents can still help mold character. I can remember being out and about and always being told how well-behaved my children were…and thinking, don’t all children act this way? Sadly, the answer to that question is no, they don’t. It’s not something we saw on a regular basis, however, and those bad character habits weren’t impressed upon our kids. (This is not to say that all kids who go to school have poor character, so don’t read that into it.) As parents, we were able to help guide and shape behaviors based on being there regularly to provide consistent feedback.
Family time and togetherness are a regular thing. While it’s true that we are occasionally all running in opposite directions as the kids have gotten older, we are all home and together during the day and ‘school time.’ This includes breakfast, morning meeting (yes, it’s even a thing at this age), and reading time. Mom has breakfast earlier and we still read books together, aloud, as a family during breakfast time. After breakfast, everyone cleans the kitchen (and if needs be, the house) together and we have a morning meeting to go over what’s happening during the day. Siblings get to be silly together, and pester each other, and there is a genuine feeling of doing life together.
There is time to read for enjoyment. True, there is also required reading for history, science, language arts, and other subjects, but there is also time to read for fun. I started reading to the kids when they were babies, and have been reading aloud to them ever since. (See the above point on family time and togetherness.) We’ve acted out so many different stories! Today, they are also big readers themselves, choosing a ‘fun book’ to read at night, on the weekends, on rainy days, and just whenever they feel like a school break. Fiction, non-fiction, mystery, history…a little bit of everything dots their reading lists.
Conversations, both deep and superficial, are ongoing. As I write this, I’ve just hung up the phone with my oldest, at college, who called because he has something weighing heavily on his mind and wanted to ‘talk a bit while he had time.’ During the teen years, there are so many swirling thoughts as they undergo physical and psychological changes, begin seeing some of the not-so-pretty stuff the world has to offer, and try to navigate their own way through all of these things. Having a parent available, and feeling comfortable enough to have those conversation with them, are not luxuries every kid has, but I like to think that homeschoolers have a leg up here, since we spend so much more time during these formative years travelling alongside them…through the little things and into the big things.
There is time to explore special interests. Whether it’s a musical instrument, a potential career path, or an extracurricular, homeschooled teens tend to have a little more wiggle room in their school day to fit in special interest activities. That might look like a part-time job, an internship or volunteer position, more practice time for athletics or music, or (in the case of one of our teens) time to spend in the shop combining his loves of history and tools.
Both breaks and spontaneity are factored into the week. Taking field trips and spontaneous fun aren’t just limited to the elementary school years. Middle and high school kids love getting outdoors, going to the park or field, and enjoying the day, too! Sometimes, granted, this also looks like putting school aside to do chores as a family (splitting wood in winter, cleaning house in spring, raking leaves in fall, etc), but it’s a break from the routine. If they want to take a break and work on special interests, there’s time for that, too. And when dad was travelling quite a bit, we were able to work homeschooling around that to spend all of that time exploring the world together as a family.
Finally, as the homeschooling mom, my hands-down favorite part about homeschooling teens is those private, quiet moments. Hugs throughout the day. That kind gesture when they bring me the coffee I sat down and forgot. Sitting together on the front porch swing and having a one-on-one discussion after lunch…just because. These intimate moments are possible because of the relaxed nature of our days, which homeschooling allows us, and it’s absolutely the best.
Because laughter is the best balm for a soul…. Here are ten signs that you’re homeschooling a teenager!
You have an intimate relationship with YouTube.
Gone are the days of stepping on Legos and math manipulatives. These days, if you want to help your teen figure out how to solve a math problem, you have to YouTube how to do it and hope that it rings even the teensiest of bells from your own schooling so that you can help your teen…or just let them watch and explain it to you. Check out – Should You be YouTube Schooling?
Your children have turned into Hobbits.
They require second breakfast and Elevensies. They have their days and nights mixed up. Granted, some kids start this as early as birth, but it becomes a real issue when they’re teens. Maybe they’ll work second or third shift when they graduate. Or maybe their rhythms will even out. Time will tell. Got kids who love the Hobbit? Check out The Hobbit & Writing Fantasy Fiction.
The dreaded question has changed.
Remember how often you got asked about socialization when your kids were younger? Now you’re getting asked about things like dating, prom, and graduation. Won’t they miss out on it? Think back to your high school days…some folks loved those events, others tolerated them, and others skipped out. The homeschool community has evolved such that, if you want to participate in these events, you’ll be able to find them (unless you live in a superbly remote area). No one is missing out!
Arts and crafts are less cute and more functional.
Sure, you can’t put a dissected sheep eye on the refrigerator (and who would want to?), and it’s difficult to show off your kid’s vocational skills (which saved you quite a bit on that refrigerator repair), but just because you can’t pin these images doesn’t make them less worthy. These life skills, fostered in their teen years, can really pay off in the long run when they help you out in the future. Check out Career-Based Electives for Teens.
Photos become much more unique.
Whether because they’re adding stickers and emojis to digital photos, or just because they can’t seem to pose without making a face, sticking out their tongue, or putting rabbit ears behind a sibling, you haven’t had a decent photo of your kid in a couple of years. Hold out for those holiday photos – Christmas and Mother’s Day are sacred, and you deserve a smiling photo on these. Stay strong!
The expensive Legos have been replaced by expensive musical instruments / car parts / insert hobby or sport equipment here.
Gone are the days of kvetching over spending a hundred dollars on a Lego set. Those are the good ol’ days. Sporting equipment, car parts, new technology, and musical instruments….these are the things that have replaced those simple building toys. Check out Should Your Teen Have a Job?
Home Economics, Homesteading (if you have a farm), Auto Mechanics, Shop…all of these are elective credits that you can give you child now that s/he is actively contributing to the household management and chores. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, meal planning, and shopping all count toward Home Economics. Check out A Self-Sufficient Life.
Field trips become a little bit scary.
It’s not so much because they’ve run off at the zoo…again…as it is because they actually drove you to the field trip. I believe that teaching teens to drive shaves a full year or more off of parents’ lives. Especially when they nearly miss their turn and take a 90-degree turn at 45 mph, going up on two wheels. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything.
The house is suddenly very quiet.
It’s not like when they were toddlers, however, and you knew the silence meant that trouble was just around the corner. Which is not to say that there isn’t trouble around the corner, but it’s most likely happening outside of your home where you won’t know until later. But then the house is loud at night when everyone is together for dinner again. Think of this as a transition period for when you become an empty nester.
You become sentimental.
Suddenly you understand what people meant when they were babies and you were told, ‘The days are long, but the years are short.’ We only get eighteen summers, and then they spread their wings and fly. Savor these four years of high school. Transition your relationship from parent-child to more of a mentorship, and know that there may be bumps along the path to independence, but you’re supporting them, love them, and will miss them dearly once they graduate. (Even if they don’t realize it.)
Field trips are just as important now that your students are teens as they were back in elementary school. There’s no need to stop taking them, but you’ll want to change how you approach them…and you can do some pretty interesting things!
Here are some field trip ideas for middle and high school students. There are both local and travel options, ranging from free to need-to-plan-ahead. What are your teens favorite places to visit, and would you add to this list?
After the field trip, take time to debrief. This may be an art project, an essay comparing or contrasting different aspects of the topic, or even a lab report, timeline, or research paper. These last few ideas are perfect for high schoolers doing virtual/simulated science labs, deep-diving into history, or creating a senior thesis or research project. Talk about:
The results or outcomes of the field trip.
What did they know before they went on the field trip? What did they learn?
What new insights can they take from the experience and apply to daily life?
What connections can be made between anything at the field trip with other aspects or topics they’re learning about?
What was the most interesting or fun? Why?
What else would they like to learn about this topic?
Finally, even though these aren’t free, educational subscription boxes are a great way to bring the field trip into your home. Here are some of our favorites!
Need some field trip inspiration? Here are a list of adventures from across the United States – find one for your next local or vacation journey!
Electives are an excellent way to delve into topics and interests – no matter how strange they seem – in your child’s middle and high school years. There’s your typical shop and home economics, but also specifics like aviation or hieroglyphs. Think back…when else did you have so much freedom to explore? As homeschooled teens, the world is their oyster!
Elective classes give them a chance for career exploration, too. Your student may discover that he doesn’t really want to be a veterinarian after all….or that he loves to write!
If you want some inspiration or just a quick-start guide, discover several free downloads of elective course curricula for specialized electives in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Choosing electives for high school can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. If it’s a class outside of the core curriculum (required courses for graduation), then it’s an elective class. What do colleges want to see? What does your child really need? And how do you know what to pick…?
Electives can be a good way to make high school fun, to bring some moments of levity to a day crowded with the intense courses found in these upper grades, particularly in a college prep scenario. What is your child interested in? Which hobbies does s/he gravitate toward? Are there any career interests yet? This is a good way to let colleges know more about your student, as they see which electives made the cut and ended up on the transcript.
If your student doesn’t know what they want to take and / or doesn’t have a field of interest for a possible future career yet, it might be time to check out a Career Exploration course. The Career Clusters Student Interest Survey is an inventory that helps narrow down your child’s field of interest based on preferences, hobbies, and skills. It takes about fifteen minutes to complete and then shows the top three fields of interest for possible careers. This metric includes sixteen different ’career clusters,’ including jobs ranging from entry-level to professional, and is a great way to determine elective choice!
If you have the opportunity, it will benefit your student to take elective choices aligning with his or her career interests. This will help with determining if that is a good fit (it’s better to find this out in high school than once you’ve paid for that college training!), and will give them some introductory level knowledge, which can be a leg up in the job market.
Have an open discussion about future goals and plans with your high schooler. Are they considering college? Military? Vocational-technical school? Starting a business? Each of these post-graduation paths will benefit from a variety of elective opportunities.
Depending on their future goals, create your high school plan. First fill in your state graduation requirements. Then add in all the interest-based ideas your teen has and work toward filling in the elective, and sometimes the core classes as well, with those interests.
Be sure to check with your local and state laws regarding what is required for graduating from homeschool high school. Note the classes, credits, and other details so that when your student reaches their senior year, your transcript is ready to roll. If you need help, the Sparks Academy School Counselor can help with creating a four-year plan.
Spring and summer are a fantastic time to take your homeschool outside! Hands-on projects can be completed year-round, but during these times, it’s easier to incorporate nature and do big, messy projects. Getting hands-on helps students to become more engaged, involve their senses in learning, and prevent burnout. It also helps to flesh out abstract ideas in a more concrete format, applying difficult-to-understand concepts into a real-world application. This not only helps the student understand more, but also retain more.
Each of these resources is appropriate for middle and high school students. If you prefer family-style teaching, they can be tailored down, or you may eliminate some of the more complicated aspects, for elementary students. Want to create your own hands-on nature study? Download the unit study planner, and get started exploring your family’s interests!
A literature study is a fantastic jumping-off point for further exploration. Pick a topic, read all about it, and then get hands on with the additional projects!
Maybe you’re not quite ready to head outside…or maybe you’re required to have more structured learning. Either way, these curricula incorporate real-world learning projects into the lessons!
Learn about forensic science and methods. Go hands-on with techniques like fingerprinting, collecting shoe prints, and more. Use the same tools the pros use to detect the presence of blood and identify theft suspects. Each box comes with gear that real investigators use along with activities designed to let you learn by doing. Your first box contains a free one-year subscription to our online detective game. Examine the evidence and solve the case.
We search planet Earth for the most interesting forms of matter. Each month we ship fossils, tools, specimens, materials, or artifacts that have been carefully selected as some of the most interesting pieces of matter in our accessible universe. Part museum, part laboratory, perfect for quarantine! Feed your curiosity or spark someone’s else’s. This one is for the kid who knows everything!! It will spark an interest for further research…
Beautiful Discovery kits use visually and kinesthetically engaging patterns of nature to unleash your hidden pattern power and give you STEAM skills. Items include eco-games, art, origami, drag and drop code, models, natural wonders, full color informational cards, full color picture books and booklets, paints and colored pencils, drawing sheets with art lessons on patterns seen in the natural wonders.
Perfect for the student who is hesitant about math, but all about art! This box combines the beauty of nature with real-world math through projects with seashells, crystals, dried leaves, flowers, for their beautiful patterns. There’s even an computer coding element with simple drag and drop block coding that will simulate the patterns seen in the natural wonders studied in each box.
Let’s make science fun one month at a time! A subscription to Spangler Science Club is a guarantee that we’re working together to prepare your young scientist for a future STEM-based career. Choose from one of three levels of hands-on science kits and subscribe to amazing science delivered every month!
With Groovy Lab in a Box, you will receive boxes full of everything you need to learn about and do hands on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiments for ages 8+. We blend Scientific Inquiry and the Engineering Design Process, which allows children to create ingenious inventions, enhance problem solving skills and FUN!
For the last few generations, the collegiate years have been a crucial part of the growing up experience. The system has changed, however, since my generation attended college, and it’s failing. Inflated costs have driven up student debt so high that many cannot fathom how to escape it upon graduation, even with a good job lined up.
Also, because so many students are still being funneled into colleges, even with the prospect of crippling debt, there are too many graduates for the available jobs. Students are either going on to graduate school, in the hopes of getting a job in their chosen field, or taking whatever job they can find. Simply put – there are too many professionals being graduated, and not enough professional jobs.
Or as Mike Rowe put it — “America is lending money it doesn’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist. That’s nuts.”
Rowe continues, “Schools have done away with vocational training to focus on academic learning, creating a one-size-fits-all model of college-to-workforce that doesn’t recognize the real opportunities in the workplace and the real needs of society.” And while it’s true that there are many careers which do require advanced training, such as those in the medical field, but not every career will require that four-year degree, and companies are just now starting to respond to this realization.
See the four traditional paths from high school – university, technical college, military, and career – in this article on ways to cut down on the cost of college.
General High School Help
As the homeschooling community continues to grow, one of the biggest concerns we hear from parents is that they don’t know what to do for high school…
Before this homeschooling life, I worked with eighth, ninth, and tenth graders…and loved it! Teens are so exciting. They are old enough to have a real, heavy conversation with (and it’s really fun to explore the basis for their opinions), but young enough to still need and want guidance (even if they won’t admit it). From those years of experience, my experiences with my own children, and just the sheer memory of being a teen myself….here are five suggestions for motivating your student.
The Homeschooling the Upper Grades e-book is a collaboration project with bloggers from around the world, covering a wide variety of topics and issues facing the homeschooling parent of teens. Twenty-two topics spanning special needs learners to academically gifted, and college to career-oriented students, are covered in this free download.
Worried you’re going to miss one of the pieces for moving from homeschool to college? Here is the help you want with transcripts, scholarships, and making the transition! In Through the Door, you and your teen will work through thirty-three modules to smooth the way from homeschool to college life.
Looking for high school help? It’s not the academics for high school that are nerve-wracking so much as it is all of those ‘special things,’ like testing, applications, and deadlines that must be met for a smooth transition into college.
Career Exploration
Maybe your teen knows exactly what s/he has wanted to be since childhood. Maybe they have no idea. A little career exploration is good for both scenarios, as it helps to better understand what those jobs truly entail…
Career-focused electives can be a good way to make high school fun, to bring some moments of levity to a day crowded with the intense courses found in these upper grades, particularly in a college prep scenario.What is your child interested in?Which hobbies does s/he gravitate toward?Are there any career interests yet?This is a good way to let colleges know more about your student, as they see which electives made the cut and ended up on the transcript.
Career Exploration guides seventh through twelfth grade students to discover their career path or college major. This eight-week elective course provides possible directions to the next step. Each lesson includes informative articles, self-inventory worksheets, relevant links to additional information, and inspiring true stories.
The Career Center offers a whopping fifty-five different courses, ranging from eight weeks to full-year, to help your student further explore their interest and see if it is a good fit.
Parents can also pull together resources to create a year-long, career-based course for their student’s interest – such as this one on Architecture. For technical or hands-on careers, check with your local community college to see if they have dual-enrollment high school programming.
Maturity / Relationships
Teens are navigating a tricky time of life, caught between the worlds of adolescence and adulthood. Now is the time to talk about all those hard things…before they take the next step.
Explore the clarity of intent, connecting through rapport, creating openness, reflective listening, and empathy. How can we explore the space between ourselves and others, and exchange meaningful perspectives? Just ask—powerfully.
The fourteen essential conversations to have with your tween and early teenager to prepare them for the emotional, physical, and social challenges ahead, including scripts and advice to keep the communication going and stay connected during this critical developmental window.
Read Prior to Graduation
Gender-based lists — Obviously you can read from either list, but they are sorted by traditional interests
This book list is designed for 8th – 12th grade college-bound students, and includes many classic pieces of literature as well as more modern day stories. The books represent a range of historic eras, and include elements from both American and World Literature courses.
Organizational Skills
Whether it’s a bedroom, an office, or digital life, having a good system of organization can save your student time and trouble down the line…
A good planner works for you and your needs. What is right for one person may not be the best option for someone else, so take a moment to investigate several options and find the one that works best for your student.
There are as many different forms of note-taking as there are students. Follow these four rules for note-taking, and you should see marked improvement in your academics!
You probably began writing essays in middle school, and started writing longer ones in high school, but as you enter the collegiate field, you’ll be required to write more complex and effective essays. It’s important to understand how to clearly communicate.
Life Skills
Resources for a wide range of students and their needs…
After eighteen years of caring for your child, it can be alarming to realize that on that magical birthday, they suddenly take on ALL the responsibilities of adulthood, whether they are equipped or not. There are ways, however, to have some legal protections in place ahead of time.
New hire paperwork, your first W-2, and all the financial basics in between…your teen needs to understand the ABCs of taxes.
Whether you’ve experienced troubles or enjoyed something, a business letter or follow-up to a phone call is a life skill that all teens should learn. These letters aren’t just for expressing displeasure — they’re also a great opportunity to point out what’s right with your product / service.
It can daunting to think about what post-graduation brings for the special needs student, but s/he is in a great position as a homeschooler! In the upper grades years, homeschooling allows students the time to explore passions and career interests. Take some time to examine your special needs student’s strengths, combining those and their interests to find a career exploration starting point.
Thinking Skills
Critical thinking is something every parent should help foster, age-appropriately, from the earliest years. We want our teens to go out into the world with eyes wide open…
Looking to focus on critical thinking skills? This Guidebook Set features four books, each with multiple lessons that are direct, concise, and help students relate concepts to their daily lives. Two of the books are designed to make students think about thinking and thought processes. The other two books are motivational and inspirational in nature, showing examples of people who trudged through difficult times to make a difference in the world.
Literary Adventures for Kids is a language arts curriculum that fosters both writing and critical thinking skills. There are five different year-long classes to choose from, each including a blend of classic and modern books and encouraging students to ‘think beyond the book.’
Regardless of the path, all students need to become familiar with the Microsoft Office family. This elective curriculum uses project-based learning to teach critical thinking, problem-solving, research, and out-of-the-box thinking skills. It celebrates students’ creativity and innovativeness and allows students to learn by creating solutions, all while introducing learners to a full range of Office skills.
Using short, online unit studies, this site introduces your student to apps, online programming, and other ‘new tech’ being used currently in both educational and on-the-job settings. Students develop skills and practice through short, fun projects.
The Guide to Digital Student Projects is an excellent starting point for learning how to organize via computer (as opposed to the old-school, paper method).
Test Skills
We all know that test skills are a must for college entrance exams, plus academics in general, but many careers require occasional training and testing as well. It’s good to brush up on those skills…
Do you have high school students who are considering college? One of the steps they’ll need to take is standardized testing. This is especially important for homeschooled students as it helps to provide outside validation to the grades on their transcript.
Even if you know the material and are prepared for your test, it’s completely normal to experience test anxiety. In fact, to a degree, anxiety helps you perform better on the test! However, too much can prevent you from doing your best…so what test skills do you need?
Does the following conversation sound familiar to you:
-Child: “I hate school! I don’t want to do school today!”
-Parent: “Well, at least you don’t have to be in school for 7 hours every day. You should be glad that I let you have so many breaks and give you the opportunity to bring your favorite things to the school area…”
I have had these conversations with one of my children (on several occasions!), and I have not always said the above part in the most patient of ways. I am a work in progress.
One of my children has Sensory Processing Disorder. School can be hard, frustrating, angering, and discouraging for this elementary-aged child.
The Understood Teamwrites that Sensory Processing problems involve:
“…Trouble managing information that comes in through the senses. These issues, sometimes called sensory processing disorder or sensory integration disorder, can have a big impact on learning and on everyday life.” [1]
No matter if your child struggles with this sensory need or with any special need that directly affects all-things life and school, I hope you can find encouragement from the Understood Team. Online, this team makes it their mission to guide those who think and learn in ways other than “the norm.”
Encouragement for Special Need Families
If you have a child who has special educational needs, please take hold of the following:
YOU are the best person to help guide your child through his or her different adversities. Whether in educational hurdles or life challenges, you know your child best. You are your child’s greatest cheerleader and support system. YOU are just what your child needs!
Home Educational Goals for Special Need Families
When it comes to homeschooling goals for special needs families, here are some “goal traps” that may creep up unexpectedly. By “goal traps” I mean homeschool goals that may accidentally be given too high of a priority for a child with special needs.
That your child stays at grade-level in each subject
That your child goes through the same amount of material each year as your other child
That your child needs to learn basic math facts or phonics principles in the “correct year”
That you as the parent must cover everything on your child’s daily school checklist
Hopefully, removing these “goal traps” will open you up for these “out-of-the-ordinary” homeschool goals.
*Here are three “out-of-the-ordinary” homeschool goals to think through:
For your child to not hate learning—as much as possible!
I know—you have the right to say, “Wait! At the beginning, you said that your child hates school. Why is your own homeschooling goal not being met?”
My child would honestly tell you how much he hates school. That is why I included the phrase, “as much as possible.”
Hard school will be hard for your child. Your child’s special needs will be hard, and understandably, you cannot remove all hardships from your child. However, throwing out the above “goal traps” will immensely help your child not to hate school more than necessary.
It is okay if your child is not on “reading level” or cannot start learning multiplication facts during the same year as other age peers. You know your child best, and a slower pace may be necessary AND be just what your child needs to have personal educational success in your child’s right educational timing.
In my case, I need to not overly push my sensory child beyond what my kiddo is capable of in that moment, resulting in needlessly causing my child to hate school even more. I must give priority to my child’s sensory needs before any educational goals can be met.
For your child to learn to persevere!
I view it as more important that your child have experience and practice in what true perseverance looks like than to learn division rules in the “right” year.
Your precious kiddo has more opportunities to stretch in this area of perseverance than many other children. Look for any (even small!) examples of your child having a persevering attitude and highlight these in a special way.
You can keep track of perseverance moments in a special-to-you way and review these with your child often. Encourage your child that he or she is doing great at doing hard things!
Perseverance examples do not have to only happen in school. Your child may show perseverance in a big way outside of school time. These can be highlighted, too! (In the picture, you can see how we document perseverance moments through our “perseverance notebook” filled with example pictures.) [Insert Picture]
For your child to learn to self-regulate!
Having your child be the top speller is not nearly as important as he or she learning to deal properly with frustrations.
I like the book, The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. The main character in the story learns about the importance of breaks when her anger gets too strong. With this book as a springboard, you and your child could work through ideas to help when your child feels the anger boiling inside.
The Takeaway
Home education is a beautiful way to work with your special needs child at the right pace, to take the right breaks, and to reach more than just the traditional school goals.
I cheer you on! There is nothing more exciting than seeing your special child succeed. Plus, “success” may look different but be just as extraordinary!
The Encarta World Dictionary defines religion as “people’s beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity or deities and divine involvement in the universe and human life.” In a world that is constantly struggling for peace, having a better understanding of belief systems and values can help us to understand different people and cultures…which may lay the foundation for a thoughtful progression amid a multitude of complex cultures. Studying world religions can lead to a better understanding of the relationships between religion and politics, economics, and social structures..
This tale of the Roman invasion of ancient Britannia remains one of G.A. Henty’s most popular novels of all time. Join Beric and his best friend Bodouc as they live the adventure of a lifetime – captured by the Romans, trained as gladiators, and placed in the service of Emperor Nero himself! When the story of a mysterious “Christus” begins to circulate the Roman Empire, Beric and Bodouc are forced to confront their pagan past. Will the two young prisoners be able to overcome their thirst for revenge and discover the source of true forgiveness?
The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the march of the legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem all come to life. In this impressive and carefully studied historic setting, you will follow a lad, John of Gamala, who passes from the vineyard to the service of Josephus, becomes the leader of a guerrilla band of patriots, fights bravely for the Temple, and after a brief term of slavery at Alexandria, returns to his Galilean home with the favor of Titus. The fall of Jerusalem is brought to life in this classic.
By gaining a greater understanding of the cultures and beliefs of people around the world, children build respect and tolerance for the differences that make each of us unique.With objectivity and accessibility, this title in the Kids Book of series looks at the histories, scriptures, places of worship, religious leaders, gods and major festivals that are the foundations of many of the world’s religions.
Over 7 billion people live on the earth, and 84 percent of them describe themselves as being religious. Few topics incite such passion as religion. What does that mean? Why are humans invested in ideas that may never be proved? Why has religion played such an important role in history?
Although the people we study in history lived decades or even centuries ago, their actions impacted how we live our lives today. Names, dates, facts…these are some of the things that I hear students complain about when they talk about disliking history. It’s too confusing…they can’t put it into context. A visual display, however, can help tie everything together in an easier-to-digest format! Our two favorite, visually-appealing ways to link historic events include this book (fantastic for those with small spaces) and this wall chart (for those with a dedicated homeschool area).
But it’s not just faceless names and random dates; history is full of transitional events that have altered the world’s story. By learning about different eras, you start to see what changes might happen in the future and what would drive that change. For example, learning about the fall of Rome teaches you that even the most powerful society can fall apart—and what happens to cause that crumbling.
By studying history, humanity has a chance to learn from its mistakes, theorize about alternative options based on correcting past mistakes as it moves forward with future events. After all, history rhymes…so it’s likely that there will be a chance to act differently in the future.
There are five concepts – or 5 Cs – of history. These are at the heart of every question historians ask as they seek to better understand the past, and they include (from most easily understood to the more complex): change over time, causality, context, complexity, and contingency. The strangeness of the past enables us to step back and look at our society and ourselves from a new perspective—indeed, we might start to look a bit strange to ourselves! (Think not? Check out Motel of the Mysteries)
Geography gets a bad rap for being boring, but usually that’s just because it’s not being taught in an engaging way. After all, who wants to look at a bunch of maps for places they’ve never been (or possibly never even heard of) and think about people and things they will never see? To really get kids interested in geography, you have to bring it to life!
Why study geography?
Geography is the study of humans and people through space, throughout time, and how those spaces have shaped history. Every place has a history behind it, shaped by humans, earth, and climate. By studying geography, we gain meaning and awareness to those places, which also puts history in context. It helps us see the why, when, and how of what happened in history. Learn more about History, Mythology, and World Cultures.
Studying countries also helps with spatial awareness and mapping skills. If you don’t know where a place is, or the physical context of the area, how can you understand what is being reported on the news? Learning about land, resources available, and how that has shaped a culture of today helps you understand the uniqueness of each local culture.
Geography helps us to explore and understand the differences in cultures, political systems, economies, landscapes, and environments across the world. By understanding these things, we can explore the connections between them. As we learn how all people are interconnected, it makes the world a little bit smaller, making us care just a bit more about our fellow man…even if he is halfway around the globe.
Unlike traditional schooling, homeschooling affords you the opportunity to jump down rabbit trails! What’s a rabbit trail? This is when your child develops a sudden interest in a topic, and you spend the whole day (or week, or month) exploring that topic in-depth, following the trail as far as it goes, or until your child moves on to another interest. Regardless of age, this is a valuable tool to add to your homeschooling toolbelt!
Developed by a 19th century educator who believed in reading ‘living books’ rather than ‘twaddle,’ this approach involves living learning. It revolves around reading aloud together as a family, and following child interests. Nature walks, art museums, and living books are all a part of this approach.
Unit Studies This approach takes all of the subjects and smashes them together in an in-depth study of a topic. For example, a unit study of Rome might include reading and writing about Rome, studying the history of Roman emperors, calculating timelines and marketplace purchases, creating artwork and projects from Ancient Roman times, and studying water (from the aqueducts built during this era). Units may be literature-based, and this is a great style for teaching multiple grades together.
Unschooling
Definitely for the Type B family, this is a child-centered approach to schooling. There are no formal lessons, or even formal curriculum, but the children follow their interests and learn from life experiences. Schedules are not utilized, and there is much flexibility and freedom. This does not mean that they don’t read, write, and do math, but that they follow their interests. Math might be adding up the tab at the restaurant, or figuring the tax.
Homeschooling in the early years has a wide range of opinions. Some believe it’s the formative years that require structure and diligence, while others are all about learning through play. It’s not as simple as right vs. wrong, but rather doing what is best for your own child and family. Whether you find yourself more classical or you just want to offer learning options – this Early Learning Giveaway is for you!
Thanks to these amazing bloggers and brands that love supporting the homeschool community, we’re able to give back to homeschool families in the best way!
Check out this AMAZING Prize package!
Pre-Primer Sight Word MEGA Bundle from In All You Do – This 570+ page MEGA bundle has everything you need to help your little ones master the Pre-Primer Sight Words from the Dolch list.
10 Songs All Preschoolers Should Know online course from Music in Our Homeschool – 10 Songs All Preschoolers Should Know is the perfect online course for busy moms who want to introduce their little ones to classic, age-appropriate songs in a fun and engaging way. With easy-to-follow lessons, sing-along activities, and printable worksheets that build fine motor skills, this course provides weeks or even months of music education with no extra prep required. Whether you choose to learn one song per week or per month, you and your preschooler will enjoy singing together while effortlessly incorporating music into your homeschool routine!
Learning Numbers with the Bible from My Joy-Filled Life – Learning Numbers with the Bible includes over 140 pages of number activities. Your child will learn numbers 1-10 alongside the Bible. Work on handwriting, counting, and number recognition with these printable pages and activities that include scripture and Bible references throughout. Included in this printable workbook are handwriting pages that vary in difficulty, coloring pages, matching, find the number pages, number puzzles, and so much more.
Raising Readers Letters and Sounds Unit from Schooling With Grace – The first unit in the Raising Readers curriculum will help students begin a strong foundation in reading with 68 pages of Lesson plans, worksheets, activities, games and learning mats, that focus on letters and sounds.
Learn more about each of the 2025 Early Learning Giveaway Sponsors
This giveaway wouldn’t be possible without our amazing sponsors! We encourage you to visit their site and take a look around at all their wonderful products perfect for homeschoolers!
Thanks to these amazing bloggers and brands that love supporting the homeschool community, we’re giving away more than $65 in Early Learning products!
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Factory tours are a fun and frugal way to add unique field trips to your homeschooling year! You get an educational glimpse into the inner workings of companies and how products are made, and you never know what is going to spark an interest in your kids! Always be sure to check if there is a minimum age requirement to visit, to make reservations if required, and see if there is a nominal fee. If the tour is free, and their store sells inexpensive items, consider purchasing something as a thank you and to help support the company in their educational outreach.
We don’t JUST go to food factories…though it may seem like it. What can I say? When you’re driving all day, roadschooling, you want to stretch your legs and eat at the same time! Here are some non-food factories. Be sure to use the Field Trips Planning Pack for all your factory tours, and make those school days count!
It’s spring – time to dance with the flowers and soar with the birds! By spring, we’re starting to think about summer break, finishing out the homeschool year (unless you’re year-round),, and thinking about upcoming holidays… Here are activities, books, and resources for incorporating the holidays into your homeschool. Pick and choose what works best for your family. Bloom in springtime!
All of these resources are appropriate for middle and high school.
Are you struggling to find productivity in your day-to-day? Are you feeling like you are constantly putting out fires and not making any progress on the things that matter most to you? If so, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with productivity because they are making some common mistakes. In this blog post, we will discuss 10 blunders that are sabotaging your personal productivity. Once you become aware of these mistakes, you can start taking steps to correct them and finally get stuff done!
Blunder #1: Not Having a Plan
One of the biggest productivity killers is not having a plan. If you don’t know what your goals are or what steps you need to take to achieve them, it’s going to be very difficult to get anything done. You will likely find yourself spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast. Take some time to sit down and figure out what you want to achieve. Once you have a goal in mind, break it down into smaller steps that you can take to get there. Having a roadmap will help keep you on track and prevent wasted time.
This will get you nowhere fast on both the little things AND the big things. When looking at the major life decisions for what comes after high school, it’s easy to get stymied by all the “what ifs.” Do a little research and choose a path, you can always course correct later. Download the free Homeschooling Help book or pick up the High School to College course.
Blunder #2: Not Breaking Down Tasks Into Smaller Steps
Another common mistake people make is not breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. When you have a big project or goal that seems overwhelming, it can be tempting to just try to power through it without taking the time to break it down. However, this usually leads to frustration and a feeling of being stuck. Instead of trying to tackle the entire project at once, break it down into smaller steps that you can complete one at a time. This will help you stay focused and make progress until the task is done.
Something I’m always telling the students at Sparks Academy, particularly as they begin to tackle large assignments, is – “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!” A racer runs a marathon one mile at a time. And a good student tackles a large project one chunk at a time.
Blunder #3: Not Scheduling Time for Important Tasks
If you don’t schedule time for the things that are important to you, they will likely never get done. It’s easy to fill up your day with busy work and put off the things that really matter, but this will only lead to frustration. Make sure you schedule time for the tasks that are most important to you, and stick to that schedule as much as possible. This will help ensure that you are making progress on the things that truly matter.
The ability to prioritize important tasks, culling the wheat from the chaff, is a hallmark of a good leader, and leadership skills are important for all kinds of successes in life, from employment to relationships. See how to boost your leadership skills here.
Blunder #4: Not Having a Dedicated Workspace
One of the biggest productivity killers is not having a dedicated workspace. If you are constantly working in different locations, it can be difficult to stay focused and get things done. Make sure you have a designated space that is just for work. This will help you stay focused and avoid distractions.
It’s possible to work from your kitchen table, but having a private workspace makes getting into the study zone much easier. Having set work hours and visual cues, such as a small sign or wearing headphones, will let well-meaning family members know you’re working.
Blunder #5: Not Taking Breaks
It might seem counterintuitive, but taking breaks can actually help you be more productive. If you are working non-stop, you are likely to get burnt out and make mistakes. instead of trying to power through, take a break every few hours to recharge. This will help you stay focused and avoid errors.
Your break can be a walk around the block, shooting some hoops with a sibling, or picking up a musical instrument for a bit. It could be having a snack or taking a field trip to town — after all, every field trip doesn’t have to be long and / or exotic…
Blunder #6: Not Staying Organized
Another common mistake people make is not staying organized. When you are constantly trying to find things, it can be very frustrating and time-consuming. Make sure you have a system in place for organizing your work so that you can find things quickly and easily. This will save you time in the long run and help you stay on track.
Get a hold on this with the Rise & Shine Student Planner. Each month contains an at-a-glance calendar, with space for notes and a to-do list. Weekly pages are broken down by day, and daily pages provide space for habit tracking, notes, meal planning, and an hourly planner.
Blunder #7: Trying to Do Too Much
One of the biggest productivity killers is trying to do too much at once. When you are constantly jumping from one task to another, it can be difficult to focus and get anything done. Make sure you are prioritizing your tasks so that you are only working on the most important things. This will help you stay focused and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Having a plan will help you keep on task.
One of the biggest productivity killers is procrastination. When you put off tasks, they tend to pile up and become even more daunting. Make sure you are staying on top of your tasks by setting deadlines and holding yourself accountable. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and ensure that you are making progress.
Are you easily distracted, noticing every sight and sound around you? When working on a task, are you often side-tracked and have a difficult time focusing? Procrastination is one of the hallmarks of distractibility. Learn how to focus more easily, which will help your studying.
Blunder #9: Not Getting Enough Sleep
One of the biggest productivity killers is not getting enough sleep. When you are tired, it can be difficult to focus and get things done. Make sure you are getting enough rest so that you can be productive during the day. This will help you avoid feeling exhausted and ensure that you are able to focus on your tasks.
Eliminate this blunder with the New Year, New Me Habit Tracker. This reusable calendar features monthly at-a-glance pages and weekly pages with space for notes and planning. Each week also has a habit tracker grid to help keep the momentum going with your new habits!
Blunder #10: Not Eating Healthy
Another common mistake people make is not eating healthy. When you are not getting the proper nutrients, it can be difficult to focus and stay on task. Make sure you are eating a balanced diet so that you can maintain your energy levels and avoid feeling sluggish. This will help you stay focused and productive throughout the day.
It may take some adjustments in your shopping and cooking habits, but eating real food (and not nuking it in the microwave) is so much healthier for you! Your body will appreciate the difference, and after a little bit your mood will improve as you begin to feel more energized. Check out the No Sweat! Cooking Bundle for quick, easy, and healthy meal ideas.
There are many common mistakes that people make that can stand in the way of their personal productivity. By avoiding these mistakes, you can ensure that you are able to stay focused and get things done. Make sure you try to implement some of these tips so that you can increase your productivity and achieve your goals.
Studying the civil rights movement helps students to better understand American history, making connections between the past and the present. Though the struggles have changed, the song remains the same, and we want a new generation to learn these principles of civics and how to be an active member of society.
The most well-known of the civil rights movements started in the mid-fifties and went into the late sixties. The goal was to eliminate racial discrimination and segregation in the United States. The civil rights movement had its origins in the post Civil War / Reconstruction era and was a in response to the Jim Crow laws prevalent during the time immediately after the abolition of slavery. Over the course of the century, various less successful civil rights movements were formed, but the one started in the 1950s saw the most success. Most of the movement’s members tried to employ forms of nonviolent mass protest and civil disobedience. These entailed things such as boycotts, sit-ins, and marches through public places.
Civil rights exist to protect individuals’ freedoms. These include freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, privacy, and they protect individuals from being discriminated against based on race, age, gender, religion, and social class, etc. Also included are political rights such as right to fair trial, due process, self-defense, and the right to vote. These are freedoms which are called by many basic human rights and should not be infringed by any movement or agency. Many people have differing opinions on what are considered basic human rights, but human rights as we define it in a public setting are comprised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document was written in 1948 and includes definitions of various such civil and political rights.
Interactive Curricula
These online literary guides have everything you need to study the book. They include vocabulary, grammar, free-write questions, videos, rabbit trails, and project ideas.
Meal planning is essential for the busy homeschooling family. It not only helps you save time and money, but also eat a bit healthier. After all, who wants to eat frozen pizza and chicken nuggets every night? (Maybe that should say ‘what adult,’ rather than ‘who.’)
Your weekly meal plan might be broken down to the day, or you might plan for five days worth of meals, and then choose what you’re in the mood for each day. This is a personal choice, and will depend on how much structure you and your family need. When you’re meal planning, keep in mind:
Your family’s food preferences — no need to make breakfasts if no one eats that early
Your weekly schedule — have some quick and on-the-go options for busy days
Family dynamics — older kids can help with prep, cooking, and cleaning
What’s on hand — for less waste / spending, create menus that use on-hand ingredients
Online Meal Planning
Ordering groceries online isn’t an option where we live, but it is for many people in urban and suburban areas. If you want to order online, start a grocery list and keep adding to it throughout the week (similar to if you have a paper one on the refrigerator to take in-hand to the store). Some folks swear by online shopping, saying they prefer to spend the extra money for someone else to do the shopping because it saves them from impulse purchases. You know whether you tend to impulse shop or not, so again, this is a personal (and potentially geographic) preference.)
Appliances & Early Meal Prep
Kitchen appliances are a huge time saver today…something our grandmothers would have cherished! You’ll want to take some time to get to know your appliance, but utilize them for convenient, healthy meals. Incorporate appliance-specific recipes into your meal planning each week to save time.
If you have them on hand, use your crockpot, air fryer, and InstaPot. However, if you’re in the market for a time-saving kitchen appliance, you can’t go wrong with the Ninja Foodi. This is the one we have, and it is A-MAZ-ING! (It does even more than the famous InstaPot.)
This little guy is a powerhouse – and barely takes up any room on the counter! It does the job of eleven different appliances, making it not only a time-saver, but a space-saver in the kitchen. As a former roadschooling family, I highly recommend this to any travelling families…it takes up just a little extra space in the car, but is very much worth it to have healthy meals while on-the-road.
So what all does Ninja Foodi do? Pressure Cook, Air Fry/Air Crisp, Steam, Slow Cook, Yogurt, Sear/Sauté, Bake/Roast, Broil, Dehydrate, Sous Vide & Warm. At 6.5 quarts, it’s large enough to feed a family of 4-6, but probably won’t work as well for larger families. It makes up to three pounds of fries, and can hold a six-pound roast, so it will depend on ages and how much food is needed.
I love it because of its versatility and efficiency. The other night, we made arroz con pollo – from dried rice and frozen chicken – in less than 45 minutes! For this and other great recipes, we picked up a very handy book called Ninja Foodi Complete Cookbook for Beginners.
Freezer Cooking
If you know you’re going to have a busy period, try freezer cooking. This is essentially cooking everything ahead of time and then pulling it out of the freezer to reheat. Not all recipes lend themselves to this method, but many recipe PARTS do. You can prep taco meat or spaghetti sauce ahead of time, making dinnertime easier. Check out the freezer cooking resources below to get you started!
A Slow-Cooked Year This book includes : the whats and whys behind crockpot cooking, how-to tips and tricks, safe crockpot guidelines, printable planning sheets, and more than thirty seasonally-appropriate, kid-friendly recipes!
Another Year of Freezer Cooking For anyone who wants to get a leg up on getting healthy meals on the family table, without much fuss…this book includes : the whats and whys behind freezer cooking how-to tips and tricks pantry freezing guidelines, printable planning sheets more than thirty seasonally-appropriate, kid-friendly recipes!
Snag this adorable tee to tout your homeschool status and celebrate the #HomeschoolMomLife!
Thirty days of whole foods, at-home workouts, and spiritual rest…you’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain from hitting the reset button. You’ll get a month of grain-free paleo menus, plus Life Made Full’s 30-day guide will enrich your life physically, emotionally, and spiritually, setting you up for your best year yet!
Can we be honest for a moment? Homeschooling is a HARD JOB. It’s a huge responsibility. There’s the part that everyone sees, and then there’s all the other stuff underneath the surface, which takes a lot of mental energy.
Homeschooling has the potential to place an enormous toll on a your mental mental health. You might become excessively tired, cranky, or sad, or have difficulty concentrating, or have lethargy that leaves you not even wanting to teach at all. (aka, burnout)
Taking care of yourself, both physically and mentally, is so important to being an effective teacher and enjoying happy homeschooling days. You know these, but it never hurts to be reminded, especially if you find yourself needing to re-center.
Acknowledge that this is a busy season of life
Create a routine to reduce stress
But be flexible with your routine, when needed
Ask friends and family for help
Get plenty of sleep
Eat healthy foods
Exercise both your mind and body
Take a moment all to yourself
Remember to have fun
Try incorporating some of these other methods for a healthier, happier homeschooling life!
Make this year YOUR year! This reusable calendar features monthly at-a-glance pages and weekly pages with space for notes and planning. Each week also has a habit tracker grid to help keep the momentum going with your new habits! Just print and reuse each year for your planner.
Aviation history is over two millennia old, with earliest forms existing in China’s kite-flying. DaVinci dreamed of man flying in the 15th century, and the Montgolfier brothers began manned flight with hot air balloons in the 18th century. Lilienthal experimented with gliders in the 19th century, but it wasn’t until two brothers took a short break from gravity, in December 1903, that flight really ‘took off!’
Since that time, modern scientists and aviators have worked together to grow the industry by leaps and bounds, including zeppelins, jet engines, flying boats, pilotless drones, space flight, and long-distance space travel…
Nike says, “Just do it.” While spontaneous decisions work well at some points in life, there are other choices that require a depth of thought and consideration that won’t allow you to ‘just do it.’ Maybe something doesn’t feel right, or maybe it feels completely right…how will you know? This is where discernment comes in to play.
To discern means to judge, evaluate, and distinguish. Some people come by this naturally, while others must develop it, yet those who are gifted with discernment are often seen as judgmental, critical, and unloving. However, we live in an age when ideas are spread globally within an amazingly short period of time, and discernment is the only way to cut through the noise and find the important, and correct, information.
A good discerner understands falsifiability and knows the difference between an argument and an assertion. What should you know?
Argument – a claim supported by reason or logic
Assertion – an unsupported claim, often an opinion
Falsifiability –capacity for an argument or hypothesis to be proven wrong
Nice and charming do not equal honest. Often when someone is accused of teaching something false, someone else will defend them by saying “But they are such a nice person.”
Decision-Making
In decision-making, the three steps of the discernment process are awareness, understanding and action. All three are important — if you make a good decision, but fail to act, you’ve ultimately made a poor decision. If you fail to apply consideration, and act hastily, you’ve not chosen well. Therefore, it is important to go through the process completely.
Some decisions will be personal, such as where (or if) to attend college, where to move to, or whether to take that job. Other decisions will be more general, yet no less important, such as who to vote for or how you feel about a particular issue of national / world importance.
Awareness
Know yourself. This includes your hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. How do you perform under stress? What is your ideal career / future plan / {insert decision here}? How do others see you?
Start at the beginning. What do you already know about the decision ahead of you? What are the pros and cons, or the various factors? What kind of support do you have? Are there multiple perspectives involved?
Understanding
Give it time. Not all decisions will have the luxury, but if you have the time to wait, do more investigating, and ruminate upon your decision, you may find that you do better. No one is impervious to this process — folks familiar with scripture will remember that even Jesus agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Spend Time in Thought / Meditation / Prayer. After making a decision, but before action, you should feel a sense of inner peace with your decision. This is a feeling of tranquility about the next steps, and not just relief that you’ve finally made a decision.
Action
Get going. Whether this means applying to college, putting a down payment on a house, accepting that job, going into the voting booth, advocating for a group or issue, or however else your decision manifests itself…now is the time to act.
Evaluate. Every action has a reaction, a consequence. There are both good and bad consequences, external and internal. Internally, how do you feel now that you’ve acted? Do you still have that peace? How have others reacted to your decision? Do you need to reevaluate and course correct?
It is worth remembering that you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Ultimately, you are the one who has to live with yourself, and so it is important to focus on the internal response. (Obviously, if your decision was to commit a felony, there will still be an external response you need to heed….)
Developing Discernment
Practice through Literature
These books can be difficult for students to plow through at times, but the online unit studies help break down their components, allowing students to practice predicting and analyzing, both of which lead to stronger discernment.
In a world that is constantly struggling for peace, having a better understanding of belief systems and values can help us to understand different people and cultures…which may lay the foundation for a thoughtful progression amid a multitude of complex cultures. These courses provide that background.
Remember to look at sources from both left-leaning and right-leaning media. How do the stories compare in tone and coverage? Try to find one topic and look at the stories on each side.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Winter brings a plethora of holidays, and for many families a long break for resting. Here are activities, books, and resources for incorporating the holidays into your homeschool and time off. Pick and choose what works best for your family. Stay warm!
All of these resources are appropriate for middle and high school.
Author G. K. Chesterton wrote, “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”
Stories and myths have shaped and reflected world cultures for millennia. They tell of how the world was created, how humans relate to the world, and how humans relate to each other. They are ingrained into our cultures, and as children we listen to these tales or read folklore, learning more about our own world and the cultures of others around us.
In spite of the development of societies all around the world, often independently of each other, there are many common threads that run through these tales. Throughout all world mythologies and cultural stories, there are common threads of birth, death, the afterlife, good and evil, and the origin of both man and the world itself. Younger children learn of these stories in fairy tales, which tend to be watered down to their level. Older children may delve into an occasionally very dark world of these dragons…but these myths show that the world’s dragons can be slain.
If you’re interested in incorporating world cultures and mythologies into your homeschool, here are some resources to guide you…
This collection of mythology for kids takes you from ancient Mesopotamia to the Abenaki tribes of the Native Northeastern US and Canada, showing you myths from around the world. From the Japanese myth of Momotarō The Peach Boy and his loyal animal friends to the Slavic myth of Vasilisa the Wise and her enchanted doll, this beautifully illustrated collection of mythology for kids takes you on a journey through the sands of time. You’ll explore diverse cultures across the globe through the incredible tales of gods and goddesses, earth-shattering giants, mighty dragons, magical lakes, and more.
Through hands-on projects and exciting stories, this title in the Build It Yourself series aims to ignite young people’s curiosity in multicultural mythology and legends. Each chapter, which focuses on the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, or the Americas, provides a succinct introduction to major themes and characters in a culture’s mythology, a glossary, short retellings, and more historical and cultural background, followed by easily assembled projects, as in the section on Sub-Saharan Africa, which presents instructions for making Ashanti Adinkra cloth and a Bata thunder drum. The gray-toned format, featuring spot illustrations, is lackluster, and a few of the projects, particularly the Hopi kachina doll, reference sacred objects that shouldn’t be designated as crafts. With proper context and discussion, though, this title offers solid, interactive opportunities to explore world mythology.
For some parents, having a special needs child is the impetus to homeschool. Many families are choosing to homeschool because their special needs children’s needs are not being met in the traditional classroom. For others, it’s just one more challenge they aren’t sure how to face. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, homeschooling a special needs child is an adventure!
Homeschooling allows the flexibility for students to go at their own pace. You get the set the schedule. You can change the curriculum if it isn’t working. You can have one long work period, or several shorter work periods spaced out with transitional times. With family-style schooling, older special needs students can school alongside younger siblings, at the same level, without them feeling as though they’re “behind.”
It can daunting to think about what post-graduation brings for the special needs student, but s/he is in a great position as a homeschooler! In the upper grades years, homeschooling allows students the time to explore passions and career interests. Take some time to examine your special needs student’s strengths, combining those and their interests to find a career exploration starting point.
Background Information & Resources
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) covers thirteen specific disabilities, but its implementation varies widely from state to state when it comes to assisting homeschool families. Learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, health disabilities, impairments (speech, visual, hearing, orthopedic, and emotional), intellectual disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries are all addressed by the act. Check with your state department of education, and HSLDA, to see what your state will and won’t do for homeschooling students.
A federal agency, the Rehabilitation Services Administration provides vocational rehabilitation and other services to individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment and independence after the high school years. Each state has their own local agency to help work one-on-one with families.
SPED Homeschool and HSLDA are good general resources for any homeschooling family with special needs students. These resources are primarily for the younger student, but are a good place to start.
From the mid 18th century to the mid 19th century, the world underwent a series of revolutions across many areas of life, including culturally, politically, economically, technologically, and through war. Call it the age of Aquarius…call it a response to the world connectivity spawned by the age of exploration…whatever the reason, new ideas and actions swept the world, changing it forever.
The American Revolution, largely influenced by the Enlightenment period, is considered the beginning of the Age of Revolution. Then came the French Revolution, Irish Rebellion, Haitian Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, and civil unrest in Spain and Germany. Shortly after the War of 1812, European powers came together to form the Holy Alliance in an attempt to restore the monarchies and prevent future unrest. Less than a decade later, there were uprisings in Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. The working class would no longer sit back, and around the world they began to demand more rights.
The Age of Revolution also includes the Industrial Revolution – this is when mass production in factories replaced hand-made goods, led to the growth of cities, birthed consumerism, and eventually led to the transportation revolution.
For more resources, check outExpansion, Independence, and War! It covers both American and world history. Students will learn about major conflicts in American history, spanning from the French and Indian War to the September 11 terror attacks.
The American Revolution course introduces elementary and middle school students to the key battles and players of the Revolutionary War and incorporates history, geography, reading, critical thinking and analysis, and cursive writing throughout.
From the discovery of the New World to the end of the American Revolution, let Dave Stotts take your family on a Drive Thru History. Join him as he takes you to the places where America was born, shares facts about history you have never heard, and has a great deal of fun along the way. Plus, enjoy a special set of worksheets only available here! Find out more about Drive Thru History…
It’s time for pumpkin spice and everything nice! By autumn, we’re starting to settle into our homeschooling routine, thinking about upcoming holidays, and wondering how we’ll fit it all in… Here are activities, books, and resources for incorporating the holidays into your homeschool. Pick and choose what works best for your family. Happy fall, y’all!
All of these resources are appropriate for middle and high school.
After eighteen years of caring for your child, it can be alarming to realize that on that magical birthday, they suddenly take on ALL the responsibilities of adulthood, whether they are equipped or not. Young adults who are eager for independence may push back against a request to sign a college power of attorney, believing they don’t really need it or you’re trying to control them. However, at some point or another, most young adults find themselves in over their heads, may end up in credit card debt, wind up in a car accident, or get into trouble at school. All of these are scenarios you, the parent, could assist with at age 17, but cannot once they turn 18…unless you have some legal protections in place ahead of time.
Medical Emergencies
HIPPA / Healthcare
HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) is a federal law that creation national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. This act also contains standards for individuals’ rights to understand and control how their health information is used.
The act was created to make protect individuals’ healthcare information, but comes into play with your adult children when, at age 18, you can no longer legally go with them to appointments, inquire about test results, or even find out why they are in the hospital unless the child has given express, written consent.
A few of the things you need HIPAA consent for include:
Appointments
Test Results
Insurance claims
Billing
Benefit eligibility inquiries
Referral authorization requests
Protect your child by having him/her complete a HIPPA authorization form. Send one to the college and keep one on file at home.
Medical Power of Attorney
A medical power of attorney form is strictly for health care choices should your son or daughter become incapacitated. There is also the option of a general durable power of attorney, which covers financial decisions as well as medical. Find your state’s medical power of attorney information here.
Financial / Durable Power of Attorney
Durable POA enables a designated agent (such as the parents) to make financial and medical decisions on the student’s behalf. When signing it, your child can choose whether that power transfers immediately or only if s/he becomes incapacitated. You can also write in start and end dates to reassure that this is a limited power of attorney for college.
Powers may include:
Managing bank accounts
Paying bills
Filing taxes
Applying for government benefits
Breaking a lease
A durable power of attorney document applies only in the state in which it was formed—so if your child is attending school in another state, you should secure power of attorney for the other state as well. Some states also require the signature of a witness or a notary public.
College-Specific
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
Generally, schools must have written permission from the student to release any information from a student’s education record. This includes class schedules, transcripts, and grade point averages, but also extends to financial records within the school, such as scholarship information and money due, and living circumstances, such as dorm room assignment or any personal issues the student experiences.
Protect your child by having them provide written permission allowing the school to discuss all FERPA-related topics with you, as needed.
Protect Your Child in 10 Minutes
You can get all of these young adult power of attorney documents at Mama Bear Legal Forms. It’s considerably cheaper than going through a standard lawyer because this is what she does, and she has templates for each state, rather than re-creating the wheel each time (it’s the time that costs you more money).
You’ll want to have these in place before your child goes off to school, but don’t fret if you’re running behind — there’s no time like the present! The package includes: HIPPA, FERPA, power of attorney for health and finances, plus a free App for scanning, storing and sharing. If you visit through this link, you’ll also save 20% off your order.
As the largest and most-populated continent, Asia birthed some of the world’s oldest civilizations and continues to shape the world as a whole in the 21st century. From the Bronze Age ‘Assuwa,’ to ‘Anatolia’ in the Golden Age of Greece, to the approximately forty-eight countries that comprise the region today, economically, politically, and culturally, studying Asia and its history helps students to learn more about the modern world.
A big part of our school year is the field trips. Generally, we will study a topic ahead of time and then take the field trip – this helps them to fully understand the hands-on experiences. The kids have been to nearly every state, and experienced a wide range of of historical, scientific, and cultural activities that they wouldn’t have been able to do solely in our home state. Not every family is able to road school, but that doesn’t mean that field trips shouldn’t be a part of your school.
Field Trips in Town
Attend a library program
Local historic architecture
Air Shows
Historic Re-enactments
Climb rocks
Historic Museums (some are free)
Pick-Your-Own Farm Visit
Zoo (only free on certain days, or with a pass)
Local newspaper
Factory tours (some are free)
Visit the beach, lake, or riverbank
State Fairs have homeschool days
Visit the local airport
Work in a community garden
Shadow a business (teens)
Animal workshop at the pet shop
Field Trip Starters
Zoo Studies — unit study bundle with sixteen zoo features
Check out the Roadschooling Page to find unit studies and field trips built around your location. There’s something for just about every state in the United States up there!
Finally, though these aren’t free, educational subscription boxes are a great way to bring the field trip into your home. Here are some of our favorites!
Use the world diversity book studies from Literary Adventures to travel the world from the comfort of your own home. You can go anywhere!
Some families choose a name, and even a mascot, for their homeschool. Some have Not-Back-to-School parties with their local co-ops. There are as many homeschool traditions as there are unique families! What do you do?
Back to Homeschool
Kick off the new school year with cute shirts for everyone! Get matching shirts and call them your family’s field trip uniform. 💖
Everyone is out buying back-to-school supplies….the neighborhood kids have cute, new clothes…and your kids are suddenly wondering why they aren’t having nearly as much fun going back to homeschool. But there are many fun ways to celebrate going back-to-homeschool!
Download several different Responsibility Charts & Writing through the Holidays packet, along with dozens of other goodies, free at Homeschool On the Range’s Subscriber’s Library.
A good planner can work wonders for keeping you organized from the get-go. This undated, reusable planner has you covered with daily plans, schoolwork, long-range planning, and meal organizers as well as chore charts and book lists!
It might seem daunting to create a unit study at first, but anyone is capable of creating a unit study in just a few easy steps.
Download your Unit Study Planner, and tailor homeschool to your kids’ interests!
On the airplane, they tell you to put your oxygen mask on before putting your children’s on…because we’re not really useful to others if we’re passed out. Or burnt out. Remember to take some time this year to focus on self-care.
You may be one of those families that has been homeschooling for 9 years or so and now are on the home stretch, or you may be new to the journey and have gotten in over your head and wondered if this is the right choice. Any and all of us could use a Booster Shot at some point…
Take a break from the drudgery and inject some uniqueness into your homeschool with book studies from Literary Adventures.
End of the Year
Is your feed flooded with pictures of kids receiving various awards at their schools? No need to feel left out. Homeschool kids deserve awards too! 😎 And we’re homeschooling, so you know what that means…..personalized awards!!!
If you’re new to homeschooling, or still in the stage of considering having a go at it, the prospect can be daunting. You look around at other homeschooling families, and they seem to have it all together, but we all started at the same spot you’re in right now….
The first thing to keep in mind is that relationships are more important than academics. Your kids’ hearts are more important than their grades or achievements. You are the most qualified person to be in charge of your child’s education, because you love them more than anyone else and want the best for them. Be confident!
In addition to these tips, we’ve put together a packet of Homeschool Helps, including planners, graphic organizers, record logs, and templates to help you on your journey!
Keep a record of all the books you read for school, not just the textbooks / curricula. This is especially important if you’re a Charlotte Mason or Unit Studies family. Read aloud to your children…no matter their age. The snuggles are priceless, and the books will often lead to soul-searching conversations with teens. If you’re not sure where to start, check out The Read-Aloud Family.
Learn about the different homeschooling styles so that it’s easier to search for relevant tips. You can learn about different homeschooling styles here. And if you don’t finish the full curriculum, don’t stress over it. There’s so much overlap in the grades that missing some lessons at the end of the year doesn’t really matter. What matters is finishing the year, taking time off to rest, and enjoying time with your children.
There is no one right or wrong curriculum. Take some time to decide what you want your children’s education to look like and find the curriculum that works for your family. And remember, there will be hard days — this is not an easy task, but it is totally worth it. {Fifty Reasons to be Thankful for Home School (on the Hard Days)}
Seek community. You are not on your own in this homeschooling journey! A helpful, inspiring homeschool community can do wonders for your morale. If you don’t belong to a homeschool community, there are many options available. You can join a local association, co-op, or even an encouraging online homeschool group. At SchoolhouseTeachers, the Mama’s Corner has regular get-togethers to foster community!
Don’t be scared to change if something isn’t working. That’s one of the great things about homeschooling- you can change to suit you and your kids’ needs. You can change schedules, curriculum, topics, routines, anything…and it will all be just fine. Remember your WHY. Why did you start homeschooling? What’s your ultimate goal here? In A Parent’s Alphabet, we lay out several reasons, from A to Z, to help you refocus.
For high school students, follow your state’s graduation requirements. There are usually multiple tracks – one for college-bound students and one for general education – and it is of the utmost importance that you follow them if your child is college-bound. You can learn more about transcripts and requirements here.
Sometimes you just get a little bit down, or off-kilter. When that happens, and it will, look to Words of Encouragement for New (or Weary) Moms. You’ll find yourself bouncing back in no time!
Maybe you just have too many things going on at once. We know…we’ve been there, too. In Prioritizing Your Life, you’ll find a free downloadable e-book to help you sort things out, find more time in the day, and settle in a bit.
Every mom, homeschooling or otherwise, can use a bit of pampering in her life! Like they say on the airplanes, if you don’t put your oxygen mask on, you can’t save someone else. Or in this case…when mom’s burnt out and ready to give up, nothing is getting accomplished. Find your zen in Pampering for the Homeschool Mom.
A schedule is your servant, not your master, but schedule is a wonderful tool to help you accomplish your homeschooling goals, and just because you have a plan for each day doesn’t mean each day will go according to schedule. You will have interruptions, accidents, spills, and people dropping in. But you can take control! See how Flexible Scheduling Can Work for You.
The initial excitement of homeschooling is important. It helps plunge you into a whole new way of thinking and living. Over time, however, and as you progress, the excitement sometimes wanes and the demands of homeschooling can become overwhelming, exhausting, engulfing. Remember to focus on Personal Wellness and Homeschooling for long-term success!
Homeschooling is a full time job. Act like it. Just because you don’t have to drive anywhere doesn’t mean you can’t have special school hours where nothing else gets scheduled. Guard your time you set aside, whenever that time is. All the other things can be scheduled around the few hours you need to get school time accomplished. See how you can manage the Hardest Part of Homeschooling, when it’s not the kids.
You really can leave grade levels and school metrics behind, and build an interest-led, completely personalized homeschool experience for your children based in your unique family culture. Finding a mentor, another homeschooling parent to talk to regularly, is a huge boost! Need a hand up? See 5 Homeschooling Mentors You Need to Follow.
When we fill our well up, we’re doing our family a favor. When we take care of ourselves, we have a better self to give. We are more present, we probably check our phones less often, and because our needs are met, we enjoy our time with our children. The time we give to ourselves matters and can help us to let go of any resentment and anger. Pick up strategies for prioritizing at A Home School Mom’s Guide To Self-Care And Keeping Anger At Bay.
Whatever you are great at, whatever makes your heart happy, whatever your child/children do well with —do that first. It may seem counterproductive to start with the one subject or thing that where you are actually on target or ahead when you feel like you are behind in everything else, but it usually results in more cooperative and happy kids. See other things to try When Your Homeschool Moring Is Giving You The Blues.
When looking for curriculum, you’ll want to consider your homeschool style. It may take a few years to settle down into the right fit for your family, andthat’s completely normal.
Not sure what your style is?
Consider…
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?
Within each of these homeschool styles, you have the flexibility to be creative and make your own student-directed classes. Maybe your child is interested in becoming a veterinarian, but you can’t find a class for that…make your own! You’ll need approximately 140 hours of work, hands on and academic, to count it as a full year. Use this Create-Your-Own Class Planner to help you get started.
Focusing on the trivium, the three stages of learning: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric, this is a Socratic method that includes public speaking, memorization, and a full school day. The trivium stages match up with elementary, middle, and secondary school. This is a rigorous approach to schooling, but produces results. Compass Classroom offers several great options for classical instruction, and you can try their sample resources for free.
Charlotte Mason
Developed by a 19th century educator who believed in reading ‘living books’ rather than ‘twaddle,’ this approach involves living learning. It revolves around reading aloud together as a family, and following child interests. Nature walks, art museums, fine arts studies, and living books are all a part of this approach, and there is a focus on instill good character habits. One of our favorite Charlotte Mason providers is The Homeschool Garden. (See more information, or just try them free.)
Unit Studies
This approach takes all of the subjects and integrates them in an in-depth study of a topic. For example, a unit study of Rome might include reading and writing about Rome, studying the history of Roman emperors, calculating timelines and marketplace purchases, creating artwork and projects from Ancient Roman times, and studying water (from the aqueducts built during this era). Field trips and hand-on projects are frequently utilized. Units may be literature-based, and this is a great style for teaching multiple grades together. Techie Homeschool Mom offers fantastic, online unit studies that also teach various technologies. Try one free!
Unschooling
Definitely for the Type B family, this is a child-centered approach to schooling. There are no formal lessons, or even formal curriculum, but the children follow their interests and learn from life experiences. Schedules are not utilized, and there is much flexibility and freedom, with a focus for teaching a love of learning and developing the ability to be self-educating. This does not mean that they don’t read, write, and do math, but that they follow their interests. Math might be adding up the tab at the restaurant, or figuring the tax.
Waldorf
Similar to unschooling, this is a child-centered approach that focuses on nature, arts, crafts, music, and movement. Much of schooling is done out in nature, and technology is not a big part of this curriculum.
Eclectic
The eclectic method is just a fancy way of saying ‘a combination of styles.’ This includes picking and choosing from the smorgasboard of different curriculum providers to meet your student’s various needs. Literary Adventures for Kids is a beautifully-eclectic, online language arts program that your kids are sure to love! Try their Psychology course for upper grades free here.
Textbooks
This is a fairly common style in the first few years of homeschooling, especially if you’ve pulled your children out of public school, to build confidence. Don’t forget to do a bit of de-schooling before starting the semester! Traditional schoolers focus on common standards and often complete a full day of classwork.
Stay-at-Home School
A lot of organizations don’t consider this to be “real” homeschooling since it’s being paid for and run by the government and someone else is doing all of the teaching. For a small percentage of people, though, whether it be because of job commitments, life ‘events,’ or something else that is preventing them from being able to sit down and dedicate themselves fully to educating their children, institutions such as K12 and Epic really are the best fit. It’s never my first recommendation, but still a valid option.
One of our favorite all-in-one resources for families is SchoolhouseTeachers. It includes all classes, for all grades…and it’s one price for the entire family, whether you have two children or twelve. 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 who are wanting to dip their toe into homeschooling but aren’t sure how to begin!
When choosing a curriculum for your family, you’ll want to consider ‘intelligence’ and learning styles. A Genius in Every Seat helps you work through determining these factors…
This e-book comes with a workbook component for surveying yourself and your students, along with suggestions for putting the results into practice.
While WW1 did not directly cause WW2, many of its after-effects led to weakened European states who were weak, needed strong leadership, and opened the door for dictatorships. The consequences of the first world war indirectly led to the second.
End of World War I
On the morning of November 11, 1918, the French delegation witnessed the Germans signing the Armistice that would go into effect at the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. It was exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the event that had set the ‘world’ part of the war into motion. The perceived humiliation and harsh terms of the subsequent Treaty of Versailles created a motive for Hitler and the leadership of the Third Reich to seek revenge. One of the terms of the treat was that Germany had to pay the equivalent of $124 million (in 2021 terms). Another term took sections of Germany and gave them to Czechoslovakia and Poland.
Dictators from the Depression
After the Treaty of Versailles was signed, the world plunged into a different kind of chaoes. Germany fell into economic troubles, but they weren’t the one country struggling. Russia and Italy also had difficulties recovering. History has shown us that, during times of chaos, people look to strong leaders who they hope will get the job of done so the country can recover. This was no exception. The political leaders who came to power during this period – Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini – were very powerful.
Though born in Austria, Hitler considered himself a German. He fought for Germany during WWI, being partially blinded and shot. After the war, he became a spy for the Social Democratic Party who spied on another German group, the German Workers Party. It was during this time that he became well known and began to get a following. Germans were struggling, financially, as they were required by the Treaty to pay back damages and reparations from WWI. Hitler began to speak out and lead protests. He was sentenced to jail at one point, where he wrote his autobiography, Mein Kampf. After release, he had even more followers and began his ascent to power.
Tsar Nikolas was overthrown in the Russian Revolution, at the end of WWI, by the Bolsheviks, a Communist party. In 1922, Russia and several other countries joined together to form the Soviet Union under Lenin’s leadership. In 1924, when Lenin passed, Stalin came to power. Stalin wanted to industrialize the Soviet Union to strengthen the economy. He introduced a plan called ‘collectivization,’ where the Soviets took land from individual owners, and gave it to the State (the government). The idea was to increase efficiency, store more food, use less labor (more machines), and send farmers to work in factories.
Mussolini is often seen as the founder of facsism, a fom of totalitarian government with a capitalist economy. Before he came to power, the Italian government was led by a king-appointed Prime Minister. Mussolini had a group of ‘blackshirts,’ people who went around stirring up trouble, beating up political opponents, and generally clearing the way for his rise to power. The king appointed Mussolini as PM in 1922 so that the blackshirts would stop the violence. (This is called ‘appeasement,’ and it’s not a good idea.) In 1925, Mussolini became a dictator, taking away freedoms and forcing loyalty.
Appeasement & the League of Nations
The precursor to the United Nations, the League of Nations was formed at the end of WWI to ensure world war never occurred again. Unfortunately, they were afraid to act against aggressive countries, for fear of starting another war. This was another form of appeasement (remember the king of Italy?). One of the earliest instances of appeasement was when Mussolini decided to invade and conquer Ethiopia in 1935…and the League of Nations did not act. Hitler then decided to try his hand at reconquering some lands.
Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was not to have a large army, but that was ignored as the German army swelled and the country also formed an Air Force and Navy. By the late 1930s, Hitler had begun to annex places like Austria and Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia that had been taken from Germany after WWI). The League of Nations did try to act at this point, and on September 30th, 1938 they created the Munich Pact, which allowed Germany to have Sudetenland, but would not allow them to go any further. This was another act of appeasement.
Post World War II
After World War II, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin created a new international security agency, the United Nations, with hope of preventing WWIII. The Soviet Union and United States emerged as new world super-powers at the end of WW2. They had been allies during the war, but mostly because they had a common enemy. These new super-powers had extremely different views about government and economics — one was capitalist and the other communist — and they had a lot of distrust of each other. This distrust led to nearly fifty years of a Cold War – a war without actual fighting, but with the continual threat of nuclear warfare. Both the Korean War and the Vietnam War were extensions of the Cold War.
Delight-directed homeschooling can be a remedy for mid-winter burnout, but it can also be an all-the-time homeschooling style. It is a method of education that allows your children to explore what they love and work at a flexible pace, ebbing and flowing with each new bunny trail.
To those thinking along the lines of traditional schooling (ie, government schools), it may seem that the student isn’t really learning anything, but not only will your student be learning…they’ll be learning far more than you could have imagined! It’s about depth…not breadth. The topics can vary through the year, jumping around, or they can stay fairly focused.
Delight-directed schooling is very similar to the unit study method, but tends to go even deeper than a typical unit study. Let your student be the guide!
Learning through Literature
Literature studies are so much more FUN! As an added bonus, because they incorporate knowledge through relating to a character and / or story, your students are apt to retain more once the year ends.
What are living books, and how can you use them to make your homeschool shine? Get all the tips & tricks in Using Living Books to Homeschool.
Novel studies can be used to cover concepts from language arts and history to science and math. It’s been our students’ preferred learning method for years, and we’ve created well over one hundred of them! Here are just a few of the odd topics that cropped up as a result of their delight-directed learning…
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation & Albert Einstein
Audiobooks
Some students learn better through audio, rather than reading. Audiobooks are a fantastic way to incorporate literature unit studies, without taxing struggling readers to frustration. Which is not to say that you shouldn’t keep working on reading, but sometimes a work-around is in order…
When students are REALLY into a topic, they’ll even begin to educate you. You never know what you’re going to be learning each day as a homeschooling parent! These bundles help dive into some very specific interests…
The classes at Sparks Academy utilize literature, videos, and student interaction to study science, language arts, history, geography, character, writing, and literary concepts. This online co-op includes weekly student interaction in the private classroom forum. Learn more here.
Try-It-Out Deals
Save $10 on the Craftsman Crate subscription box. This is the box that teaches you real-world, hands-on craftsman skills and has inspired my boys in so many ways!
Writing is an integral part of the language arts classes taught at Sparks Academy. We offer four levels of instruction, each building upon the last, until students are ready to write in any form requested of them – whether at a career or college! But maybe you don’t want a full class….how can you make writing fun at home?
Literature Studies & Living Books
What are living books, and how can you use them to make your homeschool shine? Get all the tips & tricks in Using Living Books to Homeschool. Scroll down to snag pre-made bundles of novel studies!
Another fun option for teaching writing is through the language arts classes Sparks Academy! There are four levels offered currently, including High School 1, High School 2, High School 3, and Level 7. (The last one is for 7th/8th/9th grade, depending on your student’s skills.) This is an online co-op, with weekly student interaction in the private classroom forum. Learn more here.
Trying to recreate public school at home, right down to the textbooks, is something new homeschoolers often do (especially those pulling students out of school). Literature studies, however, are so much more FUN! As an added bonus, because they incorporate knowledge through relating to a character and / or story, your students are apt to retain more once the year ends.
What are living books, and how can you use them to make your homeschool shine? Get all the tips & tricks in Using Living Books to Homeschool.
Novel studies can be used to cover concepts from language arts and history to science and math. It’s been our students’ preferred learning method for years, and we’ve created well over one hundred of them! If you’re looking to teach World History through literature, here are 51 units to try….and don’t discount audiobooks, too! They’re a great addition to a busy homeschooling day!
If you’re more of a simply-Charlotte-Mason style family, check out the Homeschool Garden sessions. These easy to implement sessions are planned out and ready for you to place in your schedule wherever it fits best. I could spend several hours trying to dig up resources, but they have already done the work for me (and really, who has that kind of time anymore?). They have a variety of subject sessions, plus five different Advent studies, and you’re sure to find a few that intrigue your family. One of the best parts about these units is that everything is included – there are no other purchases required. See inside a sample session here.
Want to give it a go? Use code FRIENDSANDFAMILY to take 50% off any one session (not bundles) at The Homeschool Garden. Where it asks, be sure to tell them Yvie sent ya! 😊
You can find all of the above novel studies in the five unit bundles below! (Sample units are in blue.) Enjoy the journey, and remember….DO THE VOICES!!!
Trying to recreate public school at home, right down to the textbooks, is something new homeschoolers often do (especially those pulling students out of school). Literature studies, however, are so much more FUN! As an added bonus, because they incorporate knowledge through relating to a character and / or story, your students are apt to retain more once the year ends.
What are living books, and how can you use them to make your homeschool shine? Get all the tips & tricks in Using Living Books to Homeschool.
Novel studies can be used to cover concepts from language arts and history to science and math. It’s been our students’ preferred learning method for years, and we’ve created well over one hundred of them! If you’re looking to teach American History and Geography through literature, here are 45 units to try….and don’t discount audiobooks, too! They’re a great addition to a busy homeschooling day!
Another fun option for teaching history are the US History and Government/Constitution classes at Sparks Academy! This is an online co-op, with weekly student interaction in the private classroom forum. Learn more here.
Casualties of War & Vietnam War
No Promises in the Wind & the Great Depression
Out of the Dust & the Dust Bowl
The Watsons Go to Birmingham & Civil Rights
Dusty Sourdough & Alaska
The King of Mulberry Street & Ellis Island Immigration
Trying to recreate public school at home, right down to the textbooks, is something new homeschoolers often do (especially those pulling students out of school). Literature studies, however, are so much more FUN! As an added bonus, because they incorporate knowledge through relating to a character and / or story, your students are apt to retain more once the year ends.
What are living books, and how can you use them to make your homeschool shine? Get all the tips & tricks in Using Living Books to Homeschool.
Novel studies can be used to cover concepts from language arts and history to science and math. It’s been our students’ preferred learning method for years, and we’ve created well over one hundred of them! If you’re looking to teach science through literature, here are 18 units to try….
The holidays are a time for creating moments with the family. Many homeschooling parents choose to take the entire month of December off to participate in holiday events, including the Sparks Academy co-op, but there is a way to incorporate holidays into those school days, and there are many Christmas & Chanukah resources for your holiday homeschool.
Even if you live in a state with strict requirements on hours and subjects, there are ways to be creative! Cooking is home economics; shopping is budgeting and math; writing cards is language arts. Kids in public schools are spending most of the month of December – particularly in elementary grades – doing arts and crafts, and there’s no reason you can’t, too.
Classified by age group, pick and choose from these resources to create a #HolidayHomeschool plan that’s just right for your family!
Each of the ten unit studies in this year-long bundle centers around a book for middle school level and includes videos, cooking projects, hands-on activities, writing assignments, and more. There are also resources for younger children in eight of the ten units.
TalkBox.Mom Chanukah story (family) – This free Hebrew printable also has an English translation and comes with an audio download to assist in pronunciation. {Bonus: Get $20 off your first TalkBox! Use coupon: holly20}
Press pause on all the traditional curriculum for an easy to implement and fun Christmas curriculum for homeschoolers! The 12 Days of Christmas curriculum includes: Language Arts, Science, Nature Study, Math, Art, Music, and World Cultures. With over 12 days of lessons, this is the perfect curriculum for those crazy days between the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Give your elementary student a full curriculum for the holidays!
This 23-page unit study includes the history of the candy cane, candy cane puzzles (Math), a candy cane STEM challenge, and funny candy cane mad libs (grammar). You’ll also watch how candy canes are made (both by hand and in a factory), conduct your own candy cane experiment, and finish it all off with a fun treat.
Your family will love studying world cultures and geography this season with this Christmas Around the World unit! This print-and-go resource will transport your family around the globe to study 7 countries. Kids will use the critical thinking skills of comparing and contrasting as they study what makes each culture unique. And the best part is that all the facts are included- no need to waste hours searching for resources and doing research. Enjoy celebrating Christmas Around the World with your kids this season!
This downloadable PDF includes 4 science projects in the fields of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. Each experiment ties in with a popular children’s Christmas picture book. Complete supply lists and step by step directions make it easy to complete the projects. Each project includes a printable observation chart to help kids make observations, collect data, and record their experiment results. Each experiment also includes a brief explanation of some of the science concepts that kids will be learning about. Bonus extension activities are included for 2 of the experiments.
Let’s read the book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Then let’s go on rabbit trails of discovery about Christmas, Mistletoe, Santa Claus and more! We will toss some magic dust in the air and jump into the book with hands-on adventures. And when we’ve finished the book, let’s throw a party and celebrate like the Whos in Who-ville!
{LIVE} How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Part I & Part 2
Jon Miller, Instructor of Humanities at the North Carolina School of Science and Math, has been reading ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ to the delight of students and alumni (and their children) for over 25 years.
NORAD has done a great job with video shorts that introduce your children to landmarks and Christmas traditions from around the world! In the Village, kids can play games, build gifts, code Santa’s computer, and more!
During the month of December, there are TONS of great resources for you to cover every subject with Christmas-schooling. (They have these for several other holidays, as well.) Resources are available for all ages.
In this course, A Christmas Carol Online Book Club for Middle School, we will read through the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. As we are reading, we will go on rabbit trails of discovery into history, science, art, and more. We will find ways to learn by experiencing parts of the book through hands-on activities. At the conclusion of the story, we will have a party school to celebrate this classic Christmas story. This online literary guide has everything you need to study the book. This course includes vocabulary, grammar, rabbit trails, and a writing project. It is perfect for advanced elementary or middle school level literature.
Get into the holiday spirit while continuing Latin studies with these 22 pages of games, activities, and history! Includes: Crafts, Caroling, Reading, Games, and Puzzles.
This downloadable PDF includes 4 science projects in the fields of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. Each experiment ties in with a popular children’s Christmas picture book. Complete supply lists and step by step directions make it easy to complete the projects. Each project includes a printable observation chart to help kids make observations, collect data, and record their experiment results. Each experiment also includes a brief explanation of some of the science concepts that kids will be learning about. Bonus extension activities are included for 2 of the experiments.
Homeschool through the holidays with this holiday bundle that includes three full-length history-based holiday unit studies plus several extra crafts and activities! Full length units include: 1940s Christmas, Victorian Age Christmas, and Christmas in England.
During the month of December, there are TONS of great resources for you to cover every subject with Christmas-schooling. (They have these for several other holidays, as well.) Resources are available for all ages.
If you’re looking for a way to decorate for the holidays while also proudly declaring your love of science, here are templates for paper snowflakes with winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics incorporated into the designs.
Includes 20 full-length, step-by-step video art lessons. Each unique art piece reflects a different aspect of winter – Christmas, snowy winter scenes, winter flowers, winter poetry and even a few delicious holiday recipes! And for the holiday season, we’ll be including easy and beautiful handmade gifts to give, ideas for Christmas cards, and simple homemade Christmas decorations and ornaments to create. In this workshop, we explore and experiment with various art forms including: sketching, acrylic painting, watercoloring, collage art, sculpting, hand lettering, art journaling, and MORE!
‘Tis the season to gather the kids and the art supplies! We’ve got a super easy Joy to the World Christmas ornament craft to help you kick off the Christmas season with some creativity!
In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who help him see a better way of life while teaching him the meaning of Christmas. In this lesson, we will create an old fashioned Christmas wreath in front of a frosty window.
The Nutcracker Ballet tells the story of young Clara Stahlbaum, who receives a Nutcracker on Christmas Eve. Later that night, the Nutcracker comes to life and battles the great Mouse King, which leads him and Clara on a fantastical journey. In this course, we create five pieces inspired by the Nutcracker ballet in a colorful, crazy, abstract style: the Nutcracker, a Christmas Tree, the Mouse King, the Grandmother Clock, and of course, the Sugar Plum Fairy.
In this course, A Christmas Carol Online Book Club for Teens, we will read through the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. As we are reading, we will go on rabbit trails of discovery into history, science, art, and more. We will find ways to learn by experiencing parts of the book through hands-on activities. At the conclusion of the story, we will have a party school to celebrate this classic Christmas story. This online literary guide has everything you need to study the book. This course includes vocabulary, grammar, discussion questions, rabbit trails, and a writing project. It is perfect for high school level literature.
Get into the holiday spirit while continuing Latin studies with these 22 pages of games, activities, and history! Includes: Crafts, Caroling, Reading, Games, and Puzzles.
Homeschool through the holidays with this holiday bundle that includes three full-length history-based holiday unit studies plus several extra crafts and activities! Full length units include: 1940s Christmas, Victorian Age Christmas, and Christmas in England.
During the month of December, there are TONS of great resources for you to cover every subject with Christmas-schooling. (They have these for several other holidays, as well.) Resources are available for all ages.
If you’re looking for a way to decorate for the holidays while also proudly declaring your love of science, here are templates for paper snowflakes with winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics incorporated into the designs.
Includes 20 full-length, step-by-step video art lessons. Each unique art piece reflects a different aspect of winter – Christmas, snowy winter scenes, winter flowers, winter poetry and even a few delicious holiday recipes! And for the holiday season, we’ll be including easy and beautiful handmade gifts to give, ideas for Christmas cards, and simple homemade Christmas decorations and ornaments to create. In this workshop, we explore and experiment with various art forms including: sketching, acrylic painting, watercoloring, collage art, sculpting, hand lettering, art journaling, and MORE!
In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who help him see a better way of life while teaching him the meaning of Christmas. In this lesson, we will create an old fashioned Christmas wreath in front of a frosty window.
The Nutcracker Ballet tells the story of young Clara Stahlbaum, who receives a Nutcracker on Christmas Eve. Later that night, the Nutcracker comes to life and battles the great Mouse King, which leads him and Clara on a fantastical journey. In this course, we create five pieces inspired by the Nutcracker ballet in a colorful, crazy, abstract style: the Nutcracker, a Christmas Tree, the Mouse King, the Grandmother Clock, and of course, the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Eighteen countries (not including the United States) are addressed in the e-book. It also includes a recommended reading and activities list, cultural movies, and Christmas music from around the world.
This includes eight holidays, and each unit has introductory text, which will give the student the holiday’s history and customs. After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students. You will also find a short list of reading books and fun hands-on activities!
Celebrate Christmas and practice your Spanish foreign language simultaneously! This 14 Christmas carols are beautifully printed in both Spanish and English – to help with language learning and for your caroling pleasure.
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