Engaging with Your Teen’s Reading

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:

Middle School

High School

All Ages

If You Don’t Know the Story

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.

Click here to pick up a freebie and learn more about the Society of Literary Adventures

Homeschool When College Is Not the End Goal

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.

Alternative Opportunities

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.

Planning and Documenting

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.

Fun Field Trips for Teens

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?

Here are some FREE, local field trip options:

  • Local historic architecture
  • Air Shows
  • Historic Re-enactments
  • Climb Rocks
  • Historic Museums (some are free)
  • Pick-Your-Own Farm Visit
  • Rivers & Lakes
  • Zoo (only free on certain days, or with a pass)
  • Local Newspaper
  • Factory Tours (some are free)
  • Visit the Beach
  • Visit the local Airport

Around Town

  • Most of the free trips listed above are in-town
  • Lots of hospitals offer presentations, and these could count toward a health credit
  • Most teens are able to sit quietly in a courtroom to see how the judicial system works
  • Every city has a history, and most have city history museums – explore yours!
  • A local small business owner may give a tour and explains the pros and cons of ownership

History-Based

  • State capitols are a good place to see the legislative system in action
  • National parks offer both nature and history with one beautiful hike
  • Civil War battlefield locations are often free and relatively easy to find in the eastern US
  • Living history museums (think Williamsburg) are fun for all ages

Science Lovers

  • Amusement parks are a good place to see how physics works in the real world
  • Indoor skydiving spots are also a great place to test physics
  • Caves, caverns, and wildlife refuges are all great outdoor adventures
  • Many aquariums have programming for older students
  • Factories and manufacturing plants are in more places than you’d expect, and very interesting
  • Space centers, including NASA, offer all sorts of programming for older students

Specialty Adventures

  • Symphony and theater performances are cultural experiences
  • Art museums are as well, and you can tie them to history or culture
  • TV / Radio Stations give tours and presentations, and they love going in depth with older students
  • Music recording studios are another great option for sound enthusiasts
  • Our boys really enjoyed a unique adventure to learn about fermentation and physics

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?

More Inspiration

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!

Geography / Location-specific
Mississippi
Vermont
Seattle
Chocolate World / Milton Hershey
Frankenmuth / Christmas World
Oklahoma City
San Francisco
Vermont
Seattle

Gettysburg
Mayberry RFD
Cabo San Lucas
Tulsa
Western Oklahoma
Fort Smith / Hot Springs
Orlando / Epcot
Amish Country
Outer Banks, NC
Kansas
Arizona
Roswell, NM
Nashville / Ryman / Parthenon
Niagara Falls
Washington DC / July 4th
Colorado Springs / Olympics
New York City
Cleveland / Rock & Roll
Lake Champlain / Maritime History
Maryland
Louisiana / Cajuns & Creoles
Minnesota Wyoming Colorado / Geology Grand Rapids Eau Claire Ontario / Canada Southern California Hampton Roads North Carolina Piedmont Lowcountry SC / GA      

History
Ancient Mayans
Oil & Energy
Battle of Vicksburg
Cornwall Iron Furnace
Abe Lincoln’s Home
Boston / Revolutionary War
Philadelphia / Constitution
Virginia’s Historic Triangle
Williamsburg
New Hampshire / French & Indian War
Valley Forge
Fort Ticonderoga
Biltmore House Omaha
Oregon Trail / Chimney Rock
Outer Banks / History of Lighthouses Colorado / Gold Rush Mackinac / War of 1812 Mount Rushmore / Deadwood The Lost Colony Pirates of the Outer Banks Patriot’s Point, SC




                      
Science & Math
Real-World Math
Zoo Studies
Johnson Space Center / Christina Koch
Airplanes & Air Shows
Principles of Flight
Kennedy Space Center U.S. Mint Inside a Cave Kitty Hawk / History of Flight US Space & Rocket Center Recording Studio Business of Cookie Making Fermentation & the Physics of Axe Throwing

Hands-On Science & Nature Projects for Upper Grades

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!


Exploring the outdoors is a great way to learn!  Soak it all in, homeschool mama, and wear your homeschooling style proudly!


Think Like a Scientist

Mathematical concepts and the scientific method are a good place to start…


Get Inspired

Sometimes we just need a little inspiration to get started!


Take a Field Trip

Here are some virtual field trips that will inspire you to take one of your own…


Get Outside

Unplug and get your hands dirty!


Go Wild

Is it animals, wild plants, the jungle, or the human psyche that intrigues you?


A Little of This; A Little of That

Projects and ideas that didn’t really fit in a box…


Explore through the Pages

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!


Use a Complete Curriculum

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!



Hands-On Subscription Boxes You’ll Love!

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.


MATTER

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

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.

Spangler Science 

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!


Groovy Lab in a Box

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!

37 Ways to Make Your Homeschool Delight-Directed!

student led schooling

What is Delight-Directed Homeschooling?

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…

  • Fever 1793 + Epidemics in World History
  • Willa of the Wood + Basic Foraging
  • Shouting at the Rain + Severe Weather
  • Nick & Tesla + Nikola Tesla / Electricity
  • The Golem & the Jinni + Kabbalah unit
  • Charlie Hernandez + Hispanic Mythology
  • The Watsons Go to Birmingham & Civil Rights
  • My Side of the Mountain & Wilderness Survival
  • Serafina and the Splintered Heart & Writing a Ghost Story
  • Island of the Blue Dolphins & Introduction to Sailing
  • Finding Langston & the Poetry of Langston Hughes
  • Motel of the Mysteries & Archaeology
  • Caroline’s Comet & Astronomy
  • Writing Fantasy with the Hobbit
  • Crime and Punishment & Free Will vs Determinism
  • 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…

Specialized Topics

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…

In-depth Classes

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

delight directed learning

Using Living Books to Homeschool

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 1High School 2High 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.