I was bopping around the Internet this afternoon and stumbled across a site where the concern was raised that homeschool children aren’t introduced to the concept of speech and debate. Um, hello? Would this dude like to take on my twelve-year-old, or even my six-year-old? Kids come with a natural ability to debate. This is why parenting is so hard sometimes. And as far as speech-making goes, lemme tell ya … my kids could talk any professional debater into a corner and make them cry. But the question did raise a good point, which is that there are some aspects … Continue reading →

This is one of those announcements that makes your eyes light up and your mouth drop open. Your homeschooler can now participate in a National Homeschool Graduation at Disney World! The date of this first homeschool graduation is May 9, 2010. This give you plenty of time to schedule a trip to Disney World. As my kids are set to graduate in 2012 and 2013, you had better believe that this is on my list of things to do! I will definately start planning now! To participate in the National Homeschool Graduation, you will need to: 1. Purchase your tickets … Continue reading →

Many people worry about homeschooling highschoolers because teaching subjects like Chemistry, Trigonometry, and Calculus is so hard. Compared to the full job of homeschooling a high school students, a few AP courses don’t scare me in the least. If you really want to be scared, look at what I am dealing with on a regular basis as a mom homeschooling teens. 1. I am homeschooling TEENAGERS. Teenagers are tough to deal with so closely on a daily basis. When I was homeschooling little kids, it was all fun and smiles all the time. We laughed. We played. We learned. It … Continue reading →

I recently received the following question by email: I am going to be a Senior in High School. I don’t want to go back to high school because I am having a bad experience and I have had enough. Both my parents work and I was wondering if someone else can homeschool me and if you know any websites that can help me find a person who homeschools. Here are some other questions: How many hours a day is homeschool? How do I know what subjects I am going to take? How long are my breaks (Christmas and Easter)? Do … Continue reading →

Each Spring I like to highlight stories of homeschool graduates. Some graduate in large groups with other homeschoolers. Others graduate on their own. Some graduate at the typical age as any other student. some finish highschool and college at very young ages. Many get into top colleges, and some go on with their lives. Here are some homeschool graduates in the news for the 2008-2009 school year. In Mount Vernon, WA, 30 homeschool kids graduated together in a Knox County homeschool ceremony. Graduates included a couple of kids graduating a year early. Some are planning to go to brick and … Continue reading →

As my son works on his high school program, I have been double checking to make sure is on track to be on equal ground with other students who will be apply to college along with him. Since he is college bound, in my mind, he must be able to compete with other college students on their level. This is not to say that someone who does not take our route of college preparation will not be able to compete. Many unschoolers and relaxed homeschoolers have not trouble getting into college, and even into the best colleges. We (my husband … Continue reading →

I spent the bulk of this morning mapping out a plan for the rest of my son’s high school. In looking at what he has done so far, I have realized that his transcript is very elective heavy, but he is still on track to graduate at the end of his 1lth grade year if he wishes, or his 12 grade year which is what I would prefer. I found a 4-year high school plan template at HSLDA to download and started plugging in his completed classes. Because he started taking High School classes in the 8th grade, he will … Continue reading →

I am becoming acutely aware that homeschooling older kids are a much different animal than homeschooling small kids. Now that my kids are 12 and 14 and with the older being in high school, I am finding that I need to drastically alter my approach to how I interact with them in regards to my lessons. My son has announced his aversion to being taught. He would much rather prefer to teach himself. I am sure this sounds like teenage craziness that a parent should never allow, after all, how in the world could a teenager teach himself? Well, you … Continue reading →

A great many homeschoolers these days began their education in traditional (public or private) schools and then moved to homeschooling out of frustration from school issues. In the early elementary years, new homeschooling parents seem to jump right in without much trepidation. As students approach high school however, prospective homeschooling parents tend to feel it is too late to homeschool their children. The truth is, it is never too late to homeschool your kids. Even high school dropouts through homeschooling. While many homeschoolers turn to public and private schools for the high school years, those homeschoolers who go all the … Continue reading →

I recently butted into a conversation where a mom had considered putting her homeschooled student into public school for highschool. She has since decided on another course for her child after disagreeing with the schools math program. Here in GA math is set up quite strange with Math1, Math2, Math 3, and Math 4 recommended. The problem with these math classes for high school students is that taking these math classes will not be sufficient enough for a child to be accepted into college. To get into college a child needs to take Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus or accelerated … Continue reading →