Cooking for High School Credit with Angela Smith

August 4, 2026 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Cooking for High School Credit with Angela Smith.

Cooking for High School Credit with Angela Smith

Cooking for High School Credit with Angela Smith

As homeschool parents, we 7Sisters know a win when we see one! How about life skills, cooking, and food science combined for a fun and meaningful high school elective credit?

That’s what we found with Angela Smith at Inquisicook!

Featured in this article:

  • Angela Smith’s story
  • Inquisicook’s story
  • How Inquisicook works
  • Find Inquisicooks
  • Learn more about electives

Angela Smith’s story

Angela likes to say that she is “actually a native member of the homeschool tribe”. Her family started homeschooling in 1992 and continued until their last child went to college. These days, Angela is helping with the homeschooling of her twelve grandchildren.

Inquisicook’s story

The Inquisicook online program combines food science, life skills, and culinary arts into hands-on courses that put delicious food on the family table.

The Inquisicook online program combines food science, life skills, and culinary arts into hands-on courses that put delicious food on the family table.

These practical, elective courses include science labs that wind up as a prepared dish for the family table!

When her youngest child was about ten or eleven years old, she informed Angela that she wanted cooking to be one of her homeschool subjects. They were already cooking together as part of their family lifestyle. (Angela’s family loves to exercise hospitality.)

However, being a homeschool mom, Angela wanted to incorporate a science-driven approach to cooking. She thought it made sense to study the science that’s literally under their noses and that they were engaging with daily.

Angela believes that anybody ought to be able to prepare a tasty dish based on what’s in season, what’s on sale, or what’s in the fridge. She wants teens to be free from the tyranny of an ingredients list that says, “I’ve got to buy, you know, this and this and this, and if I don’t have those things, I can’t make this recipe.”

Angela could not find a curriculum that taught comprehensive, science-based cooking, so (being an industrious homeschool mom), she created her own. It took years to finally have the course in the form she wanted to launch, but it’s ready, and you can get your teens started now!

How Inquisicook works

Inquisicook offers two courses. Each of the courses is divided into five units with fifteen lessons. Also included are optional recipes that we call “for further eating”, and teacher resources.

Inquisicook 1 covers eggs, quick breads, salads and dressings, yeast breads, along with herbs, spices, and seasonings. This is combined with soups and stocks.

In this first course, teens also learn the basic culinary art skills, such as:

  • Knife skills,
  • How to use a double boiler
  • Recognizing signs of doneness

Students also conduct sensory evaluations for every recipe they re-prepare, rating it based on appearance, flavor, texture, and aroma. This guides them to think specifically and analytically about their outcomes. It also gives them a pathway to craft improvements or variations for future attempts at the recipes, because we want them to be intuitive cooks, not recipe followers.

These skills help students figure out what the version two of that recipe might look like for their family’s tastes.

Food science in Inquisicook

Of course, all of the units are packed with science. For instance, they learn about egg protein molecules and how those molecules are transformed when heat is applied to them. They learn the physics of whisking: what is happening to egg proteins as they unfurl and then collect around bubbles to create an egg white foam.

In the science of custards, students learn special techniques to trap moisture droplets within the protein network.

In the quick breads unit, they learn the differences between biological leaveners, physical leaveners, and chemical leaveners. They learn about the different types of wheat, different protein contents of the wheat, and the different ways to capture those little air bubbles that cause bread to rise.

During the soups and stocks unit, students learn about extracting flavor through long, slow cooking and the science behind different flavoring agents in terms of herbs and spices

Inquisicook is an applied science that’s super tasty!

This course would be a good choice as an elective on the high school transcript!

Thanks to Seth Tillman for editing the podcast.

Find Inquisicook at:

Learn more about high school electives in these Homeschool Highschool Podcast episodes:

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Make It Count: How to Turn Homeschool Extracurriculars into High School Credit

October 27, 2025 by 1 Comment

In this episode, Felice Gerwitz shares practical, faith-first ways to weave extracurriculars into high school for credit.Extracurriculars That Count: Turning Passions Into High School Credit

Wondering how to fit electives, sports, and real-life experiences into your teen’s transcript—without losing your family’s mission (or your mind)?

In this episode, Felice Gerwitz, host of the Vintage Homeschool Moms podcast shares practical, faith-first ways to weave extracurriculars into high school for credit. From shadowing professionals and Toastmasters to ministry, sports, entrepreneurship, and even scuba, Felice shows how prayer, purpose, and planning turn interests into intentional education. You’ll also hear how Media Angels, Truth Seekers Mystery Series, and the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network were born from this same “follow the Lord + make it count” mindset.

What You’ll Learn

  • Pray first, plan second: Why prayer frames every decision about electives and activities.

  • Start with mission: How family core values and a simple mission statement guide what “counts.”

  • Make it credit-worthy: Finding course codes, setting objectives, and documenting hours for legit high-school credit.

  • Career exploration that matters: Job-shadowing (reporter, doctor, lawyer) to clarify direction—then transcript it.

  • Communication confidence: Toastmasters, podcasting, and speaking as real credits for shy or reluctant teens.

  • Service as a transcript line: Pro-life outreach, Habitat for Humanity, youth ministry, local missions—how to log it all.

  • Sports & sanity: The surprising academic benefits (focus, time management, character) and navigating team politics.

  • Entrepreneurship in high school: Microbusiness ideas (small engine repair, lawn equipment) and how teens price work.

  • Research → writing → opportunities: The Truth Seekers fiction series led to archaeology research and a real dinosaur dig invite!

  • Protect margin: Why unhurried time helps teens think, pray, and hear God’s call.

Quick Ideas You Can Use This Week

  • Write or refresh your Family Mission Statement (include Scripture that anchors your “why”).

  • Pick one interest and ask: “What standards/objectives would make this a course?” Then find the state course code (or build your own scope & sequence).

  • Schedule one shadow day for your teen. Debrief and log hours.

  • Join or start a youth Toastmasters/speech club—track speeches, roles, and evaluations for credit.

  • Convert current service (church nursery, food pantry, roofing with Habitat, etc.) into a documented Service Learning credit.

Favorite Quotes

  • “Prayer is the beginning and the end of everything we think, say, or do as a Christian.” —Felice

  • “Don’t do activities just to be busy—make them serve the mission God gave your family.”

  • “If the opportunity is from the Lord, He will provide a way.”

Mentioned in This Episode

  • Media Angels – Creation science curriculum; writing/publishing resources; Truth Seekers Mystery Series.

  • Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network – Free shows for homeschool families.

  • Vintage Homeschool Moms – Felice’s show (find it on Apple Podcasts/Android apps).

  • Current Issues & the Constitution – Civics through current events (Felice moderates with her brother-in-law).

  • Micro Business for Teens (podcast/ideas) – Turning skills into income and elective credit.

  • Toastmasters (youth/speech club) – Communication credit option.

  • Habitat for Humanity – Local service that can count toward community service hours.

How to Award Credit for Electives (Cheat Sheet)

  • Define the course: “Speech & Communication,” “Career Exploration,” “Service Learning,” “Photography,” “Sports Conditioning,” etc.

  • Objectives: 4–6 clear outcomes (skills/knowledge).

  • Hours: 120–150 hours = 1.0 credit; ~60–90 hours = 0.5 credit.

  • Assessments/Evidence: Project list, reflection journals, supervisor signatures, portfolio (photos, audio files, logs).

  • Description (for transcript): 1–2 sentences describing scope & outcomes.

Encourage Your Teen

  • Try things, tell the truth about what you liked/didn’t, and keep moving. That clarity is progress.

  • Protect thinking time—faith and calling grow in quiet.

Connect with Felice

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A Self-Paced Online Human Development Course for Teens

May 27, 2025 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Discover Human Development Self-paced, Online Course.

Discover Human Development Self-paced, Online Course

Discover Human Development Self-paced, Online Course

We are so excited because one of our very favorite courses is now online. Human Development from a Christian Worldview now has an option video course to accompany the textbook!

Vicki employs her human development training in her job as a licensed professional counselor, as well as in her own home as she was raising and homeschooling her five kids. When her homeschoolers reached high school, she wanted her teens to know about human development as well. That’s how the Human Development curriculum came about.

Human development is the study of how people grow and change from the womb to their senior years. As humans, we change physically,  emotionally, cognitively, and even socially.

Teens are at the phase of life when they are often interested in the question of “why?”

Human Development helps them to discover the “whys” of human behaviors:

  • Why do two year olds always say, “No“.
  • Or why do the grandparents always tell the same stories over and over again?
  • Why do the middle aged parents act like that?
  • And why do teens themselves have existential questions like,
    • “What’s the meaning of life?” and
    • “Why do my friends act that way?”
    • “What’s going on with my body?”

Human Development helps homeschool high schoolers develop perspective-taking and self-awareness skills.

Teens have been asking for a video component to add to the Human Development from a Christian Worldview textbook. So we got busy and created Human Development Self-paced, Online Course on the Teachable platform.

Human Development Self-paced, Online Course

The online course accompanies the textbook which includes the questions and the chapters tests, plus enrichment activities for teens who want to level-up to honors.

Human Development from a Christian Worldview textbook

Topics include:

  • Chapter 1: Prenatal Life
  • Chapter 2: The Neonate
  • Chapter 3: The First Two Years
  • Chapter 4: Preschool Years – Ages Two to Five
  • Chapter 5: The Elementary Years
  • Chapter 6: Adolescence
  • Chapter 7: Young Adulthood
  • Chapter 8: Middle Adulthood
  • Chapter 9: Senior Adulthood

Along with:

  • Video lessons in a fun “doodly” format (a little bit of animation and background music)
  • Links to extra videos with related cool information
  • Transcript of the lesson

The course is presented at an average level

Generally any teen can read and enjoy and listen to the lessons and enjoy the material.

There are meaningful activities in the textbook that teens can use to level up in a meaningful way so that they get that honors credit that they want for their transcripts. Because there’s not ONE right way to be a teenager and there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school.

We want everybody to have a chance to love human development.

Human Development is an elective

This course is not required for graduation. However, teens do need electives and so this is a Social Science elective. And a life preparation elective. This is an elective that is good for helping teens in understanding themselves and other people!

For more on why teens benefit from studying Human Development, check out:

For teens who want more, lots of homeschool high schoolers have combined studying Human Development with Early Childhood Education textbook.

Early Childhood Education is a course that builds on the learning in Human Development. 7Sisters’ Early Childhood Education e-text:

  • Prepares teens for meaningful babysitting or nursery-volunteering experiences
  • Also prepares teens to become intentional, interactive parents someday
  • Inspires teens who want to study Early Childhood Education in college for their future studies
  • Explores the ways that children learn from ages two years through five years
  • Explains various pre-school teaching philosophies in a fun, hands-on, project-based manner
  • :7Sisters’ ECE curriculum is helpful because
    • It is presented from a (non-preachy) Christian worldview
    • As always for 7Sisters curriculum, it is a NO-busywork curriculum
    • Includes an answer key
    • It’s fun!

While you are at it, join us and all the 7th Sisters at 7SistersHomeschool Facebook Group because there are so many awesome 7th Sisters! BTW- There are six of us, 7Sisters: Vicki, Sabrina, Kim, Marilyn, Allison. and Sarah. So who’s that 7th Sister? YOU are!

Also, find lots of encouragement, how-tos, and fun at:

It’s lots of fun!

Join us for a chat about 7Sisters’ Human Development Self-paced, Online Course.

AND thanks to Seth Tillman for editing the podcast.

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Navigating Electives: A Guide for Homeschooling High School Students

December 5, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Selecting the right electives can transform the high school experience for homeschoolers.Choosing electives can be both an exciting and daunting task for homeschooling high school students and their parents. Electives are not just filler courses; they are essential in shaping a well-rounded education, exploring interests, and preparing for future careers or college. In this post, we’ll explore how to make informed decisions when selecting electives.

Understanding the Role of Electives:

Electives play a crucial role in the high school curriculum. They provide students the chance to delve into subjects outside the core academic courses, helping them discover new passions, develop practical skills, and gain a broader perspective on the world. Whether it’s art, technology, or a foreign language, electives can significantly enhance a student’s educational experience.

1. Assessing Interests and Goals to Choose Electives:

The first step in choosing electives is to consider your child’s interests and long-term goals. Does your student show an inclination towards creative arts, sciences, or languages? Understanding these preferences is key. For instance, a student interested in a business career might benefit from courses like Entrepreneurship or Accounting 101, while a future scientist might prefer Genetics or a New Testament Survey for those inclined towards theology or religious studies.

2. Exploring Career Paths:

Electives can be a gateway to potential careers. Courses like Career Exploration or The Copywriting Experience offer practical insights into specific professions, helping students make informed decisions about their future. Encourage your student to try courses that align with their potential career interests.

3. Developing Essential Life Skills:

Some electives focus on life skills that are valuable regardless of career choice. Courses such as Economics or Political Literature & Comp not only provide academic knowledge but also teach critical thinking, financial literacy, and a better understanding of the world.

4. Balancing Academics and Personal Growth:

While aligning electives with academic and career goals is important, personal growth should not be overlooked. Encourage your student to choose at least one elective purely for personal interest or enjoyment, like Art 2 or Foreign Language Exploration. This balance ensures a well-rounded education and keeps learning enjoyable.

5. Utilizing Resources:

Take advantage of resources like True North Homeschool Academy, which offers a diverse range of electives tailored for homeschooling students. From Expedition Africa for younger students to Essay Extravaganza for aspiring writers, these courses are designed to meet various interests and academic needs.

Selecting the right electives can transform the high school experience for homeschoolers. It’s about striking a balance between academic rigor, personal interests, and future aspirations. By carefully considering their interests, career goals, and personal growth, homeschooling students can choose electives that enrich their education and prepare them for the future.

Remember, the journey through high school is as much about discovery as it is about education. Choose electives that inspire, challenge, and excite your student, and watch them thrive in their unique educational path.

Here’s a glimpse of our Spring lineup at True North Homeschool Academy:

  1. Entrepreneurship: Unleash your business potential. Learn more
  2. Genetics: Dive into the fascinating world of DNA and inheritance. Explore here
  3. Essay Extravaganza: Hone your writing skills for academic excellence. Discover more
  4. Foreign Language Exploration: Embark on a linguistic adventure. Start exploring
  5. Expedition Africa (Elementary): Journey through the wonders of Africa. Join the expedition
  6. Accounting 101: Master the fundamentals of accounting. Enroll now
  7. Career Exploration: Discover your future career path. Begin exploring
  8. Art 2: Advance your artistic journey. Sign up here
  9. Economics: Understand the dynamics of economies. Dive deeper
  10. The Copywriting Experience: Craft compelling content. Learn more
  11. New Testament Survey (Junior High): Explore the New Testament’s richness. Explore here
  12. Political Literature & Comp: Analyze the interplay of politics and literature. Discover more

Special Offer! We also have exclusive one-semester bundles available, providing a comprehensive learning experience tailored to your needs. Check out our bundles

Mrs. Nehring the voice behind the Life Skills 101 Podcast on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network and is the Director of True North Homeschool Academy.

She is loved by parents for her ability to provide them with a strategic plan for their homeschool through coaching and advising.

Her vision for the implementation of the SAMR Method of education to the homeschool world has resulted in a one-of-a-kind education experience at TNHA.

She also operates It’s Not That Hard to Homeschool and Blue Collar Homeschooling.

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Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School? Interview with Dr. Micah Tillman- Special Replay

June 27, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School? Interview with Dr. Micah Tillman- Special Replay.

Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School? Interview with Dr. Micah Tillman- Special Replay

Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School? Interview with Dr. Micah Tillman

Homeschool graduate and philosopher, Dr. Micah Tillman joins his mom for a discussion on why and how teens should study Philosophy.

Micah’s story:

Micah homeschooled with his siblings from 3rd grade through graduation. He learned some important independent learning skills in homeschool high school as he grew academically beyond his mom’s skills. This helped him be successful in college while his peers struggled with the self-directed learning necessary there.

Micah also loved the co-ops, youth groups, band and sports that he was part of in his homeschool high school years.

Dr. Micah Tillman

One of the pivotal courses in his homeschool high school years was his World History and Philosophy course in our homeschool co-op.

This course was brought about by Micah and his peers asking deep “what’s-the-meaning-of-life” questions.

At college Micah majored in Computer Science at Messiah College because he wanted to develop video games but he loved Philosophy so much that he filled all his electives with Philosophy courses (especially loved the courses by Dr. Robin Collins). As he neared graduation, Micah realized the job market for Computer Science was not as interesting as he hoped (no video game design jobs available at that time). So, he decided to go to graduate school and study what he really loved (teaching- which he learned he loved as a student ambassador for Messiah College, Philosophy, and writing which he did for fun).

So Micah went to grad school at West Chester University and loved modern philosophy there, then on to Catholic University to study the traditional philosophers, world-wide philosophy and the history of Christian thought.

After graduation

Micah started a popular podcast, Top 40 Philosophy, has taught Philosophy at several colleges and is now a teacher at Stanford University’s prestigious Online High School.

Micah’s students are scattered around the world.  The core curriculum is 4 Philosophy classes (for instance, the science classes Micah teaches his 9th and 10th graders are Scientific Reasoning (Philosophy) and history of Science). The program takes students beyond STEM to becoming the thinkers who will someday drive the culture. The goal is to teach their students to teach students to think about their whole lives and living them well.

He also developed a video game for his students to teach classical logic. You can download this for free on his website.

 

Philosophy is about thinking clearly about life so that you can live well.

Micah’s goal as a teacher is not to develop professional philosopher, rather, he wants everyone to “love wisdom” (which is what Philosophy means).

Teaching his students to love wisdom, he helps them to become aware of themselves and how they interact well with others and the world around them. He teaches them that Philosophy is about:

Thinking clearly about life so that you can live well.

SO why teach Philosophy?

As teens learn to think philosophically, they will have the skills to live better. Teens tend to have “teenage angst” and ask tough questions. They wrestle with who they are, how to be friends, what they like, how they are alike and different than their parents, what to do with cliques, what kind of person they want to be, why things in the world are fair or not.

In other words, Philosophy gives teens adulting-preparation, love-of-wisdom skills!

For homeschool moms who have no background in Philosophy, but want their teens to have an experience with Philosophy so that they can think clearly about life so that they can live well, there’s hope! Micah has two Philosophy texts for teens that many teens have reported are their favorite courses in homeschool high school.

Philosophy in 4 Questions

Philosophy is the process of thinking clearly so that you can live well. One way philosophers think clearly is asking questions. The 4 basic questions that philosophers ask about everything are:

  • What exists?
  • How we know?
  • What should we do about it?
  • Why?

The text is written especially for homeschooling high schoolers. It is accessible and has a sense of fun.

Parents are sometimes uncomfortable with their students studying Philosophy. Teens ask hard questions. If they study Philosophy, will they ask even more (and harder) questions? Micah explains that God gave us minds, and that we need to care for them by using them well. We do that by training our minds to think well (mind-fitness, just like our bodies need physical fitness). This kind of fitness helps teens go into the adult world with the strength and tools to face the confusing mass of ideas in the world outside the home. Philosophy in 4 Questions helps teens take their angst and develop strength of mind to go from angst to wisdom. (Here’s a free syllabus for Philosophy in Four Questions.)

History and Philosophy of the Western World

This is a gentle introduction to the history of Philosophy (that Micah studied in high school) then added to while he was in college. History and Philosophy of the Western World is a World History credit for the transcript. In a light-hearted manner, homeschool high schoolers learn about history and the philosophers that influenced history. Average high schoolers can enjoy learning history and thinking skills, while honors-level teens have meaningful activities they can choose to level-up.

(Also, here’s a free syllabus for History and Philosophy of the Western World.)

Check out Micah’s website MicahTillman.com and check out his writing and educational video game projects, including Chambergon Logic (where teens can earn a Logic credit in a fun, free format.)

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Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School? Interview with Dr. Micah Tillman

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Tech Electives for High School Homeschoolers

April 27, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Tech Electives for High School

178: Tech Electives for High School

As we live in a techy world, tech electives are not only fun for most high schoolers, but also necessary. These electives can cover a wide range of interests and abilities.

Computer Applications/Digital Literacy – this elective will make sure students are ready for all the tech they will encountter at college and in the work place. Take a look at FundaFunda’s online class.

Computer technician – find a book or class to help your teen prepare for a COMPTIA certification.

Coding – Learn to program through a free platform like Codeacademy or online homeschool classes like those offered by FundaFunda Academy. Listen to the podcast episode with techie teen Jayda and techie teen Anaya.

Cybersecurity – Listen to the podcast episode with techie teen Jake

Salesforce administrator – free training for this widely used database program

Webdesign – learn a program like WordPress, or HTML / CSS – or both

Photoshop – FundaFunda Academy has a self-paced Photoshop class. Listen to the podcast episode with techie teen Callie

Graphic Design – Listen to the podcast episode with techie teen Addie

Audio Engineering

Videography – Listen to the podcast episode with techie teen Brandon talking about drone videography)

Game design – Listen to the podcast episode with techie teen Eli

Virtual Assistant Skills – Listen to the podcast episode with techie teen Natalie

Find classes on Coursera, Udemy, and look on your library website.

—————————————————————————————————————-
Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

Tech Electives for High School

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Choosing Electives for Homeschool High School, Interview with Meryl van der Merve

August 18, 2020 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Choosing Electives for Homeschool High School, Interview with Meryl van der Merve.

Choosing Elective Credits for Homeschool High School

Choosing Electives for Homeschool High School, Interview with Meryl van der Merve

Today Vicki is joined by our fellow podcaster, Meryl from Homeschooling with Technology. We are going to talk about choosing competitions for electives in homeschooling high school. This is a rich way to develop a marvelous transcript, especially for college-bound teens (although competitions can develop the skills for any homeschool high schooler).

Meryl, as you probably know, is from South Africa. She has homeschooled her kids here in the States and is now running two competition teams for local homeschoolers  (Quiz Bowl and Science Olympiad) as well as running her popular online academy FundaFunda Academy.

Competitions can be a way to build elective credits that show a teen’s interest and skills. Choose competitions that:

  • Build a teen’s interest
  • Explores a brand-new area that a teen may find she likes
  • Develops a skill that will look good on the transcript

Once you and your teens choose a competition, keep a log sheet of hours they spend. If they are working on a competition that can turn into more than one elective, keep separate log sheets for each elective. Here’s a post with details on logging hours for credits.

Competitions aren’t just good for building powerful transcripts and they are not just for highly competitive teens. Whether a teen is naturally competitive or more laid back, competitions can build some necessary life skills, too. Meryl explains a couple of those skills:

The ability to win and lose

Life is about winning and losing. Job interviews, games, and lots of other things. Teens need to be able to handle the wins and the losses with grace. Parents can use the winning and losing with resilience, growth mentality, perseverance, grace and compassion. This requires guidance and conversations. (And good winning and losing on the parents’ part, too.)

Tell teens:

  • Keep trying, you will keep getting better
  • When you win, be gracious and remember how you felt when you lost.

You do not start out being skilled as skilled as you need to be, you learn skills as you do the competitions

This is a wonderful thing about competitions. When teens choose to engage in a competition, they spend time on it and learn, develop and hone skills.

One wonderful thing about many competitions is they provide materials for the teens that will help them increase their skills. For instance:

Cyber security competitions provide manuals on how to do the work of the competition. PICOCTF is one.

National History Day gives lots of information on how to do research.

Try competitions to build fun electives and a powerful transcript

Competitions give teens the time and experience to find and develop interests and abilities.

Meryl tells the story of her daughter competing in National History Day. Meryl encouraged her daughter to make her project a film presentation rather than the traditional project. Her daughter liked the ideas, so explored the how-to’s of film projects. She loved the process so much that she became a film major in college and will soon complete her PhD in Communications.

Another story Meryl shares is one of her students participating in Science Olympiad because her friends were doing it. She was not really that interested in competitions but she wanted to do something special with her friends. One of the competitions she participated in was about ecology. She became so excited about the things she learned preparing for the competition that she is now in college studying Environmental Science. She would not know she was interested in Environmental Science if she had not had her Science Olympiad experience.

Competitions can help with college scholarships

In a competitive college admissions situation, competitions on the transcripts can help give a homeschool high schooler an edge. (This is especially true with national type competitions.)

Competitions can help you write a strong college application essay

Whether your homeschool high schooler wins or loses a competition, there are learnings and personal growth that can be great essay topics. Narratives are good fodder for these important essays.

Competitions teach teamwork

This one of the powerful soft skills that can open doors for jobs. Anytime teens work together on a group competition, they are learning necessary teamwork skills.

How do you incorporate competitions into electives?

When your homeschool high schoolers are working on a competition, log those hours! Show these on the transcript as electives.

For example:

  • Science Olympiad teens can earn elective science credits in the different science areas of their competitions.
  • National History Day teens can earn elective social studies credits based on their project.
  • Poetry Out Loud can earn elective credits in poetry or public speaking.
  • Scholastic Art and Writing Awards can earn elective credits in writing and art.
  • If they are learning other skills, such as film making, they can earn elective credits in that.

Join Vicki and Meryl for competitive ideas!

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Choosing Electives for Homeschool High School

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Creating Electives with Online Resources

July 1, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Creating Electives with Online Resources

89: Creating Electives with Online Resources

In this episode, I first explain why I believe homeschoolers should add electives for high school and then I dive into the topic – creating electives with online resources

Find content for electives in the following places:

  • Great Courses
  • Your public library’s online resources eg Lynda, documentaries
  • MOOCs
  • Youtube look for playlists on topics, How to videos if the elective is a hands-on
  • Google – Look for an outline of what should be covered in the syllabi of high school or colleges courses, videos, games, tutorials, and contests (these often include practice material)

** The Linguistics contest I mention is NACLO

Evaluation and assigning a grade

If you find a MOOC or other class that you can use as part of the elective, it may have tests and assignments you can use.

Otherwise, get your child to do one or more projects to show what they have learned. The project could be to create a video, slideshow, website, children’s book or a portfolio if they are doing something creative. (See many of our other episodes for ideas on these)

If you want ready-done for you electives, take a look at the ones offered by our sponsor FundaFunda Academy

Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

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HSHSP Ep 161: Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School? Interview with Dr. Micah Tillman

May 21, 2019 by Leave a Comment

This week on HSHSP Ep 161: Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School? Interview with Dr. Micah Tillman.

Dr. Micah Tillman on Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School. Build teens' thinking skills in a user-friendly format. Really! Philosophy can be interesting and fun! HSHSP Ep 161 #HomeschoolHighSchoolPodcast #MicahTillman #PhilosophyForHighSchool

HSHSP Ep 161: Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School? Interview with Dr. Micah Tillman

Homeschool graduate and philosopher, Dr. Micah Tillman joins his mom for a discussion on why and how teens should study Philosophy.

Micah homeschooled with his siblings from 3rd grade through graduation. He learned some important independent learning skills in homeschool high school as he grew academically beyond his mom’s skills. This helped him be successful in college while his peers struggled with the self-directed learning necessary there.

Micah also loved the co-ops, youth groups, band and sports that he was part of in his homeschool high school years.

One of the pivotal courses in his homeschool high school years was his World History and Philosophy course in our homeschool co-op. This course was brought about by Micah and his peers asking deep *what’s-the-meaning-of-life* questions.

At college Micah majored in Computer Science at Messiah College because he wanted to develop video games but he loved Philosophy so much that he filled all his electives with Philosophy courses (especially loved the courses by Dr. Robin Collins). As he neared graduation, Micah realized the job market for Computer Science was not as interesting as he hoped (no video game design jobs available at that time). So, he decided to go to graduate school and study what he really loved (teaching- which he learned he loved as a student ambassador for Messiah College, Philosophy, and writing which he did for fun).

So Micah went to grad school at West Chester University and loved modern philosophy there, then on to Catholic University to study the traditional philosophers, world-wide philosophy and the history of Christian thought.

The Goal of Philosophy: Teach teens to think clearly so they can live their lives well. Dr. Micah Tillman on HSHSP EP 161 #HomeschoolHighSchoolPodcast #MicahTillman #PhilosophyForHighSchool

After graduation, Micah stared a popular podcast, Top 40 Philosophy, has taught Philosophy at several colleges and is now a teacher at Stanford University’s prestigious Online High School. Micah’s students are scattered around the world. The core curriculum is 4 Philosophy classes (for instance, the science classes Micah teaches his 9th and 10th graders are Scientific Reasoning (Philosophy) and history of Science). The program takes students beyond STEM to becoming the thinkers who will someday drive the culture. The goal is to teach their students to teach students to think about their whole lives and living them well.

He also developed a video game for his students to teach classical logic. You can download this for free on his website.

Micah’s goal as a teacher is not to develop professional philosopher, rather, he wants everyone to *love wisdom* (which is what Philosophy means). Teaching his students to love wisdom, he helps them to become aware of themselves and how they interact well with others and the world around them. He teaches them that Philosophy is about *Thinking clearly about life so that you can live well*.

As teens learn to think philosophically, they will have the skills to live better. Teens tend to have *teenage angst* and ask tough questions. They wrestle with who they are, how to be friends, what they like, how they are alike and different than their parents, what to do with cliques, what kind of person they want to be, why things in the world are fair or not.

For homeschool moms who have no background in Philosophy, but want their teens to have an experience with Philosophy so that they can think clearly about life so that they can live well, there’s hope! Micah has 2 Philosophy texts for teens that many teens have reported are their favorite courses in homeschool high school.

Philosophy in 4 Questions

Philosophy is the process of thinking clearly so that you can live well. One way philosophers think clearly is asking questions. The 4 basic questions that philosophers ask about everything are:

  • What exists?
  • How we know?
  • What should we do about it?
  • Why?

The text is written especially for homeschooling high schoolers. It is accessible and has a sense of fun.

Parents are sometimes uncomfortable with their students studying Philosophy. Teens ask hard questions. If they study Philosophy, will they ask even more (and harder) questions? Micah explains that God gave us minds, and that we need to care for them by using them well. We do that by training our minds to think well (mind-fitness, just like our bodies need physical fitness). This kind of fitness helps teens go into the adult world with the strength and tools to face the confusing mass of ideas in the world outside the home. Philosophy in 4 Questions helps teens take their angst and develop strength of mind to go from angst to wisdom.

History and Philosophy of the Western World

This is a gentle introduction to the history of Philosophy (that Micah studied in high school) then added to while he was in college. History and Philosophy of the Western World is a World History credit for the transcript. In a light-hearted manner, homeschool high schoolers learn about history and the philosophers that influenced history.

Check out Micah’s website MicahTillman.com and check out his writing and educational video game projects, including Chambergon Logic (where teens can earn a Logic credit in a fun, free format.)

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in iTunes
  3. This will take you to iTunes and our own podcast page.
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HSHSP Ep 161: Why Teach Philosophy in Homeschool High School? Interview with Dr. Micah Tillman

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HSHSP Ep 75: Fine Arts Electives Give Transcripts SPARKLE!

September 5, 2017 by Leave a Comment

This week on HSHSP Ep 75: Fine Arts Electives Give Transcripts SPARKLE!

HSHSP Ep 75: Fine Arts Electives Give Transcripts SPARKLE!

HSHSP Ep 75: Fine Arts Electives Give Transcripts SPARKLE!

College admissions officers look at thousands of transcripts each year. How can your homeschool highschooler stand out? Fine Arts electives give transcripts sparkle. It’s one way to catch their attention!

Join Sabrina for an eye-opening interview with Dr. Duane Cottrell, Associate Professor Choral Music Education at University of Delaware. Duane is not only a professor at UD but also has homeschooled his own children, which helps him understand and explain what homeschoolers need to know about Fine Arts on the transcript and in college.

Dr. Duane Cottrell University of Delaware Music Dept

Dr. Cottrell explains the current job climate where often:

  • Soft skills learned in Fine Arts make great employees in many areas
  • Right brained skills learned by teens who have studied the arts help build the creativity needed to compete in a career world new kinds of jobs are being invented every year

Dr. Cottrell explains the music major choices  such as (and why a homeschool highschooler might choose one:

  • Bachelor of Arts in Music (Liberal Arts degree)
  • Bachelor in Music (Music Education, Music Performance)
  • AND whether or not a graduate degree is required for success
  • AND how to find out specifically what your teen’s favorite colleges are looking for in their applicants

Sabrina and Dr. Cottrell also share how to handle Career Exploration in highschool so that they can clarify major choices.

Join us for a real-life, practical information about Fine Arts Electives!

5 Reasons You Need Fine Arts in Homeschool High School

Why Waste High School Credits on Career Exploration?

HSHSP Ep 75: Fine Arts Electives Give Transcripts SPARKLE!

 

 

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