Organizational Tool for Homeschool High Schoolers with Rebecca Farris

September 14, 2026 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Organizational Tool for Homeschool High Schoolers with Rebecca Farris.

Organizational Tool for Homeschool High Schoolers with Rebecca Farris

Organizational Tool for Homeschool High Schoolers with Rebecca Farris

Working on getting organized now that the year has started, and you are finding out what is working and what is not? Congratulations! Today we are talking to Rebecca Farris, whose planners have been organizing homeschooling families for years!

Featured in this article:

Our 7SistersHomeschool meets Rebecca Farris story

  • Rebecca Farris’ story
  • Serving the homeschool community
  • Organizing Homeschooling teens and moms
  • Organizing homeschool high school
  • Chore charts and planners build lifetime rhythms
  • Each homeschooler is unique, so planning is unique to them
  • A planner is a tool no different than a hammer
  • How do high school planners work?
  • A hint of things to come
  • Contact Rebecca Farris and the Well Planned Gal

Our 7SistersHomeschool meets Rebecca Farris story

When we 7Sisters were new in the entrepreneurial business, we decided to participate as vendors at several homeschool conferences. At one of them, right across the walkway from us in the vendor hall, was a lovely, gracious, kind woman named Rebecca Farris, the Well-Planned Gal.

Rebecca and her kids were the most welcoming people ever. The memory of their kindness to the new vendors on the block has stayed with me for well over a decade.

That’s why Vicki was so excited to finally have a chance to talk to Rebecca on the Homeschool Highschool Podcast!

Rebecca Farris’ story

Rebecca was a first-generation homeschooler. Unfortunately, she did not have the best experience. In fact, as she grew up, she did not even want to get married or have kids. She said to herself, “I am just gonna go my way!”

From childhood, Rebecca was business-minded, so she planned on a career in corporate America. However, Providence had different plans for her!

Rebecca often says, as the Well Planned gal, her life did not go as planned, and that’s okay. She ended up getting married and having children after all. She had Jenny, my first child, followed by five kids within seven years.

When her youngest was four years old, Rebecca started thinking about preschool for her oldest. She had already taught her to read through playtime. So, she decided to wait another year.

Then kindergarten came, and she said, “Well, I’ll just wait one more year.” And so on.

They homeschooled one year at a time until suddenly, all five are grown, and she’s an empty nester.

Serving the homeschool community and her grandchildren

As a grandmother of five grandkids, Rebecca has had time to reflect on what she did right, what she did wrong, and what she wishes she had done. One of her key takeaways from her reflections is that she learned more than her kids through homeschooling.

I learned more than my kids through homeschooling. -Rebecca Farris

Rebecca also feels called to help other homeschool moms now that she is on the other side of it. She loves sharing the gifts God has given to her through homeschooling with homeschooling moms.

Organizing Homeschooling Teens and Moms

Rebecca receives questions from moms such as, “My teens haven’t learned how to organize their lives and their time.” Another frequent question is, “How can I get myself organized?”

Because Rebecca did not have a great homeschooling experience as a child, she decided to make sure her own kids had a wonderful time homeschooling. One way to do this is to make sure she was prepared and planned.

One of the tools she developed was a set of assessments to help homeschooling moms understand where their children were academically, as well as their personal achievements. This series is called Well Planned Start.

Organizing Homeschool High School

Rebecca reminds homeschooling moms that every single high schooler is different:

  • They learn differently.
  • They make decisions differently.
  • They value different things.

“The best thing you can do as a parent is to understand your teens.”- Rebecca Farris

She helps moms appreciate each teen’s uniqueness and leverage what they know about them to motivate them to :

  • Do their chores and schoolwork
  • Learn time management
  • Grow into responsible humans

Some of the tools that Rebecca makes available are chore charts and planners for teens, so that teens and moms can find the best fit for that unique homeschooler.

Chore Charts and Planners Build Lifetime Rhythms

One benefit of training children and teens to use charts and/or planners is helping them build a neural structure of daily routines and rhythms.

Rebecca remembers working with her oldest daughter, who was not a naturally organized child, to understand the routines of daily and school-year life. She would work with her to help her understand the end goals for every school year. At a young age, Rebecca also worked with her daughter on internalizing daily rhythms and routines such as:

  • Brushing her teeth
  • Washing her face
  • Making her bed
  • Having a Morning Five devotion time

Rebecca remembers the day that her daughter got married. She went up to her daughter’s bedroom and asked, “Hey, what are you doing?”

Her daughter replied, “I’m almost finished with my five.”

She is an adult and still doing the same practice! It was internalized.

Each homeschooler is unique, so planning is unique to them

One of Rebecca’s daughters was “super smart but super quiet, very introverted”. She did not need to long-term plan. Rather, she just needed to know the plan for today. So, Rebecca would help her each morning assess what happened the day before and make the plan for the day.

This daughter’s planner was a tactile way to help her keep her “boots on the ground”, as Rebecca called it. She could keep an eye on and celebrate each day’s progress.

One of Rebecca’s sons needed to move freely to learn. Rebecca photocopied his planner and posted it on the wall. He would walk around and occasionally, throughout the day, check his progress on his own planner on the wall.

A planner is a tool no different than a hammer

A planner is a tool no different than a hammer. How do we use a hammer? There are a thousand ways to use a hammer. You must read the situation, and then you adjust how you use it. However, in the end, hammers are used to hit a nail in some way.

Planners are tools. There are lots of ways to adapt planners to our kids’ needs. In the end, when you use a planner, you write down what needs to be done. Then you acknowledge what was completed.

How do high school planners work?

Teens are not simply completing their academic credits. They are preparing for life. Planners can reflect this by including:

  • Academics
  • Relationships
  • Responsibilities such as chores or other obligations
  • Time management
  • Career preparation such as apprenticeships or entrepreneurship
  • Sports and other extracurriculars

By using a well-rounded planner, teens learn self-management and build practice for life success.

A hint of things to come

Rebecca has many homeschooling-related projects. She dropped a little teaser about some new federal legislation. This legislation provides a way for homeschooling to be 100% funded by our taxes. Rebecca is part of a team that is building the infrastructure right now. She hints that in 2027, every single homeschooler will have the opportunity to have their curriculum, enrichment, supplies, and technology fully funded. To find out more, check out the latest information at her Curious Mind Network.

Contact Rebecca Farris and the Well Planned Gal

Visit Well Planned Gal for resources and how-tos for teens and moms

More on planning and life skills from 7SistersHomeschool and Homeschool Highschool Podcast

Come join the 7SistersHomeschool Facebook group, where you can share questions or cool things that you have learned.

Thank you to Seth Tillman for editing.

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Homeschoolers Who Learn Differently: Empowered Strategies with Ashley Barta

September 8, 2026 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Homeschoolers Who Learn Differently: Empowered Strategies with Ashley Barta.

Homeschoolers Who Learn Differently: Empowered Strategies with Ashley Barta

Homeschoolers Who Learn Differently: Empowered Strategies with Ashley Barta

We love meeting new people with cool resources. That’s why we are excited to introduce you to Ashley Barta, who helps empower parents of homeschoolers who learn differently. Ashley is a consultant at Empowered Strategies and Consulting. She is also a military homeschool mom (and comes highly recommended by our friend and 7Sister Cousin, Natalie Mack).

Featured in this article:

  • Ashley Barta’s story
  • How Empowered Strategies and Consulting started
  • Benefits of homeschooling
  • If your child has challenges, you can homeschool
  • Connect with Ashley Barta

With over twenty years of experience in education, Ashley is committed to bringing the joy of learning back into the lives of families, educators, and children. Her work is really cool because that’s why we’re homeschooling! We want our families to enjoy education!

Ashley Barta’s story

Ashley’s story actually started in public school. She got her dream job as a kindergarten teacher in a small town in North Dakota. Those were the early days of No Child Left Behind, and there a huge push for all those kindergartners to be doing first-grade work.

Ashley remembers talking to the superintendent and saying, “I just want a play kitchen. I just want a kitchen in my classroom.”

Fewer people understood the importance of play in education. However, Ashley held onto the joy of playful education and brought that joy back into that classroom. Her young students experienced lots of imaginative play and learning through play.

When her oldest son was born, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. They tried to manage care while she worked full time. (And as military spouses know, the spouses run a lot more than their own job and their children.)

She found that all the running around was too much. Her mom-heart was calling her to stay home with her son. Ashley got my first master’s degree in early childhood special education during that time.

She opened her own preschool, and somehow managed to get all of her son’s PT, OT, and speech. Not only that, she ended up having a special education preschool full of children like her son.

Being a military family

Then her husband got orders. Ashley calls it, “The magic sauce of being military”. She had to close the preschool down, and they moved. In fact, the military moved them five or six times in fifteen years.

When the family moved to Nebraska, Ashley thought, “Let’s try homeschooling kindergarten. Let’s just try it.”

So she got all of the “how to homeschool” books. She soon found that homeschooling was fun. They had lots of zoo days and “school on the deck”.

Ashley and her husband decided, “We’ll just homeschool one year at a time, one year at a time.” And now she has a just-finished eighth grader and a just-finished sophomore. Her son is thriving. He might not do algebra and chemistry like his peers, but he is happy, healthy, and thriving. He is doing great for a severely medically complex child.

How Empowered Strategies and Consulting started

Soon, mothers with children who had health issues or learning disabilities started coming to her for advice, saying, “Well, you’re homeschooling! How do I do this?”

Ashley understood their struggles. It is easy to think that homeschooling means you have to buy a boxed curriculum and do what other homeschoolers are doing.

She always encourages them, “You know you’re your child’s best teacher. You are completely equipped to figure it out. And get help from other homeschooling people and resources when you need the support.”

Ashley gives homeschool moms the example of working with her son. He is non-verbal, but he uses his talker. For the longest time, everybody said, “Well, he can’t read if he’s not using his talker.”

However, she found a book: Structured Literacy.  The authors of the tool believe that literacy is possible even if you use a speaking device.

Ashley was able to add buttons to her son’s talker that were relevant to him. Now he demands shows that he wants to watch and then wants to talk about it. He can ask Alexa for different things. Through homeschooling and resources like this, Ashley has given him a world that we didn’t think was possible.

Benefits of homeschooling

Besides being an excellent education choice for her children, the family loves being able to take time off when Dad is home. They can school through the summer if they need to. This is especially valuable for military families. They want to make the most of their time together.

Ashley Barta’s advice for homeschooling moms with homeschoolers who learn differently: Just breathe. Breathe. Every day is a new day in homeschooling, and if your first day stinks, the second day will be better.

If your child has challenges, you can homeschool

Ashley frequently reminds nervous parents that homeschooling is totally doable. If you are a parent who is thinking about homeschooling and has a child who has some medical complexities or special needs, or if you are a military family with different rhythms, it is easy to feel intimidated.

That’s okay. There are resources to help. One of those resources is Ashley Barta and Empowered Strategies.

When Ashley begins to work with a family, she starts with a consultation. Every consultation is free. It’s a conversation to figure out what each family needs to go forth on their homeschool journey.

Sometimes she advises exhausted families to take a little time for de-schooling if they have been in a frustrating school situation: Enjoy the family, re-learn your relationships. Then Ashley helps them decide on the academic goals, strategies, and resources to help their specific needs

One thing that homeschooling moms with children who have learning struggles or the unique needs of military families need is encouragement, and a little “hold your hand and walk that path with you” attention. Also, if students come from a traditional school setting with an IEP, she can help the parents translate it into what it would look like at home.

Connect with Ashley Barta

You can get in touch with Ashley Barta at her Facebook page: Empowered Strategies and Consulting

Explore more about homeschooling with teens who learn differently

Thanks to Seth Tillman for editing.

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The Youth Speak Magazine with Houston Wrona

September 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: The Youth Speak Magazine with Houston Wrona.

The Youth Speak Magazine with Houston Wrona

 

The Youth Speak Magazine with Houston Wrona

One of our favorite things is talking to homeschool graduates who are doing cool things. That is why we were so excited to have homeschool graduate Houston Wrona, about his homeschool youth magazine, The Youth Speak.

Featured in this article:

  • Houston Wrona’s story
  • The Youth Speak Magazine
  • How it started
  • How The Youth Speak works
  • What are editors looking for in submissions?
  • The magazine accepts
  • How to subscribe to The Youth Speak

Houston Wrona’s story

Houston’s homeschool journey began at preschool and continued through graduation. He has found homeschooling to be a great experience and is thankful for it.

The family’s homeschooling style changed over the years. In his younger years, the family employed a much more curriculum-based approach. However, in high school years, they moved to a “basically no curriculum” approach with more problem-solving, exploration, and skills development behind all his learning experiences.

The Youth Speak Magazine

The Youth Speak is a magazine by homeschoolers for homeschoolers. It is a glossy, professional magazine with high-quality articles on a variety of topics. (You can read digital editions of the magazine for FREE here.)

The Youth Speak is a magazine by homeschoolers for homeschoolers.

How it started

The magazine came out of a homeschool group that Houston attended during high school. He and his peers created a newsletter-style newspaper. The teens in the group wrote the articles, printed it, then mailed it to the families in the group.

As they neared graduation, Houston and his friends were enjoying their journalistic adventures so much that they wanted to continue and level up their publishing efforts. They decided to create a glossy magazine and open it up to any Christian homeschooler for submissions.

How The Youth Speak works

Today The Youth Speak is run by a core team. The team shares writing, editing, layout, and design responsibilities. Any Christian homeschooler can submit an article for consideration through email. (The staff does not charge writers to have their work published in the magazine.)

After an article is accepted, the staff handles the rest of the production process.

The team creates an attractive, professional magazine. They try to follow instructions in the Bible, “Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, not to men.” To The Youth Speak’s team, this means to create an attractive, professional journal at a reasonable subscription price. (The cost is $9 per issue in the contiguous 48 states. The rest of the production cost is covered by advertisements and corporate sponsors.)

Some recent articles have covered:

  • What is homeschooling?
  • History of donuts
  • Thanksgiving traditions
  • A paper on paper
  • The National Parks
  • Maple Syrup
  • Camping
  • The history of Valentine’s Day
  • Thomas Edison’s life
  • Birds of North America
  • The history of the American flag
  • AI art vs real art

What are the editors looking for in submissions?

Submitting an article for publication can be an exciting experience for high schoolers. Here are some criteria from Houston and his team:

  • This is a magazine for Christian homeschoolers, so topics and wording should fit in that mindset.
  • Articles should be well-edited with good grammar and punctuation.
  • Topics should be more evergreen rather than current news. This is due to the time it takes to produce each edition. Current news becomes stale.
  • The author should share topics where they have firsthand experience and can incorporate their own personal story.
  • Wherever possible, have an original perspective.

The magazine accepts:

  • Articles
  • Poetry
  • Short stories
  • Recipes
  • Listicles

You can find details for submissions to The Youth Speak here.

How to subscribe to The Youth Speak

You can find a link to subscribe to The Youth Speak here. While you wait, check out the free digital editions!

Join Vicki and Houston Wrona for an inspiring conversation about a magazine by and for homeschoolers: The Youth Speak.

Thank you to Seth Tillman for editing.

Learn more about cool things that homeschool graduates are doing with these fun Homeschool Highschool Podcast episodes:

  1. Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
  2. OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in “…your favorite podcast source”
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  6. Thanks!

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How Oxford Style Tutorials Work with Trinity House

August 25, 2026 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: How Oxford Style Tutorials Work with Trinity House.

How Oxford Style Tutorials Work with Trinity House

How Oxford Style Tutorials Work with Trinity House

Many of us homeschoolers are fans of C.S. Lewis’ writings. For those who have followed his biographies, you know that his most impactful educational experiences were with his tutor, William Kirkpatrick. We Americans do not often have the opportunity to experience tutoring of this style. However, it still exists. That’s why we were excited to have our friend Justin McGeary of Trinity House on the podcast again.

Featured in this post:

  • Justin McGeary’s story
  • His time at Oxford
  • Understanding the tutorial system
  • Formation of Trinity House Oxford-style Tutorials
  • Working with Trinity House
  • Contact Trinity House Tutorials

Justin McGeary’s story

Justin McGeary founded Trinity House, where he offers Oxford-style tutorials. He is no stranger to homeschooling! His mother started homeschooling him in sixth grade. He graduated from homeschooling and headed to college.

When Justin taught at the college level, he had a number of homeschool students that came through his classrooms. He found that these students transitioned well to college because there are many similarities between the kind of education you get in high school homeschooling and at the college level.

Growing up, Justin learned to love the classics by both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. During college, he had the opportunity to study at Oxford as part of his school’s study abroad program. He was at Oxford for the Hilary Term (January through March), and loved experiencing the full tutorial experience.

His time at Oxford

Justin loved his time at Oxford. He rode my bike around the city and attended evensong with its beautiful choral evening hymns.

In the college, he met with his tutors and attended lectures. One of his favorites was a lecture series on Tolkien and Old English literature. The lecturer had not expected it to be very popular. However, on the first day of the lecture, the tiny room was jam-packed. The lecture series had to be moved to a larger lecture hall.

Justin attended lectures on modern British literature and 19th-century American literature, as well as some side courses on British culture.

Understanding the tutorial system

The tutorial system is an intensive kind of education that cultivates learners and develops critical thinking skills. There are three main features of the tutorial system:

  • tutorials
  • lectures
  • library system

For example, C.S. Lewis would have his tutorials with a handful of assigned students. He would give lecture series that any student could attend. Then the students used Oxford’s amazing library system for reading, studying, and preparing for major exams at the end of several years of college study.

Justin’s tutor would meet with him regularly. Each meeting, the tutor would give him a sheet of paper with several questions written on it. Underneath those questions would be several resources. Justin’s responsibility was to read through those questions and decide, “Which question do I wanna tackle? Which question do I want to answer?”

Then he would go to the library and do his own independent learning using the resources list that tutor had provided. For example, in literature, he might be looking at a particular poem or a particular section of a novel. He would answer essay questions on a key section or theme in the book being discussed.

Justin would take a week or two to write an essay based on the questions his tutor had given him. He would read the completed essay out loud to the tutor. Then the tutor would give him feedback on that essay. He would then rewrite the essay. This process helped him to hone his writing and critical thinking skills.

He remembers that his first few essays were really terrible. However, his writing improved rapidly because he was getting help right away. He also liked that he was not graded on every single essay.

Formation of Trinity House

Trinity House evolved as Justin was teaching college students. A number of his students were struggling with college-level requirements. He remembered author Dorothy Sayers asking, “Where are the tools of learning? Where is the kind of careful thinking, and the ability to write well?”

One evening, when he was having a conversation about this with his wife, she asked, “What about the Oxford tutorial? Might that not be a thing that you can bring to high schoolers to help them prepare for college success?”

That’s when Trinity House Oxford-Style Tutorials was formed.

Working with Trinity House’s Oxford-style tutorials

Working with Trinity House’s Oxford-style tutorials is like educational learning coaching.

Each week, students answer questions assigned by their tutor. Then they come back with an essay and say, “Here’s how I thought about this question.”

The tutor is sort of this personal trainer coach. He does not say, “And here are all the right answers.”

Instead, he says,  “This is a good argument here, here, and here. What about here? Have you thought about this? Explain to me more about this.”

In Trinity House tutorials, students engage in a conversational relationship where they are continually honing their thinking with a seasoned tutor.

Students learn how to learn and think independently. Their essays are not simply regurgitating what “so-and-so” thinks, but rather, “what do they think”?

Doesn’t that sound inspiring?

Contact Trinity House Tutorials

Sign up for their newsletter or email me for a sample tutorial: justin@trinityhousetutorials.com

Thank you to Seth Tillman for editing, and we’ll see everyone next week.

Keep listening

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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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Choosing This Year’s Curriculum for Homeschool High School

July 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Choosing This Year’s Curriculum for Homeschool High School.

Choosing This Year's Curriculum for Homeschool High School

Choosing This Year’s Curriculum for Homeschool High School

Let’s talk about choosing this year’s curriculum for your homeschool high schoolers! This is one of the most fun (and sometimes stressful) parts of the homeschool year.

Every year, you have different circumstances and a different budget. Every year, you must choose curriculum that fits your teen’s goals (and your goals) for their graduation.

Featured in this post:

  • Tips from homeschool veterans on how to choose curriculum
  • Start with prayer
  • Clarify your budget
  • Remember your long-term and short-term goals
  • What kind of learning situation or curriculum is needed?
  • Factoring in circumstances
  • Used resources
  • Curriculum reviews
  • Every teen is different

So, here are tips from homeschool veterans on how to choose curriculum

Remember, there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school, and there’s not ONE right way to choose curriculum. You are homeschooling to do what is best for your unique teens.

Start with prayer

The number one thing to do is to pray. As our 7Sister Kim always says, “Pray first and pray always.” We all need skillful and godly wisdom in all areas of our homeschooling, especially in purchasing curriculum.

Clarify your budget

The next thing we want to consider is the budget. These days, everything is more costly: groceries, gas, and medical expenses. Everybody needs to balance the budget as best they can.

What fits in your budget for this year’s curriculum purchases?

Remember your goals

Most, or all, of our curriculum choices need to reflect our short-term and long-term goals.

  • Long-term goals
    • We know what our teens should have accomplished by the time they get to graduation day. If not,  think about your teens walking across the stage or the backyard at graduation. While you are watching them, and you’re so proud, and you think, “These are the things they have accomplished, and we’re so grateful that they have accomplished those things, and we know they’re ready for the next part of life.”
    • Those are your long-term goals.
  • Short-term goals
    • What are this year’s specific goals that should be accomplished for those long-term goals to happen? (BTW- 7SistersHomeschool offers a self-paced online course for parents to help get started, including how to do your goal setting.)
    • Look at the long-term goals. Break out the specific goals that need to be completed this year
      • What academic subjects will they be covering?
      • And is my teen this year working towards college or a career or the military or missions?
      • What should they work on towards those goals?

What kind of learning situation or curriculum do our teens (and we want) this year?

Talk with your teens. What are some considerations for curriculum and learning experiences that need to fit your budget?

  • Are they hoping for co-op, umbrella school, or digital classes? (Remember: you will need the required textbooks and supplies, along with any other required fees.
  • What are my teen’s areas of interest?
  • Which careers or majors is my teen exploring?
  • Are there some areas that need extra textbooks or experiences to build a strong transcript?
  • What courses do I need to beef up?
  • What are my teens’ learning styles?
    • Some teens love to sit down and read a textbook. They really like it.
    • Some teens do not like to sit down and read a textbook.
  • Are our teens self-directed learners yet?
    • Or are they working on a course they will need or want a lot of direction in? If your teen is facing a subject that they will need more support for, take a look at possible curriculum choices and make sure you and your teen both like it!

Factoring in circumstances

Are there circumstances that will affect curriculum needs and choices?

Teens’ Needs

  • Sometimes, teens hit a rough patch. For instance, let’s say your teen all of a sudden started worrying about whether they wanted to go to college. Like, “Oh, no, maybe I can’t do it.” And before we had been thinking, “Oh, let’s, let’s do a more competitive college,” or, “Let’s aim for our state college.” And the teen all of a sudden gets angsty and says, “I don’t know whether I can do this honors-level work that is required for admissions to competitive colleges.”
    • When this happens, you might be hearing some burnout, so you might need to back it off this year. Thus, you will be looking for a curriculum that gives them a little bit of time to recalibrate (more of the basic college-prep curriculum rather than Level 5/Honors work.
  • Family’s needs
    • What are our family needs this year?
      • Do you have multiple high schoolers or multiple kids?
      • Do we need portable curriculum because we’re gonna be road schooling this year
      • If there are needs for less space, you definitely want to look into PDF curriculum like 7Sisters Homeschool.

Used resources

Are there some subjects that my teens can share a textbook or borrow one from a friend? (Our umbrella school has a lending library of sharable curriculum.) Of course, this is limited by any copyright rules (such as sharing downloadable curriculum is usually only okay between family members).

Curriculum Reviews

Many homeschooling families feel best with actual curriculum, whether this is downloadable PDFs or hardcover textbooks. Check out these resources:

Every teen is different

There’s not one right way to be a learner. Some teens are more interest-led, preferring a more relaxed homeschooling or even unschooling situation. For those teens, you may just totally toss out the textbook and work more on logging hours.

You can always change things up

Relax. You can give yourself comfort in knowing that even if you get a curriculum that doesn’t really fit, it is okay at any point during the year to say, “this isn’t working,” and put it on the shelf.

Maybe it’ll work for the next kid…or simply toss the curriculum. One of my favorite posts at 7Sisters is 50 Ways to Scrap Your School Book, because there have been many times when we have tossed curriculum around January. You can always change. You are not locked in just because you purchase something.

Learn more on these related topics:

You CAN do this! Be encouraged!

Also, you can get more suggestions and advice from all the 7th Sisters in our 7SistersHomeschool Facebook group. Join us there!

Thanks to Seth Tillman for editing!

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How to Plan Your Homeschool High School

July 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Homeschooling High School — Homeschool Help Hub | Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network

The high school years are where homeschool moms panic most — transcripts, credits, GPAs, graduation, college. Take a deep breath: thousands of families graduate confident, college-ready teens from the kitchen table every year, and you can too. This guide pulls together the how-to plus the best episodes from across our shows to walk you through all four years.

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: How to Plan Your Homeschool High School.

How to Plan Homeschool High School

How to Plan Your Homeschool High School

Let’s talk about planning high school. We know that planning for homeschooling high school can feel intimidating.

I (Vicki) remember, back in those early days, getting ready to start homeschooling her first high schooler. During those days, I was president of our local homeschool organization. There were not many people homeschooling high schoolers back then.

We were not sure how to plan out our high schoolers’ educations. So, a group of us moms in the homeschool support group got together and started researching how to homeschool high school.

We shared our research results in our weekly meetings, and prayed a lot. When the time came, we felt intimidated, but as ready as we could be. Since then, that group of moms evolved into 7SistersHomeschool and Homeschool Highschool Podcast. We have homeschooled twenty-six of our kids through graduation. Not only that, but we have also advised several hundred other local homeschoolers through our umbrella school.

Featured in this post:

  • Guidelines for planning homeschool high school including
    • Guideline #1 of planning homeschool high school: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school
    • Guideline #2 for planning homeschool high school is to know this: What’s your why?
    • Guideline #3 for planning homeschool high school: Know your teen
    • Guideline #4: What is your philosophy of homeschooling high school?
    • Guideline #5: Are there any unusual needs in the family right now?
    • Guideline #6: Clarify your goals
    • Guideline #7: What is the budget for this year?

Guidelines for planning homeschool high school

By the way, let us share a FREE video course for parents called Are You Intimidated To Homeschool High School? It gets you started, gives you confidence and ideas.

Intimidated by Homeschooling High school?

Then if you want a really deep dive with sixteen lessons on how to do homeschool high school, we have a parent video course for that as well.

Homeschool High School: You CAN Do It!

Guideline #1 of planning homeschool high school: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school

Just because your friend is homeschooling high school in one way does not mean you must homeschool high school as they do. Every teen is different; every family’s needs, rhythms, and interests are different as well.

We are homeschooling to do what is best for our own teens. So, enjoy the process, make it your own, and make it fit your teens!

Guideline #2 for planning homeschool high school is to know this: What’s your why?

Ask yourself, “Why am I homeschooling high school?”

There are a gazillion reasons. However, if you are homeschooling high school to help your teen really delve into an interest, then your homeschool high school will be different from a family with a teen who has medical needs.

Perhaps your teen is aiming for a competitive college; their high school will look more academically challenging than a teen who wants to go into a trade.

Write your WHY. On a bad day, it’ll help you remember. A written WHY will help you stay on mission.

Guideline #3 for planning homeschool high school: Know your teen

You are going to spend a lot of time and effort in homeschooling these teenagers. It’s a good idea to know the person you are homeschooling.

Of course, you do not know everything about who they are, but God knows them well. Thus, one thing you do is you pray. You can pray:

“God, help me have the eyes to see and ears to hear and heart to understand my teen and your will for my teen.”

Also, ask yourself:

  • Has my teen developed interests? For instance, perhaps they love playing guitar, or studying biology, creating art or music, or playing soccer.
  • What is their rhythm? Do they normally move about with a slow or calm rhythm? Or are they naturally busy bees?
  • Do they like to get up late or get up with the sun?
  • How would you describe their personalities and learning styles? (A wonderful book for this is Anita Gibson’s Starfinder.)
  • Do your teens already have life goals? Some do, many don’t have a clue.

Guideline #4: What is your philosophy of homeschooling high school?

Many homeschooling families do not have a one-size-fits-all homeschooling philosophy. Instead, our ideas grow and change over the years. That’s okay! For the moment, though, define as best you can what makes homeschooling important to you.

Let’s take a moment and define your homeschooling philosophy for this time in life. What is important to you and your teens?

  • Are they like my teens: They enjoy learning most things as long as there is no busywork and that they can “level up” to more rigorous credits in a meaningful way. In other words, do not waste their time and do help them fulfill their dreams.
  • On the other hand, some homeschooling families love specific ideologies of homeschooling, such as Classical, Charlotte Mason, or unschooling.

Guideline #5: Are there any unusual needs in the family right now?

Sometimes families have some unusual needs or plans for the year that will affect how and where they homeschool.

  • Medical needs
  • Caregiving for one of the grandparents
  • A cross-country move
  • A wedding in the family that will require lots of time

These are all time-consuming needs. Be sure when you are planning that you do not leave your teens out of the planning. When teens understand the demands on the family, they can give input and suggestions on best-fit curriculum and extracurriculars.

Guideline #6: Clarify your goals

It is wise to have written goals for the long-term and short-term (this year).

  • Long-term goals describe what you want your teens to have experienced and accomplished by the time they graduate.
  • Short-term goals are goals for this school year.

You need both!

Guideline #7: What is the budget for this year?

So every year may be different, and that’s okay. If you know what the budget is and you can answer the other questions, then you are set to go to set your plans and choose curriculum.

Get more details and how-tos:

If you have any questions, join the 7SistersHomeschool Facebook Group. It is such a lovely group of homeschooling parents that can answer questions and encourage you!

Join us on 7SistersHomeschool Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok.

Thank you to Seth Tillman for editing and to Stacy Clendaniel for all of the cool videos and graphics that she does for us on social media.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

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    1. View in “…your favorite podcast source”
  3. This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
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🎧 Featured episode

Middle Schoolers, Transcripts, and High School Courses

From The Homeschool Highschool Podcast — press play, then explore more episodes below.

Homeschool high school episodes from across our shows

Transcripts, credits & graduation

College & career prep

Teaching the high school years

Encouragement & teen challenges

Go deeper with The Homeschool Highschool Podcast, and see our guides on getting started and a strong new year.

Explore more guides in the Homeschool Help Hub →

🛒 Need curriculum or resources? Shop Christian homeschool books, science, and unit studies from Media Angels.

🎓 You’ve got this — and you’re not alone

Get our free Christian Homeschool Starter Kit for confidence and a plan, and tune in to shows made for the high school years.

Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , ,

Middle Schoolers, Transcripts, and High School Courses

July 14, 2026 by Leave a Comment
📚 Part of our guide: Homeschooling High School

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Middle Schoolers, Transcripts, and High School Courses.

Middle Schoolers, Transcripts, and High School Courses

Middle Schoolers, Transcripts, and High School Courses

We often receive questions from parents of homeschool middle schoolers. They want to know how to record on the transcript their high school-level courses completed during middle school.

They want to know how and where to record those high school-level courses completed during middle school!

Featured in this post:

  • High school courses in middle school can be done
  • Why might a middle schooler do some high school-level work?
  • How do you handle those high school courses your tweens completed?
  • Ways to show the high school courses completed in middle school on the transcript

High school courses in middle school: It can be done!

First, let me remind you there’s not ONE right way to homeschool middle school, and not ONE right way to handle transcripts.

As a side note: Your middle schoolers do not have to rush to do high school. It is okay to wait till high school to do high school work.

Tweens are not in a competition to see, “How can I get ahead in the game?”

If they need time simply to be in middle school and simply enjoy the last few years before transcript life, that is absolutely marvelous. In fact, many of the 7Sisters middle schoolers did not work on high school courses.

Also, we did have some middle schoolers who wanted to jump the gun on things and start some high school courses. There’s really NOT one right way to homeschool middle school.

Why might a middle schooler do some high school-level work?

One reason a middle schooler might jump ahead and start taking a few high school courses is that they are academically ready and need the challenge of a high school course. Some kids are raring to go and want to do high school-level work.

Another reason middle schoolers might take a high school course is that they have a particular interest or a gifting that should not be neglected. Some middle schoolers are advanced in areas like music, the arts, science, math, languages, or literature. It is responsible to help them lean into those interests and gifts.

Some middle schoolers are part of a co-op teaching a high school course they are interested in. When the co-op allows middle schoolers to participate and the tween is capable of high school-level work, why not allow them?

Whatever the reason for taking those high school courses, make sure that you keep records to show that each of those courses were completed at a high school level (nothing scaled back for middle schoolers).

So, how do you handle those high school courses your tweens completed?

There are several tips to help you handle this process:

Keep records because if you don’t have a record of how they earned that credit, it did not happen. This can include:

  • Course description
  • Syllabus
  • Evidence of the work that was done
  • How that credit was earned
  • Grades
  • Amount of credit

It is wise to keep all this in a binder, portfolio, or wherever you’re keeping records.

Ways to show the high school courses completed in middle school on the transcript

Remember: there’s not ONE right way to record a high school class done in middle school on the transcript. Here are some ways that families we have worked with in our umbrella school have done this.

  • Create a transcript that includes an extra box before the 9th grade year on that transcript that says 8th grade year or middle school years
    • Then you list the courses that were done, along with the grade earned for that course and the amount of credit assigned
  • Many people use a transcript form that does not include an 8th grade section. At 7Sisters, we offer an editable transcript form with a package of how-tos. It does not have an 8th grade section.
    • Instead, for our teens, we added those courses to the 9th grade year on the transcript.
    • To differentiate these courses from the 9th grade courses, we (in parentheses) would write “completed in 8th grade”.
    • For instance, if they completed Algebra 1 in 8th grade, and we wanted to record that course on the transcript, in the 9th grade year it would say:

Algebra 1 (completed in 8th grade)

  • You can choose not to show high school courses taken in middle school.

A caveat

We need to note that some colleges do not count those 8th grade courses. That’s okay, because usually our homeschool high schoolers have many credits when they graduate. They really do not need to show them all on the transcript.

Also, sometimes the courses done in middle school are implied, and so you do not need to show them. So, for instance, if your 9th grader is taking geometry for their math, it’s implied that they did Algebra 1 in 8th grade.

A high school course for a middle schooler is good for middle schoolers…if that’s a good fit for them! (If they are ready for high school work, if it excites them and inspires them, if it challenges them, feel free to have them take the course. Then include it on the transcript…or not!)

A high school course for a middle schooler is good for middle schoolers…if that’s a good fit for them!

Stay in touch

So please join us there at the 7SistersHomeschool Facebook group where you can ask all your questions and receive wisdom and encouragement from all the 7th Sisters out there!

Also, if you’re new to Substack, look up 7SistersHomeschool on Substack.

More help with homeschooling middle school

Thanks to Seth Tillman for editing.

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Resource for Teens Who Struggle With Reading with Tara Giddings

July 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment
📚 Part of our guide: Homeschooling a Struggling Learner

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Resource for Teens Who Struggle With Reading with Tara Giddings.

Resource For Teens Who Struggle With Reading with Tara Giddings

Resource For Teens Who Struggle With Reading with Tara Giddings

Some homeschooling high schoolers love reading. Others do not! Some teens struggle with reading. That’s why Vicki was excited to talk about a reading program that respectfully helps teens build their reading skills.

We talked to Tara Giddings from LearnUp Centers. She and her team work with teens who have struggled with reading. (It’s not anything to be ashamed of because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.)

About LearnUp

LearnUp is a non-profit that has been around for ten years. They are on a mission to help all young people learn how to read.

LearnUp is on a mission to help all young people learn how to read.

The team works with readers of all ages and all grades! They have developed a program specifically to support our teen learners.

The LearnUp program supports students using their proven structured literacy program. They offer high-dosage tutoring for students in-person in San Francisco and online nationwide.

How things got started

The LearnUp reading program was initially created for a family whose fifth-grader was reading at below a second-grade level. They had tried many different programs. Nothing was working.

The family was feeling frustrated: “What do we do? How can we help our kid learn how to read?”

They finally found Steve Tatum, the founder of the LearnUp reading program, Tatum Reading. Working with Steve, the child rose from a second-grade reading level to high school level in less than a year!

The family was so excited about their child’s success! So, Steve sat down with the parents and walked them through the structured literacy reading program. (He calls this a train-the-trainer approach.)

Steve Tatum had combined the best elements of a number of reading programs. Using this “best elements” approach helped students learn as quickly as possible while still being engaging.

The non-profit is launched

The family was so happy about their child’s reading success that they asked to work with Steve to start a non-profit. They wanted to share the program with as many students as possible and for it to be accessible for families who may not otherwise be able to afford these services. They knew that education is key to unlocking success in the future. So LearnUp was born. They strive to make sure that students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, have the same opportunities.

LearnUp helps middle and high schoolers

Learning quickly is especially important for our middle and high schoolers; they don’t have time to waste. They need to catch up fast.

The team from LearnUp wants to make sure they are clear about what we do differently when we work with teens.

They adapted the curriculum, called Unlocking Reading Success, specifically for those older students. The lessons are engaging and story-driven. Teens can make sense of weird phonics rules, presented in a way that does not feel babyish. They never want teens to feel like they’re being talked down to.

LearnUp tutors interact with teens differently than with younger students. They know they need to get teens’ buy-in and engagement. They learn to see themselves as readers!

How to get started with LearnUp

The first step in starting LearnUp is to take their free virtual intake assessment.

They want to make sure that all families can get insight into their homeschooler’s reading. Contact LearnUp, and you will be connected with one of their advanced tutors.

This intake assessment will show their student’s entry level. The entry levels are one reason they can move teens more quickly through the program, because we don’t start at the beginning of our scope and sequence with every student. LearnUp meets them where they are.

LearnUp has found students tend to bucket into about five different entry levels, ranging from a non-reader who knows some sounds, to an early reader who can read some one-syllable words. Then there are what they call “Start 3s and 4s”. Those students have more skills, but need support in areas such as reading multi-syllable words.

An example of how LearnUp works

When a student comes in at entry-level Start 4, their tutor would start them at more advanced phonics so the student feels challenged. They would go back and fill in the gaps in their reading as needed.

Some students come to LearnUP at the last Start, an entry level where the teen sounds like they can read. However, they need support in comprehension, decoding, and writing.

So what would a LearnUp session look like?

After the assessment, parents connect with LearnUp to schedule their teen with a tutor.

During each session, tutors and students use visual and auditory aids to review what they have covered so far. Then teens learn a new phonics concept of the day. They practice on a digital board using “nonsense words”, so that they are challenged to apply the new phonics concept. The teen and the tutor also practice the concept by taking turns sharing nonsense words.

Then they would practice some spelling with real words.

Next, they read a decodable story in a chapter book using that day’s phonics concept. These stories are relevant and engaging for the teens. These are not reading children’s stories, but rather interesting, culturally relevant stories from Japanese mythology to African American folklore.

Reading stories builds comprehension and engagement skills. These are the skills they need for schoolwork and for life!

LearnUp success stories

Tara shares the story of a high school student who was referred to as a hall walker by her school’s staff.  She was technically at school, but never spending any time in class. Rather, she was just walking around the hallways the whole time. This is an avoidance technique because the student knows they cannot engage in class.)

The LearnUp tutor worked with this teen who was at an early-reader level. (She was only able to read some one-syllable words.) However, within sixty sessions during one semester, she was able to jump over three grade levels. She gained confidence and began attending and engaging in her classes instead of hall walking.

Connect with LearnUp

To get started with LearnUp, you can contact LearnUp at

For more on helping struggling high school learners:

Join Vicki and Tara and learn about reading resources with LearnUp.

Thank you to Seth Tillman for editing.

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10 Ways to Help Teens Develop Their Interests

June 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
📚 Part of our guide: Homeschooling High School

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: 10 Ways to Help Teens Develop Their Interests.

10 Ways to Help Teens Develop Their Interests

10 Ways to Help Teens Develop Their Interests

 One of the joys of homeschooling high school is helping teens invest in their interests.

One of the most important gifts we can give our teens in their high school years is to lean into discovering their interests, to explore ideas that are important to them, or simply to find out that they have interests, and to try on hats and to see which ones are the best fits for them.

Out of these interests, teens may turn them into hobbies or avocations that will follow them for the rest of their lives, or just for the high school years.

However, often these interests will become the first steps towards a career.

We, parents, want to know that we have done our part in helping our teens be ready for the next phase of life. We want to invest in them,  to know whether they really are interested in something enough to make it a career.

Whether an interest will become a hobby or a career, an important part of high school is investing in interests.

Let’s talk about 10 ways to help teens develop their interests

Remember, discovering and developing interests is an adventure, so try not to get stressed about it! Here are ten ways to have an interesting adventure!

1. Start get-togethers or a club

If you find your teen has an interest they would like to explore, see if they’ve got some friends who have the same interests. Let them have get-togethers and participate in the activity together, or make a club.

One of Vicki’s sons and his friends were interested in doing film. The movie The Lord of the Rings was popular in those days. My son and his friends watched the extra material on the videos. This inspired them to make their own videos.

Soon, they wanted a Cinematography Club. The teens had so much fun. They made short movies from start to finish: scripting, filming, acting, and making props. We were able to include this as an extracurricular on their transcripts.

That son went to community college and got his AA degree in video production. By that time, he had said, “You know what? This is not what I want to do for a career, but it’s going to be a good tool.” He has used filmmaking throughout college to do his presentations.

He is a teacher now, and he has sponsored a Cinematography Club at his school.

Remember: You are never wasting time when investing in your teen’s interests.

2. Join a local group that’s already there

In some areas, there are lots of opportunities for teens to explore different interests. For instance:

  • Local libraries often have programs for teens

Your co-op, local homeschool support groups, or umbrella schools often have some kind of interest groups for teens. Our homeschool high schoolers have participated in public speaking groups, choirs, bands, service groups, and sports teams through our umbrella school or homeschool support group.

3. Sometimes churches will have things that our teens find interesting

Teens who are ministry-oriented, mission-oriented, and/or enjoy church youth groups can join groups that help them explore these interests. A number of our teens have been in the church youth group and have joined missions trips overseas or here in the States.

4. Opportunities in the community

Look for interesting opportunities in the community: ranger-led walks in state parks, organizations that do river cleanup days, birdwatching groups, etc.

5. Take an online or a local course

There are endless opportunities for our teens:

6. Log hours for an elective credit

If your teen wants to spend some time exploring a subject, let them do it. Have them log the hours. One of our top articles at 7SistersHomeschool is from the Freedom Homeschool mom. Her name is Sarah, and her teens have been exploring gardening. They have done gardening for an elective credit. They log those hours and get elective credit.

7. If they are interested in something that can build core credits, let’s let them lean into it

Some of our teens who have been into sciences have done extra sciences like marine biology or an extra chemistry course. If they are into it, let them explore.

We have had teens get a textbook on astronomy and take courses in that.

7. Have them write a research paper for their ELA credit or towards some elective hours

Teens can turn interests into electives! One of my teens was born a musician and has enjoyed singing, playing guitar, and being part of a church worship band. When he was in high school, he developed an interest in the history of church music. So, one year, he did a deep dive into this topic, writing a research paper on the topic. He spent enough time on the topic that he logged an elective credit in Church Music History.

(BTW- this is a true “sparkle credit” on the transcript!)

8. Teens can take a dual enrollment course

Teens can take dual enrollment courses at their local community college or online courses through a college. If these courses help them explore an interest, they earn a triple blessing: early college credit, high school credit, and another way to explore interests.

9. Find an apprenticeship

Finding an apprenticeship for your teen is a good idea. Years ago, one of our teens wanted to explore becoming a farrier. She found a local farrier and worked with them, and began learning those skills. This was a first step in a career that was meaningful to her.

Another one of our teens was interested in becoming a large animal vet. She did an apprenticeship for a vet. This was a valuable experience for her because she found that she did NOT like the on-call lifestyle of a veterinarian.

10. Find a service or volunteer opportunity

Is there something related to your interest that the teen can do to serve the community? For instance, in our area near the Chesapeake Bay, some organizations take families kayaking and participate in a river cleanup.  This gives teens service hours, as well as understanding the local waterway, using a kayak, and enjoying nature.

Bonus: 11.  Allow your teen time each day for fun exploring their interest!

Don’t forget to join the 7SistersHomeschool Facebook Group. It’s a great place to ask questions and share your own ideas with others.

For more on helping your teens explore interests, check out these:

Thank you to Seth Tillman for editing!

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