Nurturing Your Children | A Guide to Homeschooling Success | Free Planner!

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey there, students and parents! September is here, and it’s that time of year when we get back to school, whether it’s in a classroom or at home. This month, let’s set some goals and aim for greatness in our homeschooling journey. Imagine unlocking your full potential and making learning a fun adventure with your children!

Tailoring Education to Your Child

One of the amazing things about homeschooling is that you can customize your learning experience. You get to choose the curriculum and schedule that works best for you and your child. This allows your child to focus on absorbing and understanding information at their own pace.

Recognizing Strengths and Working on Weaknesses in Your Children, Self,  and Homeschool

We all have things we’re great at and areas where we could improve. Homeschooling allows us to identify our strengths and weaknesses and work on both. By doing this, we can grow in every aspect of our lives, not just academically.

Developing a Love for Learning in Your Children

As homeschooling parents, we want our children to love learning. And that’s not limited to textbooks! We’re also interested in nurturing their character and values. Learning is not just about facts; it’s about becoming better individuals.

Setting Goals and Planning Activities

In this guide, you’ll find help in creating goals for the month. Plan out activities, reading time, game nights, household chores, and even charitable work with your church and community. Having a plan in place helps keep things organized.

Hands-On Learning

Learning isn’t just about reading and writing; it’s also about doing. Try immersive learning experiences, unit studies, and topical studies that cover various subjects. Let your child study topics they’re passionate about; it’ll make them unique and self-reliant adults.

Encouraging Independence in Your Children

As your child grows older, give them more say in their studies. You can help them succeed by providing support and guidance. Overcoming challenges takes time and effort, but it’s worth it in the end.

Planning for the Months Ahead

Take a moment to look at upcoming holidays and events. While plans may change, having an overview helps in scheduling. The coming months can be hectic, so let’s get organized early.

Time to Be Kids

Remember, it’s crucial to give your children downtime. They don’t need to be overscheduled. This planner helps you find that balance.

 Enjoy the Journey

Homeschooling is not just about academics. It’s about exploring the world, seeking answers, and challenging ideas through experiments and discovery. Make learning an exciting adventure!

So, as we kickstart this school year, let’s aim for greatness. Use the tools in this planner to stay organized and focused on your goals. And most importantly, enjoy your time with your family and the wonderful journey of learning. Have a fantastic September!

Blessings,
Christina Moss

Get Your September Organize It! Planner and Kickstart the School Year With Your Children

 

Sign Up Here:

Get convenient links to all the latest homeschool podcasts each week- PLUS new printables every month! A free gift from the author, Felice Gerwitz, Ultimate Homeschool Radio owner and podcaster at Vintage Homeschool Moms!

 

Disclosure Statement regarding affiliates and partnerships.

 

FREE homeschool planner to use with your children.

How To Do It All In Your Homeschool

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

How To Do It All In Your Homeschool | Have you wondered how to get everything done in your homeschool day? In this episode, we discuss PBF, how to set priorities and boundaries, and leave time for what matters: family | #podcast #homeschoolpodcast #Blessingsfromheaven #kids #HowToDoItAllInYourHomeschoolHow To Do It All In Your Homeschool ~ Episode 502

Have you wondered how to get everything done in your homeschool day? How to do it all? In this episode, we discuss PBF, how to set priorities and boundaries, and leave time for what matters: family!

Our Sponsor! I want to thank Route 60: A Biblical Highway for sponsoring this podcast. Please check out the link here. Route60.movie

One mom’s response resonated in the recent survey we created as part of my 500th Episode Celebration.

Quick Links to planning: Organized Homeschool Forms here.

And Easy Way Planning – Featuring the 4-Square Planner.

Easy Way Planning

Helpful Resources:

My friend Mary Jo Tate has some helpful resources.

Real Moms Need Help

So, this podcast is dedicated to this mom – and all of those listening who are struggling to complete a day without regrets! Real questions are answered, but I’ll end with the PBF Method, setting priorities, boundaries, and family time. Added to my 4-Square Daily or Weekly Planner, this simple method will help you manage your day with bite-sized and realistic goals.

I want to read this mom’s response to my survey. (Read on air.)

Often, we pressure ourselves to succeed at all costs or to reach these invisible goals and markers that say you passed or failed today and the heartbreak that comes when we are hard on ourselves. What I am hearing through all of this is a calling from the Almighty; therefore, you are absolutely in the right place. God calls us to say yes; he does not call us to succeed. That is the pressure from self and the world. Just because we know the cause, which is you are putting the blame on yourself and feeling inadequate, does not diminish the real issue, which we will address in this homeschool podcast.

The resounding questions surround these themes:

  1. God’s grace. Not quitting.
  2. How can I accomplish X, Y, and Z? With what time in the day? (The example given was dinner and homemade ice cream.)
  3. The feeling of inadequacy and failure.
  4. When she had a good day of homeschooling, she had a bad day of housekeeping. (Grocery shopping vs. homeschooling.)
  5. How did you make it through?

Let’s tackle each of these questions one at a time. (More on this podcast, points we cover.)

  1. God’s grace and not quitting are wonderful; that is true faith.
  2. Accomplishing begins with making reasonable daily goals.
  3. Feeling inadequate and a failure is a tool of the enemy to rob you of your peace.
  4. What are your priorities?
  5. How did I make it, though? With PBT – Priorities, boundaries, and family.

So first, how do you set priorities? Pray about this; it will be different for each of us. Here is an example of mine during a homeschool week.

Homeschool Priorities: 

What is the most pressing? Do it first. That is the key to accomplishing, not putting off or procrastinating. Enlist the kids to help, your spouse, and give time, even if it means a quick prayer to make it through the day.

  1. Prayer
  2. Meals
  3. Homeschool
  4. Pick-up daily

Homeschool Boundaries:

Avoid the joy suckers in our life. For me, that was a specific friend and those things that robbed me of time, like emails.

  1. What are the distractions in your life?
  2. What wears you down?
  3. Who is a drain on your relationship?
  4. Set boundaries, for example…(cell phone, social media, emails, etc.)

Homeschool Family:

Your family is more critical than folded laundry, a clean house, or grocery shopping. Sure, all those things are essential, but remember that you are blessed with the care of children for a brief time. Make it matter.

  1. Family matters, first priority after spouse and God.
  2. Squeaky wheel. Work on discipline.
  3. Say what you mean and mean what you say.
  4. Time with your spouse. Are you on the same page?

I have links on homeschool organization and planning. In fact, for years, we’ve given away planners for free monthly just because you are one of the thousands on our list who struggle with the same issues. If I can help one mom, I’m happy.

I want to remind you that homeschooling and saying yes to your Divine calling already means you are a success in the eyes of the only one who matters: God. If He calls you, he will give you the grace to succeed. Your feelings of inadequacy are often a result of false expectations of what homeschooling looks like. Not every day will be stellar, balanced, or productive. If you lose it, you apologize to your kids and spouse and ask for forgiveness. That’s it. That goes a long way toward healing and building bridges and teaches your kids that if they mess up, they ask for forgiveness.

I had days when I called off school because the kids were fighting or I was exhausted with another headache… So the dishes didn’t get done on time, or dinner consisted of stuffed baked potatoes and a salad! I had days when I threatened to put my kids back in “real school” or where I punished them by not taking them to a planned outing or field trip. We all learned through these episodes and these “failure days” that we have tomorrow to do it again and hopefully do it together.

If your children are little, it is way harder to homeschool than if they are older. Consider programs like CTCMath.com and ReadingEggs.com – both sponsors of this network from time to time, but both are good programs to use in times of stress or being overwhelmed.

Don’t look at other people; your kids are better with a teacher who loves and knows them. I homeschooled for 32 years combined, and my kids are thankful for the opportunities that only homeschool allowed. Homeschooling allowed my struggling learners the extra time they needed, my gifted the time to explore interests and hobbies, a creative outlet, and all my children to enjoy downtime and think.

I want to leave you with this:

Homeschooling is not a race but a progression toward the finish line.

It is for God’s glory, the love of family, and the salvation of humanity. Does that sound like fluff? I promise it is not. We are giving the hurting world in which we live kids that value the good things. Honor, truth, integrity, and those things are lacking in our world today.

Dear Moms and Dads, continue to fight the good fight, but finish the homeschool race on your time.

Share this episode with a friend, and rate us on your favorite podcast app!

6 Random Tips for the Organizationally Challenged

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

The Organizing Challenge

Organized Homeschool mom plans her day with a plannerI don’t know whether some kind of momentum builds from taking down the Christmas tree and decorations, or if we’re eager to start a new year on the right foot, or if we just start getting antsy being cooped up inside, or a combination of all three catalysts, but January seems to be the time of the year when we all start thinking about organizing, scheduling, and just generally getting our lives in order!

If you’re like me, you’ve been binge cleaning (whether or not you see much in the way of tangible evidence) and looking around your house for ways you can stash the clutter a little better…a desk here, an Ikea cube unit there, a shelf or two over here.

In my little tribe on Facebook, many moms share a similar struggle to me: getting organized and following through on plans. I can’t say I have all the answers or have conquered this struggle yet, but I have learned to manage my “disability” over the years and have discovered some tricks and ideas that have worked for me. So I want to share those with you!

  1. Ask God First
  2. Install (and use!) the ToDoist App
  3. Find a Homeschooling Planner That Fits Your Style
  4. Get Rid of the Broken Shoelaces
  5. Handle Mail and e-mail Immediately
  6. Keep a Gift Bin

Ask God First

One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 16:9: “A man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps.” It’s a reminder that, while planning is good, it’s really God who directs each day. So, doesn’t it make sense to just go ahead and consult Him first?

I usually try to pray through my to-do list every day while I’m still in bed. I also pay attention to what God puts on my heart first thing in the morning. Often, even before I’m fully awake, I will hear the Lord speak to me about things I need to do that day.

Install and Use the ToDoist App

Once upon a time, I tried a daily to-do list. I would write it out in the morning, get to about half the items that day, then keep it for the next day and add more. It ended up a big, long, never-ending scribbly mess! Then I tried transferring to a new paper each day. Do you know what it’s like to write out every single item that I didn’t complete on a new sheet? Depressing, that’s what! I didn’t need to slowly and painfully write out my failures each day.

But, the alternative was not good. With no list, I forgot about so many important things I needed to do! (It’s not cool when you forget to pay bills, for example.) Then I finally found the ToDoist app on my phone – there is a desktop version that syncs with the phone app too so we can stay organized everywhere! I love it because I can move things around from day to day instead of looking at scribbles and feeling frustrated by all I didn’t get to. Somehow the neatness of it is helpful to me…and the ease of moving things. Try it and see if it works for you!

Find a Homeschooling Planner that Fits Your Style

In case it’s not horribly obvious, I am a Type B person. I hate planners and planning in general, and I’ve never found one that I was in love with. So, naturally, I just created my own! The Lifeschooling Vision Planner is designed for extremely flexible people like me…but it’s also adaptable to those who require a little more structure. I love it! During the month of January, it’s included in a full kit of lifeschooling resources for an amazing introductory price!

Another great planner is the Beyond Blessed Planner by Ana Willis. This planner has it all! If you want to organize your entire life on paper, this one is for you. Includes sections for homeschool mission, annual goals, monthly goals, monthly spending tracker, meal planner, pantry inventory, food journal, water intake, and so much more! It truly is all-encompassing. And the best part is it’s filled with Scripture from cover to cover.

If you just need a basic, down-to-earth daily planner for the budget-conscious, check out the Best Homeschool Life Planner by Christine Zell. It will give you just enough guidance to not become yet another burden to keep up with. It includes an attendance record, monthly and weekly page spreads that include reading and field trip logs, and customizable bullet pages.

Whatever your style and personality, do some research and find what works for you. If it doesn’t work, don’t force it! Move on until you find the right fit. It’s important to find something to help direct you through each homeschool day.

Get Rid of the Broken Shoelaces

I am the classic, “But I might be able to use that someday” girl! Over the years, I have learned that it is burdensome to hang onto everything because it’s a reminder of all the projects and ideas that I can never find time to get to. If you’ve owned it for a few years, it’s time to get real with yourself. You probably won’t ever use it. Plus, maybe you can pass it on and bless someone who can!

My friend Barbara is great at this! My youngest son even picked up on it and talks about how Mrs. M. is always getting rid of stuff! Once when she came over to help us organize and purge, I “reasoned” with her that I could use some of these things and that I didn’t want to waste them and end up needing them someday. “Well,” she said, “I love to bless others with things I’m not currently using. I just always pray that God will bring that type of item back to me later if I end up needing it, and so often He has done that.” Her response really helped change my thinking in this area! Sometimes hanging on to things is a lack of trust for God to provide in His timing.

Handle Mail and e-mail Immediately

Okay, confession time. I don’t do this…at least, not with my e-mail. But I think it might be time! I currently have over 50,000 e-mails sitting in my inbox. (Ridiculous!!) I was very inspired the other day when my mother-in-law told me that the high executive she used to work for at a large national bank (I believe he was #3) left at the end of each day with an empty inbox. How freeing! He went through e-mails right away, handled them, and then deleted them. Sounds like a New Year’s goal for me!

I am much better with my paper mail, however. It comes in and I immediately put it all where it belongs. I’ve stopped trying to read every catalog and sales ad. If I don’t have time and it doesn’t pertain to my life right now, it goes right in the garbage. Gone are my early married days of piles of mail all over the house!

Keep a Gift Bin

I stole this idea from my mom who always kept a stash of children’s birthday gifts at the top of her closet when we were young. If we got invited to a birthday, we just “shopped” that bin and never had to worry about rushing at the last minute.

I do this now and it’s very helpful to me since I am so disorganized by nature! Not only does it save me at the last minute when I realize Sunday morning after breakfast that there’s a church baby shower, but it also saves me money since I can pick up items on sale at any time. (Or even re-gift unwanted birthday or Christmas gifts…shhhhhhh!)

Start Somewhere – Even if it’s Not Perfect

Even if you feel you have so far to go with scheduling and organizing your life, I think the important thing is just to start somewhere and find a rhythm. Once you get one little area consistent, you can move on to bigger goals.

I often think of the verse, “Despise not the day of small things.” Sometimes we have to just start somewhere, even if it’s not perfect. I’ve spent years trying to get my act together, so if you struggle as I do, I feel your pain! 😆 Celebrate the little successes and don’t beat yourself up for being imperfect.

Remember, God made you who you are for a reason. Just because organizing isn’t your strength doesn’t mean you can’t still be a successful homemaker and homeschooling mom. God sees your efforts and He does not reward us based on performance. He sees your heart and He meets you where you are and fills in the gaps. Aren’t you glad? I sure am!

 

About the Author: Danielle Papageorgiou has been homeschooling, or “lifeschooling,” for 18 years (she counts birth as day 1!) and runs a blog, LifeAsALifeschooler.com. She has a passion for helping other homeschoolers learn how to homeschool in a way that does not compete with family life, but actually enhances it…homeschooling done in a spirit of freedom, not legalism. She believes that each family is unique and God has placed in each child special gifts and desires that He wants to use. The verse that guides the Papageorgious in their pursuit of lifeschooling is Matthew 6:33, “But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and ALL these things will be added to you.” (Emphasis mine). Danielle has been married to her amazing husband, Jon, for 20 years and they have three talented and fun children, Konur (18), Elleina (15), and Korban (8).

Planning for the New School Year – MBFLP 229

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

As we look forward to the new school year – whether with fear or anticipation – we’re looking at the problem of planning. How much is necessary? Is there a point of “too much”? What sort of process works best?

We’ve been homeschooling for twenty-five years now, and we’ve probably done it all, from detailed daily schedules to very flexible, constantly adapting plans. “Life happens,” as they say, and sometimes we’re reminded that God has lessons for our family that we may not have expected. In fact, that’s a key learning for us as homeschooling parents – make plans, yes, but with the humility to accept that God may overrule them at any point – and when He does, it will be for the good.

This episode we talk about striking that balance, being good stewards of the time we have with our kids, but also knowing that opportunities and emergencies will disrupt the best-laid plans. We’ve found you can accommodate both of them!


This episode brought to you by Evangelical Christian Credit Union



Special Thanks to Our Network Sponsor -Overcomer Movie

Life changes overnight for coach John Harrison when his high school basketball team’s state championship dreams are crushed under the weight of unexpected news. When the largest manufacturing plant in town suddenly shuts down and hundreds of families begin moving away, John must come to grips with the challenges facing his family and his team. Urged by the school’s principal to fill-in and coach a sport he doesn’t know or like, John is frustrated and questioning his worth… until he crosses paths with a student struggling with her own journey.
Filled with a powerful mix of faith, a twist of humor, and a ton of heart, the Kendrick Brothers return to theaters with OVERCOMER, their newest feature following FACING THE GIANTS, FIREPROOF, COURAGEOUS, and the #1 box-office hit, WAR ROOM. The inspiring family film stars Alex Kendrick, Priscilla Shirer, Shari Rigby, Cameron Arnett, and introduces Aryn Wright-Thompson.

Opening nationwide on August 23, OVERCOMER dares to leave you filled with hope, inspired to dream, and asks the question: what do you allow to define you?

Click here to learn more!


10 Tech Tips and Tricks for Homeschool Families

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

homeschool mom planning and using tech to schedule her homeschool10 Tech Tips and Tricks for Homeschool Families

By Meryl van der Merwe

 

Homeschooling is time-consuming and homeschool moms are constantly juggling many things at once. I decided this was the perfect time of the year to share 10 tech tips and tricks that help me to be more productive and organized. Best of all, these tools are free!

Simplify Your Life With Google Drive

If you aren’t already using Google Drive and the Google Drive apps, be sure to listen to episode 2 of my Homeschooling With Technology podcast to learn other ways you can use these amazing apps! Google Drive apps make it easy to share anything: documents, spreadsheets, slides, surveys and more can all be shared with your children, husband, and homeschool friends.

Using Google for Homeschool Assignments

When your children submit assignments using Google docs or slides, you can comment and make suggestions for improvements right in the document. Because you simply share the Google Drive files with others, you are both always looking at the latest version. You save time and effort (and confusion) since you avoid emailing multiple files back and forth! If another user accidentally messes up someone else’s changes you can easily go back to an earlier version! Google saves your changes automatically.

Send Large Files Using Google Drive

Ever tried to email a video or other large file to someone and you can’t because the file is too large? Just upload it to Google Drive and then share the link and you are set!

Organize Links With Evernote

How many times have you found an amazing website, read a great blog post, or watched an interesting video – and thought you would remember where you saw it? Bookmark them all so you can come back to them whenever you want. There are many ways to bookmark links, but my favorite is to use Evernote. Create folders and save links in the relevant folder so they stay organized. If you use the Chrome browser, there is an Evernote extension that lets you “clip” any URL or highlighted text to save it in your folders.

Keep Your Browser Uncluttered

Maybe you are like me – really bad at having a LOT of tabs open at the same time. Recently I discovered a tool that has helped me declutter my browser. Often when I see something mentioned in a newsletter or a blog post that looks interesting, I am not yet certain that I want to save it. Now instead of keeping the tab open (which slows down my poor laptop dramatically), I use Toby! It allows me to drag the open tabs into a storage place. The Toby extension is available for the Chrome, Firefox and Opera browsers which makes the process super fast. Now I assign things I see to Toby and when I am ready to go through them, I open a new tab – and there they are.

Digital Scheduling Tips

When you use technology to schedule your children’s schoolwork and chores, it is simple to update their schedules every week or even daily. Effortlessly copy the parts of the schedule that remain the same and only update what needs to change.  Move part of the schedule to another day using Google Sheets or the Google Calendar. These are both great scheduling tools but my personal favorite is Trello. With Trello you can have lists for each child and use those to post their assignments or chores for each day. They can check tasks off as they complete them allowing you to keep track of how they are doing. Trello is available for desktop or as an app, so it is ideal for teens who like being on their phones.

Online Study Tools

Online flashcards are great study tools! Websites like Studystack and Quizlet allow your students to learn with games and create their own flashcards. This is a fun way for them to review and hone their memory skills!

Streamline Grocery Shopping

For years now I have used the Anylist app on my iPhone. My husband and teens each had it on their phones so that whenever someone noticed something was running low they could add it to our list. The app is also great for keeping track of supplies for homeschool projects. With Anylist the shopping list is updated and on my phone, so no more shopping lists left at home! And if my husband is stopping at the grocery store on his way home, he can pick up everything else on the list and save me a trip.

Proofreading Tricks

Use Grammarly as your proofreader. Add the Grammarly extension to your Chrome toolbar and you have an automatic grammar and spelling checker everywhere you type online. In fact, it is what I am using as I type this post! Teach your children to use it to check their work. If you don’t use a Chrome browser, you can still sign up for Grammarly. Just cut and paste your child’s essay and Grammarly will highlight errors.

Stay Informed and Get Inspired

Keep up to date with your favorite podcasts! As you teach your children, don’t forget you need to grow and learn yourself. I struggle to find time to read the many blog posts I find, but podcasts have become my favorite way to self-educate. The Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network has many shows that are useful to homeschool students and parents.  The Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network website (right here) makes it easy to find podcasts from experts on homeschooling and Christian parenting. You can subscribe and listen on your favorite apps, listen right here from the website or sign up for a weekly email with links directly to all your favorite homeschool podcasters.

In fact, if you found these tips and tricks useful, be sure to subscribe to my podcast, Homeschooling with Technology for more on using tech to simplify your homeschool and your life! Each podcast episode is just 15 minutes long but is full of practical information you can use every day. The beauty of following your favorite podcast is that you can listen while you exercise, on trips to the store or while waiting to fetch a child from an activity. You don’t even have to listen to a whole podcast at a time – sometimes it takes me all week to listen to a long episode. Most podcasts (mine included) have show notes, so it is easy to look up a resource that is mentioned when you get back to your computer.

More Planning Tools

Finally, it’s back to homeschool season and some of the best resources for planning a curriculum, adding fun to your lessons, creating a new schedule or organizing your days, can be found online. Visit with me at the Homeschooling With Technology podcast this week and find many more Online Resources to Help you Select Curriculum. I invite you to join in the discussion with the rest of our online community on Facebook and gather more ideas with us on Pinterest and Instagram.

Did you find these tips and tricks useful? Which are you already using and which do you plan to try? I would love to know – so leave me a comment here or email me!

Planning for High School Success

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Planning for Homeschool High School Success with Homeschool High School There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school, but planning is such an important part of setting yourself up for success! Let’s talk about how to choose courses that will help mold teens’ character while giving them excellent life preparation, then how to plan to implement them over the 4 years of high school.

Homeschool high schoolers must be ready to face adulthood: educationally, spiritually, emotionally, physically, socially. As a homeschool parent, YOU get to help them prepare for the independence of adulthood. Here are tips for planning for high school success!

1) Set Long-Term Goals

Prayerfully think about what kind of young adulthood God has called your homeschooler to. Can you write a “wish list” describing his/her educational preparation, spiritual maturity, health, and social/relational skills? Keep it in perspective, of course:  a homeschool mom may plan her kids’ path- but God will direct their steps. You don’t want to get in His way, but thinking about the long-term picture will empower you to pray and help you make wise decisions.

2) Create some Short-Term Goals

Short-term goals are one-year-at-a-time goals for each year of high school. These will be the areas that you want to cover educationally each year with your homeschoolers. Here are some general thoughts about what to include:

Language Arts/Literature

Think about covering the common literature categories over the 4 years of high school. These common categories are typically recognized as British Literature, World Literature, and American Literature (in no particular order). Then add other categories that interest you and your teen, like Great Christian Writers, C.S. Lewis Studies, or why not blend topics for more general studies? Be sure to include vocabulary study, but incorporating that into your literature study is fine; using literature study guides is a great way to do that AND build a basic skill set for literary analysis.

Language Arts/Writing

Each year needs lots of writing of various types. Be sure to include a Research Paper, several Essays, and varied types of Creative Writing (poetry, short stories,journal entries, letters, song lyrics).

Grammar can either be learned using a stand-alone curriculum or (for students who have already mastered the basics) by editing their writing assignments and learning the nuances of good grammar as they correct their mistakes.

Maths

Include Algebra I, II, Geometry, and Financial Literacy (higher maths or business math may be a good choice according to your homeschool high schooler’s strengths and needs).

Social Studies

Most families study American History, World History (try integrating World History with Philosophy for a meaningful course!), Civics, Economics, Geography, Social Sciences (courses like Psychology or Sociology), and special topics of interest. These don’t need to be studied in any particular order, but make sure you spend time each year earning a credit of Social Studies.

Science

The commonly required sciences with lab experiments are Biology, Chemistry, and Physical Science (or Physics). Additionally, consider studying Health (or Human Development), specialty Courses such as Advanced Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Astronomy, Environmental Science, or others that fit with your child’s plans for college or career after graduation.

World Languages

It doesn’t matter which language you pick, but your student needs 2 or 3 years of the same language for the high school transcript.

Fine Arts

Music, visual art, dance, drama, photography…so many options, and one credit  is the absolutely minimum.

Phys Ed

This can be earned in many ways, but your teen needs at least 2 years of credits.

Career Exploration

This is one of the most valuable AND most-often-overlooked courses in high school. Varied numbers of credits need to be earned according to student needs. Help your homeschooler recognize what God has already done in his/her life and where He might be leading.

Religion

This is material that can be studied in many ways; choose an approach that fits your family.

Drivers Ed

You don’t want to play chauffeur the rest of your life, do you? 🙂

Electives

Elective courses are the ones where you get to choose what will uniquely complement your teen’s personality, areas of interest or passion, calling from God for ministry, and more. Use these to develop skills/talents, explore new areas of development, or add power (SPARKLE) to the high school transcript making it extra-attractive to colleges.

Planning for high school success means considering the generally agreed-upon requirements for a high school education AND considering the unique needs of your teen and your homeschool family. By giving both considerations time and importance, you will find the plan coming beautifully together for homeschool high school!

 


If you enjoyed this blog, please check out The Homeschool High School podcast on the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network!

Sabrina and Vicki are your Big Sisters as they share the experience they’ve gained in over 20 years of homeschooling. They are the talky-2 of the 6 Sisters at 7SistersHomeschool.com. They are often joined by their other sisters, Kym and Marilyn OR other 7th Sisters! When YOU join us at The Homeschool Highschool Podcast, YOU will be our 7th Sister, too! Hooray!!

Come be our 7th Sister each week for The Homeschool Highschool Podcast, Tuesday mornings at 9:00 am EST!

Plan Your Homeschool Year

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

How to Plan Your Homeschool Year podcast


[box] Want to read this article as a blog post? READ HERE or SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES or ON STITCHER[/box]

Hey homeschoolers!

It’s a new year and a great time to formulate a new plan for our homeschools. In this episode, I’ll share three simple strategies for planning your best homeschool year ever.

Links

Psychowith6 on Instagram

Power of Routines with Marla Cilley

Homeschool FLYing: Organizing with the FLYLady

The Organized Homeschool Life

A Plan in Place episode

Quarterly Homeschool Planner

Quarterly Homeschool Planning with Trello

Have a happy homeschool week!

Homeschool Planning That Doesn’t Take All Summer

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Homeschool Planning Shouldn't Take All Summer: The Homeschool Sanity Show PodcastFor so many years, I was frustrated. I needed lots and lots of time to plan my homeschool year in the summer, but I didn’t have it. My husband had other ideas for how to spend the summer and frankly so did I. I finally learned what I was doing wrong and I’ll share it with you in this episode.

Listen on ITUNES

Teaching Tip of the Week

Our Thrifty Home – subscribe

Organized Homeschool Challenge of the Week

is the Planning Challenge.

Links

ToDoist

Skedpal

two different approaches to homeschool planning on paper that my listeners can get for freeHave a happy homeschool week!

MBFLP – Planning For The New School Year

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

MBFLP - Planning For The New School Year

 

The new school year is coming … do you have your plans together yet? Or do you shudder at the thought? This episode, we talk about the need to have a plan, but not to obsess over it. You’ll find this episode both challenging and encouraging as Melanie explains her calm, positive approach to planning — with an eye to God’s providential interruption!

the Informer – with Rebecca Keliher, the Well Planned Gal

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Informer Podcast WPG

On this episode of the Informer podcast, host Tara Bentley interviews Rebecca Keliher, homeschool mom, creator of The Well Planned Day, and founder of Home Educating Family Association {HEDUA}. Rebecca shares her testimony, her personal homeschooling journey, information on her daughter’s new publication for young women called Dear Magazine, and she shares about how The Well Planned Day got started.

As a second generation homeschool family, Rebecca has spent time with hundreds of homeschool moms across the country. She’s seen that many moms struggle with the same fears and doubts. Rebecca and Tara tackle topics such as struggling with organization, exhaustion, comparing yourself to other moms, and loving your child unconditionally.

This podcast captures the true passion of Rebecca, which is ministering to homeschool families and being an encouragement to individual moms. Her enthusiasm is truly contagious.