My Homeschool Now Includes a Teenager

On the 7th of this month, my daughter, who once spit up on me, asked me to kiss boo boos, and begged for one more bedtime story, turned 13. She has turned in teddy bears, tea sets, and crayons for a cell phone, Facebook page, and blog. The transformation has been occurring for quite some time but it never really hits until “teen” is the last syllable of the age. She is funny, smart, quick witted, discerning, trustworthy, and at times snotty, ungrateful and very teen. What I am most proud of is that she does not speak in a … Continue reading →

Homeschool Question: Ideas for an Independent 13 year old

Problem: A recent question in the homeschool forum asks for ideas for a boxed curriculum or other independent learning system for an independent 13 year old. Particulars in this situation is that mom is pregnant, the 13 year old is beyond the mothers level of math knowledge, and up until now, the mom has been preparing the curriculum. The 13 year old is also considering a special high school program and so he needs to be prepared to possibly enter high school in a year. A follow up question revealed that the son has a math tutor. Mom also wants … Continue reading →

Homeschooling Middle School Kids

Homeschooling during the elementary school years means teaching kids the basics. It involves teaching, reading, writing, and basic math. Homeschooling during these early years also means setting your kids in the right direction in areas of emotional and social development. Homeschooling during the high school years means preparing your kids for adult life. This means intensive academic preparation for the college bound. It means internships for trade bound students. It also means slowly transferring adult responsibilities to your children and helping them learn to step into an adult role. Homeschooling middle school students are a different animal altogether. You have … Continue reading →

Celebrating Accomplishments

Myra Turner reminded us yesterday about remembering to celebrate educational milestones while homeschooling in her article, Celebrating School Rites of Passage. How I neglected to address Kindergarten Graduation when writing my post on Homeschool Graduation, I will never know. After reading the article, I realized that we were letting my daughter slip from elementary school to middle school with absolutely no fanfare. For shame! Not only that, but we did the same to our son two years ago. Needless to say, this weekend will be one of celebration for our family. Since our kids, will both be transitioning to a … Continue reading →

The Days You Consider Public Schooling

No one ever said homeschooling was easy. There will definitely be days when you want to send them back to public (or private school), just as there are days when teachers want to send children back home. Today is one of those days for me. I instead of listening to my instructions this morning, my daughter is throwing objection, after objection at me. As if I do not know how to write a book report, she is telling me why the model will not work instead of opening her mind and listening. I know our butting of heads comes from … Continue reading →