Since my children were very small, I have tried to be very deliberate about establishing and keeping family traditions.  Many came from my own childhood, and were "imported" to my new home once I was married.  I still carry so many fond memories of the Thanksgivings of my youth back in Michigan, waking up to the wonderful sounds and smells of my mother's early Thanksgiving morning cooking routine.  I was determined that my children would awaken to the same things, and they do!

The onset of the winter holidays here in the USA lets me know that time is about to really FLY for the next 2 months.  It is easy to get overwhelmed, between holiday preparations, houseguests, shopping, and the rapidly approaching end of the semester.  I think that the high school years are unique in that there isn't always room in the schedule for too many interruptions, no matter how  wonderful the interruptions may be.  Gone are the years when we could take an entire month to study pilgrims, make model Mayflower ships out of popsicle sticks, or read nothing but books about Thanksgiving.  Our schedule is particularly heavy this year...so how can we put an old-fashioned "focus" onto Thanksgiving in the midst of Algebra 2, C++ Programming, Chemistry, American Government and Economics, English Composition, Foreign Language, Logic and Rhetoric, and CLEP prep? 

We enjoy turning to the Psalms in the evenings, seeking passages dealing with being thankful in the midst of tumultuous times.  Aren't we in the midst of a tumultuous time?  Do you think things are going to get even more tumultuous in the coming months and years?  I sure do!  What a wonderful habit for ALL of us to be in: giving thanks in all things!  And what a wonderful habit to instill in our young adults who, should Christ's return be yet a ways off, will have to live out their lives in a world far different from the one we grew up in. 

Our copy of William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" finds its way to the dinner table as well, and we enjoy reading it out loud.  There is nothing better than going directly to the source when the desire is to know the truth of an historic event.  Today's commentators and writers, whether secular or Christian, were not present in Plymouth with the pilgrims...but William Bradford was.  To read his words is such a treasure!  I pray that every Christian high school homeschooler (and every homeschooler, period, for that matter) would have the joy and privilege of reading Bradford's account of the entire journey, from start to finish!  It was translated from Elizabethan English into "modern English" in 1909, but it is still a challenging read to get into...at first.  By the end of the first chapter, especially if reading aloud, I found my brain and my tongue pretty well adapted to the style, and no longer had to read and re-read every other sentence to have it make sense!  It is well worth the effort. 

(An aside here...if American History is yet in the future for you and your students, strongly consider obtaining a copy of this book, and have your students begin it early, perhaps over the summer.  You will have a source of original "American truth," and can then use it as the standard by which you judge the material your purchased curriculum offers.)

Another fun, relaxed, and entertaining way to enjoy and focus on this special season of giving thanks is through a unique and free resource called "Homeschool Radio Shows."  Homeschool dad and entrepreneur, Jim Erskine, from Canmer, Kentucky, has long had a passion for old-time radio shows.  He's collected and catalogued hundreds (thousands?) of them, and makes them available at no charge to those who join his mailing list.  Right now, he has a couple of Thanksgiving-themed shows available for downloading.  You will receive links to a new show every week, and will, from time to time, be offered a collection of stories for a small price.  But they always maintain a wonderful weekly offering of free shows.  I have been a member of Jim's mailing list for many years now, and I've purchased a few of his marvelous collections.  The mp3 files can be burned to CD's, and we've enjoyed doing this in order to have wholesome listening entertainment during road-trips, or vacation days.  We love to gather around the CD/mp3 player during the colder months with a crackling fire, a sketch book or some hand-work, listening and laughing together.

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

Lori

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (16), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."     You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger  .

Home Economics...a class I never took in high school because I was in band...was part and parcel for young ladies in high school once upon a time.  Girls were taught how to cook meals, sew clothing, do laundry, etc.  Nowadays, few girls in the public school system receive such training.  If they do take what we might call "Home Ec" classes, they're more likely to be referred to by different names, such as "Applied Science: Foods," or "Consumer Education." 

A quick glance at the course catalog of my own local public high school shows such courses as, "Interior Design," "Fashion Merchandising," "Culinary Arts and Nutrition," "Food Science," "Child Development," "Parenting," "Adult Living/Personal Relationships."  ALL course descriptions provide the way that these courses will relate to a future college-major/course of study. 

A few years ago, my niece and her then-boyfriend (now husband) joined our family for Thanksgiving dinner.  I invited her to join me in the kitchen to help with some of the last minute tasks...I figured I would let her "show off" a little to this young man by showcasing her skill in the kitchen!  I realize that this is a VERY old-fashioned way of thinking...and this side of the family does not know Christ, does not value home-education, nor the "training up" of children for any purpose other than attending college so as to get the best possible job and make money so they can have a "good life."  Even so, I knew that men enjoy a good meal, and I was determined to set up a scenario where this potential husband-to-be would be impressed! 

 "Sweetie, come help your old aunt with dinner...can you make the mashed potatoes tonight?"  "Sure, I guess.  I've never made them before...what do I do?"  "Well, the potatoes are all in that big bowl...they're all washed, so just peel them, quarter them, and put them in that big pot of boiling water to cook."  "OK, how do I peel them?"  "The vegetable peeler is right there, see?"  "OK, I see it, but how do I peel them?"  "How do you peel them?  I'm sorry, do you prefer a paring knife to peel your potatoes?"  "A what-knife?"  "Sweetie, what do you like to use to peel a potato?"  "I don't know...I've never peeled a potato.  I don't know how." 

I showed her how to use a vegetable peeler and a knife on a potato; she chose the vegetable peeler, and began to work, slowly.  Her mother joined in to help speed things along, as did I, with my paring knife.  Once the potatoes were boiled, the two continued the impromptu cooking lesson, mother teaching daughter the art of adding milk, butter, salt, and pepper to get the perfect consistency.  Together, they hunted down and removed all the lumps left in the creamy masterpiece...a tragedy, in my opinion. My daddy always told us, "if there aren't any lumps in it you don't know they're real potatoes...the best made-from-scratch mashed potatoes ALWAYS have lumps, they're no good without the lumps!"

I pulled my niece aside and quietly told her, "you know, the lumps are OK...you don't always have to remove all the lumps!"  She surprised me by immediately going back over to her mom, and saying, "I'll take out the lumps...I am her daughter!"  "Good for you," I thought!  "And good for you, Mom...you taught her how to peel a potato and make edible food from it!"  Better late than never.  This was a 21 year old who considered putting a box of icy stuff in the microwave to be "cooking." 

The point of this isn't really to debate the best way to prepare mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving (that'll be next week's article).  Nor is it to criticize anyone who puts a frozen box of pasta in the microwave and calls it "cooking dinner," for I have done it myself on more than one occasion!  

What I desire to share is something most homeschool parents already realize, and that is the alarming inability, due to the simple lack of any training, of the average young adult in this country to manage a home in a healthy, financially responsible, and balanced manner.  Our young men and women are largely being "trained" for college entrance and career.  Within the homeschool community, I realize that there are widely varying opinions on the issue of career-women vs. home-keepers.  Therefore, I will not be going there!  Whichever side of that fence you fall on, I believe we can all agree that if our young people are blessed to enter into marriage and family, they will save themselves boatloads of emotional angst if both of them know how to: prepare food at home from scratch; buy just what they can afford and truly need rather than be attracted and drawn to excessive home decor that can only be purchased with credit and debt; sew simple articles of clothing rather than having to purchase everything at the store; repair fixable broken items rather than replacing them; give regularly to the work of the church and save some of their income on a regular basis rather than spending every penny that comes in on "wants" -- as opposed to needs.  

This is the "art" and "science" of home economics.  Parents of homeschooling high school students...I would beg you, do not ignore this most important area of "study," even if one or more of your students is a college-bound guy, as is one of mine.  Curricula abound out there, if you desire this, or you can simply bring them alongside you when you cook dinner, make a sandwich, do the laundry, scrub down a bathtub, or clean a toilet.  

Inge Cannon of Education Plus has a wonderful recommendation in her "Transcript Bootcamp" program...she says to give your teenage children a copy of their "Emancipation Proclamation."  This is a list of life-skills which you create that are required of your young people before you will issue them their high school diploma...no matter how many course credits they've earned! Whether or not you create a home-economics course out of the accomplishment of this list is up to you.  Either way, what a wonderful gift of learning and life we impart if we put this idea into practice!  

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced one of my favorite books by Edith Schaeffer to you.  This week I'd like to introduce another one: The Hidden Art of Homemaking.   As with the other book, Mrs. Schaeffer's writing can be a bit dificult to "get into" at first because of stylistic choices she makes, but the content is so wonderful, it's worth the time and little bit of effort! 

In closing, let's share a few verses from God's word which can focus our children's studies and practices in the area of home economics:

Proverbs 31:27  "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

I Timothy 6:6-10  "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

I Timothy 6:17-19  "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

I Peter 3:7  "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."

I Thessalonians 4:11-12  "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing."

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

Lori

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (16), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."     You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger  .

This week's entry will be brief (perhaps a welcome alteration from my usual ramblings for some of you busy homeschool moms!).  As always, the homeschool high school does not typically have a lot of "room" for "extra projects" or holiday crafts.  So what to do about Veteran's Day in relation to my blog's focus, homeschooling through high school?

It is my personal opinion (and ONLY my personal opinion) that one of the greatest gifts this country can give to our veterans is to teach our children the history of our nation's battles.  The very fact that the Korean War is nick-named "The Forgotton War" belies the lack of intentionality which most American's apply to their study of American history. 

Philosopher, poet, literary and cultural critic George Santayana is known to have penned, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  In the grand scheme of world history, America is but a babe of a nation.  In comparison with, say, Europe or Asia, we here in America really don't have that much history to remember!    Homeschool moms and dads, as I reflect upon Veteran's Day, we owe it to the brave men and women who have fought and/or died in service to this great nation of which we have been blessed to be a part, to teach our children their history, and to teach it to them well.  Require a deep consideration of history at this, the high school level.  And, most importantly, unfold our nation's history...our world's history...by looking at it from the overarching viewpoint and plan of the Author of human history.  It is, afterall, HIS-story.

I have recommended it before, and I'll recommend it again:  the best history curriculum for high school that I have come across is Diana Waring's "History ALIVE!"  Beginning with Creation and ending with the VietNam War, the curriculum is a three year tour through the history of the world ALL presented in a format that is glued to the Guiding Hand of God as presented in the Bible.  You and your students will learn to see His purpose in each and every event for achieving His desires for His people, all laid out in Scripture.  In the process, you will cover history, literature, composition, geography, art and architecture...even cooking!  Every learning style is accomodated with Diana's coursework, and the course is a dynamic learning experience. 

Give a veteran an important gift during these important years in your homeschool.  Give a veteran a young adult who comprehends the gift that our veterans have given us.

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

Lori

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (16), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."     You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger  .

I've had quite a week.  So much so that this blog entry is being turned in late...sorry, Tia.  Though the theme for this week's articles is "sickness," I am better prepared to write about something like, "When Appliance Breakdowns Interrupt." 

First the refrigerator died.  Two days later, the oven died.  Two hours after the oven repair man left the house, my kitchen sink backed up.  Of course, it was after 5:00pm, so we just had to leave it that way.  Fortunately, I had a jar of enzyme drain cleaner, which I dumped down the drain and taped off the area so no one would accidentally turn on the faucet over the next 12 hours.  It worked!  That's one more service call bill we won't have.  We are thankful for that!

But that's not what I'm supposed to write about today!  Actually, I had my post 90% finished on Monday...but I broke the most important rule that we ALL know, and that is to hit the "Save" button periodically...just in case.  I didn't do it, and for some unknown reason, my computer screen blinked, I lost the internet connection, and the whole article was gone.  Told you it's been a rough week.

But sometimes, when these things happen, there's something better waiting at the end of them.  Not always, but sometimes.  The Lord has led me to share something completely different now than what I had originally written.  (Hold on just a second while I hit the "Save As Draft" button...!!!)

We have a lot of experience with chronic illness in my family.  One of my children has type 1 diabetes (Juvenile diabetes), and also suffered from childhood migraines.  The combination of the two conditions  landed him in the emergency room a few times, but mostly caused a 12 to 16 hour seige of intense blood sugar monitoring, nausea and vomiting, and pain.  A few months after we had him annointed and prayed over for healing by our elders, the Lord was gracious in relieving the severity of the headaches, and they are all but gone now...Praise You, God!!!  But there were several years of his suffering prior to that blessed happening. 

The interruption to our homeschool was difficult in some ways, but God has taught us so very much through it all!  One of the things that He used is a book by Edith Schaeffer titled, "What Is A Family?"  Some of Mrs. Schaeffer's books I find a little difficult to read.  She reminds me of the Apostle Paul sometimes in that she can construct some very long sentences in which it is easy to get lost!  But I love her writing, and this book is a favorite.  

In "What Is A Family?," there is a chapter titled, "A Shelter in the Time of Storm."  This chapter helped me to find a way to deal with what had been some very dark and anxiety-ridden days.  When we look at illness--whether it is acute and short-lived or chronic--and our homeschool high school, it is my humble opinion that we need to keep the paradigm that Mrs. Schaeffer suggests in our sights. Allow me to share some of her thoughts:

"When illness hits we should remember that this period of time is part of the whole of life.  This is not just a non-time to be shoved aside, but a portion of time that counts.  It is part of the well person's life, as well as part of the sick person's life.  'In sickness and in health' is a promise made, it seems to me, to recognize that the time which sickness takes is part of the married life, part of the family life; and the time which health takes is another part of the married lifetime and the family lifetime.  There is an importance attached to the use of the whole span of time which means that creativity, imagination, work, appropriate contribution, blending of talents, and pitching in to do whatever needs to be done, applies to periods of sickness as well as periods of health--periods of tragedy as well as periods of special happiness.  We are to recognize that to waste this time is as much a loss as wasting a time we might think of as the height of productivity."

"A family should be a training place for growing human beings to know how to care for a great variety of sicknesses and for people who have just had accidents or operations, because each one has received both knowledgeable and loving care and has watched it being given to others.  The knowledge of what is necessary for basic care (and what is added thoughtfulness to make the time more bearable) should be absorbed through years of living in a family."

Homeschooling our children isn't a sprint, it's a marathon.  We can adjust our pace as necessary, slowing down here, speeding up there, and still arrive at the finish line in good time.  That which is learned along the way is more important than the number of days it takes us to learn it, in the end.  When illness interrupts your homeschool high school, use it  as a time to pause, to pray, and to teach the art of compassion through simple acts of caring. 

Jesus taught, "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  (Matthew 25:34-40)

When illness strikes your homeschool, relax about the lesson plans.  Set aside the schedule.  Back to Mrs. Schaeffer:

 "He is the One who also points out that when we have cared for the very least of the sick ones or thirsty ones, we have cared directly for Him.  How better could we use our time than caring for Jesus?  If we are losing time (which we had set aside for something we thought very important) in order to care for a sick person's comfort, we are promised we will find something amazing one day when Jesus thanks us for caring for Him!"

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

Lori

PS. I encourage you to read the other Company Front Porch bloggers' articles about sickness...each of us have come at it from different angles, and the ideas and stories shared are applicable to all ages and stages of homeschool! 

"Mommmmmmmmmm...what's for dinner!?!"  This familiar cry brings joy and exhaustion all at the same time.  Toddlers graduate to table food; elementary school children are constantly grazing; junior high kids enter the years of puberty, and you find yourself with a home full of human food vacuums that never seem to find "down time" when it comes to eating!  I have only 2 children, and yet I often feel as though my life is primarily lived in a 6 foot square area between the fridge, stove, and sink. 

Ultimately, our children will strike out on their own.  They will begin life in their own "homesteads," wherever that may be.  And we will not be there to cook for them.  Moms, Dads -- are you preparing your children for their independence?  There is much more to life than Language Arts, History, Math, and Science!  Things like cleaning toilets, washing clothes, and preparing food for eating are essential life skills that every homeschooling high school student should be required to learn prior to graduation!  

I have friends who have very large families, with 10+ children.  For these families, rotating and sharing cooking duties with the children is kind of a matter of survival for the busy homeschooling mom!  But even in my own "small tribe," I find myself, at times, very weary of cooking duties, and am refreshed when I get a day off!  When I have a sick day, a substitute cook is a necessity. 

In my home, I try to have my sons be part of the meal prep each day.  I hate making salads.  They don't mind it, and do a great job, so I often call on them to do that for me.  Once a week, usually on Friday for that is our "lightest" day, I let them make the dinner, as long as they are done with their schoolwork (or close enough that the remainder can be finished after dinner).  My goal is not to have them "burn out" on cooking, but to know that they are capable, to be confident in the kitchen, and to have a small collection of favorite recipes in a file by the time they leave my home.  If the Lord calls them to remain single for a time, or for life, they will be able to feed themselves!  And if He is gracious to bring them wives, they will be appreciative of her efforts in the kitchen, and will be able to give her a day off now and again!  

Every homeschooling mom knows that it takes time to teach cooking to her children.  But oh, it's worth it!    

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

When I first learned that this week's focus would be on "Crafts," I must admit that I felt I wouldn't have much to blog about.  After all, we are dealing with high school here!  We have no lap books, no decorated folders, no little animal booklets.  We don't make jewelery out of macaroni. 

But, once I gave it more than just a passing thought, I realized that "crafts" are a part of the high school at home, and in quite an exciting way!

In high school, crafts take on a different focus.  Like everything else we are doing with our young men and women at this time in their lives, crafting wants to become practice for their adult years.  In my mind, I like to “fast forward” to the time when they are living on their own.  What do they need to know how to do in order to live independently?  When I think about a parallel to “crafts,” sewing and cooking come immediately to mind.  My friend, Mary (aka "CanadaGirl" here at HSB), is a fantastic knitter.  Wouldn’t it be a useful thing to learn how to knit, so one could inexpensively make hats, mittens, throw blankets, sweaters, etc., for one’s household?  Mary makes many beautiful things from a skein of yarn, and will be publishing an ebook of her patterns soon...I plan to be one of her first customers!  Many of her unique items make wonderful gifts.  As I think about the years to come and the economic meltdown that is only a breath away, I must say that one of the things I pray my sons’ future wives will know how to do is knit and sew!  (My sons will learn basic sewing skills before they graduate, so they can repair a hem, or a torn jacket, and sew on a lost button.) 

Another friend, Katelyn, is a young wife and mother now.  I met her when she was in high school, and she was a gifted seamstress then.  Her skills were developed under the careful eyes of her parents at our local community college where she took an upholstering course.  She now contributes to her own household’s income by picking up local re-upholstering jobs here and there as time permits; she has also been able to take outdated but inexpensive furniture finds and make them tasteful and lovely again for her own home.  She’ll have this marketable skill for the rest of her life.   In addition, her sewing skills save her family hundreds of dollars in clothing costs.

A lovely young teen I know, Jessica, is already an accomplished cook.  Her yeast breads and rolls have won blue ribbons at our County Fair more than once!  She and her older brother, Graham, both assist their family by taking on cooking duties part of the week.   (Graham makes a mean homemade garlic loaf!)  One of the basic tasks of independent living is food preparation.  So many young people today, who have not been prepared for adulthood think that putting a plastic tray in the microwave is cooking dinner!  One look at the poor health and obesity rates in this country shows the results of our inability to prepare nutritious, balanced meals. 

Most conservative homeschool families with sons desire to prepare their sons to lead single-income households, with the husband earning an income and supporting a stay-at-home wife and the children with which the Lord may bless them.  We certainly do.  But if this is to work, the wife must know how to live within the household budget.  Careful training and practice in either money-saving or money-making “crafts” takes on such importance when we take the long view!  The making of too many “knick-knacks,” though pleasing and relaxing, may end up costing a young husband more money than can be apportioned.   If the crafts are useful in the running of the home, and/or are actually marketable (we can attempt to sell just about anything…but is there really a market for the items?  Will enough people buy them so that we consistently make a profit on them?), then by all means, develop the skill and test the market during the high school years!

As for the young men, “crafts” may be called “skills,” if they feel more comfortable about incorporating it into their home education.  I remember listening to Moody Radio (from the Moody Bible Institute here in Chicago) one day.  The teacher shared that his father had advised him to learn a trade before going to college.  The conversation was something like, "Son, you can go to college if you like, and you can become whatever it is that you know God is leading you to become.  But first, I want you to learn a trade...a skill that you can always have, ready when needed."  He said it was the best advice in the world, and he is so grateful for it.  I have searched online to try and find out who the teacher was (Chuck Swindoll?  Charles Stanley?), but haven't been able to find the source.  Nonetheless, I remember it having quite an impact on me and my way of thinking.   

We took it to heart, and our sons have now started their own successful service-industry business.  Many of our friends' sons have done the same.  They will always be able to do these jobs, and will be able to bring in extra money for themselves, their families, and the work of the Lord.  Who knows...these skills they learn now could make a very big difference in their futures!

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

I've come to view October as marking the time for my "first checkup" on this year's curriculum choices.  Like you, I'm sure, I try hard each spring to research curriculum, to plan for the coming year, to narrow down the things I want to look at during our annual state homeschool convention in May/June, and then to view the books in person at the vendor hall.  I come away from the convention feeling ready and excited. 

I don't always stay that way.

Sometimes, despite the "best laid plans," a curriculum ends up being a poor choice for us.  Most of the time, I can "tweak" the weak or difficult spots to make it work.  Sometimes, we choose to "limp along" with it for the semester or the year.  Once in a while, it is a dismal failure, and we choose to ditch it and try something else. 

 Last year, we made a late "ditch and switch."  Really late...it was January, and we ditched a language arts program that simply wasn't working for us.  We opted for a workbook-style (not what we usually use, but the boys made that choice for themselves), and began it in late January.  We just finished it 2 weeks ago, and we've vowed, "never again!" 

It's alright to make mistakes.  I don't beat myself up over this sort of thing any longer.  But I do have a deep desire to not waste time, especially during the high school years.  We want to finish, and to finish well.  So, from here on out, we've decided to make early October a "curriculum check-point."  How do we think things are going in each area?  Does the curriculum we've chosen work with any unique learning-styles or special needs in our home?  What about it would we rank as strong?  What would we rank as weak?  If we could change something about it, what would it be?  (Note: if we have an answer for this last question, we try to implement it...this is the "tweaking" process.) 

Are there things about it that are simply unacceptable, for whatever reason, and can we eliminate them?  If not, we discuss if it's an option to "ditch and switch" to another curriculum.  The boys have to agree to, perhaps, an extra month of work over the summer to complete a new curriculum, or to try and play "catch up" during weekends and the winter holidays in order to finish "on schedule."  (See my past articles about schooling over the summer if you're worried that we are "slaves to a schedule!")

I desire, and strive to find, curriculum that will give my sons the best education that I can within the path that God has laid out for them.  Most of the time, we do pretty well.  But an early fall checkup is a great way to make sure that we don't have another major curriculum stumble during these final years!

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

Our high school students, especially the young men, seem to have a built-in "need for speed."  Not vehicular speed, but bodily speed, from the power of their own legs, generated by muscles which seem to explode with energy.  Part of homeschooling high school includes finding ways to get those phys.ed. credits, and there are numerous ways to do this!  A lot of parents opt to have their children participate in team sports.  Many students participate in sports where they perform their skill individually (like gymnastics or figure skating), but are part of a larger group of individuals making up a team. 

I'm going to be very honest with my readers here.  I have very strong opinions about homeschool students joining public school sports teams.  If I were to express them, I would be certain to anger either one side or the other, and not likely persuade anyone.  So, rather than just giving out my opinions, I'd like to link you to several articles that will provide information that I hope will be helpful "jumping off" points for your own family discussions, as well as providing you with state-by-state legal information. 

First, an article that appeared in Homeschool World by HSLDA attorney, Chris KIicka.  Please pray for Chris and his family...he has long suffered with MS, and is currently in an ICU in Colorado; here is a link to their Caring Bridge page: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chrisklicka  .

Two more articles from HSLDA: 

"Equal Access - Participation of Homeschooled Students in Public School Activities"

"State Laws Concerning Participation of Homeschool Students in Public School Activities"

Next, from "A to Z's Home's Cool Homeschooling" website, this article also contains links to multiple other articles about sports and homeschooling.

Above all things, homeschool families must remember to keep sports in their proper perspective.  If participation in sports is leading to a breakdown of family time and/or relationships, or if there is too much worldly exposure involved, consider the cost carefully. 

1 Timothy 4:8-9 reminds us of this: "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation."

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

This week's topic is "Math."  Many parents fear homeschooling through high school precisely because of math.  This article is for them.  My youngest son, Nathan (who turned 16 last week), has agreed to help me with it.  Here he is...

"A quadratic equation is something like this: X equals negative-B plus or minus the square root of B- squared minus 4AC OVER 2A."

Well, there you have it.  Thank you, Nathan! 

"You're welcome!" 

OK, homeschooling moms and dads...is your brain hurting like mine is?  Truth be told, my brain really isn't hurting.  Not because I have any idea of what a quadratic equation is or does or why it even exists, but because I don't really have to!  (Just to clarify...I knew this stuff once upon a time, but I graduated from high school in 1978, so it is long forgotten!) 

Back to Nathan: "Well, Mom, what if you have the equation, X-squared plus 2X plus 1 equals 0?  Then you can plug in the numbers to solve for X!" 

OK, Nathan...um, thanks??! 

My point in bringing Nathan's wonderful assistance to this article is just this: homeschooling high school math does NOT require the parent to know everything.  As I told my sons over and over again, "I will teach you how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide; all of math is just various combinations of these operations.  You will, when you reach high school, begin to teach the combinations to yourselves, with the aid of your math texts, video instruction, and online help programs."  And that is exactly what they have done.

If you are the parent of an elementary or junior high student, and you are looking at the high school years as something that you "just cannot do, because of the math and science," and are considering depositing your homeschooled students into the morass of the public school system for high school, I would beg you to reconsider.  Your fears of high school math and science are common, sadly, but unfounded. 

Wonderful curricula abound for these subjects!   By the high school years, your students will not be sitting at a desk in front of a white board while you stand and "lecture" anymore!  The beauty and strength of homeschooling lies in the fact that the well-prepared homeschool student has learned how to learn.  They haven't learned everything there is to know; they haven't learned 10 useless, disjointed factoids about a thousand things.  They've learned how, when the need or desire arises, to teach themselves, in depth, that which they are called or called upon to know. 

In the earlier years, I worked very hard at making sure they could rapidly and accurately add, subract, multiply, and divide without having to think about it.  Drill work was boring for them, yes, but critically important in their preparatory years.  "Just wait...it'll get more interesting," I would tell them! 

Do I teach algebra?  No.  I leave that up to Videotext.  (We used the D.I.V.E. CD's for our junior high school Saxon years, which we ended after Pre-Algebra...either Math 8/7 OR Algebra 1/2).   The "teacher book" for our algebra course isn't a "teaching guide."  Rather, it's the answers to the quizzes and tests, worked out in step-by-step detail, so if they miss a question, I can show them the book and they can see how the problem should have been worked.  They work at their own pace, and I require a "B" (80%) or better on a quiz/test in order to pass and move on to the next unit.  Both of my sons are doing really well in math. 

A couple we know who homeschool their 4 sons started a homeschool math team which competes in math tournaments with the public and private high schools.  They do not teach math to the team...they just provide practice problems and practice tests for them to take, and keep track of the copious paperwork required in order to participate in the competitions.  The kids teach themselves the math and teach one another during team practice each week.  No surprise, these kids have taken 1st in the state in a number of areas!  These aren't "super-gifted" kids...they just know how to learn, as opposed to requiring information to be "spoon-fed" to them.  They have a good work ethic, and are willing to put in the effort to get the extra math work done.  Win or lose, they enjoy being together, doing math together, and encouraging one another to do their best...whatever level that happens to be.  Nathan was part of that team last year, and will join again next year, Lord willing (his schedule is too busy for the extra math work this year). 

Homeschooling moms and dads, your children will do the math.  You continue to focus on keeping their heartstrings tied to yours, and the development of their Christian character and their relationship with Christ.  Keep them, as Paul and Gena Suarez say, "home where they belong."  

 If you would like more encouragement in the area of homeschooling the high school math and sciences, please enjoy these articles:  

Homeschooling Through High School: An Interview with Jay Wile, Ph.D.

VideoText Interactive Mathematics--"It Just Doesn't Have To Be That Hard!"

Today's Porch Team theme is "music."  That's a pretty broad topic!  Immediately brought to my mind are images of young men and women spending hours at the piano, taking lessons, practicing, performing in recitals.  But what are some other options for our young people who have not gone this route?  How else to incorporate "music" into the homeschool high school? 

This year, my sons and I have decided to spend the year doing two things: teaching ourselves guitar (we don't have time to travel anywhere for lessons, so until a Christian teacher can come to us, we will teach ourselves), and studying the lives and works of the great composers. 

Several years ago, my husband and I signed up for one of those "clubs" in which you are sent a CD every month (kind of like the children's book clubs).  We now have quite a collection of "Classic Composers" CD's, the CD holder being embedded with a little book about the composer, complete with multiple choice quizzes; what more could a homeschool mom ask for?!!  Each book gives a history of the life of the composer and his family, as well as a wonderful synopsis of the era in which he lived.  The political climate of the world at that time is also included, with major events around the world during the composer's lifetime given.  (We have learned, in our studies with Diana Waring's History Alive!, that music is very much influenced and "'stirred" by the winds of change in the world!)  Of course, bi-monthly trips to your local library can accomplish the same thing if you haven't the time or the funds to purchase such a collection. 

This is a fascinating way to tie your studies in history to your music course!  Wikipedia has a list of the composers organized by the era in which they lived and worked.  Another list can be found at Classical Net.com .  Whatever time period you are studying in history, spend one week learning about the arts of that period, or just focus on music.  Require a paper to be written about the great composers of the era, and then grade it twice--once for it's content (the history/music class grade), and once for it's composition, grammar, and style (the english/writing class grade).  Also log the time spent researching and writing the essay as part of the hours towards the Music class credit.  Your student(s) will not be so glum about writing this essay if they know they are getting "two (maybe three) for the price of one!"

My dear friend, Nan, homeschools her 4 teenage sons (two of whom graduated just this past summer).  The 4 young men enjoy singing together, and have a love of hymns.  But they also do some really fun things . . . on July 4th, as we sat together awaiting the start of the firworks display in our town, the guys treated us to a fast-paced rendition of "Rock Island"  from the classic musical, The Music Man.  Remarkable! 

For the next 2 months, these 4 fun, young men will be drawing my 2 high school sons into their "group" for a hymn that they will be sharing during our Reformation Day party (our 2nd annual, on October 31st, to remember and interpret the life and work of Martin Luther).  They'll be singing "Rise Up O Men Of God."  A fun and hopefully fruitful time singing together with friends for the blessing of the body of Christ . . . and you betcha', we're going to log every minute spent practicing towards their high school music credits!!!  (If you read my blog article about "clever credits," you'll remember!  If not, just go to the "Homeschooling Through High School" articles link, and scroll down until you find it.)

May God Bless you and your students as you incorporate music into your homeschool studies!  Please take a moment to let me know you've stopped by!

Lori

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (15), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."     You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger  .

The Front Porch theme for this week is "Back To School."   My 15 year old son and I were heading from the parking lot of our community college to the building in which he takes his German class, and I asked him if there was anything that he did to "gear up" for the fact that, this week, our school year begins full-on.  The first thing he did was to look at the can of diet Pepsi-Max in his hand, raise it up slightly, and say, "WAKE UP, PEOPLE!!!" 

If you do not see television at all, this would make no sense to you.  But if you've seen it on occasion, as we have, you may be familiar with the humorous commercial which features multiple sleepyheads in need of a "jolt" to bring them to a state of consciousness. 

Once we got serious, he said that, typically, he would play as hard as he could for the couple of days leading up to the Monday start!  Play for him would be ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and practicing/playing with "Flightgear," the computer flying program he enjoys doing with a couple of serious aviation students in our church.  This season, owing to a badly sprained ankle the beginning of August, he has been sitting with his foot up for a few weeks.  So, he told me, the beginning of full-time school is a welcome relief from not having enough to do.

Telling . . . our high school students are not little kids any longer.  They are young men and women; adults-in-training.  I love to reflect upon the things my sons tell me . . . to "chew" on them for a while in order to extract the full "flavor and nutrition" from them.  What have I "extracted" from this brief interlude?

1.  "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (Genesis 1:27-28)

Our young people were created in the image of God and for the purpose of "having dominion" over the earth.  If they are not engaged in such pursuits, they will feel a sense of restlessness.  They will seek "something" to "dominate."  Is it not best that we guide them in this quest? 

Have your homeschool students grasped the link between the work of school that they are doing and the fulfillment of their created purpose and longings?  Have you???  What about the student who fanicies himself a future engineer . . . and just isn't excited about the study of Government and Economics . . . how does he "gear up" for this course?  How about the daughter who has to take freshman biology this year, but has NO interest in the inner workings of a dead frog? 

Find the tie-in.  Find that which will take the present situation, from which they feel "disconnected," and link it to the future that God is planting, whether subtley or overtly, in their hearts.  Link them . . . connect them . . . help them to see it, to look for it.  Teach them to pray for it, and pray with them!

From homemaker to engineer, everyone in this nation is going to experience a major change in the structure and scope of "power" of our government . . . and soon.  As Christian adults, perhaps as married adults with children of their own, should Jesus' return be yet another generation away, our sons and daughters will have a pressing need to understand the basis of government (God's Word and Love), the various ideologies that have crept into our society and are being applied in this country and how to spot them in political rhetoric, proposed laws, etc.  (I hope, by this age, that we do NOT fear having such discussions with out young adults, as we are not citizens of this world, but of Heaven).  Understanding the past is the key to unlocking a "big picture" comprehension of the present and the future!   

Does your daughter enjoy flowers?  Food?  She LIVES in biology!  Would she, as a future wife and mother, like to have a vegetable garden to help provide nutritious, cost-efficient food for her family?  A study of the science of life, created by God, will help her to understand what happens when we hybridize and genetically modify our seeds, our animals...our food.  

Do our students comprehend that the entire universe operates via mathmatics???  Every single thing?  That it is clearly important to God, as he used it to make everything run . . . so doing the best we can in math thanks Him for it, and honors Him?  And that grumbling and complaining about it "disses" His created order?

We're back to school now, and we want our students excited, motivated, and engaged.  Help your sons and daughters to formulate a vision of their futures, based upon their God-given gifts and the desires of their hearts...then show them how their homeschool studies, one course at a time, are moving them along the path to the fulfillment of those God-given desires.  Each child is different, as God has created and gifted them.  Delight in the process of "preparing them to launch!" 

I like to compare these years to the Space Shuttles of NASA.  If you've ever visited the Kennedy Space Center, or watched the preparation for a launch, you are familiar with "the crawler."  The crawler is the enormous vehicle upon which a finished and ready rocket is placed and secured for the trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad.  These rockets are heavy, and must be moved extremely carefully.  Thus, the crawler moves at the incredible pace of 1 mile per hour, with the entire trip from VAB to launch pad taking between 5 and 6 hours.  It is almost painful to watch, it's so slow!  And yet, with every passing inch by every passing inch, the anticipatory excitement of the coming launch builds.  If you've never seen the crawler in action, you can view it here in this one-minute-long video . . . (click the "stream" icon when you get to the intro page.)

Did you see what I saw?  As the crawler inched along the path, the launch pad was clearly in view.  "Atlantis, Welcome to Pad A" signs awaited it!  The anticipated arrival was planned for, thought out, acted upon, celebrated!  The folks operating the crawler could see it!  They knew, while on that slow, arduous, heavy path, what the target was, and they had it in their sights, ever before them, urging them on through those long 6 hours of slow, slow progress. 

I'm sure you can see what I'm getting at: can your homeschooled high school student see his or her launch pad?  Do they understand that they are the Shuttle, preparing for launch?  Can they see how the classes they are taking now are part of the things that make up the crawler, which is supporting them, transporting them, to the launch pad (Graduation Day)?  Are the classes they are taking transporting them to the life that God has put in their hearts to pursue?  Or are they on that crawler with no launch pad in sight??? 

Back to school?  No idea where the launch pad is?  Perhaps you need to delay the start by a week or two, and take an extra camping trip with your teen, or have some backyard picnics with the whole family if that is how things can work for you, to discuss the things of the heart...your teen's heart.  Help them see the launch pad.  They'll tolerate the crawler much better . . . and maybe even enjoy the ride.

May God Bless you and your family this week!

Lori

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (15), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."     You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger  .

Last week, I shared with you about logging hours to earn credits.  We discussed a method which our family uses called "credit boxes."  However you choose to log your hours, let me now show you a way to "create a high school course" using the activities your students may already be doing, and earn a credit or two along the way!  This will be a rather lengthy post.  Stay with it, though . . . what you'll learn will be worth it, I think!

For those who have just entered the season of homeschool high school, this is great timing for you!  Grab a pad of paper, and plan to start "logging hours" with your student.  If you're somewhere in the middle, or toward the end of your student's high school years, take heart . . . you'll need to do a bit of "back-tracking," as I had to do with my oldest (who is now a junior), but it is not too hard, and you'll be able to add credits to his or her transcript that neither of you was aware he or she had!  

Let's talk about electives first, and then "Clever Credits" . . . 

Every state publishes its requirements for graduation.  In Illinois, I can find this at the website of the Illinois State Board of Education.  You can look for your state's requirements by doing a search for something like, "2009 graduation requirements in [YOUR STATE]."  That's how I found mine.  What you will see will be the minimum requirements for graduation from high school.  

If your student is on a college prep track, you will want to visit the website of one of your state's large universities.  Once there, hunt around for admission requirements for incoming freshmen.  This will give you a good idea of the kind of high school preparation the university is looking for.  Of course, you can visit the website of any college you like.  The major universities are just a good starting point if you need a general idea.

I've printed out these lists, and keep them in a folder in my file cabinet.  (I need, for some reason, to work with hard copies . . . I can't function completely with a digital device or computer yet!)  Whichever methods you prefer, log this information as you make your student's plans for their high school "career."  You'll be referring to it often!  (Note: HSLDA's website has a terrific chart with example 4 year plans based upon your student's future plans . . . HSLDA members can log in to the website, click "Homeschool" on the top toolbar, then "Homeschool thru High School" to find this chart.)  

You'll see how much English, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Math, and Science credits are required . . . the rest of the necessary credits will be made up of Electives. I like to let my kids have some choices in terms of their electives; some things I require them to take, but they can select the order in which they take them.  A fun way to do this is to set up a "registration table," similar to what we used to do in high school before the days of computers. 

If I have the curriculum, I'll take the coursebook and set it out on the table.  If not, I make up an interesting page with my desktop publisher that gives the name of the course, and any appropriate "prop" that I can find around the house goes with it on the table.  (For example, if Home Ec. would be a course offering, you might make a page with that printed on it in large, bold letters, plus a graphic, and then put a cookbook next to it.  A basic computer programming course could feature your laptop--or a graphic of a laptop--as the prop.  Have fun with this!) 

The idea behind electives is that these are things that will be useful and/or necessary for them before they graduate.  But one elective does not necessarily build upon the other . . . they may be short, "disjointed" courses that can be taken in isolation.  So let your teen have some ownership here . . . it can go a long way!

Now we can segway into "Clever Credits."  Your Clever Credits will often fall into the elective category, but not always.  Last week, I showed you how to log untraditional coursework (meaning no textbook or workbook) hours, and store them in a "credit box," to complete a credit.  I used an example of a British Lit. course.  But what about a course that doesn't have an academic-focus like British Lit?  How do we take our students' work/chores around the house . . . and even their "play"  . . . and turn it into a high school credit class?

Remember, a high school credit (called a Carnegie Unit) is equal to 200 hours of work (we are talking about non-textbook courses right now).  Do your sons or daughters cook meals in your home on occasion?  Let's say your daughter, who is just beginning her senior year of high school, has made dinner every Friday for the past 3 years.    It takes her about an hour and a half to prepare the meal, from start to serving on the table.  There are 52 weeks in a year, so that's about 78 hours a year.  She has done this for 3 years . . . that's 234 hours.  Guess what?  Your daughter just earned high school credit for a Home economics course! 

I would strongly recommmend that you also have her read a good homemaking book, as well . . . one of my favorites would be "The Hidden Art of Homemaking," by Edith Schaeffer.  Have her copy her favorite recipes onto recipe cards and create a recipe box, or make a personal webpage with her favorite recipes, or blog about her cooking experiences.  Write a quick essay about what constitutes a healthy meal, or have her draw/design her ideal efficient kitchen.  (It's good to have some sort of "paper trail" when creating Clever Credits.)  Be sure to log, on the file card, the time spent reading the homemaking book or books, the time spent creating the recipe file or webpage, the time spent blogging, the time spent working on and completing the essay.  You will easily find another 10 hours there, no doubt, bringing the total time spent 244 hours.  Assign a grade, and award the credit! 

Typically, courses that fall into categories like "Home Ec.," "Phys. Ed.," "Music," and "Art" are awarded a 1/2 credit for 200 hours, because the vast majority of the hours are spent on practicing skills, rather than in actual academic instruction.  So, you would take 200 of those hours, logged on your file card, give her an "A" (if she deserved it, in your opinion!) on the card, title it "Home Economics: Meal Preparation" or something clever like that, and award 0.5 credit.  That card then gets filed away--it is finished, and you do not add to it.

But wait . . . our student had logged 244 hours at last count!  What happens to the leftover 44 hours?   Here's where we get really clever!  Take out a new file card, and list, one Friday at a time (you have to date the hours), each 1.5 hour cooking session.  Since a Home Ec. credit (0.5 credit, precisely) needs 200 hours, she has only 156 hours to go.  This year's cooking efforts will net her another 78 hours.  That leaves 78 hours needed to complete a credit.  Sounds like a lot, but stretch it out over the 9 month academic year, and it's about 8.5 hours a month...just over 2 hours a week.  What could you add to food prep to give another Home Ec. credit?  How about having her spend 2 hours per week doing some or all of the following, logging every single minute and hour as she goes along:

• Plan the entire week's worth of meals (she doesn't have to cook them all, just plan them!)
• Write/log all the recipes that will be used for these meals
• Make the grocery list each week . . . and go grocery shopping each week . . . there's a great way to log the hours!!!
• Make a list of prices for the items typically stocked in the pantry, and price shop with newspaper flyers
• Set a food budget for the week (how about you give her an envelope with the week's food allowance in cash inside), and have her be responsible for planning an entire week's worth of menus within that budget . . . snacks included.  Reward her occasionally with the leftover cash (if you can afford to) if she has a great week's worth of meals and there's money leftover
• If your bank offers free checking accounts, open a "grocery money only" account (NO debit card), and teach her how to write the checks at the store, balance that checkbook, etc. 

Do you get the idea?  These are, afterall, skills that every young woman who will live in her own home someday needs to learn.  Again, you should have some sort of "paper trail," in addition to your time log.  So, have her read (and log the hours of reading time) a Larry Burkett/Crown Financial Ministries  book on budgeting, or some other book related to home finances, to have some "instruction" thrown into the mix.  When she does the grocery shopping, she should keep a little notebook/diary with entries after each shopping trip of what the full price food bill would have been, which coupons she used, what she found on sale (from the circulars in the paper, or in-store), and last-minute substitutions she made in her menu because of a great sale, and how much money she saved on the bill that week.  Reading all of this here makes it sound like a lot of effort, but it would be very quickly noted in chart-form.  And she wouldn't need to do each thing all year . . . she could pick one activity and do it for a month, then pick another.  Just keep a record . . . that's the key.

Doing some of these things, our student will easily come up with the extra hours needed to award another 0.5 credit for a course which you might call "Home Economics: Budgeting Food," or something. 

This method can also apply to P.E. credits.  My sons, for example, play Ultimate Frisbee pretty much every Sunday after church service with all the other young people in our church.  They also play Frisbee and volleyball on our church campout and at other get togethers.  We simply log those hours each time they happen on a file card when they've played, and, once they've logged 200 hours, I award 0.5 credit in P.E.!  We haven't taken the time out of our school day, but they've put in the hours, so they get the credit.  We watched the Men's Beach Volleyball competition (not the women . . . the bikini's are not for my son's eyes, thank you very much!) during the Beijing Olympics . . . they got a couple of hours of "strategy and play patterns" instruction for that!

What chores are your children responsible for around the home?  Begin to think "Clever Credits" and get out your file cards!  Be sure to then add some books to read, and some writing/blogging/creating, too.  You'll love it when you've added a whole Electives credit to the transcript for things they're already doing!

God Bless you,

Lori

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (15), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."     You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger  .

Have you already started your school year?  We are one week away, and my schoolroom/office looks like a hurricane hit it!  Books, old and new, are in piles everywhere as we are sorting through the old and making room for the new. 

 As I do this, there is an important thing that happens--I'm making sure that we've "logged" any and all important information from each textbook/workbook, and have tucked this information away in the boys' "credit boxes." 

What's a "credit box?" 

It's a nifty system I learned about from Inge Cannon in her "Transcript Bootcamp," and it makes creating transcripts so easy!  I use the file card system, "Credit Pro," sold by the Cannon's, and I cannot recommend this highly enough!  You could create your own, but this is, if you can afford it, $20.00 very well-spent. 

In a nutshell, you can list each textbook/workbook/list of books you use for each course your high school student completes.  (I like to photocopy the front and back covers of each book, along with the publisher info page and the Table of Contents or the Scope/Sequence, if it's provided, in addition to recording it on the file card.)   Record a course start date and completion date, the grade earned, and credit assigned (typically 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0, based on the amount of time and the type of course...more on that in September).  File these cards away (or you can do it on paper in a special notebook) according to category (e.g., English, Social Studies, Foreign Language, P.E., etc.). 

What if you're not using a textbook?  Let's take a look, for example, at a British Literature course.  You don't have a textbook or workbook, just a big stack of literature that your student will read, and respond to via writing assignments (the writing is likely what you'll base his/her grade on).  How do you record this "course?"

Before your student begins a book, list the title and author on a card.  Each and every time he opens the book, he should make note of what time it is...and when reading is completed for that session, add up how many minutes/hours were spent in that session.  Record the date and log the minutes.  (I would keep the file card in the book...rubber band it to the cover...to make this easier to do.) 

When book #1 is finished, and it's time to write a paper about it, keep logging the time spent.  If you don't have a textbook or workbook to show the amount of work you've been through, it's all about hours in terms of the transcript!  When you begin a new book, just start a new card, and follow the same procedure.

At the end of the course, it's time to take all the cards, and add up all the hours.  To earn 1.0 credit, you need at least 200 hours.  If you have less than that, but at least 100 hours, you can award 0.5 credit. 

This example was for a British Lit. course...but it can be applied to pretty much anything, and not just traditional courses like English or Social Studies or Math.  Next week, I'll share with you some "Clever Credits" you can find just "lurking about" in your home, waiting to be awarded to your delighted homeschooling high schoolers.  ("What?  I just completed a class I didn't know I took?  I love you, Mom!!!")

Until then, may God Bless you and your homeschool! 

Lori Havens

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (15), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."     You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger  .

Last week, we talked a bit about standardized tests and the PSAT.  This week, let's talk about earning college credits during high school . . . a worthwhile thing to do for some of our students!

My youngest, Nathan, is beginning his sophomore year this fall.  One of the subjects he'll study is German.  Now, he could continue to use an online program, or any of the popular curricula on CD's to earn the 1.0 credit for high school, but instead, we've chosen to apply for "early admission" at our local community college (which he was granted . . . not a big deal, he took a computerized, multiple choice reading and writing test to show basic proficiency, filled out the applications, and that was it), and enroll him in a German class there.  He'll get the same 1.0 high school credit for foreign language (I'll give him that), but he'll also earn 3.0 college credits, which will transfer to most colleges in the country when the time comes.  One class, dual-credit.

CollegeBoard.com has lots of information on another way to get a "head start" on college while still in high school, including something else that Nathan will be doing this year: CLEPing.  Click HERE for their very thorough explanation of the CLEP, which stands for "College-Level Examination Program®." 

In a nutshell, CLEP tests allow students to take a test to demonstrate mastery of a subject, which then allows them to receive credit (college) for the course without having to sit through the course . . . or pay the tuition cost of that course (there is a fee to take the test, but it is in the $70 range, a HUGE savings).  There are a number of reasons that this is a fantastic option, most of which are obvious, so I won't go through them here.  If you're not sure, though, do take a moment to read some of the student comments on the College Plus! page, and view the videos, as well.  

Your students can prepare for CLEP tests on their own, or they can enroll in one of the various programs designed to help them prepare for the test.  Nathan is taking a course with College Plus! to introduce him to the "art of CLEP-ing" (my term, not theirs!).  There are several options available, depending upon the student's age and goals.  CLEP tests (and the other credit by examination tests available) can be taken at any time, not just in high school.  But if your student has the self-discipline and the motivation, CLEPing during high school can be a great way to get a number of the "general education" courses required for a bachelor's degree out of the way, while living at home and saving thousands of dollars at the same time. 

If your son or daughter is college-bound, that's not such a bad deal.

God Bless you,

Lori

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (15), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."     You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger  .