Homeschooling High School Update

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We are homeschooling preschool, elementary, middle school and high school this year. It’s our first official year of high school as I shared way back in August in my Homeschooling High School at Hodgepodge. I have been nervous and excited about this high school adventure. And now, here we are half way through the year. How has it gone? What has it been like? Here is a homeschooling high school update.

God does not ask your ability or your inability. He asks only your availability. ~ Mary Kay Ash

Honestly, I haven’t noticed a huge difference except maybe in work load. Hers and mine. A widening of course work, experiments, writing assignments and a whole lot of books. Then there is the record keeping on my part. That’s where I will have to be honest and say I might be behind. Though I’ve been keeping notes in Evernote, in a narrative style. And my daughter has been keeping a list of all the books she’s been reading. She loves to read and for that I am forever grateful.

More Planning Required

She is mostly independent in her work. We hold a weekly meeting with our older three children. (I shared about those planners in our high school plans post. We really like the

). Hodgepodgedad is usually involved because, of course, he is the principal of our homeschool. And he always has such wonderful ideas – especially for science and history.

And, her brother, just 20 months her younger, is doing much of the high school work as well. This brother and sister complement each other so very well. Different learning styles – so they can challenge each other. Different areas of strengths and weaknesses so they can help each other – especially in math.

Biology Labs/Expanded Nature Study

We are so enjoying

! I’ve shared before about how Hodgepodgedad leads these times. It’s been such a joy to discover how much biology complements our nature study times. And it’s a family affair. The microscope on the kitchen table, the Apologia text open. The little ones ask the best questions and the older ones get to explain what we are looking for. This week we studied yeast!

Hodgepodgedad leads in a few more prompts and in setting everything up. How wonderful that is for this mama. Truly it is. (Have you read Hodgepodgedad’s Apologia Biology Flashcards iPad app review?)

Math is Tough

Teaching Textbooks is great but high school math is just tough. She’s struggled some and is behind not only because of concepts but because of sickness in December. Hooray that Hodgepodgedad will sit beside whomever is struggling that day – when he is home at night.

Extracurricular is Fun – Piano, Culinary Arts and Drama

Piano: Last fall, my high schooler came to me and said she wanted to take piano lessons again. She had been a piano student before – from the age of six up until middle school. I struggled with that decision to let her drop lessons then. But I am thankful for the struggle now. She is back and practicing and enjoying even more now. She was even able to participate in piano recital in December. (And it looks like we will have another piano student very soon!)

Culinary Arts: Eldest Girl and I love Pinterest. She especially enjoys browsing for recipes. So I will pin things to a board for her and she will collect ideas herself. What then happened was she starting adding ingredients to the family grocery list and then making the recipes. Oh happy day! We decided this should be at least a once a week experiment. That she could price out expenses, make adjustments for allergies in the family and she can continue a course in culinary arts! (She was listing recipe ideas for me as I typed this. Making me hungry!)

Drama: We love our homeschool Drama Troupe! This spring the children will perform The Wizard of Oz. Eldest Girl was cast as the good witch Glinda and Middle Girl as the Cowardly Lion. This not only means learning hundreds of lines between the two of them but also practicing songs. The drama troupe often shares variety acts as well. In the past the girls have been in dowel, sign language and dance routines.

Ben Franklin books for Tapestry of Grace. We’ve also been reading aloud The Sign of the Beaver.

Leadership is Good

I have been so blessed to watch this girl of mine be a leader in the youth group at church. Her heart for others is so big.

Homeschooling High School Questions

One of our readers, Melissa recently asked: Does anyone know about options for homeschooling a high school student, can some of the subjects be done online, like a foreign language, etc or when you chose the online schooling, you have to do all subjects online? Also, can anyone give any advice on homeschooling for high school years? From everything I have ever heard, it sounds very hard and overwhelming for me, a mom who has no education other than a high school diploma? Thank you so much in advance for any help 🙂

My answer: Homeschooling high can indeed be overwhelming. That is why you are smart to seek out resources and support now. I’ve found that it is a wonderful time to be homeschooling my children. They are independent learners and are continuing to learn and build skills in so many areas. Here are many resources I’ve been gathering myself:

• Homeschooling High School at Hodgepodge (these are the resources we are using for high school as well as the foreign language)
• My Homeschooling high school Pinterest board
• Homeschooling high school by Littlesanctuary at Habits for a Happy Home
• iHomeschool Network’s high school Pinterest board
• Reviews of resources for high school
• Harmony Art Mom’s high school posts – oh I lean on these often because I identify so much with her goals and desires for high school.
• And you will not want to miss Marianne Sunderland’s recent five day series on Homeschool High School 101. In fact, you should pin all her posts.

Plus, each Friday I link up with Connie Stults, our hostess for No Fear Homeschooling High School. She’s sharing about Apologia Biology experiments and more almost every week (linked below).

Lots of Tapestry of Grace reading this week! Gulliver’s Travels, Benjamin Franklin. Plus we took a trip to Barnes and Noble so the children could spend Christmas gift cards. Middle Girl found some 

She started one of her school mornings finishing off her book. Hodgepodgedad read our Answers in Genesis God’s Design for Science lesson on MLK, Jr. Day. In other news this past week, Middle Girl and I took a quick field trip with Nana to our state capitol. And would you believe – it was there we found the most rocks for our rock nature study? Here’s a bit of what the rest of the Hodgepodge was up to this week!

I am always learning. There’s so much more to homeschooling high school that I didn’t include like using Lynda.com but this post is already really, really long…

And on the other end of our age range, we’ve been working on writing a boy’s name – with our long-time Handwriting Without Tears chalkboard. Maybe I’ll share updates on preschool, elementary, and middle school in the future.

Each one of us is God’s special work of art. Through us, He teaches and inspires, delights and encourages, informs and uplifts all those who view our lives. ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

Many thanks to our Friday hostesses!

• Collage Friday hostess Mary at Home Grown Learners
• Homeschool Mother’s Journal at iHomeschool Network
• Weekly Wrap-Up hostess Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
• No Fear Homeschool High School at The Daisy Head

You don’t have to feel alone in the homeschooling high school journey. And I am so very grateful for those that have gone before us – and continue to share their wisdom!

**Next week I am privileged to attend the BEECH Retreat!! Looking forward to learning, meeting fellow bloggers (I am so excited about my roommate!! and walking on the beach!) It’s amazing how this trip has come together! I even have a loaned car I’ll be telling you about. I’ll be sharing photos along the way on instagram. And while I am away, my family will be sharing here at Hodgepodge. We have some fun posts lined up for you. So please, be sure to stop by and give them some comment love!** Sorry about all those exclamation marks…

What homeschool resources do you find valuable?

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