Hello there! If you are new here, we invite you to subscribe by RSS feed or by email. On Facebook? We would love for you to join us.

Do you feel like you want to “throw in the towel” with your homeschooling? Is it winter doldrums or your curriculum?

Learn more about steps you can take right now to meet all of your homeschool high school goals.

Tell me the truth, has this ever happened to you?

• Oops! I forgot to check my email!
• But I don’t make purchases without my spouse!
• Oh no! I didn’t open my email in time!
• Yikes! I was so busy with family, I didn’t see the sale!
• Hey! There’s still a few dollars in my budget for school!

We have been getting emails asking us to extend our $5 sale, asking for a favor to get those great deals.  I can’t possibly say no!  There is only one solution! Extend the sale!

We are extending our $5 sale through Monday!

Just use coupon code 5Friday today!

Parent Training A la Cart

Believe me, I remember what it was like to homeschool high school.  It’s hard to keep all those plates in the air – especially during the holidays!  I hope you will enjoy these GREAT prices with the EASY coupon code:  5Friday

Plus, you can try a class for Just $1

Try “Giving Gifts That Pay for College.” We have LOTS of new online classes for parents, and you may want to start with a fun and easy one. Try this really FUN class for only $1, and it will give you great ideas for Christmas and other gift-giving ideas.  Let me encourage you to inspire the love of learning in your children, leading to a passion that can attract college admission and scholarships! This class will help you plan a great Christmas for your whole family!

Another Christmas and New Year theme course will get your new year started right. “Christmas Goals and New Year Resolutions” explains that you can still have a great holiday without losing track of your grand plan for college! In this webinar, I first talk about how to handle school during the month of December. Then I’ll give you some super-easy New Year Resolutions to work on.

PS.  After Monday, prices go back to normal, so don’t miss this opportunity to get our homeschooling high school parent training instruction for 67% off!  Parent Training A la Carte.

Hi Lee,

Thanks for the e-mail. Even though I’m a few years away from high school yet I know it will come before I know it. I don’t know if you can offer any help but I thought I’d ask any way. My oldest is 11 and technically will be entering 6th grade next year which is middle school as you know, my concern is that I’m at a point where I no longer am comfortable or competent to teach him and was considering enrolling him in public school for math only. I can’t afford a tutor and I really don’t want him to suffer because of my lack of knowledge in this area. I was never a math wiz and it’s been a tough year for me helping him get through this year. My husband does two days a week and he grew up in a foreign country where they learned quite differently than here, so any tips you can offer would be helpful.

Thanks,
Sharyn

Dear Lee,
“Did you schedule the art studies or simply allow them do it as they wanted? I debate a lot about whether its worth setting aside the time for art study.”

Art is really, TRULY my weak area, for that reason I basically reserved time for art study, or else we would most likely never do it! We never had a challenge getting math or science finished, only art, LOL! I planned it for 2-3 times a week, 1-1/2 or 2 hours at a time, depending on the year. Never the less, it was one thing that we from time to time simply didn’t do. (Art is so messy, you understand.)

We did the book “Art Fun” the first year, the Feed My Sheep for two years, then Draw Today. We even did a few pottery classes, and that was enjoyable. I own a few art games that they played, not to mention there were a number of books on artists that I had them read over the years. When your kids just “do” art, then it’s possible that you don’t really have to have art study. We NEEDED art study, as my kids didn’t ever Get it done otherwise.

In high school I taught them art primarily from an art history point of view, and also art appreciation. I believe in high school, it’s good to have some art appreciation course, yet might be other kids just naturally find themselves learning art free of any kind of help whatsoever. Hey, Alex studied economics without having any help! Kevin studied Russian History, of all things, without having any encouragement! Simply not art…

I have created a series of videos on creating great homeschool records for college.  You can find them here.

As homeschool parents, our goal is NOT to teach something. Our goal is for the kids to LEARN. I could have taught my kids “at grade level” and they would have not learned a thing. Instead, I gave them curriculum at their ability level, and then they had to learn something that they didn’t already know.

I believe that older teens MUST learn how to teach themselves. If they go to college, they will be expected to learn all the textbook material on their own. College lectures are most often supplemental to the textbook – not the same. If they don’t go to college, they will still have to teach themselves some computer skills, or online banking, or how to buy a car – whatever.

My kids taught themselves Advanced Math (pre-Calculus) and Calculus. They taught themselves physics. I know they knew the material because I  gave them the tests. I didn’t know what the calculus symbols meant, but I knew that my kids answers matched the answers on the key! I could have taught them Biology and Chemistry (because I’m an RN and I know that stuff) but they actually taught themselves that as well. It just worked out better for us when they were teaching themselves, while I just checked up on them from time to time. Alex taught himself economics, and is now doing graduate level work in economic thought (we’ve been told by his professor.) He even taught himself psychology and business law, because he got fabulous grades on the college level CLEP exams in those subject.

Here’s my point: kids will teach themselves something when they are interested in it. It’s fine for kids to do that, and it works out great for kids that are working on an intensely academic, college-prep curriculum as well as for kids that are in a relaxed homeschool environment.

I have seen SO many notes about “getting it all done” that I just want to put in a plug for mom having prayer and quiet time. I found that when I was consistent with those things I could “get it all done” and when I wasn’t consistent with those things I got frustrated. Either I was expecting too much, or was frustrated too easily. When I spent time with God, then things went much more smoothly in our homeschooling.

How are you teaching your kids to learn?

I am now the Seattle Homeschool Examiner.  You can read my homeschool articles here.

I’ll admit it.  Sometimes parents ask BIG questions on Facebook, and it’s hard to answer in a short paragraph.  If you only had a few sentences, how would you answer this new homeschool mom?

Posted on The HomeScholar Fan Page: My daughter has been in a Classical Christian school since Kindergarten. She is now going into 7th grade and we want to home school her. She is so sick and tired of filling in work sheets, and Saxon math. But I am so new to all of this, I don’t know where to go from here for curriculum. Can you recommend a good math program for a kid coming out of 6 years of  Saxon? How do I figure out what type of a learner she is? Yikes!
~Deb on Facebook

Hi Deb!

I love Sonlight Curriculum for beginners because it is so easy to use.

I have an article listing different math curriculum here: For the Love of Math.

If you have some time, this website will help with learning styles HomeEdExpert .

If you don’t like the feel of that website, then her book is 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Curriculum  and Approach for Your Child’s Learning Style by Cathy Duffy.

Lisa Baughn wrote a review of myTotal Transcript Solution. She wrote, “With Lee’s help, any home educating family can create a marvelous, intriguing, scholarship-inspiring transcript.”  Read Lisa’s Review.

Technology in today’s world allows us to connect in ways that we couldn’t imagine when we were growing up! Now we have cell phones, video conferencing, webinars, and social media! One way that I use the wonderful technology available to us is through my Video Tip of the Week. Each Wednesday a new tip is posted exclusively for fans of The HomeScholar Facebook page. They are quick, bite-size answers to your questions and concerns. So, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and settle in for a video tip next Wednesday. I’ll bring the Starbucks!

Here’s just a sample of some of the tips and hints that I share each week:

Home High School Foreign Language Help

Homeschool High School: Planning High School Courses

Have you joined us on Facebook yet?

Our monthly newsletter comes out on the first of every month. We’ll have some special surprises for July  that you won’t want to miss!  Sign up for your free monthly newsletter here.