It’s that time of year again! The new school year is just around the corner and that means CURRICULUM SALES! If you haven’t already, visit Christianbook.c0m today for the latest deals and news about upcoming sales from all of our homeschool publishers.

This August, CBD is featuring Apologia Curriculum products at 35% off through the end of the month.

Let’s look at those wedding videos one more time shall we?

We found this tool extremely useful in the run up to our son’s wedding.  I somehow think others might be able to use it to take the edge off some of the more dramatic moments of homeschooling teens.

Enjoy!

Drama Button

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Panicky parents are asking for appointments.  With so many requests for a consultation, my calendar is filling up months in advance.  If you need an appointment my fee is $125 per hour.  You can get more information here.

A much cheaper and much quicker option is to join the Gold Care Club.  As long as you can remember to call me on Wednesdays, you’ll get help quickly, and it’s only $47 per month for 20 minutes a week.  You can ask me 20 minutes per week of questions until you run out of questions, and still get all your answers before we could get an appointment months from now.  Here is a link to read more about the Gold Care Club.

If you decide the join the Gold Care Club, make your purchase and log in with your username and password, then click on this link:
Weekly Private One-On-One Call-In with Lee. That will point to the phone number that you use, and gives complete instructions for your call.  It’s easy, though.  I have a toll-free number that you can call on Wednesdays from 9am to 3pm, and if you don’t reach me, I’ll call you right back.

Help is on the way!

Gold Care Club members get extended answers to their most challenging high school issues.

Are you looking for a homeschool support group?  I’m located in Seattle Washington, so I’m not familiar with every local support groups, but you can find some support groups listed here: Homeschool.com (General), A to Z (General) and HSLDA (Christian)

You can sign up for our free monthly newsletter here.

We were sitting at the dining table, filling out college applications and came to the part that said “What is your major?”  My son panicked.

It’s rare to have a teenager know exactly what they want to do in life. Very few high school seniors can confidently say what their major will be. One step in the right direction is to do some career planning in your home. Here are some resources that may help.  Don’t expect a book or website to solve your problem, because learning your purpose in life happens over time, not in an instant.  Still, these resources can begin the process of thoughtful reflection.

Books

• What Color is Your Parachute
• What Color Is Your Parachute? For Teens, 2nd Edition: Discovering Yourself, Defining Your Future Get the teen version because I have heard the adult version may have inappropriate content
• Finding the Career that Fits You Workbook by Larry Burkett is a Christian classic for career exploration
• Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type by Tieger and Barron I haven’t read it myself, but others have recommended it.

Website and Information about Career Exploration

• www.humanmetrics.com Personality tests, some free
• www.stats.bls.gov/oco Occupational Outlook Handbook on-line (Free)
• www.careerkey.org Personality related to occupations ($9.95)
• www.myroad.collegeboard.com College and career planning website ($19.95)
• www.thecallonline.com The Call Vocational and Life Purpose Guide from Focus on the Family (Approximately $79)
• www.careerdirectonline.org Career Direct assessment from Crown Financial Ministries founded by Larry Burkett ($80)

Mostly, just pick a major – anything!  If you’re stuck, pick the hardest major considered, not the easiest major.  It’s a LOT easier to go from Engineering to Business than to go from Business to Engineering.  The harder degrees will often have harder math and harder science.  Meeting those strict requirements will certainly meet requirements for the easier degrees.  On the other hand, when you choose an easy major, the prerequisites are easy.  Those easy science and easy math classes will NOT meet the requirements of a harder degree, so it could lengthen the amount of time spent in college.

It’s our son’s wedding day!  Congratulations Kevin and Liz!!!

Socialization is not about a group of kids all the same age.  True socialization is about people of ALL ages getting together. When kids are feeling alone, then getting out into the world can provide the socialization they are craving.  Here are some suggestions for socialization activities:

1. Family and family outings.
2. Play-only groups;  many support groups will have park days in the summer.  It may be worth joining a group JUST to meet kids are park days.
3. Homeschool days at various activities:  skating and bowling businesses will often have “homeschool days.”
4. Church and youth groups.
5. Volunteer work;  work together at a food bank, clothing bank, YMCA or church camps.
6. Community classes:  take pottery, photography, or exercise classes with a local YMCA.  Take art classes at Michael’s or JoAnn stores.
7. Fitness groups;  join a swim team, running team, or volksmarching.
8. Call local homeschool groups and ask “What are some ways your group gets together?”

I hope this helps!

Get our new FREE training webinar, “Grades and Credits and Transcripts, Oh My!!“  It will really help you get a jump on your high school record keeping.

Looking for a fun read?  If your child is in high school, consider looking at one of the reading lists intended for college bound students.  Fun summer reading can help prepare children for college and improve vocabulary.

Here are some popular reading lists for the college bound suggesting great literature:

• College Board (short, many seem too hard)
• Petersons
• Arrowhead Library System with one-sentence plot summaries

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Summer is the time to do something different, and take a break.  But…… I know, I know.  You’re child still needs some help!

There is a way to get some remedial help for your child and still get a break for yourself over summer.  Sylvan has a summer program intended to help traditionally schooled kids catch up over summer.  Because you know, some kids just need more help, and that’s OK!   You can access that help as well.  It’s pricey, but for some families it’s a good resource.
http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/promo/summer.cfm

I was listening to a radio commercial and I thought it might be helpful for someone.

Do you like getting this sort of help for homeschooling high school? Gold Care Club members get extended answers to their most challenging high school issues.

Please join our May Gold Care Club Members-only webinar:

What’s Next? Options after Homeschool High School!

This Gold Care Club webinar will help you plan your course of action after high school.  You will learn about:

• CLEP
• Community College
• Online classes
• Working
• Regular college
• College Plus
• Gap Year

Get prepared to discuss the post high school options with your high school student.

Here is what members said about our last Gold Care Club webinar on High School Grading (which is now showing on the Gold Care Club!)…….

You were called and elected for such a time like this when the hearts of fathers are turning toward their children.  Thank you for being a God send.  Thank you.

Really appreciate your conversational way of presenting the material – also it was very eye opening and interesting.

Very reassuring. My daughter doesn’t do well on written tests but can explain concepts well so it is good to know that testing isn’t the only way to grade.

You have helped me tremendously!! I was on my way to an “accredited” school when you encouraged me at a WATCH conference (held at SPU) that I could homeschool high school, and it’s working!

You help me to lighten up on myself! love that you & your husband work together on this ministry to homeschool families!  Please thank him for his “extra mile” helps to us all!

Every time I hear you speak, I receive some valuable nugget of information that I need! love your sense of humor, humlity & gracious manner of  speaking!  Thank you for holding so many mothers’ hands and cheering us on through the adventure (& sometimes the maze) of high school transcripting!!!

Thanks–I’m so glad I’m a Gold Care member! =)

Your information has definitely given me more confidence in evaluating my son’s courses.  I’m about done with the transcript and will email it to you and call you to discuss it.  Thanks!!

I thought it was very helpful, especially your information on how great schools and teachers graded.  (I had never thought about checking into that!)  It was freeing to see all the things other than just tests that they include in the grades.

I’m grateful for you almost every day.  Whether it’s your uplifting and informative posts on Facebook or your newsletters or your webinars.  I could not do this without you!!! Thank you.

Loved it.  It lowered my anxiety about grading and helped me not be such a perfectionist about it.  I’m just so worried about submitting transcripts to  colleges and having them reject them.

I’m glad I joined the Gold Care Club! I’m looking forward to talking with you tomorrow on the phone and I’m going to go thank my husband right now for my membership!

You can sign up on our Gold Care Club page here:

Not a member yet?  For $47 you can get access to all of these benefits.

Join today, and be ready for our May 5 members-only webinar on options after high school!

BLOG CONTEST: I’m speaking at the Old Schoolhouse Expo this year, and I have a free ticket to give away! If you would like to win this ticket, please leave a comment on this post with as many details as you can about my family’s impending wedding.

I will keep the answers secret until I choose a winner on Friday. My Facebook friends won’t have a problem with this because I’m talk about it ALL THE TIME!!  Have fun!!

In a school setting, children are often given an accommodation for their learning challenges.  In the adult world, people learn to compensate for their weaknesses all the time.  If you have a child that struggles with writing, you can help them learn to compensate as well.

Dragon Naturally Speaking is speech-recognition software.  In a nutshell, you  speak into a microphone and the Dragon Naturally Speaking program will type it for you.  It says “users the power to create documents, reports and emails three times faster than most people type – with up to 99%  accuracy. It includes a free headset microphone with noise canceling technology.”

See Dragon Naturally Speaking here.

My husband has tried the software, and had a lot of fun with it.  It was too difficult for my elderly parents to use, so it didn’t work for us, but for a  computer-savvy teen it should be a breeze.  You have to “train” the computer to listen to your voice, and that takes a while to do.  Once the computer types what you have to say, there may be some editing involved, but it will be MUCH less work that having a teenager write an entire paper.  This program is being advertised heavily right now and a solution for improving grades in the public school.  Although I don’t think it is “the” answer, I do think it can really help improve academic performance in non-English areas.

Of course you want to continue your work teaching them to write to their very best.  You want them to have the skills necessary to write anything necessary when they don’t have any software available to them.  At the same time, using the Dragon Naturally Speaking may make their OTHER learning more enjoyable.  They can use it to compose reports or assignments in all of their subject quickly.  That way they can succeed in history, economics, science, and other subjects, without being penalized for their weaknesses in the area of English.  That can improve their love of learning, and lead to a better educated child in the long run.

If you are curious about providing a great homeschool education for your gifted child, check out my audio training, “Gifted Education at Home.“