I know you’ll enjoy this guest post by my friends at 7SistersHomeschool.com. Be sure to check out their fantastic homeschool electives for high school.
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Homeschooling high school years are the best years of all! While building a transcript and serious life preparation can be intimidating, high school is FUN because of the electives! Electives are enjoyable because they expand your teens’ interests, abilities and experience.
One word of warning: Don’t think that your teen MUST have a prescribed set of electives in order to have the proper transcript. There’s really not one set of BEST electives that fit every homeschooler because:There’s not one right way to homeschool. The “best” set of electives for your teen will be the set that best fits his or her strengths, interests and goals.
Homeschooling teens is such a good educational decision because you and your teens get to choose the educational electives that are the best fit for them. To put it simply:
The BEST electives for your homeschool are the ones that help YOUR TEEN develop into the person God has in mind.
In choosing electives, you are helping your teens develop into the persons they should be, but you are also helping them develop awesome transcripts. Many colleges look at 4 things on the high school transcript:
Level of academic rigor of courses
Level of performance (GPA, SATs/ACTs)
Level of personal development/Kinds of electives (because they are building a freshman class, they want to know the kinds of students they are considering- electives tell them that)
Level of commitment (extra-curriculars, especially long-term involvement extras; and competitions)
With that in mind, here are 5 categories to consider as you choose the best electives for your teens’ homeschool transcript:
Electives that explore an intriguing interest. If your teen loved chemistry, an advanced chemistry would be an excellent elective. If your teen loves Civil War history, a history elective with in-depth exploration of the topic would be a perfect elective. If your teen loves singing, voice lessons make a wise elective.
Electives that uncover an undiscovered interest. Don’t just run with already discovered interests. Most teens don’t fully know what they are interested in. (In fact, as we work with teens we often hear them say that they aren’t sure what they like or what they want to learn.) Choose some out of the box (but not killer-level) courses just to explore. Consider things like human development, field studies on astronomy (learn the constellations, etc- don’t go in for the physics on an exploratory elective), an out-of-the-box world language (think Cherokee or Celtic) painting, or poetry writing and reading.
Electives that attract an admissions officer’s attention. For this one, you’ll need to look at some local college websites (or college websites your teen may be interested in outside your area). See what kinds of electives they are looking for. Often they want to see a social science like psychology or sociology; this kind of information is empowering when you are choosing your electives for the year.
Electives that delve into career discovery. You really, really don’t want to skip this one. Why spend thousands of dollars on college if your teen doesn’t have a clue about what his major should be? Make sure you include an actual career exploration course. Other good career discovery courses include apprenticeships and courses that explore a career (for instance, a course on early childhood education or personal training).
Electives that leap into life skills. Show that your teen can function in the real world. Courses like home maintenance and home economics have not gone out of style. Courses that prepare for life but also have academic value (like human development or anatomy and physiology) are fabulous, too.
What if you aim for at least one elective from each of the 5 categories over the course of the 4 years of high school? That would be a great guideline, but remember: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school! When you include courses that are a good fit for your students, you’ve found the BEST electives for them. You’ll end up with homeschool high school graduates with stellar skills and terrific transcripts!
Meet six 20+year veteran homeschool moms who helped each other make it all the way to high school graduation! Vicki, Sabrina, Kym, Marilyn, Sara and Allison make up 7SistersHomeschool.com, providing ebook curriculum, coaching, and encouragement for homeschoolers everywhere. Firmly committed to the truth that there is NOT ONE RIGHT WAY to homeschool, 7Sisters develops curriculum that is adaptable to a variety of levels and promises NO busywork and NO overkill. Sharing with others via blog posts, social media and The Homeschool High School Podcast, your “big sisters” will help you along on your homeschool adventures. “But I don’t understand the “7Sisters” name,” you may say. “When I count the sisters, I only get to 6…”That’s because when you join us, YOU are the 7th sister!
Do you consistently find yourself with more to-do’s than time? If you’ve tried routines and schedules and planners and you’re still not organized, you’ll want to try time boxing. I love it!
How I’ve Organized Time in My Homeschool
FLYLady wasn’t a homeschooler, but in my early homeschooling years she introduced me to the idea that I needed routines. My plan was putting out fires. I handled whichever baby screamed the loudest. I learned that I needed to do the same things in the same order every day. Sure, there were interruptions, but the basic pattern created peace in my home.
I still use routines and talked with FLYLady about the power of routines in homeschooling in an episode of The Homeschool Sanity Show. But when I added more children and more students to my homeschool, I decided I needed more than just routines; I needed a schedule. Managers of Their Homes showed me how mothers of many could homeschool and parent and have a life, too. Time had to be allotted for it. I created the perfect schedule. But I forgot that my family is far from perfect. The schedule never really worked. It felt too constraining. So I started using what I called anchor points along with my routines. There was the noon anchor point by which the majority of my teaching should be done. There was the 5:00 p.m. anchor point at which time I needed to start dinner. Then there was the 8:00 p.m. anchor time which was when I wanted to have the kids in bed. I was usually disappointed in that one.
Today I have more scheduling in my day than I did years ago. Scheduling can be very effective if you don’t resist it. But I find that the more I schedule, the more resistance I feel. I like freedom and I suspect many homeschoolers are the same. Fortunately, routines and schedules aren’t the only options when it comes to organizing your homeschool day. Time boxing is another option and it’s flexible and effective.
What Time Boxing Is
Time boxing is a list of tasks you’d like to complete in a day, together with the amount of time you plan to spend on each. Unlike a routine, a time boxing list will be different every day. The list can be arranged in order of how you would like to complete tasks, but unlike a schedule, can be easily changed as you go through your day. A list for a homeschooler may look something like this:
Bible time – 30 mins.
History – 15 mins.
Read Aloud – 15 mins.
Raking leaves – 30 mins.
Tutoring Time – 60 mins.
Break – 30 mins.
Organizing – 15 mins.
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You decide to do one of these tasks first and set a timer. When time is up, you can either wait to start another task or move on to the next one of your choice. When you’ve finished the list, you’re done for the day.
Tips for Using Time Boxing to Organize Your Homeschool
Use an app. The Sloth (iOS) and Do Now (Android) apps make it easy and motivating to keep track of your tasks for the day. You can easily rearrange the task order, start and stop the timer, and mark tasks complete. I love having my task list with me on my phone. I’m easily distracted!
Don’t include routines. If you already have morning time in which you do the same things in the same order, don’t put them on your time boxing list. Instead, make a list of the other things you’d like to spend time on that day.
Use generous time estimates. Most people underestimate how long things will take. The more time you anticipate, the more likely you will finish with time to spare. You’ll also be less frustrated by the day’s accomplishments.
Use it to add balance to your day. What is it that you never seem to have time for? Add things like sewing, reading, or Bible journaling to your list. Even 15 minutes of these activities matters. The more time we spend doing things that rejuvenate us, the more likely we will get less enjoyable tasks done.
Use it to create habits. Until exercise is a habit, try adding it to your time boxing list. If there is something you always forget to do, add it to your list.
Use it to organize your homeschooling life. The Organized Homeschool Life provides you with 15-minute missions that will help you get organized all year. Add a 15-minute organizing task to your time boxing list and you’ll be on your way to experiencing more peace and joy in your homeschooling and life.
Use it to organize your distracted child. I have a child with ADD who flourishes with time boxing. He learns to plan work for the day, estimate how long tasks will take, and to work quickly when timed. If you use the app on your phone, rather than your child’s, you can help remind your child to stay on track.
Don’t time box your whole day. If you have a whole day’s time allotted to tasks, you are scheduling and not time boxing. The beauty of time boxing is it allows for response to distractions, new tasks, and our need for margin. Keeping the list short is more motivating, too.
If you give time boxing a try, let me know how you like it. If you’d like even more homeschool organizing tips, check out 10 Days of Homeschool Organization Ideas at They Call Me Blessed.
I’ve spent the last four days in this series of 5 Easy and Surprising Ways of Raising Writers sharing reasons why your child may not want to write. Now I want to share with you what I consider the secret sauce for motivating young writers.
I’ve taught my own children to write, some of whom come by their writing skills naturally. But I’ve also taught dyslexic students, students with other learning challenges, and students who hated the very idea of writing. As a psychologist (and not just a writing teacher) I’ve observed something interesting.
Most children who don’t want to write think they aren’t good at it.
The Problem With Reluctant Writers
It’s as though they believe writers are born, not made. Where would they get that idea? I think some of it comes from our failure to communicate that making changes to written work is not the same as marking a math answer or a test question incorrect. Red lines equal wrong. And no matter how hard they try, they can’t avoid those dreaded red lines.
Even if you don’t think your child believes that edited work means they aren’t good writers, you may have a child who could benefit from the secret sauce.
Many moms (as I mentioned in the post on what you’re not doing that may be keeping your child from writing) don’t think they can write well. As a result, they’re reluctant to praise their children’s writing. They’ve told me, “I don’t know if it’s good or not.” My friends have asked me to grade their children’s papers. If, as a result of mom’s writing insecurity, a child is getting no praise and only editing marks, it’s no wonder a child would believe she isn’t good at writing. No one wants to devote a lot of time to doing something they’re not good at.
How to Use the Secret Sauce to Overcome Your Child’s Writing Insecurity
Now that we know the problem, it’s time for me to share the ingredients for the secret sauce that will help your child overcome the belief that they aren’t good at writing.
First, explain editing to your child. Every writer, even the most successful, has an editor. Why? Because writers make mistakes. Being a good writer does not mean that they will not have their work edited. Sometimes the person doing the editing is making a mistake. Editors are human, too! But editing allows us to become better writers.
Second, praise your child’s writing. Even if you aren’t really familiar with writing mechanics like spelling, punctuation, and grammar, you can find something to praise about your child’s writing. It does not have to be perfect to warrant encouragement. Writing is a very vulnerable expression, very unlike math problems and tests your child completes. Our children share their opinions, their emotions, and their personality when they write. There is always something praiseworthy in their efforts.
You will not do a child a disservice by acknowledging positives in writing. Even more beneficial to your child’s confidence is expressing surprise. I often appear blown away by something a child writes and I am not acting. I did not know the young writer was capable of such deep thought, such hilarious description, or explaining something complex in such an understandable way. I have had many children, including my own, giggle nervously as I tell them that I see the gift in them. The gift doesn’t have to be for writing, but for observation, for compassion, for wisdom. Once you acknowledge the gift, you can explain that the areas where they struggle can easily be mastered with practice. But the gift? That can’t be taught. That’s theirs forever.
It has been one of my greatest joys in homeschooling to see a child begin to believe that he does, in fact, have something worth sharing with the world.
Third, document progress. As moms, it’s easy to get frustrated with a child who did not capitalize the first letter of a sentence or left off an end mark for the umpteenth time. But if we focus on what isn’t right, our children become convinced that they aren’t getting it. If they aren’t getting it, they won’t want to write any more. Be even more vigilant about finding evidence of progress than you are of mistakes. A scoring rubric for your child’s papers can be very helpful in this regard. I don’t think they’re necessary for young writers, who should be learning to write for the joy of it. But older students will appreciate a list of things to look for in their papers before handing them in. If your curriculum doesn’t include one, you may like this one for elementary students or this editing game.
If you don’t feel comfortable grading your children’s papers, you can ask a writing friend to help. Even if you enroll your child in an outside course, make sure you continue to express your approval and enjoyment of your child’s writing.
When I applied these three ingredients to reluctant writers I taught, I ended up being amazed by what they coud do. When a student believes he is capable of becoming a competent writer, little miracles happen. It all begins with the secret sauce.
If you have a beginning reader or writer, check out Grammar Galaxy. It’s a fast, fun, and easy way for kids to learn.
My children’s favorite part of their father’s bedtime routine (after all the physical fun of wrestling, airplane rides, and pillow fights) was storytelling. My husband made up silly stories for them that they loved. It’s funny to me that I can write children’s fiction, but coming up with stories on the fly isn’t my gift. My husband, who is an avid reader but never writes, is an amazing children’s story teller. Gales of laughter emanated from my children’s bedrooms for years.
The Fun Way to Teach Young Children to Write
Listening to stories, whether in the form of audiobooks or mom or dad’s made-up yarns, teaches children story structure. Even stories that flop are great teaching opportunities. Without even using the terms plot or conflict, children learn that stories that lack them are funny for all the wrong reasons. Listening to their father’s stories taught my children about characterization, descriptive language, and humor.
Had my children remained content to listen to their dad’s stories, they would have learned much about writing. But they didn’t stop there. The kids begged to tell their own stories. Sometimes they improved upon their dad’s stories, which is the beginning of editing skills. Other times they would come up with something completely new. No matter how silly and short the story they told was, they had a blast telling it. They learned to tailtor their content to their intended audience, too. Not only do they they enjoy storytelling, but they have a more positive attitude toward writing as well.
How to Use Storytelling to Teach Writing
If you have the storytelling gift like my husband, start a storytelling tradition at bedtime tonight. Rather than insist that your child tell a story, let her ask to tell her own. That ensures you have a motivated storyteller.
But what if you’re more like me and storytelling doesn’t come naturally? Here are a few ideas for you.
Start with a story you know. It could be a personal story. Did something funny or scary happen to you that you could use as a story for your children? Or use a fairytale like “The 3 Little Pigs” and change it up. Change the characters and what the wolf says. It’s fun to give the characters family names. See if your children recognize the story. All fiction is based on a limited number of basic story lines.
Use a story starter.Scholastic has a great story starters website you can access on your mobile device, making it perfect for bedtime. You spin four wheels to get a story starter appropriate for your child’s age in the genre of your choice. Sometimes that’s all you need to get started. One way to make this kind of storytelling even easier is to weave a personal experience into it.
Have your kids help. If you don’t feel comfortable telling a whole story yourself, start one and ask your child to finish it. If you have multiple children or your spouse will join in, this can be even more fun. Each child can add a little bit to the story, sometimes taking it in a whole new direction.
Storytelling is a great, fun way to teach beginning writers, no handwriting required. There is a storytelling lesson in Grammar Galaxy: Nebula that teaches kids (and you, too) how to be better story tellers.
I do have one more suggestion for you: record your storytelling sessions. The recordings will be a treasure.
Parents’ reading habits are a primary determinant of children’s reading habits. Our kids emulate us. That’s why it’s so important that we not only read to our kids but read for our own enjoyment. Did you know that reading a great book could increase your child’s chances of school and life success?
But before you leave to read a book guilt-free, can we talk about your kids’ writing habits? Writing skills are vitally important for your child’s future, too, as I mentioned in the first post in this series. If your child is a reluctant writer, it should concern you. Not every child is going to be an avid writer, but it’s important that we impart adequate writing skills to them.
What You’re Not Doing That May Contribute to Your Child’s Writing Reluctance
Have you already guessed what I’m going to say? I thought so. If your reading habits have a major influence on your child’s, it stands to reason that your writing habits do too.
“Oh no worries here!” you’re saying. “I email and text all the time. My child sees me writing.”
If that is the extent of your writing, that will likely be the extent of your child’s writing. Your child needs to see you doing other forms of writing.
“But I’m not a good writer!” I can hear you saying.
If that excuse works, your child now has a free pass. He can argue that he isn’t a good writer, so he won’t write either. Now I’ve got you, haven’t I?
“I love to write. I write all the time. So that can’t be the problem,” you might be saying.
If you write for work or blog, you child either may not see you writing or may see a disconnect between the writing you do and the writing you want her to do.
The Solution to This Kind of Writing Reluctance
No matter what your reason for not being a writing example to your child, I have a solution. It’s easy and fun! I promise.
Do the writing assignments you give your child.
If you’re repulsed by the idea, you may want to change your writing curriculum. Writing, like reading, should be enjoyable. More challenging writing assignments are appropriate for older children who have the skills they need to persevere. Young writers should have assignments that inspire them. In other words, I’m not saying that you need to write a 15-page research paper when your child does.
I like funny writing prompts for the purpose of writing with your child. The assignments are generally short, except when a child is enjoying himself immensely and writes pages of funny material. This is the kind of assignment you as a parent can enjoy. This kind of writing should not be focused on mechanics.
I have had the privilege of teaching writing to one of my friend’s sons. He did not have punctuation, spelling, or grammar mastered. But he loved to write. I have helped him with his skills, but he possesses a passion for writing that has to come first. That’s what we want our children to have. We can impart that by modeling it for our kids.
Have fun writing with your kids. Read them what you wrote and see if you can make them laugh. Writing with your children can be one of your best homeschooling memories. It is mine.
I have created a curriculum that teaches beginning writers the why behind writing and makes it fun. I’d love for you to preview a sample at GrammarGalaxyBooks.com.
Groans. That is what I heard from my sons when it was time to write anything.
At first I thought I just wasn’t using the best approach to writing for them. Every year when I attended a homeschool convention, I would look for something I thought would get them excited about writing. But the results were the same: whining and procrastination.
Then I decided that my sons’ writing reluctance was a result of immaturity. Writing is an advanced skill. Maybe they just weren’t ready for it?
The Surprising Reason My Kids Hated to Write
I found that I was right on both counts. My kids love funny writing prompts, especially when we read our writing out loud for one another. I was also right that they just weren’t ready for it. Once my sons were in high school, their writing improved dramatically and the complaints stopped.
But as I continued homeschooling the rest of my children, I noticed something else. I am surprised I didn’t see it as the root of my children’s writing reluctance a long time ago.
When a child has slow handwriting speed, he will be a reluctant writer.
My children were able to finish their handwriting pages without much fuss. Both Handwriting Without Tearsand Happy Handwriting didn’t require a lot of writing per lesson. The kids were able to form their letters correctly. But they couldn’t write quickly. Their slow handwriting speed made any writing, creative or practical, an agonizing process for them.
My daughter, not surprisingly, did not have the same issue. Her better fine motor skills lent themselves to faster handwriting and an early love of writing. I shared more about the real differences in homeschooling boys on The Homeschool Sanity Show podcast.
How to Increase Your Child’s Handwriting Speed
Get your child’s buy-in. If your child thinks their only goal is to learn to form letters correctly, they will likely experience dislike for writing. Explain that if they learn to write faster, they will be able to finish all of their work faster, including math. If you or your child thinks that handwriting speed is unimportant in this digital age, consider how often you have to complete forms on paper. We have not yet made the transition to keyboarding for every task. Some college professors do not allow their students to take notes on a laptop, for example. Adequate handwriting speed will allow your child to feel confident in any learning setting.
Make sure your child knows how to form the letters. It’s no use trying to increase your child’s handwriting speed if he doesn’t remember how to make the letter K. Don’t allow your child to mindlessly complete handwriting pages. Instead, help your child memorize the way to make each letter. A great way to do this is to use a dry erase board with your child. Use verbal cues for making the letter you’re working on. Have your child repeat them after you as she forms the letter with you. This PDF gives you verbal cues to use if your curriculum doesn’t use them. Keep practicing until your child can form each letter from memory.
Work to increase speed. Handwriting workbooks are focused on the quality of letter formation. To increase speed, your child needs to be encouraged to write quickly and legibly. As long as you can determine the letters he’s written, your child is doing the right thing by increasing speed. First, you’ll need to get a baseline of your child’s handwriting speed. Having your child write as many letters as possible in a minute is a great way to check speed. That baseline will help your child determine his improvement in speed.
Handwriting speed is a lesson in Grammar Galaxy, a language arts curriculum for beginning readers that I created especially for reluctant readers and writers. To get a free copy of the handwriting speed forms, click the button below.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
