10 Easy Ways to Add Music to Your Homeschool in the Upper Grades {GIVEAWAY}

Music can be one of the most intimidating subjects for homeschool parents. Many parents believe that if they don’t have skills in this area, they will not be able to teach music as a part of their homeschool. In addition, they believe that kids who don’t have access to a school band or choir program won’t be able to learn music in high school. The great news is that there are a variety of resources available to help homeschoolers learn about music. Here are ten ways you can tap resources in your community to help your homeschooler get a great music education.

1. Go to Concerts

The best way for kids to learn about music is to be exposed to it, and there is nothing better for exposure than to see music performed live. It is important that kids have an opportunity to experience a wide variety of different genres of music. Take some time after the concert to discuss it with your child as well. These discussions are a great way to develop critical thinking skills as they review the performance. If you live near a college or university, this can be a great way to find a wide variety of inexpensive events to attend that are very high quality. No matter how to plan to integrate music into your homeschool, you should try to attend concerts with your kids on a regular basis in addition to your other music education activities.

When it is not possible to go to live concerts, there are many resources to allow kids to listen to music from home. Kids may enjoy finding YouTube videos of favorite songs, or searching for online or virtual concerts to attend. Consider listening to classical music in the background while working on other homeschool lessons as an easy way to add more music into the plans for yourhomeschool day.

Make sure to read to the end of this post to learn how you can get a great resource to help your kids think critically about the music they are listening to, absolutely free!

2. Take a Music Appreciation Class

There are a huge variety of curriculum choices and even online classes aimed at teaching music appreciation to homeschoolers in high school. These classes are a great starting point to help kids understand the music that they are listening to. You can choose to study the life and music of a particular composer, or to study a particular genre of music, like jazz or rap.

Another way to study music is to focus on a time period in history and study the music of that time period. One way to do this is to include music as a part of your history curriculum. Music was not created in a vacuum; composers are often influenced by world events that occurred during their lifetimes. Your kids may enjoy learning about historical events, then studying the music of that time period to look for influences.

3. Study World Music

Music can also fit in with your studies of geography and world cultures. Many cultures have unique musical traditions or instruments. Kids may enjoy studying the music of different regions as part of a world culture study. Exploring the music of different cultures is a great way to add depth to this kind of world study experience.

4. Study Music Theory

Music theory is a way of studying music to understand the rules of how it is put together. It’s a little bit like studying grammar when you are learning English. Knowing the rules of an language- even music- makes you a better communicator. Music theory is the rules of music, that help musicians understand how to communicate with music. There are a variety of books and courses designed to introduce high school students to the ideas of music theory. This is an especially practical idea if your child is planning to learn how to play an instrument.

5. Learn About the Science of Sound

Students who are interested in science might enjoy studying music from a scientific perspective. How do different kinds of instruments work, and how do they make sound? These are great topics for research at the library, or even on YouTube. Kids who enjoy this study could also try making instruments of their own as a follow-up activity.

6. Write Your Own Music

There are a wide variety of apps that take the intimidation factor out of music composing, and make it easy and fun. In many cases, kids don’t even need to know how to read music in order to write their own songs! Once your kids get started making their own creations, they may be more motivated to study about music to help them get ideas for their own songs.

7. Think Outside the Box with Technology

How can you use technology creatively to encourage your student to explore music? Would your kids enjoy learning how to DJ? What about exploring sound mixing so that they could help in the sound booth at church, or a local theater production? Thinking creatively about opportunities like these will open the door to many opportunities for your kids.

8. Learn to Play an Instrument

The great news for parents of students who would like to play an instrument is that there are many resources to help make this possible, even for homeschoolers. First, if you don’t already have the instrument your student would like to learn, your local music store is a great starting point. Many local music stores offer rent to own programs. This will allow your child to rent an instrument while they are trying it out. If they decide they enjoy the lessons, a (usually pretty large) percentage of your monthly rental fee goes toward purchasing the instrument. Some stores even offer complimentary adjustments and repairs on the instruments during the rental period.

Your local music store can also be a good reference to find a private teacher for your child. A local college or high school can also be a great place to find a student who is willing to give some relatively inexpensive lessons. If you can’t find a local teacher, there are a variety of apps and services that offer virtual lessons to help kids get started on different instruments.

9. Find Opportunities to Perform

How can your child use their newfound instrument skills, or even their singing voice, to perform for others? Can your child perform at a local nursing home, or at your church? Can you gather some friends and go sing songs for elderly neighbors who are stuck at home? The more opportunities your child has to share their growing musical talents, the better. This is also a great way for your child to have an opportunity to give back to the community.

10. Join a Performing Group

Band, orchestra, and choir are not just for traditional school students anymore! Check with the homeschool groups and co-ops in your area; many offer music groups for homeschool students. If they do not, you might check to see if there are other homeschool musicians in your area who would be interested in forming a small group to perform together. In addition, many areas offer honors orchestras or other performing groups. These are usually open by audition to the best school-aged musicians in the area. These groups might give your child both a goal to strive for, and an outlet for performing with other musicians. This is also a great way to encourage socialization for homeschoolers and help your kids make friends!

As a homeschool parent, it can take some creativity and willingness to seek help from outside resources to make music education a part of your homeschool. This effort will be well worth it as you see your child begin to learn about and love music.

Bonus: A Free Resource for You!

To help your child get started with listening to music and thinking critically about it, I have created a pack of music listening worksheets for you to use in your homeschool! Worksheets are included to help kids analyze an individual song as well as a whole concert. Comparison worksheets are also included so kids can compare and contrast 2 different songs they are listening to. Each activity includes 2 different levels of worksheets to accommodate kids of a variety of ages and ability levels. These worksheets will help your kids learn new music vocabulary words, and expand their thinking about the music they are hearing! Get your free Music Listening Worksheets today!

Giveaway!!  TWO readers will win a $25 gift card to spend at the Homeschooling 4 Him store.  Enter to win on the Homeschooling Upper Grades landing page!

You may also like...

  

*******************************************************

Sarah Miller is a homeschool mom of two and an educator with over a decade of experience teaching kids in preschool through high school. Her passion is to help homeschool parents get started homeschooling with confidence. She blogs at Homeschooling 4 Him, where she shares tips and tricks to make homeschooling simple and fun. You can also connect with Sarah on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.

Homeschooling the College Bound Teen {GIVEAWAY}

Are you thinking about homeschooling your teen through high school?  

What do you do if they want to go to college?

When we were in the middle school years, my husband and I began thinking about the possibility of college for our daughter. 

 

And I was more than a little nervous.  

We loved homeschooling.  It was my calling.  It worked so well for our family and for our daughter.  

We knew we wanted to continue through the teen years.  

We didn't, of course know what our daughter would want to do yet for after graduation.  But we wanted her to have the option of going to college, if that was part of her calling.

  

How would I, as a homeschooling mom, help her get there?  

I spoke with my homeschooling mom friends and found out that many of them did not know how to go about applying to college as homeschoolers.  

Just like me.

And the colleges seemed so big, and I, in contrast, felt so small.  

Do you ever feel that way?

I wanted more information, so I began to research on the web all about homeschooling and college. 

There are many homeschool friendly colleges out there, that want the type of kids that homeschooling produces - motivated, independent learners. 

We helped our daughter get into college, and found the process of to not be that hard!

We did lots of fun family activities and nature study, too.

Today I'd like to share 4 key steps for getting into college for your homeschooled teen, including learning about their:

• college entrance requirements, which will guide you in:
• making an over all High School Plan
• choosing their high school curriculum, and
• making their homeschool transcript.

Let's get started, with the first key step:

1.  College Entrance Requirements

What specifically are "college entrance requirements"?  

They are just the courses that your teen would need to complete to be able to apply to college.

This information is easy to find, just by looking at college websites, and clicking on the freshman admission requirements. 

We found these requirements to be similar from college to college, with some variance. 

They were not all the same.  

How did we find this information?  

I looked up the most likely colleges that my daughter might attend. So it's a good idea to look up 2 to 4 possible colleges, and make note of what they require.  

I invite you to click  for my free PDF:     Researching and Getting Started - College Entrance Requirements

Once we did this, we had our list of college entrance requirements in hand.  

In fact, we used it to make an overall homeschool high school plan. That is our second step in this process of going from homeschool to college.

2.  Making an Overall High School Plan

As homeschoolers, we are already experts in planning. We have searched for resources and planned out our kid's homeschooling for years.

Planning for high school with college in mind is really no different, except that we want to be sure to get those entrance requirements done, too. 

So one way to do that is to take our list of admission requirements and sketch out what the high school years might look like.....with our best guesses of what we wanted to do when.  

With our plan, as described above, we were less likely to forget a requirement or two.  We kept ours handy each year, when it was curriculum planning time.

And choosing our homeschool high school curriculum is our third step.

3.  Choosing Curriculum with College in Mind

Choosing your homeschool high school curriculum can be very similar to the process you used during their earlier years. 

We explored around, as usual, choosing the textbooks, living books, and/or online courses that would be a good fit for our teen.  

We worked to meet our teen’s entrance requirements, but did not forget to focus on her special interests as well.  Those became electives.

When I taught my daughter photography, that became a credit in photography on her transcript.  

For more information on assigning high school credit, click here - Assigning High School Credit and Planning High School at Home

It is important to know the specifics that your colleges require. For example, does your college ask for labs to be done with each science course?  

Do they require two science courses, or three?  

What do they ask for in math?  

My book mentioned below, has a chapter that includes specifics on each subject.

The next and final step is that of making your teen's homeschool transcripts.

And what should be included in the homeschool transcript, anyway?

4.  Making Your Teen's Transcript

The homeschool transcript is basically just a list of all the courses your teen has completed, both at home, and at any outside courses, too.  

That way, the colleges can see clearly what your teen has done as far as coursework.

I recommend that your transcript to be just one page.  That is what the colleges are used to seeing. 

For all the details of how to put together your homeschool transcript, I invite you to go back to my blog again, BJ's Homeschool, and click on the Transcript Pop Up.  It will pop up!

It is a free Homeschool Transcripts PDF for you.

These instructions will show you just how we made your transcripts, how I did that for my daughter when she got into each of the colleges that she applied to. 

For more information, I invite you to watch my video called:    5 Steps to Planning High School at Home

It also includes information on my book, which I am offering as a GIVEAWAY and a SALE  as a part of this event!

Both Paperback and Kindle are on Amazon

Kindle SALE - 50% off $3.49 

With 

HIGH SCHOOL PLANNING PRINTABLES

These downloadable high school planning printables include:

• College Entrance Requirements Form
• Overall High School Planning Form
• Curriculum Planning Sheet
• High School Credit Record Form
• Transcript Form
• Homemade Course Form
• Writing the College Essay Form
• Course Descriptions Record Keeping Form, and more.
• Find out more about the book!

Helping our daughter get into college did not take up all of our homeschool time. 

We took it step-by-step so that we had time for the fun family activities, family devotionals, and also time for my teen to explore her God given gifts and special interests.   

And isn't that what homeschooling is about anyway?  

The best way to follow me for resources and tips on high school and college is to join me on Pinterest. (Links below.)

I share there often.  

So happy to have you join us in this Upper Grades event!  I am honored to be a part of it.

Giveaway!!  Betsy will be giving away two paperback copies of her book, Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd edition. Enter to win on the Homeschooling Upper Grades landing page!

You may also like...

*****************************************

Betsy is a veteran homeschool blogger who writes at BJ's Homeschool blog about Frugal Resources, high school, college, and more.  Join her on BJ's Facebook, and don't forget to follow her on BJ's Homeschool - Pinterest.  

Betsy enjoys going on nature trips with her family, and lots of photography outings in the country with her daughter.  They live in WA state, with two adorable cats.

Unlock the Mystery of Homeschooling High School {GIVEAWAY}

You have been homeschooling successfully for years, but the thought of homeschooling high school overwhelms you.

Why is that?

We can feel the pressure of transcripts, keeping records, giving grades, and making sure our son or daughter is able to get into college or the work force.

Okay, take a deep breath!

You can do this!

Yes, there are some changes to come in your home school, but they are actually very doable! You’ve already done the hard part by teaching your child to read!

Let’s unlock this mystery of homeschooling high school together. The most mysterious things about high school are graduation requirements, credits, planning, and course options.

Ready?

Graduation Requirements

Let’s look at the finish line to make running the race easier. What needs to happen so my teen can graduate high school?

My youngest daughter Shine ready to graduate from high school with her Daddy. :) :)

Every state is different. What are the high school graduation requirements for homeschoolers in your state?

Notice I said homeschoolers, not public school.

In our state of Florida, we can make our own graduation requirements. Now, I use the Florida requirements as a guideline since colleges will be looking for some uniformity there, but my graduation requirements are a little harder and include Bible, extra Life Skills courses, and leadership training.

If your teen is going to college, it is good to keep in mind what colleges look for in addition to your state’s requirements.

Colleges like to see:

• 4 credits English
• 4 credits Math
• 4 credits History/Government/Economics (Social Studies)
• 4 credits Science with Labs
• 2 credits Foreign Language
• Variety in Electives

What are Credits?

Oh, that brings up another subject. What is this mysterious thing called credits?

Just so you know, credits in high school are different from credits in college.

A college credit is usually based on the numbers of hours a college student spends in class, while a high school credit is equal to 150 hours of classroom time.

That means if your child takes a 3-credit college course while dual-enrolling, he will get 1 high school credit.  

Florida requires 24 credit hours to graduate. Each credit is about a school years’ worth of work assuming a student is taking 6 classes a year.

For more on high school credits, read my blog post, What High School Moms Need to Know about High School Credits.

Make A Flexible Plan

Making a flexible high school plan for each of my teens was a life saver! It gave me structure and kept me moving toward that goal of graduation.

I decided that a 5-year plan would work better for us because some high school courses can be taken in 8^th grade and counted toward graduation. 5 years gave us more time!

Each of my teens has a file called “XXX’s High School Plan” and it lists everything we want to cover in high school year by year. Then when we change plans to take advantage of educational opportunities or desires, we juggle things around. Doing this helps us to realize we still need a health credit or 1 more science with lab.

For more on making a flexible high school plan, read my blog post, The Easiest Way to Create a 5-Year-Plan to Homeschool High School.

Your destination is graduation, and now you’ve unlocked the mysterious basics. Let’s explore and investigate the endless options for high school courses!

Course Options

Travel is another great way to learn! :) :) We scrimped and saved to take our children to Italy--full of history! :) :)

There are so many options out there to get high school credit.

• Jimmy took a sound technology course by serving at church on the sound team, attending training sessions, and serving weekly for 2 years.
• Jenny Rose took a songwriting course that included learning about song writers from Pope Gregory and St. Frances to modern writers like Chris Tomlin and Kari Jobe. She practiced piano and guitar, wrote songs, and performed them at homeschool co-op Fine Arts Night and specials at church.
• Julianna took a debate class at a nearby college as a dual-enrolled student.
• Shine took a film writing course by attending a week-long Christian filmmakers conference and creating several short films after she returned home.
• Katie Beth listened to audios for American history. They were recordings from a 2-week intensive conference.
• My father-in-law created a short story course with audios and assignments that were mailed to him for my older daughters.
• All of my teens enjoyed a few courses with other teens in a high school co-op.
• Marla took geometry at a local high school for 1 hour per day.
• Several of our courses just used classic literature and/or living books. No textbook!

There are also online courses galore! The possibilities for high school courses are endless.

For a crash course in course creation, read my blog post, How I Design My Own High School Courses.

Is there more to unlocking the mystery of homeschooling high school? Yes, let me let you in on some hidden mysterious secrets.

Ready for the Big Reveal?!

Revelation: Education is for Life not Credits

True education is an invaluable gift. You are the giver of a treasure when you give your teens a rich education. Teaching children to think logically, giving them the tools of learning, and requiring them to read challenging books is a blessing they will treasure later in life if not now.

Education rich in truth does more than prepare us for something we do, it changes who we are!

Revelation: Classic Works, Living Books, and Timeless Literature Still Work Best

Nothing is more valuable than a well-written interesting book. Whether it’s Herodotus’ histories or Adam Smith’s economics masterpiece Wealth of the Nations, books enrich our vocabulary and provide insight into complex ideas and frameworks.

Classic literature engages our emotions while building pathways in the brain that make learning everything else easier to learn. I don’t know how that works, but I have experienced that it does.

Reading challenging works and interesting explanations in living books take us on an adventure of learning like nothing else in the world.

Lavish your children with books of all sorts! They will be richer for it!

Revelation: Relationships Matter More Than Schoolwork

With all that said about books, the most important part of homeschooling is communicating love to your teens. These wacky wonderful always changing people keep us on our toes and sometimes, let’s face it, they can be hard to understand and deal with.

I know you love them—that’s why you are homeschooling. But that’s not enough. Communicate that love in a lavish way that they can receive and embrace.

Uncover what beats in their hearts and seek to connect in that area. They are questioning things and trying out their wings one minute only to be seeking comfort and security the next. It is an exciting time!

Make your relationship with them a priority and don’t give up!

Freebie!!  Get your free 100 Homeschool Hacks and Reading Lists.

Revelation: Introduce Your Teens to Jesus

Some of the questions teens have are related to their faith which once seemed unshakeable. Don’t worry about the doubts they are expressing. Answer their questions. Give them resources like More Than a Carpenter and Cold Case Christianity.

Pray for them that they will encounter Christ and experience a living active faith. Many of our teens can feel so much guilt over those hidden things that no one talks about. Talk about sex, masturbation, pornography, and all the awkward topics. Give them biblical answers or send them to someone who will talk to them.

Let them experience God’s grace. He forgives us and redeems our life from the pit! He uses broken people filled with new life from His Spirit. Nothing is impossible with Him!

Revelation: Your Teen Needs a Cheerleader

Cheer your teens on! They need to know they are worth cheering for, that they have a future.

Make sure that they hear you praising them at least 10 times more than correcting.

Revelation: You are the Perfect Person to Homeschool Your Teens

All of us can feel insecure in our homeschool adventure, especially when we turn a new corner. So, let me remind you: You are the perfect person to homeschool your son or daughter!

God gave your children the perfect parents. He did not make a mistake. And every flaw in you will remind them that only God is perfect. That is okay.

Enjoy the process. Learn along with your children. Make time for fun. Cheer them on! And make sure there is someone cheering you on.

You can do this!

Until next time, Happy Homeschooling!

Love,

Meredith Curtis

Giveaway!!  The author has generously offered to giveaway access to the Who Dun It high school course. This is their most popular English Course :) :) If you are a cozy mystery lover, you will love ready cozies and writing your own mystery!  

Enter to win on the Homeschooling Upper Grades landing page!

You may also like...

***************

Meredith Curtis, pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom of 5 amazing children, and doting grandmother, has been married to her college sweetheart for over 35 years. She loves Jesus, leads worship, teaches, writes, leads a homeschool co-op, mentors ladies, and sometimes even cooks dinner! She is the author of Unlocking the Mystery of Homeschooling High School, Who Dun It (1-credit high school English course), American Literature & Research, and God’s Girls 105: Homemaking. Meredith wants to encourage homeschooling families to be joyful and successful in their homeschool adventures, all the way to high school graduation. You can find Meredith at PowerlineProd, Facebook, Pinterest, Finish Well Podcast, and Instagram.

Simple Tricks to Stick to your New Year's Resolutions {Plus Freebie!}

About 40% of all Americans vow to change one thing or another about their lifestyle each New Year. As homeschool moms, it's so important that we remember to focus on our health and well-being! After all, like the airlines say, before putting on someone else's oxygen mask, you need to put on your own. Are you wearing your oxygen mask, mom?

New Year’s resolutions usually fall under the following categories:

• Weight loss
• Finance
• Career
• Personal development
• Health and diet
• Fitness
• Stress management
• Focusing on personal relationships

Fast forward 6 months later, 60% will have completely forgotten all about their resolutions.

But carrying out your resolutions can be done. Read on to find out how.

1. Define your Motivation

There are 2 types of motivation:

• Intrinsic - this means your motivation comes from inside. For example, you prefer jogging, going to the gym, or shopping by yourself because you like how you feel afterwards.

• Extrinsic - you’re pushed forward by actions outside your personal scope. In other words, you prefer working out with your friends, and work harder when there’s a reward system in place.

Once you figure out your motivation type is, then all you have to do is put yourself in situations that make you more excited to accomplish even more.

2. Actions speak louder than results

Deciding on a goal for the New Year is always easier said than done. However, it’s the steps you take to reach that goal that’s the tricky part. If you want to stick to your resolutions, it’s wise to break each step down into smaller goals, if possible, to make them more manageable.

Moreover, each time you achieve one, reward yourself and feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. Positive reinforcement is crucial to help guide you as you push toward your goal and commit to your responsibilities.

One way to keep everything in check is to make sure your actions are SMART:

• Specific. Having a specific end result prevents you from making excuses.
• Measurable. Evaluating your progress will give your motivation a boost.
• Achievable. You can set daily goals as a building block to bigger goals.
• Relevant. Otherwise, if it’s not relevant, why bother?
• Time-bound. Goals need to have a defined end date.

3. Be Honest with yourself

The more realistic your resolutions, the more likely you’ll see them through. If your goal for the New Year is to exercise more, then start small. Instead of planning a 5-day workout week, go for 20 minutes a day then increase gradually.

You’ll find that, as with all goals, as soon as you start seeing what you’ve accomplished, you’ll be pumped to do even more. However, it’s crucial that you stay away from the “all-or-nothing” approach. Doing something, even if it’s a small piece of what you’d originally planned, is much better and more productive than doing nothing at all.

Moreover, it’s equally important to not have too many resolutions up in the air at once. Make a list, prioritize them, and go from there. Once you feel the first one’s in the bag, go for the second, and so on. Focusing on one goal at a time will channel your energy and efforts there, helping you reach your target faster.

4. Think things through

Having a positive mindset is key when progressing towards your goals, but let’s be honest; every plan is bound for failure if you’re careful. Be smart and anticipate these obstacles so that when they do appear, you’ll be prepared.

For example, if you get bored when you exercise, choose upbeat workout music that’ll get you revved up. Or you can workout at home, as you catch up on your favorite TV shows. If your motivation method is extrinsic, go to the gym with a friend. The idea is to nip it in the bud before it becomes stronger than your willpower so that you can surmount any obstacle that comes between you and your goal.

5. Be accountable for your actions

Accountability means you’re taking responsibility for the choices you’re making. This may seem easy to do at work when you have a deadline and a boss reinforcing it. It may not seem as easy when you’re home alone and skip out on cooking a healthy meal, and order take-out instead.

You can enlist the help of a friend or join a support group where you’d know that you made a certain commitment to someone, if it’s simply sending a photo of your home-cooked meal on social media.or, you can hang a calendar on your wall with progress notes so you can keep tabs on how far you’ve gotten and what still lies ahead.

Keeping your New Year’s resolution can seem scary at first. However, with these 5 steps, you can do anything you put your mind to. Moreover, once you accomplish your first resolution, you’ll find that it’s not only beneficial, it’s fun as well!

Download the FREE e-book 10 New Year’s Resolutions to Keep, and stay on track this year!

Make this year YOUR year! This reusable calendar features monthly at-a-glance pages and weekly pages with space for notes and planning. Each week also has a habit tracker grid to help keep the momentum going with your new habits! Just print and reuse each year for your planner.

College Planning - Insider Tricks & Tips! {GIVEAWAY}

As the homeschooling community continues to grow, one of the biggest concerns we hear from parents is that they don’t know what to do for the transition from high school to college. Here are some lesser-known things to keep in mind...

Choosing a College

• College Scorecard is a mandatory stop for college shopping.  It has a searchable database that is composed purely of facts and data.
• If you’re transferring colleges, you’ll definitely want to read TheTransfer Playbook: Essential Practices for Two and Four Year Colleges for a smooth transition….bonus points for reading it before entering your first year of college!
• When visiting, ask specific questions of your tour guide and any faculty you meet.  
• What will professors do to make child’s life HARDER?  To push them to work harder and think smarter.
• What percentage of undergraduate classes are taught by instructors who are not full-time faculty?  Does this vary by department?  (Specifically ask about the department your child is interested in attending.)
• Ask the student tour guide about the biggest clash of ideas s/he has witnessed in a classroom and how diverse thoughts are handled on campus.
• The student-faculty ratio is not a golden measure.  Some faculty go on leave, and some team teach (and only show up occasionally, but this lowers the ratio).  Some undergraduate classes are huge, while graduate classes may be one on one – again, skewing the ratio. 
• Also, how is faculty defined when determining ratios?  Are graduate students and adjuncts included?
• Personal preferences…
• Are you more likely to skip class if you’re just a face in the crowd?  Do you need the accountability of smaller classes?
• When you enter dining hall, do you want everyone to know you, some folks to know you, or no one to know you?

Making Financial Decisions

• Every school maintains a Net Price Calculator somewhere on their website.  You input your financial information, and the calculator spits out an estimate of what the school would ask you to pay if your child attends.
• ScholarshipStats.com publishes numbers on how sports scholarships stack up (and they are audited for accountability).  But keep in mind that only 2% of athletes get any kind of financial aid, and just a very tiny percentage get a full ride.
• Use Financial Aid Letter  for help with understanding award letters, which can be very confusing!
• You have the right to appeal a financial aid award.  Document everything, including short term disability (like pandemic unemployment), medical expenses, foreclosure, legal fees, natural disaster…anything that affects income beyond the black and white numbers…include homeschool out of pocket expenses, rising cost of living, and other children in college as well.

Look for more in-depth discussion of this topic and more in Through the Door: Homeschool to College Success! This book & worktext set will help you and your high school student breeze through the steps of college and scholarship applications, as well as brushing up on study habits and life skills. The worktext includes activities, worksheets, and planning pages, and accompanies the book.

Giveaway!!  One reader will win a copy of Through the Door.  Enter to win on the Homeschooling Upper Grades landing page!