Day in the Life of a High School Homeschooler

As with everything in life, there is an ebb and flow to the homeschooling day...and even the homeschooling career.  What an elementary household (all littles) routine looks like will differ greatly from our routine (all teens)... 

Day in the Life of a Homeschooled 11th Grader

• 8:30 - wake up, morning chores, fix breakfast
• 9 - breakfast and read-aloud time

I refuse to accept flak for letting my child sleep in this late.  There's ample research to show that teens need more sleep and have a different circadian rhythm than adults.  A later start to our day has proven time and again to result in a better, and more productive, day!

• 9:30 - start school - Generally the kids try to do their online work first...just in case we are having a 'internet trouble' day (happens a LOT more than it should!).  If there's an issue, they switch to offline stuff and try their online stuff again in the afternoon...
• Noon - lunch break & family time - Dad comes home for lunch and we have a quick family meeting while everyone is together.
• 1 - back to school - Offline stuff, if they were able to get online in the morning.  Or vice versa.
• 4:30 - afternoon chores & shop time - Quite possibly their favorite time of day, this combine farm chores and hobbies, is primarily outside, and lets them do what they love -- hands on projects!
• 6:30 - dinner & family time -- On 'good' days, this begins the quiet, relaxing portion of the day.  On 'bad' days, our crazy evenings kick off closer to 5 or 5:30 since it's an hour drive to activities.  (Where 'good' and 'bad' are defined from my uber-introverted perspective!)
• 10 - bedroom time - no computer - quiet projects and reading -- The rule is, don't keep mom and dad awake.  And no screens after 10pm.  Someone once told us we shouldn't give them that much freedom without checking in, but it's not like they could sneak out...with no car and seven miles to the nearest road.  No one is walking that far in the dark...
• before 1am - lights out -- Because, hey...8:30 is rolling around again before too long.

Naturally schedule looks very different from an elementary school student.  With all teens in the house, this schedule is somewhat fluid and different for each child, but this is the basic flow.

The High School Homeschool Room

There are four main components to our high school homeschool room, and each serves a unique purpose...

1. The bedroom doubles as an office.  Each teen has a loft bed with a desk built in beneath it.  They have a computer that they use for much of their schoolwork, including online classes, research, and writing papers.
2. The kitchen table is where we do 'together time,' including morning time and any other family-style projects.  It's also where they sit when they need parental assistance with schoolwork.
3. The shop is their favorite school location!  This is for votech-type classes, hands-on projects, and general hobby time.  Both boys take after their grandfathers in feeling most at home while tinkering around, designing and making things...
4. Finally, the car / hotel / doctor office locale is our last resort for schooling.  This is for those days when the schedule is packed full, we're running to and fro, and they simply have to get things done.  It's not their favorite (or mine) because of the numerous distractions and the difficulty of trying to research or watch online classes on a tiny tablet screen...but we do what we must.

And that's our homeschool setup and routine!  What does your high school routine look like?

Check out our curricula reveals!

• 2nd-6th Grades
• 4th & 7th Grades
• 6th & 9th Grades
• 8th & 11th Grades
• 9th & 12th Grades

Simply Good & Beautiful Math for Middle School {Review}

Now that our youngest is approaching high school, we are rethinking so many subjects. What worked best before is not necessarily the best fit now. With his special needs, we went off in search of more relaxed and gentle approaches to core subjects, including math...

Simply Good and Beautiful Math was the perfect solution!  Each of these brand-new math courses was created to provide a perfect balance of enjoyable learning along with development of a strong math foundation.  They combine fun games and activities with the highest academic standards, diversity, and connected learning, and we love the way that math is seamlessly linked to real life in engaging and meaningful ways.

I should back up and say that until this point, we have always used Saxon Math - and it is a fantastic course all on its own.  It definitely prepared my boys for higher learning, using a spiral method of mastery that included DIVE videos, and providing a great foundation for math skills.  It's an older program, but it works well.  Why reinvent the wheel?

Why indeed?  Well, because our youngest son learns quite differently, and needed something more visual.  Saxon math is a black and white program - all the way around - and it just wasn't working as well for him.  As we bridge into advanced concepts and look toward algebra, it has become very important to make sure he masters the foundational skills in a way that works for him.

The course includes a course book, Mental Math Map Mysteries, the answer key, and access to course videos.  The student has the option of reading a mini-lesson or watching the course videos, but I find he does best by doing both.  We start each lesson by watching the video, completing a couple of problems alongside the video, and then we complete the mental math together.  For the first time ever, math class is something he looks forward to!  I'm guessing that one of those reasons is because it's hard to be the baby of the family, and he knows that for ten minutes each day, the two of us will sit together, doing the mental math book as a team.

The course book features simple daily lessons, with a format including enjoyable activities and games. Advanced multiplication and division, geometry, graphing, measurement, and so much more are all taught. This book serves as both the teacher’s guide and the student book, and it guides parents and students through each engaging lesson.

The Mental Math Mysteries book is set up for you to sit face to face with your child.  He sees the side with the questions, and you see the side with the answers.  At the end of each page of four or five lesson boxes, the student is directed to place a sticker onto their included map.  At the end of the course, the student will have a completed picture of the map, and as a reward for completing the course, the child is then able to read the “You-Choose” book included in the course: Ivy and the Ice Village.

Admittedly, I wasn't keen at first to scrap the materials we already had on the shelf and purchase a new curricula.  After all, while it's common to go round and round searching for the right curriculum during your first few years of homeschooling, we've been on this train for a decade and have a system that works.  But sometimes, you just have to admit that there is a better way...

What actually swayed me?  Well, it was the visuals.  The course is so visually appealing, colorful, and engaging through multiple games and teaching methods, and this was exactly what our son was needing.  Even the answer key is beautiful!  For a kid who already strongly dislikes math, changing the format to something that at least seems like fun has already made a big difference.  We're only a week into school, but I'm usually hear complaints on day one...and haven't heard one yet!

This course also includes video lessons, which really bring the material to life in a real-world application way...exactly what he needs to answer that "why should I care?" question I'm always fielding.  But that's not to say that it's not a comprehensive, well-rounded book.  There are also graphing exercises, multiplication tables, geometric formulas, and all the things that a good math course needs.

Watch a Video Lesson  Try Sample Lessons Here!

It's a new program, so we'll let you know how it goes at the end of the school year, but so far I'm impressed!

Motivating Your Teens

Once upon a time, before automation became commonplace, teenagers were the working class of our society.  You'd see them in shopping malls, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and other such places working hard alongside adults.  However, thanks to technology, teen jobs have been phased out, leaving them to devote that time and energy to such fruits as video games and texting...

Teenagers are in that middle realm between childhood and adulthood.  They want to be treated like adults, and most would welcome the invitation to take on adult responsibilities.  "Back in the day," they could contribute to society through their after-school and summer jobs, which contributed to their own sense of pride and self-worth.

Teens today have those same desires, to feel worthy and contribute.  However, they often aren't given meaningful opportunities to do so, and they aren't motivated by things that seem trivial or that they can't relate to.   So how do we motivate them?

6 Secrets to Motivating Teenagers

• Make it Personal

• If you want to wear clean clothes, you'll need to do laundry.  If you want to drive, you'll need gas money.  If you forget to put the trash can lid on, you'll be picking up trash off the ground.  These are tangible benefits that teens will understand.  It can be difficult to understand WHY some things need to be done, but try to relate chores and tasks to a greater goal.  For example, you have to write this essay because it affects your grades, which affect your acceptance into a post-graduate program, which affect your ability to achieve your dream job.  We all have to do things we don't want to at times; helping your teen find that logical path will help remove some of the resistance.

• Give Them a Say

• Remember that feeling of always having to do what someone else told you when you were a kid?  It's not a good feeling, is it?  One phrase we eschew in this house is "because I told you so."  It disempowers our children and turns us into despotic rulers.  (And on the extremely rare occasion we've had to use it - typically in a move-it-life-or-death situation, the kids have perked up and responded!)  Teens are at a pivotal point in their lives, on the cusp of adulthood, and with that comes the need to make their own decisions.  That includes having some say over what they do and how things are done.  Our children have chores that must be done on specific days of the week, but it can be done at any point in the day as long as it's done correctly.  Should they fail to complete the task, or drop the ball, then we're on them the following week.  But just for the one week...because there's nothing more demeaning than continuing to harp on someone after they've recognized and corrected their error!

• Remind Them...But Let them Fail

• Teenage brains are undergoing one of the most major transformations of their entire life (second only to that birth-five range).  Because of this, neurons are constantly firing and occasionally things get forgotten.  This is in addition to emotional swirls, extracurricular activities, and #life.  One thing our teens need from us right now is help learning how to organize and create routines, which will help them to remember both the big and little things.  In our house, we have a giant whiteboard for notes and reminders.  If it's important, it goes there first.  The grocery list is on the fridge -- if they drink the last of the milk, they write it on the list.  Granted, this only helps them function as part of the family, but when they fly the coop, we'll be helping them tweak the system to their own personal needs.  By the same token, when it comes to more routine tasks (loading the dishwasher, taking out the trash), we're not going to go behind reminding them constantly.  If he fails to do his chore, there are natural consequences, such as having unhealthy animals, having to hand wash dishes, having to drive the trash to the dump in the car, failing a test, or perhaps even losing a job.  I'd rather them learn from failure here at home, where we can talk it to death discuss it and make a better plan for next time, than out in the big, bad world...

• Be Realistic

• I always say to my students (in my writing classes), "How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time!"  This is usually in reference to writing long research papers, but the same applies for bigger tasks and projects that teens are facing.  If it seems overwhelming, they're very unlikely to even start on it.  They may not think they can finish, or won't do it correctly, or just simply don't even know where to start.  In this case, we help them break a larger task into manageable pieces.  The more you do this, the more they will be able to begin doing it on their own.  We started years ago -- living on a large farm and telling your teen to mow the yard is a great way to get dumbfounded looks!  So we started pointing out specific regions of the pasture / yard to address.  Fast forward several years...our kids now take on big tasks independently by breaking them down one piece at a time.

• Incentivize

• Does your teen do their chores on time every week?  Help out around the house without being asked?  Are you praising the positives as much as you're nagging the negatives?  Using your teen's 'love language,' spontaneously reward him or her with something just to say thank you.  For our boys, this means making sure that in addition to schoolwork, extracurriculars, and chores, they have time carved out every single week for things they want to do...alone.  (We're a bunch of introverts over here!)  But also, once a year, we like to reward them for working so diligently and just being amazing.  😏  (Yes, I'm biased, but they are good kids.)  For one of them, this means a music concert with his dad.  For the other one, it means a chance to see water...preferably the beach.  (This is a huge deal when you live in middle America!)

• Teens Just Wanna Have Fun

• And now I'm singing Cyndi Lauper...  But seriously, who isn't motivated by the prospect of fun?  This might include playing games, turning a menial task into a competition (eg, raking leaves into the biggest pile), or just singing along to the radio while working.  And for these Gen-Zers, incorporating technology typically makes tasks more appealing, too...

You may also be interested in How to Engage Your Teen / Tween

Snag a slew of resources in the Homeschool Helpers Bundle!

Covers ten topics to get your homeschool running smoothly!

 

Getting Started

· A Parent’s Alphabet

· Choosing the Right Curriculum for Your Family

· Motivating Your Teens

· Seven Steps to Teaching Work Ethic

 

Special Needs

· Occupational Therapy in Homeschool

· Speech Therapy in Homeschool

· Teaching the Distracted Child

 

Making it Fun

· Game-Schooling – Learning through Play

· How to Snag Free E-Books

· Holiday Foreign Language Fun

Looking for more?  Check out the original Mom’s Bundle and Homemaking & Homesteading Bundle!

Top Ten Ways to Smoothly Transition Back to Homeschool

1. 
   
   Gather your materials ahead of time.  Start the school year off with everything ready to roll.  Make sure you have the necessary books, library books on hold, and printed materials done and on the shelf.  Pick up all the must-have school supplies for a successful year!  Not sure what you're using yet?  Read curricula reviews for in-depth and honest information from homeschooling moms like you.
2. Let your kids help choose curricula.  For older kids especially, having some input on their curricula will go a long way toward making the transition back into school easier.  Check out Engaging Your Tween & Teen and Interest-Based Electives for Middle and High School for tips on getting cooperation.
3. Plan easy meals for the first week.  Spend the weeks just prior to school starting putting together some freezer meals and gathering ingredients for slow cooker meals.  These fix-it-and-forget it starters will ensure that you have healthy, nutritious dinners on the table each night...even when you forgot until the last minute!
4. Make it memorable.  Take school year photos and complete an All About Me each year to record personal and physical growth.
5. Kick off each day with a read aloud.  Having a morning time together is a fantastic way to start the day as a family, in a slow, relaxed pace.  This tradition doesn't have to fade away with age...just raise the book level.  We still read to our teens, even in high school.
6. Take a last-minute vacation.  NOW is our time to shine as homeschoolers!  The parks and museums have emptied out as kids went back to school, but no one is taking spring field trips yet.  It's the perfect time for a short family vacation or museum day.  Find inspiration on our Family Travel page!
7. Switch it up with a unit study.  Not ready to dive into school head first?  Or maybe you just need a break from the humdrum?  Pick up a book, read together as a family, and work on a multi-modal, hands on unit study!
8. Don't forget about mom!  Diving into homeschooling will quickly take its toll if you forget to take care of yourself, too.  Schedule some time each week just for rejuvenation...be it a bubble bath, quiet reading time, girls' night out, or whatever replenishes your soul.  Need a book recommendation?  Check out Mom's Bookshelf!  
9. Farm it out.  Maybe you're great at science, but not so much at history.  Regardless of what you need a bit of teaching help with, you have the choice to pull out your hair or farm it out.  It's more common than you think, especially in the high school years. 
10. Ask for help.  Snag more great tips and tricks as we head back to homeschool.  We'll be covering Motivating Your Teens and a Day in the Life of a Homeschooled High Schooler.
11. Bonus - 

BACK TO HOMESCHOOL DEALS

• Totally F-R-E-E

• Snag an e-book on Homeschooling the Upper Grades.  This covers a wide variety of topics and issues facing the homeschooling parent of teens. In this FREE book, we are also blessing families with fun goodies!
• Unlock a World of Adventure with the Free Literature Adventure Activity Calendar!  By incorporating this calendar into your homeschooling routine, you're not only checking off key educational boxes but also ensuring that learning remains a joyous and stress-free experience.
• Pick up a slew of free resources from all subjects from Productive Homeschooling.  These notebooking pages can be tailored to any age. 
• Snag free lessons from the Homeschool Made Simple video curriculum, a new series designed especially for homeschool parents.
• Sign up to receive this semester-long FREE course for high school students on the subject of Psychology.  In this course, they use video and text to take a jaunt through the brain -- how it works, when it gets miswired, and how to cope with those issues.
• Try out Techie Homeschool Mom unit studies with this Endangered Animal Project, totally free!
• Pick up the Homeschooler's Delight Bundle, including fun stuff from the vault, product samples, and more freebies…all in one fantastic goody basket!
• If you use The Good & the Beautiful, bookmark the TGTB extensions page, where you'll find video playlists, extra printables, quizzes and practice tests, and more that homeschooling moms have created and pulled together all in one place!
• Several fantastic & free downloadable resources from our TeachersPayTeachers store cover everything from core classes to extras for mom!

HOMESCHOOL SUCCESS RESOURCES

Planning & Prepping

• School Rooms, Charts, and Field Trips {Planning}
• Must-Haves for Homeschooling Teens 
• Must-Haves for the Homeschooling Mom
• Note-Taking for High School and College

Fun Studies

• Family Vacation Adventures
• Novel Studies

Year by Year

• 9th & 12th Grade
• 8th & 11th Grade
• 7th & 10th Grade
• 6th & 9th Grade
• 4th & 7th Grade
• 3rd & 6th Grade

Homemaking Helps

• Homeschool to College Success!
• A Slow-Cooked Year
• Two Years of Freezer Cooking
• Six Basic Freezer Recipes
• Homemaking & Homesteading