My 14 year old ninth grade in public school system kiddo is coming home finally and we are going to homeschool again. I have done it before for a couple of years but when they were young n impressionable and easily coaxed into doin what they were told. Now I am stumped in a sense... what curriculum are out there that folks would recommend for use with a teenager that will spark or keep an interest ? I have looked into the computer based programs some however, she has grand mal seizures at times brought on by the computer so i am a bit afraid of using something completely based on the computer. I do not want a christian based lesson plan and do not have the time really to sit along with her during her entire day so need something that she can do some of on her own... I would like something that has alot of hands on, nature/ natural based learning that she can actually use when she is a bit older. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and the sooner the better.... She will be here tomorrow,,, gotta love this good plannin eh? (not my fault)
err... I'd wager the seizures are from graphics and flash ( I have 'em too- photosensitive epilepsy) Text sites are fine IF you keep a light on in the computer room. Screens still roll or flicker, but if she can be under fluorescent light, she should be Ok. Keep and ear out at first.
my mother has epilepsy and also can't sit around a computer or video games because of the flashing lights & graphics. There are alot of homeschool programs that can be done by corresponding courses....you do all the work at home; written out on paper and send the work by mail to be graded. They assign you a teacher that will grade the work and send you back the scores & test results. They will even send out diplomas when you finish.
i wound up makin a whirl wind trip to the ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww city and had me a looksee round the giant warehouse and got a mixxed bag of curriculum... I thought the alpha omega life paks were kinda kewl so got a couple of those (art n language arts) , saxon algebra, alpha omega spanish glide program,,, the only one that is computer based but just sound tracks,bob jones for geography and biology. Last but not least the word wise vocabulary,,, In the couple days i have had to peak through the stuff,,, the life paks seem the most interesting and fun yet teach some as well. Bob jones seems to be a bit higher level of learning and challenge as compared to the others. So begins the home school journey again,,, of course alot of her schoolin is going to be unschooling and hands on learning rather than comp or book work...
seeing as I have looked at your website quite a few times, I like the unschooling idea with what I can imagine will be lots of "hands-on" projects also. I have a few e-mail pen pals who used the life pacs and they liked using them alot.
Are you in a state that requires you use approved curriculum? My son, Torren, and I did some really fun stuff last year. I let him research subjects that interested him, then pick his own project. I'm sure he learned more than he would have with a prescribed curriculum. For instance, he wanted to know more about ancient Egypt, so he read for a couple of weeks, wrote me a report that a senior would have been proud of (he was 7th grade) and made a beautiful baked clay Anubis that graces the living room shelf. Most importantly, he was excited about what he was learning the entire time. If you have to use a prescribed curriculum, look for "Experiential Learning." That's the label educators use for curriculum designed to be hands-on. Another thing that Torren responded well to was "block" scheduling. Rather than try to balance 5 different subjects at a time, you concetrate on 1 subject for 3 1/2 weeks. This allows you time to make it more experiential. For instance, if you're doing history, you can take day trips to local historical sites, write extensive reports, take the time to make real paper maiche, etc. However, some of this is only possible if your state doesn't have too many rules about curriculum requirements. Well, I'm new here. I should introduce myself. I am a 35 yr old mother of 3 wonderful sons and grandmother to the sweetest baby on earth. My sister and I and boys live on our 20 acres here in the wilds of Montana. I came looking to see if anybody had any advice on balancing a full-time work schedule and homeschooling. Always before, I had some time during the days, but since I graduated and went back to work, it is going to be much harder. Anyway, keep it up mamas!! I'm glad I found this great site where I feel right at Home. Angie (Montana)
try keystonehighschool.com, they mail you textbooks and you print her work out and then she cna do it all by hand and book, then you submit via the computer and you have her scores with the click of a button. im a homeschooled 11th grader who was public til 10th....BE SURE TO GET SOCIALIZATION IN DAMNIT!! ive been goin nuts lately because i ahve no friends in my area and dont have a car yet to go see my friends down the ways a bit.
figgered since i was here in the homeschool forums i would give an update on the kiddo. She has now been here bout 3 months and has adjusted very well. She has completed her spanish and vocab work for the year. English lit , bio and geography are all bout half way through the year. (not too bad since i made her start from ground zero of the school year in november.) She has gotten a couple rats and frogs to grow in tanks round the house after researching (haha) the care etc of them. She reads atleast one mom approved book a week with an oral review to me on each of them. She is going to try a water/ rock garden this spring and is researching them now. We repaired the sewing machine , so she will be trying her hand at sewing here soon, i just have to get what she needs for her project after she researches it and she is planning to get a part time job when she turns 15 next month. The big thing as well is there have been no more seizures as of yet other than when we went to the mall in december and the lights in the store started to bring one on,,, she was able to escape though.. As for the socialization, well we have a few folks float through here in the winter so it brings new faces round and with spring coming up we will be out n around more and more folks will be through here. Hopefully the neighbors will also give me a go ahead on her visiting n trying out the pottery place they have as well. She seems to be doing very well and we haven't had any real issues with her here other than her liking to stay up all night long.
One thing you could look into, and I absoluitely loved doing this as a teenager: When I found something I was interested in, I job-shadowed someone in that particular profession for anywhere between a day and two weeks. For instance, I job-shadowed a photographer and saw how the business ran as well as what angles/lights/etc were important. Was great. Starts out with an interview with the person she might jobshadow for, where she must present herself in a very business-like manner, and after being approved, she maintains the schedule of a worker, but just basically observes. After her observation, she writes a report. Very good way to learn. And can lead to tons of good apprenticing.
People need to hear what was just said. Socialization is pinnacle at this age. I have seen more introveretd homeschooled kids than I have sociable ones. Parents DO NOT know what the scholl environment is like. It IS the society the will exist in, without their parents watching over them. What pedagogical, developmental, and physical outcome does homeschooling afford?
oh man. homeschooling (sorry, but im guna be blunt) is T.R.O.U.B.L.E. those kids NEVER turn out ready for whats coming to them out in the world. sorry, just my opinion. but as far as advice..... relate EVERYTHING to her life (even ifs its freakin geometry). im 16 and in public school, but i always learn and focus more when i know whats going on will actually benifit me. so yea, go that route.
especially when our school district is the worst. I would probably do homeschooling if i wasn't such a hermit all the time. In the meantime, i will be so, so jealous of you, heh.
