The High School Years are Looming

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That blog title deserves the title casing. My eldest is approaching his high school years. This amazes me. I've avoided thinking about it for so long that I began to panic when I realized the amount of planning required to see him through high school. I generally research things to death where our school plans are concerned. I started researching homeschooling when my oldest was 2. I had his education mapped out years in advance....all the way through middle school. I think perhaps I was afraid of thinking past that. However, I had the privilege to review a Godsend of a program called Upper Level Homeschool by Terri Johnson. You might remember me raving about her ABC's of homeschooling program. This is set up in a similar fashion, but is geared toward graduating your child successfully and seeing them into college with everything that it entails.


Each week, you receive an email link to your downloadable lesson. Some of these included bonus downloads of ebooks and planning forms. I downloaded my lessons and printed them to create a book I could hold and keep track of. They aren't overly long and would not be difficult to just read on the screen. The lessons included very practical topics such as earning credits, creating transcripts, teaching time management, dual enrollment, CLEP/AP, financial aid, and much more. Each chapter was very helpful and to the point. No fluff.

I love that the lessons come in bite-sized chunks each week, giving me time to put into practice what I'm learning. This course has taken something that had me quaking with fear and insecurity and made it seem more than manageable. I am now aware of the many options I have and can easily narrow them down because I also know which options suit my family best.

There were several areas that I thought I understood before taking this test and I was surprised to learn differently, such as which tests or credits colleges are more favorable toward seeing. I am so relieved that I had the opportunity to read this material while Ethan still has one more year before high school. I now have a year to practice and prepare for our high school days!

Individual lessons are:

#1: Mapping a 4-year Course of Study
Helps you lay out a general design for where you are going, including what is required for your state, what colleges need to see, and what you desire for their education.

#2: Designing a Course for High School Credit
There are different definitions for a high school credit and different ways of achieving them. None of these methods involves 'just doing the work' and receiving a credit. I was rather naive about this point before reading the material.

#3. Outsourcing Difficult Subjects
This is an area we have already explored, but many homeschooling families I've spoken with are surprised at what their options are. This is a helpful lesson for anyone feeling overwhelmed with teaching individual subjects.

#4. Starting and Maintaining a Manuscript
Decodes the mystery of the transcript. Excellent advice and resources for simple record keeping. Crucial stuff.

#5. Developing Good Study Habits
Preparing our teens to own their own education. There is only so much a parent can do and no matter how wonderful the education we present to them might be, if they don't know what to do with it, it will take them nowhere. This lesson offers tips for teens (and parents) in maximizing their time and space and brain power.

#6. Preparing for Aptitude Tests
This isn't just about your teen studying for the tests, it is about deciding which tests are available and beneficial. Some tests are more preferred than others by colleges. Some tests have different times when they can be taken. Before this chapter, I had no idea that there were two different kinds of SAT's or that my son should take some SAT II's his freshman year!

#7. Timed Essay Prep for SAT and ACT
I didn't even realize there was an optional essay portion for the ACT, let alone the fact that most colleges prefer students take it. This is much more than preparation for a test, it is about the benefits and methods of writing. This lesson takes the fear out of teaching writing and encourages parents by outlining the importance of writing.

#8. Taking Courses for Dual Credit
This didn't exist when I was in school, but what a wonderful time saver. Students can earn college credit while taking high school classes. Pros and Cons are laid out and explained thoroughly.

#9. CLEP Testing for College Credit
Explains the process, provides links to great study aids, and compares with Advanced Placement testing. Pros and Cons of CLEP/AP are explained.

#10. College Application Process
Demystifies the process of applying for college. I have a while yet, but it's nice to know.

#11. Financial Aid.
Explains different options which include grants, loans, scholarships, and work study programs. Advises on researching options and assessing what might be available for your student.

#12. Financial Literacy for Teens
A lesson all its own and quite necessary for our children. This lesson includes budgeting and preparing all the while acknowledging our role as stewards receiving blessings from God. There is also a section on becoming a corporation that is very intriguing.

#13. Launching for Success
This has become a parenting philosophy for me, as difficult as it is. It is my responsibility to prepare my children to leave my side and go out into the world as Godly men and women. This lesson addresses this responsibility.

This course has helped me approach this new endeavor with confidence. As much as I enjoy researching education, I don't think that I would have learned all of these things on my own. And even if I could have done so, it would have taken hours upon hours upon hours. These lessons were brief, easily 10-20 minutes each and provided time to process and apply the material. It has been a painless process and I am grateful for it.

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Out with the old

I haven't blogged much this month, huh?

Let's see....what have you missed?

We celebrated Joel's birthday. He requested a Mario Bros. birthday theme:

He even tried to dress like Mario.

The entire family participated in the Christmas Post production. Ethan did lights, the other 3 were Newsies, Chris was a police officer, and I was the gal looking for a miracle.

I forgot to hand my camera over and this shot of the girls eating pizza between shows is the only one I have.

While running in church, Ethan ran into a wall and received a massive fat lip that has left a large knot of scar tissue in his lip that is affecting is ability to PLAY THE TRUMPET! How many times has his mother said "Don't run in church!" ????

No pictures to show, but I must share some amazing stuff that has happened in our home. You may recall that we've had a rough go of stuff lately. Looming ahead of us all season has been Chris' impending lay-off from work. Even WITH a job, we were having trouble meeting deadlines. But....pay attention here....God, Who had already taught us that He always takes care of us, has come through above and beyond and over the top over what we could imagine. We have received over $1000 in anonymous gifts this past month. We have also received several hundred in birthday/anniversary/Christmas gifts. It has been so humbling. Chris is now laid off, but our income is secure at least until our tax return and the tax return will see us through several months until a job is found. There is even enough left over to see a few house projects finished during his down time. Is God cool or what?


So now, we begin the new year with a clean slate. A truly clean slate. Our bills are paid for the moment, leaving time to pursue a new career. It's like leaving high school behind with the security of mom's cooking in the next room. We can start everything fresh and head where God leads without fear. 2010 is a year of new beginnings.

Purple Prose

Honor woke me up to tell me she had a sore throat. But she didn't say, "Mama, I have a sore throat."

No, no, no. That would never do for Honor.

She woke up me up, saying, "My throat is like a bumpy road and my voice is the tires riding over that road. If this continues, my tires will go flat."

This will not be a boring day.

We have a new game!

We are huge fans of games in our house. The boys are at such a great age for really getting in and understanding more challenging games. Though this new game is simple enough for anyone to play, as long as they are able to read. It's called Brain Box and it was sent to us from Timberdoodle to share our thoughts on. Our thoughts are: It's FUN!

There are several different brain boxes available, including Brainbox Animals, Brainbox US Presidents, Brainbox USA, Brainbox World, and for non-readers: My First Brainbox

For each game, the rules are basically the same: One player draws a card and has 10 seconds to examine it. They immediately roll the die and another player asks a question corresponding to the die number cast. The player is not allowed to look at the card and has to rely on memory. If the player gives the correct answer, he gets to keep the card. If not, it returns to the back of the deck. There are 8 different questions with our kit, guaranteeing a long time before anyone gets tired of the game here at our house.

We received Brainbox World to review. Questions can be as basic as "What color is the cross on this country's flag?" or as random as "How many olives are on the branch shown?"

I love that they are getting great geography lessons in while having fun. I'm even learning with them! Last night, I had the question, "What is the smallest country bordering Switzerland?" I said Austria, because..you know, it's small. However, there was a tiny dot of a country that I hadn't even noticed. And now I know. The smallest country bordering Switzerland is Liechtenstein. And Joel knows too, because he got to look it up and check my answer. There is no answer key. The player checking you has to look at the front of the card to find the answer for themselves.

I also love that the game is quick! We play after supper before dishes are even cleared. Since each player is timed, there is no waiting on anyone to pay attention or hurry-up-and-finish-your-turn-already!

There is no game board, so the game takes up hardly any space and can be played anywhere. We are definitely taking this with us on road trips!

Another fun addition to our package was the Hot Rocket. It's like a Nerf rocket with a thick rubber band threaded through it. It can fly up to 100 feet! Fun for boys of any age.



If you place any order by 12/21/09, you can receive a free Hot Rocket if you use coupon code "WFREEROCKET"

The "W" is to mark that you were referred by my blog. I don't receive any compensation for reviews, so rest assured my opinions on Timberdoodle products are quite sincere. But I would love for them to know that their blog campaign is working, so be sure to toss a hot rocket into your cart and use the code. Even if you don't think you need a hot rocket, I promise you have a neighbor that would love one.

Timberdoodle has guaranteed Christmas arrival shipping available and even has a great gift guide video to show you things you might not have thought of before.


And don't forget....they send stickers.

weird

Taking pictures of Honor is still an interesting experience. Basically, we just keep clicking away and pray for the best. Praise the Lord for digital cameras.

When I told her it was her turn, she 'walked' over to me like Baloo the Bear.
I don't recall the child ever watching Jungle Book, but apparently we've picked it up somewhere.

How does she bend like that??