teens

Gifted education is a subject very near and dear to my heart! It is the reason why I began homeschooling in the first place. After we started, I was surprised at how many other homeschooling benefits there are! If your child is bored in school and you have been wanting to homeschool high school but you're afraid, I have some suggestions. Gifted and Stuck in School! If your child is gifted and stuck in school, I offer...

Teenagers: Choosing Your Battles Teenagers. The very word can make adults shudder! Often the mere mention of the word is accompanied by a head shake or a groan. But it doesn't have to be that way. A little understanding and "choosing your battles" can go a long way with your teenager in your homeschool! Resistance is Futile Resistance can look like many things in teenagers - from refusing to put on a coat when asked, to...

"Honey, There's a Crazed Mob of Scholarship-Wielding Colleges Pounding on Our Front Door!!" While we can't promise that this will happen to you, "The HomeScholar Guide to College Admission and Scholarships" really is a treasure trove for college bound homeschoolers and their parents! This paperback book is available now on Amazon. Grab your copy today ! Find a College - and Afford it! This book will help your student find a college to love, a college...

Have your children EVER changed their minds?  When I'm speaking to a group, I usually ask parents to raise their hand if their child has every changed their mind about anything.  Every hand goes in the air! Why bother with getting your kids ready for college when you feel certain they won't go?  Because sometimes, when you least expect it, teenagers will change their minds. Stop laughing! You know it's true! College preparation makes a lot...

It can happen overnight. One day, your child is pleasant, cooperative, and enthusiastic about learning. The next day, well, not so much. It can happen to boys and girls. It's common, but that doesn't make it easier for parents to deal with. What do you do with a child who will only do the bare minimum, and really isn't interested in learning? Teens can be motivated by natural learning they consider to be fun! Learn how to capture the...

When children are young, we shield them from much of our "rated R" world.  But something happens that changes that.....  Your children grow up.  That's when we realize that we need to shelter young children, but discuss with teens. When your children enter their teen years, it's time to begin having "the talk" about social issues, morality, and integrity.  Allow them to see more of the world, and explain to them what you see in the...

Summer is a great time to compile your student’s reading list, in preparation for college applications.  A reading list is simply a list of books your child has read, including title and author.  Often requested by colleges, and sometimes useful for scholarship applications, reading lists are an important part of your student’s high school record.  Include books you have assigned your children to read over the summer, books they’ve used in their coursework, and books they...

As I often say on this blog, our goal as homeschool parents is NOT to teach something. Our goal is for our kids to LEARN.  Sometimes they will learn how to learn a subject on their own, without having a teacher teach them. I believe that older teens MUST learn how to teach themselves. If they go to college, they will be expected to learn all the textbook material on their own. College lectures are most...

Our pastor did a series on Revelation, and I had quite a revelation about teenagers, and how to deal with them.  In Revelation, each letter to the churches is a rather "difficult" message for them to receive.  And each one follows a recipe for instruction. Encouragement Correction Motivation Each letter contains an encouragement, a listing of something the church was doing right, no matter how small.  It included a correction, or instruction on what they should...

My article " What If Your Kids Want to Go to Public School? " was recently published by Bizymoms.com, and it got quite a response!  I had an interesting email conversation with Julieanne that I wanted to share, because I thought others might enjoy the follow-up articles I suggested.  Thank you, Julieanne, for giving me permission to share your comments. Lee, Thank you so much!   I read your article tonight called, "What If Your Kids Want...

When your children head to college, it's hard to let go.  Nothing is perfect.  Problems will occur. Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6) I realize I'm helpless -  what can I do?  I'm fasting and praying.  Every time I feel hungry, I pray like crazy.  It's all I *can* do.  I actually used the phrase "let go and let...

There are lots of different phases when you are parenting.  Homeschooling high school is not the ONLY challenge you will face.  I faced a challenge just the other day.  My 21 yo son came home from signing the lease for his apartment.  He walked in, all smiles, and then said, "Oh.... by the way.....  it's not furnished.  Can I take a bed?" At first I was mortified, flabbergasted, and even (believe it or not) speechless!  Then...

The great thing about technology classes is that there is NO LIMIT to the kinds of skills your child can learn!  If your child is already good at computers, then they can get a technology credit in one of two ways. First, you can expand and use the skills they have on real technology work.  If they have computer skills, they could make a website, set up a blog or other social media, create videos, or...

It was such a thrill to see a raccoon family in my backyard!  I had so much fun watching them!  After a while, though, I realized that the raccoon and I had something in common.  We both homeschool. As I was watching, the raccoon mother was carefully explaining the ways of the world to her almost adult-sized child.  She was teaching him to crawl up and down the fence, so he could run along the fence...

  Do you know of a good source for learning computer technology?  My daughter knows the basics and practices the key board. ~ Margie Hi Margie!  It's good to meet you! For computer technology, I don't have a particular curriculum in mind.  I will say that a lot of teenagers are pretty good about learning technology on their own, because they are interested.  Consider getting tutorials from the library, or even tutorials that come with some...