Take a Look Tuesday

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Today is take a look Tuesday

Would you really like to take look at what we use? Some of you are probably jumping up and down saying "YES!" Others might be like, umm, no, I don't want to know, I think I like my curriculum. 

Let me tell you a little secret: either answer is fine!


We have never been a big curriculum using family. We prefer living books over textbook style learning, so the thing we use the most is our library card! Our house currently has 15 bookshelves with books (as opposed to records, CDs or DVDs) on them. We have a medium-sized really old house with a lot of windows, so we have squeezed in bookshelves of all sizes.

But what I think might help you more is to tell you about what we actually used as far as curriculum style resources these past few years for high school. As far as we are concerned, it is still much more fun to learn things hands-on, but every once in while, a good curriculum can come in really handy. Especially if you are working and homeschooling!

Remember, we have had 2 girls homeschool through high school, so this is a combination of resources from both of their paths. (Don't be overwhelmed!) Some of these we used all the way cover to cover, others were the spine that let us jump off onto the topics that interested the girls the most.

Math:
VideoText Interactive algebra
Math-U-See algebra
Math-U-See Geometry
Math-U-See Stewardship

Science:
Bridget Ardoin's Science for high school:Biology
Science Shepherd Biology
Supercharged Science (online)
Physics from SchoolhouseTeachers.com
The Genesis of Germs
Exploring the World of Physics
Body of Evidence DVDs
Stargazer's Guide to the Night Sky
Taking Back Astronomy
Field Guides

Social Studies:
Ancient Civilizations and the Bible
US History from Master Books
Romans, Reformers, and Revolutionaries
Economics for Everybody
Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?
Worldviews in Conflict from Master Books

Others:
Artistic Pursuits - multiple titles
Memoria Press geography + lit studies
IEW Fix-It! Grammar
The Logic of English
The Joy of Signing
Several of Sharon Watson's writing courses


One of the things I like best about SchoolhouseTeachers.com is that it changes over time. Emily was using a physics curriculum that she really did NOT like, so I searched on ST and found one for her to use instead. What is there now might not be there in two years, but if it isn't, that's because something else cool is there instead. Have you looked at the BOGO sale that's going on over there this month? It really is a great resource to have!


So what does a typical day look like for Arlene, now that she has one semester left? Good question! It usually starts with some reading (history, Lit, or science) is mixed with a big helping of housework or handcrafts, and ends with us working on math, discussing politics, Religion, or textiles. 

Every couple of weeks she works on creating her Books With Bean columns, and she volunteers about three days a month at Conner Prairie, a living history park, where she works both in costume, and in the textiles program.

By the way, if you were wondering about Books with Bean, she has been taking a couple weeks off while she was working at the Indiana State Fair. Her column will be back in September, but will switch to twice a month instead of weekly.

For myself, there are no typical days. I'm ok with that, because I know that God always has something planned for me each day. Right now I'm averaging three days a week at my merchandising job, but I also write a monthly column for our  local newspaper, and write for the Homeschooling with Heart blog. 

Why is my life so full? I dunno. My mom joked a few years ago that I do as much things as six "normal" people. I love my mom's dry sense of humor - "normal" people must have quiet, dare I say, boring, lives. 

I would really like to get more words out of my head and into the computer for my book, but that is a work in progress that didn't progress much this past month while I was covering the state fair for the local newspaper. Maybe September. That sounds like such a lovely thought, time to actually write!

Every homeschooling family I know does things differently. That is one of the beauties of home education, you really can tailor it however it best suits your family. For us, that's more discussions than writing papers, it's more time spent outdoors and less time watching tv, and it's always, always looking for a reason to take a road trip somewhere cool. We don't do "school" here, we raise lifelong learners, and point them to Jesus.

So do your thing - your way. Check out how other members of the Crew do home education for their families. Just visit some of the links below.

See you tomorrow, I think you will really like Work it in Wednesday!


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An Honest Look at High School... and a Blog Hop!

So many people have asked me recently, HOW do you homeschool High School?

One day at a time. 

With a lot of grace.

With a lot of prayer.

With my strength coming directly from God.

Because I've been asked so many times, I chose to focus on High School for next week's Homeschool Review Crew Blog Hop. There are over 30 of us that will be sharing, each on a different topic of home education. Each of the participants will have at least 3, but more likely 4 or 5 days where they share on their topic, and I'll be sure to include the links at the bottom of my posts so you can click over and read any of them that intrigue you! I've seen the list, and there is quite a variety of homeschooling topics.

Next week, from Monday through Friday, you can stop back by here and read another installment of An Honest Look at High School. Besides the usual questions of scheduling, curriculum, and field trips, I'll try to share some each day about at least one of our core themes for this year: forgiveness, fellowship, honesty, and community. There will still be a Scripture Writing post on Wednesday, but I will not be posting any reviews next week, instead keeping the focus of the week on the High School theme.

I hope to encourage you, challenge you, and spur you on to better thinking about how God works in our families. Too often as Moms (and Dads) of High Schoolers we think "I can't, they can't, or it will not fit in our budget." I'll be here to remind you that God can, He enables them to do amazingly wonderful things, and His blessings can be beyond our wildest dreams for our children. Just as Jesus reminded His disciples that getting into Heaven is impossible on our own, so is a quality High School education. Thankfully: Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26


Praying that you have a blessed Easter weekend, celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ with your family and friends.

See you Monday morning!