My books are on order. Do you have any resources for the meantime?

I get it.  Amazon and eBay deliveries are delayed.  What other resources do you have for my kids until my books arrive?  The local public school system posted K-5 Offline activities and these Art, Music, and PE ideas.  Here are offline activity packets for elementary grades.  This one is fourth grade.  Here is a guide for grades 6-12.  Here and Here are a few more choices.  Here is another example of  an elementary guide.  Once you browse through these activities you will agree kids need more of a structured curriculum.

Learn to Knit!

Bluprint  classes are free right now.  Tell your teen she could learn how to knit.  Then she could knit for Charity.  I knit 30 blue hats for Paul’s class as part of Hat Not Hate.  Premies and cancer patients need knit hats.  Good Will has yarn and needles that are inexpensive.  Ordering on Amazon or eBay?  Buy worsted weight yarn (3) and #5 bamboo needles.  Have a blast!

What should I do after my kid reads a book?

Our quarantined nine year old, Paul just finished Holes.  After he read Mudshark, Paul wrote a book report.  I would like him to learn how to write compositions.  How do kids learn to write?  One, he needs to understand the book: characters, setting, plot, symbols, irony, etc.  Start with a teacher’s guide.  I use reading guides for ideas.  Read about the author.  Make a list of the characters.  Which character did your child identify with and why?  Select six of the questions to answer.  Now watch the film.  Make a list: Similarities to book and Differences from the book.  Did the movie capture the book?  This can be a thesis for a simple Five Paragraph Essay.  Scholastic Bookfiles have several reading guides.  Pick four books.  Your child may prefer to answer the study guide questions.  Fine!  Give him a choice between a book report, questions, or a five paragraph essay.  We are doing Holes, A Wrinkle in Time, Hatchet, and Narnia.  All four have films.  Go for it!

What should I do with my teen who does seem to have mastered her classes?

Is your teen a good student?  Here are suggestions for teens.
1.  Review for the ACT or SAT with Up Your Score.  Buy a copy on eBay.
2. Take practice SAT tests.
3. Take a course.  Khan Academy offers complete classes online.  Why?  Use this time to prep for college.  Are you interested in medicine?  Take Anatomy and Physiology or Medical Terminology.  Retake Algebra 2 if you earned a C or below.
4.  Get a library card to access Lynda.com and Overdrive.  Some library systems offer free ebooks and online classes.  Download a free Kindle app.
5.  Use Writing Better Essays in 20 Minutes a Day to learn how to hone your composition skills.
6.  How is your grammar?  Use Easy Grammar.  Buy a copy used on Amazon.  Be sure to get a teacher’s edition, too! You will need to look at the answers.  While you are learning grammar, learn to diagram sentences.  Khan Academy has videos if you need more help.
7.  Read the classics.  Here are 20 books teens should read before they turn 18.
8.  Prepare lessons for their siblings.  Have your child research and organize a core curriculum for her brother or sister in history, math, English, and science.

Is your teen telling you they have already finished most of the book, course, assignments?

Is your teen telling you she has already done most of the course work and doesn’t need to do any more work?  Great!  Let’s not argue.  Instead let’s evaluate!  I live in Virginia.  Virginia requires teens to pass a minimum of six standardized exams.  Here are the release exams for all SOL courses.  Here is a Biology exam with answers.  If your child earns 80% he has completed the course.  Here are even more released exams for Virginia.

Did your child take Honors or accelerated course work? New York has Regents Examinations.  These are harder.  Living Environment is NewYork’s Biology course. Here is the January 2020 released exam for Living Environment.  North Carolina has Final Exams, too.  Here are released tests from Texas.  I used practice exams to prepare for cumulative final exams.  Test your child!

Core Classes:7th Grade

Our neighbor has a seventh grader home bound for the duration.  Again, focus on core subjects: Math, Science, History, and English.  Take a look at BJU Press 7th Grade Curriculum.  Apologia is best known for Science textbooks.  These books are widely available used on eBay or Amazon.

Many public and private schools teach Life Science in 7th grade.  BJU Life Science takes a Christian world view.  Apologia suggests General Science which has  Geology and Life Science.  Donna Young has lesson plans for Apologia Science classes.  Buy used books; eBay is shipping much more quickly than Amazon—many Amazon sellers use Amazon’s distribution centers.  Buy textbook set with an answer key.  I buy older editions which are much cheaper.

Saxon Math offers courses for all Math levels.  Plan to use Khan Academy to help with tutorials.  Buy sets with the student textbook, the solution guide (for problems in the textbook), tests, and the test answer key.  I use older, less expensive editions of Saxon Math because they are cheaper.

For History, my favorite is a Catholic series called The Catholic Textbook Project.  (These are expensive even used.) A Protestant Christian history textbook is World Studies. (Used)  Memoria Press has The Story of Thirteen Colonies.  (Used).

What about English?  I recommend an anthology such as Explorations in Literature.  These are full of short stories, poems, etc.  Many of the homeschool programs offer sets of classic books and reading guides.  Classic books are available free or inexpensively from Amazon’s Kindle store.  Here and here are two 7th grade reading lists.  Here is a list of some of the best classic books for 7th grade.  Select four to read, write a book report for each one.  Select books which have been made into films.  Watch the film after you finish reading the book.

Homeschool Schedules

How do you schedule class time?  Here are examples of daily schedules for all grades.  At our house, we have a fourth grader and a ninth grader.  The fourth grader, Paul, needs more structure than the ninth grader, Lacie.  Every day, Paul does three to four hours of work.  He does his work in this order: Math, Science, History, and English.  Paul has additional activities before and after core lessons: experiments, coding, cooking, and PE, guitar practice.  Math and Science take about one hour each daily.  We vary the History and English activities.  Most of the time he reads in History; occasionally he does mapping exercises or a time-line.  Paul reads an assigned book every day.  I assign grammar lessons with diagramming three days a week.  He does at least one hand-writing exercise each day.  We are adding vocabulary and spelling.  After, he finishes Holes we are watching the movie.  Then, Paul is going to learn how to write a compare and contrast paper of the book and film.  Previously, Paul wrote a brief book report.

Lacie has more of a block approach.  For example, today she is doing Algebra 1.  She spends the entire day on math, completing several lessons and the test.  Over the weekend, she works on writing papers for Literature and Theology.  Lacie spends three or four hours writing.  Each day, she blocks time for two or three subjects, finishing all her classes each week.  She and I talk daily about her goals and assignments.  Lacie spends about thirty hours each week on her lessons.  How much time should you spend on task?  It depends.  Math takes several hours each week.  Chemistry requires about six hours each week.  This week Lacie plans to study for tests on Pride and Prejudice, Theology, and History.  Last week she invested several hours organizing and preparing her notes into study guides in preparation for her tests.

What schedule should you follow?  Younger children typically need more structure.  Lacie thrives with more autonomy.  Other teens require more structure and need detailed daily syllabi.  You are the parent.  You know your child.  Experiment with the schedule.  Most children learn best between 9 am and noon.  Dedicate mornings for the core subjects.  Many teens like to create their own schedule.  Work it out together!

I need a curriculum!

My nine year old grandson, Paul, is being home-schooled indefinitely owing to the Quarantine.  Ordinarily he attends the local public school.  Paul’s teacher sent home a few books and online math assignments—for one day.  The school system took over and posted resources.  As an educator, Paul needs a curriculum, which I am cobbling together.  I chose Zoology 1, Saxon Math 5/4, Heritage Studies 5, and grammar, vocabulary, and literature such as Narnia.  Kids need a structured curriculum—not a hodge-podge of activities.  As a tenured teacher, I am comfortable focusing on the basics, creating tests, selecting timelines and mapping exercises, etc.  We do have guitar and cooking lessons and play outside.  Paul does a number of science projects and experiments.  I can imagine many families are stressing over which activities are most important.

What can you do if you are not comfortable creating a curriculum?  There are marvelous curricula.  Memoria Press is hosting a Virtual Classical Convention.  Here are other Catholic curricula: Mother of Divine Grace, Kolbe Academy, and Seton Home Study School.  Many Protestants use BJU Press Homeschool.  BYU has programs for middle school, high school, and college.  As a Roman Catholic, I am most familiar with the Catholic curricula.  Many families of different faiths use Saxon and Apologia.  Home Science Tools offers lab kits for many home school science programs.

Are you concerned by the costs to implement?  eBay has Saxon Math, Heritage Press, and Apologia Young Explorers Science textbooks at half price. Start with your child’s grade.  If your child is precocious, go up one grade.  Many schools teach Language Arts, not English, Composition, Grammar, and Vocabulary.  Start with an basal reader such as Open Court Reading and Writing Series (1989).  Hear me out.  Yes, by all means, let your child read a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction books.  A basal reader include a wide range of stories from beyond Pete the Cat or Big Nate.  Basal readers include exercises and vocabulary.  You can add Easy Grammar, Hand-writing, Elementary Literature, and Vocabulary and Spelling.  Start with the basics: English, Math, History, and Science.  We could be home bound for months!  Get to it!

Language Arts Extras

Paul, 9, is reading and working on grammar every day.  He does some writing in Zoology.  Paul needed a break from grammar and diagramming.  Have you used Madlib Worksheets?  This is a fun way to review parts of speech and verb tenses.  Yeah!

George Washington History Lesson.

Paul, nine, is working on a daily schedule of Math, Science, Grammar, Literature, and History.  I have textbooks for each subject except History.  That unit should arrive this week.  Meanwhile, we are working on George Washington for Kids.  Paul has been reading every day.  I am not satisfied with reading.  Today we are creating a timeline graph.  There is a timeline of significant dates on the inside cover of the book.  I had him create a timeline on graph paper and a key.  Paul had not graphed a timeline before.  The second activity is Mapping George Washington.  This type of activity reinforces an understanding of adjacent states and puts his life in perspective.

Apologia Young Explorers Zoology 1: Bird Feeder Experiment

We are officially home-schooling our nine year old grandson, Paul.  We have unofficially been home-schooling him for weeks before.  I chose Zoology 1 because he did not get much in the way of science before in school.  Paul does not like anything related to Anatomy.  He does like birds and has built several bird houses.  We already have several resources: Identiflyers, bird identification books,  a birdhouse, and two Squirrel-buster bird feeders.  Paul is reading each lesson and working through the Notebooking Journal exercises.  We started the Life List in the Journal.  Here are state checklists for birds.  We are using the Identiflyer to learn bird calls.

Today, we started the “What food do birds prefer?” experiment.  We are following the guide in the textbook and using the Speculation sheet in the Journal.  We have two squirrel-buster bird feeders.  Paul is measuring the number of centimeters each day of bird food consumed.  Here are a few suggestions.  I modified the hypothesis.  A hypothesis has two parts: null and alternate.  For this experiment, the null hypothesis is, “The birds will eat the same amount of bird seed from each feeder.”  The alternate or alternative hypothesis is, “The birds will eat more seed from the feeder with premium seed.”  (We have generic bird seed and a bag of parrot seed I bought accidentally instead of parakeet seed—which my parakeets will not eat and spit out instead.   A better comparison would be between sunflower seeds and birdseed.  This experiment may have confounding variables, things which confuse the experiment.  In our case, while we do not have squirrels eating the bird seed, we may attract a raccoon which visits.  He climbs the gutters and walks over the roof to shake the bird feeder attached to the deck.  We plan to note any outside interference.  Factors such as squirrels and raccoons are confounding variables.  Paul is going to identify the controlled variables, too: same bird feeders, same location on the deck, same amount of seed, same weather conditions, etc.  We are adding a section to the speculation sheet called ‘Discussion’.  In the Discussion, all of the factors which can lead to bias or uncertain results are mentioned.  We just started.  I plan to have Paul post photos and results along with his report.

Time to get serious!

The public schools are closed for the year in Virginia, where I live.  It’s time to get serious! Now is the time to order your textbooks; supplies are dwindling and prices are rising.   Let’s start with Science and Math.   Here are syllabi for Apologia Science subjects for elementary, middle, and high school students.  Apologia Science books are widely available on eBay and Amazon.  Here are math syllabi for Saxon Math, grades 4 through Calculus.  Like the Apologia Science series, Saxon Math textbooks and workbooks are widely available from eBay, Amazon, and book sellers such as a ebooks.

What about English?  I use Stobaugh Literature for my Brit Lit class.  Stobaugh has History books, too.  Use the same period for literature and history. Many of the books recommended in Stobaugh Literature are available free from Amazon or Gutenberg.  I recommend adding Easy Grammar lessons each day.  High School students should also work in writing essays with Writing Better Essays in 20 Minutes a Day.  Our grandson, who is almost 10 is reading novels and writing book reports. Here is a list of books for kids ages 11-12.  Select a mix of books such as The Hobbit and the Phantom Tollbooth.  Here are 59 books kids should read before they are 12. Here are 50 books kids should read by the age of 16. My suggestion is to read a book and write a report each week.

Evaluate Catholic Textbooks for middle school history.  I am using Light to the Nations 1 Textbook, the student study guide, and teacher’s guide this year.  This set allows for the child to have a comprehensive history course.  BJU Press has Heritage Studies for elementary aged students.  We are also using these books about The Revolutionary War, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson for Kids, and The Civil War.  Want more ideas?  Take a look at Cathy Duffy’s reviews.

We are focusing on the basics: Math, Science, English, and History.  We are also cooking, coding, playing games, and practicing guitar.  Let’s do this!

Help, I am quarantined! What should I do with my kid in high school?

If your child is in high school, you have options.  Is your kid a senior?  Get ready for the SAT with Up Your Score or SAT practice tests.  Consider enrolling your child in an online SAT prep course.

What about other high school students?  They should prepare for the PSAT teens take as a Junior in high school.  Concentrate on core subjects: Math, English, History, and Science.  This is an opportunity to review their coursework.  Start with Math.  You may be able to find a copy of their current math book, if they did not bring their text home.  First give your teen an assessment, such as this Algebra 2 exam from Virginia.  (The answers are at the end of the test.). Want a harder assessment?  Use a NY Regents Exam.  (My examples are in Algebra 2; there are Algebra 1 and Geometry for both Virginia and New York.). Once the kid completes the test, have her review material she missed.  Your child may simply want to complete the course.  Math from a textbook trumps math workbooks.

How should you handle English?  I teach a Brit Lit Co-op class.  We use Stobaugh as a guide.  We like to compare classics with films.  I use reading guides for some of our books.  Decide if you want American, British, or World Literature.  Each series includes many classics.  Stobaugh books are available used on Amazon and eBay.  Your teen is in quarantine!  Pause their device and let them read instead.  Many classic books are free on Amazon.  My Brit Lit writes papers about the books we read.  If your kid needs to brush up his writing, try Writing Better Essays in 20 Minutes a Day.

Stobaugh has American, British, and World History sets, too.  Teach the same history period as English.  Create timelines. 

Science is my subject.  What science subject does your teen take?  If the kid brought home the textbook, complete the course work.  Apologia Science offers material in Physical Science, General Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.  Each textbook includes experiments and tests.  Amazon and eBay sell many used copies of Apologia textbooks.

My advice is to spend four hours each day on core subjects.   If classes do not resume until fall, your child may be among the few prepared next year.

What about my middle schooler? What should I teach?

If you have a child in grades 6-8, start by looking at Home School Curricula.  Focus on core subjects: Math, Science, English, and History.  Determine your child’s math subject: Math 6, PreAlgebra, or Algebra 1.  One popular math textbook company is Saxon Math.  There are loads of used Saxon math textbooks with answer keys and tests online, such as eBay.

In Science, try Apologia, which is popular for both Christian and Catholic Christian home-school families.  Apologia is very popular; Amazon and eBay offer used copies.  What is your child’s reading level?  If your child is a reluctant reader, try the Young Explorers Series.  The science textbooks have short reading sections with several activities and experiments in each chapter.  Apologia offers General Science and Physical Science for Middle School.  These texts have more reading and fewer experiments.

In English, take a look at books by Stobaugh.  The Christian Reading Companion for 50 Books is a good place to begin.  Start by reading one book suggested and doing the writing assignments.  Too much?  Read one book, discuss it as a family and write a simple book report.  Start a book club and read Little Women (or another classic) together.  Now watch the film.  (I like the 1994 version with Winona Ryder.). Did the movie follow the book?  Did the film represent the character’s faithfully?  Which did you prefer?  Now chose another classic, such as Swiss Family Robinson and read the book and watch the movie.

For History consider Catholic Textbooks.  These are pricey.  However, the textbook and study guide are complete.  There are tests with the study guide CD.  The teacher’s guide has answer keys.  Bob Jones has a complete World Studies Curriculum. 

Stick with core subjects and do them well. Try to allot four hours each day to core education.

Coronavirus has hit! How do I homeschool my child?

School has closed.  The teacher sent home a packet with work.  Your child completed the packet in one hour.  Is my child going to fall behind?  What else can I do?  Your school may be closed indefinitely.  Every school and teacher has a different plan.  Here is my suggestion.  Cover the basics: Math, English, History, and Science.  You can add Latin studies and Art appreciation later.  Let’s start with the basics.  I recommend hard copy and textbooks.  Why?  The internet is too tempting.  I buy my textbooks used from Amazon and eBay.

There are many free textbooks: Harcourt 4th Grade Math Practice Workbook, California Mathematics 4, and Saxon Math 5/4.  (Here is a complete Saxon Math set on eBay with the tests, textbook, and answer key.). Saxon Math has been used by home-schoolers for decades.  Saxon Math has loads of review along with new lessons.  Paul, our 4th grader, uses Saxon 5/4.  

Next is Science.  My favorite elementary science series is The Young Explorers Series.  We are using Zoology 1 with the Journal.  Why?  Paul likes birds.  The Young Explorers Series is the best science series I have ever found for elementary school aged children.  I have used both the Anatomy and Chemistry & Physics sets.  Select a science textbook your child would like.  I love the notebook journal.  It has a syllabus, crossword puzzles, and handwriting exercises.  The Young Explorer textbooks have loads of experiments and projects.  Yesterday, Paul did an experiment testing paper airplanes.  Last week, he made a compass.

What about English?  We use Easy Grammar.  Paul does an exercise each day.  I added sentence diagramming with each exercise.  I review parts of speech and verb tense.  Paul is reading Mudshark.   When he finishes, Paul is writing a book report.  One of the best insurance policies is a weekly book report.   Be sure to assign a variety of books.  Amazon has loads of free Kindle books, such as Swiss Family Robinson.  Which books should every child read?  Here is Scholastic’s book list of 100 of the greatest books for kids. Here is a list with classics; some are free.  Some are available on Amazon’s Audible books or with Kindle Unlimited.  Many libraries offer free books to borrow with Overdrive.  If you have a library card, you may borrow these classics online.  Have your child read one book and write a report each week.

In History Paul is using George Washington for Kids.  He does some activities, writes facts, and answers specific questions.  Remember, the more you invest in an activity, the more you benefit.  Focus your energy on core subjects.  After lunch, Paul has time to bike ride, draw, read, and play board games.  Nope, we do not use TV, video games, or tablets for entertainment during the day.  Paul may read if he is bored.  Yes, we play many rounds of Monopoly and Exploding Kittens.

Help! Coronavirus means we are home-schooling for the first time!

I bet many of you have kids home and quarantined.  Now, you are frantic.  What should I teach?  Let me make some suggestions.  I am home-schooling a teen and a fourth grader.  I lead a Co-op Chemistry class, too.  During my career I taught extensively at private schools.  However I have spent nine years teaching in public schools.  I taught a Co-op science class after school when I was teaching in public school.  Recently, I have the Co-op Chemistry and a Brit Lit class.  Our Co-op usually meets twice a week.  Right now, like you, we are quarantined.  Take a look here at my blog to see how Co-op is coping.

The teen I home-school is enrolled in an online school, Kolbe Academy.  Lacie and I will continue to work on her Kolbe syllabus.  The fourth-grader, Paul, is enrolled in the local public school and quarantined.  When the Coronavirus first hit, I took precautions and ordered history for kids books on eBay.  I already had Saxon Math 5/4, Grade 3 Easy Grammar, and  Zoology 1 and journal.  We have cartooning books, BB-ate cookbook, several kid friendly novels, multiplication and 50 states flash cards on hand.  Paul does some class work during breaks and over the summer.

What is our schedule?  Paul does a math lesson each day.  Yesterday, he completed Lesson 1 in Zoology.  He made paper airplanes, tested three types indoors and outdoors, and wrote up the lab report.  Paul also completed work in the Zoology Journal.  He did a grammar lesson yesterday, too.  In all, he spent three hours working on his lessons.  After a cooking lesson (French toast) he started on Math.  Today, he will do Grammar, History, Zoology, and Lit—Mudshark with questions.  (I read the book yesterday.).

Paul reads voraciously.  However, he likes graphic novels.  I want to expand his scope.  Our local library has bimonthly sales. We have several novels on hand.  Paul does one page of grammar each day.  Today we are introducing diagramming sentences using the Easy Grammar Lesson.  I want him to complete two science and history lessons each week, at a minimum.  Cooking, cartooning, free play, and  guitar practice are daily lessons.  Paul works for about three hours each day.



What

Lacie 3/11

We are frantically finishing the first semester materials, papers, and tests.  Today, Lacie took the final exam in Oliver Twist, Chapt 8 History test, and a Latin quiz.  We have been working on papers for Theology and Literature, too.