Today in History Series

 We decided to add some videos on Today in History, I am hoping to keep it going for a couple years in order to populate a full years worth of the most interesting facts: 

So far I have made videos on The Mayflower compact and the Economic Aryanization Decree in Nazi Germany

Can homeschoolers get into college?

 In short.... yes. 

Yes, homeschooled students can and do attend college. College admissions processes typically consider a variety of factors, such as standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and, importantly, academic records. For homeschooled students, this academic record may take the form of a transcript, which details the courses they have completed and the grades they have received.

It's essential for homeschooled students to demonstrate their academic abilities and achievements through their application materials. This might include providing a comprehensive transcript, submitting standardized test scores (such as the SAT or ACT), and, in some cases, providing portfolios of work or taking subject-specific tests. Additionally, letters of recommendation and personal statements can help admissions officers understand the student's unique educational background and goals.

It's important for homeschooled students and their parents to research the specific admission requirements of the colleges they are interested in, as these requirements can vary. Some colleges may have specific guidelines or additional documentation for homeschooled applicants. Connecting with the admissions office of the colleges of interest can provide valuable information and guidance in this regard.

Overall, homeschooled students have successfully gained admission to a wide range of colleges and universities, and many institutions have policies and procedures in place to fairly evaluate the applications of homeschooled applicants.

Long awaited update - I own a curriculum publishing company

About 18 months ago I launched a Kickstarter to get my homeschool curriculum published. 

 The Kickstarter did not work out... at all. 

 That did not deter us a bit. Instead, my business partner and I financed the purchase of our homeschool history textbook from our own pockets, as we had the finances to do so. 

 Several times I posted. Coming next month... coming soon, but we were not able to launch. 

We have our not-for-profit homeschool program to run, and the kids are our first priority. 

 Finally... I feel 99% confident that we are almost there. We are in the layout process. We have launched our YouTube channel where we talk about homeschooling and history. 

Fallen off on Youtube- most recent videos.

I have been trying really hard to be regular about making youtube videos regarding homeschooling.  When you are not actively homeschooling it is hard to stay engaged though.
My goal is to help other homeschoolers with their journey, and I have received some good feedback to that end, so I am grateful for that.

With that said, here are some of my latest videos.

School bringing back paddling? I was hoping more than one parent would give their opinion on this school in Georgia that has started paddling children.  Parents get to say no, but then the child is subject to suspension.

I wrote another one called The Truth about Homeschooling because I was having frustration in a couple of areas.  1. Youtube is kinda infuriating and I don't know if it will serve my purpose to get out information to help others. 2. The people who are on youtube and are popular and are making homeschool videos are people a bit over positive about it... I wanted to be more real.

Stop Downplaying and Apologizing for Homeschooling: A 1-minute Rant

Seriously ya'll.  It does no one any good to downplay yourself to make someone else feel good.  Especially when you know you are rocking it!


 

So the next time you find yourself at a party, surrounded by public school die-hards or teachers, just say "Yes, I chose something different and I am really happy about it" or change the subject.  You are not obligated to defend homeschooling to the masses.

College prep homeschooling: 8th grade foreign language

As it is an expected requirement that students have taken two years of the same foreign language in high school, 8th grade is a good opportunity to try out a few languages to see what might be a good fit.

College Prep Homeschooling: 8th grade science

notes:

Most colleges require a student to have studied at least biology and chemistry and two other lab-based sciences. I also like to get a jump on these requirements in 8th grade.
This is also a chance to get your child more interested in science and to build a positive attitude around it. Note: don’t jump into chemistry until you have done the math to support it, preferably Algebra 2. Likewise, I prefer calculus happen before physics. For 8th grade, you don’t NEED a lab science, but you can use this opportunity to introduce your student to lab work. Still, your options for high school science are numerous. I like this college course from MIT called Kitchen Chemistry. It allows chemistry to happen at home with a manageable mess and no danger of explosions. https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/experimen... My child followed this curriculum. It was not too difficult for her at 14, and we did her lab work on Wednesday, just in time for dinner. Yum. If you are not too keen on doing labs in your home, most communities have science groups, classes, and the like where your child will have more than a full year’s curriculum. Robotics clubs Astrology at the local planetarium Virtual dissections online Science labs are available at science museums in every major city.

College Prep Homeschooling: 8th grade History and Language Arts

The series continues- College Prep Homeschooling: 8th-grade history and language arts.

I teach these two subjects as one cohesive unit.  Find out how. Find out why.



 Here are the notes from the video

White paper on weaving literature into social studies; https://britannicalearn.com/wp-conten... Book lists for novels set in other countries for children and teens. https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books... In addition to reading for Language Arts, students should be using a grammar/writing workbook. Here are some good options. Editor in Chief, Critical Thinking Company https://amzn.to/2y1AeFT SAT Reading and Writing Prep https://amzn.to/2Mgtlnc Holt McDougal World Geography https://amzn.to/2JEpHBM (Teachers version) Holt McDougal World History https://amzn.to/2Mgr3EC The Critical Thinking Company, World History Detective https://amzn.to/2y1AeFT Sparknotes.com has online questions that your student can answer for many of the novels you can choose. Summary: Tying Language Arts and History together. 1. Choose a book textbook or history curriculum. 2. Go through the table of contents and pick books according to the geographical area and possibly the time period being covered. At least one book per unit or for every 3 or 4 chapters. 3. Have the student read the books at the same pace that they go through the history units 4. Use unit tests and a final term paper to grade history. 5. Use a language arts/grammar and writing workbook or test prep book to grade the students language arts, in addition to questions and answer on the novels or book reports. Also grade on final term paper looking specifically at grammar, and format of the paper. CLEP by college board, https://clep.collegeboard.org/about-c... *Disclosure: I will use affiliate links from time to time, including Amazon links. I endeavor to always find the lowest price for anything I recommend and I only link to items I believe in.

College Prep Homeschooling 8th grade math

Here is my second video of the series


Here are the links I mentioned.

I talk about a few curriculums here, but I prefer you go through some curriculum reviews and choose for yourself. My preference, however, is Khan Academy, and even if you use another curriculum, I like to use Khan Academy as a supplement. Why? It teaches to mastery, and it is FREE. But to be fair, I will be linking some curriculum reviews that could be helpful to you. Teaching textbooks review: https://youtu.be/LqbZ1fEKNbw Teaching textbooks: The good, the bad, and the ugly https://youtu.be/LCBOGjXQhUQ Khan Academy review: https://youtu.be/s1ifjuTC2zU Saxon math review: https://youtu.be/-BJ_linfdVM ALEKS MATH https://youtu.be/N0nX8eGu0HU

College Prep Homeschooling - a guide

You know how I have been saying what feels like a decade that I was going to write a homeschool book?  I have written, re-written, scrapped and started over a dozen times. 

But.

My 30ish days of homeschool videos has prompted me to get this done.  I am currently going step by step into college prep homeschooling and am writing a guide along side of it... so, yep.  A goal being accomplished!

Here is the link to the first video:

What happened in that last year of public school after we made our intentions to homeschool clear

Let's just say, that once we verbalized our intent to homeschool, things got interesting.

Our journey into homeschooling

It took a while from the time I started learning about homeschooling to when we actually did it.

This video shows our awkward journey.

Why we homeschooled

I don't know if I ever told the full story about why we homeschooled our children. It was so many years, ago, but the journey to homeschooling will always stay with me. 




Some people homeschool for religious reasons. Some homeschool for academic reasons. Some feel that homeschooling protects their child. Why did you decide to homeschool?

So why did you decide to homeschool your children?

5 steps for transitioning from homeschool to college

The first question asked on my youtube videos was:

How do you transition from homeschool to college.

Here are the highlights


Step 1. Set their habits. Get them used to the amount of work required in college by demanding that from them early.
Step 2. Prepare for standardized tests.

Step 3. Take the standardized tests... a lot.
Step 4. Figure out what the best colleges for your children are (that will scholarship them) based on their test scores.
Step 5. Let them go happily with joy and celebration... save the crying for later!


Here is the video

Gabby Douglas, Hair, and Homeschooling

Gabby Douglas, the athlete who just won multiple gold medals in the Olympics is a buzzing topic right now... because of the state of her hair. Wow. This makes me angry because too many of use are out of shape and unhealthy because we are worried about our hair. This young athlete has her priorities in order. Yes, her hair doesn't look like she just came from the salon, but have you seen how far that child can fly!

The Dangers of Homeschooling

 Staying in the theme of my last guest post, here is a fun video called The Dangers of Homeschooling.  Enjoy


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Count down to graduation (video)

Video Summary:

Sharing my excitement about our upcoming graduation ceremonies this weekend.
The college admissions process was actually pretty easy, and my best tip is to apply early.
We've come a long way from the depressed child we pulled out of public school over 8 years ago.

We are very happy to be graduating our first homeschooler... one more to go- next year!



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Favorite homeschool websites

Enjoy this video/slideshow of our very favorite homeschooling websites for high school students. And they're free.



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There will be a lot more videos

I am now allowed monitization with YouTube so there will be a lot more videos.
I just realized that I used to preach about using public school resources for homeschooling, but we are now using them.

Never say never huh?

I do feel comfortable with using individual classes with Georgia Virtual School because it is not an online school, but online classes, so that parent still controls the students schedule and is responsible as their "principal".

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Marcia Gay Harden on Homeschooling (video)

As she sees it:

Children learn more in their travels
We cram too much information into children
What about family time?
Not against public school, but is enjoying the homeschool experience



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