Reading the text of the bill itself, it looks like anything post-high school (including community colleges) is NOT included in the bill. What I am not sure on is how this will all pertain to DE students, who are technically high school students attending a college.

:hurray: :hurray: :hurray: and :party:

K12's American Odyssey is good.

I don't have an answer for you, but you might try posting this in the Site News & Discussions... http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/forum/22-site-news-discussions/

I have not seen this, but will look!

We've just wrapped up a year of interest led zoology, and she wants to tackle biology next. I'm looing at several resources, but am having trouble choosing. I like the idea of having everything laid out, at least to a point (hence the first two options), but also like books that are more along the lines of living books (hence the Hoagland book). I'd like there to be at least some hands-on! Under consideration... Elemental Science's Logic Stage Biology Pandia Press's RSO level 2 biology Exploring the Way Life Works (Hoagland) Other resources you could recommend? Any feedback on the above?

Tweedle Greentoes Academy.. not too sure about that one! My ds named our school when he was 5. We file a PSA (here in California), so it has to have a name. Thankfully he did not go with lastname Academy!

I wouldn't worry too much. Remember that a semester of community college is generally considered the equivalent of a year of high school. My ds14 is starting cc classes this fall too, and he's not doing a formal science. I am trying to make sure he does not overload himself his first semester there! Exactly. Does he plan on continuing the FL past Spring? If yes, then I wouldn't worry. If not, what are his goals with a FL?

Okay... plans for 9th grade At home: English: Brave Writer's Help for High School Excavating English OR something similar dystopian and science fiction lit Math: Life of Fred Begining Algebra, then right into Advanced Algebra Other: Possibly finish Conceptual Physics (still not sure on this... TBD) We may use K12 books for an overview to world or American history Minimum one fiction and one nonfiction book per month (can include English as above) At the cc/Dual enrollment: This fall: Drawing and Composition Beginning Welding Spring: TBD, probably Intro to Automotive Technology Art? Photography?

UPDATE... What we've decided... He is taking more control of his own education for high school. He wants to work toward both a professional certificate (automotive technology) and an associate's degree. He figures this will give him a good background for future employment, and a fairly well rounded education. His current goal is to finish at least the first by the age of 18. The second he plans on completing with IGETC in mind, as it opens up more opportunities for transfer. He believes that having a good position as a mechanic would help him pay for any college he plans on attending past dual enrollment. So what that looks like at the moment is this: he will continue, for now, to work on math and English at home, with an eventual goal of doing well on both placement tests at the cc. He will also be studying science, TDB -- most likely finishing up Conceptual Physics (has over 3/4 of the book to go as he went off on a number of rabbit trails in the last year). History will be unschooled for the most part this year, though we've talked a bit about reading through a world history or American history overview type of book (K12's Our Human Story or American Odyssey, for example). He will be taking an art class (Drawing & Compostion) and Beginning Welding at the local cc this fall, which is a total of 5 units. I don't want to overload him at home during this transition to cc classes. My only other requirement at this point is that he read at least one fiction AND one nonfiction book every month. I feel very fortunate, after reading through a lot of the cc threads on this board, that ours is considered to be pretty darn rigorous, academically speaking, and is highly regarded by other college systems in our state. I know that when I transferred from there to a 4 year university, I was fairly frequently disappointed by the classes at the university -- they were not as challenging (some were, many not). And I still think it is interesting , after all these years, that when I attended the cc, I could not test out of algebra 2, but tested right into statistics at the university. Anyhow, he is very excited about his high school years right now, and I think he has set some good goals for himself! Thank you again for all the feedback and assistance!

We're really enjoying Great Tales from English History as a family. Short chapters, nice writing style, good overview from ancient times up through modern.

Thank you all very much for chiming in on this! I actually feel much, much better after reading through the responses. I think my tendency to overthink/over-worry comes out full force when I see the intensive plans others have for their students, I realize once again that my child doesn't have plans like that. Overall, the message I am getting loud and clear is that there are a multitude of ways I can support my son in following his passions. I like the idea of reassessing at mid and end-of-year. I am working with him later today in looking at what the standard requirements are for gradation, so he can give some input on how HE wants to work towards that. Good point! Lori, thank you SO much for all the advice! He loves the idea of interning with an engineering group, and will pursue that. I think overall you made some excellent suggestions about possible ways to approach a solid high school plan while allowing a great deal of flexibility. I love the unique approach to history/social sciences here! Gives me some good ideas. I love to hear that those with less traditional paths still succeed. I think my son's career choice is a pretty solid one - mechanics are always needed for something! Excellent points and ideas! I have a lot to think about now, and a lot to discuss with my ds! Thank you all again so much -- I feel more comfortable embracing our own path.

Of course!

Thinking of buying at least the history ones for my dd12. She's NOT a big history fan, and I think maybe this will give her the opportunity to choose different time periods/events/etc. to study, while requiring a decent level of work. Is there any reason NOT to buy them?

Update in post #20 Background: Ds14 is very bright, and spends hours working on the things he is interested in. Except for math and writing, which I consider to be foundational skills, we've had a fairly relaxed approach to homeschooling over the years. He has had decent exposure to history and the sciences, is a self taught artist (definitely a passion of his), and is most interested in mechanics. His current plan is to become a car mechanic, specializing in rehabbing older automobiles, with custom paint work, upholstery, engine modifications, etc., and he wants to own his own business someday doing so. Honestly, he is at his happiest when he's working on something practical, like our car, or rebuilding our rototiller motor. He has adored cars since he was an infant, and knows a tremendous amount about them. He's also interested in engineering in general. Other (in which he is less involved) interests include physics/quantum physics. That said, I do not wish to shortchange him, in case he changes his mind later on. I am trying to decide how much will be enough for his high school years. He plans on doing dual enrollment throughout high school, at the local cc. He is starting with art this fall, and will then possibly start on automotive training as soon as next spring (probably welding to begin). He wants to take engineering courses as well, German, and plenty of art, including photography. We've also talked about him taking chemistry and physics there at some point, as well as higher math. While we've "unschooled" history and science the last couple of years, I am not sure if we should continue this into high school. As he's going to the cc, I don't know that I need to worry as much about hitting the standard "requirements" in history, science, etc., but I don't want him to end up below potential either. Sorry for rambling on...I guess my main question is, should I allow him to be fairly single-minded/to specialize this early on, or should I have him complete a broader education? Should I have him do the standard approach to high school in our area/for college, with a year each of world and American history, 2-3 years lab sciences, etc.? I keep reading and rereading the posts on how to educate the child you have, and doing high school outside the box, but I still don't know where to go with this. I want him to have time still to explore interests as they pop up, to skim over something or delve deply into it as desired, but still have a solid education. Thanks for your patience in reading this!

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding. Three volumes that intertwine the "threads" of science (biology, chemistry, physics, earth/space), for grades K-8.

We worked through vols 1-2 off and on over the years. More an more, I have come to appreciate what Nebel did with those books, and now I am wishing there was a high school level, or that volume 3 was at high school level. Any ideas for anything even remotely similar for a rising ninth grader? Or could I add to vol 3 to make it worth his while?

What about Homeschool in the Wood's Time Travelers? I think these would be a great fit for your dd's age/grade. They are focused on American history, up through WWII. If you wanted to add in some world history that is relevant, you could add in topical library books, or something like Famous Men of Modern Times.

I have never heard of this book, and thought I had read everything homeschooling from our local library system. They have his other title on homeschooling, and I put in an ILL for this one. Thanks!

What age range is this magazine for? I'm looking for a good nature based magazine for dd12 (reads at a roughly 10yo level), and the out-of-state subscription price on this one is great!

I was the field trip coordinator for our local homeschool group for a couple of years, then stepped down because I couldn't work with all the no-shows anymore. It makes business owners grumpy when they are expecting and set up for x number of people, and only get y. Plus I think it makes homeschoolers look bad in general... or at least flaky. I think more rules for no-shows would have been beneficial.

But I am looking for links to any good unschooling-the-high-school-years blogs. Anyone out there know of any? Thanks!

But I am looking for links to any good unschooling-the-high-school-years blogs. Anyone out there know of any? Thanks!

So I've been emailing back and forth with Julie about where to place my dd in her writing programs. As dd is dyslexic, and just really getting into writing, she suggested Partnership Writing along the Arrow. I know you've done, and raved about, Partnership Writing, but anything more you can tell me about it would be appreciated. How much time does it take? Would you recommend the Arrow along with Partnership? Thanks!

I am looking through my plans for ds's ninth grade year, thinking about what we want to accomplish. I am currently thinking of the following for science, but worry that it may be too much, and would appreciate any feedback! (Note: he does love science) We're doing the Big History Project for history, and I've been planning to add in some readings (The Sciences: An Integrated Approach OR Conceptual Integrated Science) and/or lectures from The Joy of Science, to expand the science presented through the lens of history. This would be a non-lab approach. However, I am wondering if it would be too much to add in biology. I like the look of Exploring the Way Life Works, and the plan Quarks & Quirks has for hs biology, with a lab component. Am I looking at piling on too much here?