The title of this thread makes me feel silly now, as DS13's year is shaping up to be the opposite of unschooling. Traditional mornings and unschooly, project-focused afternoons for DD11 and DS10, and rigorous, traditional days for DS13.

There is a Quick Lab and a Skills Practice Lab in each chapter, but I'm not sure they are sufficient to claim it as a lab science. However, I ordered 3 different lab books to plan for older DS's environmental science, and that would be an easy enough way to make this a stronger course. I love OM. If I didn't combine my three for so much, it's something I would have used more in the early years. We did OM Geography last year, which was a good way to build on our geography/current events fetish. DS13 likes textbooks though, which I should have realized early on because he has always had an affinity for "fact books" like DK and Usborne. I like the interesting assignments and projects in the OM lesson plans, and I know DD will too. The question will be how she responds to the textbook, but the subject is interesting to her. I can work with her on note taking and outlining the text while assigning lots of interest led supplemental reading. She is my speed reader, and when she finds her reading niche, she is in the zone. I'm thinking any conservation about wild cats... LOL

Oh, I did forget that I got OM Environmental Science for DD. I think she'll really enjoy it, and she and DS13 can enjoy some of the same resources, particularly current events discussions and documentaries. I like that OM gives so many interesting assignment choices. Right up her alley!

Yes! I swear one of my kids only talks to me on a deep vs superficial level in the car and at bedtime. At bedtime, I am wiped out. It's bedtime! LOL But in the car, I'm ripe for conversation. It's ideal.

I agree with this too. So many subjects can be combined, and my kids think it's more interesting when subjects aren't made too discrete. Also, loop scheduling. There are many threads here about it, but Google search will serve you better than the board search.

Maybe it's because I'm a hopeless optimist or because I'm good at reframing my own weaknesses so my self-esteem doesn't irreversibly plummet, LOL, but I would say that is getting it all done. What I think stymies people is that it's not necessary to "do it all" in some kind of perfect balance all the time. Instead it's a realistic balance. Maybe that's why so many people are drawn to loop scheduling? I mean, they are doing it all for school, just not every single day for perfect 15, 30, 45, or 60 minute sessions. If my house isn't too embarrassing to open the door for close friends, I've done it all for housekeeping. If my family is getting three meals a day, I've done it all there too. :tongue_smilie: Plus, there's the idea of doing it all...that I actually care enough to do. Priorities. And doing it all...till it's good enough. Anti-perfectionism? (And I tend toward perfectionism.) We're too hard on ourselves so much of the time. These people are still breathing and happy and slowly but surely getting educated! So, I say with pride, I do it all! ...when I'm darn good and ready, after my nap, after we've been to the pool, when I have the time and energy, when it's necessary...even if that's at the last minute. :lol: Maybe the problem is the notion of a timeline? LOL

Interesting, thanks! And that book led me to Homeschooled Teens: 75 Young People Speak About Their Lives Without School. New and right up my alley. I will be having DS13 read the Teenage Liberation Handbook this summer.

We lived in Mesa for three years. We survived thanks to the backyard pool, which was the difference between misery and heaven. I used to joke that there were only two seasons in AZ, spring (everyone else's winter) and Hell. I keep butter out no matter where we live. We go through it pretty fast though.

Thanks! I just ordered this one!

I don't know if your streaming is too slow, although you can also download videos, but we have been very happy with TheVirtualInstructor.com for art. DD also uses Adobe Creative Cloud, Craftsy, Lynda, CreativeLive...and one more I can't remember right now.

My DD has this one, from Dick Blick. http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-studio-convertible-studio-easel/ It is perfect for her because she likes different media, and this one is super flexible. It tilts back for oil and acrylic. It tilts forward for pastels (due to dust). It lays flat for watercolors. It is well made and folds flat for storage, which is great because we can store it in the closet when we don't want the house to look like an art studio.

I agree that it is so easy to add things in. It is much harder to do them. It's interesting because I feel like we did so much when the kids were younger, but I find myself having to whittle everything down as they get older. I realized it's because back then everything was at a much more shallow level. Now everything is deeper, so subjects take more time. I think your plans look good. My philosophy is always stick with something they like! Those Horrible books are the best. So much learning, so painlessly! That music sounds great! LOL

Well, the changes are not as major as I thought, at least for my younger two. I was thinking something was very different for DS10, but that is probably because I've spent so many hours perusing books for him. DS10 (5th grade): His plans have basically stayed the same. I added Phonetic Zoo though. DD11 (6th grade): Her plans are the same except that we are not going to do OM Hero's Journey. We will just continue reading great books and focusing on Socratic discussion for literature. I am having so much fun picking art and design books for her. Part of her design study is going to be redecorating her room after our move this summer. DS13 (8th grade): Same change as DD for literature. DS and I have had so many good talks the past few months. I am seeing huge growth in maturity and goal setting. He has a tentative career goal (that we both recognize may change) which is helping him understand how his current schoolwork and work ethic will affect his future choices. A very good thing! Except for ruling out OM HJ, his language, math, logic, and history choices have remained the same. He has decided that he would like to try a few AP courses, so he'll be taking AP Environmental Science (instead of OM Biology), AP Human Geography (which I might spread over two years because this is a favorite subject here and I love the idea of covering it thoroughly and adding in fun extras), and AP Computer Science Principles (through code.org, his most eagerly anticipated class for next year). He wants to drop Latin and focus on Spanish. He has decided to enjoy his woodworking hobby this summer (for the first time ever, we are taking three glorious months off!), increase his skills, and maaaaaybe set up an Etsy shop, only selling seasonally, as school allows. He has chosen not to have an unschooly afternoon project but is excited about next year. He is my schedule-loving, list-loving, box-checking boy, so I guess I should have anticipated that he would be most content with his hobbies separate from his official school work. I was going to encourage him to stick with his old plan or at least work it into a block schedule, but I know this kid thrives on rigorous, scheduled coursework. So woodworking and toy design will stay on a hobby status, although I think Game Design can probably be worked into his 9th grade course load. I have Fine Woodworking and Entrepreneurship pencilled in as high school electives though. Our afternoon tea time is going to be a mix of current events, geography, logic, debate, and, of course, poetry.

NM

My plans need a major update, particularly for DS13, but it's such a busy day! I'll be back...

I've heard of kids who basically go for them all. It's not a goal here because my kids and I don't want to adhere to the test for so many subjects, but it would certainly make a student stand out. I agree that extraordinary achievements at a younger age should be included on a transcript.

These are my favorite. Amazon says I bought them one year ago. :) They see heavy use and come clean beautifully. I've never had any problem with getting grease out, and I've cleaned some pretty disgusting stuff off my gas stove. A couple have stains (cinnamon was the culprit, I think), which is to be expected, but they always come out clean as a whistle and are still very absorbent. I bought 2 packs, and each towel sees use at least twice a week. No fraying, no thinning. I am very happy with them. Oh, and they are great for washing mirrors and glass too.

DH's favorite summer meal is pasta salad with bow tie pasta, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, green onions, diced bell pepper, diced ham, diced cheddar, a generous sprinkling of oregano, and oil and red wine vinegar.

One of our favorite things is just a big platter of cheese, salami, olives, hummus, bread, cherry tomatoes, and grapes. So easy. Think I will do this Sunday for game night... Our favorite summer salad is a bed of romaine topped with green onions, tomatoes, diced jalapeños, cilantro, avocado slices, and sliced grilled chicken. We just top this with olive oil and freshly squeezed lime juice. When DH makes hamburgers, I have hamburger salad, which is everything but the bun but in salad form.

DH and the kids know they have a couple of choices for me. They can cremate me and spread my ashes at sea (perhaps on a cruise, or just at our favorite beach) or make me a tree with a Bios Urn (https://urnabios.com/shop/). They are all old enough to not be freaked out by cremation, which is something I worried about when they were younger. I do not want them to keep my ashes, which in my experience just become an emotional burden. We are of the I came from stardust and wish to return to stardust mindset.

DD wanted to do this one last year, but I contacted YouthDigital to ask them what the final product was because DD wanted to be able to produce patterns from her designs and actually construct the clothes. Nope. It is completely a software experience. That killed her interest fast. It didn't make much sense to me either, but they did say they would pass on our feedback. I did get DD a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, which is $21.34/month including tax. It has been awesome for her to have all those programs at her disposal. She is getting really good with them!

These are two I think I will put in my reread pile! Thanks!

Multitasking is a no-go for me. I set aside school hours as my work hours, and I stay on task...even if that is sometimes just sitting next to a working kid reading a book, checking work, reading the boards... I do things before and after school and during my "lunch hour" but I do try to keep school hours sacred. I've come to realize that it's better for things to happen on the evenings and weekends than for me to feel frazzled and conflicted during school. That said, it doesn't sound like you have any kind of spare time. That is a lot of tutoring! You have a lot on your plate! Rambling ahead... You know, I found myself agreeing with and relieved by Jenn's post, but I totally agree with yours as well. They sound contradictory, but I'm not sure they are. That we are homeschooling at all (a parenting decision) matters so much! It has been the single most meaningful parenting decision DH and I have made, in particular for my two boys, who have enough asynchrony and quirkiness that homeschooling is the best choice, but also for my DD, who would be a spectacular success at any school she went to but has been given the gift of growing into who she is with confidence and very little outside pressure. By homeschooling, I may not be changing their nature, but I am profoundly affecting their self-esteem, their thought processes, their emotional health, and how they feel in their own skin. If this big decision matters more than any other I've ever made, of course the daily decisions that add up to that matter too! I am responding to their personalized needs in a way I know wouldn't be possible at school, playing to strengths while shoring up weaknesses, without judgment or stigma. For me, it's responding to the details of who they are and what they need that is the stuff that matters. Oh my goodness, the nurturing is important. But I think parenting and homeschooling lines blur, and my best homeschooling happens when I'm most thoughtful about them as people rather than as students. I think Jenn's point was that we can't change their nature. However, we can teach them how to function in a way that takes advantage of it. In your case, you are responding to your DS's nature. If what he needs (and it sounds similar to what my DS13 needs) is a high amount of Mom-made structure and guidance, then meeting those needs absolutely matters, down to the smallest detail. The stuff that doesn't matter, for me, and what I thought of while reading Jenn's post, are the details I have fussed over through the years that could be applicable to any kid I pulled off the street. LOL Like all the early years I spent lining up art, music, food, x, y, and z to history. Well, they liked that. Enjoyed it, all of them. But they cared about that or they didn't. DS is a STEM kid. He liked learning the songs for American history, but it didn't make him want to major in American history. It was a lot of work for me that ultimately didn't change anything about who they would become in the end. That level of planning (aka insanity) wasn't necessarily meeting their needs. It was meeting my needs. The stuff that does really matter—why I'm here, why this is my calling, why what I do every day is so important and necessary—is the stuff where I am really thinking about who they are, what they need today/this month/this year. I'm at my best when I get that done without all the stupid stuff I think I ought to do getting in the way of it.

I do not remember how long it was between kitty being spayed and going into heat again, but it was quite a while.

But you don't have to narrow the focus, really. You are just going to inform about one path, not adjust his next 9 years of learning based entirely upon that specific path. That is what your experience will help you avoid. Just have a placeholder goal in mind to serve as inspiration for the hard work ahead. The key to not missing the bigger picture during our discussions and planning here has been to go wide at the top (possibilities for careers/degrees in the future) and relatively wide at the bottom. In reality, high school graduation and college admission requirements are so close to the 4x4 or 4x5 with a few electives thrown in that a graduate who has been working at a high overall level should be able to adjust direction as desired as graduation/matriculation approaches. Nothing has to be written in stone. I've been there being exasperated about EF issues, but you will see a lot of growth in maturity between 9 and 19 or 29. LOL For now you just meet him where he is, and he is a 9 year old with a dream, just like every other 9 year old with a dream, really. :)