Some of mine have loved all things geography. At 12, they did a lot on their own, other than participating and studying some for the Geobee. That's a great program and it's fun just to go watch one, though I would highly suggest participating. It's for 5 - 8 graders and if they win at the local level, they can take a written test and the top 100 in the state go on to state. Mine never made it beyond state, but it was an interest, not an all-consuming passion. We also took a year off the history cycle (we do a 5-year cycle) and studied world geography. I don't think a student needs any prep to go into AP Human Geography though. Ds took it in 10th (we couldn't find one in 9th and then learned about PAH) and loved it. The teacher and class prepared him very well for the exam.

Love hearing these kind of stories where it works out better than you could imagine! Happy for y'all, 8!

Congrats! :hurray: Lisa

I'm glad to know I'm not alone! These are the days I look jealously at my friends who have kids spaced 3 and 4 years apart. Oh the luxury of planning one child at a time! I told my younger two that when ds16 graduates, we're renting our house, getting an RV and going on a year-long field trip. That's how I'm going to feel after graduating 5 in 7 years! Not even counting the college and graduate school graduations. :tongue_smilie: I think one year of field tripping around the U.S. will be on order.

Hmm. I've never asked for my kids' grades. If they share, they share, if not, then not. One shares every grade, another shared most grades and another shares most grades as they come in. There was one semester where grades weren't shared for one child but that child did mention grades had dropped and that child was a bit disappointed. I would think there would be other clues. Texts bought and sold, conversations about class and professors. Clues from friends at the school, online posts, how time was spent, etc. I think telling would not only have avoided the angst but also could have stopped the slide. Sometimes I think kids think they can fix it, they goof up, hide it and it just gets worse. Not that I had that experience in high school chemistry. :)

Just before Father's Day no less. It would be hard either way. I've always respected Joe Biden's commitment to his family and my prayers are with them.

and you wake up to an email wanting the books you plan on using for next year's co-op class. :001_huh: The ONE good thing about graduating a senior is, I get this year off. I have a year with no senior and that means margin and fewer deadlines and less releasing all year. After the flurry of deadlines and senior presentations and programs and pulling every favorite thing from K-12 for the senior table and cutting up fruit for 300 and rehearsing and pictures and cleaning up and then early to church for cap and gown Sunday and more pictures of probably the last time all of these kids will be together . . . I do not really want to plan for next year yet. Anyone else there right now?

Congratulations! I think I've felt like that with every one of mine. We did SO MUCH. And a lot of what we didn't do was because my high schooler wanted something different and so there were substitutions. I'm always so grateful at the end of the senior year and moreso when they start that first year of college for the quantity of time we had together. It's a treasure, this permission, ability, possibility to home educate our kids. My 4th just tonight went through commencement. Loved every minute. Hats off to you especially elegantlion for keeping on when the going got really tough for you all.

Eaglei, I'm continuing to pray for your boy! Came over b/c I'm in the middle of writing about a friend's son who suffered a traumatic brain injury and reading through her posts, I'm again reminded of God's daily mercy and miracles. :grouphug:

Came on specifically to check your update. I am praying for your son now, and for you and your family. :grouphug: [wishing we had a prayer emoticon]

Well I'm way behind on this thread but WOOP! :hurray:

Lori, the gift referenced in the article that went to Yale could have doubled the endowment of that one state school! And my linking the article was not meant at all to slight students at Yale or other Ivies. My brother went to an Ivy and shared the article in his feed. And, yes, many who go to Ivies become leaders in their field; that's why they have money to give! I think the article is not suggesting giving it to other schools so much as giving it to other needy causes. With this one endowment, he could have given a million to 150 local, state, foreign charities that are doing really good work and made such an incredible impact. BUT, it's his money to give for sure and (here's the thing) he gave it. It was just completely enlightening to see how really deep the old schools are.

I try to read aloud through high school but there are seasons that it's just impracticable with sports schedules, evening meeting and such. We've done novels like The Scarlet Pimpernel, Silas Marner and even non-fiction books like What He Must Be. I actually LOVE reading through books with my olders and my younger ones usually play with legos,curl up in a fort with pillows and blankets or get out paper and markers while we're reading. There is definitely value in reading all the way up. First, you're getting more books into them. That's always good. Also, you get to enjoy the shared experience of reading a book together. And then, also, you might choose a book that they wouldn't choose on their own. So, yes, keep reading as long as your family schedule allows. We also read in the car or listen to audiobooks on long car trips. Even listening to audiobooks while running errands or back and forth from church, ball practice, lessons allows us to squeeze in more book reading.

This article came across my feed this morning (from my brother and the only one in my memory to go to an Ivy). I surely don't have my knickers in a knot over this kind of thing, since I tend to think folks can donate or use the money they have as they want. BUT, it was enlightening to see again just how much the Ivies have in ongoing permanent endowment funds. Wow! By way of comparison, our state's flagship university has just under 2 billion in its endowment as far as I can tell.

It just makes it hard for me to keep up with who folks are. I appreciate being able to follow many of those on board through decisions, life issues, children being born and graduating!

This is so true. I remember hovering over the decision whether to continue homeschooling in the high school years and my dh saying, "I like what you're doing. I like who our kids are." That was so affirming and we kept going. One of our best decisions ever (and we live in a *great* school area). Wouldn't trade these years for anything. Especially when sending them off, I'm so grateful not just for the quality but the quantity of time we had.

It stinks. You want it for her because she wanted it. That's part of what kids have to learn in college -- how to jump through the hoops that each professor wants, how to learn from different personalities and through different methods and how to study for tests written by all kinds of diff professors. It's hard! But that in itself is part of what makes college valuable. Fall semester is a fresh new start with all new classes and all new profs. Hooray! And there is no feeling like MAKING the Dean's List after working hard for it! Hugs to you and dd. Lisa

Here's a similar thread on the General Board. Some fun ideas in here! What are your end of school traditions?

Eaglei, Praying fervently for God to stabilize and heal completely, for wisdom and effective response and for you and your family. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I <3 Veritas Press catalog -- I appreciate that they color code from most important resources (to their mind) to least important/extra add-ons Memoria Press (which will come quarterly I think with great articles; it's as much encouraging magazine as catalog) Sonlight -- hello great booklist

This is a great tradition! We started giving books on New Year's Eve but this is another really great time to give books. My olders have a beloved lit teacher (imagine book club meets the Socratic method) and he always picks out a book to give each student based on each one's taste in books. He so well read that we enjoy seeing his selections!

Veritas Press has a history timeline with cards which you could use as a stand alone or -- best -- alongside your choice of history curriculum for that time period. VP divides world and American History in a 5-year cycle. CC has an app for its cycles that can be purchased separately from curriculum. I haven't used CC at all, so I can't attest to it, but I know many that love its structure. Lisa

Lol, this is pretty much what we did for lots of years! Minus the going to get new notebooks. It was more like "Let's hit the pool/beach/dollar movies!"

I get this Dialectica! Originally, no. I think both dh and I were happy with me at home as the hub of the busy wheel with 7 children and a husband who traveled for work. But now. I hope, hope, hope I can work in the home. I'll tell you this: with 3 kids graduated, and another one this year, life has not slowed down. Not one bit. My college kids still need me. Not in the day to day like a preschooler does. But there are plenty of late night phone calls, "hey mom can you find my X and send it", going down to visit and cook a meal, pausing life on the days they come home to enjoy them. And my kids are independent. It's just a myth that we work ourselves out of a job! And I expect that adding in grandchildren would add a whole new area of time and attention that is needed. That's why I hope, Lord willing, to be able to work out of my home so that I can still do for my family as I'd like. (And not collapse from sheer exhaustion. :) ) Lisa

Love it! What a neat idea to wrap up the new books.