I only homeschool a single teenager (who has ADD like tendancies, so he's nowhere near independant), but I do this, too. There's no way I'd keep up if I didn't have my year mostly-mapped before we started...

Thanks for the ideas. Julie, he doesnt know what he wants. lol That's why Im asking.

Buck is a sophomore this fall and it'll (probably) be our last HS year. He wants to go to high school for his last 2 years. But, he has dyslexia as ADD-like distractibility, so school can be a real challenge. Weeks can go by when he has trouble getting just the basic 4 done... I'm trying to inject some variety into his week, as well as accountability to someone other than just Mom and was looking at a live online class. These are rather expensive ($3-600 per year, depending on class and provider) so I really want to choose carefully. Should I look for a core class so we ease some drudgery from the routine? Or should I look for an elective (for example, the Potter School has a CADD for mech.engineering I know he'd like) and make it something completely separate and fun?

It takes some practice. I started life as a K-8 country school teacher. From 8th down to K, the kids knew that when I was busy with one class/student, they were not to interrupt and were to be working productively on something, or reading a book. I didn't train them to do this, they'd always been in country school and were raised by parents who schooled the same way. They just knew. After having my own kids and taking a few years off, I went back to work. This time in a village of a couple hundred who were in the process of moving their school to multi-age classrooms. I had the 2-3-4 room. I thought it would be easier than K-8, simply because of numbers. Not so. I spent the entire year teaching those kids how to manage their time and themselves when I was busy with other students. (The push-back from parents was the most baffling part, btw) I hadn't even considered the fact that my first school came pre-trained. I had nothing to do with it. The second is more realistic to what a new homeschool family would face. Kids in school are used to all being in the same place at more or less the same time. The teacher is available when they need her almost immediately... Give them time. They'll get it sorted out. Surely they're a *bit* better than they were a few months ago?

I don't know if there's a "shop" exactly, but there are several people selling leather on ebay. That's where I always buy mine... All you really have to know is that leather is measured in ounces to mean how thick it is. Purse leather is around 4-5 oz leather, belts are more like 7-8, where a fine skirt would be around 2-3... http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-the-Thickness-of-Leather-is-Measured-/10000000000858717/g.html The above explains better what you're looking for.

Thanks :) I whipped mine up in OpenOffice. I don't like being limited to someone else's idea of "planner," KWIM?

I'm still using my home-built planner on a daily basis. Clipart for the front and back covers, a Bible verse I like, laminated and spiral bound with my Cinch. I have my name, address and some pretty clipart in my first pages: http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/FirstPagesMed.jpg An inspirational quote, my calendar's commitments, a spot on the left for menu planning and other daily chores and a moveable bookmark with post-its on the back. http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/LeftPageMed.jpg A place for short notes, priorities (with check boxes, since I decided I really liked that about bullet journals) http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/RightPageMed.jpg And in the back, standard notebook paper and a couple of small folders to hold flotsam and jetsam. http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/ExtraPagesMed.jpg

Actually, that isn't true. He is doing a grown man's job. This isn't like bagging groceries. Ranching will most assuredly pay the bills and raise a family, and he knows it, as his dad ranched until just a few years ago (when he got tired of not having anything of his own but his vehicles and horses) while I was at home... However, he doesn't seem to want to do it full time as it's not really an interest. He likes wrenching on the tractors and coming up with a weed spraying rig to put on the 4wheeler, but spending the rest of his life catering to cattle isn't a draw. However, his boss is also a dad. A dad who went to college, for that matter. When Buck is having trouble balancing work and school, he has to drop work for a while and his boss is completely supportive. "School has to come first, bud." We picked this job pretty carefully. And yes, we're looking at partial enrollment this year. But, since we're so far from town, it'll be based on what class is offered at which time of day, rather than the classes he should ideally take. A couple of classes first thing in the morning, or last thing in the afternoon would be better than 1 at 10 and 1 at 2:30 KWIM? (Those of you with different schooling options available have no idea how lucky you are. We have 2, *very* small public schools within 30 miles, and that's the extent of our options...)

Yeah, I've read it. We've tried creating a couple of systems, but he doesn't keep it up. Or, worse, he decides he resents the reminders/habits/etc. and gets mad about it. Though I think ultimately you're right. I need to just keep on keepin' on and pray that he gains some independance one of these days. :(

No, he wants to be a mechanical engineer. And he's pretty good at math, even. Algebra2, for example, is fairly easy--when he actually puts in a little effort, that is... He knows he needs college. He's ranking preferred schools, for that matter. But I think he genuinely doesn't see the connect between today and three years from now.

definitely disabilities. Dyslexia for sure, and possibly ADD. And of course there are adjustments for it in his school day. Audio books, less paperwork, organizational tools, etc, etc. He has a job. In fact, he's at work today. He works for a neighboring rancher, takes a lot of pride in his work and his boss thinks pretty highly of him, too. He also volunteers weekly in our Awana program. I completely agree about owning schooling at this age. That's part of why we're doing his plan this year...

Depression. I dont think so... Lack of motivation or enthusiasm seems to be about the only warning sign that fits him.

I'm completely at the end of my rope. I'm strongly considering sending him back to public school (after the last 3 yrs at home, he'd rather HS one more year, at least) and letting him repeat the 9th grade, and flunk out there instead. It's not even that he digs in his heels and says no. Unless Im literally sitting next to him, he just doesn't do anything. And we can't afford for me to spend day after day holding a 15 year old's hand so he can get some school work done. -I've tried letting him have a say in his schooling (this year was completely his choosing). Nothing. -I bribe him with video game time. Nothing (OR, he races through, hands in crap, or just plain cheats) -I take away video games until he shows improvement. Nothing -I've tried asking for, and implementing, his input. Nothing. -I've tried guiding him into interests (his only interest is Minecraft. and I don't even mean classic building in Minecraft, I mean just social war-play servers in Minecraft. Nothing even remotely productive) -I've tried removing privileges, I've tried awarding privileges. Nothing. And a number of other things Im sure Im forgetting. Worse, I know he'll do this at school. So I know Im sending him back to flunk :(

OK, so i've tried to drag out volume 1, buying it episode by episode off of Amazon. I have a single episode left :( I know Starz started the second half already. How long will it take to get to Prime?!? (I'm dragging out book 8 on Audible, too lol)

Keep trying. It took me several tries. Just glancing through, it really looks interesting!

So I want Buck to have an online class or two next year and their Biology class uses the M/L Macaw edition (which I think looks fairly easy for my 10th grader who is finishing Chemistry this year...) This would be his first. Has anyone done any of their classes? What did you think? Worth the money? User-friendly?

Spinoff questions: has anyone done one of their classes? Are they any good?

My mathy kid took it in 8th and probably could easily have done it in 7th. My less mathy kid will take it in 9th, mostly because she's in public school and for whatever reason, our school rarely puts kids in algebra as 8th graders. (Consequently, the kids who DO take it in 8th think they're some kind of genius :rolleyes: )

Skip 6th. There's really nothing magical happening in middle school math (or science, or history, etc) that isn't just a review of previous years. What series are you looking at? What are they doing for a progression? My student went from 6th math to Saxon 8/7 in 7th (basically pre-algebra) right into algebra with no issue.

We are doing Spectrum Chem this year and it plans for about 1 lab per week. I never realized this was excessive! We've done almost all of them. I think 45 minutes was the shortest and 1.5 hrs the longest... Though some are indeed just demos, what I think of as poof-labs (their basic purpose is just to make something go "poof!") but unlike a traditional teacher-run demo, he still has to do his own set-up, clean-up, procedures, etc. I walk in for, "OK Mom! It's ready to go!" ;) My freshman Intro to Phys Science class easily did a lab every week. By the time May rolled around, we were completely ready for the1-2 week Sludge Project (where we put all of the procedures, tools and methods we'd learned over the year, to work, sorting out what all was in this beaker of "stuff.") My IPS class was fantastic, and I wasn't even remotely a science geek. This was at a small, rural, public school, btw. Yeah, Chem requires more so far as balancing equations, stoichiometry, and assorted book-work, but I really wanted Buck to have a good freshman year of science, too :)

Karen, I've glanced at VHSG a few times, but nothing more. A few days ago, I signed Buck up for Alg2 ayop, just to see what it was like. So far, he is rather enjoying it. Im sure part of that is the novelty of something new, but this is a distinct option for next year!

Ooh, thanks Four Oaks! And they have it set up as 3 semesters... Though yeah, Art Reed is plan B. He's currently our algebra2 teacher ;)

I wish I could like this twice, Karen! Thanks :)

Yeah, but they only go up to Al.2

Buck is only a sophomore next year, but he wants to either go back full-time to B&M his junior year, or part time with a college class or two. I'm feeling a *lot* of pressure to get him ready to be back in a place where he has to wear real pants in history class... And for school next year? History/lit will be fall-of-Rome-to-renaissance range. Math is pre-calc/trig. Science is biology? (Maybe? He needs three lab classes, did chem this year, but *wants* to do physics next yr) Auto Shop has become an easy fill as he's forever working on a vehicle. Wood Shop is equally easy since he helps me with the house I'm building. And that's what I have "organized" so far. *sigh*