Yikes - I have a middle schooler. Taking her lead in what she wants to do. Reading: Her choice and family Read Alouds Math: CTC Math Science: Bookshark Science E Typing: Typingclub.com Writing: Faltering Ownership/FreeWrite Outschool: Digital Art, Art History Club Extras: wants to try Theatre(if youngest can be vaxxed)

I just discoverd Homeschool Skedtrack, and I need more info about it. I would appreciate your opinion (pros and cons) if you are user. Thanks in advance!

PAGE #1 Welcome to High School Motherlode #1 -- the first "motherlode" of linked threads on high school topics. There is also a college motherlode of linked threads on preparing for/applying to/attending college AND a few post-high school topics that are NOT college related. Enjoy exploring the amazing collected wisdom of The Hive! (In case links break, I have listed threads by their original subject heading, and have also provided the original post date and poster for search in various ways.) Warmest regards, Lori D. topics linked in first 2 posts of this thread CREATED: Aug. 2012 UPDATED & REORGANIZED: Sept. 2018 ======================== CONTENTS: HIGH SCHOOL MOTHERLODE #1: page 1 topics: High School Time Table (what to do/when for each year of high school) Teaching Executive Function Skills Preparing for High School Addressing Fears Getting Started Books & Resources Making a High School Plan Time Management High School on a Budget Expectations/Attitudes Accreditation / Cover Schools page 2 topics: tests -- info and comparisons on: - PSAT (National Merit Scholarship qualifying test) - ACT / SAT (frequent college entrance requirement) - SAT Subject (also called SAT II) - AP (Advanced Placement courses & tests) - CLEP (college credit by exam) - GED (high school diploma equivalency test) - ASVAB (military entrance exam) - Compass/Accuplacer (college placement test) - IB (International Baccalaureatte program / diploma), and comparison with AP ======================== High School Motherlode #2 -- pinned thread at top of high school board page 1 - transcripts / credits / grading & GPA - honors designation - record keeping / course description / letter of recommendation - graduation / diploma page 5 - homeschool subjects (English, Math, Science, Foreign Language, Electives) - making your own courses - extracurricular activities - outsourcing / online classes / dual enrollment Going to College Motherlode -- pinned thread at top of college board page 1 = college search / college visits / online college page 2 = college applications / Common App (including more on transcripts, course descriptions, etc.) page 3 = financial aid / scholarships / FAFSA and CSS Profile page 4 = Honors Programs / Internships / NCAA page 5 = heading to college / at college / overseas studies page 6 = alternatives to college / gap year / military / career exploration ======================== GENERAL TOPICS Reference threads High School "Time Table" (deadlines + what to do/when in each year of high school and for college prep) -- Mar 4 2012, Lori D. College [prep] checklist: heading into 11th grade, what should we be doing? — Jan 24 2018, mirabillis What do "seventh" and "ninth" grade look like to you? (brain development and goals for the average student for grades 7-12) -- May 31 2012, Colleen in SEVA Could you point me to a list? (what type of classes "count" for what type of subjects/credits) -- Aug 13 2013, MomOfOneFunOne Can you help me decipher some terms please? (defines: Honors, AP, “regular”, high school, and college) — Apr 15 2018, chocolate-chip chooky Explicitly teaching executive function skills (great descriptions of techniques for helping atypical learners, esp. in learning how to study/learn) -- Sept 30 2018, lewelma Preparing for high school (looking ahead from middle school) If you knew then what you know now (what would you do differently for Logic stage years) -- Feb 25 2009, MSNative High school parents: looking back what would be your ideal for 7th/8th grades -- Jan 15 2009, at the beach 8th grade goals: What skills do your kids need to practice before high school? -- May 14 2015, Chrysalis Academy Looking back (what you would do differently to prepare for high school work) -- Oct 19 2008, Guest Hypothetical question: What to do for the 4 years before public high school? -- July 2 2013, Walking-Iris How best to prepare for high school? — Feb 2 2016, Gwenny Pressing through the middle years of homeschooling: how do you do it? -- Nov 11 2014, Chrysalis Academy Addressing Fears about homeschooling High School The "There Will Be Gaps" thread -- June 2 2013, swimmermom3 Damn...now things are starting to feel real -- Jun 28 2015, SparklyUnicorn To all you people with 8th graders (or there abouts) (encouragement of what to do in 8th to get ready) -- Nov 18 2008, Nan in Mass For those of you with 8th graders considering homeschooling high school (encouragement of what high school can look like) -- Jan 30 2008, Nan in Mass Will I ruin my kid's life by homeschooling for high school, and other questions -- Apr 1 2015, NoPlaceLikeHome Talk to Me About High School Fears (will my homeschool transcripts/records be accepted by colleges?) -- Mar 11 2009, debbiec Teaching a high schooler next year.. I am terrified! (encouragement of what is needed, how to plan) -- Nov 30 2014, kfeusse Approaching high school, confidence flying out the window (can I do it at home? what about outsourcing? extracurriculars?) -- Oct 21 2014, Calming Tea How do you plan high school for the child that you've got? (big thread; how to support interests AND complete academic credits?) -- Jan 21 2015, Chrysalis Academy Please describe the reality of homeschooling high school (time commitment; typical day; what do you do) -- June 1 2016, EKT Homeschool vs. Public (or Private) High School vs. Classical Conversations Challenge Pros and cons of homeschooling high school — Aug 2 2016, Jean in Newcastle Just curious: why do you send you DC to public school [for high school] (discussion on why/why not homeschool high school) — June 2 2017, extrafor6 Rising 9th grader wants to try public school — Feb 1 2018, Tumbatoo When you teen decides, “I think I want to try high school next year.” (experiences?) — Sept 21 2016, Elfknitter.# Classical Conversations Challenge for high school - experiences? -- May 19 2017, diaper joys ======================== GETTING STARTED Overview/Topics to Start With Can someone link me to a nice 4-year overview for high school? (lots of topics: planning, required credits, tips, info on tests, etc.) -- Feb 22 2014, Halcyon I need a guidance counselor (addresses fears, tips on planning, ideas for outsourcing, info on tests, etc.) -- Mar 20 2015, SaprklyUnicorn Starting over again - homeschooling in 8th-12th grades questions (good overview of all the "getting started" topics) -- Oct 14 2014, snipsnsnailsx5 My son is starting high school this year (linked resources, tips, and gentle steps from posters on getting started) -- Jan 13 2013, faiths13 High school curriculum, where do I start?? (how to decide what credits to do, and then how to select curriculum) -- Dec 26 2012, mamakelly Homeschooling high school... where to begin? (links to threads on specific topics: getting started, curriculum, credits, transcripts, etc.) -- Oct 14 2010, iwjeanie Where to start? Which resources, etc.? -- Jan 23 2013, profmom Soon to be high schooler (where do I start?) - Feb 7 2010, scrapbabe Books and Resources Need book suggestion for help in homeschooling through high school -- Feb 7 2009, Debbi in Texas High School at Home (books/resources to help?) -- Mar 9 2009, Pensguys Homeschooling High School (suggest books for overall planning/getting started) -- Jan 19 2009, Chelle in MO Homeschooling high school with limited resources (need resource ideas) — Jan 20 2018, Entropymama High School on a Budget Free homeschool curriculum and resources (mega list, all ages, including high school) -- Feb 20 2017, shinyhappypeople A free high school curriculum list -- May 24 2014, Karen Looking to outsource: need ideas to make it affordable -- Nov 11, 2017, diaperjoys Homeschooling high school with limited resources -- Jan 20 2018, Entropymama Homeschooling high school on a very tigt budget, the duct tape and WD40 way -- Jun 8 2016, frugalmamtax Is this even possible: homeschool high school for free or very cheap -- Sept 13 2016, Um_2_4 Rigorous high school (esp. 9th and 10th) on a shoe string -- Jan 24 2016, Calming Tea High school on a budget? -- Sept 30 2015, Calming Tea s/o Minimalist schooling: poverty schooling? (ideas for all grades, as well as high school) -- Dec 28 2016, frugalmamatx How would you home school high school without internet and lots of driving? — Nov 29 2015, Pen Oldschooling Homeschooling for High School (a number of low cost ideas) -- June 8 2016, frugalmamtx ======================== PLANNING / SCHEDULING General Discussions The breadth vs. depth question -- July 7 2010, swimmermom3 Broad vs. Focused study in high school and how to find balance? -- Mar 18 2013, Kfamily Are we all crazy? How can a kid get everything done in high school homeschool? -- Mar 16 2010, titianmom To parents of freshmen, sophomores next year (4 types of college admissions, and why you have to plan ahead in the high school years) -- Apr 25 2014, Nan in Mass NOT planning for college (options? how would that change high school?) -- Feb 19 2016, shinyhappypeople What is a "good" education? -- Jan 16 2019, zyxwvut Making a High School Plan Looking forward toward high school (time line, planning credits, how to make a plan, picking curriculum) -- Jan 2 2016, Sebastian (a lady) When formulating a high school plan (what factors to consider?) -- Feb 10 2010, razorbackmama To parents of freshmen, sophomores next year (4 types of college admissions; why you have to plan ahead in high school) -- 25 Apr 2014, Nan in Mass How many credits / college prep & graduation requirements How many credits for all of high school? -- Dec 16 2016, Garga 5 or 6 classes a year per year in high school? — Sept 30 2014, LNC Hold my hand: help with 9th grade plan? -- Apr 16 2017, Lucy the Valiant Advice for 9th grade planning (includes discussion on over-scheduling, balance/not burning out student, etc.) -- Nov 28 2016, popehj Frustrated with meeting college requirements vs. our own -- Sept 13 2011, Kfamily Another transcript issue for us: # of credits (will 30+ credits be too much?) -- Aug 31 2018, Evanthe Graduation requirements (how to plan credits over high school; college prep set of credits; what an English credit looks like) -- Aug 31 2017, provenance61 Time Management How do we get all of the things we want to cover crammed into 4 years of high school? Looking for advice from seasoned moms — Feb 19 2018, housemouse OMG! Please tell me this is typical and it gets better -- Sept 28 2016, reefgazer A homeschooled day week in the life of a teen -- May 4 2015; Quark Please tell me this is typical and gets better -- Sept 28 2016, reefgazer High school planning angst - time, credits, depth, oh my -- Dec 5 2015, Chrysalis Academy Too many hours doing school work vs. just being a kid -- Feb 27 2016, dereksurfs Typical length of hours for academics in high school? -- May 30 2017, j_thurm Specific Ideas for Scheduling Planning 4 or 5 days/week? Some other method? -- May 12 2012, OHElizabeth Scheduling questions -- how much in a day? (ideas for not overloading/keeping a balance) -- Aug 14 2014, Brandicm Scheduling: time on task vs. set amount of time/subject vs. predetermined assignments -- Aug 28 2014, g1234 Scheduling -- Nov 7 2013, Woodland Mist Academy I'm toying with block scheduling (last post includes links to more threads on block scheduling) -- Aug 30 2012, Jean in Newcastle ======================== EXPECTATIONS / ATTITUDES Various Teen Topics Seeking advice on teen boys :) — Feb 12 2018, lewber How organized should a 16-year-old be? — April 9 2018, borninthesouth How much do you interact with or talk with your high schooler throughout the school day? — Mar 20 2018, hopeistheword “Why Aren’t American Teenagers Working Anymore?” (link to article; sparked much discussion) — June 11 2017, Melissa M Helping our young adults find the “bright side”? — June 1 2017, swimmermom3 Depth and Passion? (how to help your student develop this?) — Feb 21 2018, Jazzy Is anyone else’s senior just worn out? — Mar 22 2017, Attolia Interest-led AND college-bound? — Feb 6 2018, PeachyDoodle Attitude Smart yet unmotivated teen — Jan 24 2018, leeannpal How do you handle an intentionally difficult high schooler? -- Nov 30 2017, Sharon37217 Homeschooling a reluctant teenager -- Dec 30 2017, 2ndGenHomeschooler How to deal with a teen that doesn't want to do anything -- Aug 31 2015, GypsyHomesteader Tired of dealing with this kid (bright, NOT motivated, behind -- just graduate him?) -- May 2 2016, razorbackmama Accelerate / skip a grade / graduate early Red shirting an accelerated learner? (discussion covers several topics on this subject) -- July 17 2018, JRmommy 2e high school - pushing a highly-gifted low-energy teen -- Apr 29 2017, tj_610 If your child is accelerated does s/he graduate early? -- June 5 2015, JadeOrchidSong Graduate early (gifted)? (your experiences?) -- Aug 22 2016, StephanieZ Has anyone decided last minute to graduate their junior early (posters pose good questions to think through) -- Oct 28 2016, prairie~phlox Skipping junior year? (any repercussions with earlier PSAT or ASVAB tests and declaring a grade?) -- May 18 2015, jetzmama I can't decide whether this is my DD's 9th or 10th grade year -- Aug 17 2018, Calming Tea No outsourcing and now potentially no Dual Enrollment: WWYD? Graduate early? — Feb 17 2018, frugalmamatx "Just Average" Does anyone on this board have a NON-superstar high school student? — Jan 17 2015, Kinsa High school AS high school — Feb 16 2012, Kim in SouthGa Anyone just doing average work in high school? — Aug 1 2012, scrapbabe s/o “average” work in high school: when did you know that’s how it would be? — Sept 9 2012, JaneP I want to share some very average PSAT scores — Dec 8 2012, teachermom283 Launching an average kid — Sept 8 2017, Jazzy I would like to hear from moms of “average” kids who want to go to college — Aug 13 2012, Kris in Wis Anyone with extraordinarily average students attending college? — Dec 19 2017, dereksurfs I get so depressed reading some posts on this board (anyone else NOT have over-achievers?) — Feb 11 2016, kfeusse I need former slacker teen success stories today — Mar 9 2018, texasmom33 "Behind" (due to illness or other) / LDs (Learning Disabilities) Learning disabilities and college admission (and accommodations for tests) -- Feb 11 2017, AmyinMD Accommodations for teen with ADHD, anger, and depression — Jan 22 2018, Zoo Keeper Do you tell your student's online teachers about LDs? -- Jan 11 2016, AppleGreen Online high school for someone who is behind (due to illness) — Jan 30 2018, Joyce Gripe High school with a chronic illness -- Aug 15 2017, Chrysalis Academy Online high school for someone who is behind -- Jan 30 2018, Joyce Gripe Very behind in math: need some advice for best path forward -- Mar 8 2018, ILiveInFlipFlops ======================== ACCREDITATION / COVER SCHOOLS / STATE REQUIREMENTS Accreditation Living overseas and need help with homeschool diploma -- Jun 20 2022, Kencam Homeschooling internationally with an accredited online high school -- Aug 27 2019, Nikki Dee Can I get some clarification? Accredited vs not (is it the school/organization that is accredited, or can curricula be accredited?) -- Jan 9 2017, heartlikealion Accreditation: how important is it? -- Feb 12 2018, momof2cowboys In this situation would an accredited transcript be worth it? (not going beyond high school, or only to trade school) -- Feb 2 2018, HSmomof2 9th grade: seek accredited program or not (in case ending up at public high school or trade school) -- May 14 2016, blue darling Accreditation (how GA homeschoolers can be accredited) -- June 19 2012, Momto MERLD Accredited diploma programs for high school -- Apr 21 2017, HSmomof2 Cover / Umbrella Schools NARHS documentation for diploma -- Mar 13 2019, Hilltopmom Does accreditation matter for outsourced classes? -- Mar 9 2022, EKT Using a cover school for only 9th and 10th: cons? — Mar 14 2018, MamaSprout Accredited diploma programs [cover school] for high school (which ones let me choose the curricula) -- Apr 21 2017, HSmomof2 NARHS: any experience with them? — Mar 8 2018, bluebonnetgirl Options for earning a high school diploma (what program/organization oversees credits and awards diplomas?) -- Feb 27 2016, Daria State Requirements Do you base [your homeschool] high graduation school requirements on local public school standards? -- May 15 2018, Innisfree Do I have to follow state [public school] graduation requirements? -- Dec 11, 2014 Veritaserum State requirements for graduation (do you follow public school requirements or not?) -- Apr 1 2016, Pronghorn Determining your graduation requirements (how/when did you decide?) -- Nov 12 2015, MissMousie Graduation requirements (what are yours?) -- May 9 2015, FreeIndeed College requires proof of meeting high school graduation requirements -- Dec 12 2016, Amoco California a-g California charter schools and a-g requirements -- Apr 16 2017, LAmom If you plan to apply to UC schools, list your courses here: another a-g thread -- Sept 10 2016, mirabillis UC a-g online vendors: a lot are being dropped -- Mar 20 2018, Calbear A-g -- July 4 2018, happycc College admissions requirement: accredited high school (CA colleges and a-g requirements) -- Feb 17 2015, Cakes Accredited high school diploma needed for community college (is this needed in CA or for a-g requirements?) -- May 31 2017, Virlizorchid99 New Jersey Is this too much for 9th grade? (NJ credit requirements + topics of college prep set of credits, how to include "extras", etc.) -- Jan 4 2017, CatholicMom Graduation requirements (translating NJ 5 credits = 1 credit + other topics) -- Aug 31 2017, provenance61 New York Anyone in upstate NY? Can you please fill me in? -- Feb 27 2018, EKT Tired of NYS -- Apr 19 2016, Blossom'sGirl NY wanting proof of high school diploma -- Oct 2 2015, Nancy in NH Pennsylvania Not exactly new, but need help (PA credit requirements + topics of blending public high school & homeschool -- June 26 2016, kozureokami ======================== topics / links continue on next page

I've finished picking out what I want my 5th grader to use next year, and it's a lot of subjects. I hate making kids check the boxes on 9 or 10 subjects in a day. How would you organize all of this, whether in loops, or blocks, or alternating days or weeks? I appreciate any and all ideas! Oh and we only school 4 days per week. 1. Math: math mammoth 5 2. Latin: Latin for Children B 3. Writing: Writing & Rhetoric 2-3 4. Grammar: Rod and Staff 5 (I choose 36 lessons only) 5. Typing: online practice 6. Handwriting: NAC 1 7. Music: piano lessons/practice, Music Masters cds 8. Memory/recitation: history timeline, Bible, Harp and Laurel wreath 9. Literature: mostly free reads. Choosing ONE classic book with lit guide from MP (perhaps Lassie or Narnia); ONE Shakespeare play; and ONE set of parallel lives from Plutarch, for the whole year. 10. Religion: Bible, Catechism, saints stories. 11. History: Middle Ages, using mostly D'Aulaires and library books. 12. Science: Tiner history of medicine, Blood and Guts, dissections 13. Geography: Atlas and map skills books from modg (36 lessons). And Hungry Planet. 14. Spelling: CHC speller (36 lessons total), and have him rewrite misspelled words 3 times. 15. Critical thinking/logic: Mindbenders level 4 16. Art appreciation: fraud detective

Y'all. I'm feeling utterly lost. ODS is 10.5, YDS is 7 and we've always homeschooled. The boys refuse to public school because they want to be together and with me, even cranky me. I have ADHD and fairly certain ODS does too but we've never had him tested. I also suspect he's somewhere on the gifted scale (not profound). We're debating having him tested just to see where he's strengths lie and where we can better meet his needs. I struggle with pulling together all the subjects and curriculum choices. I'm not trying to be a Pinterest mom but I want to engage my kids, let them do interesting stuff and get them prepared for 2ndary education and life while not going insane. We're a military family and we move in a year to ??? so this limits us on outside lessons, groups, etc. They both do sports and love it. Given our struggles with sticking to a schedule and having a good rhythm we're going to implement a Block Schedule with some looping. As in, doing an hour of math and for 30 minutes he's going to work through his spine (Singapore). For 10 minutes work on multiplication & division memorization. Then 20 minutes of fun or practical math like board games, budgeting, read some of our fun math books. Repeat for other subjects. We've really been lacking the structure and expanded learning that drew us to homeschooling. While he's doing his independent work I'll be working with YDS on his stuff. We'll do some of the fun stuff together. ODS - 10.5 years old. 5th grade Math Singapore 4/5. We've gotten a little behind in the curriculum but have done a LOT of practical stuff and math is one of his favorites. He'll be breezing through or skipping several sections in 4 because he's already done it elsewhere. He's going to start working through LOF Fractions in a couple weeks. I'm thinking that we'll be heading to AOPS for PreA for 6th grade. Should I transition or supplement with Beast Academy? Is Singapore, with IP enough? Language Arts Grammar - Finishing Grammar and Writing 4, just the grammar portion. Will move to Fix It Grammar when done. Writing - Starting IEW. Spelling - Running through AAS to make sure we haven't missed anything. Reading/Literature - Total Language Plus for guided novel study. Plus choosing books from various lists (Mensa, Newberry, NEH). ODS is an avid reader so we'll just be guiding him to good books for free reading. YDS - 7 years old, 2nd grade Math Singapore Life of Fred (reading together, more for fun than main curriculum) Language Arts All About Reading IEW Reading/Literature with Total Language Plus & his own reading lists for free reading. He LOVES listening to Audible books & being read to. He'll spend HOURS listening to books so this is very appropriate to him. ***They'll be doing science, social studies, most extracurriculars together just on age appropriate levels. Science We've got a couple of Apologia texts & journals but we haven't been super formal with curriculum to this point. We want to work in a lot more experiments and hands on stuff. I really need to do some backwards planning to figure out what we need to do to get ready for middle and high school. Social Studies Notgrass Uncle Sam & I for an extended study on government as a lead up to the 2020 election. Jr. Ranger Programs. We like to camp & road trip so we'll be hitting a few of these. Geography - ??? We'll talk about specific locations as they come up in our studies but we do want a more structured something to really reinforce geo. Extras Some art with youtube, typing, coding & cryptography for ODS. Dinosaur stuff for YDS. This is open to whatever the kids are interested in. Plus practical life skills like cooking, budgeting, calculating prices while shopping, domestic chores, etc. I don't know if its FOMO or my guy saying something's off or self-doubt or what but I feel like I'm not doing right by my kids. The journey to today has not been very easy. We've had 2 international and 1 cross town moves in the past 5 years. There's another move in a year; possibly international. Given my ADHD and other (minor) health issues we've REALLY lacked structure that ODS needs. I know I've said structure multiple times but it has become clear that its VERY important for our family. Please give me ALL your thoughts and recommendations. I'm 100% open to whatever you have to say!

I realize there is an 8th grade planning thread on the K-8 board. Thought we needed one here, too, for those that pop in more on the Logic Board. We are jumping into a new co-op for 8th grade to spice things up a bit for ds. It's a STEM co-op, so I think he'll enjoy it. I'm also streamlining our choices this year as I hope to have a part-time job. STEM Co-op Fall & Spring classes: SCIENCE: Physical Science with Lab and Aviation class Handcrafting with metal & leather (fun) Beginning Programming/Coding (fun) MUSIC: Guitar I & II At Home: MATH: Mr. D Pre-Algebra ENGLISH: Essentials in Writing 8 with grading/ EIL 8? (there is only one novel scheduled, Night, so we will add more just for free reading, maybe adding in Boomerang guides for discussion: (still continuing with some Bravewriter Lifestyle activities) The Giver, Echo, Night, The Westing Game, Brightly of the Grand Canyon, Lord of the Flies(maybe), White Fang, Basher Five-Two, Lost on a Mountain in Maine, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Book Club), Navigating Early Easy Grammar 8, Marie's Words, Word Root study HISTORY: Notgrass Civics Uncle Sam & You... D.C. trip and local field trips LOGIC: The Thinking Toolbox or Critical thinking resources BUSH CRAFT Club (organized by husband, 2x a month) PE: YMCA class ART: Masterpiece Art Society Ongoing Projects: '72 Ford Truck remodel & School bus remodel for teen hangout.

Just starting to lay out our high school plan and wondering if there are current thoughts or ideas on the online or software packages available. Is Edu-Track still a useful program? What about Donna Young and her planners/programs? are they still relevant and applicable? any new programs or products that folks have tried and liked? Thanks in Advance!! Pam

Our 14 year old DS is very bright, but really needs help with time management. He's actually asked for planning systems to help him structure his time (he has inattentive ADHD). I'm thinking of something like Homeschool Planet this year. But what I really want are features thatwould send him text reminders and/or alarms. To help him know when to stop/start/get ready, etc. (I have no idea if Homeschool Planet or other planners have any feature like this.) Any good recommendations?

I posted earlier about homeschool planners (we need one!), but didn't really get a lot of feedback on individual ones. If anyone uses a homeschool planner (Homeschool Planet or ANYTHING else) -- would you mind giving me pros/cons or comments about specific features you liked or disliked?

I posted earlier about homeschool planners (we need one!), but didn't really get a lot of feedback on individual ones. If anyone uses a homeschool planner (Homeschool Planet or ANYTHING else) -- would you mind giving me pros/cons or comments about specific features you liked or disliked?

Our 14 year old DS really needs help with time management. He's actually asked for planning systems to help him structure his time (think very bright absent minded professor). I'm thinking of something like Homeschool Planet this year. But what I really want are features thatwould send him text reminders and/or alarms. To help him know when to stop/start/get ready, etc. (I have no idea if Homeschool Planet or other planners have any feature like this.) Any good recommendations?

I've typically done to-do lists on Cozi for our kids. Our teen (just starting 9th) is super bright but has difficulty with planning and organization (to the point we do lists on post-its for even getting ready). He actually requested more of a schedule this year because we have a lot going on, rather than an ongoing to-do list. I looked into Homeschool Planet b/c of recommendations, and this looks good. But I'm wondering -- any others good to look into? I'm especially interested in ability for our children to look at their schedules, and also to set reminders (if possible). We all tend to get into doing one thing, and lose track of time. :) As an added bonus...do any moms use a planner like this to schedule their own time? I'm thinking this could be a good thing as well.

I need some planning help! I'm trying to figure out how to organize our work in a way that allows me to see what we've got going on, what's on tap for the week, etc. I'm trying to wrap my brain around how to format/print out/create a weekly sheet with my kids' shared work and their individual work. I'm super visual, so I'm hoping to see some ideas of what it could look like. I guess the follow up question is: do you even have a weekly lesson plan sheet? Or do you plan on paper? Or make a spreadsheet? Or in a planner? Last year, I made up a word doc with all our work on it and each week filled in what we needed to do and printed it out. I'm not sure that's the most efficient way to handle it, and this year, we have more going on. The sheet would be 2 pages long each week:/ Anyway, I'd love some planning ideas!

Tell me about how you schedule it. Do you pick certain days of the week and make whatever you feel the need for on those days? Or always make certain items on the same day (e.g. tortilla Tuesdays)? Or pick a frequency for regularly used items and squeeze it around the rest of your schedule? ETA: I am looking to stop buying anything sold in plastic packaging, so references to other foods you make are fine as well. I do make yogurt when our jar is getting low and I have enough milk.

I've just received the SOTW Vol.4, which we'll be using next year (I have to plan in advance because I live out of the country) and I've noticed that there are 42 chapters. I realize that prior volumes also have 42 chapters, but in the past volumes there were always a couple of chapters that were smaller in content, that I could combine into one week's worth of school time. But, I'm not seeing how to do that with Vol. 4? Each and every week looks comprehensive and I'm wondering how those currently studying in Vol. 4 are breaking up the curriculum to fit in their school year? Thanks in advance for your insight.

Hello! I was wondering if anyone had a website that the teacher inserted homework assignments for students in co-op to view and complete? Thanks, Whitney in KY

I am considering dividing up the coming year's worth of lesson plans by week. To keep everything organized, I'd like to use a filing system. Does anyone have experience using such a method? What are the pros and cons? If you use such a system, do you have more than one child? If so, how do you divide among the children? What type of filing box or cabinet do you use? Any other advice? Thanks, Cindy

Okay. Our charter school gives me money to spend on curricula each year (hurrah!) and is becoming Common Core aligned (ick -- this is apparently much more annoying on my end than whatever the previous standards were). I am not complaining; our contact teacher is really lovely and would let me wing it at our monthly meetings, but I really really prefer to be prepared and not winging it. Does anyone have ideas about what would be a good planner -- paper, online, computer, whatever -- to let me enter the assignments and their Putative Common Core Alignments ahead of time? In some way that's easy to produce a report that is easy to read? I did this by hand in the past, so a paper planner that's easy to data-enter from would suit fine. thanks in advance! and our computer constraint is the Mac OS/iPad: I have a Mac laptop, and can use an iPad. Windows is too annoying to run on my virtual machine.

We are moving to PA September 1. I've already discovered the wonderful askPauline.com, and that has been hugely helpful in my planning. Is there a particular planner or organization system that you found particularly helpful with respect to putting together your end of year portfolio? For the past couple of years I've used the file crate system (combined with a Homeschooler's Journal for each child), which I think would work pretty well--just go through and cherry pick a few things from each week's folder at the end of the year--but I'm certainly open to any ideas you may have with respect to easing the administrative burden. (Oh, and my graphic design geek husband wants to know if any of you have submitted your portfolio electronically. I think he's itching to get creative with it.) Looking forward to your input. Thanks!

My house is a mess. I don't want to clean my house. I want to make plans for the upcoming school year. I have to procrastinate one or the other--really, the messy house is more urgent. BUT is it more important? There are messes to clean every day, and there is never extra time for planning. And the planning needs to be done sometime or things don't run smoothly... Really, I just need a clone of myself. That or a full-time housekeeper/cook/nanny.

Maybe by finishing on Saturday or something? I want to do a planner for each child for next year, but when I tried that one year, the dates always got messed up and it ended up being difficult to follow what they had done and for them to tell what was next. Do you guys have any ideas for planners that actually work??? I need a way of keeping my dc accountable. I just did a check off the list thing this year from Donna Young's site that was nice in a way, but it didn't show the details that I would like. Any thoughts? I was wondering if I had them make up the work on Saturdays, maybe we could actually stay on track. Thanks!

I was recently blessed with an iPad and I'm considering doing my planning on it. Right now I'm all paper because our computer is not convenient to the kitchen table where we homeschool. But all the erasing (or the paper and ink if I print it, which I often do) makes me crazy. Favorite apps. Mine are all littles btw, 4 and 5.

I need help and need to think out loud a bit here. We are moving into a different routine and rhythm here at our house, and I like it a lot. But I need to get on top of a system for planning out the days and the week better. I have two kids who are almost five years apart, so in most things, they are at different places. I want to be able to sit down at the beginning of the week and make a plan, but then also be able to alter or add to the plan as the week progresses. If we discover something we want to explore more for example, I want to make a note to remind myself. For example, go to XY website for more info on the cool history video we watched on Monday. And I want to be able to do the same for both kids, so I need to be able to make a plan that shows me both, but also is separate. Does that make sense? For example, if part of the plan is going to the zoo one day, that is the same for both of them. But then in other areas, they will be working on different things. Also, I want to be able to maybe use this as a record for what we've done each week, and maybe have a place where I can write something additional, that will be a good memory of something fun we did that week, or something one of the kids liked or said. I've never been good about keeping journals like that and I really want to just do it. Better late than never. I have tried various online and computer versions of planning and scheduling, but somehow, I always revert back to needing to make a list on real paper with a pen. I like the IDEA of something virtual, mainly because that way I can always find it and it's easily portable. But somehow I find myself always writing lists on paper, post-it notes, whatever. Maybe I need to just force myself to stick with the virtual options until they become habit, and then it will be a lot easier. OR maybe I need to go with my natural patterns and just use paper since that is what I fall back to. I'm thinking of just getting a plain old 2-page per week or even one page per day planner, and just using that. Draw a line down the middle of each day to make a section for each kid. Any thoughts, or anyone want to share how you plan and schedule what your kids will do for homeschooling from day to day or week by week? Thanks!

How do you keep track of books, movies, games, etc. you plan to use to supplement your curriculum? I recently realized I am forgetting to use some of our books when studying a related topic. In order to organize our resources better I want to create a list of what we have and for what topics it is relevant. I have created a spreadsheet with tabs for subject and columns for topic, title, author, page numbers, media type, own/borrow, and date finished. This looks like it could work, but I'm wondering if there is something better. It is a pain entering books manually. I have an app where I can scan the barcode and it enters the book, but it doesn't allow me to export or print the list, so it doesn't work for what I need. So far I don't feel the need to have a calendar-type planner as I schedule by topic, not by date. Ideally I would like: - accessible on ipad - able to scan books - able to customize fields/tags - good sorting options - must be able to export all fields - printable, preferably with customized reports I am assuming this doesn't exist, but would love to know if something comes close. What do you use to plan your resources? If you use a spreadsheet, what columns do you have?

or would have made if you had another to teach? Since dd is only in 9th, I still have several years to go and am curious how others have changed their program.... I'm finding some things so much easier with dd - in some ways I'm more flexible and in others more strict.... Some of the ways I'm less strict: We're using WEM much more! And other literature guides less... We don't always read the whole book. Nor do we go through every page of literature analysis guides...While for some books we will go through piece by piece, I find it more interesting to cover more books but some at a lighter level and some almost cursory (eg Moby Dick). Some ways I'm more strict: With R & S grammar, I'm going over the oral reviews for each lesson and through most of the exercises. We're spreading the lessons over several days sometimes to make sure that she has a thorough grasp. Her diagramming skills are great now. We haven't finished the 8th grade book because I realized that is really the last book about grammar in the series (9 & 10 cover a bit but other stuff mostly) so I realized this is really her last time through and she has to 'get it' now or never. Math - we're using a more difficult series starting in 7th grade already... Other changes: Talking more about various subjects.... Other changes but not necessarily for the better: She's doing AP HG in 9th and her bro did it in 10th....I'm finding that she is spending much more time on it than he did....But she is also writing more in her answers - being somewhat more of a perfectionist....Still, overall, not sure if it is worth the extra time and might have been better next year. But (you can see I'm going back and forth about this), it is making her mature in a way that I wanted her to be before getting into 10th grade, helping her be more aware of the world.... Joan