Getting Ready for High School

I've always put together our school year with resources that I feel are engaging and academically sound.  I admit it takes longer to research subjects and materials, but we have found it completely rewarding.  My daughter already had her expectations for me to design her High School Plan.  She has thoroughly appreciated our homeschool methods and didn't want any changes.  Since I've always created custom lesson plans for her, she never thought I would consider other options.  I was thinking about the workload for myself and tinkered with the idea of looking into some established home school programs.  She shunned the idea of even considering that as an option.  I still looked, it is great for inspiration.  Also it helped me realize that we both loved the freedom to choose books, topics, and materials that really make our school a place of learning.

I know that there are many of you out there considering your plan for high school. I want to encourage you. It is a huge undertaking but well worth the pursuit.  It is possible and more and more families are choosing to continue homeschooling into high school.  You can too!

So now, I'm in research mode as I prepare to pull together a curriculum for my soon to be 9th grader.  I'm learning about state requirements, college requirements, my student's requirements and so forth. This is an exciting time, but also filled with a lot of work.  I'm thankful for www.MySchoolYear.com because it is a tremendous blessing knowing that I can easily create a transcript or print reports when needed.  It's easy to keep track of all her classes, grades, projects, awards, volunteer service, standardized test scores and more with this invaluable service.  

I can focus on discussing, assisting, instructing, and spending time enjoying school with my High Schooler and the rest of my kids! Learning and spending time with your family- isn't that the best? 

Is it that time already?

Spring Cleaning is in the air!  Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work?  Honestly, I don't think I'ver ever done "Spring Cleaning".  I think it is a great concept and works well for a lot of people.  It just hasn't been a good fit for me and my family. 

Why?  I just don't have the time or the energy to do an intense overhaul of my entire home.  Maybe I will some day but until then we live in a filthy house!  No, just kidding.  Our house is not immaculate with 11 people running all over it, but we do try to maintain cleanliness and orderliness.  Here is our method:

All Year Cleaning! 

I begin by making a list of all the rooms in the house including the linen closet, garage and outdoors. 

Then I combine the items on that list to end up with 12 numbered areas.  I usually combine the smaller spots together like linen closet and hall closet together and leave the big areas like the garage to stand alone. 

Once I have my list of 12, I assign a month to each number.  Months that are busier for us, like December tend to get the easier spots from the list of 12.  Months where the schedule is relaxed get the bigger jobs.

Each month I know which areas are going to get a complete overhaul and we have the whole month to get it done!  A complete overhaul means cleaning beyond the daily duties for us.  Washing the windows and window coverings, cleaning out light fixtures, taking everything out of drawers or cabinets and reviewing what to keep and get rid of, rearranging for efficiency, and so forth. 

This method has been so enjoyable because you feel a sense of accomplishment all year long!  It helps keep things from piling up that are not used or need replacing.  No worries about items collecting dust because they have been hidden in the back of drawers or closets for years.

Broken toys get fixed or tossed, items in good condition that are no longer needed can be donated, and space is opened up for a cleaner and more organized look that makes daily life easier!

If "Spring Cleaning" doesn't fit your family then maybe you need a year to get it done like us! 

One of my favorite features is the Bookshelf!  There are so many ways to use the Bookshelf that I get excited about all the possibilities.  My purpose is not to overwhelm anyone but keep things simple, so here are a few ways you can use it in your school.

I am responsible for adding the books to the Bookshelf that we check out from the public library.  I use the check out receipt from the public library to enter all the book information and I assign each book a reading level.  My students read through all the books during the month.  At the end of the month they are able to add the books they read to their reading logs.  They use the last day of the month for recording the date. 

Here are step by step instructions that you can print out or show your child so that they can learn to add to their reading log when the books are already on the Bookshelf.

1. click on student name
2. select "add from bookshelf"
3. when the pop up window appears, the reading level for that student is selected, leaving the Author and Title blank
4. click on search
5. a list now appears with all the books in that reading level
6. Click on "add" by all the books that have been read

The reading log is now updated!  You or your student have the option to visit the reading log and select the book to enter a date of completion or notes.

Want a nice print out for the next library trip? 

I have all reading levels.  I like knowing that once I've added a book to the Bookshelf it will remain on the shelf for future students to add to their logs.  I also have a nice list of Book Titles in a specific reading level that I can use or print out for future checkouts.  I don't have to remember all the great book titles that my older kids have enjoyed when the younger kids reach those reading levels!

1. Simply select Bookshelf in the brown Library section
2. Using SmartGrid click on "filter"
3. Select the desired reading level from your own classification system
4. SmartGrid buttons allow you to download into PDF or Excel for printing or data manipulation.

Now enjoy those books!