3T - Teens. Tacos. Texting... Friday Night Social Club

There's a new social group for Homeschooling Teens in SCV and we had our first get-together last night!  It was a blast!

We met for pizza and video games and then walked over to the book store where we met local authors doing book signings.  We'll be planning more fun Fridays, so check out our FB page or email me for more information!  Our next event will be a movie night for Big Hero 6!  Here's the trailer:

Summer Reading Recommendations for 8-12 year-olds!

This was the handout I gave to my students and their parents at my Writing Workshop tonight.  There are so many incredible books for this age range.  Each one on this list is a fantastic read and there's something for everyone.

I mention each author only once, but several of them have MULTIPLE books that are FANTASTIC!!
**Indicates ALL books by this author are worth reading!!!

Al Capone Does My Shirts series, by Gennifer Choldenko
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,by Lewis Carroll**
Anne of Green Gables series, by L.M Montgomery
Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne**
At the Back of the North Wind, by George MacDonald**
Ballet Shoes series, by Noah Streatfield
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo**
The Fairy Book series, by Andrew Lang
The Borrrowers series by Mary Norton
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson**
Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London**
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee
The Cat Who Went to Heaven, by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman
Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White **
Countdown, by Deborah Wiles
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden
The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos
The Doctor Dolittle Series, by Hugh Lofting
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery, by Russell Freedman
Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine
Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly
The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage
Frindle, by Andrew Clements
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil
E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg**
Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes **
The Giver, by Lois Lowry**
The Golden Compass series, by Philip Pullman**
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Amy Schlitz
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
Half Magic, by Edward Eager**
Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Heidi, by Johanna Spyri
Holes by Louis Sachar
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
The Indian in the Cupboard, by Lynne Reid Banks
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick**
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell**
Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead
The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling**
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, by Julie Andrews Edwards**
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving**
The Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine
The Little House series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott**
Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli**
Mary Poppins series, by P.L. Travers
Matilda, by Roald Dahl**
Miss Hickory, by Caroline Sherwin Bailey
Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, by Rodman Philbrick
Mr. Popper’s Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien
My Father’s Dragon series, by Ruth S. Gannett
My Side of the Mountain series, by Jean Craighead George
The Mysterious Benedict Society series, by Trenton Lee Stewart
Oliver, by Charles Dickens**
One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate
The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall
The Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan
Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
Pippi Longstocking series, Astrid Lindgren
Princess Academy, by Shannon  Hale
The Railway Children, by Edith Nesbitt**
Ramona series, by Beverly Cleary**
Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era, by Sterling North
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor
Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan
The Saturdays, by Elizabeth Enright**
The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnnett**
Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket
Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds
The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare**
Sounder, by William H. Armstrong
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger
Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski
Swallows and Amazons, by Lee Ransome
Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann Rudolph Wyss
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume
Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain**
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson**
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi**
Trumpeter of Krakow, by Eric P. Kelly
Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene de Bois
Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis**
The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt**
The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin **
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame
A Wizard of Earthsea series, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Wizard of Oz series, by L. Frank Baum
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
The Wrinkle in Time series, by Madeleine L’Engle
A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck **

Summer Reading Recommendations (TEENS)

As I said goodbye to students for the summer today, I left them with a long list of recommended books to entertain them until the fall semester.  I thought I'd post it here too, just in case anyone's looking for some great reads for their teens!


1776, by David McCullough (History)

1984 by George Orwell (Science Fiction)  

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART‐TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie (Fiction)  

AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by John Green (Fiction)  

THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho (Religion/Spirituality)  

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY by Michael Chabon (Historical Fiction)  

ANGELA'S ASHES by Frank McCourt (Memoir)  

ANYA’S GHOST written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol (Graphic Novel)  

ARISTOTLE & DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE by Saenz (Fiction) 

BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver (Fiction)  

BELOVED by Toni Morrison (Historical Fiction)  

BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys (Historical Fiction)  

BOMB by Steve Sheinkin (Non‐fiction) 

THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak (Historical Fiction)  

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS by John Boyne (Historical Fiction)  

BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley (Science Fiction)  

CATCH‐22 by Joseph Heller (Fiction)  

THE CHOSEN by Chaim Potok (Fiction)  

CINDER: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (Science Fiction) 

CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein (Historical Fiction) 

THE COLOR PURPLE by Alice Walker (Fiction)  

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT‐TIME by Mark Haddon (Mystery)  

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor (Fantasy) 

DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver (Fantasy)  

THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank (Memoir)  

DUNE by Frank Herbert (Science Fiction)  

EAST OF EDEN by John Steinbeck (Fiction)  

ELEANOR AND PARK by Rainbow Rowell (Fiction)

ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card (Science Fiction)  

EVERY DAY by David Levithan (Science Fiction) 

FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury (Science Fiction)  

FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON by Daniel Keyes (Fiction)

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green (Fiction)  

THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck (Fiction/Classic)  

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Fiction)  

HARRY POTTER series by J.K. Rowling

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers (Historical Fiction)  

HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad (Fiction/Classic)  

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett (Historical Fiction)  

HIS DARK MATERIALS series, by Phillip Pullman (Science Fiction)

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams (Science Fiction)   

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Mystery)  

THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET by Sandra Cisneros (Fiction)  

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins (Science Fiction/Fantasy)  

I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith (Romance)  

IF I STAY by Gayle Forman (Fiction)  

INTO THE WILD by Jon Krakauer (Biography/Adventure)  

INTO THIN AIR by Jon Krakauer (Nonfiction)  

JANE EYRE by Charlotte Brontë (Fiction/Classic)  

THE JOY LUCK CLUB by Amy Tan (Fiction)  

LEGEND by Marie Lu (Dystopian)  

LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET by Rainer Maria Rilke (Nonfiction)  

LIFE OF PI by Yann Martel (Fiction/Adventure)  

THE LIST by Siobhan Vivian (Fiction)

LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding (Fiction)  

MATCHED by Ally Condie (Dystopian Romance) 

THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner (Post‐Apocalyptic Thriller)  

MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs (Mystery)

NIGHT by Elie Wiesel (Memoir)  

THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern (Fiction)  

ORPHAN TRAIN by Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction)

OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Sepetys (Historical Fiction) 

THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton (Fiction)  

PAPER TOWNS by John Green (Fiction)  

PEACE LIKE A RIVER by Leif Enger (Fiction)  

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky (Fiction)  

PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi (Graphic Novel)  

A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce (Fiction/Classic)  

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen (Fiction)  

THE PRINCESS BRIDE by William Goldman (Fiction)  

A RAISIN IN THE SUN by Lorraine Hansberry (Plays) 

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN by Azar Nafisi (Memoir)  

REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier (Horror)  

THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy (Fiction)  

ROSE UNDER FIRE by Elizabeth Wein (Historical Fiction)

THE RUNNING DREAM by Wendelin Van Draanen (Fiction)  

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd (Historical Fiction)  

A SEPARATE PEACE by John Knowles (Fiction)  

SERAPHINA by Rachel Hartman (Fantasy) 

SHADOW AND BONE, by Leigh Bardugo (Fantasy)

A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING by Bill Bryson (Science/Non-Fiction)  

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS by Ann Brashares (Fiction)  

SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson (Fiction)  

STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli (Romance)  

THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD by Zora Neale Hurston (Fiction)  

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher (Fiction)  

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee (Historical Fiction)  

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith (Historical Fiction)  

WHY WE BROKE UP by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman (Fiction)  

WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan (Fiction)  

Amazing Homeschool Curriculum

This post is a follow up to my series on the Advantages of Homeschooling, so if you haven't checked them out yet....

Click here for Part One: Academic Opportunities

Click here for Part Two:  Inspiring Teachers

Click here for Part Three:  Socialization

Now that I've detailed what I consider to be the greatest advantages to homeschooling, I will outline the curriculum I found most helpful.  I began this series by saying I really over-thought this when I began and it's true.  To get my kids ready to attend a community college (click here for an explanation of that route), all I needed to do (aside from the park days, music/art lessons, sports, etc. - and btw, many homeschool park days offer organized sports) was teach her to read well, write well, learn math and have a basic understanding of history and science.  

This ended up being far simpler than I initially thought.  Teaching kids to read is fun and easy when you work one on one with your own child.  I used a book called Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  I used this book for reading only; I ignored the writing lessons.  I taught my children to read very young (My oldest was 3 1/2 when she began to read) and they just did not have the fine motor skills to write yet.  Personally, I think it's far better not to tie reading and writing together.  Read first and then write.  I only taught my oldest to read at such a young age because she begged me.  You'll know when it's a good time.  We went very slowly and worked through the lessons in "100 Easy Lessons" for about 20 minutes a day.  We also used the Bob Books series and played games to see who got to choose the book for the day.  

That was it.  We read a lot.  I still read aloud to my kids about an hour a day. We love it.  I began when they were babies and never stopped.  It is just part of our nightly routine.  Sometimes they pick the book; sometimes I do.  It opens up worlds of conversations and is one of the best parenting techniques I've used. I highly recommend it.  It doesn't seem "School-ish," but a ton of learning happens.  Once a child can read on her own, regular trips to the library are all you need.  At different ages, I can list our favorites, but the possibilities are endless.  To encourage my kids to read on their own, I'd let them stay up "late" to read with a flashlight under their covers.  When my kids were young, I was a firm believer in the 7 o'clock bed-time (Mama needs a break!) and held to that until they were about 10. But, if the kids wanted to read until they fell asleep, that was fine... they always crashed by 8:30 or so, depending on their age.  They loved it.

When it was time for them to learn to write (5-6), I began with a great series called Draw Write Now that teaches writing through drawing (which is what it really is).  The girls loved this series.  Worked like a charm.  As they got older, I moved them into the Getty/Dubay workbooks: Italics Handwriting.  We went through this entire series.  It takes just a few minutes a day.

For spelling, we used this series: Spelling Workout.  We went through this entire series as well - we did one lesson a week and my kids enjoyed the variety of games used to reinforce spelling rules.

For Grammar/Writing, I used Susan Wise Bauer's books (She wrote The Well Trained Mind --a book that was and is invaluable for me as a homeschooler. Much of this curriculum was recommended by her.  She is an amazing resource!).  I used her grammar series:  First Language Lessons and my kids now have an impressive command of language as a result.  I give her the credit for creating such a clear and easy to follow instruction book.  Her writing series is equally impressive:  The Complete Writer (Writing with Ease). It is wonderful and very thorough. 

For math -- I began by counting and naming everything.  We'd go to the market and count apples to put in our bags.  We talked about the colors of the veggies...  all that pre-school stuff:  shapes, colors, months, seasons, etc. we covered in daily life.  When the girls got to be 5 or so, we used Math-U-See (but I know Singapore Math and Saxon Math are also popular).  Check out the Math-U-See website for a full description. It starts with a kindergarten level curriculum. We moved on to private math tutors by 7th grade.  I didn't love the Algebra in this program.  My 7th grade daughter now sees a math tutor for 30 minute sessions twice a week.  My Dad and step-dad help too.  In fact, when my oldest was in 7th grade, my step-dad was her tutor.  

I also used Susan Wise Bauer's books for history.  She divides history into four periods (classically) ancients, medieval, early modern and modern.  Her series  The Story of the World is great for this.  We went through them once for 1st-4th grades (did the easier activities and quiz questions) and then went through them again for 5th-8th (doing far more advanced work).  Each book in the series has an activity book to go along with it.  These are filled with fun, hands on activities and map work:  The Story of the World Activity Book. There are also test booklets to go with each book in the series: The Story of the World Tests & Answer Key.

Susan Wise Bauer also has a series for high school level that was commissioned and published by Norton too.  The first in the series is called The History of the Ancient World and is great for adults wanting to brush up on history too.

For science, we did a lot of classes.  I also did work at home following the recommendations in The Well Trained Mind.  My kids really loved the Science-in-a-Nutshell experiments too.  In all honesty though, when it came to science, I relied heavily on homeschool learning centers in my area.  The most effective homeschooling parents know their strengths and their weaknesses.  I didn't feel equipped to teach much science.  It's not my passion either and I wanted my kids to work with teachers who lived and breathed science.  They weren't hard to find.

All of it was far easier than I initially thought it would be.  Don't be intimidated by the above list.  I just wanted to mention the things that worked for us.  Each day when they were little, we'd spend an hour or two on school.  20 minutes of math, 20 minutes of writing practice, 20 minutes of spelling, 20 minutes of grammar, 30 minutes of history or science (I switched off each day).  Working one on one, things get done far more quickly.  

Realistically, kids are learning all the time.  Everything is homeschooling.  The formal learning we did each day, was easy and fairly quick.  The big perk to homeschooling is that it allows you to spend so much more time with your child. I know my relationship with my kids is so strong today because we homeschooled.  I'm still a bit astonished that they come to me and want my opinion on things in their lives... friends, boys, things I never would've talked to my Mom about.  My 15 year old wants to know what I think.  It's strange and awesome.  I love it.  At the same time, they're independent.  My youngest, at 11 last year, spent 9 days at fiddle camp on her own.  She did great and can't wait to do it again this summer.  Roots and wings :)  Good stuff.

Anyway, if you're considering homeschooling, bookmark this post as a resource. Many veteran homeschoolers will give you tons of helpful advice.  The books and programs I've listed here are really useful and will at least give you a place to start as you continue to think over what you want to do.  Homeschooling can be very flexible.  Some people try it for a few years, then try school for a year or so, and then go back to homeschooling. Whatever works is what you should do. There are tons of homeschooling charters too that offer great hybrid programs. In California, there are many that offer both brick and mortar full time schools, and independent homeschooling with supplemental classes once a week.

If you haven't checked out my series on Homeschooling Advantages yet, take a moment and click on the links below:

Click here for Part One: Academic Opportunities

Click here for Part Two:  Inspiring Teachers

Click here for Part Three:  Socialization

Enjoy!

Advantages of Homeschooling - Part Three: Socialization

'Vantage Number Three:  Socialization!  

If you are just joining this post, check out the first post in this series: Advantages of Homeschooling - Part One:  Academic Opportunities!  If nothing else, it will explain Kipling reference above :)   Click Here for Advantages of Homeschooling - Part Two:  Inspiring Teachers!  and Click Here for Amazing Homeschool Curriculum.

As important as academics are to me, I'm always astonished that the first question every asks about homeschooling is... what about socialization?  My kids have more social opportunities than we could possibly ever keep up with. From the time they were toddlers, I took them to homeschool park groups -- they're easy to find in every area.  My kids met other kids and I met Moms who were homeschooling.  We all had fun.  We've gone on week long campouts to Big Bear, 4-night beach campouts and our annual CHN homeschool conference weekends.  We've gone on more field trips with these groups than I can count. Usually 1-2 a week for years.  Museums, universities, hiking trails, boating events, pumpkin patches, botanical gardens, the list is endless.  Right now, my kids have rehearsals at least twice a week with their homeschool orchestra. They just did a performance last week and will do several more at hospitals, retirement homes, churches, malls (anyone who will listen, basically), over the next month.  My youngest daughter goes to a week long fiddle camp every year up north.  

My kids have tons of friends, but..... unlike at school, they're friends are not all born within the same year they were!  They have friends all over the map: older, younger, same age, adults, etc.  They are in the world and not locked in a classroom all day.  They benefit greatly by mentoring the younger kids and being mentored themselves.  Parents are never too far, so bullying, etc. is very minimal, especially the really mean, kind that kids can suffer from in middle/high school. People have told me that shielding my children from this kind of abuse will hurt them because they won't know how to face the "real" world.  This is total BS.  Never, at any time, after leaving junior high or high school, have I ever encountered the kind of petty, soul-shredding bullying that young kids manage to inflict on one another.... not in college, not in the workplace, nowhere.  The real world is not like that at all.  I figure, why not skip that nonsense.  It's brutal if you're at the bottom or even mid-way up the social ladder and if you're at the top, I think it's even worse. 

I talk about this in greater detail in another post, so if you'd like to read more on this topic, click here for "Homeschooling and Socialization."  

Keep reading:  The Follow-up to this series on the Advantages of Homeschooling is a post about some of the great curriculum that helped me homeschool!
Click here for all the info:  Amazing Homeschool Curriculum!

Click Here for Part One of this series:  Advantages of Homeschooling - Part One: Academic Opportunities!

Click Here for Part Two of this series:  Advantages of Homeschooling - Part Two: Inspiring Teachers!

And don't miss my curriculum suggestions.  Click Here for Amazing Homeschool Curriculum 

Advantages of Homeschooling - Part Two: Inspiring Teachers

'Vantage Number Two (to homeschooling): Inspiring Teachers!  

If you are just joining this post, check out the first post in this series:  Advantages of Homeschooling - Part One:  Academic Opportunities!  If nothing else, it will explain Kipling reference above :)   Also, check out Advantages of Homeschooling - Part Three:  Socialization and Amazing Homeschool Curriculum for suggestions.

I must begin by saying, I'm a teacher, and I realize that many teachers are excellent, dedicated, wonderful human beings who do an amazing job of mentoring students, often in difficult circumstances and without adequate support.  However.... many are not.  Both my parents and both my step-parents were public high school and elementary school teachers.  When I told them I was home-schooling, they were all ecstatically in favor of it.  They had seen things change dramatically throughout their careers and wanted their grandchildren to have nothing to do with schools.  They are all staunch supporters of higher education, but had faith I could easily get the kids there.  Some teachers just see it as a job and put in a minimal amount of effort.  Some teachers really hate their jobs.  Some are not well educated themselves.  If you have the bad luck to get one of these teachers, your child is stuck and may lose an entire year.  Even with a great teacher, controlling a class of 30 kids is more than half the challenge.  Most (if not all) teachers resort to busy work far too often. Busy work kills a child's curiosity and by 3rd grade, far too many kids dislike learning. They may like being with friends at school, but their natural interests have been a bit squelched.  With homeschooling, you (who care far more about your child than any teacher) will be able to encourage and nourish their interests.  And it's not just you, grandparents, aunts/uncles, friends all contribute.  My father and step-father (both math teachers) helped tutor the girls. My father-in-law used to do history of the presidents with them.  My mother did religious education with them.  I handled Literature, Writing, Grammar, History and some basic science when they were younger, but my brother who loves geology would take them on hikes and show them everything.  His passion for plate tectonics is crazy obvious, and he was able to get them all worked up and excited about it too.  

That's the benefit of homeschooling.  Subjects can be taught by those with authentic passion for that subject and passion is infectious!  Additionally, my kids have taken supplemental classes at learning centers for homeschoolers in every subject imaginable.  Fun classes, like Animal Care and more academic classes, like history and literature (disclaimer -- I taught the lit classes :) --many of these learning centers operate as co-ops).  My kids have taken tons of hands-on science classes from ridiculously smart parents with far more impressive science backgrounds than I have.  My younger daughter (in 7th grade this year) is taking a class in high school biology, debate, math (Algebra games), and Great Books at 2 different learning centers (each class is once a week).  I'm doing 20th C. History & Lit (with a friend - we created a co-op).  My daughter has read more classic literature this semester alone, than most high school and college students do altogether.  Most important -- she loves it.  She still loves learning.  That's what matters most to me.  She gets ridiculously excited about extracting DNA.  It's adorable.

Keep reading -- click here for 'vantage number three:  Part Three (Socialization)

Keep reading -- click here for 'vantage number one:  Part One (Academic Opportunities)

Also, for some great curriculum suggestions, check out my post:  Amazing Homeschool Curriculum.

Advantages of Homeschooling - Part One: Academic Opportunity

A friend recently asked me for advice about how to get started in homeschooling.  Her daughter is just 2, so she's at a perfect spot to begin thinking about this.  

"2 years old?" --  I can hear cries of dismay from readers all over the world, but hear me out.  Two or even earlier is NOT too early because I think the earlier a homeschool parent realizes that the vast majority of homeschooling is simply interacting with your child in a responsive, encouraging and very verbal way, the better.  By the time a child is two years old, a parent has taught her to walk, talk, and a zillion other small, but impressive bits of cultural knowledge. Did they do it consciously?  Maybe... maybe not.  It would be almost impossible to prevent a child from learning these things. 15 years of homeschooling has taught me that much of what we learn is similar.  I am not an "unschooler;" I have followed a primarily classical approach to the formal schooling I have done with my children, but I do think the best part about homeschooling is that kids retain that spark of curiosity that drives learning, compels it.  Two years old is not too soon to start to consciously recognize how your child learns and how much you teach.  I'm a planner though, so when my kids were very young, I wanted an idea of how to do it all.  I will be addressing that too, though in another post here:  Amazing Homeschool Curriculum... or How I Homeschooled my Kids   First though, I thought I'd write down some of my insights into homeschooling, looking back from this end...  you might want to sit back and grab a cup of tea... I could talk for hours about this, and have :)

First of all -- I worried way too much and did far too much that was unnecessary.  My plan had always been to homeschool through 8th grade and then unleash my little prodigies onto the community college system.  I had taken this route successfully and so had my little sister.  We both attended UCLA as juniors before we were 18 and went on to earn masters' degrees in our chosen fields (English for me; Math for her).  As of right now, my oldest daughter (who is technically in 9th grade) has taken classes all year at a California Community College and is well on her way to getting all of her general ed coursework requirements done within the next 3 years.  At that point, she will have some choices.  She will be able to transfer to a 4 year university as a junior, or if she'd rather do a full 4 years in college, she can apply as a freshman and get in practically anywhere -- so far, at least, she has a 4.0.  She will be a very attractive candidate as a freshman.  Her current plans are to transfer as a junior to a 4 year university, but lately she has been thinking more about music schools, like Colburn in downtown Los Angeles.  The main thing is:  she has options and lots of time to consider them.  Her chances of getting into UCLA as a junior transfer student (harder to get into now as a freshman than even Berkeley) are excellent.  UCLA and other UCs take CA community college junior transfer students as a priority.  Even with a 4.0 from a high school, her chance of admission would be very slim. So, Advantage #1. (I feel like I'm channeling Rudyard Kipling's "The Elephant Child" from the Just So Stories, so "...'vantage number one" -- I think I'll go with it :)  It works:  Just as the elephant's truck was stretched to great advantage, so a child's imagination and capacity to learn and be independent are stretched by homeschooling). Homeschoolers who go the Community College route have a far easier time getting into college.  It's also far less expensive, if transferring is what they decide to do.  It's nice not to be locked in though, because scholarships may come along.

Keep reading -- click here for 'vantage number two:  Part Two (Amazing Teachers)

Keep reading -- click here for 'vantage number three:  Part Three (Socialization)

Also, for some great curriculum suggestions, check out my post:  Amazing Homeschool Curriculum.

Guest Post: Homeschooling is Growing

According to the United States Department of Education, an estimated 2.4 million students are being homeschooled in the year 2014. This represents an increase of over 75% from 1999, a tremendous jump which validates the homeschooling movement.  Professional educators have begun to question why more and more parents are choosing to educate their children at home.

 

Compulsory education laws only began to be enacted in the United States in the later years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. By 1917 all of the states had compulsory education laws in place though the laws varied by state regarding the ages of the children who were included in the law and possibilities for exemptions (farm work, disabilities, etc). It wasn't until the 1970s when respected education reformers, including John Holt, Charles Silberman and Ivan Illich, began to speak out about their visions of a less-structured, less-authoritarian and more creative educational framework, that homeschooling advocates felt confident enough to organize themselves and push their state legislatures to legalize homeschooling.

 

Christian families started to advocate for the right to homeschool their children in 1983 when the Supreme Court focused on the admission criteria of Christian private schools. According to the courts, these schools were discriminating in their admissions policies and, as a result, they lost their tax-exempt status. The resulting tuition hikes in these schools created a situation in which many parents could no longer pay the tuition for their children to be educated according to their preferred religious values. These parents were unprepared to send their children to public schools and, as a result, they joined the homeschooling movement.

 

Homeschooling parents point to a wide range of reasons that encouraged them to choose to teach their children at home.

1. Homeschooling allows the parents to set the curriculum in a way that enables the children to learn independently, engage in more project-based learning and explore topics that are of specific interest to them -- all strategies which have been proven, in studies of educational methodology, to produce more motivated learners who are prepared and capable of taking responsibility for their own learning.
2. Parents are able to stay with their children throughout the day. There is a higher student-teacher ratio and no bullying or peer pressure. Parents are able to act as their child's guiding force during critical times in a child's life.
3. Homeschoolers can integrate their family's religious and other values into the daily curriculum and reduce other influences which they see as negative influences on their child's religious and moral development.  Family beliefs are incorporated into the social, emotional and academic portions of the homeschool plan.
4. Homeschooling students can progress and mature at their own speed. If a child wants to put more effort into a specific subject or isn't ready to tackle an aspect of the curriculum, the parent can manipulate the lessons to accommodate the child's interests and needs. The child's natural inclination for learning is nurtured and learning becomes a pleasure, rather than a task.
5. Homeschoolers enjoy more educational resources because they can use the world, their family and community and their environment as their classroom.

Test scores show that homeschooled students consistently out-perform students who learn in a traditional school. Homeschooling students average on the 89th percentile of reading scores in standardized testing whereas school students average at the 50th percentile. Homeschool students score in the 84th percentile on standardized math and language tests in comparison to public school students' 50th percentile standing in these tests. Other subjects in which the homeschooled students out-perform the public school students by OVER 30% on standardized tests include social studies and the sciences. When homeschooled and public schooled students were compared in college, the GPAs of homeschooled students were significantly higher than the GPAs of students who came from public schools.

 

While homeschooling and public schooling are very different types of learning environments, some aspects do not change -- namely, the place of the educator in creating a successful learning environment. As educational visionary and chairman of Knowledge Universe - Lowell Milken has noted, "The most direct and enduring way to reach the mind and imagination of the learner is through the mind, imagination and character of the outstanding teacher." Homeschoolers have proven that parents can fill this role as well as professional educators.

Writing Cures Loneliness

One of my former students posted this quote from Carl Jung on Facebook today and it perfectly sums up one of the most important benefits of strong writing skills. Self-expression is life blood for humans. So strong is this instinct that we see it in youth who desperately strive to convey their feelings and personality through other means. Teens will pierce and tattoo their bodies, dye their hair, choose clothing that conveys a disturbing subtext, and take up unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking and doing drugs, all because they have no substantive outlet for their thoughts and feelings. They don't feel heard, so they shout themselves silly through the easiest method they can find, a method that requires little effort or serious thought. Of course, conveying meaning through appearance is hardly uncommon in a world so visually addicted.  We judge on appearance, but I don't think "dressing" ourselves this way is nearly as effective a means of communicating as thoughtful writing.  Parents, teach your kids to write!

Homeschooling Road Trip

Wow!  How does this look for an adventure -- driving around the US, hitting most of the major landmarks.  I would love to do this with my kids. I just need to find a lot of money and a lot of time.  Can you imagine all the learning though? History, Geography... I'd add in a bunch of literature to go along.  Just think of all the books on tape we could listen to over 12,225 miles. We'd need an RV for sure, but what an adventure it would be.

Apparently, a 25 year old man named Brian Defrees took this trip over an almost 3 month period.  Happily, and just in case I never actually get a chance to make this trip, he many videos and photos of his entire journey and created a time lapse video, so poor saps like me can enjoy a vicarious 5 minute version of his adventure:

Writing Resolutions

We're well into January of 2014 and I still haven't fulfilled my resolution to write more this year.  So much seems to get in the way -- mostly family and work obligations.  I've decided to declare my intentions here in order to feel a little more culpable if my follow through fails.

For my work, I tutor and teach writing to others for much of the week and my newest job is transcribing the words of others.  It pays remarkably well, for a transcription job, but when my fingers are sore at the end of the day, I can't help wishing they were sore from my own creative efforts. I hope to change many things this year and focusing on my own writing needs to become a serious priority.

This last year, my creativity was stimulated by a ton of reading.  I took the "Goodreads" challenge and read over 100 books and with almost all of them I kept thinking -- "I need to do this!"  My daughters both successfully completed NANOWRIMO last year and I was so very proud of them, but in the back of my mind, I was also thinking "I need to do this!"  I figure when a call becomes that insistent, it's time to pay attention.  I don't know where I'll find the time this year, but I will find it. Even if my writing has to happen in fits and starts, 20 minutes here, 40 minutes there, I will do it.  

Blog posting is a fantastic way to keep disciplined, so renewing my efforts with this blog will be part of my plan.  I'll write entries on homeschooling, my own writing, the writing I teach to others, the books I'm reading and anything else that seems pertinent.  Even if time is short, I'll make the effort and get something online.  This is my resolution:  always writing.