This is very nearly my last homeschooling year. This year we had a 11th grader and two 9th graders at home. We also had an 18 year old and a 16 year old at the local community college. The plan is that our oldest at home will finish out homeschool with me and graduate in Decemeber, while the younger two will join their siblings at the community college in the fall.
Now that all the kids are getting older and expressing some of their own interests, our curriculum selection is getting to be quite fun! The following is what we did this year - click on the words in Bold for more information.
11th Grade - Modified Curriculum - (referral)
Literature - Essentials in Literatue 9 - Honestly, this was just ok and I probably wouldn't suggest it to anyone.
Health and Nutrition - Group class with part of the Total Health Curriculum and Apologia Health and Nutrition at home. I really am thankful that my kids had the opportunity to enjoy a group class. However, Total Health is outdated in my opinion - still good information - but it needs a facelift and some updated material. We loved the Apologia books!
Science - Every Herb Bearing Seed - If you have not yet discovered Queen Homeschooling Supplies - I urge you to check it out. It is not for everyone - however, it is wonderful for my special needs girl.
ASL - http://www.asl.tc/ Another great resource - four of my kids have taken classes and studied from this website.
Math - Masterbooks Principles of Mathematics Book 1 - This was good for my daughter - I think it is good for those that are not too "mathy".
Personal Finance - Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? - This book is a good read with lots of info for any high schooler.
Government - Are you liberal? Conservative? or Confused? - Another great book by Bluestocking Press.
Writing - Big River Academy - Writing ER - I have had two kids take this class and it has been very helpful.
Co-op Speech Class
9th Grade -
Bible - Modern Parables by Compass Classroom1st semester and I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist 2nd semester English 9 - Literature -
- One did - Essentials in Literatue 9 - Honestly, this was just ok and I probably wouldn't suggest it to anyone.
- The other did - Learning Language Arts Through Literature - World Literature - I probably wouldn't suggest this to anyone that prefers entire books over just excerpts.
Geography - BJU Cultural Geography - I have had three of mine go through this- I really love it.
Writing - Byline by Clearwater Press - This was fantastic. We have also done the CoverStory in the past. He make an excellent product.
Applied Engineering - This is an excellent elective by Masterbooks. One of mine did this - it was really good. He really enjoyed what he learned and would tell me all about it.
Biology - Apologia - This was well liked and done at a co-op - The teacher makes all the difference.
History -Notgrass World History - I am a fan - so are my kids. That is what matters - good material and the fact that they like it says it all.
One did ASL - http://www.asl.tc/ Another great resource - four of my kids have taken classes and studied from this website.
The other did BJU Spanish 2 - It is definately more challenging than the first year - but he enjoys it.
Health and Nutrition - Group class with part of the Total Health Curriculum and Apologia Health and Nutrition at home. I really am thankful that my kids had the opportunity to enjoy a group class. However, Total Health is outdated in my opinion - still good information - but it needs a facelift and some updated material. We loved the Apologia books!
Algebra 1 - Chalkdust - We Tried http://liveonlinemath.com - I do not suggest this for anyone. It was aweful for the one that did Geometry and the one doing Algebra. For me as a parent - I really expected more.
Career Development - 1st semester - 7 Sisters Career Development Bundle - we are hosting a teen co-op this year.
Government - Notgrass Government - 1st semester
Personal Finance - 2nd semester this will be a combination of Dave Ramsey's Foundations in Personal Finance, Life Prep - Life Skills for Homeschooling Teenagers and 7 Sisters Financial Literacy.
Here is how I make homeschooling affordable -
- I make a list of what I need vs what I want.
- I rarely buy anything new. I always shop ebay, the scratch and dent and clearance sections of various curriculum sites, and local curriculum sales. I also use a variety of online sites with discounted book - I have posted links below.
- If I do buy something new - I will make sure it is something that I intend to use with other kids down the road, make sure it has a good resale value or purchase it digitally. Digital curriculum is fantastic as you can get it, often for a fraction of the price. Print what you like or use an edcuation discount to have it printed and bound - if you really need to. It also saves room - My shelves are full, my cabinets are full, and my bins are full - I don't have room for more books.
- I always resell what I no longer need. I first sell on FB pages - no fees, then ebay - then local book stores and curriculum sales. What I can't sell - I donate.
- I always use the library - if you haven't check into inter-library loans - do so - you can find amazing things!
- I enter giveaways - but not alot.
- I follow blogs - often times there will be coupons and discount codes mentioned
- I sign up for limited newsletters. Most newsletters will have a discount or coupon code, as well as great information.
- I watch for sales that I know are good and only happen once or twice a year. - Such as the Homeschol Resources Bundle Sale.
List of sites for good used book prices -
- Exodus Books
- I Do Books
- Abe Books - If you have an ebates account you can get a rebate right into your PayPal account or a check sent to you for clicking through ebates first. If you don't have an account you can sign up HERE - it saves me a few hundred dollars each Christmas alone.
- ebay
- Half.com