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Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation

20 Nature-Inspired Kids’ Novels to Nurture Interest In the Outdoors

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This list of twenty nature-inspired kids novels are the types of books which helps kids connect to the outdoors. These nature novels can be part of any curriculum or stand alone. Also, look at How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List.

Whether you’re wanting kids to step away from their devices, looking for a nature-inspired book for a unit study, or you want to inspire your kid’s inner naturalist, look at this roundup of books.

20 Nature-Inspired Kids' Novels to Nurture Interest In the Outdoors

Nature Novels For Kids

1.
Call of the Wild by Jack London for ages 12 and up.

The Illustrated Call of the Wild: Original First Edition

A classic story of survival from the perspective of Buck, a kidnapped Saint Bernard who is forced into being a sled dog during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Set in the Alaskan wilderness during the 1890s, the descriptions are stunning and take readers right to the freezing temperatures of the Yukon.

2.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell for ages 8 to 12.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

A young girl is left deserted on a pacific island off the coast of California. Karana must forage for food, build weapons for protection, and make clothes for covering.

A story of strength and resilience that will inspire. Beautifully written and perfect taking the readers to an island filled with dolphins, otters, and sea birds.

These activities will go along with this book.

3.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain for ages 12 and up.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Original Illustrations

This classic, set near the Mississippi River in the 1840s follows Tom and his adventures through plenty of outdoor shenanigans.

Look at this activity Lewis & Clark – Mighty Mississippi book & Sediment Activity to go along with this book.

Travel to the river with Tom and Huck with this fully illustrated edition!

Nature Books for Kids

4.
Hatchet by Gary Paulson ages 11 and up.

Hatchet

The sole survivor of a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian Roberson, finds himself stranded in the Canadian wilderness. He must fend for himself.

Brian slowly learns the survivor skills he needs to stay alive, building shelter, making fire, and foraging for food.

This novel takes the reader through a fifty-four-day journey of perseverance that forever changes a young man and his perspective about life and family. 

Gary Paulson has many other novels that are set in the wilderness, and spends his personal time split between Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, and the Pacific.

Nature Book List for Kids

This book takes readers on an eco-adventure full of everything from the town’s well know bully to potty-trained alligators. There is a movie that would make a fun follow-up too.

5.
Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling C. Holling for ages 8 to 12.

Paddle-to-the-Sea (Sandpiper Books)

Follow a young boy as he travels from The Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean in this adventurous novel that brings geography to life.

20 Nature-Inspired Kids’ Novels to Nurture Interest In the Outdoors

This author has many other titles perfect for nature study.

The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)

6.
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett for ages 9 to 12.

An orphaned girl is sent to live with her great uncle and discovers a secret garden on his Yorkshire Moors property.

The lush garden is the young girl’s only escape.

This edition is beautifully illustrated by Tasha Tudor. Recreate some of the pictures or draw a scene from the book. 

7.
The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis for ages 8 to 12.

The Secret Lake: A children’s mystery adventure

This book is a time-traveling mystery adventure of two kids who find a pathway to a secret lake and one hundred years old garden.

Nancy Drew meets The Secret Garden in this modern novel sure to become a favorite. 

Nature-Based Fiction for Kids

8.
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare for ages 10 to 12.

The Sign of the Beaver

Thirteen-year-old Matt is left to survive on his own in the Maine wilderness.

This is a story filled with descriptive detail about survival in the wilderness and the relationships between settlers and natives in the 1700s.

Look at my other activities here to go along with this book.

9.
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Davide Wyss for ages 10 and up.

The Swiss Family Robinson (An Illustrated Classic)

A classic story of one family’s survival after being shipwrecked in the East Indies on their way to Australia.

They live on a deserted island for ten years. A book filled with adventure, lots of exotic animals, and plenty of survival skills.

Also, look at my Free Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study And Easy DIY Water Filter.

10.
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey for ages High School.

The Snow Child: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize in Letters: Fiction Finalists)

Set in snowy Alaska in 1920, a couple desperate for a baby, build a child out of snow.

The next morning the snow is gone, but a young girl is found running in the woods.

She hunts with a red fox by her side and survives on her own in the Alaskan wilderness.

The couple’s lives are changed forever, as they grow to love the child as their own.

11.
My Side of The Mountain by Jean Craighead George for ages 8 to 12.

My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics)

Sam Gribley runs away from New York City to the mountains and must survive on his own.

The descriptions of nature are detailed, and it is the perfect choice for learning real-life survival skills.

The book’s rich vocabulary will make for a great read-aloud.

Our Journey Westward

Kids Novels to Inspire the Love of Outdoors

12.
Summer of The Woods by Stephen K. Smith for ages 8 to 12.

Summer of the Woods (The Virginia Mysteries)

A summer packed with outdoor adventure! Follow these kids as they discover the Virginian woods where they find secret caves, rushing waters, and rare treasure. 

These books would be awesome for a state study of Virginia, as there are several more in the series that takes the reader to historical sites throughout the state.

13.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle for ages 13 and up.

The Last Unicorn

A lone unicorn ventures out on her own to find more of her kind.

Set in an enchanted forest, readers escape to the wood with this classic fantasy fiction.

14.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame for ages 8 and up.

The Wind in the Willows

Four animals live among the Thames Valley in England.

A classic novel about adventure, morality, and friendship is also well known for its depiction of nature.

The Wild Robot (The Wild Robot (1))

15.
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown for ages 10 to 12.

Can a Robot survive in the wild? Find out as Roz learns to survive the wilderness.

Fans of the movie Wall-E will enjoy this adventurous story about the clash of technology and nature.

The book includes lots of descriptions of nature and animals.

Riding the Flume (Aladdin Historical Fiction)

16.
Riding the Fume by Patricia Curtis Pfitsch for ages 11 to 13.

Set among the giant sequoia trees in California, the novel is about a young girl faced with the discovery that her sister who died years earlier may still be alive. A must-read!

Living Books About Nature

Nature Girl

17.
Nature Girl by Jane Kelly for ages 8 to 12.

Eleven-year-old Megan is without internet and TV in the Vermont woods for the summer.

Our Journey Westward

When she gets lost on the Appalachian Trail, she decides to hike all the way to Massachusetts where her best friend lives.

Get ready for a hike with this adventure novel!

18.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls for ages 9 to 14.

Where the Red Fern Grows

Set in the hills of the Ozarks, young Billy, and his two dogs explore the countryside.

This is a timeless tale of love and loss and the special bond between a boy and his best friends, two pups named Old Dan and Little Ann.

19.
Wish by Barabra O’Connor for ages 9 to 12.

Wish

Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, a young girl makes the same wish every after year.

This is a sweet story about a girl and a newfound furry friend.

20.
The Lost Book of Adventure for ages 7 and up.

You’ll be transported by riveting adventure tales from around the globe, like being dragged off by a hyena in Botswana, surviving a Saharan dust storm, being woken by an intrepid emperor penguin in Antarctica, and coming face-to-face with a venomous bushmaster (one of the most dangerous snakes on the planet)—all told in lyrical prose and illustrations that wonder at the mysterious beauty of the wild.

I hope one of these 20 nature-inspired books will teach your kids about nature and revive a love of the great outdoors.

Look at some of these other ideas:

15 Old-Fashioned Useful Skills Homeschoolers Love To Teach

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Here are 15 old-fashioned useful skills homeschoolers love to teach. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter.

Whether you didn’t learn these skills in school or you’re determined to give your children the best education you’ll love these useful skills to teach.

Besides, teaching only academics and not life skills is a huge flaw in the educational world. We don’t want to repeat that same nonsense thinking.

15 Old-Fashioned Useful Skills Homeschoolers Love To Teach

So we choose to intentionally teach what other educators view as vintage or old-fashioned because we know some obsolete skills prepare today’s kids for adulthood.

Look at these 15 skills, academic or otherwise which homeschoolers still love to teach.

Old-Fashioned Skills for Today’s Kids

1. Cursive writing.

Unless a child has a special need, most homeschooling parents know that learning to write and cursive writing are valuable skills.

Beyond the fact that most early documents were hand-written, cursive writing supports hand-eye coordination and can reduce letter reversals.

Look at some of my tips below about how I teach writing.

2 Finance

3 Accounting

4 Budgeting

5 Money Management

6 Writing a Check

Yes they are all very different skill sets.

Although they are connected learning to budget and run a household is different than money management.

Money management is not only a skill used in personal life but can be applied to a business.

You want your children to have as many as they can get while living with you.

Today’s kids learn early how to use a debit or credit card without knowing what is a budget or knowing ways to rein in their spending.

Subjects Not Taught in Public School

Distinguishing between a need versus a want is an extremely valuable skill to teach kids.

Not teaching a kid about finances while in middle or high school or even earlier may set him up for much debt later in life.

Too, many places of business still use paper checks.

Teaching our kids both how to write out a check and how to make a bank deposit in person are necessary skills for adulting.

Next, look at these books about money and look at Whatever Happened To Penny Candy?: A Fast, Clear, and Fun Explanation of the Economics You Need for Success in Your Career, Business, and Investments.

8 Rad Money Resources to Teach Money For All Ages

Grab some of these money resources to teach your children about how to save and budget money.

And look at my post 12 Ways for a Homeschooled Teen to Earn Money – A Budding Entrepreneur.

7. How to do taxes.

My kids started working while in high school and although they didn’t make enough to have to prepare a tax return, we still helped them prepare one.

When a child is living on his own he’ll have a basic understanding of tax deadlines and taxes.

He manages adult responsibilities way better than if you had never introduced basic tax how-tos.

8. How to cook from scratch.

The pandemic of 2020 is a perfect example of how life can throw a huge curve.

Because we want our kids self-sufficient, teaching them to cook from scratch like baking basic bread or from what is on hand saves money, teaches independence, and can be healthier.

Look below at a few ways I incorporated this into our learning day:

9. How to fill out a job application and how to do a job interview.

When I helped my first teen fill out a job application, it was hilarious.

School Doesn’t Prepare Us for Life

Although he knew what it was from the exploring career opportunities course in high school, preparing one was quite different.

To this day, he still thanks me and his dad for helping him to look at his set of skills both strengths and weakness realistically.

However, nothing compared to seeing him get ready for his first job interview.

He was pretty comfortable looking to apply for a job that required a dress jacket.

Just a word of advice, be sure your teen knows how employees are expected to dress after you go over your dos and don’ts for a first-time job interview.

10. Learn to read a map.

I love GPS too, but if you’ve ever hiked or walked in a remote area your cell phone is not really a good bet.

Besides learning about scale and distances, a map can teach local geography and can teach us what is around us.

No cell phone service needed.

Things No Longer Taught in School

Maps are engaging and foster a love of learning about places along the way instead of just getting to a point like a gps.

We can use both in our everyday and not let a generation grow up equipped without engaging with a map.

11. Diagramming a sentence.

To understand how words need to be arranged in a sentence to make their thoughts clearer, kids need many ways to learn word arrangement.

When kids have to break down or diagram each part of a sentence it leaves no room for ambiguity. This teaching technique still helps many students.

12. Auto upkeep.

Whether the tires need air or not, when and how to change the oil, and basic upkeep to maintain your safety and the life of a vehicle are important skills to know.

13. Home Economic skills.

I know home economics courses are now called some fancy name like Family And Consumer Sciences.

That is another post for me, but kids need to know how to read recipes, count food portions, food storage, food prep ideas and how to eat healthy.

And while we can teach these skills separately, it’s much easier to teach them while on the job.

Assigning your kids the responsibility to make a grocery list or a meal for the family works.

I started with easy meal ideas for my kids to make for the family and as they grew, so did the cooking skills.

Benefits of Life Skills

In addition, teaching a kid basic sewing can be a lost skill.

Back in the day learning basic sewing skills was a must because all clothes were hand-made. Learning how to sew on a button is still a valuable skill.

14. Latin.

Latin used to be taught at in a lot of public schools.

Today, not all homeschoolers teach Latin, but a lot do.

We see the value of teaching our kids the roots of modern-day language and how to analyze root meanings.

15 Old-Fashioned Useful Skills Homeschoolers Love To Teach

The deductive reasoning used while learning Latin helped my kids to know how to critically think.

15. High School Shop Classes.

Classes like woodworking, metal, and drafting classes seem to be dwindling.

Those types of hand skills are being lost. Electricians, plumbers, and carpenters are valuable skills needed in our community.

Also, these classes were taught in high school so that a teen had time to pursue passions and some of the classes were segues to a higher degree.

These skills are not outdated in our home, but they are skills which propel our kids to the future. A future where our kids are truly prepared for whatever comes their way.

Old Fashioned But Timeless Skills

How can a kid learn about the human body without preparing a meal?

And how can a kid value how fast human history changes unless he can read the thoughts of the founding father in their handwriting  – cursive?

How can a child not be saddled with debt and stress the rest of his life unless we teach him now how to save and when to spend?

Look at some of these other reads:

We don’t have to make a choice between academics or old-fashioned practical skills a child should know. We want them both!

Hugs and love ya,

5 Creative Ways to Boost Handwriting in Older Kids

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m sharing five creative ways to boost handwriting in older children. Also, look at my pages The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter and How to Successfully Homeschool Middle School.

Whether your kids have been in public school where handwriting or cursive was not a priority or your kids are humdrum about the whole penmanship process, I have some tips to help with handwriting in older kids.

First, there are three things you need to decide as you go through your homeschool journey which would have helped me keep things clear as I taught each kid cursive.

Whether your kids have been in public school where handwriting or cursive was not a priority or your kids are humdrum about the whole penmanship process, I have some tips to help with handwriting in older kids. CLICK HERE for these AWESOME tips! #homeschooling #handwriting #penmanship

If you think there is a learning disability, go slower or cut lessons to half, or switch to typing. Also, check out the checklist below for dyslexia.

Dyslexia Screening Checklist

It can be a game changer to learn to type when penmanship holds a kid back from essays or composing.

Next, you need to decide what is your standard for what is acceptable penmanship.

My standard was at least one well-written assignment each day. I didn’t exact it on every assignment.

Penmanship for Older Kids

I encouraged a neat standard or my kids best every day, but accepted close enough many times when there was more of a struggle on a particular day.

What I learned was that although I preferred neat on every assignment, my kids set a bar of excellence for themselves once they mastered the neatness of handwriting.

Third, adding to the cloud of confusion, some educators today want to tout that cursive will be a thing of the pas. And it will be replaced by tablets.

That mindset wasn’t the majority when I first started homeschooling, but changing times in education doesn’t always equate with better or an upgrade.

In homeschool, you set your standard for excellence in education.

Me? Because reading and writing have always been connected and I see that connection in my own 20 years of experience, I will continue to advocate penmanship.

I also set standards for legible handwriting. Cursive as the hallmarks of a well-educated man.

In addition, I will support creative ways for kids to express their thoughts who have disabilities.

We don’t have to make a choice of either or in homeschool; we homeschool so we can have the best of both worlds.

Look at these 5 (okay I have a bit more) creative ways to encourage and boost the penmanship in your older kids.

1.
Short cards and writing letters still work! It’s not an art of the past.

The excitement of receiving a card or short letter from a friend can still get an older kid giddy.

My teen sons was delighted to get a card from his best friend.

I was shocked.

I thought he had outgrown letter writing, but receiving a card was personal. It works.

Too, because a greeting card can be short, it’s not overwhelming for a kid who struggles with writing to pen a few thoughts.

Knowing that receiving a card was an object of affection I used that short card for easy handwriting lessons.

It was different too when he received that versus a card from grandparents. I think it was because it was his peer. Whatever the case, it worked.

2.
Use a fun subject with a skill subject like combining art or science with writing.

Art uses a lot of fine motor skills in a natural way.

Don’t underestimate the value of drawing or studying art while a kid improves his cursive or print.

Art gives a fun slant to what may otherwise be considered a boring skill to master.

Look at Art History Kids to combine art and writing.

Also, look at the series Pictures in Cursive which is a cursive writing program based on picture study of classic works of art.

It’s a useful way to reinforce cursive while not doing baby-ish work.

The different levels of the program correspond to letters and not grades so you can decide the placement for your struggling writer.

If you have a science lover, labeling and working on a science journal gives value to the need to write legibly.

3.
Quotes, knock-knock jokes, journaling, and poetry work are all still writing.

A few more things I pulled out of my arsenal are inspirational quotes, knock- knock jokes, and journaling.

If you’re a Bible reader, the Proverbs are filled with words of wisdom and are great for small passages of copywork.

Also, motivational quotes can be powerful for kids who want to succeed, but may feel defeated because of their lack of penmanship.

Tips to Improve Handwriting in Older Kids

This site Everyday Power has 300 inspirational quotes for kids to reinforce a positive mindset each day while brushing up on their penmanship.

Like us, kids want to empower themselves instead of always being told.

Then, I had another son who struggled at one time with his penmanship. He is our fun loving kid.

Instead of taking a serious note, I turned to a knock-knock joke book.

They’re short, pretty corny, and just what a kid who is taking himself too serious needs.

Laughing the whole time while writing was worth every bit of him telling me the jokes, over, over, over, and….okay.

Most kids love journaling when they know it’s not going to be criticized. Journaling was one way I could tell how my kids’ penmanship was naturally developing or not.

My kids never knew why I insisted on journaling because I never insisted on grading it.

More Tips to Improve Handwriting

If I saw a weakness like a letter sloppy or not formed correctly, I could work on direct instruction with them or work on another daily assignment showing correct letter formation and not grade or criticize the journaling which was from their heart.

Journaling stayed fun while giving me a glimpse each year of how their penmanship was truly developing.

Another son of mine loved poetry. Poetry is supposed to be read aloud and it’s meant to be enjoyed.

My suggestion is when you’re not studying poetry formally, then copying favorite passages not only strengthens fine motor skills, but feeds creativity.

The Charlotte Mason approach encourages focusing on a single poet for a year or term.

If your older kid found one particular poet fascinating like mine did with Edgar Allen Poe, then copy the famous works of that one poet.

Handwriting Tips for Older Students

It not only feeds an older’s child’s desire to learn what he wants, but it associates enjoyment with the art of writing.

Look at my tips in The Ultimate Guide to Poetry for Multiple Ages (For the Intimidated).

4.
Direct and simplified handwriting instruction is superior..

Coming in sideways is one way to teach, but some kids need direct instruction too. I liked this next resource because it does teach cursive in a more simplified format.

Unlike teaching a child cursive from the beginning, most older kids like adults have already established some form of writing that is normally a combination of print and cursive.

So, teaching traditional cursive to an older child can backfire. A simplified version of cursive can be a better fit for an older child.

This cursive workbook uses a form of cursive that is more free of the extra loops found in most traditional cursive. It’s less intimidating when teaching teens.

5.
Lists, copywork, short stories, and topics kids love no matter how silly give value to learning how to write well.

Teaching kids life skills rates high for most of us as homeschoolers. And making lists can be taught as a life skill.

5 Creative Ways to Boost Handwriting in Older Kids

This was one area hard for me because I tend to organize everything in our school and home including the grocery lists or any other lists. I’m a list maker.

I used to create food lists on the refrigerator then that morphed into using lists on my phone. For a while I went back to paper lists so my son could use his writing for a useful purpose.

In addition, we made lists of adjective and verbs to keep in his writer’s notebook as reference pages for his composition.

It was a great way to sneak in more handwriting and way my son felt was useful to him instead of just being assigned some tracing work.

Copywork for Teens

One of the best ways that worked hands down for all my writers no matter what age is copywork.

Modeling is a great teacher. The beauty of copywork is that if your child is not minding the details of handwriting like commas or capitalization, then copywork helps him to look at the details.

Copying beautiful passages or from sources that a kid loves whether it’s history, poetry, science, or even jokes, boosts his spelling, grammar, and the mechanics of punctuation.

When he models the writing of great writers of the past or present, he sees a pattern to follow and can set a standard for himself.

Don’t give up on your older kids or make each day about head-butting.

His lack of skill is apparent each day to him. He needs creative ways to strengthen his fine motor skills and need to pay attention to the details of letter formation while enjoying his everyday work.

Let me know what other creative ways have worked for you!

You’ll love these other great tips!

How to Begin Homeschooling A Teen Lagging Behind

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

How to begin homeschooling a teen lagging behind is at the tip-top of the list for new homeschooler anxieties. Also, look at my pages How to Successfully Homeschool Middle School and How to Homeschool High School.

Whether your teen is behind because of unplanned happenings in life, sickness, motivation, or natural struggles, I have four solid tips to give you an easy starting point.

One/Why your teen is lagging behind is key to where to begin.

When my husband had a massive heart attack, my first son had just started homeschooling high school. He was going to be behind for a while because our family life mattered more.

How to begin homeschooling a teen lagging behind is at the tip-top of the list for new homeschooler anxieties. Whether your teen is behind because of unplanned happenings in life, sickness, motivation, or natural struggles, CLICK here for four solid tips to give you an easy starting point!! #homeschool #newhomeschooler #homeschoolingteens #howtohomeschool

Homeschooled Teens Behind

Identifying why your teen is behind will give both of you the right mindset for a starting point. Although my teen didn’t want to be in that situation (who does), he knew that it was going to take him longer to finish than we planned.

Family situations like extended sicknesses can’t be helped and a positive attitude is needed first before moving on.

Practical Tip One: Don’t bring more stress than you have now by setting unrealistic expectations for catching up.

Put aside the regular public school schedule and be determined to school year round to catch him up. Even in states where you have to keep the 180 lesson planning days it doesn’t mean you can’t have make up days.

In homeschool we learn 24/7/365. Think outside of the box as to when your teen can learn and then create a doable schedule.

Practical Tip Two: Is he lacking in motivation? There is a reason for that. Success is tied to motivation and motivation is key to success.

The approach used in public school for teens is completely different than the independent model used in the homeschool approach.

You’ll not gain traction by bringing your teen home and duplicating the same process at home. It won’t work. You’ll get the same results you’re getting now in public school.

Motivation can stem from boredom, lack of freedom, continually focusing on what your teen is not good at instead of his passions and strengths.

What is needed first is dialog with your teen to help him understand why he is lacking in motivation.

Getting a Homeschooled Teen on Track

Instead of telling him what needs to do to succeed, you need to draw him out with questions.

Asking him questions about his future stirs his emotion and feeds his motivation to see that his success is dependent on him.

Benefits spark motivation. You need to draw him out to list how your new homeschooling lifestyle will benefit him.

I always encourage you to have him take notes and write it down. That way it’s not so easy to forget.

Your list of positives for homeschooling your teen can include these:

  • No forced schedule. A teen needs lots of sleep and learning can take place around the need for rest and good healthy food.
  • No constant pressure to take drugs or have sex.
  • A teen can pursue his passions and take alternate courses for subjects he will actually use in life. For example, some kids will not ever be math minded. Having a solid foundation for basic math with two years of math in high school may be good enough. You decide now as a family what will be your course.
  • A teen can take jobs that work around his school schedule.
  • Bullying and labeling are not part of everyday homeschooling.

Practical Tip Three: Make a list of the benefits of homeschooling. This is very important whether your teen agreed with the choice to homeschool or not. Benefits and payoffs for a homeschooled teen are huge.

No, he won’t have all the answers to your questions, but you’re giving him control over his future. You want him to learn how to have internal dialog.

You’re changing his future by changing the way both of you tackle this struggle.

Teaching Gaps in Homeschooled Teens

And yes, I know you want academic pointers and they’re coming, but this fine point is the difference between a homeschooled teen who tackles a set back successfully and one who stays crippled into adulthood.

Control over his future doesn’t mean he has to do it with no guidance from you. That would not be responsible for a child at any age. A teen especially benefits from your guidance – NOW. He needs you more than ever.

TWO/ Core or skill subjects are the framework of all successful education. Trim the fat by focusing ONLY on them.

Simplicity is the key to catching up and that means an easy workload each day is absolutely necessary.

Public school would have you think that 10 or more subjects is normal; it absolutely is not normal. More does not equal more better.

There is a difference between an easy workload and easy courses. I’ll mention some resources in a minute that will help your teen to sharpen his skills.

Core subjects (no this isn’t common core) are the framework or building elements your teen needs to succeed. We normally call this the Three Rs – reading, writing, and arithmetic.

The homeschool law in your state is your FIRST starting point because they will state which subjects are core.

That is ALL that matters right now. As you have time to catch up after the setback, you can add in other subjects.

More Transition from Public School To Homeschool Resources

In addition, as you can see two of the Three Rs are language arts related. So it’s possible to use one resource to cover two of the basics of any well-rounded education. It’s that easy to catch up.

If you’re looking to begin homeschooling, my online self-paced boot camp may be for you. It will benefit the 1st and 2nd year homeschooler the most.

And of course I always welcome your questions. Click here to read about the self-paced online homeschool boot camp.

Practical Tip Four: The easy starting point for the basic subjects is your state law. Start with the required subjects.

Do not saddle your teen right now with everything to catch him up. He will not quickly progress and it can backfire because it will strip his confidence even more.

Bottom line is that the content information that teens need to learn vary from state to state, but the core or skills subjects are needed for him to succeed across the board.

Three/ Use homeschool resources that are not baby-ish and that equally speed up the body of knowledge needed.

The last thing a homeschooled teen needs is to be reminded daily of his struggle.

And although an all in one homeschool curriculum will get you started homeschooling, it can be better to piece meal the subjects your teens need. You get to the heart of the struggler quicker.

I have found some resources that not only shore up weak areas in the skill subjects, but that are not baby-ish. We have used these when life happens and when we needed to catch up quickly.

This first resource The Language Mechanic: Tuning Up English With Logic, Grades 4-7 is not only a super way to catch up a teen with the basics of English, but it’s fun.

It has short, but challenging lessons.

The best part is that there are examples that illustrate the humor in using English incorrectly.

Your teens will love the witty examples.

As you can see below in one page of the table of contents there are a variety of basic skills reviewed and it’s a multiple grade resource.

Another resource that works well for teens who may have gaps in their learning are the Quick Study Guides.

Organizing your teen so that he can quickly find the skills he needs without tons of time is how to keep the stress level minimal and encourage independence.

How to Fill In Learning Holes

Add these quick study guides to a notebook and your teen can use them as a reference or basic outline for a subject. Look at how to put together a homeschooled high school writer’s notebook.

Writing tips, English Fundamentals, English Grammar and Punctuation, Chemistry, Research Papers, Math Fundamentals and the list just goes on of these wonderful tiny power packs of information.

Also, science and history subjects are available for the Quick Study Guides.

Another quick and no fuss no frills resource to bring up math skills is the Key to series.

Each packet of 10 booklets or so is designated with a specific math topic/skill so that you can zero in on the math skill your teen needs to review or learn.

Four/Use Out of the Box Options – Accelerated high School, dual credit, Online Tutors and Online Videos are otherv options.

Bright teens may be lacking motivation because they may want to get on with their goals.

Dual credit at a community college where a teen earns high school and college credit simultaneously can be a great way to capture any time lost learning.

The student simply moves forward where he is at, but now has greater motivation for learning when he meeting his future goals. Check with your local community college for the criteria for dual credit.

Also, there is an accelerated high school program by Malibu Cove High School that been around for years. A teen can receive their diploma in 6 to 9 months instead of four years from an accredited school if you need that.

Four/Relationship is more important than academics.

Hear my heart when I tell you that when your kids are grown and gone, they’ll never fondly remember the academics. They will remember how you made them feel when you’re going through stressful times.

Whether you’re determining if your teen’s lagging behind is aptitude or attitude or he got behind because of sicknesses or general boredom in public school, your relationship with him matters the most.

Be patient to find the solution and quick to help him gain traction again.

And of course, if you have any questions drop them below or hit REPLY!

How to begin homeschooling a teen lagging behind is at the tip-top of the list for new homeschooler anxieties. Whether your teen is behind because of unplanned happenings in life, sickness, motivation, or natural struggles, CLICK here for four solid tips to give you an easy starting point!! #homeschool #newhomeschooler #homeschoolingteens #howtohomeschool

Look at these other ways or tips to help you fill the academic holes:

Hugs and love ya,

Essential Life Skills – A Homeschooler’s Other Curriculum

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More and more parents these days are dropping their kids off at the front door of public school and are expecting teachers to do it all — teach the three Rs and life skills necessary for kids to live as functioning adults in society. As homeschoolers we have an advantage; we know that essential life skills are a crucial part of our curriculum.

With the growing concept of adulting – when young adults are learning life skills for the first time as they move out on their own – it would seem that the formula public school tends to use which is an academic approach isn’t working. And homeschoolers aren’t immune to this problem.

Essential Life Skills a Homeschoolers Other Curriculum @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

No matter in what form they educate their children, parents who try to do and be all things for their kids are doing them a great disservice. Additionally, if parents are trusting (aka hoping) that life skills will be caught, rather than taught that only seems to work out when they pick up something we don’t want them to, right?

As homeschooling families we have not only the privilege, but the responsibility to teach our kids these all-important life skill sets that make for a well-rounded and capable grown-up.

Too, we all know that skills taught like this should begin early. I focus on the teen part of life in this article because really it’s the time to maximize what we’ve been teaching them all throughout the years.

From the mouths of homeschoolin’ mommas who have been traditionally schooled comes this list of skills they didn’t learn in school. The teen years are a great time to make sure your kiddo gets these skills down while still living under your roof. And even if they’re in high school, it’s never too late for a crash course.

And they will thank you for it down the road!

And if you’re looking for curriculum to help you teach life skills, you’ll love Skill Trekker. There are 500+ skills (and counting) in the program.

Domestic Life Skills for Homeschooled Kids

  • basic cooking and cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, grocery shopping (online and in real life)
  • how to sort laundry properly
  • basic and advance home maintenance
  • basics of human anatomy and well-being
  • how to access home services
  • how to garden or at least grow and care for one plant
  • how to care for pets, their health and animal CPR
  • how to sew is not a lost skill about homeschoolers and basic alterations
  • how tos of basic couponing
  • how to change a diaper
  • lawn maintenance
  • simple electrical and plumbing know how
  • how to menu plan

Auto Care Skills for Homeschooled Kids

  • how to buy a car and basic car care (oil and filter changes, how to check oil, change a tire, etc)
  • determining the value of a car using the Kelley Blue Book
  • how to keep an auto compliant with local law
  • how to pump gas

Workplace Skills For Homeschooled Kids

  • learn how to fill out a job application
  • learn how to prepare a resume
  • prepare for a job interview
  • understand how to work with others in a workplace environment
  • how to be on time for a job

Small business management, which is so relevant to many of today’s entrepreneurial homeschoolers, was and still is often reserved for college, or at least specialized trade school programs.

Your entrepreneurial kids may enjoy the boxes from Boss Club which teach kids how to be entrepreneurs. You can click on the picture below to see how they build skills for helping your kids.

Health Care Skills for Homeschooled Kids

  • basic hygiene
  • understand how to take care of their basic health
  • understand differences in how food is grown or processed
  • how to give consent for procedures
  • CPR and basic first aid
  • understand how to use medicine versus natural remedies
  • how to notice and be caring when others have special needs like dementia, seizures, or panic attacks
  • how to give basic elder care

Financial Education for Homeschooled Kids

Last, but certainly not least, many homeschool moms failed to receive an adequate, or sometimes any, financial education while in school.

  • how to handle and maintain a checking account how to prepare and file taxes
  • how to create and stick to a budget
  • how credit works
  • the basics of a mortgage and how it works
  • value of saving and preparing for retirement
  • how to apply for insurance and discern what’s necessary

So there you have it, skills that haven’t been taught in school in the past, and most likely aren’t today.

As homeschoolers we have an advantage; we know that essential life skills are a crucial part of our curriculum. Click here to grab this list!

These aren’t fluff topics; these are concepts and abilities that will enable your teen to be a fully functioning adult and even perhaps put him ahead of many of his peers.

Don’t make your teen fumble with adulting when you can arm him with these basic essentials!

You’ll also love these other tips:

Hugs and love ya