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Homeschool High School Graduation Menu and Party Venue Day 4 of 10 Days

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Today is Day 4 homeschool high school graduation menu and party venue ideas for the updated 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page.

As I learned, choosing a menu goes hand in hand with choosing a venue.

We knew we were wanting to host a graduation with a sit down dinner and not just serve light refreshments.

Homeschool High School Graduation Menu and Party Venue Day 4 of 10 Days

I feel there are a handful of occasions that come around in life that deserve more attention than normal; graduating high school is one of them.

We chose to serve a dinner for our guests. Keeping it small keeps it affordable too.

At first, Mr. Senior 2013 decided he wanted Italian food. We love Italian food.

However, I feel when serving to a larger crowd and because not everybody has the same taste palate, a more diverse menu was in order.

10 Days of Planning a Homeschool High School Graduation: Menu and Venue (Day 4). As I learned, choosing a menu goes hand in hand with choosing a venue. We knew we were wanting to host a graduation with a sit down dinner and not just serve light refreshments. I feel there are a handful of occasions that come around in life that deserve more attention than normal; graduating high school is one of them. We chose to serve a dinner for our guests. CLICK here to learn how we celebrated!

Making Homeschool Lifetime Memories NOW

He agreed and in the end we kept to our southern roots and added in something special, like the prime rib.

Here is our menu for the night

  • chicken friend chicken with smothered cream gravy
  • prime rib
  • garlic mashed potatoes
  • southern style green beans (no half cooked crispy green beans)
  • salad/trimmings
  • homemade bread sticks

Having hosted many parties where I both prepared the food and brought it, I didn’t want to do that this time.

I wanted to enjoy the out of town guests and family instead of running around serving/preparing food.

Look at these tips I learned when ordering the food through a catering service that saved us some money.

  • Choose a time of the week when it’s not as busy. Saturday is more like a peak time, so having our party on Friday, it was a better price break.
  • I chose entrees and sides separately instead of paying by the plate. In other words think like you are picking up the food with 40 servings instead of telling them they are catering.
  • By serving the food ourselves, we didn’t have the extra charge for set up, serving and tips for servers.
  • For us, the venue was right down the road, so the caterer only charged an extra $25.00 for delivery. If the place is further away, having somebody responsible with a huge van works too. For me, having the chef deliver the food worked out better since he had rolling carts and brought his hired help.
    • Cake and Food - Homeschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

At this time, I ordered the cake too. Being the guy that he is, Mr. Senior 2013 only had a few things he wanted.

One thing was he didn’t want it to look like a wedding cake or “too girly”.

I think if you have a daughter, she will probably have a lot to say on this.

Homeschool High School Graduation – Party Time!

I think it’s hard for cakes to look anything other than plain pretty.

I ended up having it made and chose an ombre (graduated color) blue design.

Keeping the table simple with candles, flowers and a white cake stand, kept it pretty, simple, and elegant.

Homeschool Venue @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusWelcoming Lobby Homeschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
homeschool graduation location @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusKitchen matters Homeschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

As far as the venue, we have a lot of places around us to choose from.

I have lived in places where you only have a handful of places that are nice. But, if you have a choice, look for these things.

  • Is there a fee for set up or cleaning?
  • Do you have to clean? Can you pay for somebody to clean it afterwards? We got the place clean and so all we had to do was pitch in at the end and clean up. Our homeschool kids are use to doing this because of how many field trips we have had hosted.
  • We ended up going with a community center that has a nice kitchen so I could keep the food warm when it was delivered. There was plenty of parking and it was easy to find so I didn’t have to send out instructions with the invitations. The lobby was warm and inviting.

But, I think the best tips of all are the money savings tips because why not take advantage of them. Who wants to pay full price when we can get a deal?

Remembering that some managers gave me a discount for places we have rented for our homeschool co-ops during the week, my hubby asked them for renting the place on FRIDAY and not a peak time like Saturday night.

They were delighted because hardly anybody rents a room or building on a Friday.

We cut our cost significantly, about 40% by renting it on Friday.

Our homeschool friends are pretty flexible and as long as they knew ahead of time, they can arrange their schedules.

Choosing to do some of the serving and cleaning ourselves, the party was fast becoming a part diy party.

But that is not the only diy thing we did. You know homeschoolers become true do it yourself people the longer we homeschool. It’s true.

Next post, I will share some more things we did to prepare for the decorations and yep, it included getting the Mr. to help us out too.

If you missed the other posts in this series, you can catch up below:

Homeschool High School Graduation Menu and Party Venue Day 4 of 10 Days

    More Homeschool High School Graduation Planning Resources

    10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation: Day 1 Start the Planning

    Day 2 Senior Portraits/Cap & Gown. 10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation

    Day 3 Homeschool Graduation Invitations Which Words Matter Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus thum Day 3 Homeschool Graduation Invitations–Which Words Matter. 10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation

    High School Homeschool Graduation Invitations Day 3 of 10 Days Planning a Graduation

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

    Today is Day 3 high school homeschool graduation invitations for the updated 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page.

    You would think it would be easy.

    Pick out some homeschool graduation invitations and have them printed or ordered online. What could possibly be hard about that?

    High School Homeschool Graduation Invitations Day 3 of 10 Days Planning a Graduation

    When it got close to the time of having to pick them out, the do-it-yourself homeschooler in me kicked in. 

    The words mattered to me because we have traveled a different road for almost our whole journey.  

    Why should I end up with something normal when it matters the most now?

    I admit it, tears came with mulling over and searching to find the right words of how I felt deep down. You know not the surface wording we are suppose to say on an invitation.

    But words you keep tucked away low down, because if they surface people may think you have lost it.

    Planning Homeschool High School Graduation: Invitations – Which Words Matter (Day 3). You would think it would be easy. Pick out some graduation invitations and have them printed or ordered online. What could possibly be hard about that? When it got close to the time of having to pick them out, the do it yourself homeschooler in me kicked in. Why should I end up with something normal when it matters the most now? Click here to get ideas for wording for your homeschool graduate's invitation!

    I wanted to express how grateful his father and I were that we had the privilege to homeschool Mr. Senior 2013. I wanted to thank the Creator for the blessing of having him in our life.

    Heart Felt Words Meaningful to Your Family

    Tears streamed as my hands typed.

    Knowing the quiet, dignified demeanor of my son (he doesn’t take after me, must be his father) I knew right away he would be, to say the least uncomfortable by what I had already drafted.

    Remember, what I said earlier about this not being just your party? It’s true. Mr. Senior 2013 cared about the details of the party including the invitation wording.

    I had always thought because he was a boy, he might leave some of that up to me, but he didn’t.

    I think that it is one of the privileges of homeschooling – teaching kids to care and being responsible even about little things.

    Front Side of Mr Senior 2013 Homeschool Graduation Invitation | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    So after realizing that much of my wording was way too sentimental for an invitation and that it wasn’t a Thank the Lord invitation for his life, I was able to pick out words that expressed how we felt without scaring away my guests.

    Too, by this point you will have decided if you will do a group graduation, which we decided not to. 

    We really wanted something private where we dictated the events for the evening.

    More Homeschool High School Graduation Planning Resources

    Look at some of these ideas for wording for both individual and group graduations.

    Homeschool Graduation Invitations

    • “Join us as we celebrate the homeschool graduation…..”
    • “The Class of 20__ proudly announces the homeschool graduation from (use the name of your school).”
    • “We have accomplished our God-given assignment and proudly announce the homeschool graduation of…”
    • “Mr. & Mrs. You are proud to announce the graduation of …….from their homeschool education.”
    • “With thanks to God for his guidance, the parents of ….. announce the homeschool high school graduation of……”
    • “…….will be receiving his high school diploma from (name your school) Homeschool Program.”
    • “As our final years come to an end, we pause to reflect on the joy and memories. Please join us as _____ celebrates his homeschool high school graduation.”
    • ‘We celebrate the blessing of our homeschool journey by announcing the high school graduation of……”
    • “Please join us in honor of ____’s graduation from (your school name)”
    • “It is with great pride that we announce the graduation of our son………..from ………”
    homeschool graduation invitation back side @ Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    Do Save the Date Text or Email

    Deciding to do a double-sided card also allowed room for more wording on the back which was important to us.

    We were able to express our thankfulness for Mr. Senior 2013 and keep his dignity. Looking above I was able to get in all the details on the card.

    Just as a side point to remember, I did send out a save the date email/text way early to my guests.

    Especially if you plan a graduation in the summer, you will want to do this way ahead of time even if you don’t have all the details worked out.

    I know our friends appreciated the save the date email/text so they could make vacation plans.

    Homeschool High School Graduation Invitation Wording

    Though saving money was not the main driving point for me preparing his invitation, it was a nice side advantage.

    Two ways I have saved money so far, but felt like we were still having a unique experience are:

    • I had 2 photographers. One was not quite so professional where I had more time to devote to the photo shoot. The second one I knew exactly how long I would have him and had a list of photos for him too which I will tell you about in an upcoming post.
    • I designed my own invitations and only paid for printing/envelopes. Even if you don’t have the skill set for creating graphics, a lot of homeschoolers do. It is possible among your local group that you may find a homeschool teen or parent that can do this.

    In the end, choosing invitations mattered more than I realized, and I didn’t want to leave the words that mattered most up to a stranger.

    High School Homeschool Graduation Invitations Day 3 of 10 Days Planning a Graduation

    Whether you homeschool the whole time or a few short years, it is is a treasured time and there is no substitute for expressing your heart.

    The other words that I have for my son as his mom stayed where they should be and that is with him.

    But those are not the only ways I unexpectedly saved money.

    The venue or location to have our graduation was equally important and by accident I stumbled across another way to save money on this part of the planning too.

    In my next post on this series, I will give you some tips on how we chose a venue.

    More High School Help

    Planning Homeschool High School Graduation Day 1 of 10 Days

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

    A lot has happened since I graduated my first senior. Today on planning homeschool high school graduation, I’ve updated my 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, grab more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page.

    How do I put all my plans, fears, successes, failures, and momentary lapses of insanity in one blog post?

    I can’t. Instead, I will share 10 days of planning a homeschool high school graduation so that not IF, but when your turn comes, you will have a place to start.

    As of now, all my homeschooled kids have graduated and I’m still in the trenches with you as a coach.

    Planning Homeschool High School Graduation Day 1 of 10 Days

    Right away I will ask for your forgiveness during this series too because sharing our homeschool journey has never been so scary for me as it has been over the last few years.

    Much of life and school was up, up, and down, down.

    I have had feelings of overwhelming happiness at the same time sadness, feelings of joy yet fear wondering if I did enough with Mr. Senior 2013.

    10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation: Day 1 Start the PlanningHow do I put all my plans, fears, successes, failures and momentary lapses of insanity in one blog post? I can’t. Instead, I will share 10 days of planning a homeschool high school graduation so that not IF, but when your turn comes, you will have a place to start.Click here to get tips from a seasoned homeschool mom!

    Yet, I pressed on to have Mr. Awesome graduate in 2015 and Tiny graduated in 2018.

    Planning the BEST Homeschool High School Graduation Celebration!

    I can’t help but have tears as I reflect as I’ve savored every mommy moment with him and think how vulnerable I felt when I held him in my arms as I taught him to read.

    A tear or two may run down my cheek as I type this because that has not been the only feelings I experienced as we celebrated the next chapter of Mr. Senior 2013’s life.

    You know I tend to be private about hubby’s health, but it impacted our homeschool significantly these past two years.

    So, the blessing of graduating our first son was special in more ways than one because my husband was around to celebrate it with us.

    It may sound a bit dramatic, but for us it was also celebrating life.

    10 Days of Plannning Homeschool Highschool Graduation | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    So although we weren’t able to have the graduation at the time I planned because we were with the Mr. at the hospital, the day was filled with more meaning when we finally did.

    Nothing mattered more on ending Mr. Senior 2013’s journey than being with the ones who were there from the beginning and matter the most. Even at the end, he was still learning valuable life lessons.

    Moving on to what matters, the beginning of planning a meaningful homeschool graduation starts with long term planning.

    Celebration Countdown


    Here are some things to think about and that will affect what type of homeschool graduation you plan.

    • Do you want to be part of a larger homeschool group or not? Most large groups I know plan a whole year out and hire speakers and usually hold the graduation in a large auditorium. If you do, you need to notify a group right away.
    • What type of personality does your young adult have? Yes, he is forever your child, he’s now just not a child. This is really important because what you might vision for the day and what he or she might vision may be two completely different things. It is their celebration too. It is hard for us capable mamas to remember that at this point because we have been so strong in nurturing and leading them but surrender to it because our young adults are capable now.
    • Does your teen vision a late night out on the town and a small gathering?
    • Does your teen vision a formal night complete with catering and closer to a wedding than a graduation?
    • Does your teen vision a family trip like a cruise with many of his or her friends and their parents?

    More Homeschool High School Graduation Planning Resources

    Planning Homeschool High School Graduation Day 1 of 10 Days

    Check that List Twice

    I will be sharing some printables on this too, but I want to list some things that you need to brainstorm way ahead of time.

    • date, time (beginning AND ending times), and venue
    • type of dress
    • do you want a meal, just snacks, no meal or cake/punch only
    • how many people to invite
    • how many parties to have (yes, I was going to have two. One with our church friends and one with our homeschool group. Two small gatherings keeps each manageable. I ended up having one because of our circumstances.)
    • how to present the diploma
    • cap, gown, and ring can all be ordered ahead of time as long your teen doesn’t change their mind about colors he or she likes
    • what type of decorations do you want

    The beginning is about brainstorming and including your young adult. In the end we both realized we had some ideas that ended up being too much work or that really were not that important to us.

    Next post, I will share some of the details and plans we reached early in our planning and share with you a few time and budget saving tips I found along the way.

    I will try hard to not have too many sniffles on this series, but no promises okay?

    25 Great Homeschool High School Science Curriculum

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

    Several years before I chose a homeschool high school science curriculum, I was feeling anything but calm. Fast forward 20 years and I’ve learned there are many options to teaching high school science right. Check out my how to homeschool high school page for awesome tips.

    And it’s hard to go too wrong when narrowing down the options for homeschool high school science.

    However, before you can choose the right homeschool science curriculum for your teen you need to determine the answers to these 7 questions.

    25 Great Homeschool High School Science Curriculum
    • Will your high school teen pursue a science career and want to dive deep or are you wanting to give him a broad overview?
    • What is your teen’s current attitude toward science? More on that in a minute.
    • How will your goals or expectations affect your teen? For example, will hands-on activities be priority over completing the science text or will a completed text be the only way to count a grade?

    Science Curriculum for Teens

    And here are the next four questions.

    • Determining the lab component is important. So, will you devote time to understanding how to count labs. By the way, I have you covered. Grab some tips here at my post How to Easily Meet the Lab Component of Homeschool High School Science.
    • Also, because homeschool high school science curriculum has exploded, do you want a Christian-based, secular or even faith-neutral science curriculum?
    • In addition, while not being totally fixated on grades, determine how you will grade? Will you grade only daily work and tests or will participation in discussions with you and hands-on activities be a big part of the grade? And finally,
    • what goals does your teen have? Ask him or her what they want to learn or get from the course.

    It won’t take long to think about those seven questions and don’t forget some of this will change depending on the age of your teen.

    If your teen is just entering high school, he may change his goals from ninth grade to twelfth grade.

    Stay flexible and don’t forget to have fun. The high school years were some of the best years of my journey.

    What are the Branches of Science

    First begin with understanding course descriptions.

    For those of us who are not science majors sorting out the branches of science can be confusing.

    All I knew was that in high school, I chose topics I loved for all four years.

    Even if the topics are considered subtopics of the main branches of science, it’s still considered a study of science for high school.

    I love these simple definitions from Study.Com where it says, “Physical science is the study of non-living things and the laws that describe them. The life sciences, which can also be called biology, have many subsets. The most common ones include botany, zoology, genetics, human biology, nutrition, and medicine. Earth sciences include geology, paleontology, meteorology, oceanography, and ecology.”

    Homeschool High School Science Curriculum Sequence

    Next, what is important to consider is the sequence.

    As I mentioned before whether your teen is pursuing a college track or career track is a deciding factor for the sequence of courses.

    For instance, if your teen is pursuing a college track, it’s important that you check first with the college to determine the science sequence and credits needed.

    A good rule of thumb is to have your teen do all fours years and a lab. This way the science doors stay open. A teen may decide to pursue a science career five years after completing high school. A solid science background would be important then.

    If your child is not pursuing a science career, then probably two or three years of science with a lab is enough. Look below at a couple of sequences for high school science courses.

    High School Science Curriculum Sequence

    • 3 years and 1 lab
    • physical science
    • biology and
    • chemistry
    • 4 years and 1 lab
    • biology
    • chemistry
    • earth science
    • physics or an elective

    And when I started homeschooling 20+ years ago, below were some of the sequences.

    I think they’re still wonderful for our current day.

    This one comes from Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp. It still stands solid.

    And this sequence comes from College-Prep Homeschooling by David and Chandra Bryers.

    • Grade 9 Earth/Space Science
    • Grade 10 Biology
    • Grade 11 Chemistry
    • Grade 12 Physics
    • Grade 9 Physical Science
    • Grade 10 Biology Lab 1/2 credit
    • Grade 11 Chemistry Lab 1/2 credit
    • Grade 12 Physics

    Next, something else to not forget is to think about your child’s mathematical abilities.

    When you choose courses like biology or earth science first your teen has time to strengthen his math foundation.

    My opinion is the sequence depends on your child’s math abilities.

    I don’t think there is a right or wrong. If your child needs more time to strengthen his algebra skills, do earth science or biology first.

    However, if your teen’s algebra skills are solid by 9th grade, then jump into physics right away.

    As you can see there are many paths to cover the 3 main branches of science physical sciences, life sciences, and earth sciences.

    Furthermore, look through these high school science curriculum to see the wonderful choices.

    And a few pointers will help you in choosing a high school curriculum which meets your needs.

    More Homeschool High School Teen Elective Resources

    Whether you’re looking for a faith-based resource like Apologia or you are looking for a resource like Abeka’s physical creation, you’ll find a resource here.

    In addition, if you prefer more of a secular or faith-neutral approach, look at R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey.

    25 Great Homeschool High School Science Curriculum

    More Creative Solutions for High School Posts

    Equally important is to compare prices and prep time.

    For instance, if you choose a course online, would your teen feel pressured to keep up or enjoy being with other teens?

    Again, you and your teen’s goals matter. So, don’t let a scope and sequence of any course be the only guide.

    High School Homeschool Curriculum

    Further, some curriculum are worktexts for students who may not want labs. PAC Works or Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum below are straight worktexts.

    Furthermore, rabbit trails or subtopics under the main branches of science can be so fascinating.

    Whether your teen wants to study marine biology or take a year studying the night sky it’s still science.

    For example, anatomy, zoology, botany, and geology are more fascinating subtopics.

    As I mentioned at the outset, you can see why your teen’s interest matter.

    More important to me is the experience and hands-on activity. And nurturing my teen’s love for any branch of science.

    Sure, we must record keep and maintain credits, but don’t choose completing a textbook over the experience.

    I still don’t view myself as a science mom, but I am a science lover and all three homeschooled grads still love science.

    What do you think, can you find an option for your teen here?

    In conclusion, you’ll love my other high school tips:

    12 Great Options of High School Literature Curriculum

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

    Next to math, deciding high school literature curriculum for my first high school teen was scary for me. Today, I will share practical pointers in choosing high school literature curriculum. Also, look at How to Homeschool High School for more ideas.

    Looking back after three homeschooled grads, I’ve learned you need to be absolutely clear of your goal.

    Choosing curriculum versus stand alone components was confusing as well.

    So, I want to help you make a better choice.

    12 Great Options of High School Literature Curriculum

    First, confusing to me in the beginning was what to teach from high school literature.

    Also, how to transition from teaching your child reading to literature wasn’t clear.

    Quickly, I learned there is a shift in high school to not just reading a variety of literature, but to analyzing it.

    What to Teach With High School Literature

    As you can see, the elements you look for in a high school literature curriculum will vary depending on your goals.

    If your teen is on a college track, analyzing literature is a basic requirement for most colleges.

    However, if your child is on a career track, you decide if analyzing literature will benefit your teen.

    That was the part that confused me. My English teacher in high school taught me like I was in an AP Lit class. I was not, but her love for literature was obvious.

    The very basic reason why you teach high school literature is to move your child beyond the reading is fun stage. Appreciating why literature moves us, how to be involved in the great conversation, and how to analyze literature is one goal.

    Another goal is to help your child appreciate the variety of genre. Think about it.

    You have doing this all along as you taught your child to read.

    Teaching a love of reading doesn’t stop in high school, but you want your child to now dig into the literature.

    In addition, one more thing to be aware of before choosing curriculum is to decide if you need the other components of language arts.

    Besides literature, grammar, vocabulary, composition, and writing are other components of language arts.

    Teens are normally all over the place on each component of language arts, I encourage you to try to choose just literature curriculum.

    High School Literature Curriculum Goals

    One huge advantage to choosing just high school literature curriculum which is not tied together with the other components is to save time.

    I don’t think teens should get bogged down with the other components when focusing on beautiful pieces of literature.

    However, some options I share below is curriculum which does not make deep dives into analyzing.

    That too has been a great option some quarters in high school when your teen needs a change of pace from analyzing in depth.

    Covering all the components together may be your goal.

    The point is your teen, your choices, and your goals should stay front and center when poring over options.

    Furthermore, tying literature to history is another fun way to bring both subjects to life.

    This is a slant that many teens enjoy.

    On top of that, some choices will be more faith-based and others with a secular focus.

    Keep all those facts in mind as you compare curriculum below.

    12 High School Literature Curriculum

    Finally, look at these twelve high school literature curriculum.

    • Progeny Press is another favorite because of how many activities they have and ease of use.
    • Learning Language Arts Through Literature is not as well know today as it used to be. I love it because it’s gentle and has a Charlotte Mason flair. Some years, we just needed light language arts and literature. So, I’m listing it as option. There is both American and British literature options. It’s just a beautiful option
    • Sonlight has been around for years. Started by a homeschool family like some of other companies, it too has a comprehensive language arts program.
    • Total Language Plus is just what it says. All the components of language arts when you want to cover them at one time. We love this curriculum as well.
    • The Art of Poetry is a resource we just absolutely loved. If your teen is wanting to dive deeper into poetry, you’ll love this resource. In addition, this resource can be used for middle school kids too.

    These are not all the resources available for you, but they are ones I know will work.

    They give your teen guidance; And the best part is they create a love of literature and push your teen out of his comfort zone.

    Which ones have you tried?

    12 Great Options of High School Literature Curriculum

    Look at some more posts which will help you: