Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

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teens

Treasure the Moments of Homeschooling Testosterone Armed Teen Boys

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

I don’t want to sound cliché, but I treasure the moments of homeschooling testosterone armed teen boys. Thinking back when all the boys were real young, my sis came over to my house one day with her girls, which are about the same age as my boys. We were not only discussing how to homeschool boys, but also how we could join forces to homeschool our kids together.

How to Easily Homeschool Boys

When we looked up, my boys were outside in the yard with tree branches fighting and her girls were inside coloring pages, inside the lines no doubt.

(Boys to …………..

I didn’t speak out loud what I thought of her girls, but she did later about my boys.

She discussed with me about putting my boys on medication and I silently thought she had beaten the life out of her girls to the point they had no personality or energy either one.

I didn’t really speak out too because deep down I had a nagging fear that something might actually be wrong with my boys.

We both had our first glimpse of the opposite gender of which neither one of us had any experience handling.  Fast forward many years later, I never put my boys on medication because I knew as the mom that they were boys.
What does that mean? It means they learn differently than girls when they are young and it means more noticeable differences happen in the teen years.

Much of my work in disciplining my sons did come when they were younger because I was trying to teach them to sit still when they really needed to wiggle.
When my sis and I would meet together, I would be the one with my hands full as my time was spent beating my boys, mmmm, I meant settling fights and prodding the boys to complete their work.

As my sons have morphed into the teen years, my work as mentor has not stopped.  It has required more finesse, patience and respect of the fact that they are born with an inward need to exercise authority even over me and a some lot of days that set my not so laid back personality in a frenzy.
Because homeschooling is not just an adventure for my boys, but a journey in learning year by year for me too, I want to share a few things that worked and did not work for me as I homeschool teen boys.

……. Men)

1).  Embrace the differences.  As my middle son, Mr. Awesome approaches completing his high school years, his relationship with me is different than Mr. Senior 2013.  Unlike Mr. Senior 2013, Mr. Awesome wants very clear cut guidelines as to what is expected of him in high school for each year.  So I changed the way I prepared his high school curriculum without giving up some of what his father and I required of him in high school.

For example, with Mr. Senior 2013, we planned his high school together each year.  With Mr. Awesome, I planned for two years and he is taking an online school for the next two years.

I still have some classes we do together like geography and some history, but he wanted an outside source.  I admit I was a bit disappointed, but then I have to remember that I have hopefully modeled the art of reasonableness and more importantly considered his needs and differences in high school.

Some things have not been different than Mr. Senior 2013 like my middles son’s need to also question my decision making ability now.

Mr. Senior 2013 and I had many head butting sessions, which only ended with me physically and mentally exhausted.  Having gone through the rooster syndrome with my oldest son, I was a bit more equipped this time with Mr. Awesome.

Blessing and Challenges of Homeschooling Teen Boys

Instead of taking his questioning my authority as a personal assault, I realized his need to start exercising his thinking ability to make good decisions.  If he does not start learning when and how to question decisions now, then how will he be able to make good decisions on his own and then to care for a family later?

Understanding this has helped me a bit more to have patience when I am questioned about every school subject.  It is on the job training for the preparation of the challenges of manhood.

2.) Figure Head of Male Authority a Need.  I sympathize with those single moms, but even they can provide a positive male role model.  It may be their father, uncle or other close friend or family member.  Men just have an unspoken word among themselves when it comes to male bonding time.

It is not that a single mom cannot homeschool a testosterone packing teen, but it sure makes her job easier to have a male figure to turn to.

In all my worry, both of my sons lapped up the influence by my husband and his time as he models the kind of men I want my sons to become.

Too, my husband is able to help my sons to accept the fact that as mom, they need to learn how to accept my authority.

Applying this to homeschooling has not always been easy, but I try to do my part in always listening to what each of my sons have to say no matter how trivial it may seem.

Admitting that I too make mistakes and want them to learn to make capable decisions independent of a woman (though always listening to sound advice by either a man or woman) has always been a good stepping stone to them completing assignments or subjects that my husband and I have planned for them.

This goes back to appreciating the fact that they are a different gender and their need to exercise domination and independence is such an intrinsic part of homeschooling each day.

It is hard to separate the parenting from homeschooling during the teen years.

3.) Create A World Separate From Yours.  Again I noticed the slight differences between my teen boys when it comes to having other teen friends and have had to adjust to their needs.  Mr. Senior 2013 was more content with just a few friends though he still needed a sphere of friends outside of our family.

Mr. Awesome on the other hand has a stronger need for more socialization with teens.  He has a more-the-merrier attitude when it comes to other teens and even other people.

Creating opportunities for both my sons to interact with both teen boys and girls has been some of the hardest work on my part beyond academics.

Our homeschool co-op, church activities, fun sports and group field trips just for teens have been some of my best life saving tips to fill my boys need for the right kind of association.

Coming up in more articles about how to homeschool teen boys, I will be sharing specific curriculum that clicked better for us and more specifics as to how boys learn.

Your turn. Have you hit a brick wall when homeschooling your tween or teen boy?  What tips work for you?

Hugs and love ya,

Want to brush up on some more tips for homeschooling teens?

Guiding Older Children

Homeschooling Middle School Doesn’t Always Mean Middle Way

Homeschool Writing Program for Middle and High School

Homeschool High School Readiness?

 

How to Catch Up When Your Homeschooled Teen Tests Below Grade Level

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

You have had some great questions lately and I can’t help but to ask you if I can share them with my other readers.  Today the dynamic reader question: when your high schooler tests below grade level is one I feel some of you may also be wondering about. 

Homeschool High School Teens

This is one of those questions that you may think that you are alone in asking, but you are not.

Check out Suzanne’s question:

Hi Tina. I just started this homeschooling adventure with my 16 yo/10th grade son…this week! My question is, his assessment says he’s at a 7/8th grade level in Language Arts! He’s feeling kind of bummed out about it. How do I get across to him that this is just the beginning, and he may breeze through this 8th grade work quickly as well as the next couple of levels to get him caught up with actual 10th grade work? I hate to say it, but I didn’t realize it was this bad and he had been “pushed through” these last few years! I’m very upset with our public school system here, and so glad to have this chance to help him. I just want to help him anyway I can.
Thanks for your advise!

First, thank you for asking me!  I know this can be a sensitive subject because as the parent, we may have a tinge of guilt feelings. 

But I am here to tell you that even if you rocked along happily homeschooling on grade level that life could throw you an unwelcoming event.  When the Mr. had his heart attack, I found it more helpful to focus on what I could do to help Mr. Senior 2013 get caught up in high school and not focus on what we had lost.

Help Your Child to See Not All Goes As Planned.  Your attitude in helping him to see that this was not all his fault will help him to not only cover language arts with more focus, but it teaches him that we have to roll with life’s punches. 

View this as an opportunity to turn this into a lesson about more than language arts.  How he deals with this set back is preparation for adulthood and high school. 

He is old enough to appreciate that sometimes because of no fault of our own, we can get behind.  This helps him to focus on a “fix” for the solution and keeps it positive.

Maintain Your Balance In Test Results.  Without knowing what type of test he took, it is hard to assess it (no pun intended).  Though a lot of research goes into standardized testing, there are some tests that are not worth taking.  Remember to not be so quick to assign them validity.

Too, curriculum providers vary from grade level to grade level when it comes to language arts. For example, Rod and Staff, which is one of the most rigorous grammar programs that I have used has a student completing grammar by eighth grade. 

It wasn’t until recently (say within the last 5 to 7 years) that they came out with a high school program. 

Other providers, like Bob Jones High School prefer to use a spiral method of teaching some of the same concepts taught since 4th grade all the way to high school.  Does he really need that much review?

Testing your son using various resources like both the online tests (free or otherwise) provided by language arts provider as well as standardized testing gives you a much more broader view of his capabilities and skills.

Dynamic Reader Question When Your High Schooler Tests Below Grade Level

Language Arts Consist of 4 Skills.  Then after having received a much more clear picture, it is important for you to understand that language arts consists of basically 4 different skills.  This will help you to hone in on the one or two skills that need immediate help. 

The 4 basic skills of language arts are Grammar, Reading, Writing(Composing), Spelling.

Others come into use too like vocabulary, which generally is best learned within a literature or reading program.  Sharpen the skills that are more vital now.

For example, though grammar is important, it is a tool that helps us to navigate while composing thoughts.  If a highschooler is behind in knowing how to master the basics of composition or how to communicate his thoughts effectively, then he will be hampered life-long.  So what I am saying is that not all skills, even under language arts deserve the same amount of time at this age.

It does not mean that he should not work on them, but give the best or earliest part of his day to the most critical skills that he needs so that he is able to master them quicker.  Spelling too can be learned right alongside what he is writing.  For example, hold him accountable to spell each word correctly that he uses in his essays. 

If you do this, (hold him accountable for each language art skills), you will see that on one essay, he will work on all 4 basic language arts skills more effectively. This is a feat to cover each week and he will make rapid progress.

In addition, an online course where a child can go his pace AND get credit is sometimes the solution. Look at this Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved) course that one of my teens did.

Set A Limit.  I found too in working with highschoolers that having clear cut guidelines as to when something needs to be completed by gives him the encouragement and hope to know that it’s not always going to be like this. 

Most teens like to know clear cut guidelines and a stopping point.  When a teen works with no clear cut goal, though we think we have a goal of catching them up, it’s not a finite goal to them.  Most teens will work harder knowing that they will accomplish their first goal.  Anybody works better knowing they have accomplishments.

If need be, cut the assignments in half and especially if he his quickly catching up.

Highschool Graduation “On Time” is VERY Possible.  I learned a very valuable lesson with my first son that I am now practicing with my second highschooler and that is to have a backup plan. 

With Mr. Senior 2013, I had planned all of his high school courses.  Then when we got side swiped, I didn’t have a back up plan.  We had to step rapidly to finish our set course by high school graduation.

With Mr. Awesome, I felt like I have had the best of both worlds,  which is where I lesson planned 2 years of his high school and used part planned for the other 2 years. 

Using an online school, I didn’t want Mr. Awesome to have the unnecessary stress that Mr. Senior 2013 did in that all his course planning came to a halt when I was at the ICU and taking care of the Mr. during Mr. Senior 2013’s high school years.

So what I am saying is that using a very basic high school program like Penn Foster or American School, where they review remedial skills can be a life saver when needed.  Most easy high school programs like that take only two years to do. 

Again, by using part of my courses I selected along with the ones the online school offered, I feel like Mr. Awesome still has a unique high school experience.  It was the perfect compromise for my situation.

Finite goals by both the online school and your courses gives your teen a goal to look forward to and can help close any gaps in his learning.

Being behind is a very grown up and adult issue.  It does not have to be a negative experience, but can be an experience for rapid growth and maturity in how to deal with what comes at us as adults.

Too, don’t forget learning doesn’t stop at high school graduation.

It has been my experience in helping hundreds and hundreds of homeschoolers that these kids are bright, caring and motivated when giving the right reason to be. 

He is not studying language arts just for the sake of catching up, but he is studying language arts because he needs those coping skills as an adult. 

And oh good grief, if I could only answer your questions without writing an online book then I would be happy.  I hope this helps you. 

Give your son a lot of praise, a great big hug and working hard never hurt anybody, but builds strength, character and determination.

You’ll love some of these other tips:

Hugs and love ya,

Homeschool High School–How to Log Hours for High School

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

I answered a question today, homeschool high school how to log hours for high school. Also look at my page How to Homeschool High School.

I luv your questions.

Ad always try to make time to put them in my blogging calendar. You are one of the reasons I blog.  Look at the one I want to help you with today. 

I can never answer questions like this with just a short answer. Why? I want you to always be in the know. 

I’m giving you a heads up now that I got long winded have many details today.

“Hi there Tina!!

Good Morning to you. Can you give any advice on how to log or track hours for high school/ high school credits? What was your system?  Laura”

How to Log or Track Hours for High School? Click here to grab tips for a no fear homeschool high school year.

Homeschool High School–How to Log Hours for High School

This is a very important question. Because you don’t want to be cheating your teen.

Or over complimenting him either when you log hours or assign credit.

Before you can log hours though there are two things to determine.

1.) How to determine time? You think this is easy enough.

But not so fast because even the professionals in college didn’t give me the same answer.

2.) And based on what criteria will you assign credit?

I will break both of these down.

There is no need to feel overwhelmed and not get a simple answer. 

The answer though will depend on what courses you want your teen to do in high school.  You have a lot of flexible so be sure to remember that too.

High School Hour Basics

For most courses, you count either 1.0 credit or 0.5 credit.  Some special occasions you can count 2.00 credits, but that is another post.  All of my courses were the standard 1.0 or 0.5 credit.

A very basic rule of thumb and easier to remember without all the educationalese is that one high school textbook or course equals to about 1 credit.

Think about that and it makes sense.

If you take either Algebra I or II for example, it takes normally about one school year to finish.

A high school publisher knows it will take that long to finish math.

If your child studied it every weekday for 1 hour in a 5 day week for a normal school year.

A normal year can run anywhere from a 120 to 180 days.

{Side point here, but remember I use 180 days in my lesson planner to give you a boost in helping you to remember a school year.}

Fast forward to the end of the freshman year.

If your child took about 6 courses to use as an example, then that would equal about 6 credits.

That is for their freshman year. Or 6 1/2 if you added a fun course that only took 1/2 as many hours like ballroom dance, or speech or maybe art.

Then 6 times 4 which is the number of years for high school if you do a 4 year plan would equal about 24.05 credits. 

That is a pretty good number of credits for high school.  It can be higher for a college bound student.

But again anything between about 21 to 24 credits is good for high school completion.

Eazy peazy and you don’t have to track actual minutes and hours.  This was by far the easiest method for me to determine credit for Mr. Senior 2013.

Determine to Avoid Time Keeping Confusion

Where I went wrong in the beginning was when I was reading too much about high school.

Ad giving myself one big giganto headache.

I was tracking every waking minute or thing he did. 

For example, he did ballroom dancing for a fine art elective and if we missed a week for some reason I freaked out got a headache recalculating.

If only I realized sooner that we did this year round and so he had so many more hours than the 0.5 credit I assigned for that type of elective.  I gave up tracking the actual hours because we were way above it and just assigned the 0.5 hr for the year and did not worry about counting the actual hours.

A history program I love to revive the love of learning for a teen because it covers history in broad strokes.
Read Why I Love and Use BrimWood Press History Here

You can see how quickly I realized that it was more easier to track the core subjects by completing the book or course than it was at times the electives or other projects I assigned.

Just to summarize to this point and not lose you, 1.0 credit is normally given for doing 1 hour per day of school each week day based on 120-180 hours which is a school year.

Credits for Completion or Passing

While not wanting to split hairs or overwhelm you either, I do want you to be aware of a very fine point and it is the difference in how you assign credit.

Using only the “completing a course or book equals 1.0 credit” mentality can have a slight hiccup if your student does not pass the course. 

So you can see this topic dovetails on setting a standard about how you grade and expecting a passing grade before you assign that credit too.

  I have some examples of a grading system you will want to adopt too on my page Step 5a. Choose Unique Forms JUST for You

Balancing this thinking for you, I want to throw in one more counter weight and that is about how I counted Bible study. 

It is not a subject he will ever complete and never come back to like say Algebra I.

  So I had to come up with some way of tracking it though and I did that by covering certain topics each year that I assigned. 

However, I did keep up with hours, but more than that my standard for him was one of my very own that had nothing to do with a grade. 

My standard was more about how his heart was moved as we had Bible discussions.  I simply marked it passed on that study. 

So even though Bible study is an going life time habit, you will still want to put some measurable system in place for the sake of counting it in high school.

As you  can see, you have a variety of ways to assign credit which are the core subjects, electives and things that you specifically assign which are important to your family.

Outside of the Textbook Credit Counts too

High school is about the time in your teen’s life that he needs to explore, investigate and well grow up.  So there will be some things that you will want to assign as projects for the year. 

This is perfectly normal. Both public and private schools have these options too.

For example, I assigned a 10 page essay for Mr. Senior 2013 as his final exam on the topic “What is Love?” where I expected him to break down verse by verse First Corinthians 13: 1-13. 

Out of all the subjects I assigned him to write about, I couldn’t think of a topic more worthy to his heart and his eternal benefit to remember than the true meaning of love. 

I won’t try to go teary eyed on you, but it was my last official writing assignment to him in high school.

homeschool geography quest

{Geography Quest where Mr. Senior 2013 prepared a majority of notes and visual presentation on Turkey and directed his younger siblings on what to say too.  He was graded on all 3 aspects.}

So look at some of these other ways to assign 1.0 or 0.5 credit.

  • It could be some kind of apprenticeship.
  • It could be  some kind of community project.
  • It could be any area that he demonstrated what I call a went “far and beyond” attitude to learning something.
  • It could be an essay or other long-term project that goes to the very heart of why you homeschooled.
  • It could be for helping you to keep up with his records, learning about the computer and doing self-learning, which is called orientation in some distance learning programs. (more on that below)

All families are different and their goals in their courses and projects should reflect that. 

Some families are sports minded, others have children who want to be professional dancers or music players, others are scientific minded or want college academics in high school too. 

So you can see that beyond the 3 R’s you have room to tailor your high school program to fit your family’s values or goals.

Praise for the Paper/Pen Method Despite Digital World

The best way I kept up with what we did the first year was simply to journal it in  Microsoft Word. 

At the end of the year was a better time to assess his credit based on what I kept up with during the year. 

As I sat down each time whether it was daily or if I skipped a few days because of life, I simply typed up what I thought was important to know about that day or week if it was something beyond the 3 R’s.

Now, I use part of Evernote with Mr. Awesome too because I can access it with any device, but a simple method is best. 

All the fancy forms can’t substitute for plain old journaling your journey. 

I probably made way more notes than I needed to, but I also had it all. 

I did eventually put it on the forms I made on Step 5a. Choose Unique Forms JUST for You.

Too, having helped lots of homeschool families prior I knew that many of the high school distance learning programs give a 0.5 credit called orientation as they introduced the students to using a computer and learning about high school when they enrolled. 

Since Mr. Senior 2013 could help me too by keeping up with his student planner, and my curriculum planner and typing down some of what he did as he learned the parts of the computer, I could at least give him that credit too.

Though it may seem a lot to keep up with, it can be pretty straightforward if you will remember to not worry about counting actual hours if your child is using a high school course or textbook and it equals about a year. 

Tracking Time Easily

If he passes, then that part is already done for you and you only have to keep up with the hours he worked on electives or other projects you assigned.

Beginning_woodworkHome_economics_i_lu_setLIFEPAC® Windows® 7 Set

{Elective courses like woodworking and home economics from Christian Light Publication and learning about computers from Alpha Omega.}

Even some of the electives can be easy to figure out too like the one we used by Christian Light Publication called Beginning Woodworking. 

It flat out said it was one credit. 

Easy enough to figure it out by choosing from publishers like Christian Light Publication, Alpha Omega Publications and Bob Jones because they specifically state the credit hours for the elective.

I hope this helps you some and don’t be too rigid about counting hours.  As you can see sometimes it is hard to put a “time or hour” on reading lists. 

Your teen needs to be worried about earning his grade instead of you worrying about getting it exactly right. 

Just use the same grading system and way of determining credit throughout all of high school and it will be consistent.

Hang in there as you homeschool high school. 

It really is a huge achievement and one well worth all the information you glean along the way.  I hope I added to your empowerment today.

Hugs and love ya,

Homeschool High School Readiness?

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

Homeschool high school readiness?  What is that?  Many years ago I read an article that said children are going to school longer and are learning less each year. That thought has resonated with me during my year of homeschooling.

So from the time my sons were young, I have used both online informal testing and formal testing to determine not only what I think they should know, but to determine their state of readiness for ALL grades.

Homeschool High School Readiness

We hear the term readiness associated with preschoolers entering formal schooling. Rightly so researchers put so much emphasis on a baby’s development, preparation or readiness, and a parent’s influence on their toddler.

However, readiness is more critical at the high school age when our children are getting ready to take on more responsibility beyond just academics.

So just what is readiness? How concerned with it should we be as we homeschool during the high school years?

Readiness is defined as preparation for what comes next.  Breaking this down further, it is not just about how  academically prepared they are to take on high school level work, but it is also about the level of maturity in their social and emotional development.

What I have learned from homeschooling one son through high school and having my second son in high school now is that readiness means that signs are present that they are ready to take on a high school course load. 

And homeschooling has advantages because sometimes it means they are ready earlier than high school for a high school load and may even show readiness for college courses too. 

You certainly do not have to wait until high school to start high school courses and you can also delay formal high school work for another year.

What it does not mean is that the year they become a freshman something short of a miracle happens and they have suddenly gained some maturity or advanced insight. It also doesn’t mean they have instant mature decision making ability, but can still be unsure about their goals including career choices and college.

I have one son who was ready for high school level courses or the academics earlier in junior high and another one who is not ready for a larger academic load until his Junior year in high school. 

Start looking for high school readiness signs early so you can determine when you begin. You do not have to wait until the formal high school years to begin with high school.

Also, there are advantages to waiting for a heavy course load until later in high school when they are ready and will move along quicker making up for a slower start to high school. 

Looking back, it is just as important to look for those tell-tale signs to begin high school as it was when I started formal kindergarten with them.

High School – Ready or Not?

Homeschool High School Readiness - 5 signs to look for in your teen's development. Check it out at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Below are 5 signs that helped me to determine when both of my sons were ready for high school level work regardless of when they actually started.

  • One son demonstrated not only an interest in academics, but a desire to move ahead in more rigorous subjects.  The other demonstrated a need to have them done or a goal to completing academics.  I have sons with two different personalities, but both sons realized this is their future and wanted to complete their goals. They now have intrinsic motivation to complete their goals.
  • Both sons were motivated on their own to begin their school day {this actually can happen quite young}, but the difference now was that they study at times of their own choosing that were not our regular school hours.  This comes from knowing that a goal is in sight and it now becomes their goal too.  It’s like having a true partnership with them in their education.  Teens can be a bit obsessive or is that motivated about everything they do from visiting with their friends, to working out to studying.  That same inspiration is now channeled to their future.  So yes they may be ready younger academically or ahead of their peers academically, but there is a certain maturity in reasoning that starts to appear too.
  • One of my sons started researching opportunities to be more involved in the community. This goes straight to the issue of wanting to interact with people and it demonstrates a maturity of understanding social issues.  My other son is more shy, but our private conversations demonstrated not only an awareness of social issues, but a maturity realizing that people make choices we can’t control.
  • Both sons argued with me {yep comes with the territory and you have to be padded with kindness and gentleness} over the curriculum I had selected.  Again, the I-am-not-sitting-back-and-letting-mom choose my curriculum marked another significant trait.  Like starting their day on their own, some children can reach this milestone early too.  The big difference demonstrating high school readiness is that it’s almost like your discussing with another adult why something would be beneficial for them.  It’s very different than explaining to a young child the benefits of why you chose a certain curriculum.
  • One son began to use an organizational system that suited him and sometimes that included using my curriculum planner after his student planner.  His system grew more advanced as he was cognizant of deadlines and I had to help him with a hanging file folder system that he much more preferred over my system.  My other son struggles in organizational areas, but has his own reasons for meeting deadlines like wanting to be completed with school.  He uses his phone as part of his organizational system.  Both of them have good systems, they are just different.

Transitioning from Teen to Young Adult

I know I mentioned it earlier, but it really bears repeating when understanding this age and that is regardless of how they look {it’s almost like two grown men have moved in with me and my husband} and act mature at lot of the times, they are still changing from childhood to adulthood.

Noticing a few of these readiness skills for high school and adulthood has helped me to avoid some of the arguments in my house. 

Completely avoiding arguments is not even realistic and we have had our fair share of them.

Remember that your teen is in transition to adulthood and he will alternate back to childish behavior. 

Keeping that in mind every day has helped me to keep those ugly blow ups to minimal.  In the best calm voice I can have when I feel my worse, I tell them we can discuss this at a later time.  I try not to resort back to treating them childish, but try to use adult to adult tactics with them.

Looking at the positive, if your teen never questioned you about decisions, then will he accept what anybody that comes along in his life tells him without question? 

Teens are honing their decision making ability and trying it out on you first.  I am glad my teens question my decisions because they will not be so easily convicted when something goes against the values they have learned in our family.

I wish I could completely conquer the desire to want to lash out at both of them, but realizing that I don’t want to get caught up in any childish arguments does help.

As you can see, high school readiness is not just about academics, but it is about the exciting time when your teen stands on the threshold of adulthood.

Homeschool High School Readiness - 5 signs to look for in your teen's development. Check it out at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Embrace that thrilling time while you look for signs of high school readiness. 

And remember though your teen may not say it or act like it, your guidance is more essential than ever as they seek to find their way through the challenges of entering adulthood.

Also, you’l love these other tips:

Free Homeschool Community Service Planning Record

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

I have something new for you today. A homeschool community service record. But before I get to that, I had to share.

I just couldn’t wait. I had to share a picture or two because I just got back the graduation party pictures and I have a new planning page that I am excited to get into your little hands also.

Updated Robertson Family Picture

At least now I have an updated family picture and loved how this one turned out.

10 Days of Plannning Homeschool Highschool Graduation

I have a few more to share with you and then the rest I want to  show you when I start my 10 days of planning a homeschool high school graduation. I have MUCH to tell you about what to do and what not to do when planning. Plus, I need to tell you about it when its fresh on my mind.

Mr. Senior 2013

Here is the graduation picture that I am loving. I like it the best of the “official” cap and gown ones, but he did have some taken outside too.

Graduation Picture outside
Mr. Senior 2013 Graduation Picture outside

Another project I had reeling around in my head for new followers and maybe not so new followers is to explain the steps for my planning pages. I know I put each step on a separate blog page, but having something for you to quickly glance at gives you an overall idea of how to do this.

I want to show you what constantly is going on in my mind as I continue to build the planning pages. I will put this new visual on my blog so that hopefully  nobody gets overwhelmed as I continue to have ideas for new forms swirl around in my head.

7 Steps to Planning a DIY Homeschool Curriculum Planner @ Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus1

Too because I realize I needed some new forms as I was record keeping for Mr. Senior 2013 through the last four years, I will slowly be sharing those as  I go along too.

One that was real obvious to me right away was something to track his community service.

Sure he can write it down in his student planner, but “I” needed to track it too so I had a clear idea on the hours for record keeping purposes.

Free Homeschool Community Service Planning Record. Need a way to track your teen's volunteer hours or community service? You'll love this AWESOME form! Click here to download it.

So here is the latest form for your highschooler. Too, some states require more intensive record keeping and so if you are doing anything to give back to your community and you need to track it for your children because it counts as school, this form will work for you.

It is a 7 day week because a lot of times community service is done on the weekends too. I have 2 slots on each day which is just enough room to jot down the total hours or time spent and a simple note for the type of service. Then a total for that week is at the bottom. Use the larger box at the very top for the total monthly time spent.

If you need more room and there was a specific community project or you are doing something different each week, then use the long dotted line out beside the week to make more notes for  the project.

By keeping this a monthly form, you can print off as many or as few as you need. In other words, you may not be doing something for the whole year.

I have a bit of color creating withdrawal lately so this satisfies my color craving for just a short time anyway. I LOVE color and hope you do too.

Download Tracking Community Service Record Here.

You’ll love reading these other tips about high school. 10 Days of Planning a Homeschool High School Graduation, 3 Ways to Homeschool the BIGS (a.k.a. Older Kids) and How to Grade a Homeschool Unit Study for an Older Child (& high school assessment).

Luv ya, hope you like the new form and our latest family picture.

Hugs