Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

dy•nam•ic constant change, progress, activity

Begin Homeschooling

Socialization – A Homeschool Hallucination?

| 17 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Back in the covered wagon days like my kids think or at least LBK (life before kids), I worked with lawyers as an assistant to prepare for upcoming trials.

I took pride in preparing the lawyers for objections from the opposing side and always tried to think outside of the box for one-liners and comebacks when they were needed. When it comes to homeschool socialization, I feel the same way because in many ways it is similar to a battle or drama that is always brewing.

Socialization – A Homeschool Hallucination?

You know what I am talking about because maybe you have gotten similar statements  –  ”homeschoolers are a bunch of holy roly weirdos”, “they’re just weird” or “Mom, those kids are gonna have to get out of the house sometimes”.  I’m sure you have some to add.

Looking back at my LBK days, I probably enjoyed the process of preparing for those far-fetched objections just as much as actually assisting in the courtroom because by nature I like to be prepared. Oh sure, once in a while I may have a quick comeback or I might shock astound folks with my quick wit (shock myself too). But most of the time preparation is key to giving a good defense to the dreaded socialization issue that has been facing homeschoolers from the time they mouth the words: “I’m  homeschooling”.

First, comes the silent strong look from even complete strangers. They might as well just say what is on their mind because it is written all over their face and then comes the blanket statement, which by the way is obvious that they have not researched this topic well.

Each year many new homeschoolers join the ranks with us in homeschooling and because we don’t want to be among the ones that are not well-researched,  we need to take the time to get a clear cut picture of the meaning or definition of socialization. Too, it’s hard to be prepared for something that we are not clear on.

Getting the full flavor of these words, I chose not to use a free definition found online. Take a glance at these definitions that I took from The New Oxford American Dictionary- Second Edition, which is my dictionary here at my home.

Sociable –  willing to talk and engage in activities with other people: friendly

Socialize – 1. mix socially with others 2. make someone behave in a way that is acceptable to their society 3. organize according to the principles of socialism.

See a problem with the definitions?  We certainly don’t want to defend something that we are against because we are not using this society’s measure on education or values. However, probably all of us want our children to be willing to engage in friendly activities with other people and be genuine, compassionate and caring.

For the most part, we have to assume too that most people think we hide under rocks and come out only at night time and that normally is the thinking that we are defending.

From “Catty” to Congenial Comments

So in the spirit of preparation and not condemnation and because I always want to say “it looks like a prison to me” which is probably not the most gracious reply to someone in public school,  I have created a list of one-liners and comebacks.

Here is the question/statement: So why do you homeschool and what about socialization? You are sheltering your children.

  • I homeschool because I want my kids socialized.
  • I want my kids to get along with all kinds of people.
  • We choose to participate in activities with others because we want our kids to accept people of varying backgrounds and ages.
  • My proof is in the pudding- – would you like to see my lesson plans for the week?
  • I am seriously considering cutting back some activities because our week is bulging with social activities and I need time to be at home.
  • I want my children to be around people who model respect, are considerate and well-spoken. What is learned from an early age will be emulated when they are older and around others that are not respectful or considerate.
  • Yes, you are right.  I am sheltering my children. I won’t be able to do it forever, but I can do it as long as I can and help them to become strong in their faith and values. Seems like what any good parent would do.
  • Yes, have you heard of the most recent (insert here: bullying charge, teacher misconduct, shooting or drug raid) at public school.
  • Sometimes I think we overthink this, what happened to the days when people just got kids together and they played without worrying if they were socialized or not?
  • Yes, we homeschool because faith matters and I think of this scripture (insert your favorite one here about “dealings with stupid or foolish people” or “training children”).
  • Each family has to decide what is best for them because even within each family, children are very different.  I have one child that thrives with friends so I can plan sleep overs and lots of meet ups and parties. And I have one child that does not need his emotional tank filled with tons of friends so I can satisfy his need for quiet time and to be with less people.
  • Would you like to come and be a visitor at our school? (Of course this is meant for a well-meaning relative or close friend that you know.)
  • I prefer that my children’s learning time not be interrupted because others do not know how to behave.
  • We homeschool for medical reasons. (Kudos to one of my readers Lake Lili for this reply and I love it because like she says that reply is normally received with silence)

Do you see a few you can use?

Homeschool Socialization Situations & Opportunities

If you were to ask me before I started homeschooling how much I worried about socialization,  my answer would be zero, zip and none. The problem with this scenario is that I am not homeschooling somewhere on paradise island by myself and because we mix and mingle with other people, like you, I get my fair share of second-guessers, naysayers, and plain ole negative nellies.

Gradually folks like that can chip away at your armor and doubt can set in about your decision. What you need now is concrete proof that as homeschoolers we come out from under our rock and caves and that our children are actually very socially adapted. Dare  I say they are friendly and some of us actually like people.

Look at these opportunities for homeschool socialization and how we learned with others.

fall activities homeschool co-op

visit a police station homeschool group

Early Years – Fall Activities and Community Helpers

native american homeschool co-op

 Native Americans

amphibians and reptiles homeschool co-op

 Amphibians and Reptiles

westward ho - homeschool co-op

westward ho - homeschool co-op 2

 Westward Hoooo

rainforest - homeschool co-op

rainforest co-op homeschool

Amazon Rain Forest

renaissance co-op and learning a renaissance dance

renaissance co-op homeschool

 The European Renaissance

early american history homeschool

 Early American History

ancient empires homeschool co-op

 Ancient Empires/Civilizations

Though I have never lacked for words when asked about our homeschool socialization opportunities, I have not always been proud of my quick temper. I know it stems from a place deep down in my heart because homeschooling is a work of the heart and it is hard work on top of that.

Now, I can revisit this post each year and will be armed with gracious speech. I still miss the drama of the courtroom, but then again I now have homeschooling naysayers, skeptics and Debbie downers to prepare for.

I hope this helps you to be armed for this school year and that others will be astounded at your quick wit and preparation too.

Look at my other articles here and grab yourself some more one-liners, comebacks and gracious sayings.

5 Ideas to Kick Start Your School Year By Including Others

Day 6: Homeschool Hangouts & Socialization Situations – 31 Day Boot Camp for New and Struggling Homeschoolers

I’m Homeschooling Because I want Them Socialized

How do I Socialize My Kids?

This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects.  And of course, click the image below to visit all the other blog articles from the homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network.

sword

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child? (and checklist)

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

How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child? (and checklist). Being both anxious and excited, I couldn't wait to begin homeschooling my first child, Mr. Senior 2013. And being around the homeschool community because my mother homeschooled my younger sister, I had an idea of how to begin. As I began, I knew some things, but it was nowhere near what I needed to know. Click here to read my mistakes AND how to avoid them! By the way, I didn't mess up my sons, they turned out fine!Being both anxious and excited, I couldn’t wait to begin homeschooling my first child, Mr. Senior 2013. Being around the homeschool community because my mother homeschooled my younger sister, I had an idea of how to begin. As I began, I knew some things, but it was nowhere near what I needed to know.

I still had many questions. When do I formally start, where do I purchase curriculum, what is considered curriculum at the preschool years and how much do I really need to teach my son at two or three years old were just a few of my anxieties.

Beginning Homeschool with Little Ones and Not Panicking!

I wanted details or some way to know when to move to the next step. So I’m hoping some of these important details will ease your mind.

  • When do I formally start? 

You already know that kids begin learning from the time they are born, but estimating a more formal start is not as easy.

Like public school, you can use Kindergarten or about 5 years of age as a formal start.

However, the one thing I could not possibly appreciate was that my son was very advanced in some skills and at the same time such a baby.  It seems a paradox and hard to explain as I look back. Stay with me as I give you the full circle view.

When my son was 2 years old, I started receiving a box monthly with age appropriate activities for him. It had a craft, a music cassette (yes this was before all the free downloads now) and age appropriate language building skills. It was always centered on themes. Little did I know then that I would create my Kindergarten curriculum around that format. Back to my point.

My son was already writing his name, knew his letters and was reading before Kindergarten.

Out of my stupidity (I say this kindly about myself) meaning I really didn’t know what I was doing, I taught him to read. It was normal to me for him to be that advanced and we were ready to go on to other skills in Kindergarten.

It set me back in Kindergarten when I realized that the curriculum I purchased started off with the same skills I felt my son had mastered. Things I taught him like colors, one to one correspondence, opposites, letter sounds and about science were being introduced in the Kindergarten curriculum.

Too, I had another problem. The curriculum required too much sitting time for such a young age.

Did you know that Kindergarten only requires short periods of sit down work done in about 10 to 15-minute spurts? And that Preschool and Kindergarten are not the grades to make kids sit for hours because you decided to make a more formal start?

I’ve asked forgiveness from my first son. I’m here to tell you that he turned out beautiful, but it was hard to forgive myself for being so overbearing anxious. Don’t make my mistake.

I knew that playing is learning in the preschool years and like any developmental age, it shouldn’t be rushed.

It’s hard to grasp that when you feel the whole weight of your child’s future rests on your shoulders and all he wants to do is play, chew on toys and destroy your house. However, those precious years are momentary flashes that you can’t ever bring back if you rush homeschool.

If you search the definition for Kindergarten, it would probably say something like a grade or class to prepare your child for first grade. But the meaning has been lost through the constant push of the education world, and you need to resist the urge to hop onto the formal education track too soon.

The translation of Kindergarten means “garden for the children” and a child has a right to a stress-fress childhood that is full of play, tender moments and your warm embrace.

Here is a tip that will ease your mind if you ever feel like anytime in your journey you are behind; in one grade or even one month, a child can make significant learning leaps. No pushing or cajoling on your part will move him ahead faster.

The years before and during Kindergarten should be about singing, dancing, crafting and practicing fine motor skills.

I gradually folded in preschool and Kindergarten; it wasn’t until first grade that I required a bit more sit down time.

When You’re Anxious to Use Homeschool Preschool Curriculum

  • Where do I purchase curriculum? And what is considered curriculum during the preschool years?

Again, I can’t do anything balanced. I had curriculum overkill. My curriculum could have been scaled back to living books and crafts. And what I didn’t realize was that my house was already full of things ready to use.

Things like dried macaroni, dried beans for counting, measuring cups, bowls, jump ropes, dried cereal for graphing, rice for pouring, paper for painting, graduated mixing bowls, music for dancing to the alphabet, hopscotch made by chalk, building blocks, and toys for strengthening fine motor skills are what should consume a child’s day.

What I needed more of were living books.

Living books are opposite of basal readers, which are written by textbook writers. Living books are written in a story form and uses rich vocabulary, which is the stepping stone to effective reading and writing skills.

Ditch the formal curriculum until about first grade and focus just on teaching your child how to read and more important, nurture a love for reading. How do you do that? Reading aloud is the key to a lifelong reader.

I’ve said many times how I’m not quite sure what I did to help Mr. Senior 2013 read, but I do know for sure that I read a variety of books he loved over, over and over again. Too, I included nursery rhymes every day so that he could predict the next word.

Then, one day he started to mouth the words and took off reading with easy books. Look at my tips at Teach Your Homeschooled Child How to Read in 20 Easy Lessons.

I know you want some kind of format for how to teach this age and a few my favorite programs are Before Five in a Row and Moving Beyond the Page Curriculum for Preschool.

Here is a list of read-aloud books to get you started. These are just some of the ones I read to each son as I got ready to formally teach them. They instill a lifelong love of reading.

The Story of Ferdinand
Harry the Dirty Dog
The Complete Tales of Winnie-The-Pooh
Corduroy
Goodnight Moon
The Real Mother Goose
Where the Wild Things Are
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Blueberries for Sal
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Storybook Treasury
Curious George: 75th Anniversary Edition
Stone Soup
Make Way for Ducklings
The Classic Treasury of Aesop’s Fables
The Ugly Duckling (Caldecott Honor Book)

Also, grab this free printable Kindergarten checklist so that you can gauge progress for readiness.

Remember that everything you do daily like conversations and reading gives your child a foundation for grammar, phonics and reading more than any curriculum can do.

You are your child’s first teacher. Savor it. Do what your heart moves you to do each day in a natural way because he will learn and anything that you drop the ball on regarding teaching, you always have time to make up.

Relax, you got this!

Here are more tips, because knowledge IS power!
Be sure you go through each day of my free Homeschool 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers, 5 Easy Steps to Putting Together Your Own Homeschool Phonics Program, What You’ve Got To Know About Teaching Reading Comprehension and 8 Components of a Boxed Curriculum.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

Teach Your Homeschooled Teen the Art of Studying (without nagging)

| 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

How to Teach Your Homeschooled Teen the Art of Studying (without nagging) @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Teaching your homeschooled teen the art of studying is a bit like not having a parent’s manual that comes with your kids when they enter the world. Well – almost.

Resources exist overwhelmingly for teaching teens study skills in public schools, but teaching our kids at home can give us a slight edge.

However, it only becomes an advantage if we tap into teaching them how to study along the way. Teaching a teen study skills can be frustrating if you don’t begin when they are young.

How to Spoon-Feed a Homeschooled Teen

Learning should be active and not passive. Spoon-feeding and hovering over our teens won’t propel them to learn the art of studying.

Look at 3 things I learned when teaching a teen to study.

One/ Self-instruction is a must.

Many kids do not do well in public school because they feel trapped with confinements on what they should learn. Avoiding the popular notion that teens need a lot of supervision gives teens a chance to experience independence.

Raising independent and self-taught learners means bucking the current system period.

I learned as I have homeschooled longer to give up the control while supervising them. It begins with self-instruction in what your child is interested in.

Starting out, this doesn’t mean a child guides himself completely because not all children are inclined to even attempt learning the boring things.

Many days teaching my three teens has been more difficult and mentally taxing then when they were toddlers because you have to talk with them not at them as they learn self-governing independence.

And yes there should be sanctions when a teen is not self-studying and is wasting time. But there is a reason a teen is wasting time and it’s called unmotivated.

Two/ Motivation is a GREAT incentive.

Motivation for studying what interests a teen comes first, then self-instruction, not the other way around.

In other words, you can’t expect a teen to be self-taught and independent without him having a compelling reason to be. You can’t just heap subjects onto him, like when he was in elementary grades and then expect him to do them. That was your job then, but it’s not when he is a teen.

Micromanaging in the teen years breeds rebellion and you may end up having an adult child that won’t speak to you. Don’t let that happen.

And don’t make the mistake of swinging to the other end of the pendulum and give him total self-governing.

Teen Study Skills

Don’t stress over it, but look at these sanity-saving tips to gradually dole out independence, which then teaches your teen the art of studying.

  • Choose a topic in a subject. As soon as your child demonstrates a bit of independence, recognize it by allowing him to choose a topic in a subject that you require. Don’t ask him to cover science, but require it. But give him the choice, for example, of studying about rocks, magnets or a bird. For us this happened close to second grade for one child, close to sixth grade for another and closer to middle school for another son.
  • Then, choose subjects. After you have exposed your child to well-rounded out subjects, then give him the choices of which subjects to cover. This normally happens around middle and high school.
  • Give him checklists, organize drawers and student planners to gauge progress. Give him a checklist or some way of knowing what he is doing for the day and when he is finished. The art of how to study can be diminished when your expectations are not clear. Not only are you giving your child clear expectations, but you are doing something VERY important lasting him on into adulthood, which is teaching him how to create expectations, goals and standards for himself. How to study includes setting incremental goals and meeting them. He needs accountability to you first, then next to himself. Early on I set up drawers for each child and in the order I chose for him to cover the subject. That model morphed into choices they made later on as to which subjects they wanted to cover first. I also created student planners and my oldest son enjoyed that the most. My youngest son enjoys taking notes on his iPad. And another son likes picture doodling and part words as he note takes. Each child is different.

organized-drawers-promotes-self-teaching-and-independence-tinas-dynamic-homeschool-plus

  • Listen. More importantly, teens want to be heard. Listen and back him up by letting him try his idea. The best place and time to fail from an idea he had is while he is living with you so he can learn.
  • Take him with you to choose curriculum. My boys made a trip with me to the convention fair each year. If they didn’t have a preference in curriculum, they got a chance to look it over anyway.
  • Teach him his learning style and then help him learn that way. Don’t push your way of learning. I know, I’m probably one of the caring pushiest moms ever, but not all of my boys learn the way I do. Use color coding markers, use a written planner, use an online planner, use an iPad, music in the background works for one son (not me), quiet space for another son, flashcards, index cards and writing in a book (yes allowed). Be willing to move from your comfort zone to the learning zone your child works best in.

Teach Consequences But Evaluate Consequence Too

Three/ Consequences is a must.

Learning how to learn means that your child needs consequences, both bad and good for his habits. Shielding our child or always telling them everything not matter how well-intended can turn to nagging.

When I was a teen, I did learn by example. Not all teens learn that way and some have to experience pain.

Teaching my boys that learning by example is more preferable than learning always by experience was important to me, but my boys have to be willing to accept that mindset.

Teaching teens is not always a two-way street, so be prepared for times when they have to suffer bad consequences.

A bad grade worked for one son, but it didn’t for another one.

Telling my son to think about what others will think about him and the example he set worked for another son. He didn’t want to hear my opinion, but teaching him to evaluate what he was going to do or not do when applying himself to how he studied made him think how he would appear to others.

I’ve found that clear consequences, even writing them down has been a useful guide in prodding my teens in the right direction.

After all, college, life and career are full of on the job rules, regulations and earning respect. Don’t forget to teach them at home.

This is the tip of the iceberg of things I’ve learned as two of my sons have now entered the adulthood.

And when your adult sons tell you often how much they deeply value what you taught them about how to study, you won’t be able to hold back tears.

When you take time to teach your teens how to study, you teach them for a lifetime.

Grab my Free Student Planner, 3 Unique Things a Homeschooled Teen Learns From a Teacher’s Manual and I found this book, The Art of Self-Directed Learning: 23 Tips For Giving Yourself an Unconventional Education very inspirational.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

10 Biggest Homeschool Burnout Triggers (and how to cope)

| 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

10 Biggest Homeschool Burnout Triggers (and how to cope)

No matter what you do, positive person or not or how well-organized you are, homeschool burnout looms because the 10 biggest homeschool burnout triggers are linked to life. Avoiding the unexpected is not possible, but you can plan for the unexpected.

Look at these 10 biggest homeschool burnout triggers and a tip or two on how to cope. Besides, instead of telling you how wonderful homeschooling will be, I want you prepared to dig your heels in when times are tough.

One/A pregnancy (complicated or not).

It may seem obvious that a pregnancy causes burnout, but when you have pregnancy brain it can seem otherwise. Somehow I thought I could keep on pushing because we were in a school year.

It took my third pregnancy before I actually planned activities when I would have to stop and rest.

Laid up on the couch and on bed rest for a few weeks, I pulled out activities for my preschooler and kindergartner, which nowadays are called busy bag activities.

Key to keeping your kids entertained and learning is to have everything they need for an activity in a bag. I could get up once, pull down several activities from the closet and have my two boys sit at my feet on the couch while we learned.

Two/ A long term sickness whether it’s your immediate or extended family.

In addition to pregnancy, I have experienced an ICU stay for my husband, an ICU stay for my sister and a long-term facility care for my mother-in-law.

At the time, it can seem that your life will never return to normal. It might not and may be changed. But change is also part of homeschooling.

I did four things to cope with what seemed like insurmountable stress.

  • I divided our school subjects in half and did half one day and the other half the next day.
  • I bought each kid a backpack so that we could learn on the go and moved our schoolroom into the backpacks.
  • I purchased easy workbooks because this is the time to use them.
  • I purchased an online subscription to Time4Learning.

Avoiding Top Homeschool Burnout Triggers

Three/ The transition to high school.

You will eventually get to high school and hear my heart when I say that is not the time to quit, but it may seem like it at the time.

If you have a rebellious teen it can make this time period worse.  One tip I learned was to be sure that your teen has a say in what he wants to learn and pursue.

Don’t feel like you have to give up everything you have dreamed of for your child, but know that they are entering adulthood and are a unique person.

Part of being a unique person is recognizing their interests, strengths and weaknesses and then allowing them explore them. When you’re at this point in your journey, remember what brought you to homeschooling, which is being able to raise a unique individual.

Instead of throwing in the towel and sending your kid to public school, work with him and decide whether or not an online high school is an option. Some kids do better by answering to somebody else.

My boys never had to experience this, but we also homeschooled from the beginning, which I have learned makes a huge difference.  If your child has had other teachers besides you, he may view that as normal.

Be willing to compromise, but not give up your standards always makes for a fair way of getting through the high school years.

Four/ When homeschool planning is overly ambitious.

Guilty as charged. I can always tell newer homeschoolers or homeschoolers who will burnout quickly by the exhaustive lists of homeschool subjects they think they will cover.

Writing it down is key to being sure your list is doable.

When you simply list it, and not plug a homeschool subject into a time slot on your day, it stays as overly ambitious. The next step is hitting a brick wall and burnout follows.

Overly ambitious homeschooling can backfire with sad consequences.

I have known families through the years that have lost their teens because they would not yield or compromise their plans. How sad.

Look at the tips on my three part series What Homeschool Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them and Divide And Conquer The Ever Growing List of Homeschool Subjects.

Five/ Too many fun activities outside the house.

There have been years that we have been able to do more than other years, but balance is the key no matter how fun are the activities.

This is also exacerbated by how many kids you have. Don’t think that a mom with an only child can’t fall into this trap by trying to be sure her kid gets a social life.

Whether you are a mom of many or an only, your child needs you. There is no substitute for your guidance. Be selective on choosing outside activities and one thing I did when my kids wanted different ones was to alternate them each week.

One week we did art and the next week we did music to satisfy all of my kids. We went slower, but all of my kids benefited from mixing up and cutting back our activities.

Six/ Too many volunteer projects by mom.

When I conducted workshops, many of the moms confessed how many volunteer programs they were a part of.

I encourage you to make your family priority. Even good and worthy volunteering projects can add stress and cause burnout when it’s not necessary. As kids grow older and circumstances change, I have been able to do more things I enjoy.

From Daunting to Doable

Seven/ Failing to plan is planning to fail. It’s true.

The opposite end of overly ambitious planning is feeling like your wings would be clipped if you followed a more scripted schedule.

It takes time to find a middle ground that suits your unique personality. Key to success is knowing your personality and knowing how to rein yourself in.

For example, I know that I tend to be a drill sergeant and have my kids march to the minutes on a schedule (nobody liked me when I first started homeschooling).

All these years I have worked on being more flexible by following more of a block schedule or scheduling zones of times.

If you have the opposite problem, then start by scheduling things for 15 minutes at a time until you find a rhythm to fit your style. You can even use a timer in the beginning as you get the feel for the amount of time needed for a subject.

Training yourself to move through your day accomplishing what you plan without pushing you and your kids will lead to a productive and meaningful day.

Eight/ Job loss or change.

Coping with several of these changes too, I learned to cut back my school to just the core subjects as we adjusted to a new schedule or change in income.

We have owned our own business and my husband has worked 7 days a week for 12 hours days. In all the cases of job changes, I have allowed myself a month or so to adjust to the schedule. For example, when my husband worked 12 hours a day for 7 days a week, I got my kids up early as well so that they were ready for bed at the same time as my husband.

If you don’t get the rest of your household in sync with your husband’s schedule and try to maintain different family schedules, it can trigger stress.

Nine/Moving.

When we moved, I always thought I could keep on homeschooling during that stressful time. I learned that learning to pack and moving can come under Home Economics if you train your children while moving.

My boys always wanted to help pack and looking at the positive, moving is a wonderful time to declutter.

Instead of thinking that our schooling was being interrupted, I viewed that time as our time off of school. Of course we had to make up but it’s so much more easier making up when you choose to take time off to move.

Ten/ Unbending, inflexible, stubborn and immovable and no it’s not the toddler.

Flexible, bending and reasonable didn’t exactly abound in my life or should I say they are not my best qualities. However, homeschooling has a way of seasoning you to showcase those qualities.

Learning to adjust your homeschool course, accepting you and your kids shortcomings and allowing others to help you when you need it, keeps you on the sane road to homeschooling.

By giving you this heads up on things that you may experience in your journey, I hope you can enjoy the high moments that you will encounter and remember that the lows will pass.

Also, look at 4 Reasons Your Homeschooled Child is Uninspired To Learn (and what to do) and 3 Tips from the Pros Before You Become a Homeschool Educator.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

How to Grade a Homeschool Unit Study for an Older Child (& high school assessment)

| 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

How to Grade a Homeschool Unit Study for an Older Child (& high school assessment) @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus Blog

I didn’t choose to do homeschool unit studies because I felt I was creative or liked flying by the seat of pants. What I do like about homeschool unit studies is the unbridled time for learning topics that interests my kids. Later on I would learn that is called mastery learning.

Choosing to move away from laid out curriculum to mastery learning can bring a unique set of challenges for an older child. And doing homeschool unit studies, with an older child looks very different than the themed learning I did with my boys in prek and Kindergarten. That is another topic to tell you about.

Today, I am sharing with you what I have been working on for several months; it is a unit study assessment for an older child and it works for high school too.

Grade a Homeschool Unit Study

I wished I have done it sooner, but you know I’m always slow about my homeschool forms because I need them to work.

It took me a while to wrap my mind around how to do an assessment as I was writing my notes for my older two sons. The bottom line is that I won’t give up our passion for mastery learning so that I can put grades on a transcript. However, knowing in high school, that you do need more conformity, I created my own unique assessment.

Now with son number three, I have been able to put on one page what I’m looking for when doing a unit study with an older child, even a high school teen.

Let’s just face it, too. There is a lot out there for younger kids, but not a lot of specifics for older kids. And because I deal in specifics and know generalities won’t help you or me either one, I prepared a detailed unit study assessment.

3 Smart Tips for Assessing Work for an Older Student

I will share the specifics about the assessment in a minute, but look at these other ways to record keep, grade and assess.

  • Keep in mind this is mastery learning or project-oriented type of learning. Think about assessing each part of the unit study using general marks like Distinguished, Satisfactory and Fair. Don’t get hung up on grades during the year because you can still assess one at the end of the year or unit study.
  • When it comes to language arts use a simple column method. I listed books and other sources my kids read, topics they wrote about and things they learned in grammar. Those things fall easily under the category of English in high school. I gave an assessment on those areas like Distinguished, Satisfactory and Fair when I graded them, but on the transcript I made them an A or B. We followed different writing programs through the years and I used the concepts they were teaching, but took the topics from the current unit study. Having a few teacher’s notes from the writing program gave me guidance on grading their writing, but I didn’t let it consume me.
  • Also,I wrote down the subtopics we studied. Even though we don’t have to record keep in Texas, I wanted to keep them for high school. However, if you’re in a an area that requires record keeping, then writing down what you have done is a perfectly acceptable way to show progress.

Another reason to record keep is that normally an older child needs feedback. I wanted my sons to know what I thought of their work.

It’s not only important to self-evaluate for an older child, but they need to learn how to handle feedback from me. This is part of adult life when others evaluate you.

unit-study-general-assessment-high-school-tinas-dynamic-homeschool-plus

About this DETAILED Unit Study Assessment

Look at how I created this unit study assessment, which can be used for an older child or high school.

  • It is a general evaluation of mastery.
  • Because there is no way I could cover every objective I have on my unit study unless I prepared an assessment for each one, I wanted one assessment that was unique. It is not about all grades and no benchmarks and vice versa. It has both a grade and assessments like I mentioned earlier.
  • I took each subject and highlighted two general benchmarks that I’m looking for at the high school level.
  • Also, unlike high school assessments, I created part of this assessment like a vocation adult mastery class because unit studies are about mastery. It’s important to treat my older children like they will be in the adult world of college and career. Each part of the assessment does not fit perfectly into a canned grading system. I’m not looking to fit each benchmark in my unit studies, but to have a general rule of thumb when grading.
  • The first section is the most important part to me because it deals with motivation and attitude, which are of more value to me.
  • The rest of the sections are about aptitude because there has to be some way to grade or assess older kids in each subject.
  • The last section is also of value to me because it is the very heart of mastery learning, which are projects. Projects are really self-evaluations for students because they demonstrate what they know and students will pick projects that fit their learning style.
  • Lastly, I can assign a grade at the very bottom if I need to. By not putting a grading scale, you can use your own.

Creating something unique that is both a mastery learning assessment and a grading system, I am excited to put this to good use.

I think it’s true when they say three times is a charm because with my third highschooler, I now have a super unique way to assess his efforts.

Also, I love it because it makes a great add to my Ultimate Unit Study Planner.

Ultimate Unit Study Planner Store @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus 600x

Download Here Free Unit Study General Assessment

Also, look at the nitty-gritty of how to create a unit study by reading 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating One Together, Unfolding of a Homeschool Unit Study – An Easy Mnemonic { I-SIP} and 3 Things To Remember When Homeschool Unit Studies Get Complicated.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.