BJ's Homeschool

Our Homeschool High School English Sequence and Curriculum Choices

Our favorite homeschool high school English curriculum and resources for our teen and how we put together our sequence for high school English in our homeschool. Tips for those with college bound , too. This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

Are you looking around for new ideas for your teen's English next year? We used a variety of curriculum for homeschooling high school English.

Summary: How can you help your homeschooled teen figure out what they want to do after graduation? 7 Sisters Homeschool high school career exploration curriculum was a great help for us and to gave our teen a homeschool high school credit. This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

Are you homeschooling a high schooler who just doesn't know what they want to do after graduating?

Summary: A frugal approach to homeschool handwriting curriculum for homeschoolers and preschoolers, elementary kids using these free or frugal homeschool handwriting curriculum and resources. This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

Do you have young ones who are ready to learn how to write?

Do they show signs of eagerness like playing a lot with crayons, noticing letters and signs, or making lots of marks and shapes on paper? Do they know the alphabet?

Today, I'd like to share my guide to handwriting, using simple frugal resources for the basics of handwriting, including:

- Introducing the A,B,C's
- Learning to write the letters
- Simple copywork activities using your child's own words
- Practicing handwriting with Draw, Write, Now, link below.

You don't have to use an established or expensive handwriting program. We didn't. Instead we found two frugal resources for teaching handwriting.

TIP - Make writing meaningful to your child by using her own words whenever possible.

Here's how we approach handwriting, starting with the A, B, C's.

1. Introducing the A,B,C's

Using the Library - We introduced the ABC's through fun alphabet books from the library. You know, those books that start with "A is for Apple", etc, with lovely photos to go with them.

The Big Book of Alpha Tales - This book has very funny stories for each letter of the alphabet, with mini books to make for each one. (Approximately $7.00)

Using Clay or Magnets - Sometimes we made the letters out of clay. I also got my daughter a set of magnet letters for the frig. These are readily available at the drug store.

I just put our set of magnet letters onto our frig, and my daughter loved rearranging them into little designs. And through her play, she learned the shapes of the letters.

Next, she was ready to learn how to write her letters.

2. Writing the ABC's with this Frugal Handwriting Curriculum

from MelissaAndDoug Storytelling Paper

We used a variety of activities to help her learn to form her letters....including:

- copying large letters onto the chalkboard
- practicing writing the letters in the air
- making letter shapes in fingerpainting
- even using pudding!

I gave my daughter a lot of time to explore the shapes and learn her letters. When they are ready start with the capital letters first, using this chart above as to how to shape the letters.

But if your child decides to write them a different way, starting at the bottom instead of at the top, let it go if their letters are legible.

Once she could write the letters of the alphabet, we went on to copywork, using Story Paper For Kids, if you like. This frugal packet goes for about 6 dollars and has 50 heavy weight handwriting paper for your use. Or just goggle handwriting paper, and chose a free one with wide lines.

3. Frugal Handwriting Homemade Copywork

Once my daughter could write her letters, I looked for some very wide lined paper, which had a blank space on half of it, for coloring and drawing.

I found Story Paper For Kids very helpful.

We always started with drawing first, then I asked my daughter about the picture.

Often it was something that she had done the day before, or a favorite animal, or two. Then she would tell me about it.

I listened to her words, then I would write down a few of her
words, so she could then copy them onto the lines on her paper.

My goal was just that the letters be legible. The important thing is that my daughter was using her own written words to communicate.

Here's a sample of beginning copy work. My child first told me about the picture, I wrote down her words, then she copied them onto her paper.

Neatness and goals: Neatness and staying in the lines will come, but often it takes a lot of practice, and I suggest not focusing much on that, but instead on helping your child practice handwriting, using her own words.

The writing sample above is excellent work for a young hand writer who is not struggling with handwriting. It is going to be a messy thing for quite a while, which is to be expected.

Next, we moved on to practicing handwriting, using frugal books from Draw, Write, Now, which involved copywork with short stories.

4. Building Handwriting Skills

I was delighted when I first found Draw Write Now. When we opened the book together, we saw that each lesson included a shape or animal to draw, and a very short story to copy.

Learning to draw these shapes was easy, with the step by step guide provided. Drawing first helped her to relax. The more relaxed your child is, the better they will write.

The Draw, Write, Now series is a homeschool handwriting curriculum that consists of eight books, each with a different theme, and all written at the same reading level, around 2nd grade.

I took my daughter to the nearby children’s book store and she chose Book 1 - On the Farm, Kids, Critters. It was full of her favorite animals to draw.

My daughter's handwriting greatly improved from doing this easy to teach program.....Click here to read more of my review.....of Draw, Write Now.

If you have been following my series on handwriting, you already are probably familiar with my post on fun fine motor activities.

These activities help to develop the small muscles of the hand, key for little writers. If your child has trouble grasping her pencil, you might like to check out 9 Fun Ways to a Mature Grasp, or Grasping Aids and Devices and the other posts I have on handwriting struggles. Just click on "2e" and scroll down to find the handwriting section.

This year, my daughter is a college grad writing essays, etc. But it all started with these simple, frugal resources for handwriting.

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is a former O.T, preschool teacher and published author of children's stories. She is mom to her 2e college grad whom she homeschooled through high school. She blogs at BJ's Homeschool about the early years, high school, college, and is the author of "Homeschooling High School with College in Mind". She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting.

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Our Frugal Homeschool High School Math Sequence and the SAT/ACT

Summary: Our homeschool high school math curriculum choices and how we did our math sequence in high school. How and when to plan for SAT or ACT testing depending on what math your teen has completed. Tips for teens who are headed into a math related field and more. Homeschooler tips for college testing included.

Math was something that my teen did everyday in our homeschool. Especially during the high school years. Is that how it goes in your house, too?

Summary: Homeschool high school math reviews of homeschool Saxon math, Oak Meadow, Teaching Textbooks math, and Switched On Schoolhouse math. Find the homeschool math curriculum that is best for your dear teen. #homeschoolhighschoolmath Note - This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

We used a variety of math curriculum for middle and high school. We began the middle school years with Saxon Math, then later switched to Teaching Textbooks.

How to prepare your homeschooled teen for college writing is really not that hard. I share how to prepare a homeschooled high schooler for college, and what was important in homeschool high school English. This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

We had homeschooled our daughter through high school and this was her first quarter in college.

Summary: How to deal with getting into college as a homeschooled teen. What are the colleges looking for? You can showcase your student to college with their high school electives! This article may include affiliate links to homeschool high school curriculum or resources that we have used or love. Please see my disclosure policy. #gettingintocollege #collegeadmissions

Are you concerned about your teen getting into college as a homeschooler?

Or are you stressing just in regards to the competition involved in college admissions?

Did you know that high school electives can be a real help in getting into college?

Summary: There really are many advantages of homeschooling high school that so helped our daughter get into college. What she saw on campus showed that many things about homeschooling high school really helped her with college admissions, homeschooling to college, and also with work once she was there. Homeschool to college success story.

This week we found out that my daughter made the Dean's List. She surprised us by doing that fall quarter of her first year at college, then again in the spring.

Summary: Homeschooling high school to college is not that hard, especially when course descriptions and homeschool reference letters come along for the ride. Homeschooling high school record keeping is key to writing good course descriptions. Reference letters show the colleges what your student is about, and that is important to college admissions.

This article is now a chapter in my new book.

Have you seen my NEW Complete Guide to college for homeschoolers yet?

Homeschooling High School with College in Mind
2nd Edition

Homeschooling High School with College in Mind - 2nd edition,

Paperback is at Amazon $11.99

and
Barnes and Noble $11.99

It lays out 10 easy steps for homeschool to college, and covers everything you need to help your teen get into the college of their choice, with 7 NEW chapters. Recommended by Lessa Scherrer, a certified college counselor and a homeschooling mama of 3.

Create your own unique and nurturing high school program for your teen and showcase their accomplishments to the colleges.

The 17 Chapters include:

>Chapter 1 - How to Start Homeschooling if you are a Newbie
>Chapter 2 - 101 Reasons to Homeschool High School
>Chapter 3 - Researching and Getting Started
Chapter 4 - Planning High School and Making a 4 Year Plan
>Chapter 5 - Choosing Your High School Curriculum
>Chapter 6 - Three Ways to High School Credit
>Chapter 7 - Making Your Teen's Transcripts
>Chapter 8 - 100 High School Electives
>Chapter 9 - Making Homemade Courses
>Chapter 10 - Writing a Winning College Essay
>Chapter 11 - Course Descriptions and Reference Letters
>Chapter 12 - The Common Application - Your GUIDE
>Chapter 13 - Preparing Your Teen for College Writing
>Chapter 14 - Dealing with College Testing SAT/ACT
>Chapter 15 - Top Sources for College Scholarships
>Chapter 16 - Dealing with “Those Questions” from Others
>Chapter 17 - Don’t Forget the FUN!

>There are 12 downloadable high school homeschool planning printables plus a transcript form for you to just fill in.

The kind of transcript form that the colleges are used to seeing.

For more info: Homeschooling High School with

College in Mind - 2nd Edition

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school. She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, highschool,
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition, She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting, and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

Want to stay in touch?

Subscribe, Pinterest, Facebook
No spam ever.
Just encouragement for your homeschool in your inbox.

Top Sources for College Scholarships - -

Summary: Where to find college scholarships with tips for getting merit aid, the National Merit Scholarships and more. Plus links especially for homeschoolers. Did you know the FAFSA can help your teen get scholarships from the colleges? Really. #getintocollege #collegescholarships

Top Sources for College Scholarships is now a chapter in my new book.

Have you seen my NEW Complete Guide to college for homeschoolers yet?

Homeschooling High School with College in Mind
2nd Edition

Homeschooling High School with College in Mind - 2nd edition,

Paperback is at Amazon $11.99

and
Barnes and Noble $11.99

Kindle is coming!

Create your own unique and nurturing high school program for your teen and showcase their accomplishments to the colleges.

The 17 Chapters include:

>There are 12 downloadable high school homeschool planning printables plus a transcript form for you to just fill in.

The kind of transcript form that the colleges are used to seeing.

For more info:

Homeschooling High School with

College in Mind

- 2nd Edition

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Want to stay in touch?

Subscribe, Pinterest, Facebook

No spam ever.
Just encouragement for your homeschool
in your inbox.

Frugal Elementary Science Activities - PreK - Elementary

Frugal or free ideas for early and elementary homeschool science activities and easy to do unit studies. Hands-on and FUN! #homeschoolscienceactivities #elementaryscience #homeschoolelementary

What is science really in the elementary years?

For us we did not involve an expensive set curriculum. Not at all.

Summary: Planning to homeschool high school is not that hard! High school homeschool graduation requirements, what are homeschool core studies, how homeschool high school electives add in so much, where to search for your homeschool high school curriculum and how to make a high school homeschool 4 year plan.

When my daughter was in middle school we started thinking about homeschooling the teens years.

Do you have a young child who is a sensory seeker? Or who is VERY active?

My little one was always tumbling all over the couch, doing hand stands every chance that she could, and even preferring to be upside down more often than upright. ALL the time.

How could we keep our home from becoming upside down, too?

For down to earth tips for dealing with your sensory child, just click here, as this post has moved to this new link below....

-----Thriving in the Early Years with Your Sensory Kid----

Over the years, we found many ways to help our sensory seeking child, and I share those ideas in my post above. I hope they are a help to you and your precious little one.

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school. She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school, college, gifted/2e. She offers free homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting, and has had her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

Want to stay in touch?

Pinterest,Twitter, Facebook

Click here to subscribe.

Our Favorite Choices for Homeschool Math Curriculum - Preschool through High School ----

Summary:  Our choices for preschool homeschool math curriculum, elementary homeschool math, curriculum, middle school homeschool math curriculum, high school homeschool math curriculum and how we added in living math all along the way. Homeschool math curriculum reviews are included.  #homeschoolmath #homeschoolcurriculummath #homeschoolpreschool #homeschoolkindergarten #homeschoolhighschool

Are you kids struggling with their chosen math curriculum? Are you looking for another way to go that might fit their learning style better?

We switched out our math curriculum more than once in our homeschool, once in elementary, and then again in high school.

Sometimes our original choice in homeschool math curriculum just didn't make the grade, so to speak. So we took the leap and searched around for other options again, and each time we found a math curriculum that worked better than the original one.

Yes, it was hard to let go of our initial homeschool curriculum choice, and it did impact our budget. But each time it made for a happy math student in our house. And success in her math studies.

Today, I'd like to share our favorites for homeschool math curriculum for preschool math play, elementary homeschool math, middle school math and also high school homeschool curriculum math options.

Click here for my whole article on:

--------------- BJ's Choices for Homeschool Math ------------------
Preschool to High School

....to reach more information about all of our favorites for math. I hope that it is a help in your homeschool and for the young mathematicians in your house.

too.

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school. She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school, college, 2e and wrote - Homeschooling High School with College in Mind. She offers free homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting, and has had her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

Want to stay in touch?

Subscribe, Pinterest, G+, Facebook

Just click here.

Pages

Our Homeschool High School English Sequence and Curriculum Choices

Homeschool High School Frugal Career Exploration Elective - Help Your Teen Find Their Direction in Life

Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum - Free and Frugal Resources -

Our Frugal Homeschool High School Math Sequence and the SAT/ACT

Homeschool High School Math - Teaching Textbooks vs. Monarch

Homeschool High School English - How to Prepare Your Teen for College Writing

How to Deal with College Applications and How High School Electives Can Help

How Homeschooling Helped My Teen Get into College

Course Descriptions and Reference Letters for Homeschooling to College - -

Top Sources for College Scholarships - -

Frugal Elementary Science Activities - PreK - Elementary

How to Plan to Homeschool High School - 4 Easy Steps -

Thriving in the Early Years with your Sensory Kid - -

Our Favorite Choices for Homeschool Math Curriculum - Preschool through High School ----

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Frugal High School English from 7 Sisters

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