Take a peek at what our final four kids will be learning in our sixteenth year of homeschooling.

Discover my handpicked homeschool curriculum choices for the 2023-2024 school year. This year, I'll be schooling 2nd, 8th and 10th grades. 😀

It's the final countdown for my eldest son. He's got nine more months of homeschooling left and then he's off to join the Navy. He's wanted to be a SEAL for as long as I can remember and has been preparing as best as he can to ensure he has a shot at qualifying for the BUDS training program. In the coming weeks, he'll be working hard to improve his swimming ability, an area of the physical requirements that he knows needs some attention. In the meantime, he'll also be busy finishing up the final credits I planned out for him using the Brave High School Record Keeping for Homeschoolers pack. Here's what he'll be learning. (Because we only homeschool 4 days a week, you can assume that all subjects will be completed four times each week unless otherwise indicated.) (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) Content-rich Subjects He'll continue to join us for our Morning Time and afternoon read-aloud each day. You can learn more about those here>>> Personal Devotions- every day ESV Student Study Bible- While my other kids enjoy working through Bible study books or devotionals, he prefers to read straight from Scripture. Traditional homeschool subjects Consumer Math video lessons from BJU Press- He doesn't need another math credit for graduation, but I'd like him to take a practical math course before he leaves my home in order that he can better manage his own finances as an adult Rosetta Stone Russian- This will be a continuation of the program he started two years ago. (2x a week) Read for pleasure. (every day) I will gather a list of titles including those on my High School Must Read list for him to choose from each month. (Vetting titles in bulk is a great way to provide a teen/tween some helpful discernment while still offering choice in their reading selection.) Adulting for Beginners (1 chapter a week until completed) Be aware that section two, chapter five of this book contains three paragraphs that briefly describe the following forms of contraception: condoms, the pill, and an IUD. The information is not at all graphic. It is presented clinically but may require a biblical worldview discussion. Sex is not really discussed at all nor is a personal belief one way or another regarding contraception. The chapter is a FAQ section on first aid. Dual enrollment/college subjects With dual enrollment, students register for different college classes each semester. But because the workload is advanced, each 4-credit college class counts as one full credit for high school. So, he will complete the following classes during the first semester and register for two or three different classes second semester. Introduction to Literature Medical Terminology Extracurriculars CAP- While he's no longer an active member of the Civil Air Patrol, he did participate in their Black CAP Emergency Services Training, was a cadet staff member of the Minnesota encampment, and organized an Airplane Fly-in/Pancake Breakfast fundraiser at the first part of the summer which counts for his senior year. Life Guard Certification through the YMCA Lifeguard at the YMCA in the evenings and on the weekends Firearm Safety Certification Life Skills Mow the lawn or shovel the snow as needed. Volunteer in the church nursery. (2x a month) Volunteer at the local soup kitchen with the rest of the family. (1x a month) Clean his room and make his bed each day. Daily chores: sweep the dining room, vacuum all the rugs, clean the downstairs bathroom Weekly Chores for his child-of-the-day privileges and responsibilities: help make lunch/dinner and do two loads of laundry (Mondays) Monthly Chores: three chores that he randomly selects from our chore jar one Saturday each month Co-operative Learning Twice a month, he'll attend the homeschool co-op that I lead and participate in two enrichment classes each semester for a total of four for the 2023-2024 school year. In addition, he'll be able to join in on several field trips offered by the group. His first-semester co-op classes will be as follows: TBD Twin Ports HistoryHis second-semester co-op classes will be as follows: TBD Leadership Through Teamwork Time is slipping away from me with this boy. I'm acutely aware of how fast this year will go. But instead of regretting the things I can not change, I'll cheer him on as he prepares to launch. Grab my free No Twaddle Book List! Thank you! The list will be sent to your inbox shortly. Grab my free No Twaddle Book List! I've compiled a complete list of my most favorite books for all ages, tots to tweens. Start here to build a reading culture in your home! Yes, send me the book list!

It's been said that the smallest chili peppers are often the spiciest. I think that's often true of siblings too. My youngest is a spitfire. He has a zest for life and can not be nailed down for too long. He's got itchy legs and wants to go, go, go. If you ever need him, just look for a crowd of people. He'll be the one in the middle gathering the group and welcoming more into it. Here's what my 6th grader will be learning this year. Since we only homeschool 4-days a week, you can assume that each of these subjects will only be covered four times each week unless otherwise indicated. (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) Content-rich Subjects With the exception of science, he'll do all of his content-rich subjects like Morning time/Bible, history, and art with his older siblings. You can see those curriculum choices here>>> Personal Devotions- every day The ESV Holy Bible for Kids What to Wear Language LLATL Tan Book (Use coupon code unlikelyhomeschool at checkout to get 15% off your entire purchase from Common Sense Press, the makers of LLATL.) All About Spelling finish level 4 and begin level 5. Read for pleasure including. (every day) Read the following books that correspond with the LLATL Tan Book. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Latham The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis If he's not currently working through an LLATL-suggested book, he will read a chapter from a book that I assign to him from my Biblio-files list. These will be classics, biographies, or exceptional fiction. Math Abeka Arithmetic 6 Video Lessons Science In the elementary years, I think it's important to plan content-oriented subjects with delight in mind. I typically go through a series of questions with my kids to help them determine what they want to learn and/or learn more about. Since all of his older brothers will be doing distance learning for science this year, like last year, my youngest son was able to choose the topic he most wanted to explore. He selected basic animals in our area--woodland animals of the midwest. This study will pair nicely with our Minnesota History/Geography unit that we'll be doing as a family. So, I'll be putting together a homespun unit with some public library resources, a few nature documentaries, some field trips, and the following books from our home collection. In Woods and Forests Mammals of Minnesota Field Guide Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest The Big Book of Animals Every Child Should Know by Rudolf Freund Forest Mammals by Glen Loates Additionally, he will be required to create his own field guide using the Animals of the Woodland pack. Each page will be dedicated to one particular midwest animal. He'll have to draw it and add basic information about what it eats, where/how it lives, its migration, breeding, and hunting habits, etc. I'm also planning field trips to the following places. He has been to all four of them before but will certainly benefit from a return visit. North American Bear Center International Wolf Center Lake Superior Zoo Minnesota Zoo Handwriting Character Handwriting- Cursive--This is a repeat course from last year. It went missing a few weeks into the school year and was found during the great end-of-the-year curriculum clean-out. Instead of ordering something new, I've decided to have him pick up where he left off. World View Who is God? Life Skills/Extra-Curricular Subjects Baseball-late season weekend tournaments through September Basketball through the Salvation Army- 1x a week from November-March The Boys Body Book (Please note: I have linked to the 3rd edition of this book which is the one we own. The newer editions have inclusions of a sexual ethic that I can not condone nor promote.) How You Are Changing (Please note: I have an older edition of this series that combines both the girls and the boys into one book. The publisher has since created separate reading tracks for each gender and no longer prints the original series. That said, the newer editions are still excellent and approach sex and gender through a Biblical lens.) Volunteer at the local soup kitchen with the rest of the family. (1x a month) Clean his room and make his bed each day. Daily chores: sweep the music room, empty the dishwasher with his older brother, empty all the bedroom and bathroom trash cans Weekly Chores for his child-of-the-day privileges and responsibilities: help make lunch/dinner and do two loads of laundry (Wednesdays), wash the dishes with an older sibling twice a week Monthly Chores: dust the main floor with his siblings, mop the music room, plus randomly select and complete two chores from our chore jar one Saturday each month Feed the neighbors' cat when they are away. Serve at our local Soup Kitchen with the family. (1x a month) Co-operative LearningTwice a month, he'll attend the homeschool co-op that I lead and will participate in two enrichment classes each semester for a total of four for the 2023-2024 school year. In addition, he'll be able to join in on several field trips offered by the group. His first-semester co-op classes will be as follows: Government, Economics, and Critical Thinking Minnesota History and Geography (I'll be teaching that one!) His second-semester co-op classes will be as follows: World Geography & Cultures Wood Burning This boy of mine keeps me on my toes. He's high energy with a love for sports, people, and sports that include people. I can't wait for another year of learning alongside him. Grab my free No Twaddle Book List! Thank you! The list will be sent to your inbox shortly. Grab my free No Twaddle Book List! I've compiled a complete list of my most favorite books for all ages, tots to tweens. Start here to build a reading culture in your home! Yes, send me the book list!

One would think the fourth time planning ninth grade would be relatively easy. At this point, it should just be lather-rinse-repeat. Right? But the truth is, each of my kids is so vastly different from their siblings. They have different passions and different giftings. I'd be remiss if I did not reshuffle the deck from year to year and plan a unique high school program for each of them. So, that is what I aimed to do as I was making curriculum choices for my ninth grader. After having some great discussions with him about his future hopes and dreams and after reviewing the results of a few different career aptitude tests he took this summer, I used the Brave High School Record Keeping for Homeschoolers pack to put together a four-year plan that will hopefully position him to achieve his post-graduate goals. Here's what he'll be learning in 9th grade. Since we only homeschool 4-days a week, you can assume that each of these subjects will only be covered four times each week unless otherwise indicated. (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) Content-rich Subjects As always, he'll do all of his content-rich subjects like Morning time/Bible, history, and art with his other siblings. You can see those curriculum choices here>>> Personal Devotions- every day ESV Student Study Bible Unshakable Hope Promise Book Student Edition Language Arts English 9 from BJU Press All About Spelling level 7. Read for pleasure. (every day) I will gather a list of titles including those on my High School Must Read list for him to choose from each month. (Vetting titles in bulk is a great way to provide a teen/tween some helpful discernment while still offering choice in their reading selection.) Word Roots Level 1 Math Pre-Algebra-- This is a live Zoom class offered by Excelsior Classes, a group of Christian teachers who teach online classes to homeschoolers. Science Physical Science from BJU Press Distance Learning Extra-Curricular Subjects Cooking Culinary School episodes- He'll watch these in the first few weeks of school. Taste of Home Cooking School- After reading all of the front matter of the book, he'll then select a rotation of recipes based on the categories in the book. Plan one full meal menu from the cookbook and cook it. (1x a week) Typing Mavis Beacon Typing (2x a week) Blacksmithing Continue with his blacksmithing apprenticeship at a local forge a couple of Saturdays a month. (One of our house rules is that by the time you graduate, no matter what your future college/vocational plans might be, you will have had to learn a trade under a tradesman. Mastering a trade will open doors of ministry, side-hustle income, and/or save you money when you can do a job yourself instead of hiring it out to someone else.) Baseball Try out for the public high school junior varsity team. Play for the local club/traveling league in the late spring and summer months. Life Skills Mow the lawn or shovel the snow as needed with his siblings and at an Airbnb in our neighborhood Volunteer in the church nursery. (2x a month) Volunteer at the local soup kitchen with the rest of the family. (1x a month) Clean his room and make his bed each day. Daily chores: sweep the library, empty the dishwasher with his younger brother, wipe down the surfaces in the upstairs bathroom Weekly Chores for his child-of-the-day privileges and responsibilities: help make lunch/dinner and do two loads of laundry (Fridays), rotate with his brothers to mow the lawn and/or shovel the snow as needed Monthly Chores: dust the main floor with his siblings, mop the library, mop his room, randomly select one additional chore from our chore jar one Saturday each month Serve at our local Soup Kitchen with the family. (1x a month) Co-operative LearningTwice a month, he'll attend the homeschool co-op that I lead and participate in two enrichment classes each semester for a total of four for the 2023-2024 school year. In addition, he'll be able to join in on several field trips offered by the group. His first-semester co-op classes will be as follows: TBD Twin Ports History His second-semester co-op classes will be as follows: TBD Leadership Through Teamwork From drawing to pitching baseballs, blacksmithing to cooking tasty treats, he's a boy who likes to work with his hands. His ninth-grade year will, no doubt, provide him plenty of opportunities to create, make, and do. Grab my free No Twaddle Book List! Thank you! The list will be sent to your inbox shortly. Grab my free No Twaddle Book List! I've compiled a complete list of my most favorite books for all ages, tots to tweens. Start here to build a reading culture in your home! Yes, send me the book list!

It's back! 🎉 The Homeschool Attendance Record for 2023-2024 is finally here! This is the 11th year of this wonderful little attendance record that fits on one sheet of paper if you print front-to-back. Sadly, I think this is the latest I have ever published it. June just got away from me! Thank you for

Discover my handpicked homeschool curriculum choices for the 2023-2024 school year. This year, I'll be schooling 2nd, 8th and 10th grades. 😀

I just finished finalizing all of our Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum choices for the upcoming 2023/2024 school year.

I am delighted to share the curriculum we've chosen for our upcoming school year, which we began this week! This year, we have a 5th grader, a 3rd grader, a 1st grader, and a preschooler. A reminder: Choosing curriculum can be enjoyable and… daunting. While we should definitely do our research, I believe there comes a

I just love using online resource to supplement our homeschool! My favorite is YouTube. YouTube has built up an amazing library of amazing content. Homeschool families often overlook the awesome content they can find on YouTube to supplement their homeschool Below are ten to get you started!

What Colleges Like to See from Homeschoolers. Homeschool high schoolers who are aiming for college get helpful tips from academic advisors Marilyn and Barb.

Creating an easy homeschool portfolio is something any parent can do in only a few minutes a school year. You can create some of it BEFORE the year begins!! Some states have a testing requirement.

I pictured and perceived homeschool lesson planning as a process of writing the plan out for the year, following it, executing it and feeling successful. But that’s not how things happened for me.

Stay calm. Don't panic. You can create a homeschool transcript, and it can be quick, easy, and painless process. Grab the free template to get started!

I am very much impressed by the people who regularly set aside time daily, weekly, or even monthly to get their school stuff in order and laid out. As a

When sharing about our homeschool rhythm a few weeks ago I mentioned that I wanted to write a post about how I plan our year without a curriculum and I

Geometry Formulas Chart Print 8 x 10 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD This is a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD you will be sent a link to your email to download the files that you print yourself 300 dpi Reproduction - Not Original If you’re looking for some unusual art for your office or home look no further!

Paramount to maintaining sanity is having a guideline or idea of what to teach in each homeschool grade. You’ll love the tips shared by a veteran homeschool mom with 25+ years.

Free Mid-Year Homeschool Assessment Packet About this time of year, I get itchy. I know that the holidays are coming up and we will take a well-deserved break! Right around the holidays, I also take the time to think about how things are going. Today, I wanted to share this Free Homeschool Assessment Packet with you (I updated and expanded it a bit this year.). This packet has several pages...

Freedom Homeschooling lists free homeschool life skills electives for all grades. Home economics, personal finance, auto repair, and more!

Check out homeschool curriculum picks for the 23'-24' upcoming school year! 3rd Grade, 1st Grade, Pre-k and Tot-school!

Inside: Trying to figure out how to track your child's learning when you unschool? Here are five easy ways to keep an unschooling portfolio, all of which use reverse planning in some way. Even if

Get printables for U.S. state maps from this page, then color the maps to show data like rainfall, population, or vegetation. We'll show you how.

In an effort to learn from those who have come before me, we’re going to loop schedule most of our subjects or sections of time throughout the week rather than try to schedule it on a specifi…

Charlotte Mason believed that you couldn't give your child an excellent education unless you had an end in sight. What do you want for you...

Warning: Homeschool post ahead. I am not the most organized person. Based on my personality profile, I should be, but organization is the first thing that goes when life gets busy. And life has been busy since approximately…2008. However. One thing that I do stay on top of is our homeschool recordkeeping. I have several

Want to take your kid's knowledge to the next level in your homeschool? 16 old-fashioned or vintage skills to boost your homeschool experience.

Homeschool elective classes made easy with these fun online art classes, music resources, and more!

Are you homeschooling upper grades this year? Here are 5 important, but often overlooked things to include in the high school years.

Meet a Canadian homeschooling mama of three, homeschooling with a relaxed classical homeschool approach! Check out her classical approach, routine, etc

Classical Conversations: Cycle 3–Games and Videos! I shared my Ultimate List of Books for Cycle 3 a few w

Are you homeschooling 7th grade? Me too! This will be my first year with a seventh-grader. Today, I am sharing some of our favorite homeschool resources to use with 7th graders. I hope you find some resources that your tween will enjoy! Seventh Grade Homeschool Curriculum: Resources by Subject Homeschooling 7th Grade: A quick note I always say that we are 'curriculum dabblers' and it's true! We use a patchwork of creative educational resources. What we use with one child when he is in fourth grade is often different from what we used with a sibling. Below, I am sharing the

Looking for free homeschool curriculum for autism? Here are some of the best free homeschool resources for your unique learner!

Investigate different Charlotte Mason homeschooling curriculum packages by reviewing 10 of the most popular Charlotte Mason Curriculums here!

Welcome to my free planning & organization pages! You are most welcome to download and freely use whatever you need for your own household. I have provided downloads in MS Word so that you ca…

Overwhelmed with your homeschool portfolio? This one simple tip will help. See what to leave OUT and save your sanity!

The assignment planner form has evolved a bit until it met both Jaden's needs and my own. Here is a free customizable weekly assignment planner to download.

I just finished putting together a free spelling curriculum (and also in print form) that I would love to tell you about! As a homeschooler for 15 children over three decades, I have come across a number of spelling programs. Most consist of grade-leveled lists (with words that ... Read More...

By using a simple binding method, I have found what I believe is the easiest way to organize Abeka curriculum.

Thanks to all the great feedback in the Mater Amabilis facebook group. It seems appropriate to share all of the details on my Charlotte Mason planner, since I spent so long figuring it all out!! So many people have helped me get started in this journey, now it's my turn. A little about us... My twin girls are 6 years old. We are moving into MA Year 1B / AO Year 1 / Form I. We use a combination of Mater Amabilis, Ambleside Online, and for history I love all of the podcasts over at A Delectable Education. The ladies who write at the following blogs have truly inspired me... Wildflowers & Marbles, Sage Parnassus, Living Soul Deep, Joyous Lessons, Moments With Mother Culture, and A Delectable Education! I am beyond thankful to the curriculum writers at Mater Amabilis and the advisory at Ambleside Online. That being said I couldn't find a planner that was an exact fit, and so I knew I had to create my own. Through lots of prayers, research, and energy this is what I came up with. I wasn't planning on sharing, but I felt compelled to, and now here I am typing up this how to guide. I really hope it helps or inspires you to create your own planner, if like me you haven't already found the perfect fit. Planner Overview Video I just took some time to flip through the planner and show you each section that I have in there. Step By Step: Step 1: Nail down your schedule I spent lots of time here and feel what I have is close to what CM would have done in her schools. My biggest aim was to have, as she recommended, the subjects alternate daily so the students would never have the same exact day M-F, but how do I keep track of that with so many subjects?! We have this beautiful feast to spread but we have to keep track of it too. With the weekly schedule from MA & AO before me, and a few other resources for content, I began to form our weekly/daily schedule by looking at Charlotte Mason's daily time-tables. After that I spent lots of time looking at Form I and Year 1B schedules online from various sources. Google was my BFF for a while. Then I finished by taking some time to read and apply what Charlotte Mason presents in her programmes that accompany the times-tables. Those were the missing links, for me, in building our daily schedule. This is a general layout of our week. A snapshot of subjects. I plan to write in the books being covered on this page, but save page numbers and more detailed information for the daily schedule. I am going to copy what MA or AO has laid out for the 36 week lesson plan (including any adjustments/additions I've personally made) onto these pages. This part of the planning was not about what books to use and cover each week. Mater Amabilis and Ambleside Online, along with some recommendations from a few seasoned CM moms (see blog list above), had that knocked out for me. Thank you! This part of the process was about how to actually organize it all - daily. Kind of like putting the puzzle together. I had all the pieces, just needed to make them fit logically and most like Charlotte did. That's why I need a planner, so that my day flows and I don't have to think about it. For this part you can copy what I have created, create your own, or purchase BLANK files and edit them yourself. In the Etsy bundle I have included the blank files for weekly, daily, front, and back cover for $10. You can download them right away. One of my favorite and easiest ways to edit is to take a JPEG file PLACE it in a google drawing (see google docs online and find drawings) and edit! You can place text boxes wherever you want all over the JPEG!! It's super easy. When you're done save it as a PDF for highest quality and then PRINT. That's it!! You could also just print the blank files to add to your planner and write everything in throughout the year. Last you could use the files in another design program like Adobe InDesign to create your personal schedule. I'm sure there are other ways too!! HERE IS A LINK TO THE FILES ON ETSY! Daily has larger blocks on the left to write in more detailed information. Page numbers, what was actually covered, etc. Extras, etc. Step 2: Print your weekly and daily schedules Once you've figured all that out....Print 36 weekly files. I color coded these and used card stock versus regular weight paper. I printed 12 pink for 1st term, 12 green for 2nd term, and 12 blue for 3rd term. Print 36 Mondays, 36 Tuesdays, 36 Wednesdays, 36 Thursdays, and 36 Fridays. Print back and front when you can to save space and paper. I printed these in black and white (you could print in color) on white regular stock paper. This planner is 8.5x11 in size so that I could use my at home printer for some of the printing. I ended up printing the bulk (daily schedule) at my print shop. Cost was about $12. I printed the weekly pages at home. Set all of this aside. Now you have the bulk of your planner complete - weekly/daily schedules for all 36 weeks! You may notice I don't have a daily anything for Saturdays and Sundays. That may be something you'd like to include. I am just planning on jotting down weekend events on my monthly calendar. Step 2: Collect the other files that will make up your planner. A. Calendars I printed an academic year overview and vertical monthly calendars. My year is running from August to July. You can make yours however you like. I used CalendarPedia for all of my monthly calendars. Download, save, and print the PDFs that you choose. Print them on cardstock. I chose a bright yellow to print these on. I printed these at home. set aside. B. Meal Planning I researched and settled on these to use. I printed them back and front in black and white. Print enough to cover each month. I also included a grocery list. I used this (should be able to use the file below) and also perforated them, so that I can just tear a list out before going shopping each week. That tool is about $3 at a craft store. 3 per page single sided (or you could double side it for more writing space). I put in two pages so I have 6 lists for each month to use. C. Blank Monthly Dividing Pages & Tabs I didn't use this in my current planner but probably will next year so I can place my tabs on these and open directly to the month. I was trying to cut down on as much paper as possible, since it's so thick already! But if you want to, I would just use most likely the same yellow paper, or whatever color you choose, to place in front of your monthly calendar. You will adhere the monthly tabs to these pages. I bought my monthly tabs on Etsy. There are many to choose from! I got mine from i Smooch Planner These cost about $12. D. Front and Back Cover Design, print in color, laminate. I have this included with the weekly and daily files that are available for download, so I can customize it for you if you go that route. Set all of these files aside and tabs aside. Step 3: Assemble/order your planner. Start with your front cover, yearly overview calendar(s), then start with your first month or blank file page. In my planner, I then put meal plans and grocery lists. Next comes the weekly overview and then M-F daily schedules. I put the correct number of weeks that followed that are school weeks for the month. You could do this however YOU like!! :) If at the end of the month there were three leftover days and two on into the next month, I just kept that as a full week together. I know at the beginning / end of a few months I may have to flip back or flip forward into the following or previous month, but I'm okay with that. If you want to try and break it up more exact that would be up to you since it's YOUR planner! Think about it and lay it out how you like. I used all 36 weeks up and my planner was done. We only officially are going to "school" for a week in December, so that's all I put after my December monthly calendar. I will use my monthly calendar to write down events and appointments. So December's calendar (the vertical one in yellow) may be a little more full but that's okay with me! I only use my daily calendars for school. That may or may not work for you. If it doesn't you could easily create a general daily page to insert where you aren't doing school. (spring break week, holidays weeks, weekend, etc.) Step 4: Bind your planner I took my ready to bind planner to my local print shop and had them spiral bind it for about $4. You could put it in a 3 ring binder, bind it yourself, or however you want to do it. Step 5: Enjoy and be proud of your work!! Many blessings! ~ Amber

Check out these 6th-grade homeschool curriculum picks, reviews, our schedule, and strategies to put together your lesson plans.