Top products from r/homeschool

First off, if you are planning on going to college (and you aren't trying to build a high school resume that will launch you straight into 4-year programs at high-end universities), then take a deep breath and understand that graduating and dropping out make zero difference post-education if you have a college degree. You literally cannot mess up high school so badly that it overshadows college achievement.

There are two directions to go with college preparation. First off, understand that success at the college level doesn't involve what classes you have or have not taken, but rather how well you study, learn, write, read, and test. Taking calculus in high school doesn't make you a better college student than someone who has only taken trig; it just means you have one more math class under your belt. Math/logic and language arts are the bread and butter tools you need to succeed in college, as it's the fundamentals that really trip us up in college (where teachers don't have time to address a lack of fundamentals):

• However far you go with math, make sure you know it and are comfortable. Khan Academy is great for this, and you can pop yourself into used bookstores or onto Amazon and get cheap (less than $5) textbooks to give you different perspective on that stuff. The easiest "structured program" is Saxon mathbooks IMO, especially if you are self-teaching. Build yourself the most basic structure, and make a deal with yourself to make further study a hobby.
  
• Writing programs are everywhere. I really like one called Total Language Plus, designed around classic literature. The internet is also a great place to get feedback.
  
  Knowing how to read, write, and perform math logic are the most important aspects of pretty much every undergraduate degree program. If you can follow math concepts, and if you can write about what you read clearly while staying on topic, you are set to succeed. Knowing how to learn is a blank canvas that will allow you to learn anything; knowing stuff won't matter if you don't have the tools to learn further.
  
  Second, if you want to get accepted to big name universities right out of high school, then your best bet is going to be SAT prep. Which, incidentally, is math and language arts. A high SAT score will overshadow everything else, and a low one will undermine whatever academic resume you could put together. Plenty of prep material exists here as well. The bottom line is that knowing how to learn is all about the basics of reading, writing, and understanding math logic.
  
  >I'm trying to find secular sources for things like social studies, but I'm not sure which sources are reliable.
  
  I was raised super conservative christian homeschooler. I'm not that way with my kids. That said, there are lots of Christian-leaning programs that work really well for secular purposes as long as you aren't trying to learn about evolution, dinosaurs, or the big bang. If you want a self-contained program that meets requirements, I suggest Alpha Omega's LifePac curriculum - it's structured so you don't have to do any work, and it requires very little daily time commitment to finish, meaning you have lots of room to supplement with whatever other sources you want to use. If you should stumble into lessons on how to be a better Christian, just skip over it, and recognize that those kinds of programs are accredited because they manage to teach everything you need for a secular education.
  
  Another route: college textbooks. They are focused, condensed, and they give you great prep for the work you will be expected to do in college. They can work for math, science, history, english, and other subjects if you feel you want/need them.
  
  -----
  
  ------
  
  If you want structure, start with state graduation requirements. You can find the state you live in, or will live in, or just browse through them and try and build something robust enough to graduate you in any state. Alabama is at the top there, so I'm gonna go through what it says to give you an idea of how that translates to work:
  
  
• 4 units of english and social studies. A unit is a year, so you do four years of those. Usually (although not mentioned there specifically), at least one english unit is composition (writing). Lots of high school composition programs exist, and religious slant isn't going to matter as long as they are designed to improve comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills. On a personal note, I believe that a student should do at least a half year (and preferably a whole year) of poetry study.
  
• 4 units of science, including one unit of biology and a physical science. I believe there is a national requirement involving biology, chemistry, or physics - you need at least one of them, and I'd personally suggest a cursory understanding in all of them. Science is experiment-driven, so if you don't have access to or a budget for experimentation, then Youtube is your friend - observe. Science is also a great place to use a college textbook, as they get right to the point.
  
• 4 units of math, including Algebra 1 and Geometry. Going to recommend Saxon math books again, easy to find used and great for self study. College textbooks can also work at this point.
  
• 1.5 units of PE, including 1 unit of PE and .5 unit of health study. Here's McGraw-Hill's current curriculum offering for health studies on Amazon. Incidentally, used textbooks on Amazon are cheap as long as they are older editions, and Amazon reviews are a great (if not the best) place to get feedback from people using these books to learn and/or teach - including homeschoolers.
  
• Foreign language: 2 units. You could find a curriculum in a book, or use software. You can also just google DuoLingo curriculum or lesson plans, and go that way.
  
• 3.5 units of electives. Here's a list, although if you are concerned about state requirements then you need to find lists for your state. Lots of homeschool elective curriculum exists, so find the topics you want to learn and google for those specific programs.
  
• .5 units computer applications. Any class involving computers as tools will work. I personally suggest Code Academy as it's free, fun, and interactive, but that is computer programming specifically which is not for everyone.
  
• Minimum 24 units total. So far, we've listed 23.5 specific units above, meaning you'd need one more half-year of something to meet unit requirements.
  
  So a sample single year could look like:
  
  
• English Composition (Total Language Plus, 3-5 of those books per year, and I'd argue that your first one should be from their Grade 9-11 section just to get you up to speed - Animal Farm is a great read)
  
• Social Studies (find a curriculum that seems robust like Alpha Omega; supplement with world or US history (college textbooks are cheap/easy))
  
• Biology
  
• Algebra I (Saxon Math, unless you find a program you like more)
  
• P.E. (don't need curriculum; just schedule and track regular physical activity)
  
• Health Studies (six months) and then Computer-Related Learning (six months)
  
• Foreign Language (Duo Lingo)
  
• Electives (how many you do depends on how many you've done already - one per year is enough throughout high school)
  
  Ask follow up questions, get follow up answers. I'm here to help.

To be honest this doesn't sound like the best homeschool environment. But: Many (if not most) homeschoolers of kids who were pulled out of public school take a sort of "detox" period when the kids are taken out of school. This kind of gives them a chance to relax, put the public school environment really on the back burner, and kind of reset to get ready for homeschooling.

The kinds of programs you are describing are basically "school at home." This is fine for many kids. For a kid who obviously hates school and "learning" as he perceives it (i.e. what he has been forced to do at school all his life,) this is probably not a good option.

There are as many different ways and methods of homeschooling as there are families who homeschool and that's really what is so exciting and effective about it. Now is a great time to start exploring these methods WITH HIM. He is certainly old enough to have a vote in how he learns.

For a kid who is resistant to book learning I would read up about unschooling, free range learning, project-based homeschooling. It goes by different names but the basic premise is the same: people learn best when they are interested and engaged and making their own choices about what to learn and when.

He needs to start taking an inventory of his interests and abilities. Is he mechanically inclined? He obviously doesn't like to read but what about math? Video games? Does he want to learn how to code? What about animals? He could become involved in a program that trains dogs to become service dogs for people with various disabilities. The possibilities are really endless and bounded only by his own imagination.

This could be a very exciting time for your brother (and the rest of your family); fighting about sitting in front of a computer all day and reading about the civil war or whatever is not going to help anything. He has decided he doesn't like to learn. This is a potential tragedy but he is still young and there is still time to change his mind.

It is important that when you begin his interest inventory (I would suggest doing this as a family) that there are no disparaging comments made. If he says he is interested in video games, it goes onto the list. If he loves to play guitar, it goes onto the list. There are plenty of ways to work those interests into valuable projects, you just have to get creative.

On another note: he is old enough to start learning about trades; if he thinks that's where his interests may be. You could track down electricians, plumbers, any kind of tradesman in your area and I'm sure any one of them would be thrilled to explain their career and necessary education to a 14-year old.

It looks like you live in Texas? I am also in TX and the state has some of the most liberal homeschool laws in the nation. Unschooling is definitely possible here.

I noticed that you said your parents are high school dropouts and that they can't teach your brother. This does not have to be a barrier to his education; at the high school level most parents aren't actually "teaching," anyway, they are acting more as mentors. It is important that they are on board in supporting his projects and interests but they don't have to teach him trigonometry; there are plenty of other ways to go about getting that information when he needs it.

I hope this helps. The most important thing you can do right now is to get him excited about learning something. ANYTHING.

I think one of the best places to start is the [The Read Aloud Family] (https://www.amazon.com/Read-Aloud-Family-Meaningful-Lasting-Connections/dp/0310350328/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542344569&sr=8-1&keywords=the+read+aloud+family) by Sarah MacKenzie. She is a homeschool mom of five and her recommendations for books are great but she also has insight into ways to incorporate books into your routine. My husband actually got the book first and suddenly all these fantastic picture books showed up on hold from the library. I asked him where they came from and he told me about the Read Aloud Family book.

The library is your friend here. If you buy too many things you'll be swimming in books your child will never wants to read again. I would recommend really working your local library system. Look up lists. Put things on hold. Take her a few times a week to check things out.

We discovered that picture books are great to read over breakfast. Even our 11 year old loves them and many of them incorporate into his science curriculum. It creates peace and joy in the middle of what could be a harried routine and one of our favorite things that homeschooling has introduced to the family.

We do chapter books at night. My five year old LOVED Charlotte's Web and Bunincula. We have started Mr Popper's Penguins but honestly no one's that into it at the moment. Winnie the Pooh is a huge favorite.

Check out School Library Journal's booklists for recommendations. I also utilize the Amazon "customer's also bought" recommendations (which I then input into our library website.)

Recent favorites: I AM BAT by Morag Hood, The Rules Of the House by Mac Barnett, Have You Fed The Cat by Michele Coxon and Fruit Bowl by Mark Hoffman.

I just got Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy lessons by Sigfried Englemann, and I really like it. https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29V5FOUV5M5A5&keywords=100+easy+lessons+to+teach+your+child+to+read&qid=1574571485&sprefix=100+easy+le%2Caps%2C240&sr=8-1

​

Every kid is different - my oldest learned the alphabet at 2, and just quized her on 3 letter words at mealtimes every now and then. I'd write them out in front of her, and then cut them up and see if she could remember which word was which. She'd notice letters on signs, then words. If I wrote things on a page for her, she'd want to carefully trace it. She started writing letters to people before she knew how to read - so she had "love" and "you" memorized early on. Then I got Usborne first reading set, and she just took off.

My son, however, is 4, and doesn't know the alphabet (but if they're not learning something in preschool - it's because they're brains are learning something else!) The book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy lessons is PERFECT for him. No memorizing the alphabet necessary, just learning how to read and write "sounds" to start with. And it changes some of the confusing letter shapes and letter combination shapes to help distinguish different letters from each other that are commonly mixed up. I know this is how he's going to learn to read, and he enjoys it.

Look up D'naelian for handwriting - that's what I grew up using, and will use for my kids - but I couldn't find it until I knew what it was called!

I'm using Math-U-See, which comes with counting blocks that I think will be way more useful for my second kid than my oldest. They all learn so differently, the wonderful thing about homeschooling is getting to adjust it to suit the kids learning style and your teaching style. I'm interested in finding out more about classical education math, but haven't found much out.

Have you heard about the movie Class Dismissed? It's currently in limited screenings, but they are doing them all over the country. The dvd will be out in Spring 2015 I think. It chronicles a family as they make their decision to homeschool and shows some great resources and viewpoints. Make your education about YOU! What are you interested in (besides math, etc., you can always catch up on that)? What are your passions? Check out Blake Boles, Unschool Adventures, this book, http://www.amazon.com/Hacking-Your-Education-Lectures-Thousands/dp/0399159967/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419153160&sr=8-1&keywords=hacking+education, and follow your passion and your dreams.

Please seek help for depression and, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety. And also know that these are normal teenage things to feel.

My son is similar though younger. He enjoys books on architecture like the book cathedral
Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction https://www.amazon.com/dp/0395316685/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_SP2MAb9P0DY50

and a recent one on bridges that shows how every different type of bridge in the Portland /Vancouver area was made.
The Big & Awesome Bridges of Portland & Vancouver : A Book for Young Readers and Their Teachers https://www.amazon.com/dp/0978736567/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_DU2MAbYFKBWHB


I have architectural blueprints from a family member that I'm going to let him copy or trace soon.

I give him Lego challenges. Www.dameoftheden.com/block-challenge/

I'm looking forward to seeing him grow, little engineers are fascinating!

I've devoured this book, and we are on board to Classically educate our kids. If anyone is looking for an interesting overview with a little more theory and a bit more relaxed approach to classical education, Leigh Bortins' The Core was a really good read for our family. I think we'll land somewhere in the middle of these two excellent approaches to a classical education.

We're parents and created our first homemade learning game for preschoolers. The little one loves playing Rocket Mouse!

Rocket Mouse is available on iPad, iPhone, Android and Amazon.

We'd love your feedback!

Sofielafée

​

I am reading this book at it is GREAT. I highly recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/Project-Based-Homeschooling-Mentoring-Self-Directed-Learners/dp/1475239068/

Your child will get SOO much more out of this approach and you can still do more formal curriculum if you want.

I enjoyed Homeschooling for Excellence https://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-Excellence-David-Colfax/dp/0446389862 and Project Based Homeschooling https://www.amazon.com/Project-Based-Homeschooling-Mentoring-Self-Directed-Learners/dp/1475239068/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=project+based+homeschooling&qid=1557432686&s=books&sr=1-1

We have this book and so far my child is doing well with it. Good luck!!


https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=teach+your+child+to+read+in+100+lessons&qid=1565566880&s=gateway&sprefix=Teach+your+ch&sr=8-3

This is the curriculum we use.

This book has been really helpful too.

I have a book called Einstein Never Used Flashcards that's been helpful in understanding how their brains process information.

Go to piratebay and get The Teaching Company's course on High School Chemistry. It will explain the math that you're having trouble with in Chemistry.

Also, try the Foerster Algebra books (Prentice hall Classics Editions) from Amazon. You won't get anywhere without Algebra, and the Foerster books are very clear and good.

Algebra I

Algebra II

I would recommend you try some Schaum's Outlines for math. Math is one of those subjects where it is either trivial or impossible. That is, once you know how to do it, it's not hard at all. If you don't know how to do it... it seems to be completely impossible...

Schaum's Outlines are great. They tend to give a very basic explanation of a problem, and then give lots and lots of different examples of the problem being walked through. Then they'll give questions for you to solve, and provide the answers in the back so you can confirm you actually got it.

This series was what my mom had me do in the summer’s to supplement what we did during the school year. Maybe it could help you!

Would something like this help? http://www.amazon.com/American-Government-Edition-Walter-Volkomer/dp/0205251730/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409677669&sr=8-2&keywords=american+government+walter+volkomer

I've been using this with my 9 yr old: http://www.amazon.com/Python-Kids-Playful-Introduction-Programming/dp/1593274076

It's been a solid start...

If you haven't read it yet, you might consider The Well-Trained Mind. It's view is that you should not do much too early -- you may kill off any love of learning before it has a chance to sprout.

Also:

• An Introduction to the History of Mathematics by Howard Eves