Our support group, Home School Christian Fellowship, offers a grade 12 grad for members (currently around 75 families in the Edmonton area). I helped organize the 2011 grad, and there are a few pictures on our website http://www.hscfedmonton.ca/olderrandom.htm Even with a group our size, it's hard to find many kids still homeschooling through high school, but hopefully that will improve in the years ahead! We have 7 kids interested this year. They're on a private yahoo group & get together to discuss the theme, colours, decorations & group activities.
Our goal is to create a milestone memory, for when parents feel ready to graduate their senior student. It's been done various ways over the years at HSCF, depending on the families doing the organizing. Currently, we have a fairly formal ceremony - processional, anthem, prayer, speaker, etc., but each student is given about 10 minutes to share in whatever way they feel best reflects their homeschooling. So it could be speeches by mom, dad, student, relative, friend, etc., blessings or prayers by a pastor or grandparent, etc., a slideshow, piano solo, hugs, moving the tassel, etc... It doesn't feel nearly as rushed as the typical few seconds of a handshake by a principal! The students also display their homeschool memorabilia on tables in the
fellowship room. Families & friends have cake & light snacks here afterwards, and a photo session. The evening is free then for each family to continue celebrating on their own.
There is a homeschool-friendly company in Wisconsin that I love to get gradwear from! The owner, Joan, was a homeschool Mom! Her kids are graduated now, and this is their family business. It's http://www.homeschooldiploma.com/. Shipping costs are high, but overall the whole amount has still been cheaper compared to other places we've looked, & the customer service has been perfect. For families who want, we place an order together with one Mom being the contact person, and then divide up shipping based on what each family has ordered. Each family is free to choose how much or little they want to include of the "grad look". It helps to show off things ordered previously so parents can see the quality & choices better before ordering online.
When it's all over, an HSCF parent types up a report for "the grad binder" which explains what ideas were used that year, assuming a grad was organized. As our group changes, this allows info to be passed along.
Hope that helps a bit. Mostly these are ideas we've learned along the way from others!
Dawn Engler
Resources for Older Children
Home School Graduation information!
Some tips on Home Schooling and Parenting Teens
I do try to keep blogging on a variety of topics. It is hard sometimes because there is so much out there for little ones and elementary, BUT there are ideas and links for preteens and teens, too.
I loved this tip about Don't Micro Manage Your Teens. She also wrote a great blog on Discipline for Middle Kids which I really enjoyed. It's never too late to get some parenting tip or advice to help us with our children!
Here is a blog talking about the Home School Exodus of Jr and Sr High Children and some tips about how to keep home schooling through High School. It is a decision we all have to make, and sometimes (ok, most times!) it isn't an easy one BUT it can be done!
Here are a couple of Discussion Starters to have with our older children: 10 Job Skills You Need Now, and New Professions, Growing Salaries.
AND here is a link for tired Home School Moms - 14 Things to Do When You Are Very Tired. Smile. I hope your summer is going well, and that you are getting the rest and rejuvenation you need to continue home schooling your children this fall. You can do this! God will help you do it!{jcomments off}
Support Group Leader shares Logic and Critical Thinking Resources
Hi all,
Juanita Rogers from Calgary recently hosted a Support Group Meeting where a veteran Home School Mom shared her favorite resources for teaching Logic, Critical Thinking, and more. I hope you enjoy reading the below!
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Resources for Teaching Logic, Critical Thinking, Apologetics, Christian Worldview, Etc.
Our support group enjoyed learning from Lisa, a wise homeschool mother, who has graduated four children through traditional home education and is still home educating her last two. I admire the job she has done because her children are such strong believers and they are able to stand their ground and defend their faith with confidence.
Their family has been doing BSF Bible studies for 8 years now which has given them a solid base and has taught them to look at everything in light of God’s Word. Lisa mentioned that they like to use the King James Version or New King James Version for Bible study as they are the most accurate translations.
Summit Ministries provides excellent Christian worldview curriculum which Lisa’s family has used over the years to ground their children. As the children got older, they have sometimes met with other families and used Understanding the Times (Summit Ministries) as a group study.
Other resources Lisa uses for Biblical teaching, apologetics and Christian worldview are: Almighty Over All – Understanding the Sovereignty of God by R.C. Sproul Jr.; Ligonier Audio Series (Introductory Logic) by R.C. Sproul; Worldviews in Focus – Thinking Like a Christian – Understanding and Living a Biblical Worldview by David Noebel and Chuck Edwards; Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell; Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler; What if Jesus Had Never Been Born by D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe; a variety of Answers in Genesis apologetics DVDs and books; and Character Sketches by Bill Gothard. They also read the writings of Spurgeon.
Lisa uses Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn, which gives a Christian perspective on classical education. She shared that it is important to teach our children to divide fact from opinion. It is necessary to properly equip them so they do not get caught in foolish debates.
Some resources which Lisa uses to teach language skills are: Vocabulary from the Classical Roots by Norma Fifer and Nancy Flowers and English from the Roots Up by Joegil K. Lundquist and Grammar Songs.
Two other books which Lisa mentioned are: The Fallacy Detective by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn and How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff.
I was greatly encouraged to focus on training our children to know the Bible and to be well educated in logic and apologetics. They need to be equipped to contend with the differing worldviews; our children need to have a strong Christian worldview in order to do so. Too many Christian youth are leaving their faith when they leave home. I hope this brief summary will encourage you and provide you with a list of helpful resources.{jcomments off}
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