Homeschool High School Curriculum Choices

Usually, I would have already rung the bell for the start of the new school year. With this being our last year, my sweet boy asked if he could wait a little longer to start. How could I deny a little more time for summer ramblings to the one who will be graduating next spring? It’s hard to think about my “little” boy about to enter adulthood, but he is and I am happy for him. I’m excited about some of the courses my son will be taking this year because they show him as growing into a fine young man.

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Homeschool High School Curriculum Choices {Grade 12}

Bible

Last year, we enjoyed just reading through the Old Testament and reading books by different preachers.  We’ll be doing the same thing this year while reading through the New Testament.

Math 

Business Math is our study this year. While we’ve spent the last three years focusing on higher maths, it’s time to focus on real world math that is used in everyday life. I looked at several publishers comparing them with ACE and I’m still wondering why it's not called Consumer Math.

English

We will be working on English Composition from Saylor Academy. (We had a good experience last
it’s called business instead of consumer math. English year with their Astronomy.) Their Pre College English course teaches a great deal of note taking, so we’ll be hitting those sections up. 

Science 

My son loves the history of airplanes. In fact, he is considering joining the Air Force. Because of his love and future, he will be studying Aerospace. I was able to download the book for free because of the insisting of my student not wanting to deal with a big book. (I can always order the book later on if needed.) 

Economics 

We didn’t get to Economics last year because I made the decision to pull from a very well known free
homeschool curriculum website for government. It was a huge mistake on my part because it didn’t turn out like I was hoping, so I had to buy the Government course from Abeka. 

Wilderness Survival 

When Jamie went to survival camp several years ago and liked it, I knew I wanted to do something fun and exciting during his final year. A while back, I came across this website doing some research. 

It uses the Boy Scouts Merit Badge Books. (You can download the pamphlet and workbook for the merit badges) For our needs, we’ll be using a few of the books along with what my husband has learned over the years. This is definitely a father and son course with momma joining in with a camera to record the experience.

HTML Coding 

Discovery K12 Online Homeschool has this course. It’s free to sign up for an account and use their curriculum and has the lesson plans laid out for us. That’s a big plus for me.

ASVAB Prep 

As I mentioned earlier, my sweet boy is considering joining the Air Force. He’s thinking about the free college and hands on learning for airplane maintenance or possibly computers. He has a secret desire of rebuilding WWII era airplanes one day. What better way to fulfilling that dream than by joining the Air Force. I asked in a homeschool Facebook group about which book to buy. A wife to an airman recommended the ASVAB Premier 2017-2018 by Kaplan.


I'm sure you've noticed the free resources we'll be using. Now days, there are tons of free online resources for homeschoolers. Of all the years of home education, this will be our least expensive year even if I have to buy the Aerospace textbook.

You can see our previous curriculum choices HERE.

If you’re a homeschooling family do you have your curriculum chosen?

Creating a Homeschool High School Plan

Several years ago, I planned our high school years. Those homeschool high school plans were not set in stone, in fact, there are a few things we changed. The reason behind making these plans was so I could see what my son needed to meet graduation requirements. While the state of Montana and Georgia do not have graduation requirements for homeschoolers, I did use the local high school requirements as a planning tool. Because of planning, this final school year will carry a light load so we can enjoy our time together as a family before my son heads off into the adult world.

Creating a Homeschool High School Plan

Homeschooling high school doesn’t have to be intimidating; you just need a plan in place. When I say plan, I don’t mean you have to have your curriculum choices made. You just need to know the courses your child will take. As time moves forward, you can plan out your curriculum and make changes as needed.

Why you should create a homeschool high school plan.

• Requirements. If your state requires certain courses and number of credits, you need to know about them so you can plan accordingly. You also need to know the requirements of perspective colleges.


• College. Whether your child attends college or not, plan for them to attend. Their plans may change in the future and not having the right amount of credits or courses will only hurt them. Only you know your child. Will they need general college prep or a rigorous college prep? With college to consider, high school plans help you see the needed courses your child will take.


• Help keep your sanity. Instead of worrying about missing a course, if it is in the plans, you’ll see it. There is nothing like being able to open to a page and see four years of plans. If a plan changes, it’s easy to see everything and know where changes can be made.

It’s very easy to create a homeschool high school plan.

• Get your student involved. Since this plan is your child’s plans for education, they should be part of it. They know their interests and if there is something they want to learn, allowing them to have a say gives them more decision making skills.


• Include the electives. Be careful when choosing electives. These courses represent who your child is. Electives let them branch out and try new things while digging deeper into a passion they have.  Be choosy about electives, don’t try and fill credits just to have them.


• Keep a record. Record the completed courses and any changes you made. (I used a composition notebook and pencil.) The changes will help you remember why something was changed.

High School Planning Resources I Use and Recommend:

Lee Binz the Homescholar

HSLDA