Have you ever thought that maybe the light bulb that’s supposed to go on over your head when you have an idea must be burnt out? You aren’t alone! For some reason, when our kids get to high school we often feel like we’ve run out of ideas to keep learning interesting, practical, and fun. That’s why we’re sharing these five homeschool high school ideas with you! And maybe by reading the list, your own lightbulb with light up with a few more 😉
Learn outside-the-textbook-box. Don’t think that just because your teen will be earning credits, the way you educate them has to look traditional.
Often parents are perfectly fine with this idea when kids are in elementary and even middle school, but somehow it feels like high school is “for real now” and we need to go back to what we grew up within public or private school.
Maybe we’re driven by the fear that our teens will have gaps in their learning and won’t be able to go to college if that’s their goal. Or maybe we’ve simply never thought about the fact that there are other options.
Consider these ideas for teaching subjects without a textbook…
History should never be a boring subject! We have incredible resources available to us in a variety of formats, as well as primary source materials at our fingertips.
Don’t worry so much about trying to cover it all. Instead, aim for depth over breadth of information. Students can read an overview of a time period, but then dig deep into key events and people or things that capture their interest. Biographies such as David McCullough’s 1776 will give your students a much greater understanding of the American Revolution than a few pages in a textbook!
Like in history studies, students can read real books. They can also research topics online and at the library, watch videos, and do a variety of experiments. But to really kick it up a notch, they can come up with ideas for their own questions and design experiments and studies to test their hypotheses.
Studying the weather? Learn about it online from the National Weather Service. Have your teens make a weather station and write down observations. Challenge them to make a video of their own forecasts. Then record how accurate their predictions were.
Learning about astronomy? Watch videos, read interesting books, invest in a telescope, and visit a planetarium. The sky is literally the limit!
Geography is the perfect companion subject to history, science, current events, and cultural studies. By creating a geography notebook, students can collect information about geography no matter what they are studying. Buy some dividers and label them by continent. GeoMatters has some incredible resources!
Make it real. This one can be done along with the first idea. Whenever you can, opt for the REAL THING instead of simply reading about something or looking at a picture or video of it.
For example, instead of reading a book about art, go to an art museum and take your time just looking. Don’t just learn about musical instruments and listen to some classical music online. Go see and hear and experience an orchestra performance.
Instead of reading a textbook about animals, go to the zoo. Take time to observe them, draw a picture in a nature journal, write down some facts from the plaques on the exhibits, talk to the zookeepers. Before you go or after your visit, do some research about the animals.
Come up with ideas for field trips, go on vacations to historic places.
Take advantage of homeschooling to the fullest extent you can.
Have your teens go to work. No, I’m not necessarily talking about getting a part-time job (though that would be great too). I
I’m talking about intentionally learning about different ideas for career options by going to see and talk to people doing the actual work.
So many teens make a decision about what they will major in during college, or what training they want to get after high school, without really even understanding the different options out there.
Or, they may know the options, but have no idea how interested they are in them. Imagine if they were able to make some informed decisions.
Teach real-life skills. This may seem obvious, but so many students today graduate with a lot of head knowledge and very few practical skills for living.
As a homeschool family, your children can learn about the following subjects as they walk through life with you. And if there’s an area you struggle with, don’t worry—you can learn alongside your teen.
Some ideas for topics might include:
Put the social back in socialization. You may be saying, “But our community doesn’t offer anything for homeschool teens.”
Guess what?
When you get a few moms together to help, putting on teen socials can be a lot of fun for your teens and for you!
Here are some of our favorite ideas for teen socials:
When your kids get to high school, don’t think education has to look completely different from their elementary and middle school years.
One of the best benefits to homeschooling is being able to educate our children differently.
Share some of these homeschool high school ideas with your teens and ask them what they are interested in the most. You’ll be glad you did!
And if you need some help in learning how to put these ideas together for High School credit stop by our shop and grab your copy of …
The High School Course of Study & Planning Workbook will simplify the process for you and your high schoolers.
In it, you will:
At The Character Corner, we want to take the fear and the overwhelm out of homeschooling high school so you can spend your time and energy on the thing that matters the most: your relationship with your teens. Grab yours today to get started!
