We've homeschooled 25yrs, have 4 graduated and one currently in college doing great. What you're doing now is terrific. Researching, talking with your student, recording things, those are all great, and I think will prepare for a rich hs experience. My best advice curriculum wise is to get them good and efficient at writing and if you can maybe the last year or two have someone else grade their writing. This prepared our daughter very well for all the college papers and needing to answer to someone else's standards. We've used Essentials in Writing grading service, $100/yrs and worth every penny! Saved my sanity. Praying for you friend, but I think you're going to do fantastic! I look forward to your videos... I'll probably learn from you!😍

My oldest daughter is almost the same age as yours. I've been starting to freak out about HS too! You will hear zero criticism from me! I am going to soak up all of your knowledge. Thanks for bravely blazing the trail!

Lots of grace, lots of planning, lots of hard work, lots of flexibility yet discipline is needed in this season, along with being willing to let go of certain things or ideals but enjoy the journey! These 4/5 years fly by so quick and teens really need emotional and spiritual support! so be rested up and available. Think through the end goal and how you holistically want to equip your child to leave your home. ❤️

Thank you!!! Thank you stepping out and navigate these uncharted waters. I am right behind you and it’s refreshing to be able to get more information and research and a step in the right direction.

Yay!! I've closely followed you the last 4 years as we have homeschooled! My son will begin hs next year, and I've been researching since 7th as you are doing now! BUT, your choices and journey have always helped us immensely!! I look forward to hearing about you and your daughter's hs choices in the future! Thank you for continuing to share!

Very wise to plan ahead! Look forward to going on the high school journey with you! Thanks for blazing the trail for those of us coming behind!

So good! I have one daughter in the middle of sixth grade and one in the middle of eighth. I am right on this journey with you! I am praying for you guys as you move forward. So excited that you will continue sharing!

Thank you so much!!! I have a 7th grader as well so I will be watching ALL your videos on this topic! I'm definitely feeling a bit lost when it comes to making the transition to high school so I love that you're on this journey with me!

I planned my son's entire 4 years of highschool when I was planning his eighth grade year. We were mostly going to use easy peasy and life of fred. Turns out he decided at the end of eighth grade to take SATs instead of a regular standardized test. He did great and started college through the dual enrollment scholarship when he would have been starting highschool. He is now in his 4th semester and doing great. We do still do Latin and home economics and such at home. He is also still involved in scouts. So as it turns out I still don't really have to teach highschool yet. I still have two that are in elementary level. I am dreading being in your position again. #wantmykidstostayyoungforever

Yes! I have triplet boys in the middle of their 7th grade as well. I want all the research as well. Thanks for this video! Excited to see high school homeschool ideas and suggestions.

I am so excited that you are doing these videos about high school. Please don’t stop! I am not even close to there yet but such a planner myself and it’s so valuable to glean wisdom from the parents who have travels these waters before you! One challenge that a mom shared with me with her high schoolers was that they didn’t have that same flexibility in their days as they used to when the kiddos were younger. The high school student legitimately needs the hours at home to get their school work done and that was the hard thing as she had four or five other kiddos with some young ones and they couldn’t just go do “errands” and attend play dates as often and freely as they used too. That really stuck with me. I’m excited for you to take on this new season and new endeavor with your kiddos and congratulations mama!! You got this far which is so amazing. The dedication and hard work it takes to homeschool is I feel somewhat unprecedented. It’s like giving birth lol. You could tell so many people what’s it’s like but you never really know until you experience it for yourself and even then it’s different for everyone!! You got this!!

I am absolutely the planner as well. My daughter is in 6th grade, and I have been starting to research things for high school. She is extremely self motivated and wants to be a vet, so we have already started looking at what she will need. She has taken it upon herself to double up on math, and has started taking ACT practice tests to see where she needs to improve to better her score. It's actually pretty interesting - we also use The Good and the Beautiful LA, and she has scored above the national average in both the English and the reading sections. 🤯 We haven't moved on to science or math yet, but what a testament to the curriculum! Anyway, I am so thankful that you are posting your ideas. It is fantastic to see someone else with the same motivation and goals around the same point in this journey!

From Horizon and Sonlight days with littles, to now TGATB days of middle school and elementary thank you for this video and the ones you are planning on doing, l too have a 7th grade daughter and 5 kids under her. I always appreciate your heart and dedication to your family and sharing it with us, you are such a great help!

Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us!! My kids are a few years behind yours so this is SO helpful to me for planning and researching!!

This is unreal! I’ve been a silent follower for a while before I recently jumped on the KZfaq train. She has grown so much. Hard to believe you’re preparing for high school! We started homeschool this year and I absolutely love it! Thank you for years of encouragement you never knew you were giving me!

Thank you! My son is only in 6th grade but I am already on the same mindset path as you. I want to get into those habits NOW so that I can learn through the middle school years and have it down well by he time we actually reach high school. I look forward to your upcoming videos in this series!

My oldest daughter is in 7th grade as well! I definitely am right there with you and will soak up any info and help you can give. Love to hear your insights! Looking forward to walking through this journey with you.

I’m a planner too and will be where you are next year. My oldest is in 6th grade now so I have slowly been preparing myself for the high school years. Thank you for all of the information and I will definitely be following along on your HS journey.

I have thought this a lot about the lack of information on high school for homeschool often, so good for you this will be awesome for so many parents.!! I am not there yet but it goes fast and I look forward to seeing everything you find. I do not have your personality for organization and planning etc... But I always am inspired by it and work on moving that direction more each year. I had almost no structure growing up so it is extremely hard for me to have a structured day for me and my kiddos. But thank the Lord , He has helped me get better and better w/ every year and we are finally in a really good and fairly consistent schedule. Keep posting, it is truly a huge help to many in my opinion!!

I am just like you with the researching, Google searches, exploring options that are years away because it will come up fast. My daily life is so busy, I don't want it to sneak up on me and find ourselves unprepared! Mine is in 6th/7th...we are deciding about taking an extra year before high school for him. But planning now will help us feel confident about our decision to start HS in a year and a half, or give him an extra year to solidify skills.

I’m a planner too, although I’m a couple of years behind you, so my focus is on middle school right now, but I’m always thinking ahead to what’s on the horizon. I’m looking forward to seeing how you navigate these waters. :)

This is fantastic! I’m excited to ride along in this journey with you! I hope you’re still here on YT a year and a half from now 😊

Very much looking forward to watching this series!

I completely agree. I have 3 children. My oldest 2 are boys and it's SOOOO important to me to make sure that I set them up for success. My oldest is almost 9 and I often think "I've got NINE years left and he's out!" ... not only that, it is that he is going to have to be able to take care of a family one day. I want to be able to setup up for a "bright future". I'm soo there with you on planning way out. I do not want to be caught by surprise on anything. That stresses me out, lol. Thanks for sharing! ❤

THIS video is ahhhmazing! This is so me! I'm always researching way ahead as well. My oldest is in 6th grade and I'm already planning the High School years. ♥️

I’m very much like you in that I research for years ahead of time. I’ve been researching high school and my oldest is also in the middle of seventh grade. I’m right there with you mama! 💕

Excited to follow your journey forward in the next few years because we are one step behind. I have an upcoming 7th grader. However- I totally support college as a life path, BUT as a person who has only ever learned a trade (license led cosmetologist) who is married to a man who learned drywall installation and finishing and who now owns his own successful business in that area and who went to school for HVAC & R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) Trade schools are SO needed as well. I don’t know which direction our sons will go so I Will keep my ears peeled to your journey.

Thank you so much for sharing your journey to homeschool high school! I am new to homeschooling this year and am only schooling my two daughters (K and 2nd). My son is in 8th grade and could stay at his charter school for high school, however I am praying about it and we feel a strong pull to homeschool him through high school! We had a talk with him and he is intrigued and would consider the option. He has been full remote for 8th grade so that may make the transition a bit easier as he is already home all the time now. I am so grateful for any and all content you are willing to share around your journey as it feels like it is such a big deal and I am most intimidated about the record keeping involved! I don't want to be the reason that an opportunity is not available to my son!

Very similar planning style! I would add not to forget about other forms of post high school education, such as trade schools.

In my public school, we started talking to counselors beginning of 8th grade about college and what high school classes we were taking. Sounds great to me! I'm also an obsessive researcher lol

So glad you made this! I’m in a similar situation with my 8th grade homeschoolers 🦋

Graduated one homeschooler. He was not college bound and decided to go to work. But it was definitely scary. I totally feel you there. I now have a mid-6th grader and we have been discussing high school and the requirements we will need to meet since he will be college bound. I look forward to hearing more about your journey.

My oldest is a year behind your oldest and I so appreciate your wisdom and sharing the things you discover. I bought a homeschooling planner I'm trying this coming year called the well planned day and I know the maker, well planned gal, also has high-school products.

Guuurrrrrl, YES! 🙌🙌❤❤ I have two 7th graders and my personality is very similar to yours! I am in full high school plan mode over here!

I also have a 7th grader this year. I had similar thoughts to you regarding science, so this year I had her do Apologia General Science 3RD EDITION. I normally don't suggest curriculum, because it's such a personal choice, but this new edition was created specifically to gently transition a middle schooler into what will be expected in high school. My daughter was able to do it independently. This new 3rd edition just came out this last year 2019. It has worked wonderfully! It really has stepped her up a notch in lab reports, etc, and I am no longer worried about HS science.

I will be 100% following you on this HS process. Have a seventh grade boy on that path as well. Thanks. God bless you heart.🤗

Loved it....I’ll have a high schooler as well and I’ve been doing a lot of research!

Although we’re not quite in the same season (my homeschooler is 6) I have been researching homeschooling in high school too! Lol... My motto is you can never be too prepared! Where I live (Canada), a lot of homeschoolers are sent to public school for high school so that it won’t be so challenging to get into college/university. I really want to homeschool right through, so I’m researching all that I can to ensure that my kids have every opportunity out there! Thanks for sharing this! ❤️❤️

Yes girl we’re in the same mind set...I have a 7th grader now going to be 8th next school year and I’m doing the same and I want to be over prepared lol thanks for sharing 😊

Wow! You've come such a long way!

I am definitely a planner. I am new to this journey right along with my boys. I have one going into 8th & one going into 10th. They have been struggling with certain things throughout school. So I decided that a different teaching approach and more one on one would be better for them than public school. We are all very excited to start! We will be starting in June because they wanted year round schooling. I am so excited to share this journey with them. I have one that is currently planning on trade school & one thinking about active duty army. We started planning right before summer break and then COVID hit. We decided as a family that this would better suit our family and we all started planning together. I gave my concerns on what I felt was important and also asked the boys what they would like to take as well. My husband likes everything that we've came up with and planned. All he asked is that I teach them how to write in cursive. The area that we live in doesn't teach that anymore and we feel that it is an important skill to have so that will be implemented as well.

Not sure if this is the downloadable guide you were talking about, but this one is great: "Cure the Fear of Homeschooling High School" by Ann Karako. She also has a FB page called "It's Not That Hard to Homeschool High School" that has a lot of active members. She does "mentoring sessions" once a week, too, that pertain to certain things (e.g. transcripts, science labs, ACT/Sat, electives, college requirements, etc.) // My daughter is finishing up 8th grade and will start HS shortly. I used to be super stressed about it, but through all of the research I have done throughout this year, my stress/anxiety has settled a lot. I'm sure it will for you, too. -----> Heart of Dakota curriculum has amazing High School packages that cover all the credits required in high school (plus some!). It is easily adaptable for personal choices in LA and Math. We have used HOD for years, and I feel that my daughter is more than ready to go into high school. She's more ready than I am!!!! :)

Me too… research and planner like crazy! I have 5th and 6th graders and I’m totally thinking about high school!

My son is finishing up 7th grade as well and last night l literally was trying to plan out highschool for him and researching what I need to do. Thank you for this video its perfect timing!

I went to school with a couple of girls who were homeschooled but came in to high school for math and French classes only. They (sisters) were all able to then take a couple of AP math and the AP French classes and use that to transfer credit into college. Also, they were able to come on the bi-annual France trip with us. The teacher we had was very good about helping us choose (and switch) our home stay families. I had originally matched with someone who asked me about if I wanted to party via email as we were sending our get to know you emails. My French teacher immediately helped me switch to another home stay family that was a great match. A lot of colleges require 2 semesters of foreign language to graduate (or to be able to test at a certain level out of it).

We are so in sync it's crazy! Thank you for sharing ! I'm researching all the things!

Right there with you! I have a 7th grade boy. I am already looking at material as well.

Oh my! Your kids were so little! I think some of the reason that you can’t find much on homeschooling high school is b/c a lot of homeschooling parents send their kids to public school out of fear of not doing it “right.” My daughter is currently in the 10th grade & homeschools. It’s really not that difficult. I printed off the high school graduation requirements & the requirements to get into the college she wants to attend & I just plan her curriculum around those and keep a running transcript. The best resources I’ve found on KZfaq as far as high school are Candace at Homeschool on the Hill & Janelle Knutson.

It’s crazy how fast the years go by. It makes me so sad. It overwhelms me to think about high school and my son is only in 5th grade.

Thank goodness. I am in the same boat; preparing for high school for homeschool. My guy has one more year before we are officially high school level.

Have you ever attended a homeschool conference like The Great Homeschool Convention? There’s one in LA area in June and I know that it has helped me a lot as I’ve entered new phases with my kids in their schooling. I’m not to High School yet, but that’s one of my next steps as I begin to plan.

I've graduated 2 😳 4 more to go ❤

So glad you are sharing this info! Mine is also in 7th grade, and hoping for a softball scholarship. I would love it if you include NCAA type stuff too! 💜

I think having your child take an interesting (to them) course at a community college/local university would be very beneficial. They can start browsing the catalog now and it will keep them excited until they take it, maybe Junior year (?). I think that a community college might be a better option if you’re interested in ensuring she isn’t exposed to too much party talk or college kids who don’t take the class seriously (which they won’t for many intro/general ed classes). At a community college, there will be adult students and usually enough diversity that people will act more like they’re at a conference than fraternity boys hung over and dragging themselves to class because attendance factors into the grade. I would hate for your child to be put into a group assignment type of situation at a university (vs community college) where the other students don’t care and they are stuck between picking up the slack or tattling on their teammates for not doing the work, etc. The other concern for a university class (especially a larger school) is that many of the intro/gen ed classes are just lectures in a big auditorium with no teacher contact (TA contact only) which could be intimidating. Many of those classes implement iClickers for participation and some students will try and coerce others to take their iClickers to class so they can get to participation credit without actually going in. That being said, summer courses at a bigger university are usually a little more of a mix of people. You may have uni staff taking advantage of their tuition benefit, seniors in the community taking advantage of senior discounts, other high schoolers working on college credit, college students trying to get ahead in credits or students who failed a class who know that they have to hit the books this time. Maybe a class a local community college and another at a university to prepare?! One other thing: in my state we had a program called Intro to College Studies. We took it at the local community college. When we completed it, we got a waiver for two free college courses at any of the public colleges!

One of my sons will be eighth grade next year. I'm also starting to think about Highschool. We've been trying to fill in learning gaps this year. I've had the same thought process about more individual work in eighth grade.

I appreciate your seriousness on the topic. I hate the "oh, you'll figure it out" comments. Meeting high school and college requirements isn't something that can just "work itself out", you have to be very intentional.

It goes SO fast 😭😭 My oldest is in 3rd grade but I know I'll be in the same position as you in the blink of an eye!

Thank you for this video! My daughter is in 8th grade this year, also our first full year of homeschooling, and I wish I would have known to start high school-ish courses this year. It's so stressful! I love the look back 4 years ago! Amazing how fast our babies grow. Glad to have you back! Hope you guys enjoyed your cruise!!

Some things that I have done to prepare for the fall. I attended a HS Transcript class. This was one of the scariest things for me. I am afraid I am going to screw up. I have a binder with tabs 8th through 12th grade. My son is already doing some 9th grade level work so it counts already. I had no idea I could be counting his algebra and foreign language. Each section has classes, dual enrollment class, volunteer hours, writing samples and book list for us to keep records. We also looked at the requirements of the colleges, trade school and military branch he is interested in to know what they expect. Whenever, I need reassurance I follow Candance on Homeschool On The Hill she has some great resources and encouraging words. I am glad I am not going into this new season of life alone and your family is researching and preparing also.

So happy you’re 1 year ahead of me! Keeping me on my toes! Can your daughter play her sport with a local high school team while homeschooling? Or does she just play on a competitive team and plan to try out at college level? The university my son wants to attend only requires an ACT, no transcript, no high school graduation...is that not normal?

Another great and informative video. Thank you! Can you link the online tracking program that you found and will most likely using?

Can you give us the information on the downloadable tracking system for high school? And the book by Lee ???

I would love the know which books of Lee's you got. I couldn't find them in your amazon link. I too am a planner! I have started planning too. Sam is in 7th grade also and I too plan on making switches for next year. Are you going to have her take any credits next year?

Yes I'm the same way. Give me the facts please. Our oldest is 8th grade. Research now too.

Excellent job and tips! I would say keep praying, stay flexible, keep regular meetings even if yearly with your teen, protect school hours, Bible, history and a few other subjects can still be done with all ages, 8th grade is a great practice year! Try to keep balance with social and academics as they get older, Driver’s Ed and how that will fit your personal family culture along with your teen getting an email and overall tech use is a good discussion to consider too. LifeSkills!!! Checkout The Etiquette Factory for Life Skill's Logistics Bundle for High School that teaches all kinds of must for high school and beyond!! (Time, money, house, car maintenance, banking, different insurances, career & resume prep, job interviewing, and of course etiquette) also, remember/prep to teach teens to serve and set healthy boundries, and instill good habits (self care/health, planning ahead, learning to say no now and into adulthood. I also know of many parents that will equip their kids on how to pick a good healthy church and their student(s) must go on a short term mission trip or help serve a church camp etc before graduation of their homeschool.

I think going to a homeschool conference like Teach Them Diligently or The Great Homeschool Convention you would find more talks and info about experienced christian homeschooling moms who have paved the way for you in this arena. They just don't have KZfaq channels. I also doubt your going to get any kind of apologetics curriculum from TGATB.

Can you share the link for the record keeping file that you bought?

What are the books you mentioned you have purchased? My oldest will be entering high school this fall and I feel like I have been researching since 6th grade. 😂

I don't see the books in the description.

My oldest is 7 so we are no where near highs school but watching videos like these make me feel less stressed about the future lol

My friend Colleen over at Our Blessed Life has an excellent homeschooling high school series if you want to check it out.

Hi! I’m a researcher also! What are the books & record keeping system your referring to?

Have you used the Everything You Need to Ace (whatever subject) in One Big Fat Notebook series? Are they worth the investment?

Have you found good ACT prep resources?

I'm not sure about your state, but my state (ca) allows homeschooling, but it's not accredited unless you are actually a teacher. Are you dealing with that where you are? Like pretty much, ACT and SAT are my only hopes of "accreditation". Of course now, even in 4th grade, we are keeping a ton of records, because i live in California.

What are the 2 books? I don't see the links down below.

This is were I learned a lot about honeschooling and encouragement at www.hecoa.com they have a free online homeschool conference in April and September and another one if you have children with disabilities. They have great speakers and they talk a lot on high school from kinder to 12 grade information that is very important to know.

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I will soon have a high schooler! My boys are in 6th and 8th so I am already in the planning phases! My go to websites have been annieandeverything.com and Lee Binz! To get more out of Lee Binz's website, I signed up for her Total Transcript Solution and that is where she has videos to watch! Watching both of these ladies videos and sites have helped me not feel stressed out as I'm planning! I will be watching your videos and seeing what you find because I'm not a huge planner and I need to be for high school! Your kiddos are lucky to have you as their mom!! :-)

A great KZfaq channel for the high school years is homeschool on the hill. Check her out she is excellent. I think you’ll really like her.