It's the final countdown for my eldest son. He's got nine more months of homeschooling left and then he's off to join the Navy. He's wanted to be a SEAL for as long as I can remember and has been preparing as best as he can to ensure he has a shot at qualifying for the BUDS training program. In the coming weeks, he'll be working hard to improve his swimming ability, an area of the physical requirements that he knows needs some attention.
In the meantime, he'll also be busy finishing up the final credits I planned out for him using the Brave High School Record Keeping for Homeschoolers pack.
Here's what he'll be learning.
(Because we only homeschool 4 days a week, you can assume that all subjects will be completed four times each week unless otherwise indicated.)
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Content-rich Subjects
He'll continue to join us for our Morning Time and afternoon read-aloud each day. You can learn more about those here>>>
Personal Devotions- every day
- ESV Student Study Bible- While my other kids enjoy working through Bible study books or devotionals, he prefers to read straight from Scripture.
Traditional homeschool subjects
- Consumer Math video lessons from BJU Press- He doesn't need another math credit for graduation, but I'd like him to take a practical math course before he leaves my home in order that he can better manage his own finances as an adult
- Rosetta Stone Russian- This will be a continuation of the program he started two years ago. (2x a week)
- Read for pleasure. (every day) I will gather a list of titles including those on my High School Must Read list for him to choose from each month. (Vetting titles in bulk is a great way to provide a teen/tween some helpful discernment while still offering choice in their reading selection.)
- Adulting for Beginners (1 chapter a week until completed) Be aware that section two, chapter five of this book contains three paragraphs that briefly describe the following forms of contraception: condoms, the pill, and an IUD. The information is not at all graphic. It is presented clinically but may require a biblical worldview discussion. Sex is not really discussed at all nor is a personal belief one way or another regarding contraception. The chapter is a FAQ section on first aid.
Dual enrollment/college subjects
With dual enrollment, students register for different college classes each semester. But because the workload is advanced, each 4-credit college class counts as one full credit for high school. So, he will complete the following classes during the first semester and register for two or three different classes second semester.
Introduction to Literature
Medical Terminology
Medical Terminology
Extracurriculars
- CAP- While he's no longer an active member of the Civil Air Patrol, he did participate in their Black CAP Emergency Services Training, was a cadet staff member of the Minnesota encampment, and organized an Airplane Fly-in/Pancake Breakfast fundraiser at the first part of the summer which counts for his senior year.
- Life Guard Certification through the YMCA
- Lifeguard at the YMCA in the evenings and on the weekends
- Firearm Safety Certification
Life Skills
- Mow the lawn or shovel the snow as needed.
- Volunteer in the church nursery. (2x a month)
- Volunteer at the local soup kitchen with the rest of the family. (1x a month)
- Clean his room and make his bed each day.
- Daily chores: sweep the dining room, vacuum all the rugs, clean the downstairs bathroom
- Weekly Chores for his child-of-the-day privileges and responsibilities: help make lunch/dinner and do two loads of laundry (Mondays)
- Monthly Chores: three chores that he randomly selects from our chore jar one Saturday each month
Co-operative Learning
Twice a month, he'll attend the homeschool co-op that I lead and participate in two enrichment classes each semester for a total of four for the 2023-2024 school year. In addition, he'll be able to join in on several field trips offered by the group.
His first-semester co-op classes will be as follows:
- TBD
- Twin Ports History
- TBD
- Leadership Through Teamwork
Time is slipping away from me with this boy. I'm acutely aware of how fast this year will go. But instead of regretting the things I can not change, I'll cheer him on as he prepares to launch.
Just wanted to say that, as a military family, I so appreciate you encouraging your son to pursue his dream of the Navy! Even if it's not something he does for 20+ years, the experiences he'll gain will be invaluable no matter where he goes. It hasn't all been easy, but I can honestly say it's been a very good life for our family. We're closer to the retirement side, but still enjoying military life and I will miss it someday (you don't realize how quickly 20 years can go by when you're younger, lawsy!). Wishing your son the best- it sounds like the Navy will be lucky to have him!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for that encouragement. I don't know if he'll be a lifer in the military, but it's something he's wanted to do since he was in preschool.
DeleteI love your curriculum updates each year, especially the ones that detail out the individual grade levels. I get such great ideas of sources to research for my children. The high school years are starting next school year for us, and I'm working on a four year plan. Have you ever posted a mock transcript (just the class names and credits earned, no GPA or personal information) to show how it looks written out, to include at-home classes, apprenticeships, college dual enrollment? I am very interested in seeing what each high school grade looks like since a homeschooling transcript is not as cut-and-dry as a public school transcript.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your thoughts on BJU Consumer Math this year? I am thinking of it for this coming year. Worth it?
ReplyDeleteI can only compare it to ABeka and Dave Ramsey's course since those are the only others I have experience with. We prefer BJU's. Since it was just updated last year, it includes more current financial tools than ABeka's. And is more thorough and applicable than Ramsey's.
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