This sign is on the busy bike path near my home, and the cat is literally sitting right underneath it. Though I have mixed feelings about animals wandering the neighborhood, I do think the message “I’m not lost” can apply to our homeschooling. We might as well wear t-shirts that say, “I promise I’m happy, healthy and very loved with a safe and warm home!” Maybe another line, “And even though I’m homeschooled, you don’t need to quiz me on my spelling or state capitals!

“Never sleep in your contacts!” was the wise advice I received from my eye doctor. “But, WHEN you do, make sure you wait to take them out until you’ve been awake for about 30 minutes.” I loved that he gave me the information about what I should do in response to the mistake. My son just began wearing contacts, and I taught him this principle. In homeschooling, as in contact wearing, we need to know how to respond to our mistakes so that they are not defeating.

Applesauce making is a favorite family tradition. Using a Victorio food strainer makes the job simpler. Instead of having to peel and core each apple, we simply quarter the apples and boil them with a small amount of water until they are soft. We scoop the mushy mixture into the hopper. Applesauce comes out one way and the peels, pulp and seeds come out the other way. This machine reminds me of the set of questions asked by Greg McKeown in his book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.

Pumpkin ice cream! My younger kids helped me prepare the custard, and we ran the machine then dished it out and enjoyed it together. In my mind, I thought I had repeated over and over, “PUMPKIN ice cream!” Plus, I thought the orange color and fragrant spices made it rather evident. But, multiple family members took their first spoonful and uttered a surprised, “pumpkin!?!” This reminds me of my homeschooling, because I find I am often repeating things.

My older children frequently work on their own to complete their math assignments. Recently, I began asking them to write two or three sentences at the end of their independent study session to describe what they accomplished today and what they need to do next. This helps me identify their challenges, but, more importantly, it helps them to visualize their own progress. This helps them hold themselves accountable for their own study time.

Remarking on the “pressure to deliver exceptional days,” Kim John Payne laments the loss of ordinary days. Why does it have to be a great day? “If we hold on to the exceptional—if our children adopt that as their measure of success—most will fail, and almost all of them will feel like failures,” he explains. We can’t have “uncommonly good” be our daily ideal. “There’s freedom,” Payne continues, “in embracing the ordinary: freedom, and possibilities.

Colleges vary widely in credit offered, so consider your specific college choice as you choose the exams you’ll take. This article addresses credit offered at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo. Each year BYU publishes a chart indicating the current credit they will offer for each score of each AP test. Their chart sorts the information by test name, listing all 39 possible AP tests. When examining their chart, I find it challenging to extract the information and choose tests that will be most meaningful.

Study the relationships of the natural world, identify and analyze environmental problems, assess risk, understand potential solutions and prevent similar problems. Pairs well with AP Statistics Textbook Wright, Richard and Dorothy Boorse. Environmental Science. Boston, MA: Benjamin Cummings. Textbook Possibilities Summarized Silent spring by Rachel Carson The sixth extinction : An unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert Elements of Ecology by Robert Leo Smith The world without us by Alan Weisman Bryson, Bill.

Students study six countries in AP Comparative Government and Politics: China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Textbooks Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction McCormick, John, Hague, Rod, Harrop, Martin, Red Globe Press Comparative Government and Politics: An Essential CoursebookEthel Wood AP Comparative Government and Politics: With 3 Practice Tests (Barron’s Test Prep) With 3 Practice Tests Barron’s Test PrepDavis M.Ed., Jeff, Barrons Educational Series The Future of Freedom: Fareed Zakaria Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad

Allows students to test out of first-year calculus at the university level. Prerequisite: Pre-calculus. The point of calculus is not about numbers, it’s about insight! Textbook Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 7th Edition Stewart, James (and solutions manual!) Twenty Key Ideas in Beginning Calculus (B & W)Umbarger, Dan, Morris, John, Diaz, Al, Brand: Math Logarithms Websites Humanity of Calculus Midnight Tutor Class Notes Collection of Videos and Notes Worksheets and Chapter Reviews MOOCs abound, here’s one from MIT