The Constitution, the Articles, and Federalism: Crash Course US History #8

Paper Towns. We just saw the early premiere and loved it!!! John Green does it again!

Tips on surviving college prep.

We are at the point in our homeschooling adventure that one of my girls is ready to think about and talk about going to college.  This is a little early by some definitions but it never hurts to do a little research in advance.  Also with all of the dual enrollment programs there are, starting to accumulate college courses in high school is a great opportunity.  This can be a little chaotic and confusing
especially if you do not speak the college prep lingo.  In fact, it can be overwhelming for many different reasons.

When you decide to homeschool, you are taking on a huge responsibility, DO NOT TAKE IT LIGHTLY!  This is a job and a huge commitment.  It takes a very special and selfless person to commit to such a big task and put your child first but that is what a good parent does naturally so no big deal.  I am sharing my thoughts and many great resources on how to transition from high school at home to college so please take full advantage.  I am adding a lot of links and resources so don't get overwhelmed.  Deep breath and relax!

A lot of time researching must go into options for college, not because it is a difficult task getting your homeschooler into a college because it is no secret that colleges are actively seeking out homeschooled kids, now more than ever.  College prep begins in high school ensuring that your high school students takes the appropriate courses is the first step.

Some parents begin this process at 13, some parents take a gap year so that their child can formulate a plan on their own, travel, do missionary work, take a break, work, or any other number of reasons. You can read about the gap year here in this article from Time written in 2014.  This really allows your child to take time to figure out who they are or what they want to do with their life.  Colleges are now more open to the idea of a gap year.

Public school and private schools have the college requirements all mapped out, and all the students do the same exact thing to meet the requirements (cookie cutter philosophy).  Homeschoolers still have the same requirements guideline but that is the thing, it is just a guideline.  Homeschoolers can meet the requirements the way they see fit.  One of the many, many, many beauties of homeschooling.................

The basic requirements look like this:
English- usually three/four years.
Math- three years for most colleges but often four depending on the college/major.
Science- generally three years but sometimes four depending on the college/major.
History- three years but sometimes four depending on the college/major.
Foreign language- usually two years.  American sign language is considered a language credit.
Electives- usually two years-i.e. photography, drama, art, music, etc.

After you make sure your high school curriculum matches up with college requirements it is time to create a portfolio for your child.  At this age, they should be helping with this and have input.  The portfolio should at the very least have student writings, reading lists, extracurricular activities, volunteering information, summer programs, and awards/achievements earned.  Do not turn this into a scrap book.  You can add photographs if appropriate but nothing cutesy.  Keep in mind that a college admissions officer will give this portfolio about 10 minutes so you should keep this simple, concise, and clear.  Once you are done, have a few other people go over the portfolio to check for any mistakes that you might over look.

Did you ask what about a transcript?  You will also need to provide a transcript.  You really do not need to go crazy here either, simple is best!  Use the less is more kind of philosophy here.

Submit the transcript in a seal envelop with your name (the administrator) on the sealed part of the envelope.

Check out Lets Homeschool High School for transcript help and free downloadable templates.

Colleges also want the SAT/ACT scores.

HC USA is a fantastic resource.  A lot of info and courses.
My PSAT/SAT board. Pinterest

Help with foreign languages.
Duolingo-favorite of mine
Babbel-awesome resource

List of homeschooling friendly colleges which include Stanford, Columbia, Princeton. Duke, Tulane, Georgia Tech, Florida State University, and Auburn just to name a few.  Harvard and Yale also actively recruit homeschoolers.

Head to the library or pull up a chair at Starbucks inside of Barnes and Noble and read, read, read for free.

Must have books for college prep:

College Prep Homeschooling.

Homeschooling the Teen Years.

Article from US News
HSLDA
CLEP information

Dual enrollment programs.
What is dual enrollment? This is when your child is in their junior year of high school.  It is possible for you child to take college classes at a discounted cost from most local community colleges.  These classes will be added to the high school transcript and be credit towards an associate's degree (2 years) or a 4 year program.
By state
For Georgia-Accel program.
Dual enrollment info.
More dual enrollment info.

Free courses online.  These are a few of the best sites you will come across anywhere.
Khan Academy-My personal favorite.
Vlog  Brothers-John and Hank Green another one of my top picks.
MIT Open Course Ware
Easy Peasy all-in-one high school

Help me!
Help for the homeschool parent.
College requirements printable.-Print this now!
Jimmies Collage-Planning High School With an Eye on College Admission and Scholarships.
Sample transcript from HSLDA.
More detailed sample from HSLDA.
Blank copy HSLDA..
Family Education. 
Lets Homeschool High School.

Pinterest
My High School at Home board.
High School/homeschool/college on Pinterest
Homeschool High School Pinterest
College Prep Pinterest
More College Prep Pinterest

Happy homeschooling and college prep!

QUADRAGOCON 2015 - WHO WILL WIN! Love the Green Brothers!

Congrats to a few of our favs, MTV movie awards.

Breakthrough performance.

Best fight.

Best hero.

Best kiss.

Best female.

Movie of the year.

Best musical moment.

Best on screen transformation.

Find out more here.

Disease! Crash Course World History 203. Great resource!

Money & Debt: Crash Course World History 202 Great resource!

John Green-mongols video

The Spread of Islam.

Bob Jones University World History, Chapter 6, Islamic Empires.  There is way too much about Islam to minimize it to one blog post so here are just a few facts that we covered in our study of world history.

~Islam refers to the name of the religion.

Muhammad

~Islam was founded in AD 610 in the Arabian Peninsula by a merchant named Muhammad.

~Muhammad is the prophet.  A prophet is someone who believes they have spoken to god and is spreading his message.


~Anyone who practices Islam is called a Muslim.

This is an example of Islamic art.
The word Allah is written in green.

~Islam is the Arabic word for peace, security, and surrender.

~A Muslim is one who peacefully surrenders to Allah (God).

~The word jihad is a term used to spread Islam all over the world.

~Inventions from the Islamic world include marching bands, torpedoes, the guitar, the lute, the water pipe, the minaret, algebra (whoo hoo), the pinhole camera, coffee (whoo hoo), and the laws of refraction.  Ibn al-Haytham formulated the scientific method and is considered the first true scientist.

~Basically, a Muslim is someone who believes in the following.  They have to believe there is only one God, they must believe in all the prophets of God, the scriptures revealed to Prophets Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad, the angels, and the Day of Judgment and the Herafter, and finally they must believe in the divine decree or destiny.

~Their holy book is called the Quran.

Just to sum this up, once Islam was founded, the religion took off and spread rapidly.  This is why there are over a billion followers all over the world making Islam the second most popular religion.

Read more here.
Be sure to visit Khan Academy and check out John Green's video, Islam, the Quran, and the five pillars all without flamewar.

Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars-Crash Course World History: John Green

Resources-Julius Caesar/the Roman Empire.

"Veni; vidi; vici;"  "I came; I saw; I conquered." Julius Caesar

Khan Academy Crash Course History by John Green; The Roman Empire and The Fall of Rome.
Pinterest
Hub Pages
Cloud biography, short video, youtube

Another Ancient Egyptian lesson by John Green.

I can't believe I forgot this amazing jewel.  John Green's Ancient Egypt crash course.

On deck for our new school year: 2014-2015!

We survived our first year of high school with no stitches and nothing blew up, well nothing accidentally blew up.  We have had a hard year (really about a year and a half) but we kicked butt anyway and got through it all and more, and this year will be even better.  If money were no object, I may have chosen a few different or extra materials but since I am the only source of income, I got what I could, and I really got quite a few goodies!!!!  Now looking at it all pulled together, I would not change a thing.

My A-bug is in 8th grade this year which is devastating to say the least.  She is my super girl, and she is growing up too fast.  She is my helper child.  She will go along with anything I ask her to do even if it is not her favorite.  She has great passion for things she is interested in.  HINT: Never ask her about birds unless you have at least an hour.  Already in her last year of middle school, gasp!  I guess it can't be helped.

Like most homeschoolers with multiple students, it is easier and more beneficial to do a few subjects together at levels conducive to each student.  I did break up their science courses this year but they will both be studying WriteShop II, Latina Christiana-Latin, Latin Made Simple, World History BJU, and A History of Western Art.   They will each have at least 2 required reading projects, and we are adding a little more dystopian literature just because we can and someone living here has an obsession with all things dystopian at the moment.  Here is a fantastic site for dystopian lit.  We will also be using Khan Academy for anything and everything we find related to what we are doing.  If you are not familiar with Khan Academy, YOU MUST GO THERE AND CHECK IT OUT NOW! GO!

This year A13 will be using Apologia Physical Science by the amazing Dr. Jay Wile, Math U See pre-algebra, and Write on Course, as well as multiple outside activities such as gymnastics, co-op classes on Monday, as well as being on the Scholastic Team for our homeschool group and misc field trips and group activities.

8th grade

C15 is starting 10th grade this year (stop it!).  This child has grown up so fast, it is unbelievable.  10th grade?  HUH? Well, all I can say is that she is not your typically 10th grader that is for sure, and I am so grateful for that.  This girl is seriously smart, exceptionally smart at some things really.  I am grateful she has not had to endure all the hideous things that go on in an American Public School facility-no offense to anyone just my opinion but she is not pregnant, she does not smoke, and she is the kindest person you will meet so I think I am doing a pretty good job with her and both of my girls especially given the chaotic circumstances we are being forced to deal with but hey if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger, right? moving on.........................

C15 will be working with Apologia Biology and Khan Academy's crash course biology taught by Hank Green (brother to John Green).  It is a fantastic, no nonsense course.  She will also be using Writers INC, 411 SAT Critical Reading Questions, Teaching Textbooks Geometry along side Math-U-See Algebra (this is for my kid that hates math and all things related to math but has scored 95% or higher on every math evaluation she has taken to date). Go figure?  She will also be taking co-op classes on Mondays, as well as Rockschool, guitar lessons, driving, Barnes and Noble book club every two weeks, volunteering at the local animal shelter, and joining the library teen advisory comity.  She will also participate with the Scholastic Team as she is their main photographer for the events, field trips, and group activities that are held by our group. The volunteering and library advisory comity both count as public service credit.

10th grade

This is a pretty big year for us, that is a lot to learn!  We also have a move coming up and a few other changes but we have made it this far on our own and we can only go up from here.  We have persevered through the most difficulty time in our lives and we are still going strong.  The three of us together can do anything!

Happy homeschooling!

The Fault in Our Stars movie review.

On June 6, 2014, we saw what I consider quite possibly the best (tear jerking) movie I have seen in at least the past ten years.  A13 and I did not read the book but C15 did which gave her an advantage but by the time we left from seeing the movie, it did not matter if you have read the book or not, it was that good!  It is said that this is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations and followed the book very closely.  This movie was a refreshing change from the "children in battle" movies, zombie movies, and action movies, not that we do not love those as well, this was just different.  This movie is an emotional roller coaster ride but leaves you feeling happy, sad, and in awe of the movie.  


I will admit that I had at least five tissues in each hand for the majority of the movie but I was not the only one.  You could hear crying and sniffing pretty much the entire time.  This movie is so touching and emotional, it really does move you to tears but in a good way.  It makes you appreciate your own set of problems and even though you have problems, there are others that are worse off than you.

And if you are a parent, it reminds you that children are a gift, and you have to make every moment count.

A little background.  Here is my other blog post about The Fault in Our Stars.  This is from we went to the Tennessee for the Red Carpet Event for the movie.
 Seeing the author and the main characters really gave me a sense of who they are, and it translated beautifully in the movie.

 This blog post goes into a little detail and background for the movie, the author (John Green), and the main actors.  That was such a good time!

So back to the movie.  I have been warned several times by C15 not to give away too much so I won't.  It would be awful not to enjoy this movie unspoiled.  In short, the main focus of the movie is on two teenagers (Gus and Hazel) who have a unique way of expressing sarcasm.  They meet at a cancer support group, they fall in love, and this love takes them to places they never thought they could go.  There is a brief love scene between Gus and Hazel but it is very tastefully done and shows nothing more than a girl's back and a boy's chest.

For me, there were a lot of unexpected twists that I did not see coming since I am a non-reader. I loved this movie!  I can't wait to see it again!  Two hours of time well-spent.  I think The Fault in Our Stars has something that everyone can relate to even if you are not suffering with cancer.  The movie is about real life and making choices and fighting for what you want.  You can't go wrong with that.

Here is a link to that awesome Swedish Hip Hop song from the movie (Afasi och Filthy - Bomfalleralla). 

Official trailer
John Green
Ansel Elgort  (Augustus Waters)
Shailene Woodley (Hazel Grace Lancaster)
Nat Wolff (Isaac)


**all images from the web

The Fault in Our Stars

Must see movie!  Bring tissues!
Picture from the web

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

C14 insisted I put a warning on this blogpost in case there were any spoilers that I may accidentally give or if any links that are followed contain spoilers so be warned.  I am not going into great details about the book or movie, this is mostly about the experience of the Red Carpet, Q&A event.  Proceed with caution just in case.

I am not sure where to start but we were so lucky we had a chance to go to one of the Red Carpet, Q&A tours for The Fault in Our Stars movie coming out on June 6th.

I guess I will just start by saying by the time we got to the location we were going to (4 hours early), there were already at least 2,000+ people waiting.  They were mostly teen-aged girls but I think that was to be expected (at least by me).  Some of those people had already been there for 14 hours, just standing in the hot sun, getting sunburned!  I don't know how they did it.  There was easily over 3,000 people there by the time it was over, and I have the bruises and ringing in my left ear to prove it!

The excitement began at 5 p.m. with trivia games and a local radio station playing music and pumping up the crowd.  The author, John Green, and the cast of the movie were supposed to walk the Red Carpet at 6:30.  They started about 15 minutes late (boo).  I heard a lot of complaining in the crowd about how they needed to hurry up but finally when John Green took his first step on the Red Carpet, mayhem broke loose, I mean total freaking chaos!  No one seemed to mind anymore that they were in fact, late.

My girls sort of crowded in to stand by the barrier between the crowd and the Red Carpet, just like everyone else was doing, and they maintained their position which turned out to be one of the best spots to be standing.  I had to get out of there as after a while of being hit repeatedly by skinny girl elbows, I was starting to bruise.  C14 has a collector's copy of The Fault in Our Stars and when John Green made it her way, he promptly signed her book and told her how much he liked her shirt, OMG, what?  I mean she was wearing a Fault in Our Stars shirt but he was speaking directly to her and she thanked him.  Awesome!

John Green (silver marker)

John Green proceeded down the carpet, and then Ansel Elgort (Augustus Waters) made his way to the carpet which provoked some of the loudest, earsplitting screams I have ever heard in my life and hope never to hear again!  He owned that carpet when he came out.

You may remember him as Caleb from Divergent (Tris' brother).  His role in Divergent was not quite to the magnitude as his role in The Fault in Our Stars, he has definitely made a name for himself playing the part of  Augustus Waters the lead male in the film and love interest for Hazel and best friend to Isaac.  I will admit this kid is CUTE!!  He was very confident working the crowds.  He also signed C14's book but he signed the outside cover, not the inside as the others did.  The outside cover has John Green's signature carved into it and even John Green signed the inside.  I just found that funny!

Ansel Elgort

Next up was Shailene Woodley (Hazel Grace Lancaster).  I am so impressed by her.  She really has herself together.  She is well-spoken, friendly, and seems to be a humble young lady.  She obviously has a good grasp on who she is, she is very authentic to herself.

When she got to C14, she signed her book, and C14 was able to ask Shailene a question which was if she was nervous to see what the fans thought of the movie.  Shailene replied "Not really.  I feel like everyone has worked hard on the movie to make it perfect."  She smiled at C14 and told her that she was excited!  Love her!

Shailene Woodley

And finally, Nat Wolff.  Nat plays Isaac.  Isaac is a close friend to Augustus Waters and is essential to Augustus and Hazel meeting.  Isaac brought Augustus to a cancer support group meeting.  His role in The Fault in Our Stars is critical to the movie.

Nat Wolff

As soon as the Red Carpet portion concluded, the fans with reservations for the Q&A were inside for the stars to take the stage and answers their questions.  We did not have a reservation since they had been sold out for weeks.  There was another line, of course, for go-in wannabees so guess what happened?  Yep!  We got in line, and we were herded in like cows to the event.  WHAT?  Is this for real?  We could not believe it!  We were going in to hang out with the cast and John Green.

The place was not all that big but no one cared.  It was loud as every scream echoed off the stage and was sent right back into the audience.

In between screams, a fan got to ask a question.  C14 had a question but we were too far back so she did not get to ask her question.  One of the questions that stuck out to me was when a kid asked Shailene Woodley who was her favorite character that she has played so far.  She has been in a few movies lately so I am sure that would not have been an easy question for her to answer, especially since she was there promoting her character Hazel.  She was fumbling a bit with her answer when John Green cut her off and said he would prefer she not answer that since he is good friends with Veronica Roth (author of Divergent) and it would not be fair as the roles she has had were so vastly different.  Shailene responded jokingly that her favorite was Trazel, a mix of Tris and Hazel.

Not long after that, a question was posed to Ansel Elgort.  He was asked if he has any secret talents that no one knows about or something to this effect.  He turned a little red in the face and laughed, and was trying to say no, not really when everyone cheered him on.  Apparently, his secret talent is that he can channel his inner Michael Jackson.  He started dancing MJ-style and the cheering was so loud, my ears were ringing.  Nat Wolff began to beatbox so Ansel continued to dance.  I admit for a skinny, white boy, he did a good job with the dancing.  You can watch the Youtube video here.

They were all lovely and very sincere in their interactions with their fans.  I am so glad we spent some time learning Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, otherwise we could only have read John Green's signature.

C14 said it was the best time she has ever had.  These are the memories that she will carry with her.  I am so, so happy that we could be a part of this event!  Barnes and Noble is holding a book club for The Fault in Our Stars that C14 has signed up for.  They are going to die when they hear all of this and see her book!

I am pretty sure there will be a lot of tears when the movie hits the theaters June 6th.  I know there will be a few from me for sure!

You can read more in the current issues of Entertainment Weekly.  Visit the website for exclusives.

In my opinion, there are no faults in these stars.  They are awesome!

Facebook page-John Green
More John Green
Trailer clip from IMDb-get tissues
Entertainment Weekly 
Fault in Our Stars FB page