This course would have been exactly what I was looking for several years ago when my own homeschoolers reached their teen years. Instead of a comprehensive life skills preparation such as author Barbara Frank designed for her own children and now makes available to all homeschoolers, we had a hit and miss approach - a personal finance class here, some marriage and family reading there, with learning how to balance a checkbook thrown in for good measure.
Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers is a curriculum that teaches the skills and values that teenagers need in the adult world. Using a well-defined project approach, students research a place to live, figure out health insurance, come to understand credit and receive an introduction to basics like buying a car and setting up a budget. An attitude of prudence is encouraged with a stated goal of minimizing debt. The author also reviews concepts like getting along with family, friends, coworkers, and clients, finding a spouse, and living one's values - in other words applying the principles you've been teaching them since they were small. Now in its 3rd edition, this program features updates such as: new sections on borrowing money and bank accounts (each with three new projects), updates to the Financial Freedom Project and the Health Insurance Project (to reflect changes such as the Affordable Care Act), and a new section called "Work or College" to help you evaluate whether your teenager should pursue college and how to research potential careers.
The book begins with the new "Work or College?" section to help you and your child evaluate the possibilities of each. Depending on which direction you are leaning, two different paths through the book's material are provided. Next is an excellent, annotated reading list, divided by topic. The Projects section follows. Starting with background information, each project continues with research and reading assignments. These assignments are broken down into bite-sized pieces and often include the completion of various charts. Although the book is reproducible only for additional students in your family, they would be easy to replicate on any basic computer spreadsheet. Most projects include suggestions for further study and ways that parents can personalize the project by sharing from their own experience.
Although a family could use one book for several children if each prepared his own notebook, the manual is so full of valuable information and checklists that around our house we would be much more comfortable with each student having his own copy. I think my "homeschooled" college students would profit from going through this course during summer break. Revised and expanded; 160 pgs. ~ Janice
What is Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers?
It's a curriculum that teaches teenagers skills and values they'll need in the adult world they're about to enter.It walks them through processes like….
…. with an attitude of prudence, and a goal of minimizing debt.It also reviews concepts they'll need for….
…. and helps them reflect on the principles you've taught them since they were small.Literature and mathematics are important, but so is getting ready to take on the adult world. Barbara Frank designed this curriculum for her own teenagers so they would be prepared for living on their own. They are now adults with careers and families. Prepare your teenager for life "out of the nest" with Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers.
More about Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers
Most homeschooling parents place a lot of emphasis on getting their teenagers ready for college. But that's only four years out of their lives. What about life after college? Shouldn't we be preparing them now for adult life, by teaching them to live and work ethically and responsibly? By showing them how to handle money? By putting the goal of financial freedom within their reach?
And what about the teenagers who aren't going to college? Issues like buying a car, obtaining credit and understanding health insurance become more urgent for those who will soon finish homeschooling and tackle that first full-time job.
Projects and Assignments Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers includes step-by-step projects that guide teenagers to an understanding of practical financial matters. It also includes reading and writing assignments that require them to think seriously about their goals for their personal lives, and how they will integrate their values and their work.
Parents' Role Parents' Preparation Parents will find they don't need much preparation time to use Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers. Once they've obtained the required resources and provided access to research tools, all that remains is to customize Life Prep to their specific teenager.
Customizing the Curriculum Customizing Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers is easy. The book explains how to customize this curriculum based on whether your teenager is work-bound or college-bound. Your teenager's specific interests and goals are also considered.
Parent-Friendly Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers is a parent-friendly book written by a veteran homeschool parent. She originally designed it for use with her work-bound teenage daughter. The following year, she revised it to use with her college-bound teenage son. That's why Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers contains what you need no matter what your teenager's post-homeschool plans may be.
Work-bound Try finding a book about homeschooling work-bound teenagers. It's not easy! Most homeschooling books are geared toward preparing homeschoolers for college. But not all homeschooled teenagers want to go to college.
There are many bright homeschoolers who would prefer to work after they've finished homeschooling than to spend four years studying. Often, their parents agree with their decision. Increasing numbers of homeschooling parents are starting to question the wisdom of sending their offspring away for an expensive college education, in light of the lowered educational and behavioral standards at some colleges and universities.
Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenager provides ample preparation for work-bound teenagers. They have more immediate needs than college-bound teenagers. They may need a car right away so they can drive to work. Once they start working, they'll need to know about health insurance and tax withholding. And after they've had a chance to save up some money, they'll want to move out on their own. They'll need to know how to find an affordable place to live. All of these needs are addressed in Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers.
College-bound College-bound teenagers study college-preparatory subjects such as Advanced Math and foreign languages, but they also need to prepare themselves to handle challenges to their worldview by college professors and fellow students, and to get along with people of different backgrounds. Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers provides reading assignments that will encourage them to do just that.
In addition, homeschoolers headed for college need to know how to write a college application essay. Once at college, they'll need to be able to handle the temptation of credit cards (many of today's college students graduate with massive credit card debt in addition to their college loan debt).
After graduation, they'll be faced with all the hurdles that come with adulthood, including obtaining health insurance, renting or buying a place to live, and handling their finances responsibly. The step-by-step projects in Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers provide instruction on those topics and many others.
| Product Format: | Softcover Book |
|---|---|
| Brand: | Cardamom Publishers |
| Author: | Barbara Frank |
| Grades: | 8-12 |
| ISBN: | 9780974218199 |
| Length in Inches: | 11 |
| Width in Inches: | 8.3125 |
| Height in Inches: | 0.375 |
| Weight in Pounds: | 0.9 |
