How to Create High School Electives for Homeschoolers

[@mamabenzing5872]

I didn't even think of doing a culinary arts class for a kid that loves to cook and bake. My daughter will be doing culinary arts, early child education (she wants to help homeschool her younger siblings), child care and construction (my husband owns his own construction business)!!! What an awesome and helpful video.

[@kellyalbertson257]

My daughter has mentioned photography, forensics, entrepreneurship, animal science, etc. Also, there’s drivers ed and SAT/ACT prep that are good electives for high schoolers 😊. TFS!

[@reneec3186]

How do I do driver's ed bc in NC under age 18, they have to take it at the school before they can get a driver's permit.

[@wykkydtruth]

WOW! Thank you so much for all of the ideas. I thought I was doing pretty well with electives, but you really got the brain synapses firing. You gave me two good ideas, (homesteading and culinary), and I have another idea based on an experiment my son is currently working on. We are really enjoying the high school years. Sometimes my son feels the weight of the world on his shoulders, but this is really an enjoyable time of learning. Tahnk you Janelle. (btw, my grand-daughter's name is Janelle) =)

[@tammy2143]

Thank you so much for this helpful information. These are great ideas!

[@estrellaakastar5118]

So much valuable information! Thank you so much. I have an almost high schooler and I have been up to my ears in nerves lol.

[@laurenperrine4481]

This video was great! Thank you so much!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dougfoutty7687]

Thank you

[@stephanienuce7711]

Gives me some GREAT ideas for HS electives!! Thank you!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Happy to help!

[@THomasJPeel]

Excellent video!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Thank you very much! Hope it was helpful.

[@hoteleandoconlafamilia]

Thank you so much for your wonderful ideas. One of my children loves everything about cars, planes and boats. He has done a lot of that this school year. He has read books, gone to museums , he has even flown a Cessna plane. I want to add that for the elective class, but I don't know how to name it (the elective class name). Thank you for your help.

[@JanelleKnutson]

I'm not sure what your son studied/learned in regards to those areas but here are a few course title ideas: Aviation and Automotive History Fundamentals of Aviation and Automotive Intro to Aviation, Automotive, etc. Hope that helps you start thinking about what course title would be best for what your son covered.

[@barbaraoldrati5987]

My daughter loves to bake and watches many videos to learn and practices what she learns . I am finding it hard how to grade. Her research is amazing and getting all the supplies and making the products is amazing. Best of all the end result is amazing! Is it crazy to give her an a+ in the course.? I am going to have her file all recipes and I think we have pictures of everything. I think 1/2 a credit is good for all year ?

[@JanelleKnutson]

An "A" is totally acceptable. :)

[@pattygreen5229]

If my 16 year old has had a part time job her whole junior year, can she use that as an elective? What would I call that? DECA? Distributive education?

[@nikkiwasher7235]

Great video! My boys take piano lessons and I keep up with their practice time, lessons, and times they play and sing in church. I give them either a half credit or whole credit for Music depending on how many hours they spend on piano for the school year. I do have one question....one of my boys has created a KZbin channel for him and his siblings. He spends a lot of time coming up with ideas for videos, filming the videos, editing them in iMovie and posting the videos. My question is could I create an elective for him for all he is learning and doing with his channel?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Absolutely! Sounds like a fun class!

[@JanelleKnutson]

What types of courses would your teen be interested in taking?

[@EducationalRoots]

Janelle Knutson My daughter took Early Childhood Education and On Trial, where she is the defense attorney in a mock trial. It’s super cool! They’ve been working on it all year.

[@beckyussery3819]

I don't have high school student at this time (my oldest two have graduated) but will in a year and a half. She wants to teach music in college so music is a big part of her life. I know she will earn at least two credits in music (1/2 credit per year) and one credit in music appreciation by doing a study of composers and eras of music. I also am planning on doing an art history elective by studying artists and the different eras of art. My husband is an art teacher in our local public school, so he will help with this course. I also will give 1 credit life skills each year. This includes things such as cooking, cleaning, budgeting, etc. (basically learning basic life skills).

[@tracimorris2474]

My son has been making movies, editing, uploading, he now has a youtube channel making props for movies. What could I call this? He does everything movie related. Hes made his own costumes and props as well.

[@staceywalling3875]

@@tracimorris2474 I would call this class Cinema Workshop. My son took theater workshop at his high school last year and did similar things to what you are describing. We are trying homeschool this year

[@tracimorris2474]

@@staceywalling3875 thank you!

[@PetiteKeyboardist]

I know this if off topic, but I just caught my 15 year old cheating. Apparently, for the past couple of months, she has been looking at the answers in the teacher's books when my back was turned. I thought she was doing "too well" and asked her if she was looking at the answer books. She lied and said she wasn't. So I had to buy a lock box to keep the answer books. Has anyone else had to deal with this?

[@JanelleKnutson]

The first thing that came to my mind was, why does she feel that she needs to cheat? Perhaps she has made good grades an idol. Perhaps her hope for her future is in her doing well in school instead of in Christ. I obviously don't know your daughter or the whole situation. I'd suggest lovingly and prayerfully trying to get to the heart of the matter. We sin because we think the sin will give us something. What is she trying to gain from cheating? What does God's Word have to say about it? Praying the Lord gives you wisdom and discernment as you navigate this situation. Parenting is HARD! But, God is SUFFICIENT.

[@denisegertsen8342]

Hi my daughter is into aerial silks and skateboarding she started aerial silks about a year and a half, though she taught herself and has taken 1 actual class of it and then as for skateboarding she has been skateboarding at a skateboard park roughly 2 to 6 hours a week since April of 2020 I'm not really sure if any of these could be made into electives or not ..maybe phys-ed or something but I was curious about it.

[@denisegertsen8342]

Also to add she was in ballet between ages 3 and 9 yrs of age she is 14 now 9th grade in ACE Pace curriculum..I'm new to the homeschooling community...as of this past Friday..I am nervous or have first time jitters on this but she has been part of a homeschooling church since the beginning of last year, we are umbrella with that group but she is still taking guitar lessons with the school but I got intrigued by the idea of turning something she already does and love to do on a regular basis to have as an elective.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Skateboarding would definitely count towards Physical Education!

[@reneec3186]

One of my highschoolers is interested in being a music producer and has began to make music using studio programs. What would I call a course like that or grade it? The other likes photography.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Music Composition might work. You can go to any college website and see what they call their music courses.

[@THomasJPeel]

Who or what is HSLDA?

[@JanelleKnutson]

HSLDA stands for Home School Legal Defense Association. hslda.org/