My daughter begins high school in 2 months!  I have been preparing for this moment for years.  I am not sure there can ever be any full and complete preparation for the 4 years to come and the lifetime beyond that, but I know I am going to try!

Many hours have been spent scouring the Internet, checking books out of the library, prodding other homeschoolers who have been through this process and more.  When I came upon High School Prep Genius I was so excited to get it in my hands and devour all the information it had to offer!

What I Like About High School Prep Genius:

• It is written to both student and parent.  Each chapter has things for the student and the parent to think about and do.  So many of the principles I look to teach our daughter about organization, healthy habits, decision making, effective study habits, etc. are covered in the beginning part of the book.

What I Love About High School Prep Genius:

• The College and Career Notebook set up
• The Month By Month Timeline of what and when to do things like volunteering, test deadlines, applications, college decisions, etc.
• This book allows you to “dot every i and cross every t”.  With pages to copy/print, charts to fill in, checklists, and guidelines, you can know that you are following a step by step process through the high school years and be confident you are not leaving things out.
• Not only does it walk you through the test dates, applications, transcripts side of things, it also spends time with practical life skills like time and money management, study skills, and organization.

Drawbacks To High School Prep Genius:

• While it does state that it is for homeschoolers too, and there are small sections that mention homeschooling, I think it could use a stronger and more specific section geared toward homeschoolers and the specific needs/concerns with homeschooling high school.
• The major thing that bothered me with this book was the use of gender words like daughter/son.  I believe the book tried to use these interchangeably as it is speaking to us about either our daughters, or our sons.  My problem was there were many times I stopped and thought, “Are they really implying that boys (or girls) are that way?”  It was as though the genders often fell in a stereotypical manner.  I would have preferred the use of  your child or son/daughter throughout the book to avoid this issue.

Would I Recommend Using High School Prep Genius?

Absolutely!  I am so grateful to have found this book.  For public school, private school, and homeschoolers alike, this book is a wealth of both practical tips and advice needed in life, as well as  high school/college specific steps to follow. My teenager and I will be starting out her freshman year by putting together her College and Career Notebook.  We will then work our way through the High School Prep Genius book, filling out and following the steps as we go, using things like the Month-By-Month Timeline, the saving for college money charts, transcript helpers and volunteer logs.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. The opinions expressed are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full Disclosure Policy for more details.

The Big Book of Homeschooling

To get tons of great advice, and move beyond the basics of academics, pick up a copy of The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas. Some topics included are things like active learning, learning with video games, helping teens/tween become independent learners (one of my chapters), teaching on the road, learning with movies, high school literature (one of my chapters), and gardening.

This book can carry you through all your years of homeschooling, covering the stages your children will mature through: preschoolers, elementary grades, middle school, and high school. As your life situation changes, you will find new chapters that apply to you. You can view the full table of contents to see all 103 topics!

If you would like to purchase a PRINT Copy that option is now available via Amazon!! The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas – Print Copy