Hey there, lovely people! I’m Arlene-a book nerd, planner enthusiast, and seasoned homeschooler with ADHD-driven creativity and Dominican charm 🇩🇴. I transitioned from RN to WAHM years ago and now guide my kiddos through high school and middle school with a flexible, Waldorf-inspired approach. Grab your lukewarm drink, friends, and stay awhile… 📚🫖
#BookishMom #plannernerd #secularhomeschool #homeschoolhighschool #homeschoolmiddleschool
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Perhaps she might be interested in scientific illustration? Many conservation sites have artist residencies. I'll link one of the first sci illustrators I ever stumbled upon, I believe she was doing a residency in Maine when I found her account. www.zoekeller.com/about
@@jrebisz06 awesome! She actually spoke to one of the animal behavior scientists that recommended this as well! She will never stop making art; regardless what her main job becomes. I’ll take a look at this too, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for explaining your block schedule! Love it!
@@kellydugan7553 happy to hear it helps!
Hey, long time watcher, first time commenter! I have a 7yo kiddo who is also super into conservation/zoology, do you have any reccs for a secular unit study focusing on that topic? Just want a short change of pace. We picked one not too long ago, went to purchase, and realized it wasn't secular and we're pretty bummed out. The Fiddlesticks one you mentioned sounds so fantastic for older kiddos!
@@ElizabethSwigart hi, Fiddlesticks has similar resources for younger kiddos too, so I would still check her out. You also have Roots of the Earth conservation unit which is excellent. I have a discount link for her shop, that’s Arlene20. Here’s the link: www.thistlesandbiscuits.com/product-page/roots-of-the-earth-conservation-unit If you are looking for a full year of animal studies, take a look at level 3 science from Blossom and Root.
I want to do Bella's 9th grade year!! What a wonderful mix you curated for her. The way you organized this helps take so much mystery and overwhelm out of thinking about high school. As a habitual blender (hello! We are novelty lovers over here), I am already anxious about our HS years, but those worries are always quieted after your videos. Thank you for putting yourself out there for all of us.
@@antlersandgills aw thank you so much , your kind words really mean a lot, thank you for the support 🩵
Fantastic video as always! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and your willingness to share it with all of us! I have a plan for my 9th grader for this upcoming year but some of the resources you mentioned will blend in perfectly and really add to the choices we've already made. Thank you!
@@WeavingNettles I’m so happy to hear it was still helpful . Would love to hear your plans as well if you wanted to share.
Love this video, the thoroughness makes planning our own first year of high school so much less overwhelming!
@@mrsjamierae happy to hear that, thank you so much for watching.
Would love an updated teacher cart video.
On this list!
Love this video, thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome!
51:28 I need your elementary recommendations 😂
@@misskanju I have years worth of videos from those years if you’re in my IG page.
Thank you so much Arlene! I appreciate all the great resources to check out!
Hope you find something helpful for you guys!
Please recommend any 9th grade vlogger
@@vinithas2190 Homeschool of Bel Air is another secular channel with her oldest in 9th.
I really want to use EIL for my daughter next year. Do you think the EIL will work alongside graphic novels of some of the harder texts?
@@SecretCinemaSocietyPodcast Yes, you can use adaptations like audiobooks or graphic novels, but I recommend still following up with the original text. These adaptations can help build familiarity and make the material less intimidating, but engaging with the original text afterward can further enhance understanding and confidence. Keep in mind that the program is geared toward high school students or first level for either 8th of 9th graders, so if your child is younger, you might want to consider the rigorous nature of the content, although it is adjustable.
I like Abby's channel as well. You and Abby are my go to channels for middle school and high school ideas. I have EIL planned for 8th grade, my son is in 7th. I will be curious to see how your daughter likes it.
Aw thank you so much. And yes, she’s an awesome person to follow 🩵
Thank you thank you thank you for your videos. They are always so amazing and informative.
@@JillLund-qx5hx thank you so much for being here!
Wow- that was so thorough. I can tell you did a lot of work to create your daughter's freshman year. I'm definitely interested in seeing a video on your teacher's cart. Thanks so much for sharing your plans!
@@heidig8739 thank you so much and for watching 🩵
Love love love. I have so many ideas to take away from this. I am also a blender, and I’m blending Oak Meadow ELA and BW Boomerang’s this year and this maybe the first year we don’t all get bored 😂
@@LeahHung125 lol I felt that! That’s what it comes down to, we will get bored 😆
Thanks for sharing. So many great resources and ideas. I have a 9th grader this year as well 😅 I didn’t see the added Youth Prevention book anywhere on your links? Can I have the name of that book please?
Thank you for watching. I actually grabbed it from our library. They had it by grades. I would check your library back to school display area, but here’s the website, you may be able to request this workbook or look at the other resources they have on their website. But your library should have them, I’ve seen them in every county we have lived in. Hopefully is the same in your area. I’ll share more on it in the next video with my 7th graders lineup, I grabbed one for him as well. This one is linked with Florida. Just fyi. hanleyfoundation.org/
@@raelenemj8297 and it’s called , Youth Prevention Workbook, it’s not something you can buy as far as I know. Here’s the info for that specific resource. hanleyfoundation.org/prevention/youth-prevention-workbooks/
@@Arleneandcompany Thanks a bunch! I’ll have to check my libraries out. I didn’t try and google the Youth Prevention book name and came up empty handed.
@@raelenemj8297 my pleasure, the link above takes you straight to the info on it, but again this may be just in our state but I’m sure the library has some version of it, if you are not in Florida.
Love the long videos . Keep being you !
@@colorswordsandlearning Aww, thank you so much! I know I don’t follow the typical success formula of shorter videos, but I figured if you’re here, you’re ready for a full episode. I just can’t pack everything I want to share into 10 minutes or less. Thank you, truly, these are a monster to edit!
I love your content!! I have an 8th grader with autism and ADHD that I homeschool. Your channel is very helpful!
@@NicoleCC21 thank you, truly means a lot🩵
As a fellow unhinged serial blender who started to get mean comments calling my videos “such a headache” I think you’re amazing and it shows how much you care about your kids. I, and so many others coming up behind you, appreciate your videos so much.
@@TheSecularFreeHomeschool I’m sorry you’ve had to encounter the negative side as well. It’s hard for me to understand why people can’t just keep scrolling if something doesn’t suit them. I almost didn’t share this year publicly because the negativity can be quite overwhelming. Your kind words are truly appreciated. Thank you for your support.
Thank you so much for sharing!!
You are so welcome!
Fantastic as always!
Thank you for watching!
I can’t find the curriculum. Do you have a different suggestion for textbook style? My 8th grader already did intro to Spanish in 7th (public school). This is our 1st homeschooling.
@@cbranson4654 Hi, you can find it on eBay, ThriftBooks, or Amazon (other textbook resellers too) for Level 2 and above if he has already completed high school-level Spanish 1, not middle school Spanish. There’s a difference, in that high school Spanish revisits middle school content but goes into greater depth and complexity to earn high school credit. If he took the high school credit one, you can obviously disregard. Most textbooks need to be sourced used. I don’t have another textbook-style suggestion that I’ve personally assessed and can recommend at this time.
He has only intro to Spanish. This year if we sent to public would be Spanish 1. So is there a difference between Spanish 1 avancemos and 1a, 1b?
@@cbranson4654 with Avancemos, things work a little differently. You can adapt the materials for either middle school or high school, so go with the best deal you find. I have the teacher guide for the high school level (1), while the student textbooks (1A, 1B) are technically for middle schoolers. However, the content is the same-just at a slower pace with more help in the teacher guide (which I don't have the middle school TG, I have the high school one). I chose the two books because of a better deal, but we still completed a high school workload to award high school credit. If you follow the standard structure, 1A and 1B are for middle school, while Spanish 1 is for high school. Please note, if you are not fluent, this program may be difficult for you to complete as sourcing the additional audio components etc, would not be available to you. If you are not fluent, this may not be the best fit.
@@Arleneandcompanythank you - I am not fluent so I will continue looking for curriculum. It’s hard finding a secular one 😢
@@cbranson4654 very! There’s options out there , but typically not this format. I’m still reviewing another option that’s online, but I’m not ready to chat about it yet.
I enjoyed Reading in the Wild! Building Strong Writers definitely looks like something I should dig into. Thanks for sharing these Arlene!
@@MindfullyLiv my pleasure, hope it proves to be helpful!
Thank you, Arlene! Will you share Christina Schneider’s social media info? I can’t seem to find her.
Absolutely! Here you go: instagram.com/thedaringenglishteacher?igsh=eWRlMjBwdnVqMmd4
The Book Whisperer and Reading in the wild are both good books. They are for sure geared to the classroom, but the main principles transfer to homeschool well.
@@TicketToLearning Yes, I’ve been familiar with them for a while but previously just scanned through the info rather than dissecting it. I have no issues translating classroom materials, so it typically doesn’t deter me.
Building Strong Writers looks so good!
@@TicketToLearning it’s a new favorite for me. Been anticipating its release.
Thank you! Good validation that this is a job for me. I always want to keep learning :)
My pleasure! So many run away from that term, but for me, that’s what it is.
This is super helpful thank you!
@@Susie617 happy to hear it
❤ "did I hit pause enough?"-❤
Hi Arlene, would BR Level 2 with Logic of English Essentials be a good combination? Or BYL Year 1 with LOE?
Hi, I’ve never personally used LOE, but a lot of our BR families make this combo. They just drop elements from one so it’s not overkill. I imagine it would work the same with BYL, but knowing you will most likely have to edit to combine.
Thank you so much for making this video! I am a visual person and this video is a great summary of OpenSciEd. I'm trying it out this year!
So happy to hear it helped!
Have you heard of “math by hand”?
No I haven’t, sorry.
@@Arleneandcompany I was mentioning it, because you might enjoy their line of hands on math
Love the backpack! And Lucy took those sticky notes and they are now on her wall in her bedroom. She was so excited about them and has been writing out morning and evening routines every day since she grabbed them. That caboodles type box is something that I think I need in my life as well 🤣
Bella stole items that I didn’t even realize she did. I kept thinking as I was putting stuff away after I filmed, I’m missing things…but what?! 😆 I need the organizer caddy you got.
Yes! More star wars! 9:21 & I agree! We need more black! 🖤
Right?! I mean, it looks great! We need more!
Love , love , love ❤️ Stationaries .
It’s my happy place too, met me smell the pages and pens! 😂
That bag is adorable
The backpack or the new teacher/workbag?
I love how you titled secular…I was searching for a science text online and some popped up from Christian stores and I was like, um…nope!!! lol.
Yes, and even when searching for secular resources, you'll still find that 50% of them are not. I try to make it clear 🤦🏽♀️ 😆
Just added a bunch to my cart! You know I'm always down for a good PD read! Thanks, Arlene!
@@homespun.childhood you’ll have to let me know your thoughts!
Thanks for this detailed review. Just ordered mine thru your link.
Hi, if a kid is in public school, do they can get credits for doing iew?
@@angelsuniverse6021 I’m not sure, it would be up to the school. I rarely see independent work awarded credit in a traditional setting. Unless if you’re part of a hybrid school.
This just looks so incredible! Thank you for the review. This seems like it would be a great class for a co-op. Would you say that a full lesson could be completed within 1 hr with a smallish group of kids, maybe 5 or 6 or them? Also, I’m not sure if I missed it but what was the age range again? Thank you so much as always!
Oh for sure with a group that size, prob under an hour . Target range is k-8, but with the older learners more in a leadership role for this level.
@@Arleneandcompany oh wonderful! Thanks for such a quick response! 👍🏻🩷 I think this would so great for new kids meeting each other and for me too honestly since I struggle with many of these things as well being NV myself. 🫣
@@meganrose22 my pleasure, hope it works well for you!
So I was binge-watching Arlene & Company while I was cleaning and purging my schoolroom and this video came on... I had to sit down and take notes...then I started rabbit-trailing on all your resources...next thing I know I'm printing out Thistles and Biscuits art and music curriculum... (sigh)... I so love your channel!!! 🥰❤💜❤
Aww you’re awesome, thank you 🩵
I ordered this planner after watching this video! I'm so glad that I did! It's beautiful and so functional! Thanks for the promo code!
You are so welcome! Happy to hear you love it!
At time mark 9:15 you mention a book that you lent. What is the name of that book? Thanks
I believe I was thinking of the Rightstart math card game book (I think). I’ve used several math game books through the years and some are suggested in the Fraction curricula. Here’s the Rightstart card game one. Pretty sure that’s what I was thinking about in the moment (I think 😂) store.rightstartmath.com/math-card-games-kit/
Thank you for this! So many that I'm adding to my reading list but what I really loved was the Teen Guide to College and Career Planning. This is something we are already talking about and to have a book to reference and work through together is going to be amazing.
I’m going to buy our own copy of that one for sure!
I thought I was all set for the year, now I’m not so sure 😅
lol oops