I’m going to look into that. He’s a bright kid and I wasn’t expecting this to be a problem, so I feel caught off guard and have to figure something out. I think he just needs someone to answer questions or quickly put him in the right direction. I know that his questions would be easy to answer for someone with a better knowledge base. I’ve looked into some of the classes others have recommended but some are very expensive and some don’t offer teacher support. I guess I was foolish thinking we could get through this year without outsourcing science.

Thank you!

Thanks for your reply. I will check those out. He is ok with textbooks and classes, although internet resources always offer a distraction temptation for him. i just need to be able to pivot quickly. I have a cognitive impairment that taxes my working memory, so I just don’t feel like I should be straining so much for this. I also don’t fee 100% confident in my answers when they aren’t explicitly explained in the book.

We just finished Ch 4 of Zumdahl’s World of Chemistry and it just isn’t working. My son is in 9th grade and will be going into a STEM career. I am not a scientist. The only chemistry class I took was in 1992. I want him to have a solid foundation, but I am limited in what I can do. The last 2 chapters have been very hard for him. Part of this has to do with him not being as engaged as he needs to be with the material (adjusting to high school expectations), but I also think this book is difficult to work with. Maybe it can only be used by someone who is more knowledgeable. I have the textbook and the Teacher’s Guide so I thought I could get through this. But, this book is a challenge. The questions at end of the chapter are sometimes worded in a confusing way. One answer was simply not in the chapter at all. I had to google why the answer what it was, but it wasn’t written anywhere in the chapter. I cannot hunt down answers at this rate. It’s just taking too much time and effort, especially when I feel shaky about the answer in the end. My son is frustrated and I don’t want chemistry to be the bane of our existence for a whole year. We need to switch gears. Any suggestions? I was thinking of CK-12. Is that good enough? It seemed more straightforward and accessible. I know there were issues in the past, but is the updated version good? Any other suggestion? We are also doing a Great Courses Chemistry and have the microchem lab kit. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

After MM7 we did Foerster’s Algebra with MWB, as Maria recommends, and it was a beautiful transition. I haven’t used Dolcani, so I can’t speak to that, but MM7 is a thorough program that prepares students well for higher math.

PragerU is a conservative propaganda machine. Their purpose is not to educate, but to indoctrinate. On a surface level, for people who don’t already have an understanding of an issue, their videos can seem compelling, normal, and researched. This is what makes them so dangerous. It is often the information and voices that the leave out that make them racist, xenophobic, and inaccurate. It is textbook example of propaganda.

Yes. I remember socialism was an issue with Scandinavia and then the Middle East issues came up. The rest was fine. She largely copies another text (fully within copyright) and inserts videos, so it’s easy to spot those areas and it isn’t dripping in her ideology (since she didn’t write it).

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn would be a great addition.

My son got a 3 in World History. We did not think he was going to pass, so we are thrilled with that result. It was hard for him to understand what was expected as it was his first AP.

My sons high school gave him a fine arts credit for his Digital Media class. They learned photoshop and video editing. For a STEM kid who doesn’t like art, I’d definitely do something with computers.

Thank you. That seems doable. I agree that it’s an amazing learning experience. I think that’s one of the great benefits of homeschooling that maybe we’re missing. I’d like to incorporate more of those types of experience in my homeschool, but it can feel overwhelming to plan. What you described seems possible. Thanks.

I like Grammar Planet a lot. It’s an online adaptive version of Analytical Grammar that kids do for 15 minutes a day. You also get notes that create a grammar reference book when you are done. It’s very well done (and affordable).

This is a late reply. I was feeling a bit misunderstood, but I didn’t know how to communicate that without coming off as defensive, which can be annoying in threads where people are trying to be helpful. This might come from the fact that I have always found this particular child hard to describe. Since he was an infant, he has had an ineffable quality that I understand but can’t articulate. I usually resort to turning his name into an adjective to describe him. I think part of this was venting and part of it was asking for advice. I did come to realize that a lot of this might be his age and stage of development. He is only 13, brilliant, but not particularly mature. Maybe I should relax and know that he will clarify his identity and interests a lot over these next few years. It’s also a struggle because my DH will not help me figure out education or parenting issues. It basically all falls on me. My son has some interests, but figuring out his classes and academic path is definitely not one of them. Since I’m the only one researching, planning, and thinking about his education, more responsibility falls on my shoulders than I’d like. Believe me, I’ve done a lot to solicit more input from everyone and will continue to do so, but as it is, I feel a great deal of pressure, although that’s something I’m actively trying to process and let go of. Gosh, this is longer than expected. I hope you don’t mind my essay. I started this reply because the end of your comment provoked exactly the FOMO I’m talking about. How did you come up with that research idea or support your daughter figuring out how to research it? It sounds amazing! To me, I think: that sounds like a very rich learning experience, but how could I pull it off? What kind of time would it take? How much involvement would be needed from me? Does it require confidence I don’t have to just hit the big points of biology and unleash curiosity? I work from home and my kid does most of his work independently (although we meet for a few hours a day for discussions). Advanced planning helps lesson my load, so it’s hard to imagine a creative pivot mid year, but how could that be planned in advance? It’s wondrous to me how parents on these boards can do that. But, like, how?

One of my kids is in public school and the other homeschools. The public school kid just finished honors chemistry. They had 2 labs all year. I am not saying this is good. I’m not happy about it, but it was a wake up call as a homeschooler. I had been intimidated to recreate high school labs, but knowing what actually takes place is an eye opener. So, maybe consider what is important and know that it’s totally fair to call it when you’re ready.

I am now in the same boat. Did you ever find one?

I expect that he’ll pursue’s his interests, but not necessarily other things. That’s fine. We all become who we are, but I do see these years as the time to give him a larger view.

Thank you! It’s nice to have someone who relates to my feelings. We don’t have to do those histories and prehistory is a question mark. We have just reached the Civil War in American history, so we definitely want to finish it up. It wouldn’t be complete. He’s also eager for 20th century American history so that should be good. I chose our history rotation because he won’t give me any input on planning, so this is what makes sense. I think I’ll keep that option open and see if he’s more open to deciding in the future. It might be something he grows into. I’m not really attached except for the fact that I want solid learning. I like your idea of allowing bunny trails to be electives. I’m thinking now that maybe a lot of this has to do with his age. Being a young teen is very different than being an older teen, so maybe giving it time and keeping options open is the best.

This is something to think about. I think it’s that familiar tug I always feel between classical structure and unschooly wildness. I see good and bad sides on both sides of the spectrum and never really know where I want to land.

This isn’t about me at all. My problems is never not having a book and always not having enough time to read all the books. I’m also not concerned about his transcript. It will be fine and I see no reason to worry. My quandary was about giving him the best education possible. Once he specializes in college, I doubt think he’ll study outside of his field much more than his general requirements, so these years are the time for me to offer him views of the world he might not otherwise get. I want him to get the maximum out of homeschooling. However, we can’t do it all (of course!) and I’m encountering a teen brain that is less eager to delve into projects and subjects like he used to.

This is good to hear! Thank you.

I think I’m going to do that too. I suspect that he’d enjoy outside activities if he tried them, but he always says no. I think I’ll insist that he give some a try. Maybe I should take a step back and see the whole child, because these deepening friendships are a critical part of his development. It’s not all about education.

Thank you! I guess part of my problem is that he is less focused on his passions these days. He cares more about chatting with his friends on Discord and Minecraft. I’ve put limits on those because they have a tendency to just take over. It seems like he’s less inclined to do much else these days. I know part of his is him transitioning to adolescence and some of it has to do with the addictive qualities of technology. I agree wholeheartedly that learning takes place outside of lessons, but if I’m being honest, there’s a lot less of that going on these days. Maybe I need to give it time. I don’t know. I’m actually really happy that he has good friends and maybe that’s just intoxicating to him right now. A few years ago, I never had to worry because he would make up projects for himself and pursue ideas. Not so much these days.

I wonder if any of you feel FOMO when reading these boards and contemplating your homeschool. I feel like homeschool should be open to really teach what I want (and my state allows this), but then when I start planning, it feels like all our time gets gobbled up. We’re in American history now (8th) and will be next year. Then a year of prehistory and another 2 of world history and that’s it. Where’s the time for a deep dive into something more specific? Where is the time for bunny trails? I read some unique class descriptions here and it’s so inspiring, and yet, it doesn’t feel like we’ll ever have time for it. I looked at Wonderium and wow, but when would we have the time? I guess I feel a bit like I’m on a tour bus when I prefer to leave the pack and explore on my own. I don’t know if part of this is because we do literature-based curriculums (my blends of BYL and GH) that take up so much time. I’m also teaching a lot of classic literature so maybe that’s an issue. We spend so much time pairing our lit with history that we don’t get the chance to focus on specific genres, like short stories or poetry. We just mix them in, but probably read too many novels. Also, my student won’t make choices for electives so I have to decide. He will happily do what I say, but he’s not bringing interests to the table and has told me not to turn his interests into school. I feel like we’re missing out on deeper dives so we can cover our bases. Thanks for following my ramble. I guess the heart of what I’m wresting with is this: which is more important: really engaging learning that covers less or a wide exploration of multiple fields? My answer is ideally both, but logistically, this doesn’t seem to happen. We get tired. Days get long. Anyone have any thoughts to share? Can you relate? Any advice? I’m wide open to suggestions.

I was wondering if that was the case and I’m dismayed, but not surprised. We used their textbook for world geography and it was good until communism, socialism, and politics in the Middle East came up. We looked up PragerU (misleading name) and learned about bias, so it became a good lesson for my kids, but still, it makes me question GH’s critical thinking ability. Are they unable to distinguish between fact and ideology?

Nm