This was a blast from the past. My mom actually used Hands On Equations with me after school. I totally forgot about that but always enjoyed my afternoon "Tea and Times Tables" times with her as they were called in my family. I think now it would just be called afterschooling which doesn't have quite the same ring. 😂

Yes! Literature has been the thing I've been most focused on. I had access to an objectively great literature education in high school but just did not care so it was the one area where I only did the minimum. Of course, I made sure that my minimum included college credit so it never even came up again in college. I'm a pretty voracious reader of nonfiction but I've recently been trying to read more fiction and have been surprised to find that I'm actually enjoying it. Thanks for the resources and also the good tip to take notes! I never would have thought of that on my own.

I'm on the hunt for resources that teach you, the parent both how and what to teach in various subjects. I'm getting a jump on my own educating education before I need to put it into practice so I can avoid feeling time crunched. Right now, I own BFSU and Kitchen Table Math which are exactly what I'm looking for in the elementary/ junior high science and math worlds but I'm drawing a blank on resources for language arts, social studies, art, and music. Also, you can never be over prepared on the math and science front so hopefully there are other things in those areas, as well. Any suggestions? Bonus points if it's free but I can work with low cost or keep an eye out for especially handy used materials. ETA: I also have TWTM (though, I hear tell that I might prefer an earlier edition) and a halfbaked awareness that Spalding is something I should look up more about.

If it helps you feel better, I don't even remember offhand how to classify the animal kingdom and I'm a full grown adult who had a decent science education (though I focused primarily on the physical sciences). Something tells me that it's a topic your local schools learn about in a specific grade so people expect them to learn the same things. You could just tell them you're following a different progression of material. 🙂

College debt isn't particularly controversial. Certainly, there are controversial ways you could address it but there's a big difference between saying "here's why college debt is a problem and I would like to avoid it" and "colleges are money-making ideology machines that are ruining the future generation by perpetuating wage slavery without appropriate returns." Lacking purpose in life could also be a good topic. Again, there is a world of difference between "young people lack purpose because of XYZ which is a problem because of ABC" (even if some of those thoughts are informed by faith) and "the biggest societal problem is that people lack Jesus. Here's my 7 step evangelism plan for converting all of the heathens on your campus." Maybe a good gauge of the controversy of an opinion would be seeing if you can find bi- or non-partisan organizations advancing the same cause? Thinking of things like lack of purpose in young adults, college debt, waning free speech on campuses, etc., they all seem to cross/ transcend party lines (even though different orgs. have different opinions on appropriate solutions). I get that people have had negative experiences with college professors and controversial topics but I think it's worth noting that admissions committees are often much more balanced because (1) it's a committee and not one person with a personal vendetta to advance and (2) everyone in admissions is (or should be) afraid of being sued. 😅

During my time in admissions, I personally only rejected 2 candidates for espousing insane views in their otherwise very well-written essays. But, to be clear, these weren't just unpopular opinions; one was blatantly bigoted and the other was arguing why they (male) could never be successfully instructed by female professors and shouldn't be in biblical studies classes with women if those women were going to be allowed to speak in class. We never rejected anyone just because we disagreed with them (though, sometimes, it was obvious that an applicant was just searching for a hot take which was annoying but semi-expected based on the age range and popular admissions advice books). I would say to answer the question in the way that feels true to him and could sincerely convince someone who might disagree. Barring the above insane viewpoints, I wouldn't be too worried about playing it safe and being actively agreeable. I would worry about being able to build and support a cohesive argument in a way that is engaging, compassionate, well-written, and demonstrates maturity/ critical thinking skills. ETA: Do you have any specific directions he's considering going with the prompt? That might effect/ change my answer a bit.

I found 1600.io really useful in tutoring for the SAT. They now have an ebook that I've heard amazing things about (and sounds like it may be more helpful in your case because you can take practice tests and then complete sections based on only the problems you missed) but I have only personally used the 2 physical volumes.

I used the textbook (not the online course) Conceptual Integrated Science Explorations to teach a middle school science co-op (mainly 6th/7th grades) with great success. I don't think using it a year younger would present an issue. The textbook covers 2 years and the experiments were easy to do at home and inexpensive (at least in the first half which is the year I taught) so it might work well on a limited budget. I did not buy the teacher's manual. I used BFSU, Volumes 1 & 2 to recommend library books and extension activities to any parents who wanted to beef up the content during the week which could be a nice optional addition since it sounds like you already own those books.

Would something like Western Governors University's business degree work for him? The competency based model could keep everything from feeling useless, he could pace himself, and he would finish with a regionally accredited 4-year degree. I know 2 business owners who completed their programs and they were shocked by how much they learned.

The college I worked at had a 15-minute daily chapel (attendance wasn't required but basically everyone on campus attended) and a few professors began their classes with a prayer (less than 1 minute). Most things did get related back to faith at some point though. For example, if you were in a business class, there's a good chance a conversation about how to do business in a Christ-honoring way would come up. In biology, there were often faith-based ethical discussions and a few presentations on the pros/ cons of medical missions, etc. History students spent a lot more time on general church history than I imagine they would have at a secular college. Nothing over the top but definitely a key part of the school culture and climate.

Thanks! I have read TWTM (though I don't currently own a copy) and I think it was almost too much info for me. A lot of the rhetoric stage materials seemed out of reach but, as an adult with other responsibilities, I was never sure how to go about finding the time to make it up to that level. This is a good reminder, though, that The Well-Educated Mind may be right up my alley. As to the question of motivation, I think it's at least twofold: 1) I see the joy and insights that other people glean from the humanities and it's always been something I've envied but never known how to obtain 2) I often feel like I'm missing cultural references and context for current events and would like to fill that in.

Hi there! I've been a longtime lurker (though I have posted very occasionally). I taught chemistry and physics at a small Christian school and homeschool co-op and have done a fair amount of tutoring in math and basic English so, this board has been invaluable to me as I've worked with my students from all kinds of backgrounds and searched for useful resources for the adults I've tutored. Now, I am expecting a child of my own that we plan to homeschool when the time comes. However, I feel like my humanities knowledge is severely lacking and I want to start rectifying that before there's a time crunch. At the very least I would like to be able to go to a museum and know what to do with myself and read a few classic books and get something from them other than an internal completion badge. Do you have any resources you would suggest (books, learning pathways, podcasts, etc.)? I'm motivated but remain uninterested in most humanities topics. I know that there is a lot to be gleaned and enjoyed but I think I get intimidated before I get to the good stuff. Most recently, I got bogged down in Adler's How to Read a Book and quickly found myself back in my reading safe space with theology and professional development (I work in marketing these days) so maybe I need a book about how to read How to Read a Book. 😪 **By humanities, I primarily mean art, history, geography, literature, and music appreciation.

As the former but fairly recent (left in 2022) director of admissions at a small college in a major collegiate city I just wanted to chime in on the you v. your daughter part: It certainly wasn't a black mark against anyone when our communications went unanswered but we were often wary of parents who communicated more than their students. We view them as budding adults and so expect them to drive the conversations they are interested in. If they aren't doing that we assume that they either (1) aren't actually interested or (2) lack the independence necessary to be successful in college. Obviously, we don't use that info to make major decisions but it can be a tipping point for applicants on the edge in committee. I would highly suggest your student start trying to communicate with the schools she wants to attend. Bonus: once she starts she'll realize that most everyone who works in admissions is very nice (truthful is another story 😅). ETA: For advisor/ counselor type questions, just identify that that's the role you're functioning in for your homeschool and most will immediately switch gears and know where to direct your question.

Elemental Science is offering their Chemistry for the Rhetoric Stage manual for free. It uses the CK12 textbook, which is also free. If you were to buy their suggested lab kit, you would only be out $160 (free shipping through the end of this month) and have an easy to follow weekly schedule at survey, regular, or honors level depending on their needs. https://elementalscience.com/collections/rhetoric-stage-science/products/chemistry-for-high-school-ebook-guide