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Lightly Salted

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Posts posted by Lightly Salted

    If you use Holt Biology - labs?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    So I do have some leads on a used microscope; I really do want to have one if at all possible. Thanks for responding!

     

    I would personally want my children to do at least one lab with an actual microscope, to get a feel for using one. Could you ask around within your local community about borrowing one for just one or two labs? If you know someone who has one and would let you come over and use it you could get the microscope experience without the cost.

     

    If you use Holt Biology - labs?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted · Edited by Lightly Salted

    I've read so many threads here today my head is spinning. I know where I can order lab materials, I just wonder how much I need (limited budget)?

     

    If we use all their digital tools (which is what the local public charters use - no hands on lab work at all), plus the home "kitchen labs" plus a dissection kit and lab manual, but don't order a microscope/supplies to go with it, is that enough for basic 9th grade biology? I know there are many online microscope/lab options, and I'm assuming that Holt's online tools must include some of that ... just trying to fit my head around what exactly to order. So many of the lab kits include microscope work, but I've seen a dissection only kit at Sonlight. Other suggestions for me? 

     

    (I have an 8th and 9th grader who are not particularly sciencey thus far, but solid A-B students, and I'm trying to keep the "go to college" door open without breaking the bank.)

     

    If I just absolutely need to get a microscope, I need to hear that, too, just wondering if anyone has awarded lab credit based on the digital labs and dissection alone, and how that went.

     

    Thanks for any help!

     

    ETA, I see Ebay has used Amscope (40x-1000x Biological Science Student Compound Microscope)

    for $50. If that would be adequate for most labs, with a kit like the ones from Quality Science Labs, I might be able to swing that. Realistic or no?

    Getting the itch to start the school year!

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Plans are nailed down, prep work is nearly done, date is set, and I am ready to go! (can you tell I'm a newbie? :lol:)

     

    July 2 will be our first day of read, official school! I decided to go from July to May with 4 day weeks. Gives us plenty of built in time to take off if we need it. I range from excited, ready to go to full blown panic almost daily, so calm me down when I freak out soon, ok? ;)

     

    LOL! We usually start mid-July because it's SO hot here, and school 4 days a week until we hit our required 180 days. Enjoy!

    Learned something new and helpful about WWE

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    The child does not need to say the dictation back verbatim!!!! Such a great relief! It is the ability to hold complete thoughts in your head and write them down in complete thoughts.

     

    The child may substitute a word that is similar!!!!

     

    Life is going to be a bit calmer here during WWE dictation time.

     

    Ah, what a helpful thing to know! :D Many times I get a similar word, I wonder if it's worth the battle to correct to 'perfect' so I appreciate you sharing this.

    If you're using WWW, could you please help me?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Ds will be done with WWE3 mid-July (we started late after him hating WS3). For next year, I have purchased WWE4, but he really hates WWE and it's become miserable for both of us. So, I'm rethinking things...

     

    I'm curious about WWW. I'd love to hear from current users regarding the pros and cons of this program. It looks systematic which would be exactly what ds needs.

     

    Since he doesn't have strong paragraph writing skills because we've been primarily using WWE since 1st grade, I was thinking of starting with Level 3 even though he is going into 4th grade. In searching on the boards, I see some of you were going to try that route for the same reason. If you did this, would you share your experience?

     

    Thanks!

     

    This year, my 3rd grader did WWW and really enjoyed it. She needs programs that break down steps very incrementally, so it worked well for her, and she's really learned to put together paragraphs well.

     

    That said, we aren't doing just WWW. She's in WWE2 and R&S English3. It hasn't been too much writing since we do most of R&S orally (except the diagramming). Sometimes if it feels like too much, if there has been a lot of writing in WWW, we'll skip the writing part of R&S until the next day, or do it orally as in WWE2. Next year, we'll continue this pattern unless it stops working for us.

    Taking the MM plunge

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We love MM - have used Light Blue levels 1-3 so far. Level 1 was no problem in black and white, but there have been some pages in 2 and 3 where color was necessary; if you can do a little printing at a time, you can save by printing mostly in b/w, only color where needed. If you're getting it printed/bound, I might go ahead with color, just in case.

    EXPATS- current and former- third culture ADULTS?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    That was the biggest shock for me when I first went "home" after living overseas. People were happy to have us back & were eager to share their lives with us, but they were not really interested in hearing about my life overseas.

     

     

    I remember being told repeatedly, "Get to know people where you're at and keep your mouth shut about your experiences. No one's truly interested 5 minutes past introductions."

     

     

     

    Yes, after a few snarky "Well, you're not IN China anymore" comments, I got that hint. It's lonely being 'home.'

     

    Forever changed, forever missing someone/something no matter which side of the ocean you live in. But I wouldn't trade the years overseas for anything. :grouphug:

    A/C rant

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    It's ludicrous that I need to wear a jacket in the summer at work and when I go into pretty much any place of business. Why does the air conditioning have to be set so low everywhere I go? :cursing:

     

    Oh, I hear you! I wear my leather winter coat to Sunday School, and still shiver ... I'm threatening to carry a blanket next week!

    For those who live in MD, VA, GA- homeschooling law

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    They just changed the law in Georgia so that you no longer have to submit monthly attendance! (The letter of intent and testing requirements didn't change.)

     

    I thought that, starting this fall, we still had to turn in our attendance records, but only once a year to the state instead of every month to our school district (?).

     

    Yes, we do have to submit annual attendance to the state DOE but no more monthly attendance reports. :001_smile: Someone had mentioned the monthly reports earlier in the thread, so I was just clarifying.

    (If you are nerdy and want to see how the new regulations compare to previous ones, you can view the bill with marked changes here: http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2011_12/fulltext/hb39.htm)

     

    I hadn't heard this, thanks! :D

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