Thank you!!!

Can someone please tell me how long this class runs per session? 1 hour? Longer? Thanks! Michelle

Thank you. :) I will research this.

Amy, Thank you for this amazing post. It's exactly what I needed to see: the big picture. I copied and pasted it into a Word Doc on my computer and will reference it as we move forward!

Yes, but he has to be in high school as far as I can tell. :(

Thank you! This is helpful. I'll look at Landry. :)

Yes! He loves building things ..... his dad is a General Contractor so son likes to "work with dad" every chance he gets. He also has a very BIG interest in cars, trucks....basically anything that has an engine. He seems to have the ability to notice the details in the design of whatever it is he's looking at. He notices minute stuff that goes right over my head and seems to have a photographic memory of it. I don't know what to do with him... *sigh*

Hello Everyone! I posted this on the 6th-8th grade forum, but was kindly encouraged to post here as well. Hoping for a little hand-holding. ....................................................... My 8th grade son is interested in becoming an engineer. He LOVES architectural stuff, but also has a strong interest in mechanical engineering as well. I haven't done any STEM related courses with him other than math through AoPS. I'm finding a lot of computer science and robotics type stuff available for him in our area, but not drawing/drafting/3D design type courses. There is an Arduino Class being offered at our co-op, but I'm not convinced that's the best use of our time if he's interested in Architecture (though for mechanical engineering it might be I just don't know). I feel confused. I know he needs to take advanced courses in math and physics. I'm trying to figure out that one very cool class/subject he could take this year that will give him vision & perhaps goals for his future. Thank you for the advice and help in advance! Michelle

Thank you, thank you, everyone!! I will cross-post this to the high school board (as Lisabees suggested) and then research every suggestion you all have made. I'm grateful for the insight. I have no idea what I'm doing as far as this art/engineering stuff are concerned. My older daughter was ALL Latin, writing, and reading. Lol!

My 8th grade son is interested in becoming an engineer. He LOVES architectural stuff, but also has a strong interest in mechanical engineering as well. I haven't done any STEM related courses with him other than math through AoPS. I'm finding a lot of computer science and robotics type stuff available for him in our area, but not drawing/drafting/3D design type courses. There is an Arduino Class being offered at our co-op, but I'm not convinced that's the best use of our time if he's interested in Architecture (though for mechanical engineering it might be I just don't know). I feel confused. I know he needs to take advanced courses in math and physics. I'm trying to figure out that one very cool class/subject he could take this year that will give him vision & perhaps goals for his future. Thank you for the advice and help in advance! Michelle

Does anyone have an opinion on PLATO or CK12?

My son is an auditory learner. He did BJU grade 6 science last year online. That was a great success, partly because the reading was minimal. He loved the videos. We can't do BJU this year because we joined a charter school. I'm looking at PLATO science or CK12 or anything else anyone can recommend that is secular and engaging without getting bogged down in too much fine print reads. I would be very grateful for some advice! Thank you, Michelle

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'll take a look and hopefully find something that works for us. Michelle

No, but I'll definitely check it out. Thank you. :)

My ds will be starting 6th grade this Fall. I work part-time and because my DH works out of state, I feel most of the time like a single parent. Lol! Anyway, I'm wondering if there's an all-in-one curriculum out there that teaches grammar, spelling, writing, vocab altogether with the same rigor of say, Rod and Staff, SWR, IEW, Wordly Wise? I need to streamline. I know, I may be dreaming. Thank you! Michelle I want to add I've been using R/S and SWR for years. They "fit" us. I haven't used IEW or WWise, but have been considering adding them in this year for my 6th grader.

I will look at Saxon and see if that could help. Thank you.:) I have ordered Key to Fractions. It should be arriving any day now. My son went through book 3 in 2011-2012, book 4 was 2012-early 2013, then we went straight into book 5. We've spent a little over a year in book 5. Thank you all for your encouragement and advice. I'm so grateful. Sorry for the cryptic answers. I'm using the kindle to check in here. Lol!

Yes, I've been thinking that AoPS might not be the right fit for him either. Thank you for your help. I probably need to step away from this for a few days so I can think through this more objectively. :)

Thank you for your help! I'll check into CWP. I did supplement Kahn Academy with MM this year. Maybe we could use a different curriculum as our primary and use MM to supplement? I don't know... his frustrations in math are tanking the learning process and sucking the joy/fun right out of it.

This week my 11yos finished MM 5B. I say "finished" but in reality I should say survived....sort of. He went solidly through books 3-4, but book 5 was a whole different story. He struggled with concepts. We would slow down and try to master them, but things didn't seem to permanently solidify.For example; concept A - mastered, concept B - mastered, concept C -mastered....put concept A, B, C together = problematic with him getting about 1/2 of the problems right. And of course, the resulting frustration for the boy turned off his brain and then it just became a battle. My original goal was to complete MM through book 6, then move him to AoPS. I still want to move him to AoPS not next year but the year after, but am now thinking that MM may not be the curriculum that gets us there. Can someone give me suggestions? My son used to love math, until this year. He hates it right now. I ordered Key to Fractions to review over the summer, will possibly order Key to Decimals. I looked at TT tonight, but it sort of feels like a step backwards. Thank you!! Michelle I should add that the way some of the concepts were presented, were almost too abstract for him.

I'm hoping someone can explain to me how to load books from Gutenberg to my Kindle. I have no clue how to do this. I'm not the most tech-savvy person on the planet either. Lol! Thank you!

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice and guidance. I think we'll try Wordsmith Apprentice this year and if all goes well (and with a little time and maturity) we'll move on to something like CAP. Thank you! Michelle

He doesn't seem to mind it so far. We are only 6 lessons in, but he hasn't complained yet. He seems to like the challenge of finding the patterns in the model sentence and matching those to the practice sentences. We'll see though as the material gets more challenging and goes deeper. I'm not sure if he'll have the patience for it.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate your suggestions and will look them over. Michelle

Thank you. I'll check it out. :001_smile: