I've used several of these. They are a lot of fun esp. as introductory material. The ones I've used were definitely not stand alone courses. Netflix carries the series.

Thanks for the encouragement. I've decided to take a lot more time with the students on this essay. In fact, I had scheduled 2 more essays for the rest of the year, but I think I'll back off that and just try to get this one essay down well. I think the kids will be better served learning the essay well rather than writing several poorly. Many thanks! Cynthia

*I posted this on the K-8 curricular board by accident. So I copied and pasted here. Is there another way to "move" a post? I'm teaching in our co-op this year. We are using Sonlight 200 history. It is painfully and embarrassingly obvious that these kids cannot write at the high school level I'm trying to do 2 things simultaneously and I'm not sure how to go about it. I would like to teach them basic essay writing simultaneously with teaching them to think through a topic such as slavery (how slavery in the Bible compares to slavery in the British empire). I want them to do research and come to a conclusion. I think I might be overwhelming them by doing both. But teaching writing using themes that are outside of their reading and discussion seems nonsensical to me. They will still have to write for their history class. I'm really looking for only a 1 page paper at this point. I'm a bit at a loss as to how much "hand holding" to do. I have sent home handouts about thesis statements, topic sentences, paragraph construction, etc. yet I get papers that do not follow any of these! Obviously the kids aren't reading them or can't figure out how to implement them. I don't have enough time in class to go over all of this (we assumed the kids had a good grasp of basic grammar) as well as help the kids work through the topic. I would appreciate any advice you all can give. The high school level is very late to just begin learning the essay, but that's where we are and I need to make the most use of the little time I have. HELP!

I'm teaching in our co-op this year. We are using Sonlight 200 history. It is painfully and embarrassingly obvious that these kids cannot write at the high school level :( I'm trying to do 2 things simultaneously and I'm not sure how to go about it. I would like to teach them basic essay writing simultaneously with teaching them to think through a topic such as slavery (how slavery in the Bible compares to slavery in the British empire). I want them to do research and come to a conclusion. I think I might be overwhelming them by doing both. But teaching writing using themes that are outside of their reading and discussion seems nonsensical to me. They will still have to write for their history class. I'm really looking for only a 1 page paper at this point. I'm a bit at a loss as to how much "hand holding" to do. I have sent home handouts about thesis statements, topic sentences, paragraph construction, etc. yet I get papers that do not follow any of these! Obviously the kids aren't reading them or can't figure out how to implement them. I don't have enough time in class to go over all of this (we assumed the kids had a good grasp of basic grammar:confused:) as well as help the kids work through the topic. I would appreciate any advice you all can give. The high school level is very late to just begin learning the essay, but that's where we are and I need to make the most use of the little time I have. HELP!

Thank you all. I wasn't quite sure how long the SAT program was so this helps me to work on scheduling for next fall. Cynthia

I've always told my 5 fellas that testosterone causes blindness! CynthiaOK

Do you use this as a full year math course or is it used in addition to your high school level course? If you use it as a full year course, how do you credit it? I have a son who will have completed geometry around mid year in 10th grade (next fall/winter). Would it work best to have him move on to Algebra 2 and do the SAT Prep concurrently? Or should I have him work for the rest of the year in Alg. 2 and do the SAT Prep over the summer and fall of his 11th grade year? He will be taking a practice PSAT as a 10th grader next fall. I don't want to get him so advanced in his math that he forgets the basics for the PSAT that counts in 11th. I know there isn't a lot of Alg. 2 on the PSAT so I wonder if we would be better off just focusing on the SAT Prep course. Any advice? TIA CynthiaOK

Holly, can you tell me which brand you purchased? We already have propane water heaters so we will most likely continue with a propane unit. Cynthia

Never! :-) Seriously, too many necessary books/school items get lost in the wilderness that is called "the bedroom". So, everything is in one room - affectionately known as the "torture chamber". Each student has a fabric bucket/tote thingamajiggy. Even my oldest who is taking all concurrent courses this year has a big ol' bucket in the same room for his school books. I just hate it when they can't find their math because they took it to their rooms to work on it! Can you guess what my fellas' rooms look like - ARGH! I apologize now to their future wives - I *did* try to civilize them!

It probably wouldn't matter - at least it wouldn't at the nursing schools I'm familiar with. The math of nursing is usually taught as a separate course, but the student would still need to satisfy the usual freshman/sophomore math requirements for the particular university. Most of the nursing students I've known haven't done either of those classes in high school, so your student would probably be a stand-out by having completed either one :-)

There are several other programs used frequently: Analytical Grammar Our Mother Tongue (probably more junior high level) Easy Grammar Plus and others What level of ABeka has he completed? Did he do well?

Unfortunately, I don't have much. I simply picked the chapters that dealt with the same time period as SL 200 and am having him work through 1 chapter every 2 weeks which will finish the section by the end of the school year. I think there were about 7 chapters starting with chapter 7. He is to read the chapter utilizing the study guide which I purchased to go along with the textbook. When he reaches the end of the study guide and chapter, he will do some of the chapter review (can't remember which part) as a test. He just started on this so we haven't gotten to a test yet.

We're getting a lovely snow right now! So far we have about 2-3 inches. The boys schooled until about 1:00 when the flakes started falling fast and furious - gorgeous large flakes! They're out making a fort right now. Note to self: make sure Rubbermaid containers are returned to the house. No plans are ruined. In fact, I'm so glad they are getting a great snow. It will probably be the one and only this year. Only nagging worry is that my 17 yob (senior) is trying to get home from the university and the roads are pretty slick out here. He'll have to navigate some big hills and curves...(more gray hairs)

State: Oklahoma Grade: 9th BJU Biology (6 hours a week) Math (Alg./Geo) (5 hours a week) Spanish (4 hours per week) History (approx. 10 hours per week) Logic/Speech (approx. 4 hours per week) English (approx. 6 hours per week) Looks like he spends about 34 hours per week. I think it is safe to say he puts in about 6-7 hours per day as a minimum. Some weeks he spends more time on school due to essays, literature reading, labs, etc.

We've used Fallacy Detective and Thinking Toolbox, but I've been curious about Art of Argument for my younger 2 boys. How do these compare? Are they completely different?

9th this year (14 yob): Lial's Alg. 1 finish/Chalkdust Geometry (rest of the year) Biology (BJU) Logic (1 sem) speech (1 sem) Sonlight 200 History (adding in Speilvogel's Human Odyssey) English 9 (PTIW, Jensen's Punctuation, Wordly Wise 3000) Spanish (Rosetta Stone) Private Music lessons (piano, guitar)

Favorites so far: Books that Made History; Books that Can Change Your Life Understanding the Human Body: Intro to Human Anatomy & Physiology Economics 3rd edition Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid (Vandiver) Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies

I think the Rinnai was the first to come on the market. Do you think it is better than the competitors? We looked at the specifications for pipe, etc. and our plumbing should be fine. Do you find that the water is very hot? Is it noisy? We often have 4 people wanting to shower early in the morning - will it keep up? They seem to be pricey to have installed. Do you think a good handyman could install one or do you definitely need a plumber? We have 2 water heaters: 1 downstairs to run the kitchen and laundry room (and a powder room); 1 upstairs to run 2 bathrooms with showers and tubs. I think we will only need this upstairs. The downstairs seems to keep up fine.

We're at the point of having to replace our old water heater. With 4 boys, dh, and myself, we are rapidly running into "hot water issues". We checked on the new tankless water heaters and they look fantastic. There are a lot of brands available now. Can you recommend a brand? Pros and cons of the tankless type? I think there is a tax credit available which makes it even more interesting. Any information would be appreciated, CynthiaOK

We've memorized Psalms 1. It flows nicely and has the feel of poetry, too.

That's a tough one. Apologia would work, but I'd recommend skipping some of the microbiology because it does get onerous. The labs are easily done at home and you can purchase a lab kit designed for that curriculum. And, unless you plan to do biology for 2 years, you'll need to supplement with a human body unit. Apologia covers human body in its general science course, but that is not going to be equivalent at all to what a high school unit would cover, IMO. If you can afford it, BJU with videos would probably be my choice of these two. But that's a lot of money to spend for someone who isn't all that interested in science. I simply cannot see spending 2 years on biology especially if the student isn't all that interested in it anyways. Another option I really like is Singapore O level. I have the biology and like the way it looks. It is inexpensive and very student-friendly. You can download sample pages of it at the singaporemath.com website. I will be using Singapore O level chemistry next year with my co-op class. I wish there were a program that incorporated all the positives from each of these programs. Any chance that she could enroll in a science co-op?

Hi Kate, I have had experience with both programs. There are positives for each and much would depend on how the class is to be implemented. My oldest son did Apologia Biol in co-op several years ago and my second son is using BJU Biology in co-op this year. Because I don't intend to have my children do biology for 2 years, which limits the amount of other sciences one can do, I prefer the BJU. From my comparison of the two programs, BJU is much more comprehensive and interesting. The text itself is more appealing (which is always a complaint I have with Apologia texts) and the kids aren't over-dosed on microbiology. My preference is that high school biology cover the broad range of biology subjects in less depth than to have to take 2 years to cover biology in more depth. I have to say, though, that having a teacher for the BJU who is a retired vet really helps. I think it would be harder for a non-science person to teach than the Apologia program. I have heard that some people feel BJU is AP level - I, personally, haven't compared AP texts with it. We don't do AP courses; we opt instead to take concurrent university level courses. For my oldest, we rounded out the Apologia text with The Teaching Company's Human Anatomy & Physiology course so that I felt he had a "full" biology program (by my definition). To make a biology course interesting, one needs to do a lot of hands on work. So, either program can be made interesting by doing a lot of labs. I would also recommend adding in videos, trips to nature centers, etc. I have had some issues with BJU's textbook (i.e., its treatment of evolution and old earth creationism), but we've been able to get past those with discussion outside of class. I think you need to assess your goals for biology before picking a program. Another text I like is Campbell's biology - you might take a look at that. I have it, but haven't really used it other than to pull it out for alternative explanations. There are a lot of good options out there. Check around and best wishes on your choice. CynthiaOK ds 18, ds 15, ds 13, ds 11.7

I'll have to defer to Mary on this one. I'm not familiar with the AP chemistry exam.

You're right. My copy does have a few pictures in color as well as highlighted text colors. But it pales in comparison with the other 2 texts. Apologia uses very few graphics yet chemistry is a science that lends itself to the heavy use of graphics (as seen in the other texts). Apologia seems to be the default choice for most homeschoolers (and I believe the chemistry text is the best text Apologia has produced) but there are other excellent choices out there.

Take a look at Singapore's O level Chemistry (http://www.singaporemath.com). I really like it. I will be teaching it in co-op next year. Previously I taught Apologia Chemistry (not advanced version). While it was good, I think Singapore's is more comprehensive and requires much more critical thinking ability than Apologia's text. The Singapore text is in color and covers applications of chemistry (lacking in Apologia). The Apologia text will probably cover all you need for high school, and the addition of the advanced text probably rounds out the program. The Apologia texts are black and white and, frankly, boring IMO. The Singapore texts are more inviting, IMO. Another possibility is The Spectrum by Beginnings Publishing (The Rainbow Science people). This is also a good text which I like better than Apologia. It is a little expensive, though. But it does have the advantage of being able to purchase the whole kit-n-kaboodle lab set. The labs with Spectrum are more in-depth than Apologia's. You can see samples at http://www.beginningspublishing.com. All of these programs will serve you well for high school level chemistry to prepare a student for nursing school. You'll just need to find the one that you will actually *do* and that depends on what type of book will engross your student.