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Trilliums

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Everything posted by Trilliums

  1. I think appropriate materials mostly depends on the student. Also, what do you think needs to be remediated? We were very relaxed homeschoolers and at age 11 my boys were similar to this student. They just transitioned into more structured school work in middle school and high school using whatever materials and/or classes were available to them. For example, in grade 9 they both took honors level science classes w/lab at the high school and did exceedingly well despite never having had formal science before. They used Khan academy and ALEKS to help shore up gaps in math and then went on to use Saxon and Art of Problem solving for math until they took precalculus as the high school. For LA we used a variety of programs (IEW, Figruatively Speaking, Art of Writing, WWS, LL, etc) and they ended up taking some classes at the high school as well. Here homeschoolers can attend the public school and the university part time, so they have taken advantage of those resources. They read, write and compute at an advanced level now as 11th and 12th graders. When they were about 12-13 years old we started talking about high school credits and long term goals. Both kids knew early on they wanted to go to college plus they had well defined interests for careers. They both decided to transition to more structured schooling to ensure they were ready for college. I think this was one of the benefits of letting them have a more interest led experience in the early years. They were able to delve into and develop their interests. Do you have specific concerns? I pretty much feel that my kids continue to direct their education. They pick their classes and follow their interests but they also respond really well to advice from me and DH.
  2. I made a key similar to EKS and had a column designated for where classes were taken. At the bottom of the transcript I had a very simple list of the full locations spelled out for each abbreviation. I used Home, four letters for the high school and four letters for the university. Four letters happened to be perfectly descriptive. :D
  3. Arduino and robotics. Programming Also a self created exercise routine Listen to audio books Various experiments Dual enrollment at the university keeps my older son VERY busy.
  4. You aren't alone in pondering these issues. Son won a scholarship at a regional school. He toured the school and was warmly welcomed. They obviously want him to attend and would provide much support. But, they outright said that they expect DS to apply to other, more competitive schools. They also discussed merits of our state flagship for son's particular area of interest. I was impressed by their honesty actually. They recognize that money is what they have to offer to high stat kids. We also attended an awards ceremony at the school and the accomplishments of the students was impressive--many kids were going onto grad school/professional programs at well known institutions. But, it was striking how many kids had triple majors and perfect gpas. Class loads seemed pretty non-demanding, but on the flip side, this probably allows students to pursue research and volunteer programs to a greater degree. I suspect the kids who achieve a lot at this school are kids who put themselves out there and MAKE opportunities for themselves. Son also attended a class section in his major and the level of discussion was fairly low. One or two students provided the most discussion and asked the only questions. I do not think this necessarily means that those high achieving students are poorly served. They have the opportunity to really shine and gain one on one attention from the professors. After visiting the school, son said he would attend if he did not have other opportunities. He definitely got the feel that you get out of the program what you are willing to put into it, which is true of course of other schools. But, the feeling was that at this school, you could easily just drift along, do the bare minimum and still graduate with honors. If a student really wanted to grow and learn, they would have to have the self discipline to reach out beyond the bare minimum of what the school offers.
  5. Waiting here! Son isn't bothered by it at all but I do feel a creeping anxiety further complicated by wondering how the financials will all work out. :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly: He has been accepted to our state flagship with full tuition though so that is a good feeling. :001_smile: He would attend happily and do very well there, but his preference would be a different type of experience (smaller). I feel a bit frozen and unwilling to make any other plans, spring and summer travel plans in particular, in case he needs to schedule visits.
  6. Oldest son (current high school senior) learned to write formal lab reports when he took honors chemistry at the local public school. Most of the lab write ups were fairly short and hand written. They had the occasional longer lab which required spread sheets and thorough write ups (sounds more like the one lab you are describing for your son). Son took AP Physics at same school. Labs were frequent but seemed rather informal and were generally not overly time consuming. He went on to take Physics 2 at the local U where he had a lab manual and labs were completed at the end of the lab period, as described above by Regentrude. He always worked with a lab partner. My son is an introverted (mild) aspie but he did not have any problems with getting along with lab partners as everyone was pretty focused on getting their work done and doing well. The very first lab in physics 2 was a bit tricky. I don't recall the specifics, but he did mention not knowing exactly what he was supposed to do and being unfamiliar with the equipment. I believe the instructors expect all students have taken physics 1 at the U and know the protocol. In any case, it did not take him long to sort out whatever it was he needed to do. For that class, the lowest lab grade was dropped so if students find their first lab is not meeting expectations, they have the opportunity to address issues and not have their grade permanently lowered. Son is now taking Modern Physics w/lab and Intermediate Mechanics at the U. His lab manual this semester is on a disc but he does not have to print it out before hand. His first lab is next week so he doesn't know much about how the reports will be generated. My son has considered a dual degree or double major in math/physics. or physics/CS. Last semester he completed two math classes at the U (Calc 3 and Lin Alg) and although he did very well in the classes (solid As) he said he was now less interested in a double degree as he prefers his physics classes over the math ones. We didn't talk about this in great detail as he has time and who knows where he will even end up for undergrad. But, as he gains more experience in college classes and course material, his ideas about his future studies have evolved and solidified. After taking Physics 2 at the U, son contacted his instructor and asked about volunteering in a lab. At first they tried to help him find a spot in a more theoretical setting, but nothing panned out there. It did, however, generate some funny discussions about being a volunteer *thinker*. :D Instead he has been volunteering in this professor's lab (particle physics) mostly programming with a graduate student. Even though son wants to go into theoretical physics, he has enjoyed this immensely and it has reinforced his decision to pursue a degree and career in physics. At our local U, all undergrad students enroll in a semester long research project. We don't know the details of how these progress, but according to the dept, ug research has become a de facto requirement for students, so they have implemented into the education requirements. We toured an LAC with a strong science dept. Son met with a theoretical physics prof and they did discuss ug research. The prof described research in theoretical physics as being gated by higher math. He also waved in the general direction of a black board and descried that as his "lab". I swear, everything that prof said just resonated with my son. :D
  7. Hello! I have a high school senior whose high school years included some full time public school, homeschooling, online classes and dual enrollment at the local university. Putting together his transcript was a bit frustrating at times, but it all came together nicely. I created a master transcript which included all of the classes he took during high school, regardless of where he took them. I had a key indicating where each class was taken. He applied to our in state flagship university where he was accepted with a full tuition scholarship and invited to apply for a full ride so the format was acceptable to them. He also received a full tuition scholarship to a small regional school. He applied to private universities via the Common Application For the Common App, I uploaded my transcript plus copies of the high school transcript. I arranged for the high school and university to also send official transcripts to each school. He is still waiting to hear from these schools, but I do not expect the transcripts to be a hinderance to his application. It seemed overwhelming and daunting, but in the end formatting was the biggest issue I had to work around. In the common app, I did address why he took various classes along with our general homeschooling outlook/philosophy.
  8. My boys are older now--one a high school senior and one a junior. They both love computers plus they are gamers. They have developed balance in various aspects of their lives. :) One plans to go to college for computer science or electrical engineering, the other physics. I think 8 can be young for expecting them to derive their own projects. Some kids will do this spontaneously at that age, sure, but I think for many kids it is still pretty young. So, give him some time. Also, around that age, if I tried too hard to tie in academics with their natural pursuits, it would often backfire on me. What should have been an enjoyment for them became just another burden. I wouldn't really try too hard to get them to develop 'academic' projects around their interests. I would, however, ask him to teach you about pokemon and mine craft. These are rich grounds for having conversations. Although my boys have many similarities, they also have distinct personalities, interests, strengths and weaknesses. Clearly you view the older child's pursuits as desirable and you'd like to see your other child engaged similarly. But, it doesn't necessarily mean that the younger would even benefit from the same types of activities. I think it is natural to look at the "successes" of some of the kids and then want to translate the same type of success to the other kids. They each need to find their own niches for achieving that personal success. One of my kids is a "thinker". He plans to go into theoretical physics, just the perfect career choice for him. He is not into doing elaborate hands on projects. He does, however, explore the world in his own way, most of it involving pondering objects and concepts. Outwardly he may not look like he is initiating many tasks, but inwardly his thoughts are amazing. The biggest hurdle for me in homeschooling was expecting a lot of output from my kids when they were younger. Some kids will have that output, and since that is the type of educational model we are used to, we find it satisfying and it helps reassure us that yes, the kids are progressing. Over the years, however, I found my kids were not big producers of written or concrete output. They were, however, incredible sponges (!!) and had tremendous verbal output. Now at high school age, the output is not a problem. They can write all kinds of essays, keep up with their assignments and do projects as needed. They have their own pursuits and interests, each valuable to THEM. Best of luck!
  9. I don't have a comment about outside scholarships, but I encourage your daughter to apply to your state school as early as possible. Son applied to our state flagship early and revived a stats based full tuition scholarship along with invitations to two additional scholarships including a dept specific one. I know other families in the area have said their children met the stat based scholarship qualifications but they missed out because they waited too long to apply. At our U they are not guaranteed based on stats, rather, they are first come, first served. Good luck!
  10. Have you looked into Writing with Skill from WTM's own Peace Hill Press? There are ample samples available online. I am using WWS with my niece even though she is in grade 10. She needs help with summarizing information and writing in a clear, logical manner. I am hoping to get her through WWS 3 by the middle of next year (we started hsing her in Dec). We will not be doing all of the books--I am loosely using the framework presented in the writing catch up class from WTM Academy class offered online. That case covers the essential components of WWS 1-3 in one year. Right now we are easing into hsing. She does daily WWS, takes (brief) notes for Biology and US History, and we are about to start IEW's High School Essay intensive which is an SAT essay prep. I am only doing that with her because my son wants to do the essay prep class--I would not have intentionally picked this out for my niece but since I have it, I plan on having her work through it as well.
  11. Oh my, that was hilarious, but yes the language!
  12. Also want to add that gardening helped my kids branch out into eating new fruits and veggies. Sweet peas, green beans and lettuce are now all staples since the kids grew them. Also they have blueberries and raspberries from the garden but don't like store purchased ones.
  13. I'd love to hear more about how you implement this. Does she use a 3 ring bind for her portfolio? Do you use any kind of spine to stay on track? I need to devise a history program for my niece for next year and something along these lines might be a good fit for her. Any elaboration would be appreciated.
  14. We got the sleeker otter box model for my niece last month and it has already cracked on the outer edge just from her removing it and putting it back on a few times. Also, DH was checking to see if she had a screen protector on and he broke the back part. It still works fine, but she recently cut her finger on the edge when she was fidgeting with the phone (yes a phone cut! even paper cuts are going obsolete!). She is always messing with her phone, but still I am surprised she has had these problems. My kids and DH have the thicker otter box models which have lasted for years without any problems. I bought older son a new case to replace his four year old one which is looking old, but he said he would hold onto it until he "really" needed it. But really, I don't think it would be too bad to have two cases. I now have two relatively inexpensive cases for my phone. I don't like the bulky otter boxes and since my niece has had problems with her lighter one, I'll just stick with the ones I have.
  15. One of my kids used to have problems whenever he ate cheese or yoghurt. Other dairy foods didn't cause a problem. Now that he is older he can eat small amounts of cheese as long as he has plenty of fiber. Other child had a hard time telling when he had to go to the bathroom which resulted in bouts of constipation. After a few discussions about signs to look for and going regularly, he improved. I sometimes add flax, prunes and even beans to brownies.
  16. Hello and welcome! I have recently started homeschooling my 15 yo niece who is facing some of the same challenges you describe for your step daughter. I homeschooled my children for many years and my oldest is now a high school senior so I have some experience with homeschooling. I can honestly tell you that I feel as though I am facing an uphill battle and I do not exactly how we will surmount the problems you mention. In our case, she was completely on board with homeschooling and she lives with us full time now so that simplifies matters tremendously. After just a couple of weeks, she is more relaxed and I see tiny sparks of interest developing in her. We have found that any kind of history documentary generates a multitude of questions and we watch and pause frequently so that we can research any questions that arise. I also keep an atlas and globe nearby for reference. I mostly wanted to send out a hearty hello to you before I head off to bed. :)
  17. Last year for SS my son used online Coursera classes in Economics. They were interesting and not overly onerous. Here is a link to the prof's page on coursera. He has a micro and macro class but I see none are scheduled at the moment. https://www.coursera.org/instructor/~773
  18. I think this mostly depends on the child. We did very little formal grammar. Older son scored >98th percentile on sat with little prep. Younger son scores well, but not as high. He is using The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar as prep and we both find it effective .
  19. Son did most of OM grade 9 lit/composition program in about half a year. He had already read at least one if the selections. I don't remember it being a heavy reading load. Also the assignments seemed pretty light, including comprehension questions he could mostly skip. I don't think that particular program is still offered through OM though.
  20. :grouphug: Exploring other options sounds like a good idea for her at some point, possibly soon. I agree wholeheartedly with Tibbie's post too. Seeking solutions is admirable and a real service to your child! But for now, to help her get through pre algebra, I'd look into a free 2 or 3 month trial of ALEKS online math program. She can do the assessment for pre algebra and the program will help discern her weak areas in a specific manner. Then you will know which skills to target and build up her abilities. ALEKS is not that great at teaching new concepts, IMO, but it is great at detailing the gaps in a standard scope and sequence. We had a non standard math approach and for pre algebra my kids had some gaps. ALEKS and Khan Acadmey were helpful in shoring up those weak areas. If you struggle solving a math problem, ask here! Many poster will gladly chime in to help. Plus, there are websites where you can plug in equations and get a solution. I cannot remember any of them off the top of my head, but others may know. I'll ask my kids later if no one can link it. :grouphug: Hang in there!
  21. This is what my son did. He has homeschooled since grade 1 and has a dyslexia diagnosis. He started to take classes (chemistry and an engineering class) at the high school in grade 9 to see how he fared in the structured class setting. Then he added in LA and SS but transitioned to DE classes at the U for math and physics. The classes at the university are less forgiving--if students miss assignments or quizzes, their grades tends to suffer quicker than in the high school setting. I do think it is important for the student to have input into the decision making process and be "on board" with the plan as their attitude toward the classes also impacts their performance. This was the route my son wanted to take and it has worked out well. He has been able to volunteer in the research lab of one of his professors as well. He is now a high school senior, about to start second semester classes at the U. He will finish up the year with a homeschool diploma. You might search for your local public school's School Profile. It should list average test scores and some other info that would be useful. We are fortunate to have a great high school with a strong focus on math and science. Plus, it is very easy for homeschool students to attend the high school part time which isn't the case for all public school districts.
  22. How about an online program where he could progress at his own speed such as Khan academy?
  23. I think many kids do hate math primarily due to the way we present it to them. Not all kids of course, but I do think our population has a sub set of individuals who just do not "click" with the way math is generally taught. My kids recoiled from any kind of math program. They did not memorize math facts by grade 6 even. They loved math concepts but hated the implementation. I pretty much dropped using a standard program by grade 3. My oldest son, a high school senior just completed linear algebra and calc 3 at the university where he earned As in both classes. Today he told me that he doesn't like numbers. He has also commented that he is horrible at anything below middle school math and has said many times that he does not like the way textbooks present math prior to algebra. He may double major in physics and math. So, he actually enjoys math concepts still but he has never liked arithmetic. I am now faced with a new challenge as my niece has come to live with us and she is in the actively hating math camp. Not sure what we are going to do. But, kids are so variable. What worked for my kids or any of the other kids on this board will not necessarily work for your family. I always keep this in mind when reading about the techniques other people use. Anyone who says "if you had done it my way you would have succeeded" is most likely misguided. Of course, I do try to glean helpful pointers and see if they are applicable to our situation. SO to sum it up: YMMV. :)
  24. Coursera Computer Science 101 was free and fun for my kids. It is a 6 week program but self study so it can be done at the student's pace. https://www.coursera.org/course/cs101 Code Academy is free but we have never used it. http://www.codecademy.com GL!
  25. We did math with fun videos and books through grade 7. In grade 8 we took on more structure in math although my kids were part of that decision. They knew they needed the math to continue on to college as they both plan on pursuing STEM careers. Around grade 7-8 we started having conversations about plans beyond high school. They used this information to help plan out their high school education. They disliked math until they got past algebra. The conceptual part is strong, but the computation has always been a struggle for them. Now that they are older teens and have made it through several math classes at the high school and university, they have grown stronger in math computation too. When my kids started algebra, they had some gaps in knowledge since we hadn't used comprehensive programs prior to that. ALEKS and Khan academy were great ways to fill in the gaps.
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