In terms of scope (NOT in terms of the treatment of each topic), it's definitely "physics-lite." To cover the equivalent of the topic scope of, say, BJUP Physics, you'd need to do all of Apologia Physics and most, if not all, of Apologia Advanced Physics as well. This can be done in a single year. (We did it with my non-science major dd.) Its strength is, as usual for Apologia, the fact that it can be done independently by the student, more so than the other physics textbooks that I have used or owned (Saxon, Giancoli, BJUP, A Beka). I also own Hewitt's Conceptual Physics, but Hewitt treats the topics less rigorously than Apologia does.

Ah, Jean-- It is nice to know that I am not alone. . . . (That thudding noise you hear is me gently thunking my head against a wall, in sync with your sighs.)

Hi, Grace-- I'm afraid that I will be able to address only a couple of your questions. I did not even consider SOS Spanish, because of the poor experience I had with SOS World History. I tried SOS History myself first before assigning it to my children, and was so disenchanted with it that I didn't even try using it with my children.The SOS software (at least at that time, which was several years ago) was so inflexible that I felt no inclination to try any other SOS product. However, there are other parents on this board who have recommended SOS Spanish; perhaps the Spanish software is different from the history software I bought. I would do a search for SOS Spanish to see if you can find any of the relevant threads. I have used BJUP Spanish 1 and 2 with three children at three different times. It is a rigorous (although Year 1 starts rather slowly), complete program. The main downside is that it is not intended for self-education. It was designed assuming that there would be someone available who had some experience with Spanish to help the student. I could have taught BJUP Spanish 1 and half of BJUP Spanish 2 with one year of college Spanish recently under my belt, but didn't need to, as our homeschool group hired a Spanish tutor. If you had a Spanish-capable person available, I think a bright 8th grader could take BJUP Spanish 1. My ds with autism took it in 9th grade and got an A without much difficulty. (Having done Latin with him earlier definitely helped!) JMHO, but HTH!

Hi, Sandra-- I wasn't sure if you're talking about Zumdahl's college text for non-science majors, Introductory Chemistry, or what seems to be his first-year-chemistry-for-science-majors-text, Chemistry. I have older editions of both textbooks. It's been decades since I had chemistry (of various sorts), as a biology major in college (and biochemistry again in grad school), but if you think that I might be able to help in some way, please PM me. I'm thinking of possibly being able to help not in general teaching of the overall concepts (as a lecture might provide), but rather trying to help if he is stuck at a specific problem. There are also real chemistry majors, I believe, on this board; hopefully one of them will see your post. For more general conceptual help, Jane, in response to your question, has already mentioned the Annenberg site. Additionally, on the board recently Jane also shared what looks to be another promising site for educational videos; like the Annenberg site, this site also has chemistry instruction: http://www.academicearth.org/courses/general-chemistry

Thanks, EKS, for taking the time to share your experience. I'm obsessing over which way to go, of the various options that boardmates have so kindly suggested. Yet another option (in my situation) would be to buy the test-making software that is associated with the curriculum (Lial). Decisions, decisions. Thanks again!

Thank you, Susan, Sharon, Jann, Lyn, and Laura! (I hope I didn't forget anyone.) You guys provided some valuable information. I made a separate Word file containing the information you all provided so that I could easily find it again. I didn't know about the equation editor in MS Word! I recently updated from Word97 to Word2007. The equation editor was, as I expected, in Word2007, but, to my surprise, I also found an older incarnation of it in my Word97. I'll take a look at the Kuta software, MathType6, and Rapid Pi. It's great that someone has tried each of these and has been satisfied. Thank you all again for taking the time to help me! Caron

Hi! Does anyone have a recommendation for font software for math equations? It turns out that I will probably need to type out tests for, at least, a chapter on inverse, exponential, and logarithmic functions. I can, of course, type superscripts like 3^(x+1) in MS Word using a superscript rather than a caret, but I can't type, for example, (6x-4)^(1/3) using a radical symbol. I can't even type that "one third" in the exponent with a horizontal fraction bar; I have to use a slash, which is less than desirable. I searched for such fonts/software online. Although there were a number that were free, I distrust freeware that aren't recommended by a reputable reviewer, because of the high frequency of malware associated with freeware. So, does anyone have a recommendation for math symbol fonts? It does not have to be free (although, obviously, free or inexpensive would be very nice). It would also be great if I could also make simple graphs in it, but that would be icing on cake. Thanks for any help!

. . . .I'm rooting for the Cardinals for a number of reasons, including-- 1. The Cardinals have never won a Super Bowl. 2. Before this season, I don't think the Cardinals had even won any NFL championship game since 1947. (Yes, that's "forty-seven.") 3. Warner (QB for the Cardinals) is "old" (for the NFL); seeing him succeed is encouraging to an old person like me (even though he's 'way younger than I am). :001_smile: But I like the Steelers, too. My high school AP American Lit teacher used to play for them.

Hi, Cynthia-- Although I haven't used this myself, it is my understanding that Discovering Geometry by Key Curriculum Press (http://www.keypress.com/x5233.xml) is not proof-based (indeed, when I looked at a copy, proofs weren't introduced until the last chapter) and takes an inductive approach to geometry. It might be worth considering in your situation.

Hi, Michelle-- You've received some great ideas so far. My suggestion isn't meant to be in place of the ideas you've received, but in addition to them. Does ds hate any hands on, or more specifically, those types of hands-on activities requiring fine motor skills? What I'm thinking about are science-related activities that wouldn't take much fine-motor skill. Some of the responses to your post have mentioned some types of these activities. Other activities could include-- Visits to science museums. You live in southern California, where there are a number of such museums available. One of my favorites for children is the Reuben H. Fleet Theater and Museum in San Diego (http://www.rhfleet.org/). Another example might be the Griffith Observatory, although there isn't as much for a child to actually DO there as at the RHFleet. Other possibilities (which I haven't visited) include the Children's Museum of Los Angeles (which I think is temporarily closed because they're moving) or the Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert. Even our local county museum has a number of exhibits that could be a launching point for a science study. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena has its annual open house in May. I've enjoyed going (except for the crowds), but it might be hard on a very ADHD child. Visits to zoos, theme parks. You're reasonably close to the L.A. Zoo, and I'm assuming a couple of hours away from the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park in Escondido. And, there's always Sea World in San Diego. Any of these might be ways of engaging a child in the study of animals (zoology). Even Knott's Berry Farm has educational activities--including some for science--which you might be able to access if your homeschool group can sign up. Gently structured science activities at home. Educational Innovations (http://www.teachersource.com/) is a retailer that carries some novel items. Example: I used their UV beads to engage children in exploring about ultraviolet light: Do the beads change color when exposed to fluorescent light? To sunlight? If they change color in sunlight (which they obviously will), does putting a pair of sunglasses between them and the sunlight change the response? How about coating them with sunscreen? Etc. (With the older kids, I talked about wavelength, frequency, etc., etc.,) The point of the above suggestions is to try to engage ds in science as a first step. Another thought: One program that consists entirely of hands-on activities that vary in the amount of motor skill required is TOPS Science. These titles don't carry as much detailed information as formal science textbooks usually do, but they are very well thought out. You might take a look at their sample. http://www.topscience.org/index.html However, I might start out with just trying to get ds engaged in science, even a little, first. (Does he like Sea World?) :) Just a thought! Caron

Thank you so much, AllSmiles! I've gone through homeschooling physics with two children so far, and didn't do a websearch for supplements. I'm starting to get ready for child #3 in the fall (maybe using Giancoli; haven't decided yet). Your list is impressive and will be a significant help. Thanks for taking the time to post it! BTW, Deece, I agree with what's been said about an answer key/solutions manual/TE. Even if you have the knowledge to correctly come up with the answers/solutions on your own, the time it would take to do so would be horrendous. And if you don't have the knowledge to generate the answers, I would think that an answer key, at the minimum, would be absolutely necessary. (It's easier to get away without a teacher's edition in, say, history, than it is in physics or math, IMHO!)

I'm not a theater person (actually, I'm more of a science person), but I think Jenny is correct when she states that probably most contemporary plays are still under copyright. However, for some reason I found a version of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead online at http://afronord.tripod.com/plays/R-G.html This is NOT the original version as penned by Stoppard. It is much shorter. However, it contains a couple of Guildenstern's monologues in it, although I don't know if they'll work as monologues in isolation. If you're not familiar with Stoppard, here is a link to a SparkNotes entry: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/rosencrantz/context.html HTH!

I'll share some from my homeschooling experience with foreign language and with Rosetta Stone. I've got two older children (ds and dd) and a youngest ds with autism. All of them did/are doing Spanish in high school, using BJUP for Spanish 1 and 2; the two older children used a different program for Spanish 3. Oldest ds loved Spanish in high school, and continued to love Spanish in college. Dd hated Spanish (still does), but fell in love with Japanese in college and may at least minor, if not double-major, in it. Youngest ds is tolerating Spanish, neither hating nor loving it. My point: Sometimes a like or dislike of a language might be inherent in the language itself. Both older children tried Rosetta Stone, and both actively disliked it. It was unsuited to their learning styles and, without draconian measures, I couldn't get them to use it consistently. My point: Sometimes the problem is not the language; sometimes it's the program. You're using Rosetta Stone; perhaps it's not the best program for your kids. The youngest ds (with autism) is currently in a homeschool class using BJUP's Spanish 2. I took a year of Spanish last year at one of our local community colleges in order to be able to help him. (My college language was French.) He'll do the work, but he doesn't know how to study. To try to help him study, I subscribed as an instructor to Quia, and I'm using it to make simple computer activities to drill his vocabulary and grammar. (IMHO, there isn't enough practice in most high school level language programs.) My point: Is there some way that you can give them different ways to study the language? French in Action has already been mentioned. Just some random thoughts, but HTH!

The retailer is both refunding my money and paying for return shipment for the instructor's examination copy that they sent me as a "teacher's edition." I also asked that they change their use of "teacher's edition" on their website; we'll see what happens. Thanks again!

Thank you, Suzanne, Jen, PeekaBoo, and KidsHappen, for your comments, and to everyone else who has voted so far. (Poll is still open; I'll link the results in an e-mail to the customer service rep later today.)