For the University of Denver they quote the whole amount (4 times that) and then say how much per year - so yes, it is per year. And I assumed it was including the usual amount they would give for ACT / SAT scores - but that is a good point for people to realize. The nice thing is she knows that is the minimum she will get. I think I want to write a blog post on Raise. me so I will mention that. Anything anyone here can think of for me to ask them?

The two tests have a bit of overlap but you need test specific resources when studying. I got my kids to take each test as typically students do better at the one than the other. And then they focused on the one the did better in

My daughter wanted to take it and her Spanish teacher had no prior experience but helped her as much as she could and she got a 3. And that was enough to give her 8 credit hours at the college she went to (Biola).

You have to sign up first (you can do that as a parent) and then there is a list of all of them. Some schools I can remember are Notre Dame, Univ of Alabama, Univ of South Carolina, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, Georgia Tech. So far every time I have told students about it they have found at least one college they are interested in listed there.

I second JanetC's idea of taking it as a high school class and then doing the AP. We went the AP route entirely as more colleges will give credit for that than for classes taken at a Community College. Obviously if you know where your child will attend college and they do take the CC credits this isn't relevant but I know so many homeschoolers who did dual enrollment and then the classes didn't transfer. My one son did Art of Problem Solving online's class. That was 4 years ago I think and they just had it as a "text" class - not videos. It was good - but he found it very hard to follow like that ie the teacher just typed up the instruction.

Recently I discovered a new site, Raise.me. At present there are about 200 colleges on the site with more being added all the time. The way it works is that students create a profile and follow schools they are interested in. The schools who are on Raise.me offer money for different things the students have done eg being part of clubs, community service, having a job, their ACT / SAT scores etc. My daughter sat down over the break and entered all her info and discovered that one of the schools she is interested in - University of Denver - will give her $14 000 per year just because of the things she has done! I think it is a great way for colleges to connect with students who are interested in them, instead of all the "junk mail" high schoolers get. I am hoping more colleges get on board soon but there are a lot of well known ones already participating. Students also get money if they get others to sign up, so my daughter would love it if your kids used her link if they sign up: https://www.raise.me/i/amyvan2 It is for all high schoolers - the earlier they start the better, and homeschoolers can definitely do it

All my children have have done this and quite a few of the students I have taught history to at our local co op - and most have made it to National level (usually not on their first attempt though) and I second the fact that it is a great contest and the students will learn many valuable skills. To answer these questions 1. You will have to wait till 6th grade 2. You can spin the topic and I think you could make a case for that idea. Of course it will depend on the judges somewhat. But I think it should be fine 3. Yes - the one year my oldest daughter did a performance on the coming to the US of Russian Jews at the turn of the 20th century. All her characters were fictitious.

Here's a big list of places to look for educational videos - http://www.edudemic.com/best-video-sites-for-teachers/ The kids in my co op classes love the Horrible History ones. Some are on Youtube, but I also bought some from Amazon. They are British and very funny but also pretty historically accurate.

I am all about fun ideas, so if you are ever looking for something specific just PM me. There are lots of fun tools here: http://www.classtools.net/ You can get them to do fun assignments eg creating posters / trading cards of famous people etc - lots of tools here - https://bighugelabs.com/ Or making comic strips - http://www.toonytool.com/ In Geography you can use videos, google streetview, travelbydrone.com And there are LOTS of great online games for geography, history, math, science, government.

I found this article which explains it - http://www.hmhco.com/~/media/sites/home/education/global/pdf/white-papers/mathematics/elementary/math-in-focus/mif_model_drawing_lr.pdf?la=en I love the bar model - but I must admit the first time I jumped in at book 4 and I think it is introduced in 3. With the next child I started at the beginning and so did go through Singapore's explanation which made a lot of sense. I think it makes the math really concrete.

Yes - you have to buy packets of 10. I am about to go and purchase for our homeschool group.

We did Sonlight so plenty of reading :) We would also watch movies related to what we were reading and play board games and CD Rom games (that was before Apps!). There are some wonderful CD Rom games set all round the world and in different time periods, especially if you a computer that will run XP. We did Weekend on Capri, Riddle of the Sphinx, one set in Pompeii where you have to save a girl before the volcano erupts, all the Carmen Sandiegos and lots more. We also did contests - National History Day is one I highly recommend. Kids learn great research skills as well as history. 3 of my 4 kids made it to Nationals and 3 other co op students of mine have reached Nationals too! There is also Medusa Mythology contest, History Bee and of course Geography and Spelling Bee.

Have you emailed the teacher? I know from being on the side of creating classes that feedback is very helpful. Sometimes I write something I think is very clear - but it isn't. I can usually tell if a number of students all get it wrong, but often the first one to reach an assignment will email and I will be able to rephrase. And I guess you can always use it as a life lesson :) Things don't always turn out the way we hope but to make the best of it.

We are big fans too! It's so easy to use. All my 4 children have used it for various languages.

If you are referring to the one done by Rice University - it is excellent BUT not for beginners even though they say it is. I did it a while ago and I have been programming since I was a teen and it stretched me. It also isn't an app one (maybe there are others on Coursera that are, but the one I did was web-based games)

Udemy has a number of classes that look good. I bought one and started it ... and then got so busy it is on hold. But it has great ratings and I do think I will learn how to do it if I continue :)

Yes - using a free website tool eg Strikingly, Wix, Weebly - something like that. Students will retain a lot more if they are involved in their learning ie doing research and figuring out how to present it to someone else. And the neat thing about making a website is you can share it with others so the kids feel like someone more than mom looked at their work.

I bought practically every Geography curriculum available and found them all pretty boring, so I did what you are planning and created my own. Geography is fairly easy to do as you know you have to cover all the continents. Textbooks just aren't the best medium to teach Geography in my opinion - you want your children to "live" it. I used a lot of video - Michael Palin's are great and there are just so many you can find on Youtube and Netflix. In my online class I also use Google streetview (it wasn't really developed when my kids where doing geography so I couldn't use it). That way you can wander the streets of Paris, visit Petra and so much more. It is a lot of fun. There is a site - travelbydrone.com which you can get lost in for hours. And if you type 360view and a place name in search - you will get 360 degree views of lots of landmarks. As someone mentioned, Quizzes are a great way to learn the facts - Seterra, Lizardpoint, Sporcle, Jetpunk are some I use. Then use projects to provide a grade - here are some ideas on what you can do (just assign a few per continent) Video: create it about a country ebook - I get my online students to use Storyjumper and create a picture book on a country for elementary age kids website - I got my kids to do that poster - make a travel poster encouraging people to visit the country Animated Cartoon - I got my online kids to use Powtoon to make ones about Chinese customs And I also get the kids to read a book set in a foreign country. And board games - we play Geography board games too - there are lots of great ones.

I used Thinkwell with my 2 boys - it is online videos. I am currently teaching an online Gov class and I will be using some Crash Course videos, plus a lot of the iCivics games to make it a more fun class. As most do it just to "check the box" I am with you on the idea of making it as enjoyable as possible!

I saw your question and immediately thought Chemistry would be a better fit as the math for that is usually simpler than Physics. Physics you really use a LOT of math for. The Guest Hollow suggestion above sounds like a good idea. For the 4th year she could do Environment Science or Engineering (which could be very hands on)

You could also have your child take the Medusa Mythology Contest. Our homeschool group does it each year and some of our students have done quite well - http://www.medusaexam.org/

4-H, Co - op, Science Olympiad, Quiz Bowl - all those involve students being together for a substantial amount of time.

Yes! I second Sporcle. That is one of the online quiz games I use in my classes. Before we studied Africa I gave them the one where you have to name all the African countries and we recorded how many they got. Then at the end of the 4 weeks I gave it to them again. It was very encouraging to see how their knowledge had improved - and that without any tests!!

My daughter helps coach the inner city team I coach. She has never done FLL but theater is her love so she just works with them on the skit. I do think it is good experience and something else to put on college / scholarship applications.

I created my own curriculum for my kids as I couldn't find anything exciting. I really feel any curriculum / class should make a lot of use of video so you can "see" the places you are studying. There is so much available free online. And I used projects as assessment. Students retain a lot more when they are actively involved in the learning process. I now teach this in our local co op and online and I get the kids to create posters and games and e-books and videos and animations. It can be a really really cool subject to study. Oh - and don't forget google streetview! I get the kids to visit cities virtually