Has anyone here had a child take DIVE Chemistry with Dr. Shormann’s CLEP Professor for CLEP and AP chemistry? Supposedly, after taking the DIVE chemistry course, an additional 6 weeks of this is enough to prepare for the AP exam. Any thoughts? TIA! Janet

Hi everybody. I’m wondering if anyone knows what score most universities are looking for on the bio SAT subject exam from a homeschooler. The average is really high and I feel it’s because of self selection bias. It seems that most people would only take the exam if they were going to try to get into an Ivy League school or if they wanted to show their prowess in biology. But for homeschoolers it’s different. Some universities that we are looking at require SAT subject exams from homeschoolers only. Will those universities want a score comparable to those from the kids going to the Ivy leagues? Any information would be helpful! Thanks in advance!

So I’ve been comparing what my DS will be doing in AoPS intermediate algebra and what others are doing in Algebra 2, and I see that there are some gaps. Of course, AoPS dives deeper and covers a lot of really cool stuff, but where are the matrices? Should I be supplementing with a more traditional book? Which one? TIA!!

That’s so exciting! I’m glad we’ve got the same answer so far! OK. So then, when I completed the square I got: sqrt ((z-4.5)^2 - (81/4) +25) that’s minimized when z=4.5, leaving the distance equal to sqrt(25-(81/4))=sqrt(19/4)=sqrt 19 / 2 What do you think? does that sound right? It’s 4 AM here, so highly possible I’ve made a mistake ?

Oh, I didn’t have any inequalities, but I also didn’t get a=1, b=4. ? For her distance equation, did she get sqrt (x^4 - 9x^2 + 25)? (Full disclosure: I am no alcumus expert! But this does seem like a cool problem. I hope I’m not leading down the wrong track!)

I used the distance formula to write an equation for the distance between (0,0) and the parabola in terms of x. Then I completed the square so that I could find the minimum.

The Phantom Tollbooth. It's a fantasy novel that's full of word play about a boy that must save the princesses, Rhyme and Reason, for the kingdom of Wisdom. some illustrations and lots of humor help keep young readers engaged Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just found this: https://www.mathteacherscircle.org/resources/math-sessions/ It's for teachers of math circles. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We used Lutgen's and Tarbuck's Foundation of Earth Science. Great spine- maybe too much detail and no labs, but we learned a lot.

According to Malcolm Gladwell in "David and Goliath," it is more important to find a university where you can be a "big fish in a small pond" than to go to one with a higher rank. He has some interesting statistics to back up his idea, and my personal experience agrees. I went to the university of Kentucky for an undergraduate degree in biology while my best friend went to Duke for the same degree. I received individualized attention, was quickly noticed and guided into labs and classes where my teachers thought I could flourish. My friend struggled to look better than average. After college, I received a scholarship to medical school at Northwestern. My friend took out loans to go to med school at the University of Kentucky. It seems to me that if you plan to do post graduate education, the ranking system is trivial.

We rented our first violin (1/32) from Shar, and it sounded lovely for such a tiny thing. Maybe we just got lucky with the instrument sent to us, but that little thing plus a kid friendly teacher fostered a love for violin that helps him get through his hour of practice each day now that he's older.

NUMATS said that they will be working with other talent search programs like Duke TIP to provide grade-level percentiles. But those won't be available until August. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In our experience, the test takers were allowed to leave as soon as they finished. Parents waited in a waiting room and children were escorted to the room when they were done. Last year was our first Math Kangaroo, and it was DS's first standardized test. It was a great experience, and he had a lot of fun! Good luck to your DD today! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We had the same trouble with movies here. But if my DS had read the book first, then he knew what to expect and enjoyed critiquing how well the movie matched the book. That said...avoid the movie about Padington bear! The lovely, sweet book was turned into a thriller for the big screen! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The College board has teamed up with Khan academy to provide free prep materials online. I thought the practice materials wwre excellent. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, my DS 3rd grader took the PSAT 8/9 a couple weeks ago through NUMATS. That is the EXPLORE replacement. And it was a 3hr test-a long time for my little one to sit still! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My DS took the PSAT 8/9 today, but there was a catch. They were not allowed to write in their test booklets or use scratch paper. At first, my son thought they just wanted the test booklets clean, so he was erasing all of his math work before filling in the scantron answer bubble. But the proctor stopped him and said that he could make no marks on anything but the answer sheet. The test itself says to use the booklet as scratch paper but he was not allowed!! How do you solve algebraic simultaneous equations without writing anything down?!? He couldn't even circle the right answers and go back to bubble-in at the end. After the test, I asked the proctors about it. And they said, "We thought it was weird, too, that the rules said that they couldn't make any marks in the books". Are you kidding!?! Did anyone else's dc experience this today? -Janet, venting Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tom Sawyer Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm looking for an Earth science course for my ds8 this fall. The course on Athena's academy looks like it might cover all the bases without my scouring the library for extra resources. Does anyone here have experience with this course? Thoughts or comments? TIA!!

Highlights has a puzzlemania series too that my son enjoyed.

My ds8 needs help. He has struggled with unhealthy perfectionism since very young. I have read a hundred books on the topic and applied as many techniques and lifestyle changes to help him. But still, one missed question or missed music note and he is bound to melt down in a tantrum. Some days he does wake up, ready for a challenge, with a mantra of "let's make mistakes!" Ahhhh, those are blessed days. Every other day, he denies making mistakes entirely or cries about them. I would ask for suggestions, but I doubt you could say something that I haven't already tried. But! I haven't tried bibliotherapy yet. So, can anyone recommend some good autobiographies or stories that have helped their own little perfectionist accept mistakes as a part of the learning process?? And can anyone give a word of encouragement, like "this too will pass"? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How exciting! I'm lifting up prayers for your son (and you) that it is a fantastic night! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I feel like I've read every book and article on this subject, but all I've got is sympathy. Right there with you.

Maybe try reading aloud poetry-- it is more obvious where to breathe

Here are my two ideas: Fortunately, MK is a multiple choice test. If time allows, he does have the option of trying out each of the choices. Also, many questions seem like complicated "Mind Bender" style problems but they are more easily solved by drawing a picture than a grid. I also recommend having your child practice using scantron sheets. It took my son about five minutes before he had a fit about those :-)