:hurray: So there is hope for my ds? :tongue_smilie:

:lurk5: Listening in because there is a possibility we may move there in a year and half.

Thank you so much for all of the replies! I think we should skip the conceptual physics and go straight to algebra based physics. He knows he has some challenging years ahead and he swears he is ready for it. We are doing Life Science this year and we don't want to see it again for a couple of years! :laugh: He wants to do robotics/shop/maker projects during the high school years so I think an algebra based physics would serve him well. He is very motivated so I think he will be fine with an algebra text and we will make the AP Physics C decision when he is an upperclassman.

Can anyone give me some btdt advice on physics for a kid who wants to go into engineering? My original plan was to do the physics first approach, and do Conceptual Physics in 9th, and then the 1-year AP Physics in 12th. But... the AP Physics exam is now two exams. Ack! Questions: 1. Does anyone attempt both courses/exams in one year? Is that madness for a regular, but motivated kid? 2. Would it still be helpful to do Conceptual Physics first, and then do AP Physics? We are just starting Algebra now, and we will work on it over the summer. That was one of the reasons to do Conceptual first. 3. Skip the Conceptual Physics and go straight into the math heavy physics? Comments: We are planning to do physics at home; I took Calculus based physics in college and I feel confident about teaching it. Ds won't be studying Calculus until 12th, so the Calculus based exam is out. Either way it seems like we will be committing to 2 years of physics. I have been going around and around about high school physics, ugh.

We get about 4 inches of slushy snow. Enrichment classes are cancelled for us, and dh work is canceled. So I am in my pjs and dh and the kids are playing outside :) It's going to be a great day, except I was planning to go grocery shopping o.O

My kids learned how to outline from an old Scholastic workbook called Paragraphing Made Easy. To practice, ds is outlining from We the People, and he finds the text is very orderly. He tried outlining from Hakim's History of US, but it was too frustrating.

Our neighbors across the street bought 25 boxes. The wife brought them to her bowling league to share.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute?

I really liked Stephen Hunt's Jackelian series. Start with The Court of the Air. https://www.amazon.com/Court-Air-Jackelian-World/dp/0765360225/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485794727&sr=8-1&keywords=the+court+of+the+air

Sounds like this was the equivalent of a homeschool bogeyman story. Thanks for sharing your experiences, I am very relieved! I will take future comments from that poster with a grain of salt. ASU is not on our radar, but I will still be diligent about recording our labs.

I'm not sure if this should go in this board or on the regular High School Board. I read on another forum that some colleges don't accept labs done at home as part of the 2 years of labs requirement. That those colleges only accept labs from accredited schools, like local high schools, community colleges, or certain online schools. Is this the case? For planning purposes I have looked at the requirements for a few colleges, but I have not seen that requirement anywhere. Thanks

I didn't realize that, thanks for pointing it out. I would rather stress historical trends and big picture ideas than details.

I wasn't thinking of doing all three series on one year, probably just one. I wasn't sure if the content was enough for a freshman high school class. It's been so long since I was a high school freshman myself :laugh: Maybe I should call the local high school and ask what text they are using so I feel better about my choices. I have both Human Odyssey I and II. We didn't get around to using them because there was always something else we wanted to do instead. I will have him take a look at it. I don't want to bog him down because I am planning a challenging year of algebra, conceptual physics, and writing. Thanks for your input :thumbup1:

I have one semester left before we get into high school, eek! My son is has average comprehension skills and speed of reading. We are planning for college, but I don't think this kid will ever be a candidate for an AP History class. He likes history, but doesn't love it- he would rather spend his time building one project or another. So I don't want to bog him down with too much history. Would the OUP's World in Ancient Times series and The Medieval and Modern world series be appropriate for 9th grade world history? I would include a couple of documentaries, discussion, and some essays. Thanks in advance.

Thank you so much for sharing what works for your dc!

Can everyone use a mini whiteboard to communicate during dinner? That way the family member feels included? I have quite a few family members with significant hearing loss. It can be very isolating even with hearing aids. Making an effort like keeping a paper and pencil handy does a lot to make them feel included and loved.

I am so sorry :( There are no words to make it better. :(

My ds13 still builds with his legos, as does my dd12. They build whatever they were supposed to once, then it gets take apart and becomes any number of things. There was a time when he played with them less, but I think it was because he was frustrated that he couldn't find the pieces he wanted. I guess it would be the equivalent of trying to work in a workshop and all of your tools and supplies are in a lump on the floor. So the whole family spent about 3 weeks sorting his crates of legos into the smaller bins you find in fishing tackle boxes. We used 12 fishing tackle boxes! But now they can easily find what they are looking for and they generally put things back where they go.

Some people live in Worcester and take the commuter train in to Boston. Worcester is a lot more affordable than the communities closer to Boston. 20-30 years ago it used to be a pretty grungy city, but it has changed a lot.

:sad:

Central Mass maybe, but it depends on jobs. I have always love the little towns south of Wachusett Mountain, like Sterling or Princeton, but I don't think I am getting that wish.

Do you homeschool high school in MA? Can I pick your brain? We are thinking of moving to be close to my parents, but I would like to know what it is like over there. Thanks in advance!

Interesting trivia- Francis's house is also used in the show Lark Rise to Candleford. Even my husband loves Poldark! We can't wait for it to start again :-D

This is the beginning of our second week. Some successes and challenges already. This is the first year we are doing a public charter school, and the earliest they would accept our curriculum order was August 22nd. So I am still waiting for our materials to come. They sent us a grade level packet of Spectrum workbooks to tide us over. Thankfully I am a curriculum hoarder, so we can use other materials! An early success is using OneNote for scheduling and communication. This year ds and dd are doing a just as many subjects apart as they are together. We are also trying to stress more independence and time management skills. So they each have their task list, they can choose how to manage their time, and they can check it off in OneNote. Another challenge is focusing on schoolwork and spending less time with friends. I think we will need to set some boundaries with friends that are more relaxed about schooling.

I looked at that website based on your recommendation, and I just received a sample of Epic Woman. I love it!