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Aras

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Posts posted by Aras

  1. 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. 

     

     

     

    ETA: Reread your post and saw that your student does not yet have the math. In that case, do bio first and an alg/trig based physics later in high school. Since he won't get to calc until 12th,  calc based phys will have to be done in college. That's fine. He will still be ahead of the curve; a quarter of my engineering students never had physics at all in high school.

     

    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. 

  2. 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. 

     

     

    • Like 1
  3. 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. 

    • Like 1
  4. 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 

  5. I think one problem with using the OUP series as the spine, instead of as a supplement, is that each volume is basically a collection of individual articles on separate topics, so it's easy to get bogged down in lots of little details while missing the "big picture" overview. I think the Human Odyssey books do a better job of that, with a lot less reading. The OUP books make a great supplement to the HO books, when a student wants to delve into more detail about a specific topic (which is really what they were designed for).

     

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

  6. 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:

  7. 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.

  8. 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. 

    • Like 2
  9. 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. 

    • Like 1
  10. Ooooh! The fabled forever home ;) We dream of that too. 

     

    He didn't get on the list. Dh has been vacillating between retiring and trying again for the promotion. The more he thinks about it, the more he leans towards just getting out. We want the kids to have some stability in high school. We decided that as soon as the kids go off to college we will look for some overseas GS jobs. The kids can go to grandma and grandpa's house for Thanksgiving, haha. 

     

    Next question is where will we retire. 

     

    A small college town with close family members and an active homeschool community sounds heavenly.  What a great transition from a military career :)

  11. Venting to people that will understand...

     

    Dh has 2.5 years until he is eligible for retirement. As an E6 he can only serve 20- he can't go any further. The E7 promotion list will be published tomorrow. There is a good chance dh will be on the list... or not. If is offered a promotion he has to serve another 3 years as an E7 before he can retire. If he doesn't get on the list, he has another crack at it in a year from now. But then he will be 1.5 years away from promotion and he has already announced that he wouldn't take the promotion, he would just retire and be done with it. 

     

    This has been our life for so long. The thought of dh getting out and looking for a job is a little scary. I have liked moving around and getting to know different parts of the country. But now that my kids are getting close to high school settling down might be a good idea, right?? 

     

    I have no idea what outcome I want. Wish me some peace of mind  :willy_nilly:

    • Like 1
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