Heather in VA
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Posts posted by Heather in VA
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Thanks all - I did want to clarify that I'm not looking for a pure self-study. My daughter seems to do better when she can read the lesson herself and then I can help her with what she didn't understand clearly enough. So I figure the better the initial explanation, the better it will go. We are currently using Derek Owens pre-algebra and it's going ok but when she doesn't understand she shuts down and doesn't want me to help her because she's already watched videos and maxed out her "lesson" tolerance. She has ADD/Executive functioning issues and math is her weakness so she had a set amount of time she can engage in math before she shuts off. The videos take a lot out of her.
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I wish this had been available last year (or I had known about it) when I had to do it myself :-(
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My history disliking daughter used Bilbioplan and it went well. You can make it as much as you want it to be. It includes maps, questions, research essays (if you want them), and a huge list of optional literature (if you want it) or you can just go with the Companion (their text), the questions, the maps and done.
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I did not use a name at all. It never came up, never was an issue. Colleges didn't care.
I didn't either on the transcript and yes the colleges don't care but many of us provide high school diplomas upon graduation which may be requested at some point in their life. I know I personally had to show mine a few years ago for something job related which was stupid because I offered to show my college diploma but the box to check said high school so I had to dig that up. So people wonder about a diploma that says homeschool on it, especially those whose kids might not go to college.
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For pre-algebra and up, what would you say are some of the best math with clear, readable teaching in the book rather than via video or teachers manual? It doesn't have to be the most advanced program, just solid.
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One problem you are probably going to run into is that even schools with good science/STEM programs may not have engineering. The type of program/equipment/resources etc required for engineering are different than other sciences so many schools, even large public schools, just don't have it. Since you live in NC, you have some good choices, NC State being an excellent one, and he can get involved in the campus ministry.
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My kids don't have the same name on their final high school transcript bc we have lived in different states with different laws.
This is good to know. I have used "Last name" homeschool for my older two but I don't worry about it because they are both going to have college degrees as well so if there is ever any question about them having a "real" education they can just whip out their college degree. But my last one may take a different educational route so I've considered putting a different name on her diploma that doesn't reference 'home school'. I wasn't sure if it would be weird to have different names for different kids. We live in VA who doesn't care at all about what we call our school or even if we call it anything but I want her to be able to show a potential employer or post-high school educational place down the road the diploma without opening a can of homeschool worms. I have not found any colleges who have a problem with homeschoolers but I don't know about employers or if colleges will care if she tries to enter when she's older.
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It seems that most make up their own or pick a textbook and create around that. I've always used Biblioplan. I really like BP. My oldest two liked it too. I am considering a different approach for my last one, going to be 8th next year. I might do a geography, 2 year world, 1 year US. I might do a geography and then a 3 year cycle. I might pick a combination, sticking BP in there for some years and something else for others. Meanwhile I also need to do 8th grade and she wants to study either Modern or American. I think I want to save the Modern Companion from BP for high school. I could create this stuff myself. I have the Human Odyssey series and I've heard good things about American Odyssey. But I'd like to hear if anyone does the "big name' curriculum programs where it's done for you so I don't have to do it myself. I'm eagerly awaiting some options from Guest Hollow but I'm also looking into others. I'd love to hear from the uses of these programs. I'm going to list them and my likes and concerns about each.
Heart of Dakota - I like the note booking pages. I worry about the 'overprotectiveness" in book choices. I'm not a person who feels the need to preview a ton of stuff or hide my children from things that aren't Christian. I know HOD is considered super conservative so I'm not sure if we will miss book choices because of the conservative nature of the program. (not a criticism - just a difference of viewpoint). I also know it has science etc but we'd only use history and lit (maybe English)
Sonlight - used it years ago with my oldest. Loved it but didn't stick with it when she got older so I don't have any experience with the upper levels. Like the look of Core 100 (American) and the 20th century core, but if we like Sonlight and want to continue with it there doesn't seem to be 4 years of history (I don't see Church History as something I can use as a main history credit). I'm also unsure of the literature portion. Is it challenging? My daughter has some learning issues but not in reading.
Bookshark - similar likes and concerns as Sonlight. Obviously they will be replacing the Church history core but I worry about them actually getting product out in time. There were supposed to have two new things out for Fall 2017 and as of yesterday they have said one definitely won't be ready maybe not even at all in 2017/2018 and the other probably won't be. That doesn't bode well for them keeping up a pace to be ready when we'd need it.
MOH - I've considered using MOH 4 next year and then going back to my BP cycle. Some days this is my favorite options. Other days I don't want to do it at all because MOH always looks good to me when I look at it and then I cringe when I try to use it. Not sure why.
Tapestry of Grace - I actually own Year 4 but we never used it because it was overwhelming to me and we went with BP that year and stayed there. But I wonder if now that I only have 1 kid if I would be good for this time around so I could save BP year 4 for high school. Any advice on making this useable for a kid who isn't into a lot of discussion?
Any other curriculum options? Any thoughts on my concerns? What have you used and loved when you didn't want to make it yourself?
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If you want a fleshed out program with Botany in 8 lessons, check out Guest Hollow. She just put out a Botany program that looks fantastic.
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With a 7th grader you will run out of VP before you are done with a cycle, especially if you want to use the self-paced stuff. Their lessons and book recommendations are intended to be for elementary and early middle school. That said, a lot of younger kids really like the self-paced. It's engaging and helps them remember the information. A lot of kids also do well with the memory songs for the timeline. Biblioplan is for all ages through high school so if your plan is to keep all the kids together you will have a longer run with BP. I, personally, also work better with a program that has a spine like BP does. It has the Companion for the older kids and for Year 2 and 3 (the other two years are in development) it has a younger spine which looks fantastic. My kids were too old by the time it came out.
Both programs let you choose your accompanying books. BP has a more specific, but still flexible, schedule. VP has one big map you work with while BP has weekly map assignments. BP has more "add-ons" if you want things like state studies, presidents books, geography studies etc. depending on the year. VP is a 5 year cycle and BP is 4.
Does that help at all?
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The (well regarded) public high school my son attends uses the Hewitt Conceptual Physics text, has no math prerequisite, and calls the course "physics."
That's a good point. I checked the book they used, the Hewitt one, but I didn't check for math prerequisites. I'll look into that too.
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If we do a more conceptual physics vs a more math focused one, do I have to indicate that on the transcript or can I just call it Physics? I assumed I had to call it conceptual physics but I recently noticed our public schools (highly competitive county) using a book called 'Conceptual Physics' for their regular, non-AP physics class so now I'm wondering if it's not a highly math focused class.
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Heather, those are GREAT tips about Liberty-I never would have known those things! Thank you! I am really shocked about the conservative thing-I had no idea-I assumed the kids would be conservative-my dd is very conservative. (Would it be worth it to get her into a quad w/ a kitchen and have her make her own food? And what did you end up doing about a car for your dd junior year-would Uber work for us, or is it $$$? I don't know much about Uber-lol)
We had to get her a car. It's not a great car, we spent about $3000 and she has to spend her summer job money for gas, oil change etc but we pay insurance. Uber wouldn't be doable at all. She's at the hospital 3 times a week and from what I can tell from those I know who use Uber for their occasional outings it's about $30 a trip minimum so that would add up very quickly. As far as the conservative thing goes, the teaching is conservative and of course the rules are - no public PDA, no drinking, dancing is questionable, no premarital sex - but just as the views on these things vary within the Christian community, they vary amongst the students. I think many people assume that both Liberty and it's students subscribe not just to Biblical teachings but to uber conservative social and political views as well. My daughter has found it to be a mix. Of course not nearly as much of a mix as a public university, but not a sheltered environment either.
Since Cedarville was on your original list, I thought I'd mention that they just made an announcement that they are offering a few majors as three-year majors and nursing was one of them. They are changing the timing of when they offer certain classes so that by going through the summers it's possible to complete the nursing program in three years instead of four. Just thought I'd throw that out there in case your dd might be interested.
I would be really interested to see how this works. Everywhere my daughter looked, both Christian and secular, a nursing major was very difficult to get finished in the 4 years because of clinical time and classes that built on other classes. We looked at Cedarville but it was too small for her so we never looked seriously at it. I wonder how they are fitting it all in 3 years and how that works with scholarships which usually don't apply to summer courses.
Regent University in VA
Pensacola Christian in FL
As far as I know Regent only has a RN to BSN program but maybe they've started a new one in the last couple of years. Be careful with Pensacola. Unless things have changed in the last couple of years they are not an accredited university which becomes a problem when you want to sit for a national licensing exam (NCLEX) or if you want further nursing education.
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What do you mean by eligible?
If vet tech is a completely different field than previously studied. So, if you have a BA or BS in English, computer science, or elementary education and you've decided to go down a completely different career path for whatever reason, why couldn't you get an associate degree in a new field.
Sorry I wasn't clear. It says that the majority of people have a BS in Zoology or other animal studies and 91% are currently working in the veterinary field. It has not been my understanding from other research that you have to have significant education and experience before applying to a vet tech program so this surprised me.
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College senior - nursing - knew in the 9th grade or so
College freshman - biochemistry and psychology - knew end of sophomore, early junior year but still may change because she is still developing what specifically she wants to do and may adjust emphasis because of it
7th grader - wants to do something with animals - probably a vet tech. basically knew since birth LOL
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I have a while before my last one graduates but she'll be taking a different path than my previous two and so I'm starting to look down the road at post-high school plans while I make our high school plans.
She wants to work with animals. Her dream is to own a pet rescue or wildlife preserve type place. Ideally that would be a zoology/wildlife undergrad and vet school but I think her math learning disabilities will make that an impossibility. Vet schools are not going to take a student who struggles in anything. So we've been looking at being a vet tech and it definitely is a job she'd be interested in. So I looked at our community college and I was very confused.
Our CC has an associates degree for Vet tech. This is what I've understood the education to be - an associates degree. There are even a few "completer" programs for people with associates vet tech degrees to get a bachelors degree is zoology or other animal related disciplines which to me emphasizes the idea that this is a BEFORE bachelors degree program. However, the description at our CC says that the profile of the students accepted is 29% already have an associates degree and 51% already have a bachelors degree!! How can you even be eligible for an associates degree program if you already have a bachelors degree?
Now I'm confused. Is this typical for a vet tech program or is there something unusual about this one?
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My daughter is about to graduate from Liberty nursing. First, it's an excellent program and she has had a lot of hospital experience and will graduate with a trauma certification as well. I highly recommend it. We found that they give very generous scholarships. My middle daughter is at a state school (we are in state VA) and got the highest scholarship offered there as well and the costs are pretty comparable even though Liberty is a private school. One thing to know that bugged me but not my husband so much is that once they hit their junior year they are at the hospital often enough and on their own schedule that they pretty much need their own transportation. There are clinicals done their sophomore year but its easier to get rides for that because they aren't multiple times a week. I didn't want her to have a car and the added expense of that. I still question whether it was absolutely necessary, but I do know that it would have made her life a lot more difficult to constantly have to depend on someone else to get her to the hospital especially when if you are late twice you fail.
Also, I don't know where you fall on the "conservative" spectrum but you should know that in general the kids aren't as conservative as the school. This was fine for us because we aren't that conservative, but if you are looking for a school full of kids who all believe firmly in the rules the school has, you won't find it at Liberty. Also, the food is lousy so they look forward to living off campus and not having to pay for the meal plan LOL.
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Thanks everyone. We are currently doing the DO pre-algebra with the 'I grade it' option so I can pace it however I want. What I worry about with doing that is that if I had to slow-pace the Algebra because of the large number of videos we would never finish it within the year and we can't take multiple years per math credit.
But I'm in the same situation as Another Lynn, she's understanding well, so it may still be our best option. I asked her and she said she wasn't sure so we are going to check things out when the homeschool convention comes around. I know she'd prefer I just teach her rather than the videos, which I'm capable of, but sometimes I think the videos help.
And thanks for info on potential limits. I didn't know there were any so I'm going to check on that and see if I have a time limit here. We are pretty much on schedule with Pre-Algebra but I should check anyway.
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Check out Guest Hollow - we are having so much fun and learning a ton
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My 13 year old has never had a great time with math. It's been slow going but she's finally starting to make progress. This year we are using Derek Owens Pre-Algebra. I like it. It's been good for her. That said, there are things about it that worry me going forward so I'm trying to decide if I want to continue with Derek Owens or use something else.
Most of the problem with DO is the setup. My daughter has a maximum threshold of math before she collapses and can't function. Some days DO has a LOT of videos at one time. I have to spread them out over more days than would typically be done. This wouldn't matter except that the problem sets and homework assume you have watched all of the videos so I can't just say 'ok do the first two videos and then the first 5 problems' etc. So we end up having to stretch out the problems too. This year we have been able to stay reasonably on schedule because many of the concepts are not new to hear but Algebra will be different and I worry that it will take us a decade to finish. The other thing is that I still wonder if videos are really the best way for her to learn. She fills in the notebook with notes (I like that it's setup that way) and she says that helps, but in reality she's someone who learns from reading.
Originally when I was looking for pre-algebra I was looking for something to bridge the gap until I could get to Fresh Approach Algebra which looks to have clear, readable explanations and a uncluttered layout. (nothing I've used with my other children would be good for this one so I'm back to square one). Fresh Approach would take away the video component and is more traditionally laid out as far as read a lesson, do problems - in which the pacing would be easier to control. But DO has been reasonably successful so I'm afraid to jump.
Thoughts on either of this program? Any other DO users have scheduling issues? BTW - we are doing the 'I grade it myself' option with DO.
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I didn't see this post before so it might be too late but maybe you could add the Hakim Science books to add a different approach to history. She's written three books that are basically the history of science and people like them a lot. The first one is Aristotle Leads the Way
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Wow! Thank you all for so many great resources. I started checking them out and will have so much to work with on this project. Thanks for taking the time to share.
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I'm going to create my own physics for next year for my 8th grader. I'm going to use the Manga Guide to Physics because if I don't my daughter will revolt. But I need recommendations for other resources. Other spines or supporting resources - anything you liked. Either secular or Christian is fine. Thanks for any ideas.
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How about English Lessons through Literature? A 7th grader who hasn't done it before could start with Book 5 (they aren't grade levels - it's really more whatever you are ready for. Level 6 is being completed right now and if you want some of it she'll send you the first chunk if you email her.
Cottage Press is another all-inclusive option but I would not consider it light but YMMV so you could check it out.
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Math books with excellent explanations
in High School and Self-Education Board
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Thanks - I've been looking at that one for a while and like it. Did you use it? If so, what did you use before it? I kind of want one more layer of pre-algebra before moving on to give her a little more time for her analytical thinking to mature.