carlyincali Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Hello, I have two girls, ages 9 & 11. They will be doing 4th & 6th grade work next school year. Neither one of them have had a formal history or science curric. (We did start WinterPromise American history 2yrs ago and for various reasons, only got 1/2way through.) I am considering the K12 science and history, independent, programs for them. But... what I would like to do is to use the 4th grade level for both girls. Do you think that could work? (Both my girls are a little behind in reading, (but we will be working on that this summer) especially the younger one.) Since they've never completed a curric. for either of these subjects, I would think that it would be fine. But I would like your opinions please. Also, I would like it if my girls were learning the same things because they can talk about the lessons w/each other and help each other. And... we would save quite a bit of money too TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genie Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 I think that would work out very well for you and your girls. My 5th grade dd did K12's 4th grade history and science this year, and they were in no way too simple for her. She is a slow but strong reader, and she finds K12's lessons to be interesting and engaging. An additional "plus" to this plan is that since you are going from no curriculum to a more structured curriculum, the 4th grade history is only scheduled for 3 times per week, whereas the 5th and 6th are scheduled 5 times per week. Likewise 4th grade science (I'm pretty sure) is two days per week vs. 3 for 6th grade. So combining them with the 4th grade curriculum would be a great way to work into a formal curriculum with the least stress to all involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlyincali Posted April 27, 2008 Author Share Posted April 27, 2008 Thanks for replying so late. You must be on the left coast, like me. Thanks for your input/suggestions. I'm glad you agree w/me. :) Can you tell me, is the curric. I need to order called "Consumer Direct?" I'm just trying to figure out how much this is going to be. From what I can see, it's going to be very expensive, but I don't believe I'm in the category where I need to buy a subscription, right? I guess I'll have to give them a call tomorrow. Their website is a little confusing. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genie Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Yes, the website can be confusing, although they are in the process of updating it to make it a little more homeschooler friendly. And yes, K12 is not an inexpensive curriculum. You would need to purchase the material packages for each course (science and history) and you would also need to purchase the online content, either on a month-to-month basis, or as a yearly subscription. Obviously the yearly subscription is at a slightly reduced fee, but the month-to-month could be a great way to start and make sure it is a program you will stick with. So, for Science 4, the materials kit would cost $65. The teacher and student pages are available as part of the online content, so you don't need to purchase these, but you would have to print the pages on your own. I have a nifty laser printer, so I choose this option. The upgrade materials kit is $27, but most of those items are pretty easy to come by on your own for less. For History 4, the standard materials kit is $60. Again, the student and teacher pages can also be purchased or viewed / printed as pdf's with the online content. The month-to-month rate for the online content is $29 per month per course. So for the two courses it would cost $58 per month. If you used it for a 10-month school year that would be $580. The one-year contract subscription would be $38 per month for both courses, or $456 per year (12 months). This year I used K12 for all courses except math. It actually is a much better deal the more classes you purchase. I have been considering not using as many K12 subjects next year, but when I get around to figuring up what the costs would be to use other curricula, it's coming up to almost as much as K12. Oh, and I will probably be selling my standard kits soon, as we are almost done with them this year. You can sometimes find pretty good deals on used kits. There is a used K12 yahoo group that has been pretty active lately. Well, let me know if you have any more questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genie Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Oh, and yes, it would be Consumer Direct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlyincali Posted April 27, 2008 Author Share Posted April 27, 2008 Thanks again! You helped me a great deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 I agree with Genie. My ds11 is currently in all 6th grade K12 core subjects. We started with 5th grade at this time last year when he was 10 years old. I found the materials to be quite challenging and am sure that even as a 12 year old, my son would enjoy the K12 5th grade courses. He did really well in Math, LA and Science but History was so detailed that we took 12 months to get through it! We pay for Consumer Direct even though my state uses K12 in a virtual charter school. Yes its expensive, but as it's the best curriculum for my son, we find it worth the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 when she was with our cyber 2 years ago. She was technically in 4th. The material, as others have said, was certainly challenging enough...even for a 6th grader. In 5th, it got progressively more rigorous and actually brought my dd to tears on numerous occasions. You do know that 4th grade History is focused on Moderns, right? There will be some American thrown in but it is presented in the context of World History, if memory serves me correctly. The 5th and 6th grade History covers American History in depth using Hakim's materials. Good luck...K12 is a fantastic curriculum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlyincali Posted April 27, 2008 Author Share Posted April 27, 2008 Thank, you. Now, I am really excited about it! Now I KNOW at least those subjects will get done, (those were always the subjects that NEVER got done in spite of my library of science and history books. Ugh... sometimes I am my kids' own worst enemy. I only want the best for them, but I don't always give them my best.) Since I still have to subscribe, does that mean I don't get the curriculum to keep and access anytime? Since I'm *buying it,* I would think that I can use it on my other dc in a few years? Is this not true? Forgive me. It's Sunday, and I don't want to wait till tomorrow to find out these answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 I *think* you can just keep the books (like the TM, readers, materials, etc.). I *think* all you would need to do in the future would be re-subscribe to the OLS for the lessons, KWIM? I'm not familiar with K12 Independent and how it works, but it makes sense that you would keep the books, the consumbables, etc. and just re-subscribe. You would probably have to purchase the consumable student pages again unless you photocopied them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 You would be able to reuse the materials with other children, but you would have to pay for the OLS access (online access). The Science courses, for example, have a great deal of material online. K12 runs specials occasionally. When I purchased our first year last April, they were running a 15% off prepaid contracts and materials. And this month, I was able to renew our contract with the same deal. I don't know if new subscribers qualify, but it sure wouldn't hurt to phone them tomorrow and ask! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genie Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Yes, Sue is correct. You would only need to purchase the online content for future students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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