swimmermom3 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) I am not sure why but my 8th grader is insisting on a health unit, because he knows they cover it at the local middle school. He has older siblings so he is not completely in the dark since we talk pretty freely in this house. Also, if he is not homeschooled for high school, he will have a class his freshman year. Are there any secular health programs? I am sorry to say I don't want to devote a ton of time out of our other studies, but would appreciate some suggestions. Edited August 16, 2011 by swimmermom3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Do you mean "facts of life" health, or something more general? For instance, I could imagine using Pollan's In Defense of Food as a jumping off point for health issues of all kinds; so what are you seeking? :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 Do you mean "facts of life" health, or something more general? For instance, I could imagine using Pollan's In Defense of Food as a jumping off point for health issues of all kinds; so what are you seeking? :001_smile: Now that's an interesting idea. I think he's talking about the smoking, drugs, and alcohol units that they get somewhere in middle school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 There's some workbooks here:http://tinyurl.com/4373k26 Some of them are secular and all of them are cheapish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Now that's an interesting idea. I think he's talking about the smoking, drugs, and alcohol units that they get somewhere in middle school. Yeah, I figured that was prolly what he meant...but a girl can hope, right? :D Even in the context of those topics, though, one could have a more living-books-and-conversation approach, if one wanted to attempt it. Gabor Mate's books would be a cool place to start, for instance. Personally, I look back on the two health classes I was required to take as the most colossal wastes of time ever, so I have a hard time imagining anyone's asking to be subjected to, er, I mean, TAKE one.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 When I took my daughter (then 12) in to get her vaccinations this winter at the local public health clinic they gave me the health and sexuality book and guide that all the 7th-8th graders get and go over in school. It's an excellent resource. Not sure how it works where you are but maybe there's a way you can access your state's resources on the matter if they have any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Now that's an interesting idea. I think he's talking about the smoking, drugs, and alcohol units that they get somewhere in middle school. I would start by asking him what he wants to learn about and go from there. I would also make sure he has a thorough reference on puberty, hygiene, and sex that he can read in private. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Consider first aid and CPR too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 You can get lots of free resources from the National Institute of health. http://www.nih.gov/health/wellness/ We ordered several programs from here, all free. http://science.education.nih.gov/customers.nsf/WebPages/CSHome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saja1029 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 If you have Discovery Streaming, there are loads of Health topics on there. I am planning on using it for Health for both of my boys (5th & 7th grade). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessed4life Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 If you have Discovery Streaming, there are loads of Health topics on there. I am planning on using it for Health for both of my boys (5th & 7th grade). Can you share more about Discovery Streaming, please? I was considering SOS or Monarch for Health. Thx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisperry Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Current Health Magazines are great. There is no sexuality unless you opt for that insert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabel Lee Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Can you share more about Discovery Streaming, please? I was considering SOS or Monarch for Health. Thx! My dd just finished High School Health (I think it's listed for 8th -12th grades) from Alpha Omega and it was dry & boring. We used LifePacs due to unreliable internet connection and things I'd heard about SOS grading being a little weird. I was told by AOA that the content they learn (the basic syllabus) is still the same. There were a lot of holes in it, IMO. I fill them using the secular syllabus from apexlearning (can't remember if it's .com or .org). We use books from the library or purchased, and many documentaries. She's now been exposed to both mainstream and alternative views of health, food, medicine, vaccines, cancer, and giving birth. Netflix has a ton of Nat'l Geo. documentaries on drugs. I think the one about meth, titled "The Worst Drug on the Planet" combined w/ dh's stories from work (law enforcement) filled that gap well. I don't think any of the LifePacs even included the word "meth". Also, knowing the backgrounds of the various drugs - where they come from, what people go through and put other people through to make money off them, etc. helps to give it a wider perspective. I don't just want her to know "Drugs are bad, mmm'kay?", but I want her to be repulsed by the pain & suffering going on because of them - in their manufacture, transport, sale, some of their horrible uses (to keep pr0s#i#u#es addicted so they can't easily leave, etc.), and what drugs do not only to users but to the families & the user's whole life... All of this is tied together. It's been a long, ongoing off-and-on discussion to which I keep weaving in more layers. I wouldn't pile all that on a kid at once. Anyhow... I'm being a little:001_smile: longwinded. The apexlearning website is great for health topics. Guesthollow.com has a free human anatomy (incl. drugs, survival, nutrition, safety, etc.) course from which you could pick the topics you want to cover. I think there's a version of it appropriate for older kids, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 My 9th grader is using Intellego Health http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=33601&it=1 It claims to be for grades 9-12, but I was going to have my 7th grader use it too (but decided her schedule is FULL). I think it is totally accessible to an 8th grader. I am adding in a few books: What to Eat by Marion Nestle, Life's Greatest Lessons: 20 Things That Matter, by Hal Urban and Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by John J. Ratey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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