BakersDozen Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 I would like to find something to "fill out" my 16yod's Economics course. Right now I'm looking at the GC course - has anyone used this? Like it? Hate it? The GC stuff has been hit or miss here so I hesitate to purchase something that will be a big "miss" and waste her time. I'm not looking for a textbook, just something to reinforce what she is learning with MFW. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 How about some popular literature such as Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Levitt and Dubner? Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Sowell has a good book on economic facts and fallacies, and I second the Freakonomics books (both the original and Super Freakonomics, the sequel). There also is a Freakonomics podcast that is free and lots of fun. One of the authors (the journalist one) does it. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 I bought a GC, but we aren't starting it for a few more weeks. I'm hoping it's good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Diane Lockman's article "Making Economics Real: How We Use the News" suggests using the Wall Street Journal and New York Times (different perspectives) to look for articles that reinforce the terms and topics you are studying. Also, find an ongoing news story that illustrates an economic concept. For example, water scarcity in Indonesia and the effect delivering that water will have on the cost of utilities. Follow the story, write a summary, "brief" the family at the end of the week. Diane writes for Practical Homeschooling, and I found her econonics article and other wonderful articles she wrote on rhetoric, advanced expository writing, and philosophy when we evacuated for a hurricane at the beginning of the year. If you can find her articles, they have many ideas about ways to flesh out/develop courses or hone skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 We have used Lessons for a Young Economist by Murphy which is a free pdf. My kids like it and easy to understand examples. Great intro to economics--I have an Econ degree. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Your thread made me remember another resource which can only be used from the US on Annerburg learner. They have an Economics in the 21st century series that seems to be good. Just watched the first two and everyone liked them. There are 28 half hour episodes for free. Produced fairly recently. We were unable to do them while based in England so thank you for getting us started with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 I don't know if you can find anything like this but my dd joined an entrepreneur group - a class of kids with a mentor. They all started their own businesses this year, using their own money (max $100 start up money). The goal is to have a profitable business. They create their own business cards, marketing plans, etc., basically do what needs to be done to be successful. They also go on field trips to local entrepreneurs and discuss how they got started. This real-life experience has been valuable - much more so than memorizing graphs on supply and demand. These kids have experienced "the market" the way no book could describe. They understand how hard it is to own a business and how good it feels to earn profits from something they created on their own. I supplemented this with all the DVDs I could obtain from John Stossel and we discuss quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSDCY Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 My son is enjoying the GC course, but he has only watched 1/3 of it. If you are just looking for something to enhance the knowledge, I recommend The Instant Economist: Everything You Need to Know About How Economy Works by the same author of the course. The book has more of less the same topics covered in the DVDs, and ds likes the book better than the DVDs because it's portable and well written, and he is not required to stare at his face for 30 minutes. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 In Trisms, each two week unit is on a different civilization. For each civilization, a student is asked to answer the questions, " What was the tax structure of the civilization and did it lead to the flourishing of the civilization or its decline?" Seems really simple - but it makes the kids think :) To help with the question, we have the book For Good and Evil: The Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization by Adams. Great book..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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