Mommyfaithe Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I need a quick, to the point economics course (1/2 credit) for dd. it needs to be simply written....think artist, not economist or brain surgeon. Just the basic learn the material and get it done. TIA Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Here's a free option utilizing multiple online sources. http://www.homeschoolcollegeusa.com/economics.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Economics for Everybody might be a good fit. My boys enjoyed it. It is from a Christian worldview.http://www.compassclassroom.com/economics-for-everybody/overview-6/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I have sent my children (last two going in a few weeks) to the seminars funded by www.fee.org the seminars are free, you just have to apply with a short essay/questionnaire....they give you reading material ahead of time, read a few books on our own for general principles/philosophies (Bastiat, etc.)...they get to meet with some of the top economists and discuss great ideas...hope this helps! It's been a great help for our kids in their economic education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 You could try Khan Academy. My daughter gave up on it because she found it so slow, but it might work well for someone else. I don't think he covers a huge amount, so it might be good for a more casual student. Thinkwell has an economics course, it you want to pay for something. The lectures for calculus were good. (We've never done the econ -- it's probably a different teacher) There were also some mooc type things around. If it's a get it done situation, perhaps just listening to a lecture series would be plenty. MIT online econ courses: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/economics/ The first one, at least, has video lectures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in DFW Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Hillsdale College has an Economics course online, for free. There are weekly lectures, readings, study guides. It's not a long course, but it's probably more than what a student would get at the local ps here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 For my oldest, we used Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? along with the workbook. What we liked was that it was easy to pick and choose how much work to do and what topics to cover more in depth as they were covered. We also watched several DVDs, including a bunch of free ones from John Stossel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbeym Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 :bigear: Following this thread since we're looking for one too. For my oldest, we used Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? along with the workbook. What we liked was that it was easy to pick and choose how much work to do and what topics to cover more in depth as they were covered. We also watched several DVDs, including a bunch of free ones from John Stossel. Are these by themselves enough for a 1 semester course on the basics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 :bigear: Following this thread since we're looking for one too. Are these by themselves enough for a 1 semester course on the basics? Using just what is in the books, no. But there are many different activities that are suggested in the books. Most involve internet research or tracking; others may be minor research of topics mentioned briefly in the text. There is also additional reading, articles that follow the text (which we did). Pick and choose what you prefer. We chose to do a "grocery log," where my dc tracked grocery prices of certain items throughout the year, and we watched a couple of those Stossel DVDs. That's part of the beauty of it--inexpensive, gives a very basic understanding of economics, and you can pick and choose what you'd like to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Okay, I'm a bit confused. Would a high school economics class be about managing personal and family finances and savings/investments, or would it be about how the economy works on a grander scale? While I guess I want my kids to gain an understanding of both (eventually), it is the former I feel is a more crucial life skill, and one which my parents did not do a good job in teaching (and was never taught in school, not even in college). Would responders please identify, if you can, which type of class your suggestions would address? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavandula Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Okay, I'm a bit confused. Would a high school economics class be about managing personal and family finances and savings/investments, or would it be about how the economy works on a grander scale? I've never seen something just called economics that was actually about personal finances. Personal finances courses are usually titled something simple including the word finances, or money management or something. There are some economics courses that have it tied in but I wouldn't assume it had it unless it specifically mentioned it in the title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I've never seen something just called economics that was actually about personal finances. Personal finances courses are usually titled something simple including the word finances, or money management or something. There are some economics courses that have it tied in but I wouldn't assume it had it unless it specifically mentioned it in the title. Thank you. Neither type of class was an option when I was a kid, so I am operating quite in the dark when it comes to these topics (academically). When I worked a paycheck job my company had some "financial fitness" classes they offered after realizing people needed to know certain things well BEFORE they prepared to retire. At the end of the class many of us wished aloud that we had learned this stuff back in college, or even high school. I'm a couple years away from my eldest reaching high school, but I figure if I look around now for good materials I might have a clue what and how to teach my kids when they reach that stage of their studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbeym Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Okay, I'm a bit confused. Would a high school economics class be about managing personal and family finances and savings/investments, or would it be about how the economy works on a grander scale? While I guess I want my kids to gain an understanding of both (eventually), it is the former I feel is a more crucial life skill, and one which my parents did not do a good job in teaching (and was never taught in school, not even in college). Would responders please identify, if you can, which type of class your suggestions would address? Thank you! Our local p.s. course catalog lists Economics as "the study of the basic principles of economics with emphasis on the components and benefits of the free enterprise system." The AP Eco course is listed as "a study of macroeconomics taught at the college level." That sounds similar to what I remember my own Eco class as being like in high school. I remember we played a stock market game; the rest is vague b/c I hated the class. For us, we'll be doing consumer math first (using consumermath.org) which will also cover personal finance, but I consider personal finance courses and economics courses to be mostly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Okay, I'm a bit confused. Would a high school economics class be about managing personal and family finances and savings/investments, or would it be about how the economy works on a grander scale? I am wondering if my comment about checking grocery prices was possibly confusing. The assignment was in the context of inflation. The student chooses 20 specific items and checks prices over the course of the school year. Personal finance and econ are definitely two different subjects. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I am wondering if my comment about checking grocery prices was possibly confusing. The assignment was in the context of inflation. The student chooses 20 specific items and checks prices over the course of the school year. Personal finance and econ are definitely two different subjects. :) Yup, that was it, combined with the late hour, but also fed by the complete lack of any such studies I had when I was growing up. Unfamiliarity breeds confusion. :tongue_smilie: Thanks, everyone, for the clarification and information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Our local p.s. course catalog lists Economics as "the study of the basic principles of economics with emphasis on the components and benefits of the free enterprise system." The AP Eco course is listed as "a study of macroeconomics taught at the college level." That sounds similar to what I remember my own Eco class as being like in high school. I remember we played a stock market game; the rest is vague b/c I hated the class. For us, we'll be doing consumer math first (using consumermath.org) which will also cover personal finance, but I consider personal finance courses and economics courses to be mostly different. Thank you for the reference -- I'll have to check that out! Would you say this is best presented in high school, or would it also be appropriate for younger ages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cabertmom Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 We used a course called "Economics As Though People Matter" from homeschoolconnectionsonline.com. It was very good. I watched it with my two teens (one of whom definitely just wanted to get it done). He focused a lot on the difference between Keynsian and Austrian economics and used a book called The Worldly Philosophers. We did the recorded course over the course of a semester, but it could probably be done in half that time if you really wanted to just knock it out. It is from a Catholic perspective, but I don't think there was anything that would be problematic to anyone really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Maybe not the easiest book, but here's another idea: Basic Economics by Sowell http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Economics-Common-Sense-Economy/dp/0465002609 The author also has a list of free discussion questions on his website (and linked in the book). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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