Creekside5 Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 So... my kid loves science. He spends his free time on you tube learning all kinds of interesting stuff about science. He says he wants to be a nuclear engineer when he grows up. For Christmas he got a Kosmos and Thames 3000 chemistry set. Because he has an expensive science kit, we will be doing chemistry next year. I am not sure what to do with him, nor do I know what he knows well and what gaps he has in his knowledge ( he is completely self-taught when it comes to most science.) He knows the periodic table super well and he understands it very thoroughly. I believe that high school chemistry would require some advanced math. He will be doing pre-algebra and algebra 1 AoPs next year. I am wondering if we would be bored doing Noeo chemistry III or if we should we try another curriculum. I like the Noeo simply because it uses our kit and utilizes a variety of books. (We could probably follow rabbit trails.) We could just do the labs in the K and T kit, but I think he needs how to do proper lab reports, and learn to read and study science. I think my goal would be for him to be ready for any AP chemistry class in high-school. I would love something aimed at a 8th/freshman/sophomore level- any ideas??? What have you all tried that worked? Not interested in Apologia (that is what he has at school--- he dislikes it, and he spends his time trying to refute creation science-- bored logic stage thinker.) What have you tried and liked for chemistry at this level? Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in SA Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 We used a basic college text (McMurray Fay) for older DS when he was 10, believe it or not, and it worked very well. He was working on algebra 1 at the time. He eventually worked through MIT's online courseware chemistry in 8th, but that turned out to exceed AP level. Younger DS went through Conceptual Chemistry in 3rd grade, and I honestly thought it was a decent text, as well. Anything below that, and you'd really be scraping the bottom of the barrel. I wouldn't worry too much about the experiments lining up - that's pretty easy to pull off with any text/curriculum. Based on our experiences, I'd say anything not labeled AP would be fair game. The math skills need to be pretty strong, though. Although the equations are not all that complex, your son will need a good feel for units and conversions. You can cover the basics of simultaneous equations and molarity when those topics come up. If his math is not that strong yet, you may want to wait a year to shore them up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creekside5 Posted February 9, 2017 Author Share Posted February 9, 2017 We used a basic college text (McMurray Fay) for older DS when he was 10, believe it or not, and it worked very well. He was working on algebra 1 at the time. He eventually worked through MIT's online courseware chemistry in 8th, but that turned out to exceed AP level. Younger DS went through Conceptual Chemistry in 3rd grade, and I honestly thought it was a decent text, as well. Anything below that, and you'd really be scraping the bottom of the barrel. I wouldn't worry too much about the experiments lining up - that's pretty easy to pull off with any text/curriculum. Based on our experiences, I'd say anything not labeled AP would be fair game. The math skills need to be pretty strong, though. Although the equations are not all that complex, your son will need a good feel for units and conversions. You can cover the basics of simultaneous equations and molarity when those topics come up. If his math is not that strong yet, you may want to wait a year to shore them up. Thanks, this was really helpful. I feel like a lot of the curriculums out there are too easy. His math skills are pretty strong, and any holes he has we can fill as he goes. He is a super quick learner, but has been held back by being in school. I put the McMurray Fay book in my amazon cart. I will also look at Conceptual Chemistry. Was the conceptual chemistry an online class or a curriculum I can buy and use at home? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in SA Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 There probably is a complete curriculum available, but we just used the book and answer key (same w/McMurray Fay). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Mr. Q Advanced Chemistry covered topics I didn't see until college and might be more engaging than a typical textbook. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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