KellyMama Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 (edited) So my rising 8th grader is showing interest in all things programming, robotics, physics etc and I thought for science this year we would focus on technology of some sort since he's completed all the usual middle school science offerings. My dilemma is that most of the resources are not very 'open and go' - rather they are a conglomerate of amazing you tube videos or websites where you have to purchase multiple different components and piece together a year of study on your own. 🙈 I'm just not a piecer! Lol DS (13) loves structure and he would enjoy a format where there are clearly laid out lessons/assignments and projects. I don't mind buying a supply kit (he already has a raspberry pi and some other components) but I don't want to have to figure out what he's going to be doing all year with this mashup of components - this subject is very much NOT my liberal arts major brain's thing 😂 DH is up on all things technology and computing and can assist but he is so busy during the work/school week that we've decided it's not best for him to be responsible solely for this subject. He can troubleshoot and help out but not plan, schedule, and teach. Does such a course or curriculum exist? Can it be less than $500 too? (I've seen some super pricey options! 😳) (X post on k-8 forum also) Edited June 17, 2017 by KellyMama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 I just saw some free courses in python and matlab on EdX. Python is probably the better option, unless he's specifically looking for a strong data-crunching language. There's also a coding course on Khan Academy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredHSmom Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 (edited) Tryengineering.org has a series of STEM based lesson plans. They can be searched based on grade level I used them teaching an engineering co-op class. You would ned to gather materials and most need some level of explanation but the bones are there. Engineering Everywhere is written for 6-8 eighth graders. The lesson plans are very complete but are written for classroom use and will need some tweaking. Collecting materials could be harder as you will need to buy 24 packs of things that you only need one of. There is also Ready, Set STEM. I haven't used it but the site looks good and the price is reasonable. Edited June 17, 2017 by Tania 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal_Bear Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 (edited) Maybe something from youthdigital.com or compuscholar,com. They have courses. I think Homeschool Buyers Co-op has deals for both and other providers. ETA: There's a free two month access for one of two courses from compuscholar.com on HSBC so you can try it out for the summer and see if he likes their format. Edited June 17, 2017 by calbear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal_Bear Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 There is also Ready, Set STEM. I haven't used it but the site looks good and the price is reasonable. Tania, Thanks for this link. I was looking at a Canakit Raspberry Pi 3 kit...but this looks much more interesting with the projects guide. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KellyMama Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Maybe something from youthdigital.com or compuscholar,com. They have courses. I think Homeschool Buyers Co-op has deals for both and other providers. ETA: There's a free two month access for one of two courses from compuscholar.com on HSBC so you can try it out for the summer and see if he likes their format. Thanks for this - we've signed up for him to try a month out for free and will probably go with the digital savvy class and a ready, set, STEM kit for some fun hands-on projects! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Exploration Education comes with everything written out for a person and all the supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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