Nicole M Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Has anyone used the Home Study Course published by Cornell Lab of Ornithology? It looks pretty interesting: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/homestudy Their website is pretty amazing, if you're into birds. Nicole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryM Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 We did this! IT was fascinating. Ds did it as a sophomore, a young one at that. What questions can I answer for you? Feel free to PM me if you'd prefer. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 My daughter did this a few years ago. She liked it, and supposedly got 3 college credits for finishing it. The course was very detailed - the contents at that time filled two large binders. Since she was in middle school, we divided it up over a little more than two years. The only thing she didn't like about it was the amount of evolution it contained. There is an optional chapter about evolution, and evolution is presented as irrefutable fact throughout the course. We are creationists, so we would have appreciated a different approach. If that doesn't bother you, and even if it does, then you will find an amazing amount of fascinating information about birds in this course. Garden Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted November 4, 2008 Author Share Posted November 4, 2008 Thank you both. This is very helpful. I was a little reluctant to even ask, because my just-turned-12 year old son found this course in his trolling around on his favorite bird websites. (Better to be browsing bird sights than others, eh?) He is a bird maniac; in fact, this came up because we were trying to identify a new bird in our garden. He wants the course for Christmas, bless him. But I thought surely it would be too much, and that I'd have to do the course myself and "translate" -- but maybe not, if we take it slowly. Thanks for the intel about the evolution business. Frankly, I'd be astonished if they did not present it as irrefutable fact :D. (We recently heard Edward O Wilson speak, so I have a notion about what would be typical for a college course.) But it's good to know. A different world view can really be tedious in a text or course, as we've learned, but from the other direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 He wants the course for Christmas, bless him. My mom gave my then-12yos the course for Christmas a few years ago. He loves the book and refers to it regularly, but hasn't done any of the tests. Thankfully, there's no time limit on getting them done. BTW, the info we received at that time said it wasn't for college credit, but you can certainly give it a high school Science credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 My daughter got a letter from them that she finished that said something about her earning 3 credits for the course. That was 3 years ago, so you might want to ask what they do now just to make sure, if that's important. BTW, if your son is as much of a "bird brain" as my daughter was, I encourage you to look into volunteering at a local wildlife center. My daughter has volunteered for 4 years at our nearby center and has gotten so much out of it! She has held/fed/exercised/released/cleaned up after/etc. many kinds of birds and other animals. It's been incredible for her! Garden Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted November 4, 2008 Author Share Posted November 4, 2008 My mom gave my then-12yos the course for Christmas a few years ago. He loves the book and refers to it regularly, but hasn't done any of the tests. Thankfully, there's no time limit on getting them done. BTW, the info we received at that time said it wasn't for college credit, but you can certainly give it a high school Science credit. What a great grandma. My dad just got my son a replica Corinthian helmet, and he told me he'd love to see the little man wearing the helmet while studying birds.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted November 4, 2008 Author Share Posted November 4, 2008 BTW, if your son is as much of a "bird brain" as my daughter was, I encourage you to look into volunteering at a local wildlife center. My daughter has volunteered for 4 years at our nearby center and has gotten so much out of it! She has held/fed/exercised/released/cleaned up after/etc. many kinds of birds and other animals. It's been incredible for her! Garden Mom "Bird brain" -- funny! Thanks, we'll look into this. I hadn't even thought about volunteering, though we do spend quite a lot of time at our wildlife center. Now, I'm curious. Does the $200 "Course" include a syllabus, or is it just the test? What do you get when you buy the course? Thanks again, everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 We got two large binders full of written material for the course. Each Chapter is sectioned off with a divider. There was a test for each chapter. Also, there was a CD of bird songs. We copied the tests for her to take and sent them to Cornell in the envelopes provided with the course. They sent them back promptly after grading them. HTH, Garden Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryM Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 We got two large binders full of written material for the course. Each Chapter is sectioned off with a divider. There was a test for each chapter. Also, there was a CD of bird songs. We copied the tests for her to take and sent them to Cornell in the envelopes provided with the course. They sent them back promptly after grading them. HTH, Garden Mom How long ago did you take the course? We did it last year and the tests were all online. We bought the book which included the CD with bird songs but there were no binders....maybe they have changed things??? Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 It was quite a while ago that we bought this (4-6 years). It sounds like it has really changed a lot! I'm sorry if I misled anyone about the format or other details. Garden Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted November 5, 2008 Author Share Posted November 5, 2008 It was quite a while ago that we bought this (4-6 years). It sounds like it has really changed a lot! I'm sorry if I misled anyone about the format or other details. Garden Mom Oh, no worries. It looks like you now have an option for print or online tests. Decisions, decisions..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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