Ok so what are the curriculum options for a 13 y/o

[Grover]

It needs to have excellent science and not much in the way of written work

[Grover]

Someone at the homeschool group has signed her 13 yo up to a virtual school- :think .Whats the pro's /cons of virtual schooling?

[malakoa]

No answers for you, but I have to say I read your Subject and thought it was "circumcision options for a 13 y/o" and I thought, "Boy, is that going to open a can of worms"

[katiekind]

When my boys were that age we used the Sonlight curriculum, but I'm not sure how strong it was in science. My oldest wasn't big on science and I didn't push it; and my middle son who WAS big on science would read science textbooks and science magazines for leisure reading so I figured he was covering that base pretty well on his own.

[CelticJourney]

Apologia is a strong science choice.

As for virtual schools - personally I don't want anyone else having a say in my schooling, so I would avoid that choice prefering traditional homeschooling and all the joys and frustrations it offers.

[jenn3514]

Apologia is a strong science choice.

As for virtual schools - personally I don't want anyone else having a say in my schooling, so I would avoid that choice prefering traditional homeschooling and all the joys and frustrations it offers.


I would say Apologia or Abeka. My oldest dd is going into college, and science is the one subject that to date- every admission counselor has called to see what curriculum we are using. In chatting with them, these two seem to pop up as being thorough.

[MudPies]

OT- but I read the subject as "circumcision options for a 13 y old" you can tell what threads I've been reading lately. :giggle

no advice

[mamacat]

Sounds like my son who is 14 this yr.I agree with what has been said so far about both science & virtual school.This yr we did Exploring Creation with Physical Science which is an Apologia curric. and he likes it alot. he reads mostly - large units and then there are unit study tests.There may be a workbook for it too but I dont know - we just do the reading each unit part- at his pace & then I make up a unit test sheet - we didnt buy the book that has those pre-printed either & let him do it at his own pace so I have something on paper. My son hates to write also so its a min. amt of writing for him . he loves this book & is almost done with it for the yr & its only April.You might want to go to christianbook & pull up science texts in his grade level & see what he is most interested in.

[mamacat]

A pick & choose method with curric has worked better for us because some curric.s are so writing heavy - abeka workbooks tend to be.for math we have used a saxon book this yr because it is so step by step self explanatory.again,I didnt even purchase the work book just make up a test for each unit after he has read it.then I used Wordly Wise because it is a good balance of spelling,definitions & grammar & using it all together - probably his heaviest written load this yr.I threw in a book called Exploring American History which he is finished with that has short unit tests after each chapter & he has been using a rosetta stone for a foreign language credit & we are pretty much set.

[TestifyToLove]

A won't be 13 until June and he's a year behind in school (6th grade this year). I started the year with LifePacs. We're only halfway through our year and I've ditched everything but the History and Geography portion. I *thought* the LA was working for him, until I discovered neither he nor his sister are retaining basic Grammar despite being on-task and correct in ll of their assignments in Lifepacs.

Right now, A is using a variety of stuff.

He's using Teaching Textbooks for math, and I cannot, not, not say enough WONDERFUL things about this program for math (my 3rd grader is doing 5th grade math with this program and is retaining it perfectly).

For Language Arts, we use Spelling Power for spelling. I just purchased 2 Grammar programs from Homeschool Discount which we'll see if they work well for him.

Honestly, for Science right now, he's working with The Dangerous Book for Boys and his Boy Scout stuff. I'm purchasing a program that is heavy on experiments for all 3 big kids. http://www.noeoscience.com/catalog.html

When he gets through all 3 of those, I'll move him to Apologia *except for Biology*. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do about Biology but I refuse to teach creationism to the exclusion of evolution because it will put them at a tremendous disadvantage for college. And, we don't believe in a New Earth theory personally. Apologia teaches Creationism as a Science and New Earth theory. I may scour for a Biology textbook even if I have to snag one from a College bookstore.

For the rest of Language Arts, he's reading books and writing book reports once a month. Starting him slow and building his skills.

History he does Lifepacs, which is really terrific for their Geography. He's also doing History of the World with his brother because he finds it interesting.

We have a typing course on the computer.

And, finally he's doing Rosetta Stone for French I.

Most of that is years of tweaking for what works for HIM and for 7th grade we'll continue with more of the same of what we're doing in 6th.

[mamacat]

You know from another perspective,I found that my son gets exposed to enough of the not creationism phiosophies that I dont have to do a science curric. that includes both & feed what I consider worthless info into his computer bank. If he watches a science DVD or a science show on discovery he is inundated with that kind of stuff.Last yr I wasnt sure which direction to head with him & started doing tests to check for readiness for college entrance exams - like PSATs & he was already scoring high enough to get into college so I dont think it has hurt him by not using a curric. that includes both.That has been our experience,anyway.

[Grover]

Thankyou all for your ideas.
Im not sure we believe in a young earth.I think God definately created the world.I just know God did it-I have no idea how,so what I would like to present Grace with is all the ideas and theories.She really does have her own mind and Im certain science is going to be what she studies later at college so .....and shocking as this is going to sound on a christian board,Im not sure that a overtly christian curriculum would work for us or for her.I use HOD for the littlies and I love that we are reciting scripture and reading our bibles but I have my doubts as to whether that would enable Grace or put her off .
Secondly its a big issue-DH isnt sure that HS is the way to go :pray4 :pray4 :pray4
Finally I asked the Lord in prayer to provide for us to HS.but I didnt share that with DH,when lo and behold he comes home a few days later and says that the Grandparents want to give each kid a sum of money [not huge but certainly enough to buy a curriculum]
We looked atvirtual school and :jawdrop :jawdrop was shocked at the cost -so thats out.

Im still :pray4 and thinking

[ShangriLewis]

If you really want an open and go and want to spend the money, I would suggest Sonlight.

It has a full schedule with Apologia Science. Although, they are Christian they do include a lot of books that make you think about worldviews and opposing viewpoints.

[Grover]

I think open and Go is the way forward -especially with DH's concerns.I think I saw someone in the UK selling sonlight[save on shipping :shifty].I just wasnt sure what sonlight offered :smile

[Grover]

I am sold on the idea of teaching textbooks for Math.I think Grade 7 would be where we would place her-she is in year 8 going but that makes her Grade 7 -I think.I can get her to do the placement test if we go for it.
It seems that there is just a 'sonlight consultant' here in the Uk so the more If I want sonlight I think we will order our own books.

[TestifyToLove]

I discovered you can get the Prentice Hall high school science textbooks on ebay. However, ebay does not allow you to sell teacher's editions. Turns out, you CAN get the same caliber of science from Singapore Math...with teacher's editions and tests/quizzes. A Reason for...(Science) offers a science program all the way into high school sciences WITH the lab materials included. Its getting the lab kits that is SO hard, and ime so vital for homeschooling.

I've been researching science like a mad woman because A, E and C are so unbelievably advanced in science they are on the cusp of needing advanced sciences and within the next 2-3 years all 3 will need them.

You will not regret Teaching Textbooks. DH is a math freak (CLEPed out of 2 semesters of college Calc without trying). He looked over the program and declared its the best I've ever brought into the house. Even slow, reluctant A is rapidly catching up with his math skills FINALLY.

[Grover]

Thanks for that info TTL-
Grace is in the talented and gifted for science so it needs to be quite challenging .Ive seen the singapore science on one of the UK websites selling homeschool supplies.I will look out for A reason for science .I love the lab equipment being included.I dont want to be searching for bits.

I was thinking maybe we could get a tutor.The youth leader at church aslo tutors older teens in science It has several drawbacks- but its a thought.I am desperately praying about all of this .

[mom2boys]

what KIND of science are you looking for?
I am a science nut-but I hate most of the already put together curriculum's. And I'm like you-I'm really wishing there were alternatives to Apologia. :shifty I will probably continue to use Usborne books and my old college texts for the boys. The one thing I would love is a dissection or lab only type curriculum so we can do the experiments without the added junk in a whole curric...make sense?

I really like the looks of the new HOD program. :giggle (hey! you know I'd say that, didn't you??? :giggle)
I would add the Usborne books for my boys, and hope to find some biology or chemistry experiments to go along with it.

[Grover]

I was watching a tv show a while ago about Britian s most intelligent kids-and lo and behold most of them were homeschooled.There was this one devoted mother who had dead rats in her freezer ready for those very lessons on dissection :jawdrop......Now where does one by rats from?

[jenn3514]

In the styates you can buy them, various eyes and brains, and frogs from science supply companies. Our home school co-op gets pig fetuses from local farms.

[mom2boys]

ew!!! My boys were a little put off when we had their brother's placenta in the freezer, so I doubt they would let me put dead animals in there. :haha

I bought the Handbook of Nature Study and I really like that! I am also really liking the Ambleside Online nature study books-we are doing "life of the spider" and (oh, I forgot the other one! whatever else is year 7)

[RubySlippers]

I've found that Apologia science really is the best, better than any secular textbook I've found, on sharing facts about organisms.
It is written from a Creationist standpoint which I find refreshing and not a detraction or distraction from the sound scientific content. :twocents

[mamacat]

Does your state or county not have virtual school? In our state & county we have it - I personally wouldnt choose to but it is an option - and they provide everything,Even laptops.Its like being a PS student but at home.

[Grover]

I am in the Uk-There are some virtual schools but at £200 a month I am afraid we couldnt afford that