PBS has a curriculum designed for kids interested in Engineering; Design Squad.
“The Design Squad Educator’s Guide has everything you need to bring engineering to life for kids ages 9-12. The guide has four units, divided into 10 engaging, hands-on challenges that emphasize teamwork and creative problem solving. You can choose to do one meeting, one full unit, or all four units—it’s up to you. From the leader notes to the discussion questions to the challenge sheets, you have what you need to get kids thinking like engineers.”
I had a college professor review the materials in Design Squad. Here is his feedback of the program:
Its advantages:
1. Uses low-cost materials that kids are acquainted with
2. Addresses important design/engineering concepts for the directed research/brainstorming
3. Encourages teamwork
4. Allows for and encourages creativity
5. Attempts to cover a broad range of basic topics
Its disadvantages:
1. Some of it may be too simplistic for the better students, especially for older kids. By the time you get to high school you should be able to take on more sophisticated projects; this material appears to me would be most appropriate for interested middle-schoolers, or even bright grade-schoolers, who I think could handle this level of material just fine.
This could be a good intro to engineering, but I think that creating interesting lights (colored LEDs) would be a desirable addition AND could be understood by the older students.
Thanks to Don Peter, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Seattle Pacific University for providing this feedback!
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“Hi Lee, I heard you on last year’s homeschool conference online and enjoyed all you had to share. My 15 yo son is a freshman and we were wondering what science and english program you recommend for him. Once I hear from you, I can share a little more. He is really struggling this year with his schoolwork. No desire,I would love to see his love for homeschooling and continue to learn. ”
~ Debbie in Alaska
Hi Debbie,
What I recommend for science and English is whatever works. If something works, keep using it, even when you get to high school.
Since you say that what you are using isn’t working, I can make a couple of suggestions. For science, I often suggest starting with Apologia, because I know for certain that it’s excellent college preparation. Sometimes it isn’t a perfect fit though. Sometimes that’s just because a child doesn’t like biology, but other times it’s a curriculum miss-match.
For English, there isn’t one particular thing that’s best, it’s all about what works for you. If you have a child that loves reading, then I often recommend Sonlight curriculum. Yes, expensive, but oh, so worth it! If you have a child that doesn’t love reading or writing at all, then Write Shop is usually the place I suggest next. Truly, though, there are a lot of good options.
Bottom line: you have identified a weak area. That is where you want to put your money. Invest in your weakenesses.
Shelli is using her son’s Boy Scouts leadership position as a practicum, but any leadership position in an organization would also work well.
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One mom asked me a simple question: what should she use for writing instruction. She asked about some specific programs, so I asked her if she had purchased anything. She owned Sonlight Language Arts, Write Shop, Write at Home, and Institute for Excellence in Writing. “Which one is the best?” she asked.
Here is the problem: too many great options. All of these programs are well-reviewed, and I have heard great reports (and some negative reports) about each one. Based on that information, I think they are all fine!
Once you determine some choices that are all good choices, you have to make the next decision about which one to eliminate. I suggest you make the decision based on two things:
1. Does it fit the child?
2. Is it easy to teach?
If you think your child will hate it, then it doesn’t matter how wonderfully it has been reviewed! It’s the FIT that makes a curriculum FABULOUS.
And it doesn’t matter how wonderful a curriculum is if it is too difficult to teach. If it looks too hard for mom, then the curriculum is liable to stay on the shelf. Look at each choice, and open it to the first lessons. Can you open the book and go? Do you know what you should do beginning on day one? When all else fails, choose the curriculum that is easy to teach.
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Are you doubling-up? Doing too much is a major cause for homeschool burn out. Sure we want to produce well-educated kids, but doing a double amount of a subject may not be the answer. Twice as much information can mean twice as much burn out with half as much education!
Here is a typical question I hear:
I ordered the grammar curriculum from Abeka during the homeschool conference this year before speaking with you. Should I eliminate that if we are using the Latin Road to Grammar?
I’m SO glad you asked that question! YES! Please, please, please eliminate Abeka grammar while you are using Latin Road! The Latin Road is a complete grammar program, and it has all the grammar that you need. It will supplement your reading and writing perfectly, serving two purposes at the same time, with both English and Foreign Language. One of the biggest problems I see from homeschoolers is doubling-up on subjects like English. Using Latin Road for English Grammar PLUS another grammar curriculum would be giving your son two grammar programs. It may be “fun” for some kids, but for most children doing double duty can cause burn out and even rebellion.
Homeschoolers know that there is enormous freedom in choosing curriculum. You can meet your students learning style and personal preference for everything it seems. That’s a difficult job for veteran homeschoolers – and for new homeschoolers it can feel completely overwhelming!
Karen asked me a question on Facebook, “Use prepackage curriculum or not use it for my first year. Why can’t I decide?”
For first year homeschoolers, if your children like to read, I recommend that you look first at Sonlight. I used it my first year and it helped me make the transition. Here is the link to Sonlight Curriculum.
Sonlight was excellent at holding my hand. It helped me figure out what to do each day and call it “school.” It helped me stay organized and gave me the built-in record keeping system. If it looks like it might fit you, it’s a good choice for a beginner.
But you know, there is no “right” answer. There are lots of great options. Just start by starting! Grab the thing that looks good to you, and don’t worry about the grass being greener with another curriculum. Just start – you’ll love it!
Your situation is the reason why I made a second edition of my “Preparing to Homeschool High School” DVD. I wanted to include more information for new-new beginners.
Did you see that my September newsletter came out this morning! It should be at the top of your inbox! The theme this month is “Parents are the Best High School Advisors!” If you don’t subscribe yet, you are really missing out. Sign up here!
What are your thoughts on Accelerated Christian Education for homeschooling the High School years. They keep track of all the credits needed, which seems such a help and the curriculum seems to be comprehensive?
~Teresa
Dear Teresa,
I have never used it, so I can’t speak to this specific curriculum. I can suggest three things, though.
Maintain your authority over your homeschool. Especially when a curriculum says it is “accelerated” sometimes the pace will not fit the pace of your child. When you maintain your authority over your homeschool and go at your own pace, then you can make sure children are learning, and at the same time make sure they do not fail.
Use what works. If you have always used curriculum choices in the past, and they worked for you, then I would keep doing the same sort of thing for high school. In other words, don’t change what you are doing to ACE just because of high school – ONLY make a change when it fits your children. If you were doing eclectic, unit study, literature-based, classical, or unschooling – if it was working before it will also work in high school.
Mom knows best. Each family is unique, and only parents know the whole story. You can trust your instincts when it comes to curriculum, because nobody knows your child and your situation as well as you do. Even if someone gives you an opinion about curriculum, they don’t know the whole story.
Just so you know, you can keep track of credits yourself. It’s remarkably easy to do! I gave my two children a homeschool transcript with grades and credits that I provided myself. They were both admitted to every college they applied to – every one! They were given good scholarships to each college, but they were also both given a four-year full tuition scholarship to their first choice university! You can keep track of credits yourself. It’s one of those things I talk about in my “Preparing to Homeschool High School” video. I have two additional websites, one about homeschool credits and one about preparing homeschoolers for college.
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I sometimes get this question about Abeka, particularly when I’m at convention and families are shopping for next year’s curriculum. I don’t think it matters whether Abeka is more advanced or not. It matter if Abeka is a good FIT for you and your children. Any curriculum that is a good fit will help your child learn the most. A good fit with a moderately good program will help your student retain more than a high achieving program that isn’t a good fit.
Since I get asked about Abeka pretty often, I thought I’d give you my impressions. Abeka feels very classroom-based. Their videos are usually in a classroom setting, and personally, that drives me crazy. Hence, Abeka would not have been a good fit for me, and it wouldn’t have worked for my homeschool. Other people don’t have that same gut reaction to Abeka. It’s a very individual reaction. Each person will have their own preferences, and if Abeka is a good fit for your family, then it should work fine.
If Abeka is working, it will probably continue to work for your children. If it works, keep using it, but be willing to make a change if it stops working for your kids. Abeka is usually not something I recommend for new homeschoolers, though. It’s too similar to a classroom setting, and beginning homeschoolers often do better by starting with something that doesn’t remind them of school or classrooms.
Gifted kids in particular do better with a non-grade specific, literature-based or project-based curriculum, where they can learn to their heart’s content without being hemmed in by the covers of a textbook.
I try to stay away from recommending curriculum, because it’s more about the parent-child fit than anything else. But I hope these impressions of Abeka help you!
Darcy asked me some followup questions after my homeschool high school seminar in Vancouver. Here are the answers I provided.
Can sign language count as a foreign language?
Yes! Most colleges will accept sign language as a foreign language. It’s always a good idea to ask the colleges you are looking at, to find out their specific policy, because it can vary. However, most colleges that I have seen will accept American Sign Language and Latin (those are the two most asked about languages!)
If a child does dance, can that count for PE as well as Fine Arts?
Yes, but not with double-dipping. One credit of dance can be PE or it can be Fine Art, but it can’t be BOTH. The 150 hours of a credit can only be counted once. Usually people who like dancing do a LOT of dancing. They will often have different kinds of dance, so that one can be the PE credit and another can be the Fine Art credit. (Remember you don’t need to have both of those every year!) You can’t use the same hours for two purposes. But you might have enough hours to do both.
Would 4-H things like “Horse Group” or sewing be counted as electives?
4-H and Boy Scouting are very similar in one way: almost all of it is completely educational in nature. I haven’t met a 4-H that didn’t belong on a transcript! I would include your “horse group” as an elective, but if you are doing much riding, it might be a good fit for PE. Sewing can be a wonderful elective for textile science, fashion design, or home economics.
Can “Horse” be science?
The study of horses can certainly be a science, as long as you are studying the SCIENCE of a horse. Equine studies, veterinary studies, biology of the horse, and that sort of thing are great. In my opinion, using a horse for science would probably involve some lab work or veterinary skills. A good rule of thumb for determining if something can be a science is to just look at a college course catalog. Is there anything in a college catalog like that? Since we know that veterinarians exist, and that some kids work as a vet assistant, then the science of a horse would be workable.
If you have decided on science for this year, and it’s just not working out, what should you do?
It’s always hard to decide when to stick with a subject and when to stop and try something else. Jay Wile of Apologia says that since biology, chemistry, and physics are such different sciences, it’s possible for a kid to like one and hate the other two. Dr. Wile said that it’s our job as parents to make sure they hate all three. (smile!) Biology has a lot of memorization, but little math, and it’s very hands on. Chemistry has a lot of math in it, and it’s a very mathematical, logical science. Physics is even more mathematical. Unless your student has enough math, it could really be frustrating. Because they are so different, it is common for children to like one and hate the other two.
If you are mid year, have already decided on switching to another science, the look for alternatives that appeal to your child. I encourage you to ask your child what would be fun to study for science. Give your child the Apologia Catalog, www.highschoolscience.com or the HomeScienceTools catalog, www.hometrainingtools.com, and have them look over the options and decide on a science. If nothing looks exciting, you can look at the Lego curriculum products or a Teaching Company course, www.teach12.com .
Teaching Company lectures are available at the library. You can often identify and science interest, and then do the actual research of the topic at the library as well. But in our home, for things like this, we ended up giving the desired subject to our kids for Christmas. For example, if he wants to do Lego science, give him a kit for Christmas. If your child wants to do astronomy, give a telescope for Christmas – that sort of thing. That’s actually the subject of my December newsletter!
When you know a child can’t complete a curriculum, it’s a good idea to drop something that isn’t working. Our job is to make sure our children succeed in learning, and sometimes that can mean waiting. When you get stuck like this, look for clues in your child, to see what they want to do. I know some teens who have done some wonderfully unusual sciences: ornithology, mycology, geology.
Colleges like to see three years of science, and one year at least as a lab science. You’ve already got a year of lab science with your previous Apologia Biology. It’s a good time to branch out a bit, until he is comfortable with chemistry.
I hope that helps!
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