What to do with a Hands-on Learner

At the high school level hands-on learning often means using real-life experience: science experiments, geography experiments, etc. We used YMCA Youth & Government for our American Government credit. Speech & Debate, or Toastmasters can be a good English or elective credit. By the time a student is in high school, it may be a good time to encourage the student to help you choose curriculum. That doesn't mean it's a free-for-all with your money, though. What I mean is "choose between these math options" or "choose a science from this website." Look at highschoolscience.com, or hometrainingtools.com to choose science.

If you want to read about other moms who have gone the "hands on" route and survived:

Barb Shelton High School Form+U+LA



Micki and David Colfax Homeschooling for Excellence



And there is the great stand-by for learning styles - Cynthia Tobias The Way They Learn:



Blessings,

Lee
www.TheHomeScholar.com
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Math for the Artistically Inclined

I have noticed (non-scientific poll) that the artsy type tend to enjoy geometry more than algebra. If you are dealing with a lot of frustration with algebra, then geometry may be a bit easier (probably depending on the geometry text.) Geometry can apply to art in a way that algebra.... well.... can't.

There is actually a lot of art in Jacob's Geometry, by the way. Although I notice it was also heavy on logic, so check it out and see if it is the right match for you!

Blessings,

Lee
www.TheHomeScholar.com
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On-line High School?

If you are considering online programs for high school, ask yourself a question: Is this how my child learns best? The success your student with online courses is largely dependent on their learning style.

You shouldn't feel like you MUST do online schools for high school, however. Colleges, in general, understand homeschooling and they understand homeschool transcripts and grades. There is no reason to feel like you have to do an online school just so they will be somehow "official." I really suggest that parents retain their independence, so that they can choose materials that best fit their child.

Parents always know what is best for their children. Trust your instincts and move forward.

Blessings,

Lee
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The Teaching Company on a Budget!

We never paid full price for a Teaching Company course, they were just MUCH too expensive for our budget. We used audio tapes primarily, and on sale they were $15-$35. You can also also find them at the library, though, so look their first. Some libraries don't list them under "teaching company" or "great courses" but instead list them under the course name "calculus made clear." It makes it harder to find that way. You can also find Teaching Company courses at used book sales and on Ebay.

One year I planned to supplement a textbook with a Teaching Company course, but I didn't buy the course in time for it to be one sale. I was able to find a similar history course that WAS on sale, though, and I thought it was wonderful.

My favorite course is "how to listen to and understand great music." The teacher has such a wonderful vocabulary, it was just great for the kids to hear their vocabulary words in context. We had the boys take notes from the lecture, so they would become accustomed to note-taking in college lectures.

Blessings,
Lee
www.TheHomeScholar.com
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The Latin Road Pays Off!

>>>Please comment on the Latin Road <<<


I used Latin Road for 3 years. My kids were VERY successful with it, and my son still remembers all his Latin even after 3 years without cracking a book! He had to take a college placement test at the college he's going to, so they could see which class would be appropriate for him. He passed all 3 levels of Latin, and started the university in Junior level! Yippee! He enjoyed Latin Road so much that he has continued his Latin studies in college.

Latin Road uses a lot of memorization, rote learning, flash cards, and practice, practice, practice. It took as much time as a math program, and we had to do some Latin translating everyday, just like you do math problems everyday. It was very mom intensive, as you say. I used to spend about 2 hours on weekends getting my own lessons done, so that I would know how to teach it the following week. Her lessons are well laid out, and I never had any trouble figuring out what to do each day. It was VERY clear, and each lesson was about the same length of time to complete, and each lesson was very clearly labeled. Again, sort of like a math book, I guess! It was written for homeschoolers, so that's part of why it was so easy to use. Each day we would do some flash cards, recite some memorized lesson or read aloud, and do some copy work or translating. It was a LOT of work, and hard, but my kids really seemed to like it, and it really paid off in the end.

Hope that helps!
Blessings,
Lee
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