Hello, everyone! It's been years since I've posted. I'm still homeschooling (year 10), and my ds14 is a h.s. freshman this year. I use BJU Press for everything (easier because I live overseas), but am considering making some changes in math and science. He's taking Algebra 1 this year and it is much harder than the Algebra I took in college! I am learning new things, and staying ahead of him by studying upcoming lessons, but it scares me to think what the rest of high school holds. Last year, in Pre-Algebra, he covered what I covered in Algebra 1 30+ years ago. Is this happening across the board in math curricula? I see the same trend in science. 8th grade science had sooooo much technical stuff to learn, it just really turned my son off science, a subject he used to love. (And no, I don't let the curriculum boss me around.) However, I also don't want to skip stuff my son might need to learn. He hates science (Physical Science) this year, too. We have already decided that he will take Biology next year and then we are through with BJU science! We will go with a Creation Science curriculum for his jr. year, and third required credit. I am now trying to decide what to get for ds' last two required math credits. My son has no interest in going into the math and science fields of study in college, so I don't think he needs to take advanced courses in either. Do you have any suggestions for good solid math curricula, such as a business math course (do they still have those?). Many thanks for your input!
Abeka has a pretty good Consumer Math Program. You could also look into doing accounting, I think lifepac offers that.
Lifepac and CLE have Consumer Math (similar courses), Accounting (very different courses), and CLE has Keeping Financial Records for Business and one called Practical Math. Christian Liberty has one I think it's called business the Easy Way or something like that- I think the course is from Barron's. You could look at Harold Jacobs' Algebra and Geometry courses. I've heard they're good, but haven't seen either one. You could google it.
We really like Math-U-See. My son did Algebra I last year. This year he is doing Geometry, which is typically a requirement nowadays. MUS also has a consumer math course that a friend raves about. My Ds16 will be graduating this year, so I won't be having him add a gratuitous math course. I may have my Dd do it later, though.
Thank you for the replies! We already have Geometry planned for next year, but Consumer Math sounds great for his third (required) credit. I'll check out the different publishers you've mentioned. Thanks!
If he plans on going to college for anything, even if it has nothing to do with science or math, we have been finding the universities around us expect to see Alg2 and a course in either Calc or Trig. Teaching Textbooks is awesome, but it is a wee bit behind I think. I have looked briefly at Chalkdust and decided that is what I would look at again when I need highschool math (after TT runs out for us, we will be a year or two ahead in it at least). ETA... TT isn't behind, I want to be more clear. It is right oh for most Public School curriculums, it is a little slower or gentler than most homeschool programs out there.
I would highly, highly recommend Dave Ramsey's Foundations in Personal Finance. I cannot say enough good things about it!! It's engaging and it's humorous, even for a 17 year old boy. I cannot tell you how many times my 17 yo has quoted Dave Ramsey. He has learned more from the Dave DVDs than he will ever learn from a textbook. Case in point -- he went to buy his first used car a couple months ago. He talked the guy selling down to a much lower price based on the tactics Dave taught in one of the units. J knew exactly what was likely to happen when he went to the car dealerships to look and was able to side step some of the typical sales guy tactics because of what Dave taught.
We are using MUS Algebra2 this year and I beilve we will go on to MUS trig or Calc whatever is next in their seriese next year...
I also am a Teaching Textbook fan. I don't consider it "behind" at all. Rachael went all the way through Pre-cal, and then did Calculus through MUS (since TT didn't have it) her Junior year. She then took college calculus her Senior year, and did very well. So it worked very well for us. That Dave Ramsey thing might be best for Faythe for next year....
after looking at the web site it looks like they have a preCalc and Calc with MUS now , it has trig in the preC. Did TT have trig Jackie?
No. I think some is included with pre-calc. When we originally started looking, MUS didn't have Calc. But the guy who does MUS was doing Calc on-line, and we signed her up for that. Then they came back and said that the "new" book was out, and we ended up getting that for Rachael. Whatever it was, it worked for her, and that's all I care about!
MUS is our choice for high school for our daughter. MUS has a course called Stewardship and I have heard good things about Dave Ramesy's program also.
