Cool. I grew up in Sydney. As big cities go it's very livable & the harbour is gorgeous. The city is bounded to the north & south by national park & some of the walks are spectacular. We always went at off peak times & got special treats, like the young lyre birds ( renowned for being shy & hard to find) clowning about around the picnic tables. It makes for a fire hazard though, especially when we are in drought as we are now. I hope they enjoy their stay.
TeacherMom--you said yours is a "middle-sized church" of maybe 1,000 people?!! I just now read that to our family, and we all laughed. Ds said, "She'd walk into our little country church and ask, 'Where are all the people?'" (Sixty people, max, at carry-in lunch events when relatives and guests are invited. )
I was thinking that too Prairie. We have about 60-80. Our churches must be called miniscule-sized churches! :lol:
ok, ok, so I have a medium sized church. The building is small, but there are three services. My friend says there are 1000 people on the mailing list, but only about 500 are actual members, if that.
http://www.4tests.com/ Here's a site for practice tests for teens. Maybe someone has used it? Yes...I understand the plant thing now..
Help! I am brand new at HSing. I have a 15 year old and am considering Abeka. I am so overwhelmed at all of this. Who has experience with Abeka? Is it a good place to start?
Abeka 's teacher resources are well-explained. The student books are colorful and attractive. It's one of our favorites for grade school science, and we used Abeka as the text for high school biology. I'm guessing it would be as good a place as any to start. Even if you find something more to your likes later on, you have to start somewhere in order to begin the process of comparing curriculums and getting to know the learning style of your child and your own teaching style--what you feel comfortable with. It's an on-going process. So jump in and enjoy the ride!
Thanks Prairie Home. I appreciate your reply. I will be attending a Abeka material show on Thurs where they give you $100.00 discount if you sign up there.
lol deena, and new person, Abeka is an advance type of curriculuim I have not met many who use more than the English courses and gramar and spelling in High school. We liked it for my older son 16 who goes to private school that uses that.
Kellecarver, I'm thinking, "Hm-m-m a $100 discount?" That seems to imply that you're looking at an investment of several hundred dollars, and it sounds like "signing up" might mean buying every subject from them. In that case, I'd better hurry to say that the Abeka books we used were second-hand, and we never did the whole, across-the-board-every-subject route with them, so I'm going to caution you about that, if money is an issue with you. For one thing, though well laid out, it can become overwhelming, because it looks so neat and wonderful, and if you have a lot of money invested, it can become discouraging and guilt-laden to fall behind in getting the amount of work done, which you have to do in order to finish everything by the end of the year. So don't feel pressured to buy everything they offer. TMom says the English may be advanced. We didn't use their high school English, but we used Bob Jones, which is certainly college level, according to our older daughter who was in college when the younger one was doing Bob J. So, here's an idea, since English-grammar tends to be repetitive, if you do decide to go with Abeka, and if those courses do seem advanced, take more than one year to complete a book and learn it well, rather than rushing to complete the pages. With programs like Abeka, I'm just a little bit afraid that for a new homeschooler, you might feel overwhelmed and frustrated and short-circuit the very reasons you chose to homeschool, especially since you may not be familiar with how your son learns--hands on, auditorily, or visually. I so much hope for you that your first year would be a great time of bonding for your family and getting lifes' priorities figured out, great memories, and learning to learn. You do not want someone else's "scope and sequences" to undermine your own goals for learning. On the other hand, you may be a very organized person who can keep on top of every page in every book, and your son may be an advanced learner, who likes workbook pages and book work, and maybe money is not a major consideration for you. If so, please disregard this post. I just did not want to encourage you in a direction that might actually sabotage your goals. Tracy started a thread "Anyone enrolled in Abeka?" which might be related to this. I'm praying that whatever you choose will be a tool for learning--just that--a tool and not a burden.
Thanks for the in depth...I will continue investigation. I just feel so overwhelmed with not know where to go and only just over 1 month till school starts
So many husbands are a little leary at first, but come around when they come home and the youngest one explains in-depth something you were teaching to the older ones! OH!!! I guess my wife IS capable.....LOL! Then I found that the easiest way to get his in-put on curriculum is to just ASK him! Yeah, I know it sounds like a no-brainer, but then why did it take me so long to figure that out? LOL!
That's not a very common one in the States, Nellie! I "learned" it from a fiction mystery I read as a kid!
Ruth Beechick has some very down-to-earth books with basic guidelines and so do Cathy Duffy and Mary Pride, though Cathy's and Mary's are comprehensive and outline every single curriculum imaginable and might serve to overwhelm you even more. I used to read Beechick, Duffy, and Pride as much as the Bible in the early days! For some good advice as well as summaries on what they believe are the top choices in each subject, you could request a "Timberdoodle" catalog. Watch out, though! The items they sell are very enticing! About the fear, dear one, first of all, know that's very common. Secondly, you apparently have the cooperation of your son and husband, so rejoice in that! And thirdly, no one will be watching to make sure that you get your "sea legs" in one month. Transitions take time. Keep your major objectives in mind, which might include restoring a love of learning to your family. "Success" in subjects and courses are not the ultimate goal. They are merely helps to develop the mind of your child. In the pursuit of doing a good job with his mind, don't neglect his soul and spirit. Once you do it, you'll discover that choosing a curriculum is fun. It's addictive in fact! Enjoy the ride!
