Finding curriculum is for a homeschooler is a challenge, only complicated more by finding a curriculum for a homeschooler that is secular, engaging and far enough above grade level to be interesting for the kid without tackling topics that he'll have to repeat in high school. I love to write about new stuff when we find it, just in case you were looking too!
Elements of Mathmatics
The kid finished his high school Geometry course from Plato Edmentum in February. We debated and poked around the web looking for something fun to start, while carefully balancing that line of not repeating in high school. While we could simply forge ahead into Algebra II, it complicates things with UC a-g requirements and high school graduation credit. The kid doesn't want to go to community college for math (at least not yet). So we stumbled upon EMF and he is delighted! Each course is self-paced over a 90 day enrollment period. It's really not like any other math you've probably seen, even if you've been using Art of Problem Solving. It's a little bit of logic, math, cryptography and game theory all woven it one. He loves it so much that we will continue with this program as our primary math curriculum for 8th grade.
E.O. Wilson's Life on Earth
We got so lucky stumbling upon these books! Trying to find a secular biology curriculum that is in depth enough for an advanced science student, while not requiring complex lab equipment at home? This is going to be your very best option. The books are written to a high school audience but go far and wide with the subjects and stray from the traditional class. They're beautifully written, illustrated, with interactives imbedded and pretty much as perfect as they could be. The only downside? They are iBooks and only available on iOS. If we didn't already have one, I would seriously consider buying an iPad JUST to use these books though. That's how much we love them!
Online G3
I've raved about Online G3 before, but they just keep getting better and better with more thoughtful additions. The kid is taking Dystopian Literature this semester, along with the companion writing supplement class. My reluctant, perfectionist, frustrated writer just finished an essay about whether the ending of Fahrenheit 451 was tragic or hopeful. In G3 classes, he may be an 11 year old 7th grader, but his ideas are high school and college caliber. He's surrounded by academic peers, whose squeaky pre-teen voices make me laugh while they debate whether 1984 or Fahrenheit 451 has more dystopian qualities. The writing supplement has shown my kid that revision is the POINT of an essay, not the thing to fight and resist. He's learning, slowly, to take the comments and suggestions into his revision as a thoughtful editing process, not an insult. This, more than anything he has learned this year, is the big lesson of the year.
What are your gems this year? What did you find that was new and interesting?
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