Homeschooling

Archive for February, 2006

Question: Homeschoolers: question re. curriculum?

Does anyone know of a really good homeschool math course that does NOT teach the subject incrementally?

I don't like Horizon and Saxon math because they do 3-4 problems of pre-algebra, 3-4 problems of fractions, a couple problems of geometry - all in one lesson. I am looking for a math course that will give her more repetition all at once as she is learning the concept, not spread out over a few months time.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give!

Answer: My daughter absolutely loves the Life of Fred series by Stanley Schmidt. It is especially designed for homeschoolers, and you can order the books and teacher guides direct from the publisher.

The books have a very small bit of religious content, but it's not obtrusive. (For instance, there might be a word problem about how the church choir needs to divide 23 cookies among 7 members or something.)

The series runs from fractions to calculus. The material is entertaining, logical, and very useful. The website is very helpful in describing the books and how to use them.

Helping Homeschool: Pre-Algebra Course Introduction

Question: How much should I charge for a homeschool music class?

The last teacher charged $30 for an hour of instruction each week. It's located in north Texas. I've researched and it seems that is low for an elementary homeschool music class. I will have to create/find curriculum and the lesson plan for each week. Any suggestions? I'm betting I'll have about 15 students or so.
It is 12 weeks long. If I had 15 students, it would only cost them $2/session or $24 total. It would just be a general music education class, learning pitches, rhythms, etc. I'll find stuff online mainly and we will have a few instruments that the families bring.

Answer: That seems pretty high unless it is private one on one classes. We participate in a co-op that cost $250 per 12 week semester and that includes all classes 1x per week. There are 4 periods, so each student can take up to 4 classes for that price. That means each class runs about $5.20
There is also a fine arts program in our area that includes guitar, choir, art and theatre that runs $50 for 6 weeks. That breaks down to $1.04 per class.

Learn Spanish through Music - Homeschool Learning