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Bookworm, others Chemistry 101 again please
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For just a partial chemistry course to hit the most important things (at least until he learns that Chemistry is fascinating from Wes’ video)…I’m going to have my son (17yo) watch the Chemistry 101 videos. I may or may not have him use the guidebook included…depends on what else I decide to have him do. It doesn’t have to be a whole credit. I’d like to include some living books and anything really cool that’s not too long on time needed (we have a lot to work in yet this last year and half and some of them are more important than chemistry) to hook him. Actually, the 101 vids will do the hooking, I’m quite confident…but then I’d like some specifics hand-picked by me to hit the most important things – to give him to take it a little further. I’ve been looking over posts here and lists linked here and am wondering about the following:
What topics? do you think are the most basic or critical to a decently educated person today? I.e. where should we focus our energy for this study?
Barb of HarmonyArt and Bookworm both recommend The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom…as one of their faves, as well as the vidoes from Nottingham. So, we should do one of these, but should we do both?
Is there a brief intro to some of the math that Chem 101 is said to lack that he might find user-friendly? Obviously, I don’t expect to cover it completely, nor can he likely, b/c he’s still working on Geometry and needs to do Alg 2 yet. Or should I just not worry about that given our situation.
I’ll have him do an environmental lab (kit) from Home Science Tools that deals with air and water quality experiments b/c that fits his/our particular interests and he will see the value of doing it. We do struggle with seeing the need to repeat basic experiments for which we’ve already been told the results…so this should be good for that reason too. I think we’ll also do the Microchem lab. Thoughts?
Of the other recommended living books, which if any would you highly recommend for us? Napoleon’s Buttons, Joy of Chemistry, Wicked Plants, Disappearing Spoon, Molecules at an Exhibition, That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles, Crucibles, Nature’s Building Blocks, Mystery of the Periodic Table, Joy of Chemistry …are some I’m looking at.
Please…and thank you!
You will not be able to pull off the math for the Microchem experiments if your main text is Chem 101. There is just no instruction there. Your child would be simply unable to do the equations. and without the calculations, there isn’t much point to the experiments. Save the money for this, until and unless the child will be doing a lab science course.
So was it my comment about more important things than chemistry?! lol Or maybe I’m misinterpreting this! I didn’t intend to offend anyone! That’s the bad thing about this mode of communication
. I understand 101 lacks thoroughness. But it is very useful in it’s place. My kids who thought they disliked science, now are eating it up and asking for more. We needed something like this. That was the best $60 I spent last year (Biology)! The Chem videos will only take about 8-10 hours. If we take triple that amount of time to allow for some of the other parts of that course – that brings the total to only around 25 hours. So, if we shoot for a half credit, we’re only about a third (or so) of the way there. I can add quite a bit yet. And would like to. At this point I’m willing to consider adding anything – even Apologia’s text if that’s what we determine is best, but we obviously wouldn’t get through the whole thing. Just trying to figure out where to go from here.Just for backgound – my son plans to be an organic grass-based dairy farmer. He just got back from an intensive three day Organic Veterinary course in WI by some of the most renowned veterinarians in the nation in the organic movement. He is very excited about all he learned and is enthusiastically preparing to follow his passion. He also purchased on his own last year and is working on a dvd grass-based dairy course that is quite lengthy as well as several meaty books on similar topics. I don’t know how many hours that is all going to add up to – but a pretty hefty amount of ag related science. He has a lot of English to get in yet b/c that isn’t his preferred area and he tends to favor the farm related studying. So, I still would l like for him to have some exposure to Chemistry, but it’s not at the top of the priority list. I want even more for him to be able to spell well. kwim? And, he can always learn more chemistry later if he needs to to get into college. But I really don’t see it likely to be an issue. And we can’t prepare every child well for every walk of life. I’m trying to equip this one well for his most likely path…and not too badly for any other in case he changes his mind.
We are using Friendly Chemistry along with Chemistry 101 and the micro chem labs. Something you might check out to see if it’s what you are looking for.
Not offended, just short of time. I’ve already said previously what I think about teaching chemistry, shouldn’t be hard to find. Just wanted to let you know you didn’t need to spend money on Microchem if you are not doing a college prep course with the math, because it will not be useful. That’s all.
Sounds like you’re doing a fine job! Please share the DVD course information when you have time. We’d love to add it to our resources.
I will dig through my notes for some titles we used from the library for chem 101 over the next week or so.
Blessings, Becca<><
Thanks so much! I would appreciate that. Do you mean the dvd grass dairy course? I’ll look and post tomorrow (try to remember!)
Julie
We gave our daughter credit for ag courses based on books she read and work done around our farm. I did a blog post on non traditional elective courses and both ag classes were featured with the books and videos we used. You can find the post here….. http://reflectionsfromdrywoodcreek.blogspot.com/2012/05/high-school-electives.html
Blessings,
Melissa
I didn’t mean to hijack this post, but just wanted to mention the ag stuff.
On a chemistry note, we are really struggling here with chemistry. Our dd completed Apologia General Science, Physical Science, and Biology with B’s and C’s, but after 4 weeks and completing the first 2 modules of Apologia Chemistry, she’s only at about 50%. The problem is primarily the math and not the science. Math is not her strong suit. I recently bought Chemistry 101 and we’re contemplating switching.
Has anyone else struggled with the math piece of Apologia Chemistry? Do you have suggestions?
Thanks,
Melissa
Becca, Sorry it has taken so long for me to anwer this!! I believe it is called Wissonsin School for Beginning Dairy Farmers. I can’t seem to put my hands on it this week, but I did find a reference to this in one of my son’s notebooks!
For the record, just in case anyone else is watching this post…I did end up ordering the Microchem set from Home Science Tools. I called them and they felt it would be a good fit and doable for us. Since I didn’t get any supplement materials recommendations, I just made the best decision I could based on reviews on Amazon and we’ll just see how it goes. I decided to buy Gonick’s “Cartoon Guide to Chemistry”, Serendipity, and The Elements: A Visual… We’ll also watch the Nottingham videos and do an extra lab of water and air quality tests (kit purchased with the other one). We won’t cover all these materials completely I’m sure, but we’ll end up with at least a half credit, it will be a lab course, and hopefully some enthusiasm about the subject. So…we’ll just have to see how it goes. If I remember, I’ll post again after I know how it’s going!
Thank you all for posting here!
. I understand 101 lacks thoroughness. But it is very useful in it’s place. My kids who thought they disliked science, now are eating it up and asking for more. We needed something like this. That was the best $60 I spent last year (Biology)! The Chem videos will only take about 8-10 hours. If we take triple that amount of time to allow for some of the other parts of that course – that brings the total to only around 25 hours. So, if we shoot for a half credit, we’re only about a third (or so) of the way there. I can add quite a bit yet. And would like to. At this point I’m willing to consider adding anything – even Apologia’s text if that’s what we determine is best, but we obviously wouldn’t get through the whole thing. Just trying to figure out where to go from here.
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