Our church has a thrift store at the back of the property. The proceeds go to the needy. The shop often separates home-school materials. The local library system has used book sales monthly—another great source of materials. Good Will online often has home-school books, kits, and materials listed. Although, I do know many people balk at Good Will cherry picking donations to list online. I just took some screenshots of current listings at Good Will. There is always an eclectic assortment.
My friend, Joanna, visited. She’s a home-school mom. She and her kiddos were studying the sense of hearing. After making a call, the family visited an audiologist! The office was a family business and spent time explaining the ear model on hand. The kiddos took turns testing their own hearing. What an experience! Call around! Explain you home-school. See what happens! BTW, Joanna’s family is also exploring a battlefield a month. They’re just that cool! Now, use your imagination and start making calls!
Let’s imagine you’re out of commission for a week or so. What do you prepare for your husband? I’m out of Co-op for a week for surgery. I am much more cavalier than my husband. I created an outline and posted it to Classroom. I omitted a topic under Classroom; the document is at the top of the page.
I modified a slide deck with instructions—which is in the Classroom lessons. Explanations are printed and placed on the computer. I queued up the slide deck and Classroom lessons on the computer and left print-outs on top of the laptop.
I pulled all of the lab materials and copied lab instructions.
I created a pile for extra assignments and quizzes.
Finally, there is a list of instructions on the whiteboard. Really. I should only miss one class. Really. Rob wants to review all of these instructions and materials again Monday. I can’t make this up.
It’s still September! How is your routine? My friend, Linda, felt behind before Co-op resumed! She is a mother of seven children and was dreading fall, Co-op, and commitments, such as American Heritage Girls. My friend, Joanna, just moved. Another mom in our Co-op is battling cancer. I see first hand how hard it is to adjust to a home-school schedule. Are you tempted to give up and enroll your kiddos in public schools? One of the Co-op moms last year did. She was expecting baby four and moving to a new house. (BTW she pulled the children back out after Christmas.). Before you go nuclear, look at your routine. Are the kiddos going to bed and getting up at regular hours. No, they don’t have to go to bed at 8 PM and awaken at 6 AM; but families with regular hours tend to have a better daily structure. How many outside commitments do you have? Is your child enrolled in tennis, French, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, dance, and Mathnasium? Pare back. Focus on fundamentals: English, Math, History, and Science. Select one activity. Really! Are you a busy volunteer? It is hard to say no. Do it! Explain you need to focus on your family! Pick a volunteer activity your family can do once or twice a year, such as sorting donations for the Food Pantry. Right now, you want to home-school. Make that your biggest goal. Ask yourself what can go! Hey! Make breakfast for dinner! Substitute a walk after lunch for soccer. Put the kiddos to bed at 8:00 PM. You and your husband can have a conversation! Let’s get the routine sorted!
Just like the other expensive equipment, parents balk at buying a microscope. Some families sketch the image from an online image. Noooooo! Yes, decent microscopes can be run hundreds of dollars. I think kiddos should have the experience of focusing and sketching slides—not just looking at the image online. There are affordable solutions!
Does your library have a microscope? They might! Ours does! They may or may not have microscope slides. You may need to use the microscope at the library. BTW I don’t think you have to use the specific slides recommended by Apologia. It’s more important your kiddo gets a microscope experience. A set of 25 prepared slides has enough variety for a high school Biology course.
Another option is a clip-on or zoom lens for any cell phone. Do you have an old cell lying in a drawer? Use it! Clip-on microscopes are around $10-20. Your kiddo will get the experience of focusing, taking a screenshot, and sketching the image.
Another choice is a USB Microscope, which runs about $20-30. They attach to a laptop or a Chromebook. Again, teens focus the microscope, snap a screenshot, and sketch the image. I have a box of these microscopes. Kiddos bring their devices. Some brands work better with a laptop; others interface with a Chromebook. I can’t get any to connect with an iPad.
Do I use traditional microscopes? Yes! Typically, we set up every variety of microscope and have teens use all of them. I have an adapter for a traditional microscope which allows students to position their cell phone and capture the image. My favorite brand is Amscope. The one immediately below is around $100 and includes a few slides. Yes, we use kiddie microscopes, such as My First Microscope, too. I can’t recommend buying a used microscope at eBay or Good Will. Have I tried? Oh yes! It’s been a very mixed bag. If you have a microscope slide, test any used microscope from the thrift store.
Can you tell I am passionate about this topic? Don’t blow your budget! Do sketch microscope slides
