I shall get back to the promised character building posts later today, but a reader asked me about science curriculum for high schoolers, and I know not all read comments.
I used the Glencoe Science for high school. If the parent has trained the child in Catholic morality and ethics regarding science, then there is no reason not to use secular books of the highest level.
I also used NFP materials, but then I taught that. Again, dads should do sex ed with the male children and girls with the moms. But, one must give sex ed at some point. I just did my own. A parent can decide what age is best. Either immediately pre-pubescence or pubescence seem appropriate ages. Do NOT let girls be caught off-guard, as they can be terrified with the onset of puberty without guidance from mom.
Here are some links. http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078802849/
http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078807239/
http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078807220/
I am sure there are updates on these texts. Also, do not forget the Great Books series for science and science history.
As to Maths, I used Addison-Wesley and Pearson Prentice Hall series and there are lesson plans on line. Pearson has an entire home school section on line http://www.pearsonhomeschool.com UPDATE ON MATH...I forgot about the Singapore Math Series which some people have used. I can recommend it for some children.
Thankfully, we left Iowa which has one of the two most stringent set of laws for home schoolers. Here is the page below, however, from Pearson's for guidelines, and other states are listed as well. Make sure you join the http://www.hslda.org/ Home Schooling Legal Defense Association. There is an international one as well http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/
I cannot encourage parents enough to join that group. The biggest problem is not state rules, but neighbors! In some areas, people are mean and rude enough to phone school districts if they see kids playing at two in the afternoon outside. They assume truancy. If one has joined this group, one can just mention that and it stops unlearned critics. The dues are worth it.
Here is the state link for Pearson.
http://www.pearsonhomeschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PS1r8e&elementType=news&elementId=217541
And, here is the sad update on Sweden, which does not support parents' rights to teach.
Homeschooling Family Fined $15,000 by Swedish Supreme Court
August 19, 2013: The highest Swedish court has ruled against Jonas Himmelstrand and his family and fined them an exorbitant sum, even though they are currently in exile in Finland and are no longer living or homeschooling in Sweden. from http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/
August 19, 2013: The highest Swedish court has ruled against Jonas Himmelstrand and his family and fined them an exorbitant sum, even though they are currently in exile in Finland and are no longer living or homeschooling in Sweden. from http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/
Also,
International Homeschooling—Watch Video from a Dozen Countries
January 2, 2012: Homeschoolers from across Europe gathered for a meaningful time of sharing experiences and learning about the homeschool laws in other countries.
January 2, 2012: Homeschoolers from across Europe gathered for a meaningful time of sharing experiences and learning about the homeschool laws in other countries.
Compulsory Attendance Ages: 5-16
Legal Status: Homeschooling is legal in England and Wales under the 1944 Education Act, which was consolidated in 1996. Section 7, Education Act 1996 states, "…[E]fficient full-time education, suitable to his age, ability and aptitude and to any special education needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise." Under the "or otherwise" phrase in the law, families can legally homeschool.
There are no requirements to inform the authorities when one is home educating, unless the student was previously enrolled in the government school system. At that time, the parent must let the school official know they are withdrawing their student to home educate him. No other requirements for home education exist.
Number of Homeschoolers: Between 20,000 and 100,000 children.
I think it is tragic the low numbers of home schoolers in the UK. I started home schooling in Dorset in 1991 and had nothing but encouragement from the local authorities. Catholics owe their children the best Catholic education and it is not to be found in the school system.
By the way, if you are homeschooling in Iowa, visit the Iowa Space Science Center, run by one of my brothers. He is the one who looks like me. http://www.iowaspacescience.org/index.html
Director
The founding director of Rediscover Science (formerly the Iowa Space Science Center Initiative) is Charles Miller. Born in Davenport, he received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (University of Iowa) and worked for 3 years as an engineer at Motorola, Inc (Schaumberg, IL). He returned to academics to receive a doctoral degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Iowa, with specialization in Auditory Physiology. He later conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan prior to returning to Iowa City.
Over a 20-year career, he worked in the field of systems physiology of the mammalian auditory nerve, determining how the nerve bundle and individual nerve fibers respond to the various types of electric stimuli delivered by cochlear implants. This work required skills in surgery, evoked-potential recordings, and large-scale data analyses. He taught at the University, authored or co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications, was an invited speaker at international meetings, and an investigator or principle investigator on several NIH grants. Available here is a downloadable PDF copy of his curriculum vitae.
Dr. Miller is now devoting one-quarter to one-half of his time to the ISSC project, with almost all of that time volunteered. He lives in Iowa City with his wife and daughter.
The Center also has a store. Cool http://www.iowaspacescience.org/Store.html