Thanks Patricia. Fortunately I have a good friend who is a former Chemistry/Physics teacher (now he's a high school principal!) He sent me some old textbooks and I selected a Scott-Foresman physical science text to use this year. Additionally, he had a great book of labs by a man named Liem and many of these are \"kitchen\" labs that require no sophisticated lab apparatus or chemicals. If I choose to instruct my son in the typical 11th grade chemistry curriculum, however, I expect I'll need to invest in some equipment and materials. We may just utilize a homeschool group resource person to do that, which is also what we're going to do next year for biology.
Photos (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=59540444303&n=228845576)
We finally broke down and bought a digital camera last winter and I started using it shortly thereafter to document some of the physical science labs my son and I have been conducting. Being 15, of course, he hates having his picture taken, but I remind him that the photos become part of his portfolio and most of the time I'm just photographing his hands, anyway!
I especially like the one of him in his room, working hard with the morning light streaming in. Hope you all enjoy the pictures and don't consider me presumptuous for linking them!!
Jeff!
The photos are great! And what a handsome boy you have there! Do you put together your own science curriculum or purchase it from an educational supply?
Jeff, It sounds like you have the bases covered. I wish we were doing that well in the sciences. I have been hearing about independent science labs opening to service homeschoolers and to tutor science and math. They are like membership clubs. You purchase so many lab hours a month and schedule your child. They supply you with the preperation reading before the experiment and follow up materials to use at home to reinforce the lab. I wish one would open in my community!