High School Chemistry in Your Home

Bridget Ardoin

116 Fairidge Dr.

Jamestown, NC 27282

High School Chemistry in Your Home is not your typical high school program as evidenced by its subtitle, "A Research-based Independent Study Guide for your Home School Families." This is the second book in the "In Your Home" science series by Bridget Ardoin. The Biology book has been through seven printings – the Chemistry book I received for this review is a 2^nd edition, copyright 2005. The chemistry manual set includes a parent’s manual, a student manual and a set of quizzes and final exams.

The comb-bound teacher’s manual contains four parts, Semester 1 and Semester 2 weekly assignment answers, a Parent Lab Manual and the Answer Key to the quizzes and final exams. The author states that a textbook is not needed with the program, although she does discuss what to look for if the family decides to use one. Instead, the author recommends the use of the library for supplemental books and says that she "firmly believes in having the student research the facts and have as many hands-on activities for the student to do as possible." At the beginning of the teacher’s manual, Ms. Ardoin lists the syllabi for both semesters, including a complete lab supply list week-by-week.

There are 27 total weeks of study in High School Chemistry in Your Home. The first semester is comprised of 12 weeks of study plus one week to review for a final semester exam. Semester two contains 13 weeks of study and one week to review for the final exam. I like that there are not 36 lessons to cover – this gives the student time to cover the material without rushing through it. The core of the program begins with the student manual, which has two parts – weekly assignments and a lab manual. Each week, there is a list of questions to be answered including a section called Pre-Lab Questions. These questions cover material that the student needs to be aware of before proceeding with the experiments. All the student needs to do is research to find the needed answers. The author recommends that the student plan to spend a minimum of an hour daily working on the assignments given each week. Thorough answers to each question are in the parent’s manual. The entire student manual is meant to be written in. The lab pages contain step-by-step instructions so that the student can complete the labs in a home setting. The parent’s manual contains thorough answers to the student lab assignments.

The parent/student manual set of High School Chemistry in Your Home retails for $80. The lab supply set costs $50 or the complete Chemistry package can be purchased for $120. High School Chemistry in Your Home looks very good. Having taken chemistry in high school as well as in college, I feel comfortable teaching this subject. However, I know that some parents are dreading it! I am pleased with the thoroughness of the parent’s manual; it contains plenty of information to teach the lab section at home. Another important feature is the weekly lab supply list included at the beginning of the parent’s manual. The parent and student can see, at a glance, what supplies to have each week so that they are prepared to complete the assigned experiments. (Although there is a supply kit available for purchase, it doesn’t contain everything needed for the experiments, but a list of needed materials is included with the supply kit). This curriculum is priced similarly to Apologia’s Chemistry program.

I will probably use a textbook with this course instead of relying on lots of books from the library to teach the main topics. I do want my child to really learn the material and I know that this hands-on approach is going to be more effective for later retention, but chemistry isn’t exactly as "interesting" as biology and I feel a textbook will probably be easier to use, especially with my youngest child. However, if the parent chooses to use library books as the basis for the research, High School Chemistry in Your Home will completely immerse the student (and maybe the parent!) in the learning process.

- Product Review by Kris Price, Assistant to the Publishers, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC