@MYOS1634, I found the world history series very entertaining, but if that is current HS level in the US, that’s pretty sad. It’s less informative than Wikipedia or popular history books.
This feedback is so helpful - cannot vet everything myself and all opinions are welcome.
Seems like a good basic introductory series on various topics for a young student heading into high school. Will encourage the kid to look at the topics suggested; perhaps the speed can be slowed down. The kid is pretty clear on likes/dislikes. Doesn’t have social media channels, so beyond email and some hangouts the constant checking/screen flipping has been held at bay - for now. That’s perhaps partly why preferred pacing is a balance between fast and slow (Mysteries at the Museum is a favorite for the past couple of years).
No Netflix at home.
Each series/episode is a great introduction to the topic, a way to clarify the key elements for an AP student for instance and is not meant to be comprehensive- each episode quotes a book and/or a person from the period considered in the episode, so the inquisitive mind can look for more. It’s meant to be a quick overview (12-13 minutes per topic!), not replace a teacher, but if all Americans knew the entire content of the series and nothing more it’d still be progress ?, except for late night shows that make fun of Americans not knowing if Lincoln was president before or after Nixon, or what century the war of Independence was fought. 
Seriously: it’s likely she didn’t like how fast some of the earlier hosts talked, because they spoke at breakneck speed. The later series are more reasonably paced. You can also slow down the quotes, or pause the “thought bubble” cartoons to see everything that’s going on. Also, it’s summer, so if she tries one episode and doesn’t like the style, she can look for another topic.
There are others that are well-done but they’re not as packed with information and more appropriate, in my opinion, for grades 5-8.
The “free netflix documentaries” are on the youtube page. They’re for educational purpose until back to school and “in person” schooling resumes.
Textbook/class help: the kid earned a $1,000 voucher for either textbooks or educational experiences that needs to be redeemed over the next week. Only up to three sources can be used because the voucher issuer will pay for the materials directly. This means going directly to new sources and not taking advantage of used options, most likely.
Planning to buy some AOPs books (the kid already has the Number Theory book). The thing is, they seem to be lacking. My impression is that they are great for inherently mathy/savant-type kids who can handle the “work on the problem first, we’ll explain later” method. (Just my take.) So we’d have to look up videos to actually teach the content more deeply, then use the books as problem sets with answers. Which is fine, just incomplete IMHO.
Are there any great sets of textbooks or online learning (self-paced) courses that are inexpensive but create a critically-thinking, well-trained mind?
About $600-$700 could easily be spent on the AOPs site and the $1k amount presumably is after taxes.
By “sources” do you mean vendors, publishers, or authors, so that ten books ordered from (for example) amazon.com count as one “source” or ten “sources”?
Trying to avoid Amazon and working directly with publishers, if possible. Only three checks can be cut, and the voucher issuer will be the one to send the cheques to the publisher/online learning resource. So, up to $1k, maximum three learning resources.
The AOPS books are meant to be used with the courses. They aren’t stand alone. S23 did a couple of courses and got a lot out of them. I’d have no problem with spending the lion’s share of the voucher on their courses.
Really? That explains things. Thought the books were used on their own by most students. Thank you for clarifying.
Now I’m even more unsure what would be the best use of the money. The kid’s math skills could use depth (for contest purposes as well as general purposes). But where to start with AOPs classes when the kid is headed towards Calculus in September? Are there, say, three particular classes that are “must-takes” for higher-level math students to get a better foundation?
(In a year or so, the Physics WOOT looks like an interesting option.)
Even if headed for calculus, either their precalculus or intermediate algebra (formerly algebra three) would be great for depth. Remember, all the kids are in the top 5% or better in aops, so it won’t be too easy. For contests, the amc10 or aime classes.
ETA: all of the aops classes have a “do you need this class” and “are you ready for this class” problem sets with solutions.
I disagree. My homeschooled kids used the AoPS books without taking the online classes. The books use a discovery approach to learning and provide a ton of practice problems. You will also want to purchase the solution manuals as they provide complete solutions - not just the answers. These books gave my kids a strong foundation and prepared them well for college.
Small update: two weeks off for Christmas/holiday break. School will be virtual the full year, with the district providing no standardized ACT/SAT testing. My kid is hustling through the academic content but the virtual environment (since last March) is so alienating. Some subjects (English, History) feature significantly different content than last year.
Sport-wise, all coaching has been lost, along with the local training facility. A complete implosion. Some practicing still happening, greatly reduced.
These kids need inspiration. This situation is not it. Finding resilience each day is key.
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