HELLO

Hi. I'm Amanda...a happy wife and mom to three awesome guys. We've lived here in Fort Collins for more than 20 years and are proud to call it home. Before moving to CO, I worked at a city attorney's office, making use of my law and Master's degrees from Duke. After settling in Fort Collins, I homeschooled my three (now teenage and older) sons and was delighted to experience music classes, soccer, karate, swim team, archery, Science Olympiad, First Lego League, parkour, and climbing (not all at the same time!). From 2005-10, I was also a contributing editor for a national scrapbooking magazine, authoring a book and a couple of monthly columns. From 2009-10, I founded and ran the Good Grief Blog. I enjoy learning new things, spending time with my family, volunteering with The Matthews House, traveling and indoor rock climbing.

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2022-2023 (12th grade, 17 years old)

Enrolled full time at Colorado Early Colleges charter high school. Taking all college classes through Front Range Community College (FRCC) on the FRCC Larimer campus unless otherwise noted.

Fall semester

- Ethics (PHI 1012)
- Accounting 1 (ACC 1021)
- Managerial Finance (MAN 2025) (only offered through FRCC online) 

- Karate West demo team
- Weightlifting and rock climbing on his own

Spring semester

- Accounting 2 (ACC 1022)
- Business Ethics (PHI 2005)

- Rock climbing on his own 
- Title Boxing on his own 

 

2021-2022 (11th grade, 16 years old)

Enrolled full time at Colorado Early Colleges charter high school.

Fall semester (all college classes)

- State & Local Government (POS 125) (taken on CEC campus) 
- Calc-based Physics (PHY 211) (taken on FRCC Larimer campus)
- Introductory Japanese 2 (JPN 112) (taken online through FRCC Boulder campus)

- Karate West demo team

Spring semester (all college classes)

- Public Speaking (COM 115) (taken on CEC campus)
- Music Appreciation (MUS 120) (taken on CEC campus)
- Entrepreneurial Operations (BUS 102) (taken online through FRCC)
- Principles of Marketing (MAR 216) (taken online through FRCC) 

- Karate West demo team

 

2020-2021 (10th grade, 15 years old)

Enrolled full time at Colorado Early Colleges charter high school.

Fall semester (college classes taken on/through the CEC campus)

- English Comp II (ENG 122) 
- Pre-Calculus (MAT 166)
- Intro to Business (BUS 115)

- Team Ascent rock climbing team


Spring semester (college classes taken on/through the CEC campus...Japanese is taken remotely through FRCC Boulder campus)

- Calculus I (MAT 201)
- Business Communication (BUS 217)
- Introductory Japanese (JPN 111) 

- Team Ascent rock climbing team

 

2019-2020 (9th grade, 14 years old)

Enrolled full time at Colorado Early Colleges charter high school.

Fall semester (all classes are taken on the CEC campus...the first two are high school level, the second two are college courses)

- Composition 099
- Algebra II
- Western Civilization from Antiquity (HIS 101)
- Biology with lab (BIO 105)

- Rock climbing, karate and karate demo team

Spring semester (all classes are college courses, taken on the CEC campus)

- English Comp I (ENG 121)
- College Algebra (MAT 121)
- Criminal Justice (CRJ 110)

- Rock climbing, karate and karate demo team

 

2018-2019 (8th grade, 13 years old)

MATH
- Algebra, Harold Jacobs

LANGUAGE ARTS
- Analytical Grammar, seasons 1-3
- Wordsmith Craftsman
- Learning Language Arts Through Literature, The Gold Book: World Literature
- selected reading

SCIENCE 
- First Lego League team (fall semester)
- Basic Human Anatomy Outschool class (spring semester)

ART
- The Animator's Survival Kit and self-directed learning online, including classes through Outschool

PE
- Karate (twice a week throughout the year)
Karate demo team (1-2 practices/week plus roughly monthly performances) 
- Tribe Teen Fit class (at local gym, 1/week...only did one session)
- rock climbing class (at Ascent Studio, 1/week) plus climbing on his own (1-2/week)

 

2017-2018 (7th grade, 12 years old)

MATH
Geometry, Harold Jacobs

LANGUAGE ARTS
Wordly Wise, book 7
- Jr Analytical Grammar & Jr Analytical Mechanics, plus reinforcements
Writing & Rhetoric, book 6
- WordSmith
- selected reading

SCIENCE (fall semester)
First Lego League team
- Ocean First Education (various online short courses)

WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall

HEALTH (fall semester)
Our Whole Lives

PE
- Karate (twice a week throughout the year)
Karate demo team (1-2 practices/week plus roughly monthly performances) 

INTRO TO ARCHITECTURE (spring semester)
- numerous texts
- field trips

ART HISTORY (spring semester)
Timeline Staircase
- field trips

OPTIONS (one day a week enrichment program)
- PE
- Creative Writing
- World Geography
- Brain Games (math)
- Science in the Lab
- Current Events

 

2016-2017 (6th grade, 11 years old)

MATH
- Life of Fred: Fractions, Decimals & Pre-Algebra 
- Beast Academy 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D
- Math for the Gifted Student: Grades 5 & 6 

LANGUAGE ARTS
Wordly Wise, book 6
Reading Detective
Don't Forget to Write
Caught Ya: Grammar With a Giggle 
- Writing & Rhetoric, books 1-4
- self-selected reading 

SCIENCE
The Story of Science: Aristotle & Newton
How to Teach Nutrition to Kids 
- Science Olympiad (events: Food Science, Dynamic Planet, Optics, and Experimental Design)

HISTORY
- creating our own timeline for early modern & modern times
- supplementary readings, including Shakespeare 

GEOGRAPHY
Around the World in 180 Days 

PE
- Karate (twice a week throughout the year)
Karate demo team (1-2 practices/week plus roughly monthly performances) 
- swimming laps (once a week) 

ELECTIVES
Signing Online program to learn ASL
- US government (unit study) icivics.org
- cursive 

OPTIONS (one day a week enrichment program)
- PE
- Art: Meet the Masters
- Iron Chef
- Oceanography
- STEM
- Kids on Stage

 

2015-2016 (5th grade, 10 years old)

MATH
Dimensions Math 8
Beast Academy 3D thru 4D (review)

READING
- self-selected reading

SPELLING
All About Spelling, reviewing all 7 levels

GRAMMAR
Sentence Composing for Middle School

WRITING
Write Like This
Middle School Writing Toolkit

HISTORY
- creating our own timeline for ancient & medieval times
- supplementary readings

SCIENCE
CPO Middle School Science (earth, physical and life science)
Tinker Crate

GEOGRAPHY
- reviewing both world and US geography

KOREAN
Korean From Zero
flash cards 

PE
- Karate (twice a week throughout the year)
Karate demo team (1-2 practices/week plus roughly monthly performances) 
JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development) tournament team (1-2 practices/week) 

ART
Drawing in 3-D
Doodle Crate 

OPTIONS (one day a week enrichment program)
- PE
- Lego StoryStarter
- Animation
- Robotics 2
- Arts & Technology
- Iron Chef

 

 

2014-2015 (4th grade, 9 years old)

MATH
Dimensions Math 7
Key to Algebra

READING
- self-selected reading

SPELLING
All About Spelling, level 7

GRAMMAR
Cover Story
Jr. Analytical Grammar Mechanics

 VOCABULARY
All About Homophones
Word Roots, A2

HISTORY
Story of the World, Volume 4
The Story of US, books 7-10
- supplementary readings

SCIENCE
- miscellaneous units, including materials from Real Science 4 Kids (astronomy), Maker (lockpicking), Ellen McHenry (physics labs) and Tinker Crate

GEOGRAPHY
Mapping the World With Art
50 States and Where to Find Them

PE
- Karate (twice a week throughout the year)
Karate demo team (1-2 practices/week plus roughly monthly performances) 
- JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development) tournament team (1-2 practices/week) 
- Gymnastics (once a week) 

ART
You Can Draw in 30 Days

OPTIONS (one day a week enrichment program)
- Cooking
- Lego Storystarter
- PE
- World Restaurant Tour
- Art: Meet the Masters
- Robotics 

 

2013-2014 (3rd grade, 8 years old)

MATH
Discovering Mathematics, 7A-7B
- Beast Academy, 3B-4B

READING
- assigned monthly reading

SPELLING
All About Spelling, levels 6-7 

WRITING
- Writing With Skill, level 1

VOCABULARY
All About Homophones
Word Roots, A1

WORLD HISTORY
Story of the World, Volume 3 

US HISTORY
Story of US, books 4-7
Critical Thinking in US History, New Republic to Civil War 

SCIENCE
Human Body Detectives, Circulatory & Nutrition units 
Ellen McHenry, The Elements
- Ellen McHenry, Carbon Chemistry 

GEOGRAPHY
US State Abbreviations 
How The States Got Their Shapes  

MUSIC 
- Piano (once a week at Options, see below)

PE
- Karate (twice a week throughout the year)
- Archery (JOAD tournament team) (1-2 practices/week, plus monthly tournaments Oct-Apr)

ART
Art is Fundamental

ECONOMICS
Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? and study guide 

WORLD VIEW
Sacred Stories & supplemental materials 

TYPING
Type Fu online program 

OPTIONS (one day a week enrichment program)
- Piano
- World Cultures
- PE
- Spanish
- Science Lab
- World Restaurant Tour

 

 

2012-2013 (2nd grade, 7 years old)

MATH
Teaching Textbooks, Math 6
- Beast Academy, Level 3

READING
- assigned monthly reading 

SPELLING
All About Spelling, Levels 5-6 

GRAMMAR
Michael Clay Thompson, Level 2
Growing With Grammar, Level 3 

WRITING
Winning With Writing, Level 3
Writing Magic 

WORLD HISTORY
Story of the World, Volume 2 

US HISTORY
Story of US, books 1-3
Critical Thinking in US History, Colonies to Constitution 

SCIENCE
Elemental Science, Earth Science & Astronomy, Intermediate Level 

GEOGRAPHY
Expedition Earth 
US State Abbreviations  

MUSIC 
- Recorder/chimes & choir (once a week classes at LEAP)

PE
- Karate (twice a week)
- Archery (JOAD tournament team) (1-2 practices/week, plus monthly tournaments Oct-Apr)

LEAP (one day a week enrichment program)
- PE
- Recorder/chimes
- Art
- Cooking
- Spanish
- Choir