Curriculum

Does my child require any special skills to complete your self-paced courses?

While no special skills are required, we highly recommend that students and parents understand and use the study skills covered in these books by L. Ron Hubbard: Learning How to Learn (ages 6-11), Study Skills for Life (ages 12-17) or The Basic Study Manual (ages 18 and up). The Delphi Curriculum is effective and practical with all students—this is even more true for students with these study skills. These books can be obtained from Effective Education Publishing, 12424 Lusher Road, St. Louis, MO 63138, voice: 314-355-6355, toll free: 800-424-5397. Or email education @ appliedscholastics.org

How can I find out what supplies and other materials a student will need to obtain?

Due to their emphasis on application and hands-on activities, most of our courses require additional materials not supplied by Heron Books, such as batteries and bulbs for an electricity course or basic laboratory materials for a microscope course. Sometimes a course will also require a commercial textbook as either the primary or supplementary text.

All required additional books and materials (other than basic academic supplies) are noted in the “Materials You Need To Supply” section in each course description, as well as on the front of the course study guide. For unusual materials, supplier suggestions are usually included.

A list of general sources for materials is shown below.

Please note that because books can go out of print without notice, it is always best to locate copies of the books needed for a course before ordering your materials from Heron Books. However, even out-of-print books often continue to be available through used bookstores or text suppliers.

Can I make copies of the Heron Books materials I purchase?

No. Just as in any textbook you purchase, the materials are copyrighted. If you need additional copies of curriculum materials purchased, please order them from Heron Books. Our non-consumable items are reasonably priced in order to make them as affordable as possible for homeschoolers. Our materials reflect many years of hard work, testing and refinement. Please respect our copyrights.

Schools may contract with us to receive rights for unlimited copying of consumable items. Please send us an email if you're interested.

Do you have diagnostic testing available?

No, but in some cases you can purchase exams for a particular course (rather inexpensively) which you can use as a diagnostic tool. You can send us an email for more information.

Ordering

How can I check my order status?

You can check on your order status by logging into your account and selecting Order Status.

How do I pay for the materials I want to buy?

We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover Card credit cards. We will accept orders mailed with a check payable in US funds drawn on a US bank. Our address information is listed above. We charge a $25 fee for any returned checks.

What do I get when I order a course?

A Heron Books course generally consists of a course study guide, a study booklet (text), and an after-course examination. These materials were designed for students studying independently in a classroom setting, but have also been used very successfully by homeschoolers and individuals around the world.

The course study guide lists specific steps for the student to do. Usually the student will have text to read, demonstrations to do, concepts to model, and practical actions that encourage interaction with the subject to result in better understanding. The parent or instructor acts as a teacher helping the student as needed.

The examination is administered to the student by the parent or instructor after the student completes the study guide. The examination answers are provided with the exam.

The price listed gives you one of each item under "MATERIALS INCLUDED" in the course entry. You may order additional study guides by viewing your shopping cart and clicking "Change" under the "# of ​Study​ Guid​es". This will pop up a choice to select how many study guides you would like to purchase. You will still receive one of each other item under "MATERIALS INCLUDED".

How fast do you ship orders and what shipping company do you use?

We typically ship all orders within 24 hours of receipt. During peak order times, however, we sometimes need up to five days to process and ship your order. Within the United States, we primarily use United Parcel Service (UPS) ground shipping; sometimes U.S. Postal Service is used. If you require express shipping or require standard postal delivery, please let us know so we may adjust the shipping charge as needed. Items shipping outside the United States are shipped First Class or Priority Mail via the U.S. Postal Service. If you have questions or special shipping requirements, please email us or call.

What is your refund policy?

Heron Books will accept back unmarked, unstamped, resaleable materials within 30 days of invoice date for any reason, for a full refund or account credit (excluding original shipping charge). Please explain the reasons or circumstances for the return. Shipping charges on returned materials shall be paid by the customer.

What is your privacy policy?

You will be asked to opt in if you wish to have your name and address or email address shared with our affiliate school. Heron Books will occasionally send out a flyer or email announcing a publication of ours that might be of interest to those who have purchased from us in the past. If you would like to not receive postal mail or email announcements from us, please let us know by sending an email to us. Be sure to include the name, email and postal address you want us to remove from our lists.

Miscellaneous

May I call if I have questions?

We would be happy to speak with you about our materials and advise you in any way we can. Contact information is given in the Contact Us tab.

Where can I see schools that use Delphi Curriculum™ materials?

The following are schools that use the full Delphi Curriculum:

The Delphian School 20950 S.W. Rock Creek Road Sheridan, OR 97378 503-843-3521 (Day and Boarding School)	Delphi Academy 564 Blue Hill Avenue Milton, MA 02186 617-333-9610
Delphi Academy 1831 Drew Street Clearwater, FL 33765 727-447-6385	Delphi Academy 11341 Brainard Avenue Lake View Terrace, CA 91342 818-583-1070
Delphi Academy 890 Pomeroy Avenue #201 Santa Clara, CA 95051 408-260-2300	Delphi Academy 241 E. Roosevelt Rd Lombard, IL 60148 630-620-8950
Delphi Academy 1229 4th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401 310-526-2700

 

Where can I find the books and materials you list in the “Materials You Need to Supply” section of your online catalog?

There are many possible sources for additional books needed for a course. We recommend that you first try Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or Powell's Books. These bookstores have huge inventories and in addition to in-stock items can often provide out-of-print books. 

One of the best sources we have found for used textbooks is Follett Educational Services. Their inventory changes frequently, so they can be rechecked to see if a particular book has become available. Of course, local bookstores and libraries can also be checked, as well as used bookstores. Another good source is the textbook depository of your local school district. Call your school district or board of education to find out how to contact their depository.

Listed below is information on the above sources as well as additional sources we have found for books and supplies. If the sources mentioned above cannot provide a particular book, there is a good chance one of the other sources can.

Sources to Try First:

Amazon.com, Inc. 206-768-4957 206-768-4999 (Fax) Website: www.amazon.com	Barnes & Noble 800-843-2665 (Customer Service) 201-750-4426 Website: www.bn.com
Follett Educational Services 1433 International Parkway Woodridge, IL 60517 800-621-4272 (for Schools) 800-554-5754 (for Home Schoolers) Website: www.fes.follett.com	Powell's Books 1005 W. Burnside Portland, OR 97209 503-228-4651 800-878-7323 (General) 800-225-6911 (Technical) Website: www.powells.com
Good websites for finding out-of-print books: www.bookfinder.com www.bibliofind.com

Other Good Sources:

Adams Book Company 537 Sackett Street Brooklyn, NY 11217 718-875-5464	www.ebay.com
Houghton Mifflin Depository 13400 Midway Road Dallas, TX 75244 214-980-1100	Frey Scientific 800-225-3739
MacMillan Depository 220 East Danieldale Road DeSoto, TX 75115 214-224-1111	Macmillan Children's Book Group 866 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022 800-257-5755 212-702-3598
Random House School Division Department 377 ABC 400 Hahn Road Westminster, MD 21157 800-733-3000	Publishers Warehouse Depository 2700 Crestwood Blvd. P.O. Box 101927 Irondale, AL 35210 205-956-2078
Simon & Schuster School Group Depository 641 West Mockingbird Lane Dallas, TX 75247 214-631-5185	School Book Supply Company 2630 Daisy Street P.O. Box 2388 Baton Rouge, LA 70805 504-387-2362
Tennessee Book Company Five Ingram Blvd. La Vergne, TN 37086 615-793-5040	(Good for General Supplies) National Teaching Aides 120 Fulton Avenue Garden City Park, NY 11040 516-248-5590