October 5, 2022 – Online Classes: Elective or Core?

Online Classes: Elective or Core?

October 5, 2022

Mercy Every Minute

Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor

Filling in the Gaps

When I am at a loss of what to teach or how to teach it, I often look for help online. Is there a subject you just haven’t decided yet for the upcoming school year or need to fill a gap? There are so many good resources out there to look at, but which one is best for my students and our schedule? I know God will confirm to me what is best as I seek Him first, as He will for you!

What about a learning gap where your child needs additional help? There might be an app for that! Online learning and apps can be very helpful in this technological age. The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine www.TOSApps.com and TOSMagazine.com is free and often highlights educational apps that are pretty amazing.

Here are some other suggestions from some fellow homeschoolers at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine:

Online Learning Success by Brandy Chandler
Online Learning with MOOCS by Andy Harris
Online Education, A Viable Alternative by Crystal Marcum and Tammie Bairen

Definitely check out SchoolhouseTeachers.com – for the price of one elective, you get a year of over 400 courses opened up to the whole family! Our family has used several: science, history, writing, Spanish, guitar, and other courses through ST.com. And check out tons of resources reviewed by families just like yours here: Welcome – Homeschool Review Crew (schoolhousereviewcrew.com).

The Bible app at www.youversion.com is a family favorite. This app reads the Bible aloud to my struggling readers as they follow along in their Bibles. I can also listen to the Scriptures as I clean the kitchen, cook, or organize my school stuff. Awesome and free. We also have a Bible Reading Plan for you called Homeschool Moms Teach the Psalms. Homeschool Moms Teach the Psalms | Devotional Reading Plan | YouVersion Bible includes a devotion for you and activities for the kids.

Our Great God and Father walks with us, and in His presence is fullness of joy. Don’t give in to fear. Christ is very close to us. Anxiety will flee as we find our peace in Him. You can do this. God gifted you with these children, and He will equip you. The liar will tell you that you are a failure. You are not a failure—that would mean it was all about you. But you have a Faithful God writing your story. He will complete the work He begins.

“My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my life . . .” Psalm 73:26

Beyond the Dining Room Table: The Amazing Benefits of Online Learning by Cheri Blomquist

~Deborah

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Fun. Faith. Friendship. – The Adventures in Odyssey Club is a safe place for kids to have fun and grow in their Christian faith! https://www.adventuresinodyssey.com

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Raising Real Men

Hal & Melanie Young, RaisingRealMen.com

Seeking a Balance Between Online and In-Person Learning

Deciding to homeschool was a lot scarier when our older kids were young and there were fewer resources. These days, there’s the opposite problem—how do you decide what and how much to outsource?

On the one hand, there’s nothing wrong with outsourcing and online classes. Sometimes your kid’s talents are very different than yours. Get help with the things that you struggle with, rather than soft-pedal a subject or even give up on homeschooling altogether. Outsourcing can save you a lot of time, too!

It’s easy to go overboard, though, and use so many online classes that kids get burnt out. If we outsource everything, we begin to lose some of the benefits of homeschooling. It’s not the math; it’s the discussion prompted by all the time spent doing it together. It’s the discipleship that happens as we discuss the big questions of life that come up in literature. Those things impact our kids and our relationship with them.

So, how do you find a balance that takes advantage of the array of resources we have available without going too far?

Prioritize online classes for those subjects that would be a burden—things you don’t care for or don’t have time for or want your kids to go deeper than you could.

Mix it up. Do online classes and parent-led courses, too. If you can, also include a course or extracurricular activity face-to-face, especially with high schoolers.

Stay involved. It’s tempting to let go, but you still need to keep an eye on things. Sometimes kids get behind and get embarrassed, so they don’t tell you until it’s too late. Sometimes they hear things they don’t understand or need context for. Sometimes hard questions come up that you’ll want to talk through with them. You won’t know, if you don’t stay involved.

When handled right, online classes can be a great help in homeschooling! We’ve used a variety of them and they’ve really helped us—maybe they’ll help you, too.

Your friends,
Hal & Melanie

About the author

Hal & Melanie Young are the award-winning, best-selling authors of Raising Real Men, No Longer Little, and Love, Honor, and Virtue. They are publishers, writers, bloggers, and popular conference speakers internationally, known for their Christ-centered focus and practical, real-life stories. They are the parents of six real boys (five grown!) and two real girls and live in noisy, messy happiness in North Carolina.

Connect the homeschool classroom to careers. iCEV brings the expert to the classroom, bridging the gap between education and industry. Visit the website to learn more.

Danika Cooley

Online or In-Person?

I’m a fan of in-person learning for kids. Read-alouds, guided notebooking, field trips, and lots of hugs are essential for littles to learn. As your kids grow and mature, though, should classes always be taught by mom?

Not necessarily.

In elementary school, our kids did math facts drills online, along with typing games. In upper elementary, middle and high school, we used video classes for elective subjects like economics, constitutional law, biblical archaeology, and so forth. By the time my kids were in the last two years of high school, they took a number of online classes to prepare for CLEP tests through the College Board, which allowed them to earn college credit.

So, are online classes good for our kids?

Consider what our primary goals in homeschooling, as Christian moms, should be:

• Discipleship – If we aren’t leading our kids to Jesus through his Word, nothing else truly matters.
• Relationship – We gain the right and the access to teach our kids and to speak into their lives through the relationships we build with them.

Online classes can be wonderful, as long as they don’t block our ability to disciple and relate to our kids.

If you and I were having coffee, I’d recommend you don’t start online classes too early with your kids. Your preschooler learns best by playing and being read to. As your child grows, be sure you are interacting with them and their schoolwork throughout the day. So, if your teen spends three classes online, be sure you are still reading the Bible and praying together. Read their literature or history papers and discuss what they’re learning. Online classes can be a blessing, whether you employ them for elective or core classes. Just be sure you are reading the Bible and praying together—discipling your kids—and that you are continuing to teach in ways that allow you to maintain and build your relationship with your kids. After all, those are the two primary gifts of homeschooling!

About the author

Danika Cooley is the author of Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible (Bethany House) and Bible Road Trip™, a three-year Bible survey for preschool to high school. An award-winning children’s author, Danika’s new line of Christian history is for 3rd to 5th graders (Who What Why Series, Christian Focus Publications).

Jodi Riddle

Pillar of Faith
Jodi Riddle – What Works for One May Not Work for All

After homeschooling three boys, if I learned nothing else, I learned that they were all different! Anytime someone asks me what curriculum they should use or what style homeschooling they should follow; I am very quick to say that it all depends on the child. I schooled all three boys in a different way, each unique to them and the way they learned best.

Online classes might be the way to go for all your subjects—for one of your children. If so, go for it. However, don’t necessarily think it will end up working for all of them. If you are unsure, start out small. Maybe try an elective class. If it’s not a fit, don’t bother with a core course. The beauty of homeschooling is that if something doesn’t work, you can change it, and if you find something does work, you stick with it!

Beyond the choices you make in your homeschooling, the main thing is to remain faithful to your call to homeschool. God will bless you even in the little things.

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. Luke 16:10

About the author

Jodi started her journey with TOS in April 2016 and serves as the Operations Manager. She and her husband, Duane, have been married over 30 years and have spent over 20 years in the ministry. Along with being a pastor’s wife, she homeschooled her 3 (now grown) sons for 18 years and also taught in the private and public-school settings. Jodi enjoys teaching, playing the piano, and making cards. Her heart’s desire is to serve others and use her gifts to glorify the Lord.

Registration is now open for the NAHC! The Old Schoolhouse® is pleased to announce the first annual National Academic Homeschool Competition for homeschooled students seeking to put their knowledge to the test on a national level. The cost is only $110 to participate in this exclusive virtual event for homeschoolers. Prizes will be awarded. Note: SchoolhouseTeachers.com members pay half-price (only $55). NAHCRegistration.com

SchoolhouseTeachers.com members have exclusive access to monthly Storytime and Show-and-Tell for your young learners! Preschoolers through early elementary students are invited on Thursday, October 13, 2022, at 12:30 p.m. ET for a time of learning about Pets and Baby Animals. Kids may share one picture, toy, book, or other item following the story. Please have the item nearby and keep your microphone on mute until your child is called upon to share. Register from the Events tab of your Member Dashboard to join the fun! 

The SchoolhouseTeachers.com PreK–12 Virtual Art and Photography Fair begins September 12! Visit the Activity Calendar section of your Member Dashboard to learn how to submit your child’s artwork. Projects may be original paintings, drawings, sketches, photography, sculptures, etc., submitted via clear digital photo for website display. Award certificates will be presented for first, second, and third places!

Student submissions are being accepted from September 12 through October 28, 2022.

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Homeschool inspiration and information is waiting for you inside every issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. Get the trade publication for homeschool families delivered quarterly. Subscribe by October 28 to save and start your subscription with the winter issue. What’s inside? Art, teaching reluctant readers, self-sufficiency and homeschooling, trade careers, homeschoolers who blog, and more. PLUS bonus digital content.

Congratulations to our August winner, Candice Stump from Cassatt, SC!

Contest Corner

for the month of October

How to Draw Animals: A Mixed Media Course for Kids

Fragile Glory Impressions
https://fragile-glory-impressions.teachable.com/p/how-to-draw-animals

This online course teaches children how to draw and paint animals. The twelve lessons progress in difficulty, each slightly more advanced than the one before.

Each lesson focuses on drawing a different animal. The course starts with a panda and works through a toucan, a jellyfish, an orca, a horse, and others. The last lesson focuses on a crab.

There are several parts to each lesson. The first part is the research part where Mary, the teacher, shares an interesting fact about the animal in that lesson and encourages the child to learn more about the animal himself. After that, the art lesson begins. She always has the student draw a simple grid on the page and then shows them how to draw the outline of the animal, usually with a regular pencil. After that, the lessons vary; she often has them draw or color part of the picture with an oil pastel and then go over that with watercolors or acrylic paint. Some lessons use both! She also sometimes uses colored pencils or a Sharpie.

My 9-year-old son has completed these lessons with no help from me. My 6-year-old daughter did several of the lessons too and found them a bit challenging but still doable. Both produced completely recognizable paintings that I am happy to display on the wall. The instructions are clear and straightforward, and the teacher gives plenty of time to complete each step, especially since she has built-in pause screens. Her voice is pleasant to listen to.

This is part of a review of the course How to Draw Animals: A Mixed Media Course for Kids. Read the full review on our site which includes more details about using this course with your children.

Go to the contest page of our site where you can ENTER TO WIN access to How to Draw Animals: A Mixed Media Course for Kids.

Freebies

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This free product and more are found in our 2022 Freebie Directory: TOS Freebie Directory – The Old Schoolhouse®

FREE E-Book!

Homeschooling: You Are Not Alone

Dreaming about the next year of homeschooling? Here’s your FREE digital supplement for back-to-school planning and ongoing support. Enjoy this collection of articles that will take you back to what matters most and remind you that you are not alone.

Find more freebies at The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Store: Freebies Archives – The Old Schoolhouse®

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