This year they've started to offer something new called the Live Class. A few months ago they had Water, Water Everywhere as their weekly free offering and I so wish I had paid attention. Not knowing what a Live Class really meant I passed it up and I regret that decision!
After reading up on them and noticing a few others at FIAR trying them out, I signed up for three so far. Right now they are offering some classes for as little as a dollar and many are about $5. I don't know how long the good times will last, but if you are looking for a summer adventure I would definitely consider a Live Class. The nice part is that the class is independent and you don't need to be real time with the instructor. So, you can sit at the computer and work on the class when your time permits.
Right now R9 is part of the Felicity Book Club. She is studying the book Happy Birthday, Felicity! She gets to work on a notebook weekly, participate in the forums (under my name because I wasn't clever enough to make one up!), and watch the class videos. Each week there is a project and some notebooking to do in addition to the reading of course.
E10 really, really wanted to take a math class, but most of them were tutorial helps rather than a challenge. There are a few Algebra classes they he's not quite ready for yet and when I found the Geometry class I knew it was for him. He can hardly wait to get started. It's a geometry review for 5th to 8th grades and think there will be some things to challenge him. He'll get to work out assigned problems for the day and email the solutions to the professor. He'll be able to see the problems worked out video if he needs help. This is going to be a very cool addition to the math journal! I'm looking forward to see how this goes.
It is a tradition in our homeschool to begin each new year with our favorite FIAR title- Night of the Moonjellies. We have such fond memories of our first row of this book just after E10 had broken his arm one summer and our pool visits were cut short. I had just received my trusty FIAR volume 1 manual and I was eager to begin. After 3 years we love it as much as ever but it is harder to discover new things in there. But it is so worthwhile to visit them again each year. This year we will do the live class on Nim's Island as part of our tradition. The kids adored the book and loved the movie. We are excited to join in this class and some really fun ocean work!
Starting in September is Strange Science: Planet Earth and I'm eager to sign up for this one. We have not done much indepth earth science and I think the kids will enjoy it. Some of the coolest earth science stuff is going to be covered. Each class typically needs a minimum enrollment so get on over there and sign up for classes!
3 comments:
Heather, I appreciate your blog.
Can you explain a little more about these "live classes"?
I don't fully understand how they work.
Thanks
Kayla
Basically Kayla you sign up and then you get access to a forum and the videos and the journals/projects, etc.
You watch a video each week on the project and notebook and the kids get to participate on the forums together.
That's about it. You can do the class at your own pace, but the videos are available to view each week and then for a while after the class ends.
It's been fun!
Heather
Thanks, I did go read up more about the live classes and found a space one for Elijah. It doesn't start until June 29, but it looks like it will be a lot of fun.
I blogged about it.
Then I went back to see what else they have at a good price and found a math review class for Elijah that is going on now. We signed up and it's pretty cool.
You really have to just jump in and do one to see how they work.
I also found a Shakespeare class that Dakota may do in September.
Thanks again for blogging about the live classes. I had seen them but didn't pay attention because I was thinking you had to be home at 10 AM Monday morning (or whatever time) to do the class.
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