Boatschool

One question we frequently get is how do we handle the kids’ schooling?

When we first started homeschooling Ben was in 5th grade and Aislin in 3rd. We used a program available through Calvert school in Maryland.

http://homeschool.calverteducation.com

We found this program to be thorough, well laid out, with specific daily plans and testing schedule.  It was a good start to homeschooling for us as well as got the kids used to a routine, learning how to self-pace, and I believe it laid a strong academic foundation for both of them.

Now that they are older they are using different programs.

Ben is in 9th grade and in high school.  We did quite a bit of searching for high school options, including looking closely at Florida Virtual School.  As Florida residents enrollment is free.  However,  Florida Virtual School is 100% online learning and we can’t rely on internet access on a daily basis for his school work.  In fact FLVS doesn’t issue textbooks, so not only is all schooling online, but all studying, reading, etc, so that won’t work for us.   After searching high and low we found what we were looking for:  University of Nebraska High School. It is set up like college in that you pay by the credit hour and buy your textbook and syllabus for each class from the university bookstore.  It uses a combination of textbooks and online materials, has options to mail in homework vs complete online, and requires exams to be proctored.  When we have good internet access he will still take some electives through Florida Virtual School, in fact he took Driver’s Ed over the summer.

Aislin is in 7th grade and so we have more flexibility with her curriculum.  For Environmental Science, World History, and English Language Arts she is enrolled in Oak Meadow which uses Waldorf based learning.  She is highly driven and self-motivated, but hates “busy work” so this type of curriculum fits her learning style.  She is using Saxon Math 8/7 and also taking World Geography using GeoMatters, we have teacher’s manuals and so we keep track of those two classes to submit to the State of Florida at the end of the year.