Homeschool Connections – one way to add some zing to the next semester!

I am currently homeschooling a wide range of ages and abilities – from my 6-year-old Rosie in first grade, to my reluctant 10th grader Gabe and occasionally throwing some help and advice to my College Plus student Sam. When my school day starts I find that I am working with my students in all different parts of the house most of the day.

One program that has really helped my homeschooling family quite a bit is Homeschool Connections. We joined their subscription series earlier this year this year and were able to access  200+ hours of Catholic online courses for only $30 per month. So far I have had Noah (advanced 8th grader doing a lot of 9th grade work) and Gabe (reluctant 10th grader) take:

• Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn
• Latin I Boot Camp
• Church History I Trinitarian 
• Apologetics camp

I can set the course up on my computer and then leave the boys to listen to the lectures on their own.  Then I can print off handouts and worksheets for them to complete on their own.

I had the boys do Huck Finn after they had finished the book and had done some other study guide work on the book.  I wanted them to hear comments and analysis from a Catholic/Christian perspective.

Although we did Level I in Latin on Rosetta Stone, Noah and Gabe found that Latin I has given them a more in depth understanding of the vocabulary and grammar for Latin.

I’ll be honest – Gabe DID NOT like Church History Trinitarian theology, but at least he has been exposed to it. Noah liked it better and felt that all of the diagrams cemented his understanding of theology.

It is apologetics camp that brings up the most lively discussions, and Noah tells me that he has used some of the things he has learned when explaining his faith to his non-Catholic friends.

You can try it out for $1 for 7 days and then it’s $30 after that.  They also just recently added a yearly $330 price for unlimited recorded classes which is a savings of $30. A lot of online schools charge you that much for just one online class! This is a per family fee – over 70 courses. Any of my students (or even me and Mr. Pete!) can listen and take these courses anytime, any place.  I can even have my students’ work graded for an additional fee if I want to – but so far I have been using the answer keys with the course.

And while the boys are doing this work, I can concentrate on my younger students who need more of my one-on-one time and attention.

If you think this might be a blessing to your family, be sure to check out the free history class before December 30 – or you can access Homeschool Connects at any time from the links in my side bar.
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