Home Learning, Independent Study, Alt Ed
-
Materials
Brain Quest Series
Fun prek-7 books, workbooks, trivia games reinforce general knowledge acquired in school and elsewhere. Great for road trips, home learning supplementation.
Core Knowledge Series by E. D. Hirsch
E. D. Hirsch's series provides a knowledge-based blueprint of essential cultural literacy, grades preK-8. See: Core Knowledge site, about, approach, curriculum.
Larry Gonick's Cartoon Guide Series
Brilliant comic-style treatments of basic ideas in such heady disciplines as calculus, genetics, world and U.S. history, statistics, chemistry, compsci, more.
Workman Publishing's Everything You Need Series
Five volumes covering middle school English, Math, Science, World History, and American History. Great for student self-study or parents needing quick review.
DK's Big Idea Series
"Big ideas explained simply." In DK's inimitable style, books in this series introduce broad fields of academic study in easily digestible ways to young and old alike.
-
High School Credit
BYU Independent Study: High School Programs
Accredited UC approved high school courses completed entirely online. See FAQ here.
UC Scout
"Scout from University of California delivers A-G approved, online classes and curriculum to students around the globe." Course catalog here. Blog here.
Take College Classes While in High School
It can be a wonderful opportunity to stretch intellectual boundaries, boost college apps, fulfill reqs, save money, and investigate prospective majors ahead of time.
-
College Credit, Degrees, Certificates
Online Degrees
Many top schools now offer their best programs online. Fully-accredited "distance learning" enables resourceful students to get the same degree for (much) less.
MOOCs
Offering courses, certificates and undergrad/grad degrees, MOOC providers like Coursera and EdX provide legitimate alternative paths to high quality higher ed.
-
Other
Make Learning a Basic Family Value
It’s up to parents of young children to decide which values they wish to pass on. My strong recommendation is to establish learning as a basic family value.
IXL
Top K-12 general learning site. Detailed standards, diagnostics, outstanding learning content. Don’t like California standards? Try the Singapore Edition!
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (4th Edition)
Goto reference for parents looking to supplement their child’s learning in line with three stages of a classical education: grammar, logic, rhetoric. Resources galore.
Stanford Online High School
Selective, worldwide learning community at Stanford University for intellectually strong, highly motivated students in grades 7-12. Most teachers hold PhD's.
Lynda.com
Thousands of top-notch online courses covering everything from coding to IT skills, project management, design, business, photography, and more.
Copyright © 2006-Present: Christopher R. Borland. All Rights Reserved.