We’ve been studying Ancient History all school year, so a review subscription from NatureGlo’s eScience was most welcome. What perfect timing to try the MathArt in Ancient Cultures 6-week Online Class, which came in the MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle we were given access to. Other titles included in this bundle include Math Connections with the Real World, MathArt in the Arts & Sciences, and MathArt – Patterns in Nature.
The classes available are intended for students about ages 10-12 and up. I had my 7th, 5th, and 2nd graders work on it together a little bit each day. We spent between 15-30 minutes per session working on the class. When there were videos to watch, I used the Chrome extension in my browser to Chromecast it to my television so it was easier for all of the kids to watch at the same time.
For our class, there were the following lessons: Ancient Babylonians and the Plimpton 322, Ancient Greek Math and the Platonic Solids, Pythagoras and the Music of the Spheres, Ancient India’s MathArt: Rangoli, Mandalas, and the Story of 1-9 and 0, Zellige Moroccan Tiles and Other Tessellations, and Maya MathArt.
I wasn’t sure when we began what all would be included in this online class. I wasn’t sure if it would just be videos and some worksheets or what. I was glad when I saw the different types of classroom materials and assignments. There are downloads, slideshows, lessons, history connections, hands-on activities, web resources for further research, art, literature, and theater connections, and more. As you progress through the lessons, you can mark assignments as complete so that each time you log in, you know where to begin again.
My children liked some parts of the classes and didn’t like others. We watched all of the live lessons as pre-recorded classes. I wish we had done live, because my kids were not fond of watching other children “take” the class. They wanted to skip this portion after the first few times and just dive right in to the different components of the lessons for themselves, such as the videos and the interactive activities provided. Most of the time, the pre-recorded lessons had us watching or listening to other students doing those same activities with the instructor, Gloria Brooks, so I had no problem letting them skip that part and move on. There is information on when and how to join in for live classes listed, so hopefully we could try that in the future.
Now that I know how it is set up, I think if we try another of the classes, we will do it over the summer when they don’t have their main studies going on as well. It feels more like an elective type course to me since it covers so many different things and doesn’t exactly fit in with other things we are learning. The kids did enjoy that they were learning about the ancient cultures in a new way, with totally different information than what they have learned in their history class all year, but they also asked me why they were having to learn this information from MathArt in the first place. Next time, I would let them pick the course so they would have more ownership in the decision and probably approach it more positively.
Are you considering giving the MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle a try? These courses might be a good fit for:
- Families looking for a supplement for their homeschool that incorporates many different subjects. Depending on which course you choose, this could go a few different ways. I feel like the Ancient Cultures class we have been doing really hits on a lot of historical information in addition to the math, music, art, and more of the ancient cultures. Patterns in Nature includes many different subjects as well, such as math, art projects, literature connections, and science.
- Anyone that loves Unit Studies! Each class is one big unit study and can be expanded upon even further if you so wish. While they are written as 6-week courses, you could easily make them shorter or longer depending on what your schedule and interest levels allow.
- Unschoolers or other students who are interested in diving into unusual, but interesting topics. The content is definitely not something I’ve seen covered in other curricula and could easily lead your student down a rabbit trail to continue finding out more, even beyond what is offered in this course.
- Parents who are deschooling or are new to homeschooling and want to spark their child’s interest in learning again without giving a heavy academic burden to their child. You can require as much or as little written work and participation in the activities as you would like.
- Students who love to ask why a lot. The coursework covers information that will satisfy trivia nuts and all kids that love to immerse themselves in new and kind of quirky information.
- Students of many ages in the same household that enjoy working together. While the courses are really designed for students in upper elementary school and up, it’s easy to allow younger siblings to participate. That’s what I did, and I found it easy to fold my early elementary son into the mix so he could learn some new things as well. One price is for your entire family to have access. That’s right, you don’t have to buy classes for individual students with NatureGlo’s eScience MathArt Online classes.
- Families who enjoy using computers and technology in their homeschool instruction. The videos, interactive online activities, pre-recorded or live instructional sessions, slideshows, and more are easy to access on the go as long as you have an internet connection. The classes are good for all learning types and give kids something interesting to discuss long after class is over.
The Crew reviewed two of the classes available. See what other families thought by clicking on the banner below.
