CurrClick Online Homeschool Classes Review
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What is a poor weird, unsocialized homeschool family to do when they want to learn something taught by someone other than Mom? They could join a co-op, hire a tutor, or take a class outside the home. But what if they want to learn that something taught by someone other than Mom without leaving home? What if they’d like to learn in their PJs or have circumstances that make it difficult to physically get to a location outside the home?
That poor weird, unsocialized homeschool family might enjoy CurrClick Live – online homeschool classes!
Y’all know me to be an honest sort, so I’m going to tell you – I’ve known about the CurrClick Live classes for a few years now. They didn’t interest me. I really can’t say why I didn’t think they interested me. It might have been that I didn’t know as much about them as I thought I did because what I learned in doing this review has me very interested – particularly for just a couple of years down the road when my younger two hit high school age!
First, let me address the question you’re probably dying to know: why did I review the product if I didn’t think I was interested in it? Well, I almost didn’t…but, in addition to being an honest sort, I’m a curious sort. We were offered the opportunity to review a couple of short-term class (one class a week for three weeks and a one time class) and the topics were interesting and fit well with our current studies (static electricity and the Tuskegee Airmen).
So, now that your curiosity is satisfied, on to the review.
What kind of online homeschool classes are offered?
CurrClick Live offers both short- and long-term classes. As I mentioned, we took a three-week class (one hour per week) on static electricity and Brianna did a one-time class on the Tuskegee Airmen that worked well with her study of World War II. There are even free classes and clubs, such as an American Girls Club.
(Do you see my ADD girl whose hands have to have something to do if she’s to pay attention?)
What really got me excited, though, was discovering the semester-long classes. We’re talking high school math and science classes and foreign languages, y’all! Currently, CurrClick Live offers classes like:
- Algebra I and II
- Apologia Biology, Chemistry, and Marine Biology
- Foreign languages including French, Chinese, German, and Russian
There are lots more. Those are just the ones that got me excited.
Your student can participate in class, live, with other students. He can ask questions of the teacher, via a chat box, for things that he doesn’t understand. It’s my understanding that in some courses, students can even break off into study or lab groups. (I think this works with chat boxes, but it wasn’t an option in the classes we took, so I’m not completely sure.)
How do CurrClick online classes work?
We found the CurrClick classes easy to use and navigate because they work on the same platform as Josh’s dyslexia therapy – Adobe Connect. Once you sign up for a class, there is a link for you to click to run a test to see if your computer has everything you need for the class. According to the website, all you need are working speakers, high-speed internet, and a current version of Adobe Flash Player.
All classes list a start time and the instructor and students are actually online together in real time. Most of the presentation is done on the online white board, where the instructor can draw illustrations or show a visual presentation. The teacher can be seen via webcam on one side of the screen and there is a chat box on the other side for the students, allowing them to ask questions. The fact that the students could ask and answer questions was a huge plus to me. That means you don’t have a kid who doesn’t understand something with no means of asking for clarification.
In the static electricity class, the instructor used student input to direct some of the discussion and the experiments, which was really cool. A student would ask something like, “What would happen if you did so-and-so?” (Except, you know, they didn’t really say “so-and-so.”)
The instructor would often stop what he had been planning to do and, instead, see what would happen under the circumstances suggested by the student.
In the classes we took, students could not be seen or heard. They just typed in the chat box. However, I’ve read that, in some classes, students with a mic and a webcam can do presentations from time to time. All classes are recorded, so if you miss a live session, you can watch the video later.
Who teaches CurrClick Live classes?
Many of the teachers of CurrClick Live classes are homeschool parents. The lady who taught Brianna’s Tuskee Airmen class is the lady who started Founder’s Academy. The man who taught the science class is an executive director of a children’s science museum who’s been creating and teaching online classes for homeschoolers for six years. The woman who teaches the science class I’m planning to sign Brianna up for next year is a former toxicologist research scientist (seriously, how cool does that sound?) who now homeschools her children.
All of the CurrClick teachers have had criminal background checks and have been carefully screened before teaching a class.
(Pets can take the class free with a paid student. {snort})
How much do CurrClick Live classes cost?
The price of the classes varies. As I said, there are some clubs and just-for-fun classes that are free, while some of the semester long classes are $180 per semester. The science class I’m looking at for Brianna is $130. Some classes come with a free pdf book with additional activities while others require that you purchase a text book.
The really nice thing about pricing is that many (not all) classes offer family pricing, which means that, when Josh and Megan get to high school science, that semester fee will, depending on the class, cover both of them. Students can even be on multiple computers in the same house, so each can be logged in under his or her own screen name at the family price.
Depending on the class and your preferences, the cost may include online exams graded by the instructor and end-of-semester report cards. Each class does come with a certificate of completion.
I was really impressed with the classes we reviewed. The instructors were engaging and held the kids’ interest. Megan, in particular, really enjoyed the static electricity class. Let’s just say that experiments were done at Chick-Fil-A with the Styrofoam cups.
For someone who didn’t think she was very interested in CurrClick Classes, I am so excited about the possibilities! I am seriously envisioning the online science classes for each year of high school science for Josh and Megan, along with two years of foreign language for each of them. You know, since I don’t habla the Española too well.
If you’ve never looked seriously at the CurrClick Live classes, I encourage you to do so. You may be as pleasantly surprised as I was. Try out a free class or one of the inexpensive short classes and see what you think. Then, let me know. My kids might see your kids in class soon!
You can follow CurrClick on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on all that’s being offered in both their regular product line and their online classes.
I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I also received monetary compensation for the time invested in writing the review. The opinions expressed are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
We have taken several classes. The lego club is great for ages 6-10. We have taken several classes from Apples of Gold. My son did the Return of the King literature class last year with her and the Oregon Trail class. She is currently doing another Oregon Trail class and the Hobbit. I highly recommend both. My girls did a class on Little House on the Prairie with her and enjoyed it just as much.
I’ve tried some online learning sites and I think that because my kids are still very young it mostly interferes with our school day than enhances it but I can hardly wait til they can take whole classes online.
Thanks for the review!
I had no idea they had that many online classes available. Even foreign languages!! That is awesome.
I’ve been a long time fan of Currclick classes and products. In fact, we’ve been there since the beginning when the classes were made by parents filming themselves talking on video. I have been so impressed over the years with how much they have grown in terms of content and quality and I anticipate that they will only get better. I’m a huge fan!
I’m glad to hear some good things about the CurrClick online classes. Maybe I will give them a try again. Unfortunately, our first experience was not so great. My son took an online math art class because it came highly recommended from a friend and we were both pretty unimpressed. A LOT of time was wasted and very little actually teaching was done during the session. They watched videos that were readily available on Youtube and could have been watched outside of class. A lot of time was also spent recapping past lessons, which wasn’t necessary since they were available for later viewing on the site. My son also found it very distracting because she kept drinking throughout the class, which is usually no big deal, but the gulping and sloshing was amplified and it really got on his nerves (mine too, truth be told). I won’t say it was a “bad” class, per se, but I do think that if you pay someone for an hour of instruction, you should get an hour of instruction.