Laurel Springs has asked us to review their program, so today I will be reviewing their curriculum. Laurel Springs covers it all, grades K through 12 -- elementary, middle and high school. Here's what I like about this curriculum. 1) It's personal and because much of it is online, you can do it from anywhere. When you enroll at Laurel Springs, the first thing they do is find out your child's learning style. Are you an auditory, visual or kinesthetic learner? Learning is so much faster and easier when you can learn in the way that works best for you. By the way, while you are finding out your child's learning style, be sure to find out your own learning style too. We tend to teach according to our learning style. For example, I am an auditory learner, so when I am explaining something to my kids I want to TALK about it. This worked fine for my son, who is also an auditory learner, but for my daughters, who are visual learners, all they heard was blah, blah blah. So when I want to explain something to them, I need to give it to them in writing. 2) Another thing I like about this curriculum is that they don't stop just at learning styles. They ask each student what their dreams and goals are. Then they personalize the curriculum to support those goals. You can do that too. You can start each semester by asking each of your children, "What is your #1 goal." And you make that goal your top priority. When your child knows how to excel in one area, it will help them excel in other areas. This curriculum cares about the student's interests and goals. This is probably why a lot of athletes and performers use Laurel Springs. For those kids who are working on a movie or television set, or for those young athletes who are on the road a lot, they need a high quality, college-prep program that is flexible. 3) But Laurel Springs is not just for athletes and performers, it is also very popular for Gifted and Talented students in grades 9-12. If you have a gifted child, this might be just what you are looking for. The teachers in the Gifted & Talented program understand how frustrated some of these kids can feel in traditional classrooms. With this curriculum the student gets to work at their own pace, which for many of these kids is VERY fast. They also get to take special seminars and listen to guest speakers that are designed to keep all of their students challenged and inspired. All of this does come with a price. Laurel Springs is probably the gold-standard of curricula. The academics are high level, it's hand-on, and they personalize it to each child. At the high school level it comes with individual college counseling, and they even have a live prom and graduation. The kids gets to know each other via the online forums and clubs, and then they all fly in to Southern California to meet each other in person. In 2014, the cost for projects-based Elementary students (grades K-5) is $2,300 for the school year (because it comes with a lot of supplies and a teacher). Middle school students (grades 6-8) is $3,000. The cost for high school students is $6,000-$8,000. Both middle school and high school students get a college admissions counselor. The price for the Gifted & Talented Academy is $12,000 for the year. They have their own teachers and college counselor. Summer School is about $1,000 per class and you might be able to get two classes done. Now remember, you don't have to spend this kind of money in order to have a top notch homeschooling experience. There are lots of curricula to choose from and your goal is to find the one that is right for you and your circumstances. Some families don't use any curriculum at all and do great. But if you really like this curriculum, and you feel you can't afford the whole thing, then maybe just do it for your first year of homeschooling, so that you can learn from them. Maybe just use them for Summer School. Or if you have a high school student, maybe just use them for one or two courses -- maybe a class your child is having a hard time with, or a science or foreign language class. One student used Laurel Springs for her senior year while she sailed around the world! She used the print version of their curriculum and she would mail her assignments back to school when she reached port. That's pretty cool. Another thing I like about this program is that the kids get to work at their own pace. In a regular classroom, the teacher may have 20, 30, or 40 students in a class so everyone needs to be at the same place at the same time. I'm not a big fan of that. If your 5th grade student is doing 8th grade work in math, I think she should be able to do that. And if she needs extra attention to master her reading and writing, I think she should be given that time. This curriculum allows kids to work at their own page, at the level that's right for them, for every one of their subjects.

• published: 20 Sep 2014
• views: 1