If you have been here for awhile you know if I was a Superhero Math would be my Nemesis. So it may surprise you that this next Review of a Math course was actually very interesting and fun to me. Math and fun in the same sentence is a little hard to type out for me, but honestly these past few weeks I have learned a lot and really enjoyed the process. The product I'm talking about is the MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle from NatureGlo's eScience. Ok, I know what your thinking there is Art involved of course you would like it. But, it is so much more....I promise. Actually it offers your student a Real World Learning experience that combines Math with Art, Music, History, Science and Language Arts. There are 4 courses in this bundle, each of them are 6 weeks long....
With this Bundle you will be given a year of access for the whole family. And not only can you use it on your computer at home, but it can easily be accessed with your Android or iOS. I started out with doing this with Kaden and to my surprise it was a little difficult for him and I can see that 6 weeks for him is going to be more like 14. But, that's ok...this is why we homeschool. The reason I thought it would be perfect is because he learned a long time ago about Fibonacci and the Golden Ratio. But, just like all things on the Autism Spectrum no two days, weeks or years are the same. For him to successfully use this program it is important for him to use all the many resources that are provided in these courses and time in between to digest them. I will explain more about the resources in a moment. So, who did the course work then? Well actually I'm going through the classes myself. And I have been talking so much about it that Mahala just started last week. I figured it's a good idea for me to be ahead of Kaden, so I can help him out.
Ok, Math Connections with the Real World....This was the main one we worked on. I really enjoyed her videos. You could participate in the live class or listen to the recording. We decided we like self paced and without hearing other students talking or highlighting on the screen. Once you watch the main lesson video you can work on the Activities and Projects. This really gets your hands on student involved. What we found the most helpful and what has also taken us a good amount of time to go through are all of the online resources.
Gloria has taken the time to do all the hard work for us by providing links to more information, videos, lectures and activities. I seriously have so many things I want to do, like making a Golden section ruler so I can draw things within Golden Proportions. The nature videos were wild to see also. The Math and design that is in nature is amazing.
The MathArt in Ancient Cultures course we briefly looked into because right now Kaden is deep into Ancient History. Here is the same concept, 6 weeks, you have videos, downloadable study guides and several references along with Activities and Projects. Kaden enjoyed the interactive portions we've done so far with were about Babylon and Ancient Greece. I can't wait to learn about Mayan Art, Mandalas, Tessellations and make some Zellige Moroccan Tiles.
That's just the first 2 courses we are still yet to discover all the goodies in the Mathematics in the Arts and Sciences and the MathArt - Patterns in Nature. So far as a family we are impressed with everything included in these courses. Gloria has put so much time and care in preparing each of these and we feel the love and passion she has for the beautiful side of Mathematics. I also have been perusing her Blog and other courses she has to offer from Marine Biology, Rocks and Minerals, Botany and many others. I was thrilled to see she even has some free courses like Whales and Dolfins, Sea Turtles of the world and Glass Frogs. Just wanted to point out that the courses we used were very well organized and easy to use. This would be perfect for an older student who can work independently. Even though I did work alongside Kaden there was very minimal prep for me to do before hand. And most of the activities and projects only required things we already had around the house.
Would I use other courses from NatureGlo's eScience? Absolutely, and I would say that if your kiddo is struggling to crack open the books or just needs a fresh break these last few months of the school year or summer time get them started on one of these courses. It was refreshing to see Math in a different light. I personally feel like a window has been opened inside of my boarded up room in my mind that Math lives in. Sounds crazy, but that's the only way I know how to describe this new outlook I have....my nature walks will definitely never be the same.
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