Polka Dot Pearl Minis

I love learning about new things that interest me, so the allure of free online classes was very tempting. I  wanted to test different educational apps/websites and see how they compare to other podcasts, videos, college/ high school online classes and reading I've experienced. Are these apps gimmicky? Do some of them really offer something insightful for the price of ACTUALLY FREE? This post is a review of several resources I have tried recently; all of which offer a substantial amount of content at no charge. Coursera Coursera is a website (and free application) that can be used for taking online classes from accredited colleges and universities. You have the option to audit many of their classes, meaning you can complete the coursework and participate in activities for free. When auditing a course, you do not receive a certificate for completion, but you can upgrade from the start or later in the course to the paid alternative, which qualifies for a class completion ce...

Next week starting April 24th is Week of the Young Child 2017 (WOTYC), which celebrates young children, parents, and educators. In preparation for this time, I have been thinking about how I want to share this event with you. The most obvious idea seemed to be sharing activity ideas based on the curriculum themes for each day. As I sat down to write up activity plans, I kept thinking there was something bigger I wanted to say. Taking things back a step, I focused on the event itself. Why do we have Week of the Young Child, when the suggested themes and ideas should be celebrated all year long? The most important reason is awareness...children are important! With a special time of year for everything, from puppies to ice cream sundaes, it can be difficult to take these celebrations seriously. But some are more important than others. No matter how little experience you have with kids, we all have important reasons to care, to educate ourselves, and to be better. During our first...

Would it surprise you to know I attended an online school? Yes, for grades 8-12, I was part of an online school (the rest of my elementary/ middle school career I spent in local public schools). As a very shy/ responsible student, online schooling was the better option for me and although there were pros and cons (as with everything) I am very happy I had that option. Like with anything different though, most people I talked to didn't understand the concept of online schooling, which was incredibly frustrating. I worked hard and learned a lot, just like any other student. And in fact, there were even more lessons I was learning along the way that "typical" students might not get. So today, let's talk about online schooling. What is it? How does it work? And, is it right for your child? What is online schooling? Online Schooling is just as it sounds; it's a program where you take classes completely or primarily online. I have taken online courses as a ...