Athena like OG3 classes

[SoCal_Bear]

For those who have used both, could you tell me if it is pretty much a similar class format and style? OG3 put out a youtube video of a sample of their class format and some clips from their webinars. So, it does give me an idea of what OG3 is like. I am looking ahead to see if Athena would be a good fit for my son.

 

 

TIA

[chiguirre]

T's done both and they're very similar. G3 skews a little older but the format and expectations are comparable.

[MyHandsAreFull]

T's done both and they're very similar. G3 skews a little older but the format and expectations are comparable.

100% agree. I have kiddos in both. Very happy with both. Have taken like five or six Athena's classes and two G3 classes and have never had a less than good experience.

[SoCal_Bear]

I know both shy away from outright stating ages and talk more about level of skill kids work at. Could either of you give me an idea of Athena's age range and for what classes? Currently, I have mine doing Veritas Press self paced NTGR class, and that is working out well challenge wise. He is pretty independent in working through that. We do a once a week co-op. It's great for community and socialization since he is an only. I do teach classes for him and target a grade range that is above him age-wise to meet his needs. He likes them, but I wouldn't say that he is stretched by it. 

I am just thinking about when it would be appropriate for him to do Athena's and which classes. I would definitely be there alongside of him.

ETA: I think I remember people mentioning the Mythology class. My hesitation there is that he is emotionally sensitive. So, D'Aulaire myth books and a lot of fairy tales are too scary and disturbing to him.

 

[MyHandsAreFull]

If you are uncertain then I would start with Athena's. There is definitely some overlap (like I have a kid taking from both providers) but Athena's pretty clearly has a lower end age wise than G3.

 

We transitioned from Veritas Press self paced online history pretty seamlessly to the Athena's SOTW, around age 8. The nice thing is their input requirements are fairly modest so if you have kids reading several levels above what their writing skills are it is a nice fit.

 

We have done some classes besides SOTW (mythology, couple of science ones, a literature one) but probably SOTW is the easiest to see in advance what you are getting yourself into.

[FairProspects]

Anecdotally IRL, I don't know anyone using Athena's that is older than about 9. I've heard from others that 7-10 is the general age range.

[SeaConquest]

How much typing do the kids do in the classes? Mine has started typing, but isn't proficient yet. Do they use microphones?

[MyHandsAreFull]

They do use microphones. There is some typing but it's not that much. As long as you are available for snags it should be fine.

[chiguirre]

The SOTW classes didn't have as much typing in chat as the Biology or Biomes classes, probably because of the targeted ages. The older classes tend to move to more chat and less microphone usage. In G3 most of the interaction is by chat. I think both Athena and G3 are fairly accurate about their age/skill ranges. I wouldn't put a student in a teen class unless they were 13, the lower high school classes have intensive reading assignments from high school or community college sources.

[SoCal_Bear]

Thanks so much for the responses...I am filing this away for my future planning.

[Dmmetler]

I would also suggest waiting a little longer on Etymology or Vocabulary (both of which were new this year)-again, they seem to skew older and are using high school+ materials.

 

SOTW would be a good start, but make sure your child will be ready for SOTW 4 if they do them in sequence. My DD could have done the 1/2 class at  6/7-but would have had trouble with the SOTW 4 class before this semester (actually, the reason why I let her do the Athena's history was BECAUSE she was having so much trouble with the later parts of SOTW 3 at home-I wanted her to have that group of kids to help support her through it) due to content.

 

On Mythology, the class follows the NME syllabus, and the NME is pretty selective in picking the non-scary, less intense parts, so you can easily pre-read and figure out if it's a good fit.

 

The lit classes are similar-you can look at the book selections and figure out if it's a good emotional fit. 

 

We haven't done any non-humanities courses, although I noticed that there's an invertebrate anatomy course listed as coming this fall, and I suspect that this might be a good fit for DD-the kinds of kids who would sign up for a course in invertebrate anatomy are probably her kind of people. :).

 

I originally started DD at Athena's just so she'd get some experience with outside classes and teachers and expectations, but for us, the big benefit has been social and emotional. She feels far less alone in the world. I figure that the cost of the class is worth it for that reason alone. I expect she'll keep at least one class a semester through OG3 or Athena's as long as she feels that she has peers there.