Late last week, many homeschool families who were enrolled in Landry Academy classes, summer camps and missions trips learned some terrible news. Landry Academy was closing its doors suddenly. Those of us that received emails were notified just a few days before new classes were to begin. Many (like my daughter) had overseas missions trips planned in just a few weeks. The news was devastating and left families in the homeschool community scrambling for alternatives to educate their kids on such short notice.
While I will refrain from saying anything about Landry (we have loved the experiences and educational opportunities my kids have participated in over the years), I will acknowledge that this has been tough. We had other resources and classes in mind, so our transition wasn't as hard. For families that relied on Landry for 100% of their online coursework, however, it has been terribly difficult to research and line up new courses to fill the gaps.
I have put together what I feel are suitable alternatives to those looking to educate their children in a Christian online context. I hope anyone looking for Landry classes will find some of them to be a useful resource in their planning.
Veritas Press is my favorite of all online homeschool offerings. Landry has actually made a deal with VP that allows those purchases of generic Landry credits who will now have no way of redeeming them to transfer them to Veritas Press courses for a discount. This will still leave a considerable amount to pay on the VP courses, which I acknowledge aren't cheap. VP, however, is a company that I feel has offered terrific value on all their courses. My children have taken their History, Bible, and Omnibus self-paced courses for years, and I have never regretted paying $100 - $300 per course. Their teachings are solid, the instructors invested, and the coursework above average in difficulty and rigor. I would consider all of their offerings to be on par with the expectations of the most discerning colleges.
See our review of the Veritas Press online Bible courses and Omnibus self-paced courses to see what we liked and disliked about each.
For large families on a budget, this may be my favorite option. Schoolhouse Teachers has dramatically increased their offerings over the past few years, and I've always been so impressed with the scope of the courses they offered. While these aren't "live" online courses, there are plenty of self-paced options for all the areas you want to teach your child. We've done the match and history courses, some of the music lessons, and even a media studies course. All of the materials are provided and are available to print out. With a price of less than $16 a month, it's a good value for a parent who doesn't mind organizing and overseeing the course work of their child.
See our review of Schoolhouse Teachers for the full details of what it offers.
While not a Christian, online offering, we have enjoyed using Khan Academy as a free resource for much of our math and test prep. With a catalog of dozens of courses from K-12, you'll find that the videos are very thorough and the community thriving. Note that this is an absolutely free platform that parents can sign all of their children up for. You can track their individual progress, set learning goals, and see their problem areas quite easily from the parent/teacher dashboard. We have been using this resource for our math and technology (coding, programming) as well as PSAT test prep and are impressed with the quality of the learning that takes place. It is definitely worth checking out for those courses where faith isn't a factor and you want to save money on.
Even with the best curriculum and courses, you sometimes need additional practice. I found that, even with Landry Academy courses, printables can help fill that gap. We have used Super Teacher Worksheets for years to find printables, activities, and drills for our kids in grades K-12. They also have a worksheet generator to quickly make and print math practice sheets, word searches, and crosswords. It's perfect for making up extra drills in minutes, and the price is right at just
See our review of SuperTeacherWorksheets.com here.
This is another great site resource for course work, worksheets, and printables. Done with a Christian focus, you'll find new resources added each month on the Christian Homeschool Hub. My younger kids really love working on the bundles of the month, and I find the book units that cover each of our literary titles to be a great money-saver! Sign up for their newsletter, and they will send you quite a few freebies to start, as well. There is enough on this site for a full curriculum for all grades, although you'll need to do the teaching and grading.
The closing of Landry Academy is just plain sad. While we have found plenty of options to pick up the pieces, there will always be a hole left behind. We hope that you find a few of our resources to be useful.
Need specific reviews of other courses or resources? Here at LillePunkin.com, we've done dozens of homeschool reviews on courses, books, and education toys to help you decide what will work. We'd also be happy to answer in the comments below, any questions you have. Join us on Facebook, and we can help you there, as well!
Like this? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get more of the goodness, plus exclusive giveaway offers!
Landry Academy is Closed
While I will refrain from saying anything about Landry (we have loved the experiences and educational opportunities my kids have participated in over the years), I will acknowledge that this has been tough. We had other resources and classes in mind, so our transition wasn't as hard. For families that relied on Landry for 100% of their online coursework, however, it has been terribly difficult to research and line up new courses to fill the gaps.
I have put together what I feel are suitable alternatives to those looking to educate their children in a Christian online context. I hope anyone looking for Landry classes will find some of them to be a useful resource in their planning.
1. Veritas Press
Veritas Press is my favorite of all online homeschool offerings. Landry has actually made a deal with VP that allows those purchases of generic Landry credits who will now have no way of redeeming them to transfer them to Veritas Press courses for a discount. This will still leave a considerable amount to pay on the VP courses, which I acknowledge aren't cheap. VP, however, is a company that I feel has offered terrific value on all their courses. My children have taken their History, Bible, and Omnibus self-paced courses for years, and I have never regretted paying $100 - $300 per course. Their teachings are solid, the instructors invested, and the coursework above average in difficulty and rigor. I would consider all of their offerings to be on par with the expectations of the most discerning colleges.
See our review of the Veritas Press online Bible courses and Omnibus self-paced courses to see what we liked and disliked about each.
2. Schoolhouse Teachers
For large families on a budget, this may be my favorite option. Schoolhouse Teachers has dramatically increased their offerings over the past few years, and I've always been so impressed with the scope of the courses they offered. While these aren't "live" online courses, there are plenty of self-paced options for all the areas you want to teach your child. We've done the match and history courses, some of the music lessons, and even a media studies course. All of the materials are provided and are available to print out. With a price of less than $16 a month, it's a good value for a parent who doesn't mind organizing and overseeing the course work of their child.
See our review of Schoolhouse Teachers for the full details of what it offers.
3. Khan Academy
While not a Christian, online offering, we have enjoyed using Khan Academy as a free resource for much of our math and test prep. With a catalog of dozens of courses from K-12, you'll find that the videos are very thorough and the community thriving. Note that this is an absolutely free platform that parents can sign all of their children up for. You can track their individual progress, set learning goals, and see their problem areas quite easily from the parent/teacher dashboard. We have been using this resource for our math and technology (coding, programming) as well as PSAT test prep and are impressed with the quality of the learning that takes place. It is definitely worth checking out for those courses where faith isn't a factor and you want to save money on.
For Extra Help After Landry Academy:
4. SuperTeacherWorksheets
Even with the best curriculum and courses, you sometimes need additional practice. I found that, even with Landry Academy courses, printables can help fill that gap. We have used Super Teacher Worksheets for years to find printables, activities, and drills for our kids in grades K-12. They also have a worksheet generator to quickly make and print math practice sheets, word searches, and crosswords. It's perfect for making up extra drills in minutes, and the price is right at just
See our review of SuperTeacherWorksheets.com here.
5. Christian Homeschool Hub
This is another great site resource for course work, worksheets, and printables. Done with a Christian focus, you'll find new resources added each month on the Christian Homeschool Hub. My younger kids really love working on the bundles of the month, and I find the book units that cover each of our literary titles to be a great money-saver! Sign up for their newsletter, and they will send you quite a few freebies to start, as well. There is enough on this site for a full curriculum for all grades, although you'll need to do the teaching and grading.
The closing of Landry Academy is just plain sad. While we have found plenty of options to pick up the pieces, there will always be a hole left behind. We hope that you find a few of our resources to be useful.
Need specific reviews of other courses or resources? Here at LillePunkin.com, we've done dozens of homeschool reviews on courses, books, and education toys to help you decide what will work. We'd also be happy to answer in the comments below, any questions you have. Join us on Facebook, and we can help you there, as well!
Like this? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get more of the goodness, plus exclusive giveaway offers!
Comments
Post a Comment