Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
What is Boundary Stone Economics Online Course Bundle?
Offered as a completely self-paced online economics course and a hardcover texbook, this is a comprehensive course that uses the natural law approach to teaching economics. Additional texts are used to teach (and must be purchased or accessed for free, depending on the text.) They include The Law by Frederic Bastiat and Whatever Happened to Penny Candy, by Richard Maybury. There is also a 128-page PDF parents/teacher's guide. It is a semester course, but it can be completed in a year, if you're short on time, as you will have 12 months access from the day you start.
It features YouTube videos to emphasize content material, as well as study questions in the textbook. Understanding is tested through online quizzes, exercises, and tests. Answers to the online content are also included in the teacher's guide, so that parents can help students prep and review their scores. If you would like access to your student's quizzes and grades from an administrative perspective, Boundary Stone is happy to set up this second account, although we didn't feel we needed it.
Boundary Stone also provides ideas for additional assignments and a grading tracker to help you determine a total classroom grade for transcript purposes.
What did we like about it?
First, of all, parents should know the perspective the course takes with their approach to economics. You can see from their about page that Boundary Stone that they value these things in their approach toward government and money:
- sanctity of life
- free exercise of religion
- right to privacy
- right to private property (including money)
Aside from the viewpoint of the program, I was super impressed with the quality of the hardcover textbook and the teacher's guide. If you're on a budget and can't afford the course (which I think you should really consider, if you can!), the textbook offers so much background on our economy, the economies of other countries, how economics is tied directly to a people's government, and why it's so essential that kids understand how our economy was created.
As I said earlier, I am not an economist, so having these very well-made resources available for me and my children is a huge relief! I would never consider trying to create my own curriculum and have it be so thorough. The exercises are challenges, the texts relevant, and the topics so timely with what we are dealing with today in our culture.
The course was just as much a review of our government as it was on the economy (which makes sense, as they are so interconnected.) There's also a significant amount of time spent reviewing personal finance topics, and a budgeting mini-course is presented through activities each week. This gives parents one more way to help with their student's financial literacy before going out on their own in the world!
One other thing I'd like to mention is that this course is DENSE. There is so much to read and learn and do, and it can be overwhelming for a student to track all of the moving parts. The course creators have helped by giving a detailed outline of the order of activities and what to do at each point in the course, however.
There's also a handy spreadsheet in the parent guide that plans out the lesson day by day, so you can see what your student should be working on when. I would recommend printing this out on day one so you can help keep your child on task. There is so much to read and review, but it's worth it. The investment of time in this course isn't insignificant, but that speaks to the quality of the program.
Who is it for?
Boundary Stone takes a serious approach toward economics, and I consider it to be appropriate for older teens in their Junior and Senior year of high school. It's on par with any college-level course I've seen, and the self-paced approach make it a very flexible option for parents who want to give their kids a rigorous look at our economic, the forces that drive it, and how it must be preserved. While you do not need to purchase the course to get access to the fine printed textbook, I recommend it as the best way to get every bit of wisdom from the authors. Limited-government advocates may find no finer option on the homeschool market today.
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