[jph00]

I've been surprised at how well our 4 y.o daughter has adjusted to the online world, on the whole. Whilst not all of our friends' children have the same experience, I've noticed it's fairly common for children we know (at least of this age) to quickly adapt to making friends and socializing and learning through Zoom/Skype/etc.

Mornings are spent on "Kid's Club" via https://www.modulo.app , which is a fairly new startup that provides online spaces for kids to learn together, hang out together, etc. My daughter has made a number of new friends through that and she's able to do a lot of the same stuff she was doing before (art, learning apps, etc), but in a more social way. Sometimes she gets to help other kids when they get stuck with their learning apps, and visa versa, which is fun. We're likely to expand this to some of the afternoon too, since they're adding a Spanish program.

Overall, I've noticed that her development has thrived since she's moved to a more self-paced environment. There's been no sign that using screens a lot is causing any problems. We've set up an iPad on an adjustable goose-neck stand so she can (and does) run around a lot and her friends can still see her. We also make sure there's time outside for exercise.

We've found a lot of good online resources, generally free or very cheap, such as Cosmic Kids Yoga, Draw Every Day with JJK, Mo Willems Doodles, and Khan Academy Kids. We've also discovered kids coding apps, like CodeSpark and SpriteBox, that have been a big hit. The teacher at Modulo.app does a good job of helping us find resources for stuff our daughter takes an interest in, and we share stuff we find with them too.

We're both full-time parents, and certainly we're not as productive as we were before, but for me it's a totally acceptable compromise. I get to be more involved in my child's development and I get to see her much more than I did before. One key thing is to have carefully planned schedules for everyone in the house. Kids are generally much happier when they have a schedule, and it also means as parents we know when we can arrange meetings, do live coding, and so forth.

We're very lucky to have these options. I know a lot of parents just don't have the ability to work from home, or to reduce their working hours to spend more time with their children.

[jasonmorton]

We've been working with Modulo as well; the experience is excellent and is constantly adapting to make it work for our kids, rather than imposing a formula. They enjoy having some autonomy in their education. It's a very nice community as well, and they have the chance to make friends all over the country.

[dbancajas]

is modulo.app the official app endorsed by school? or are you homeschooling?

[actfrench]

Hi:) I can answer this. I'm the founder of Modulo. Modulo can be used as a supplement or replacement for school. If families want to use it as a replacement, they need to register as homeschoolers, but we help families make sure their kids are on track academically and developmentally. feel free to be in touch if you have any questions. My email is [e-mail]

[bargl]

I just wanted to say, I had a hard time googling your product. It was easier with DDG. The name made me have to dig deeper with keyword searches.

This looks like a cool service though and I'll be taking a deeper look TY.

[actfrench]

Thanks so much for the feedback. We just launched our website and definitely need to work on our SEO. Any feedback/advice would be really appreciated! Here's the website if it helps. https://www.modulo.app/

[bargl]

Sometimes the name can be really hard to find because it's just so common in other places. You can get around that the way Google did with go. They called it golang. So any search has to search golang not go.

It's really hard to find, how to write a loop in go. But how to write a loop in golang is easier. Maybe you can be modulo learning or something. But make sure you have a catch phrase people use to discuss your app that makes it easier to find in Google. Exposure and time might fix that but you want the way people think of your tool to be the way they search it.

I'm no expert on this stuff, this advice might suck, that's my I am not a lawyer disclaimer. Good luck!!!

[dbancajas]

how much does it cost?

[actfrench]

Here are our different monthly pricing plans. We also offer partial and full scholarships. Let me know if I can help answer any questions for you - or feel free to reach out via intercom on our website. https://www.modulo.app/services

[logicme]

This is a great idea. You probably would get more business if you didn't have workshops for 'undoing white supremacy' and 'racismo'

Many of the ppl that will be homeschooling are doing so bc of the blm education being introduced in schools- it isn't just about covid.

https://www.modulo.app/notmyidea

[actfrench]

We are very proud of introducing diversity and inclusion into our program. It's of critical importance that we learn to think deeply about the systemic racism in our society - as students and educators. A good education is well-rounded and helps children understand history and social systems in a broad way, not limited to a certain group or perspective. Race, racial tensions and inequity are some of the biggest issues facing society today. Our kids are worried about it and they are the ones who are going to be helping change the way our society runs. They need to be prepared to think about this, analyze multiple view points and make intelligent and informed decisions. Hiding it from them will help no one. Education is about illumination, not casting shadows over what is happening and what has happened before us. While some may be leaving the school system because schools are finally addressing these issues, many also are homeschooling because they feel these topics are not adequately integrated into our curriculum.

[burfog]

Focusing on race is what keeps people focusing on race. It's fundamentally divisive. Teaching children to think of everything in terms of race is the biggest factor in perpetuating racism.

I suppose there is a market for that, and you're serving it, making money as you divide society.

[mcv]

That is exactly why it's important for kids to learn about that divide, and to break through it. To understand the experience of other people, to recognise the injustice of it, and to do something to change that.

The division is caused by treating with different skin colour or ethnic background as lesser, or as criminals. Pretending it doesn't exist doesn't make it go away. It's real, and it needs to be addressed. Making kids more aware of that is absolutely important.

[actfrench]

How did you jump from offering a workshop about race to "teaching children to think of everything in terms of race." ? Actually, race is not talked about in most classrooms at all. We're trying to create a more well-rounded curriculum that incorporates all points of view, not just one. Black history and women's history is absent from most of our school curriculum. The fact that you responded to this post shows that race and the way it's talked about it is on your mind too. If kids can learn about race, how it impacts our society and how to think and talk about it in a way that encourages connection, not division, that unites us, instead of separates us, that fuels healthy discussion and positive change, not arguments, I see that as a huge plus. As an example, we're all talking about it now and it encourages us all to think! I think education is about teaching people to think and that's a good thing!

[dbancajas]

What is your source of "BLM education being introduced in schools"?

[mcv]

I don't think wanting to teach your kids to be racist, and keeping them away from ideas that might challenge that, is a very good reason to homeschool.

It's important that kids grow up knowing that there are different people out there, with different backgrounds, different ideas, different skin colours, and indeed that some people have been treated differently in the past, and often still are. A too sheltered upbringing is not doing your kid any favours.

[actfrench]

I've seen that many people are concerned that homeschooling would be less diverse than a traditional school environment.

I've observed the opposite to be true, especially in secular homeschooling communities I've been a part of in NYC and San Francisco. Parents are homeschooling because they want to expose their child to a more diverse community - or they are joining a more inclusive community because they experienced discrimination in the school community they were a part of.

I think that many families feel that designing their child's learning has paved the way for them to meet families from more diverse perspectives and backgrounds than they would in their school, join a more inclusive community that has space to be more conscientious about how they relate to each other and paves the way for them to include historical viewpoints that are not incorporated in many traditional schools. Of course, the opposite can also be true. It mostly depends on the parent's intention I've found.

Some really great examples of diverse, inclusive homeschooling communities to give you a flavor for this are:

SEA homeschoolers https://www.facebook.com/groups/seahomeschoolers/

San Francisco Homeschooling and Unschooling Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/166286810672946/

HUGS SF https://www.facebook.com/groups/1931740383552142/

New York City Homeschool Support https://www.facebook.com/groups/262047073979701/

Wildschooling https://www.facebook.com/groups/wildschooling/

Bay Area Homeschool Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1537398423139116/

[jerf]

The homeschool (or now, "school addon") market is relatively competitive, compared to the public school "market". There's plenty of non-BLM curricula out there, and here I use "BLM" as a relatively narrow point, so by "non-BLM" I mean many things that are still liberal/left-wing, not as a catchall for an entire ideological "side". The choice is overwhelming, if anything.