Frequently asked questions

Jump to any of these:

Payment •  Our families •  Science classes •  Close reading classes •  Genius workshops •  General

If you don’t find a clear answer there, shoot us a message, and we’ll write you back.

Oh, a note: right now, a lot of these assume you want the Current Class science course — but if you want our science lessons, you probably want to stream the lessons, starting at the beginning! (We’re in the process of revamping the site.) You can see the FAQ for that here:

How do I pay?

1. Click on the “grab a seat” button

2. Click any of the icons

3. Fill out a quick form (kid’s name, that sort of thing)

4. Click the 🛒 button in the bottom corner of your screen

When will I be charged?

For subscriptions, you’ll be charged right when you sign up (for the first month’s payment), and then once a month after the class begins. (If it’s the summer, and you’re signing up for the fall, that means we’ll hit pause on the subscription.)

For all other class purchases, you’ll be charged right as you check out.

Do you take Bitcoin? Pretty shells? Giant rocks?

We take both Stripe and PayPal — we regret that life is [dramatic sigh!] complicated, and we’re not able to take any other forms of payment at the moment.

I want to subscribe, but I can’t afford it. Do you offer any discounts?

You better believe it! Check out our discounts page.

Webinars, seminars, scimitars — what’s the difference?

Webinars are cameras-off, and for any age of kid. Seminars are cameras-on, and for specific age ranges. Scimitars are a type of one-edged curved sword used by the Mongols in the Middle Ages… what are we talking about, again?

For more details, check out our Webinars vs. Seminars page.

Is this just for homeschoolers?

Our classes are for everyone: homeschoolers and public schoolers, kids and grown-ups, Americans and global citizens, democrats and republicans. If you like learning, asking questions, and challenging yourself, our classes are probably for you.

My kid is busy in the daytime — any options?

For our science courses, you can get the recorded webinar — we’ll send you the new lessons on Wednesday evenings.

Do you work with schools?

We love to work with schools! Shoot us a message, and we’ll put our heads together to see if we can make something wonderful happen for your students.

Is there any reason this isn’t the right fit for me?

We can think of five, at least! But the only way to know for sure is to try it out. Choose a lesson to stream for free.

I’m an adult; can I take your class?

You can! We restrict the seminars to specific age ranges, and the live webinar to students 8–18, but the recorded webinar can be taken by anyone.

Is this a full science curriculum?

And how! The video lessons by themselves may be more than enough for younger kids; for older kids, you may want to add on the many, many activities in our Deep Dives.

In fall 2023, we’re adding in even bigger stuff — check out our “Orienting tools”.

How often does it meet? 

Once a week.

What times does the current class meet at?

A few different times; we offer four sessions of the seminar, and one of the webinar.

If I have to miss a live lesson, can I get a recording?

Always. If miss a live webinar, you’ll always get the recording, too. If you miss a seminar, just send a message to Angela.

Can I buy just one topic?

We always have the upcoming topic available to purchase on our “Grab a Seat” page. You can also buy one of the old topics to download.

How do I subscribe?

After the year begins, we hide these from the store, so people don’t get confused — but you can find the subscription links at the end of the descriptions for the live webinar, recorded webinar, and seminars.

What’s the “Philosophers Club”? Is it mandatory?

It’s a sixth week of extra festivities we create for kids who need the challenge (it’s not required).

What’s the “Scary Test”?

After each topic, we make a test for students who’d like to be in the Philosophers Club. We send it out the Friday after the fifth lesson.

I don’t think my kids can keep up with the weekly lessons — is there a way I can self-pace?

Yeah! Go as slow as you’d like through our streamable Year 1 option. (It’s not a race!)

I have more than one kid; how can I sign up multiple kids?

For the seminars, we offer a sibling discount. And for the webinars, don’t worry about it — the classes are for the whole family.

Do you have a syllabus?

We do! Here’s our syllabus for the 2023–24 school year.

I’m part of a charter school that reimburses me for classes. Do you work with that?

We can try! (Some charter school systems are easy to work with, some are nigh-impossible. We’re a small company, and don’t have anyone who does this full-time.) Shoot us a message, and tell us the details.

What if I’m not happy with my class?

If you’re not ecstatic, we’ll give you a full refund, no questions asked.

Do you teach facts, or help kids become thinkers?

This question is wrong.

There’s a myth among teachers that knowledge and thinking are separate things. In reality, the more you know about something, the better you can think about it. (The cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham speaks wonderfully about this in his book Why Don’t Students Like School? and this quick YouTube video.)

And oh, do we help kids amass a lot of knowledge!

But thinking — creative problem solving — is the heart of what we do. Each lesson is a riddle that the kids try solve. As they solve it, they learn new facts… which they use to solve future riddles!

To see more of how our lessons work, take a look at how we use the system of Kieran Egan.

What’s “close reading”?

A pretty big deal — and the skill we build all our humanities classes on!

See what we mean by it on our “Close Reading” landing page.

Can I take “Reading Comics” asynchronously?

You betcha! We record each lesson, and send out the link after each class.

Can I take “Arguing Comics” asynchronously?

Alas, no! We take student privacy very seriously, and “Arguing Comics” is done in our “Socratic Seminar” style — students argue face-to-face.

Can I take “Eating Poems” asynchronously?

In fact, that’s the only way to take it! “Eating Poems” is the first of our “Do-It-Yourself” style of curriculum. When you purchase it, you get a PDF. It’s designed to take 20 weeks to go through, but you’re free to go through it at whatever speed you’d like.

What are these?

Workshops for adults and kids, laying out some simple method (or huge idea) that we find utterly transformational.

Can I watch some old ones?

Yup! You can find them on the store.

What new workshops are coming up?

We’ve moved away from these, but Brandon’s posting this sort of stuff on his substack, “The Lost Tools of Learning”. (You might especially enjoy the one on the Deep Practice Book.)

Are dragons real?

This is actually a better question than you might think — cryptozoology is an unappreciated way for animal-loving kids to move  into theoretical science. Can I recommend the book series Behind the Legend? They also have good books on Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, werewolves, unicorns, and zombies.

Why do you teach online?

As parents, we tend to be fairly strict on screen-time. And as educators, we’re skeptical of how good “virtual” teaching can be.

But the reality is we’ve found we can teach better in a virtual environment than in physical space. Our classes are more high-energy, and easier to focus in.

And this allows us to be more accessible to kids around the world.

Why do parents like these courses so much?

Maybe it’s because they help a lot of kids fall in love with the world? Maybe it’s because kids actually enjoy, learn, retain, and connect stuff. Maybe it’s because Brandon is just so danged handsome tells more than his fair share of poop jokes.

See what parents have said about this!