CyberPatriots--Sounds Interesting Right?!

As I discussed in my post, “Dream Giver,” as a homeschool mom, I’m always introducing my kids to things that I think will perk some of their interest. Sometimes I have signed them up or "volun-told" them for things and it was a complete flop.  Other times they have thrived and gained new interests.

For my boys, in particular, nothing has really excited them except for playing video games (which I currently limit to the weekend). To be honest this does cause some concern but as a mother, I am trying to use their interest in gaming to guide me. 

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we have decided that they wouldn’t play sports this year. In our county, teams are still competing but we don’t want to take the risk of acquiring the virus.

So that has left us to virtual after-school activities. I signed them up for a video-game development class with Code-Crew. The classes are structured great and they are extremely affordable--I’m talking $10/class.

You might think for the inexpensive price, it would be light and fluffy instruction but Code-Crew is known for its thorough instruction.  As a result, my boys are enjoying this semester building video game apps, using the software “Thunkable.”

In addition to the Code-Crew class, I signed them up with CyberPatriots.​

CyberPatriots, according to their website, “is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association (AFA) to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future.”

I have no idea if my boys will like it, but they will be joining a middle school team and compete from October 2020-January 2021. 

I’m hoping they will come out with increased knowledge and interest in computer science and cybersecurity, as well as exposure to new career paths.  In addition, I hope seeds of leadership development, teamwork skills, and value for a strong work ethic will be planted. 

We’ll see how it goes!