Boundary Stone

 

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.

Economics Online Course Bundle from Boundary Stone  is an online self-paced, semester long Basic Economics course. This course includes a hardback textbook titled, Basic Economics, A Natural Law Approach to Economics, Fourth Edition, a 12 month online access to the course, a 128-page PDF teacher’s guide, and access to a Budget Mini Course.

Basic Economics ~ A Natural Law Approach to Economics covers the following material:

The Framework of Economics 

1. Why Basic Economics
2. In the Nature of Things
3. Government
4. Society and Morality
5. Property

The Production And Distribution of Goods

1. Scarcity and Economy
2. How We Get What We Want
3. A Medium Exchange - Money
4. The Age of Inflation
5. The Market and Prices
6. Failed Attempts To Control Prices
7. Monopoly and Competition
8. The Means of Production
9. The Entrepreneur and Production
10. The Distribution of Wealth 
11. International Trade

Politico-Economic Systems

1. Manorial-Feudal System
2. Mercantilism
3. Free Enterprise
4. Corporatism
5. Welfarism
6. Communism

We received an email that included a downloadable link with a PDF of the teacher’s guide. The teacher’s guide included a course syllabus, an overview of the semester, lesson plans, along with answer keys and tests. This was WONDERFUL! The course was all laid out. We were also provided with an online version of the United States Constitution, and a printable PDF of the book, The Law by Frederic Bastiat. To complete this course you will need to purchase, Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury. We actually already owned this book from older sibling using this book in their Economics classes.

Before we go further, lets answer the question, Why Economics? "Economics is a study of the thrifty use of scarce resources to satisfy human wants."

My daughter started by going over the Orientation Module found in the online lessons. Since I had a parent account I decided to go through the course myself. I never took an Economics course in high school or college. I was excited to learn more about how Economics worked. We both started out and got a good start and then COVID hit our house! Let's just say that I am very grateful that this course is self-paced and that Boundary Stone has graciously given us a 12 month access to the online portion of the program. It is quite ironic with all of the craziness that 2020 has brought us with shortages of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and so many more things that we are studying Economics which covers topics such as scarcity, supply and demand, etc. We are going through a perfect time right now to be studying Economics.

The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough

of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first

lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics. 

Thomas Sowell

There are two separate budgeting projects with the Budget Mini Course that the student starts at the beginning of the semester and completes at the end of the semester. 

I appreciated that the course incorporated Biblical principles of economics. Economics began in Genesis when God created Adam and Eve and commanded them to take dominion of the whole earth. This is known as the Dominion Mandate. "Work was instituted to achieve a purpose. The reality that we must work to produce things and, thus, that there will always be a cost connected to the things we what, has always been a part of the human condition." I think that most individuals would have no clue that government is ordained by God and that the structure of the government is set in the Bible.

Each chapter has a Chapter Content box showing what content is in the chapter. 

This is very helpful.

Throughout the chapters there are grey boxes with definitions, important tidbits of information, breakdowns of economic activity, famous quotes, etc. 

At the end of each chapter there are Study Guides. I really liked that this was included. Each study guide includes at Chapter Summary, Points of Emphasis, Identification, Taxation Terms, Review Questions, Activities, and For Further Study. 

The textbook is 379 pages in length and is hardcover. The layout of the book

and how they have the chapters broken down into sections is very helpful. It 

does not seem so daunting when chapters are in chunks instead of one long chapter.

The added boxes of highlighted information was very informative. Highlighted

vocabulary was helpful. 

The Economics Online Course Bundle is a wonderful complement to

 the Basic Economics textbook.

This course goes deep into the history of economics, government, 

and the way they affect economics. Your student will have video lessons,

online reading assignments, quizzes, tests, and more. 

 

The videos where engaging and relatable to a high school and 

adult audience. Both my daughter and I learned so much from

the videos. They really helped to solidify the information that we

read in the textbook. 

Here is a screenshot of one of the quiz questions from the

online course. The quizzes are automatically graded. 

Your quiz score is tabulated and shown right after the quiz is taken.

I really liked this page Natural Law vs. Positive Law that was 

included as part of the online course. 

Overall, I was very impressed with the Economics Online Course Bundle from Boundary Stone. I would most definitely recommend this course to other educators and homeschoolers. The course is a rich, solid, Bible based, Economics course that incorporates important historical insight into Economics. Please be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about the curriculum. 

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