Online Hunter Education Course for Kids

[Adicted]

Have any of you done it with your kids. I put my oldest son in the actual class and it was great. I'm on a waiting list for a while now and the only classes they have is during the week and I just cant swing it...

 

So I can do the online class then just schedule a field day. Have you dont this with your 9-10 yr old and how did they do with hit?

[PRDATR]

I put my kids through it when they were 9+10 along with myself after the woman from the Parks Dept made a big deal out of me sitting along side them in the class. She actually made the instructors throw me out because the class was full so the kids sat through the first class alone.

Strings were pulled, which royally ticked her off, and a "spot" was opened up for me and I paid the full amount so I could be in the class with the kids. My 10yo got a higher score than me. LOL

[Kaffer62]

My boy just turned I 9. Was think of this as well. Maybe the classroom environment would hold their attention better.... anyone else have there 9 year old do the online?

[sherman]

My daughter did the online class in 3 days. It is set up in a way that it goes at there pace. Just an fyi don't help them out because they take a test on the field day that my daughter said was a bit hard.

[Tines]

It can be convenient, yes. We found it frustrating when we couldn't find a traditional class to get my daughter into for months. So we went the online route.

 

Depending on how much time you and your child have, it may be alright for you. I put her through the online course last year and it was a pain for everyone. My wife isn't a hunter so she could only help her with some of the questions when I wasn't around. Oh yeah, and about those questions. It's obvious a gov't agency came up with them. AWFUL questions. Some of them might have been brought on from the Common Core team. I found myself re-wording a bunch of questions so she'd understand. And she's a smart girl.

 

I've got 4 more kids that will eventually go through the course. My son being next year. And it'll be in the classroom from here on out. Hope this helps

[WHALE]

I did last year with 2 of my girls and it was great. I was able to take the time to explain questions they had and it was fun for me. I made sure to not help them on the tests so come field day I was sure they were ready. It can be some fun father/daughter time.

[PRDATR]

I don't think doing the course online was an alternative back in 1998 when my kids went through it. I really feel that kids will get a 1000X more out of the course if they can go to one where there are other people there.

They will meet other people and kids who also learning the in's and out's of shooting which is the basis of hunting. When they are in a classroom environment with a bunch of other people it really takes the pressure off and people open up and ask questions that some people may want to ask but don't because they don't want to be perceived as someone that doesn't know everything.

These instructors are well trained and while we as parents have a lot of knowledge, we have a tendency to put too much pressure on our kids and it can be a big problem for them because they just want to live up to our expectations of success which can really ruin a hunt and turn them off.

One positive thing of going to a class is they get to meet and see other people that are just like them.

[GJMauro12]

My dad just put my little sister through the online course and field day this year before turkey season. I didn't see any of it first hand but she did try quizzing me on some of the things that she learned.

 

Personally, I wanted her to take the traditional class but she carried the shot gun durning the turkey hunt as safe as can be, so the online can't be too bad.

 

Funny story- I took the traditional class when I was 10 and 11 because I thought I would get an extra bonus point. The instructor didn't realize I had gone through it already until the last day with the test. He didn't even let me take the test.

[IA Born]

As an instructor, I can tell you that I see kids in the classroom do much better than online kids, especially the younger ones. The classroom seems to hold their attention and there is a great deal of review for the test. The biggest issue with the online class and subsequent field day/test is that it can be weeks to a couple of months before taking the test. I highly recommend a classroom class if you can for your younger kids.

[Shooter McGavin]

Last year I had my 10 yr do the online class because their were no classes available (Tucson area) at that time and I wanted him to partake in the fall javelina and deer for 2012. I sat with him and we took turns reading aloud each paragraph, he did one then I did the other. When it was time to take the test after each section we wrote down each question and then he would answer them. Any of the wrong answers we went back through and reread that portion. It took some time (staring at a computer is an awful way to learn) to get through the whole class and then he took the final exam, he ended up passing which allowed us to sign him up for the field day. I want to say it was at least 1 1/2-2 months out from when we finished the on line course. The field day was great, the instructors went over a lot of the info that the on line class talked about, but the actual test had many questions that really weren't discussed. The final test was very long, I want to say at least 11 of the kids didn't pass the first go around, but the instructors then took each kid aside and walked them through each of the questions they missed to get a passing grade.

 

I have 2 more kids that need to take the firearm saftey class and I will not do the on line class again. I feel the classroom setting will be more intimate and allow the kids to ask questions, get to know other kids and share stories, plus make some new friends.

 

I remember taking the class 33 yrs ago when I was 10 and still remember being taught T-A-B and being that I have children this is the first rule they learned and recited prior to picking up a firearm.

 

Just my 2 cents