The word “alveary” originally meant a beehive, and it later came to also mean a repository of knowledge. The Alveary uses that word to sum up what they offer. They assist and provide a community for schools, co-ops, and families that want to implement a Charlotte Mason approach to education. The Alveary also supplies thorough lesson plans—tailored for each year for grades one through twelve—while you do the teaching.
You pay a yearly membership fee, choosing a plan with or without the Syllabird scheduling tool. Then you will purchase books and some course resources on your own. Memberships are tied to a school calendar with three terms per year. You only need one membership to cover your entire family, and this gives you access to material for all levels for all three terms. The Alveary is designed to be a comprehensive program, but you can select only a few courses if you wish to. The membership fee remains the same either way. You can enroll as early as March for the following school year, but all memberships expire on June 30 of the next year. (You can print out materials in advance of the expiration date if you need to continue work past June.)
You get plenty of support with this program. You will be prompted to begin with the site tour. The first items on the tour are links to Alveary Foundations and the Reflective Practice Plan Book. Alveary Foundations walks parents and teachers through text and videos that teach the methodology and provide practical information.
The Alveary faithfully reflects Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education in both its selection of courses and its methodology. For instance, it includes the use of copywork and narration, and it incorporates life skills, singing, handicrafts, and foreign languages─subjects not always taught in the elementary grades. There is also an expectation that students will spend some time outdoors each day, including time for nature walks and observation.
The program also includes Christian content, but it is non-denominational. In terms of the presentations of human diversity in the curriculum, the FAQs say, "We are intentional about including books that represent diverse ethnicities and cultures and honor the personhood of all people."
The Alveary’s main subject areas are architecture, art, Bible, citizenship, English, geography, history, Latin, life skills, literature, mathematics, modern languages, movement, music, and science. Members can either follow a preset program or choose from a selection of courses, although the exact same courses are not offered every year. History, in particular, cycles through different historical eras each year. Detailed lesson plans for each course can be downloaded, although you can pay to have them printed and delivered to you.
Many courses can be used with children at more than one grade level. Appropriate grade levels for each course are listed in the catalog. Parents are encouraged to teach children together whenever possible if they are close in their learning levels.
Course information includes links for you to purchase books and other resources. Links sometimes show comparison shopping prices from two or more sources, but many links are only to Amazon. The Alveary Living Library has descriptions of the books used in the program, and they are primarily what Charlotte Mason called living books.
Some proprietary items created by the Charlotte Mason Institute are provided for free. These include lesson plans, supply lists, supporting files if needed, exams, and answer keys as well as some teacher guides.
The lesson plans are great, but you have to switch to the plan for each course every day unless you use the option that includes the Syllabird online planner. Syllabird has to be populated with courses and assignments, but once that's done, it can be used as an easy reference for daily assignments, to track progress, and to record grades.
The program is not open-and-go since it requires preparation time. Courses for the elementary grades also require frequent interaction. Students gradually learn to work independently, and the lesson plans for high school students are written directly to students so they can do much of their work on their own.
There are still more features—more than I can describe here. Examples of those features are:
Alveary Weekly - online newsletter
Free-Reads Book Shelf - a searchable list of more than 1,000 living books that includes recommended grade levels and Amazon links.
The Hive - a social media platform for Alveary members to connect with one another in a secure setting.
Summary
You can see how the Alveary fits the definition as both a hive and a depository of knowledge since it is a digital hive where homeschoolers can connect and it offers a wealth of knowledge. It’s a great resource for those who want to implement Charlotte Mason’s methodology but want help doing so.
