Your teen says they’re interested in technology. What can they actually show you?
Interest is easy. Skill takes building something, testing it, explaining it, and deciding what comes next. These five family studies give your teen a real place to start, one small mission a week.
Your job is to ask good questions and make room for practice. Your student’s job is to do the thinking and show the work. A mission game with XP, badges, ranks, and a final boss challenge keeps it fun.
Is this a good fit for your family?
- Yes, if your teen loves screens and you want them building with technology, not just consuming it.
- Yes, if you don’t know CAD, code, or drones and don’t want to buy equipment to find out if they care.
- Yes, if you want an elective that ends with something your teen can show: a design, a program, a mission plan, a portfolio.
- Yes, if you want a thoughtful, honest look at AI, including how to check it and when not to trust it.
- Maybe not, if you’re looking for industry certification or job training. These are introductory skill explorations.
By the end, your student will be able to
- Measure a real problem, model a solution in free CAD software, and pitch it with a cost estimate
- Plan a drone mission with weather, airspace, and safety checks, and know when to call it off
- Program a virtual robot with sequences, loops, and sensors, and debug it until it works twice
- Spot a convincing wrong AI answer, check claims against sources, and use AI without giving up the thinking
- Design a small virtual museum a visitor can navigate without help
- Teach each skill back without notes and save the work in a portfolio
What a week looks like
Plan on three short sessions a week, about 2–3 hours total:
- Session 1: Gather. Read the mission page and learn the week’s vocabulary.
- Session 2: Test. Predict, try, measure, and revise. Most of the hands-on work happens here.
- Session 3: Connect and Commit. Link it to a real person, problem, or job, save an artifact, and teach it back to you. You sign off on the mission.
Do one study in six weeks, or all five over a 30-week school year.
What you’ll need
- This PDF and a printer (black and white is fine)
- A computer with internet access for free tools and simulators (links are on the free bonus page)
- Optional, supervised extensions: a 3D printer, a robot kit, a drone, or a VR headset. Every study has a no-equipment route.
What’s inside
- Make It Real: 3D Printing and Product Design
- Mission Ready: Drones and Aerial Problem-Solving (entirely tabletop planning; no drone required)
- Robot on a Mission: Code, Build, and Troubleshoot
- AI Detective: Ask Better, Check Carefully, Create Responsibly
- World Builder: Virtual Reality and Interactive Design (no headset needed)
- Thirty weekly missions, each with a lesson page, a two-page mission sheet, and a parent sign-off
- A mission game: XP, six badges per study, three ranks, and a final boss challenge for each study
- A Mission Passport and starter vocabulary for each study
- Parent guides for every final challenge, with answer keys, what to look for, and a demonstration rubric
- Portfolio Launch Cards, a next-step conversation guide, and practical supervision notes
- A course map, hours log, Looking Back pages, and a course description page for your records
- A free bonus page with links to every official tutorial and FAA page in the book
Why the Fourfold Method works
Most schoolwork stops at reading the chapter and answering the questions. The Fourfold Method keeps going. Your student gathers what the source says, tests it against evidence, connects it to what they already know, and commits it in their own words. It’s the difference between “I watched a video about 3D printing” and “I designed a phone stand, printed it, fixed what broke, and here’s what it cost.” Lisa’s 5 Common Topics are built into every week as five conversation questions you can ask at the table.
Questions moms ask
Do I need to buy equipment?
No. Every study has a complete no-equipment route using free software and simulators. Printers, kits, drones, and headsets are optional extensions.
I’m not techy. Can I still teach this?
Yes. You ask the questions on the page and use the parent guides for each final challenge. Your teen does the technical work.
Does it count for credit?
All five studies together are about 60–90 hours, which most families count as a half credit elective in technology. You award the credit; the hours log and course description make it easy.
Can younger students join?
It’s written for grades 7–12. Younger students can dictate and do shorter projects with a parent.
Who wrote it?
Lisa Nehring, founder of True North Academy and host of the It’s Not That Hard to Homeschool podcast.
What you receive
- A printable PDF, 141 pages including the cover, 8.5 × 11 inches, designed to print clearly in black and white on a home printer.
- A family license: print as many copies as your household needs, for every child, every year.
- Your file is available only from the download page. It is not sent through a link in your order confirmation email, so please download it from the download page.
A first edition, shaped by the families who use it
This is a first edition, and we would love your help making the next one better. If a page is unclear, something is missing, or an idea would work better at your table, please tell us. Every purchase includes free updates. When a new edition is released, you will receive it at no additional cost.
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Lisa Nehring and her husband, Dr. David Nehring, a Clinical Psychologist, and Biblical Scholar speak together on a wide variety of topics, including education, classical education, vision, mission, parenting, marriage, and more.
New here? Start with our free guide, The Fourfold Method: A Guide for Homeschool Families. Four simple moves that help your children keep what they learn, in every subject and at every age.
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