Description of Classes
Nursery, Newborn–2 years old
Our nursery class creates a daily rhythm for our babies and toddlers to feel safe, loved on, and cared for. This daily rhythm includes engaging songs and stories, Bible tellings, outdoor exploration, art activities, sensory play, snacks, and snuggles.
Preschool, 3-4 years old
Our preschool days are filled with reading wonderful stories, reciting nursery rhymes, creating art projects, singing folk songs, and developing good habits. We enjoy poetry, Bible tellings, and artist prints. We spend time outdoors exploring and crafting with nature.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is a kinetic, beautifully abbreviated version of the 2nd - 6th grade subjects. We use a literature-based, hands-on approach including weekly tellings of Aesop's fables and fairy tales. In this class, we reinforce Charlotte Mason's foundational habits.
1st – 6th grade
Art: We teach the elements of art and the principles of design through process-focused projects. We incorporate various mediums including but not limited to drawing, painting (watercolor and acrylic), oil pastels, and clay. We also incorporate a time for folk dancing each year as well as Shakespeare set design for our end-of-year skits.
Picture Study: We focus on four artists per year. We learn about the artist and his style. We enjoy six of his works. (Each family takes home a laminated, cardstock, colored copy of each print for display in the home each week, resulting in a total of 24 prints by year’s end.)
Composer Study: We focus on four composers per year. We learn about the composer and his style. We enjoy six of his compositions which we listen to during class.
Nature (1st - 5th grades): We cycle through three topics per year (taken from Ambleside Online’s nature study rotation). We spend our nature time out-of-doors, filled with observation, exploration, journaling, and nature crafting. We read from living books that spark wonder and awe at God’s creation. And we learn different nature skills to help us in our time outdoors.
Adventures with a Microscope (6th grade): We begin our transition from nature study and the study of God’s macro world to microscope and the study of God’s micro world. This is a lovely class full of different “adventures” each week as they learn the workings of the microscope and slide preparation.
Geography: We utilize Simply Charlotte Mason’s Geography curriculum to implement a gentle, literature-based, map-work approach to learning geography. We gain a glimpse into the culture and tradtions, and we enjoy cuisine from the different countries. We focus on one continent per year.
Poetry: We focus on three poets per year. We enjoy their poetry read aloud in class, we learn about the poet, and we practice regular coffee shop-style recitation days where students have the opportunity to share the poems they have memorized (optional but encouraged) or any type of creative work that respresents the poet / poem.
Hymn Study: We select six hymns per year, focusing on one hymn per month. We learn about the hymn’s author and the hymn’s significance, and we sing! We sing in class and we sing in Assembly all together.
Shakespeare: With the younger grades, we read multiple plays per year in the narrative form, becoming acquainted with many of Shakespeare's works; we often use hand puppets and the like to bring the stories to life for these little ones. Starting in 4th grade, we read through one Shakespeare play per year. We read the story-form version first and then we read the play together, acting it out each week, often with props and costumes. Most years the students perform a scene from the play at the end-of-year banquet.
Middle School, 7th–8th grade
Art: See description above
Shakespeare: Covering two plays per year, this course cultivates delight and depth, complimenting at-home reading with a dynamic classroom experience that includes short lectures, group analysis, recitation, and exposure to famous quotes and literary devices. Students prepare a scene for our year-end banquet.
Science: We cycle through a 2-year rotation of a living books science curriculum equivalent to General and Physical Science. Year 1 includes Botany, Geology, Astronomy, Technology/Engineering. Year 2 includes Biology, Chemistry, Weather, Physics. *All reading is done at home; labs only are completed at co-op.
Elective: We cycle through a 2-year rotation of Florida History and Presidential History, utilizing a living books approach.
High School, 9th–12th grade
Art: See description above
Shakespeare: Covering two plays per year, this course cultivates delight and depth, complimenting at-home reading with a dynamic classroom experience that includes short lectures, group analysis, recitation, and exposure to famous quotes and literary devices. Students prepare a scene for our year-end banquet.
Science: We cycle through a 3-year rotation of a living books science curriculum. Biology. Chemistry. Human Anatomy. *All reading is done at home; labs only are completed at co-op.
Elective: We cycle through a 3-year rotation. Government/Economics. Worldview. Logic.