So many words and phrases are credited to poet and playwright William Shakespeare. In this one-time 45 minute class, learners discovered what etymology is and how Shakespeare created some 2000+ words and figures of speech. We dove into some history and context, and learners discovered the mechanics of how Shakespeare created his words. We even got into some word-creating of our own!
Social Studies: The Ancient World
Year-long
In this two-semester weekly exploration we covered the ancient world from Mesopotamia through the fall of the Roman Empire. We began as an in-person class that paired history with hands-on projects like making Greek urns and jewelry fit for an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. We built a model of the flooding Nile and compared relative soil fertility by planting peas in sand and river soil. (Spoiler and total surprise: the peas sprouted in soil AND sand!) We made clay tablets and wrote our own laws like Hammurabi, and illustrated the superior strength of Iron Age metalworks by modelling in caramel candy.
When Covid-19 hit we switched gears: We continued to learn the history but we took to Zoom and added additional layers by practicing skills such as how to write an academic outline and how to research and create our own historical presentations using Google Slides.
Middle School Novel Study, Autumn
This once-a-week semester-long arts-integrated class focused on good conversation, language mechanics, parts of speech, critical thought, and falling in love with great literature. We studied classic literature like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Emerald City of Oz, and the short stories of O. Henry as well as contemporary kid lit including The Wild Robot and The Girl Who Drank the Moon.
A Week at Hogwarts, Autumn
Has your kid been waiting for their letter from Hogwarts? This is the class for them! Each student got a letter from Hogwarts (delivered by balloon owl, of course) and a train ticket directing them to Platform 9 3/4 King’s Cross Station, and then it was off to a fun-filled term at the famous school of Wizardry and Witchcraft. Pupils wore a uniform if they had one (they all had one) and enjoyed an Intro to Magical Beasts, learned about Latin- and Greek root words in Foundations of Charms, tried some poetry composition in Incantations, enjoyed lots of Games and Diversions, learned naturalist watercolor to fill our Owlery, and finished with Film Study and Magickal Cookery (owl cupcakes and movie party)!
* This was a super-fun course that we will be offering again in online form for Summer, 2025! Give a shout to be put on the interest list.
Inspire Your World: Street Art for Kids, Winter and Spring Sessions
If your kid has ever wanted to bring their art out of the studio and into the streets, this is the class for them! Street art can be a powerful tool for self-expression and a way to brighten up the world around us while inspiring viewers to step out of the mundane and into their own creative selves. According to Adbusters magazine, “Public art says ‘The human spirit is alive here.’” In this 4-week class (all classes 2 hours and an extra-long 3 hour class on our last meeting) we explored how visual arts, poetry, and performance can all be street art, allowing us to liven up, beautify, and interact with the world around us. We learned how to stencil a t-shirt, self publish a (maga)zine, green our community with eco art and much more!
* Please note: due to the wildly creative and deeply engaging nature of this class there were fun weekly homework assignments.
All the Time Eco-Projects, Winter
This 6-week workshop was all about experiments and projects! We applied basic permaculture principles and learned the Scientific Method to conduct experiments to visualize the difference between clean renewable energies versus fossil fuels. We created healing herbal medicines, cooked outside, and learned simple ways to nurture our local animal populations. We learned simple ways to green our lives and do good for Planet Earth. And we had a lot of fun!
Greek Gods and Monsters, Autumn
This class was a mythic blast! We made monsters and heroes out of clay and dough. We wrote postcards from Ancient Greece. We performed a play about Demeter and Persephone using our Comedy and Tragedy masks. We practiced math playing Zeus on the Loose and used strategy and critical thinking playing Labyrinth. We created Medusa headdresses, the Minotaur’s Labyrinth in Lego, and made our own myths using stop-motion animation, puppetry, and the written word. On the last day of class we celebrated a great 6 weeks with a Greek-inspired snack feast of dolma, pitas, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. We learned from a variety of sources, the most popular being D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths and YouTube clips from the Percy Jackson films. We’re gearing up for Norse Myth in the Spring. Hope to see you there!
welcome to see-level 