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Classes are 'a la carte; take one or take them all!
Family Classes
Drumming Circle (Connie Ralston, $35 per family for four classes)
In Drum Circle we will learn how to listen to one another and work as a team to create new patterns. With Connie, we'll learn songs from all over the world. Connie is a veteran homeschooling mom who has been drumming for peace and leading drum circles for over 20 years. Please, no unaccompanied children. This class meets
once per month during the lunch hour
(11:45 - 12:30) on the following dates:
10/28, 11/25, 12/16 and 1/6
.
Offerings for ages 4-5Play and Learn (Patricia Richman, $60 per month for this two-hour block class)This two hour long class will offer your little person excitement and adventure as they explore their world through play and guided activities. We'll visit each of the seven continents, discover dinosaurs, study seasons and weather, marvel at animal mothers and babies, compare cultures through fairy tales and so much more! We frequently visit music, song, dance and stories along our journey, as well as letters, numbers and crafts. Although this is a block class, if your child can only attend for part of the time, this can be arranged. I look forward to playing and learning with your children!
Offerings for ages 6-9Classical Kids Book Club: Island of Adventure (Lydia Netzer, $30 per month)This semester, we will tackle the original epic sea adventure:
The Odyssey by Homer. Back to Ithaca we go – if only it could be so easy! Let’s follow Odysseus on his dangerous journey, and meet the Sirens, Calypso, Circe, Polyphemus, and more! We’ll weave like Penelope, make a bag of winds like Aeolus, eat lotus, sing like sirens, argue like Telemachus, and face the wrath of Poseidon. The characters, plot, and settings of The Odyssey will come alive as we learn about Homer’s great vision. What makes a whirlpool? How hard is it really to string a bow? Can you really make a bed with live trees for bedposts? While we will be using a contemporary translation for young readers to make the story more accessible for this age group, we will also be engaging with some of the classically translated poetry, as well as modern and ancient works of art and literature based on these myths. We will even memorize and sing parts of it, as it was originally passed down through history in song.
Magnificent Monsters of the Mysterious East (Melina Winterton, $30 per month)In this class, students will explore various mythological beasts and lore from Eastern cultures including China, Japan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, India, and Taiwan. Each week, we'll introduce a new monster and discuss how this monster reflects cultural values and customs. We'll be reading stories, writing stories, creating masks and costumes, and listening to music from each of the countries we "visit." Allergies allowing, we'll also have ethnic snacks. This class is appropriate for both reading and non-reading participants. Please be sure to send your child in craft appropriate clothing- there will be paint, glitter, and glue!
Super Science 101 (Rosemary Ayres, $30 per month)A hands-on elementary science class with monthly unit studies such as Mad Machinists (Simple Machines), Exciting Electricians, Crazy Chemists, and Aspiring Astronauts. We will have FUN while exploring elementary science by examining, experiencing, and of course-experimenting! Get out your lab coat and join me in being a mad scientist for an hour each week!!
Stepping it Up with Art and the Materials (Carla Boklage/John Grassmick of The Portsmouth Museums, $110 for 15 classes)
The adventure continues for the older set! Art making continues with learning about more artists and more information about art materials. There will be fun with watercolor and acrylics and right around the corner will come sculpting and printmaking! Drawing skills will not be left behind and personal sketchbooks will be made and used all semester. Remember to dress for mess because art does not always stay neat!
Offerings for ages 9-12Physics (Ginny Harvey, $30 per month)Physics is a one semester class using the textbook Real Science 4 Kids Physics Level I. Topics covered will include the definition of physics; force, energy and work; electrical energy and charges; and light and sound. Textbook reading, reports and workbook pages will be assigned for homework. Much of our class time will be devoted to conducting experiments and recording our data. Some history of science will be covered as well. There will be a $20 lab fee.
Required books:
Real Science 4 Kids Physics Level I Student Text
Physics Level I Laboratory Worksheets
Drawing: Line and Color (Joanna Jenkins, $20 per month)Learn to draw with an experienced art teacher and excellent materials. We will start with the basic techniques of drawing and shading, and move on to color work to create depth and perspective. Try portraiture, landscapes, still life, and more. Give your imagination the technical tools it needs, so you can put on paper the images you see in your mind. Class fee includes all materials. Materials will be kept on site until the completion of the semester and then sent home!
The Geography of Economics (Susan Hemingway, $35 per month)This is a very activity oriented class with lots of hands on and cooperative activities. There will be no assigned textbook or curriculum per se other than what I pass out. We will be covering World geography and learning about the world in spatial terms, i.e. how to use maps and other tools to analyze the organization of people, places and environments on the Earth. We will study places and regions, physical systems, human systems, environment and society and finally how to use Geography to plan for the future of our planet.
Drama (Lynn Waltz, $35 per month)This class teaches students to use an organic approach to acting. While students will ultimately present monologues and dialogue scene, we will not use traditional memorization and blocking techniques. Rather, students will work scenes script-in-hand until they are no longer necessary. The class will include basic elements of physical presentation (body), learning to appropriately call upon the emotional well and basic requirements of public speaking (voice). Students will be responsible for bringing in props or bits of costume, but only as needed to develop character.
Offerings for ages 13 and upLove's Rough Course: Shakespeare (Dr. Brian Brennan, $35 per month)This course is designed to introduce students to the practical matters of critical reading and writing. Students will be shown ways to actively read and usefully reflect on their reading (such as underlining, note-taking, and journaling), as well as how to craft questions that will lead to interesting discussions and successful essays.
Texts include:
Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, and Taming of the Shrew.
Biology (Susan Hemingway, $35 per month)This class will be taught as a high school Biology class utilizing both 1st and 2nd semester. Class time will be devoted to going over assigned reading and doing lab work. There will be actual dissections. I will keep records for all students for their high school documentation although parents may decide on grade assignments. There will be a $20 lab fee each semester.
Current Events Improv (Lynn Waltz, $35 per month)This improvisational writing and acting class teaches collaborative performance art based on real life events. Each week, students will bring in a newspaper clipping. We will briefly discuss the dramatic elements, then assign roles and rough out a plotline. Scenes will be acted out and taped for transcription. Traditional acting skills will be covered as well as dramatic writing form.
From Rebels to Founders: A journey to the U.S. Constitution (Melina Winterton, $30 per month)We will start this class with a cross-cultural introduction to world history circa 1600 to help us put the colonization of North American into global context. From there, we will trace political, social, and economic trends that set the stage for the American Revolution. We'll explore the text of our Constitution, compare it to other political charter documents, and try our hand at writing our own charter.
