Families Home Schooling for Excellence

Winter 2009 Class Schedule

Opening Exercises is from 9:30-9:40

Course Descriptions

American Artists: If you register for American Artists, it must be for both second and third periods.

American Courts: This class is for strong readers who are 11-up.  We will learn where laws come from, how a "case" is created, how it works its way through the legal system, and about some important cases in American history and how they affect us today.  There will be homework in this class.

American History Play: We will be learning about a time/events in early American history, do activities, and in the end put on a play. Students who sign up might need to spend time outside of class learning lines for the final performance.

Career Exploration: We will be talking about personalities, discovering our strengths and exploring the careers that may match with our abilities.  There will be guests sharing about careers as well as learning about what it takes to support a family financially.  There will be no required homework.

Chemistry: Have you ever wondered about what everything around you is made of? Or wondered how something can change from one type of substance to another? Through safe experiments, we will explore matter, its properties, compounds, mixtures, the difference between physical and chemical changes, the structure of matter, the periodic table, and more. Students will need to bring safety goggles for added safety. Some home reading will be required.

Choir: The Choir will be preparing and performing songs from musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein.  Songs include The Sound of Music, Oh what a Beautiful Morning, Edelweiss, The Surrey with the Fringe on Top, I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right out of my Hair, June is Bustin Out all Over, Oklahoma, I Whistle a Happy Tune, Do-Re-Mi, It Might as Well be Spring, There is Nothin' like a Dame, Shall we Dance, and You'll Never Walk Alone.  There is a $5 materials fee for music.  The choir will perform at a community location after co-op on March 10th.

Ecosystems: We will be studying the different Environments and ecosystems of the earth: desert, polar, mountain, rain forest, etc. and learning about the weather, plants, animals, and people that live in these areas.

Geography:

History of Sports: In the History of Sports, we will cover the entire history of sports including ancient sports, the Olympics and all the major sports and many minor and less popular ones too. We will also play the board game "Sports Challenges for Kids" (ages 6 and up) each week, which features tabletop versions of soccer, basketball and tennis while testing knowledge of sports history and rules. There will be a grand prize winner at the final class of the session. Batter up...

It's Ancient History. . .Or Is It?: The ancient people of Rome, China, Ireland and Greece contributed much to our life today. Though books, media and games we will be learning some fun fact about how these people lived and what things we have because of them.

Little-Known History:

Magic Tree House--The Mystery of the Lost Stories: Come along for a journey back in time as we join Jack and his sister Annie as they try to find 4 lost stories. Our journey will take us to four ancient lands: Rome, China, Ireland and Greece. This is a 2 hour class and in that time I will be reading from the Magic Tree House books and then discussing the 5 Ws: who, what, when, where, why and how. In addition to this the children will be making some crafts from each land we visit. I'm asking for $2 per child to help cover the cost of supplies. 

Making Things for Your 18" Doll:

Math Chef: We will be touching on things like the metric system, volume, how to find the area of something, multiplication, division, - all while cooking and playing in the kitchen.

Preschool: We will be reading one book a week and then doing different projects related to that particular book.  We will have music time, art time, and of course, some play time.  It should be a lot of fun!

Rhythm 'Round the World: In this class we take an imaginary tour around the world to explore drums, percussion and music from various cultures.  Students will play on a variety of different hand-drums and other percussion instruments.  We will dance and sing in the traditions of West Africa and Native America, make our own musical instruments and enjoy the community-building nature of the rhythm circle.  In addition, we will listen to distinct forms of music from over 16 other cultures: building our awareness of how Rhythm 'Round the World has influenced and shaped communities for centuries.  It'll be a great ride so grab a gong and let's get our groove-on!

Winter Wonderland: We will be doing crafts with a winter theme that include a few holidays. There will be a $1 charge to cover the cost of materials. I'm excited to get started. I love your kids!