Traditionally this course is designed for elementary students but I have found it is more applicable and memorable if completed in middle school. Students will learn about income, banking, how to balance a bank account, spending and saving money, and about the roles that individuals play within an economic system. Generally, kids participate in a simulation at the conclusion of the class. We will hold our own simulation at the center where students will have a "job", earn "money", deposit their paychecks, balance their account, and shop/play at the other "stores".
In this class, students will be taught the ancient art of block printing using linocut technique. Working within a loose theme for each assignment, projects will begin with composition and design in the form of a drawing, pulling from the student’s own inspiration and reference photos. Students will transfer the drawing from paper onto linoleum slabs and carve out the design using a kit of carving blades. Printing ink will then be rolled on and paper pressed to create a series of original handmade prints and cards. Once created, block prints can be used an endless amount of times!
This class is workshop style, giving students the space to freely work at their own pace following instruction at the beginning of each class. Printing days will be scheduled throughout the semester to print all completed blocks to date. This is an art form that takes time and pacing will be different for each student. My intention is for students to deep dive into this art and to do so will require a slow down and moving along at the artist’s individual pace to achieve mastery of the assignment and joy in the process.
Homework: Students will be asked to brainstorm at home for subject matter that is meaningful to them for their own block print designs. It will be suggested they bring in a few printed reference photos or photographs of their own. These can be landscapes, pets, objects of personal importance, etc. Students will have a sketchbook that will be kept in the classroom for the duration of the semester, but if your student has a strong interest in this art form, it is recommended to also have a sketchbook at home for taking down new ideas and sketches for future prints that can be brought to and from class.
At the end of the semester, students will have the option to keep their carving kit for at home projects.
Requirements:
Due to the nature of the sharp carving tools used in this class, students must be able to follow directions well and be open to slowing down to put the required time into the details of the project.
In this class, students will be taught the ancient art of block printing using linocut technique. Working within a loose theme for each assignment, projects will begin with composition and design in the form of a drawing, pulling from the student’s own inspiration and reference photos. Students will transfer the drawing from paper onto linoleum slabs and carve out the design using a kit of carving blades. Printing ink will then be rolled on and paper pressed to create a series of original handmade prints and cards. Once created, block prints can be used an endless amount of times!
This class is workshop style, giving students the space to freely work at their own pace following instruction at the beginning of each class. Printing days will be scheduled throughout the semester to print all completed blocks to date. This is an art form that takes time and pacing will be different for each student. My intention is for students to deep dive into this art and to do so will require a slow down and moving along at the artist’s individual pace to achieve mastery of the assignment and joy in the process.
Homework: Students will be asked to brainstorm at home for subject matter that is meaningful to them for their own block print designs. It will be suggested they bring in a few printed reference photos or photographs of their own. These can be landscapes, pets, objects of personal importance, etc. Students will have a sketchbook that will be kept in the classroom for the duration of the semester, but if your student has a strong interest in this art form, it is recommended to also have a sketchbook at home for taking down new ideas and sketches for future prints that can be brought to and from class.
At the end of the semester, students will have the option to keep their carving kit for at home projects.
Requirements:
Due to the nature of the sharp carving tools used in this class, students must be able to follow directions well and be open to slowing down to put the required time into the details of the project.
Students can enroll in quarter-long (8 weeks/two month) book groups that meet every other week to discuss two books that have been assigned at the beginning of the quarter. Each group will be supplied with an assigned reading list, structure and discussion questions.
Each book group will meet 4 times
Each book group will cost $20/student
Two clubs will meet one week then two the next (4 total)
Students will choose one for the months of September and October:
Allegory: Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies
Early 20th Century U.S.: Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby
Early 19th Century Romance: Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice
The Most Classic of American Novels: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Scarlet Letter
Brain & Body Balance
God designed our brains and bodies to work together — and this class helps students strengthen that connection! Through fun, bilateral movement activities, children will improve coordination, handwriting, math comprehension, focus, and emotional regulation. These exercises help calm the body, open the mind to learning, and build a strong foundation for academic and personal growth — all while celebrating God’s amazing design!
A Hands-on Literary Adventure Class
“What could be better than reading a Brave Book together?” Structured around the Brave Books Series, this literary adventure class will introduce themes centered around bravery, timeless virtues, and most importantly God’s goodness. Educational themes will be drawn out through class conversation and asking questions to seek after truth. This class will be tailored to an upper elementary audience to include: team competition games to solidify learning themes from the books, bravery spotlights with occasional visits from our very own hometown heroes to share their own firsthand accounts of bravery in action, Brave Book storyboarding: where you write and storyboard your own Brave Book through character and story arc development to share with the class, A seminal skit where our class will select the Brave book they would like to feature by developing a script and acting out their skit at the end of the term for their families.
And much more…
Additionally, the class will be learning bible verses together, the greatest command, and the fruits of the spirit.
“What could be better than reading a Brave Book together?” Structured around the Brave Books Series, this is a literary adventure class examining bravery, timeless virtues, and most importantly God’s goodness. Through class conversation and quality questions, this class will be tailored to a younger pre-k to elementary audience and include: Hands-on crafting and creations, Team Competition Games, Bravery spotlights with occasional visits from our very own hometown heroes to share about bravery, create a Freedom Island Explorer Mascot together with mixed media ie. paper mache, and a Seminal Skit based on a Brave book of the classes choosing, and more. Additionally, the class will be learning bible verses together, the greatest command, and the fruits of the spirit.
Writing is not merely an academic task—it is the process of discovering one's own voice. This course invites students to step into the role of a writer, with a belief that writing should be a joyful, low-stress, and deeply personal practice. By applying the foundational principles of Brave Writer, we move away from formulaic "school-at-home" assignments and toward authentic expression.
In this workshop, students will explore the "magic" of great literature through high-quality "living books" to teach mechanics, grammar, and literary analysis in a meaningful, non-punitive context. Rather than deconstructing literature until it loses its appeal, we look at how authors build worlds and construct arguments, using these examples as a springboard for our own creative writing.
What Students Will Gain:
Literary Appreciation: Engage with texts that inspire curiosity and discussion.
Writing Fluency: A steady increase in confidence through the practice of freewriting, descriptive observation, and developmental editing.
A "Brave" Perspective: A mindset shift where writing is a way to engage with the world, not a hurdle to overcome.
Instructor Note for Parents
Bogart's Brave Writer programs are well known for being light on spelling, grammar, and punctuation, so this class will add customized help addressing these elements where your student needs the help the most.
We have five different Lego Duplo education sets to explore with your preschool/preK kids. Learning will begin through free exploration and experimentation, before we try different challenges in the curriculums. Kids will be developing problem solving skills while working on accepting things that didn't work as part of the path to success. Playing and working with Legos, improves fine motor skills, spatial reasoning, creativity, and social skills. Manipulating the bricks helps develop hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and finger strength. Building also encourages spatial reasoning.
Available kits include
STEAM Park
Tubes
Mosaic Tiles
Coding Express
Engineering (retired kit)
We will work through the curriculums at the kids pace introducing new kits when they will expand or extend learning. We may not use every kit during this semester.
Requirements:
Parents, please take care of restroom or diaper needs before class. Please stay available on Slack in case bathroom needs arise during class. A parent may accompany tentative students to help them become more comfortable with independence.