DESCRIPTIONS:

Animal Exploration- Students will learn about domesticated animals and animals native to our area. Topics will include types of domesticated animals and how they affect our lives. Students will take photographs, draw, and make observations of local native animals.  

Art- We will learn drawing and painting media and techniques. We'll start with cave drawings, do a portrait, try pointillism, and impressionism. We will explore areas like cut paper collage, and even abstract. The second semester will focus on other types of art based on age. We will develop a portfolio to take home at the end of the year. **This will complete a whole credit for high school students in Visual Arts.

Botany and Gardening/Agriculture- Discover plant life cycles, plant parts, flowers, seeds, classification, and more. Grow plants during the course to see the growth process firsthand. We will also discuss carnivorous plants and poisonous plants. For older students, we add careers in agriculture, where our food comes from, irrigation techniques, and pests in agriculture, with hands-on projects.

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs- Discover the bugs that live around us! Life cycles, what they eat, how they grow, and what they look like. Hear stories about bugs and create projects. We will even find some bug friends to observe.

Paleontology- Learn about the geologic timeline and the creatures that lived during those times from a Christian perspective. Learn about different kinds of dinosaurs and fossils, and how to identify them. Explore our own fossil dig and make fossil castings. Discuss dinosaurs and fossils that you find in our area.

Chemistry of Food Science- Learn the science behind the food we love to eat as students explore the chemistry within a meal, how nutrition works, what creates flavor, and why texture is important. What better place to learn the fundamentals of chemistry than in the kitchen? 

Fantastic Feats- Architecture and Building of the Wonders of the World and Beyond- Learn about the different architectural styles and structures throughout the world. Work on a project throughout the semester, building one of the structures that you found most interesting. Discuss architectural feats in our local area. Hands-on project to re-create a favorite architectural feat from planning to implementation.

Health- Groundwork for a lifetime of understanding how our bodies work and how to take care of them. Includes: protecting your health through rest and exercise; preventative measures against diseases, treatment of diseases, safety, a well-balanced diet, nutrition health hazards, mental and emotional health, First Aid, and more! ***Meets the high school credit requirement for health.

Literature Alive- Read aloud favorite children’s stories and create projects that make the stories come to life.

Logic and Critical Thinking- Learn how to approach learning differently by developing skills to analyze puzzling topics and problems constructively. Logical games, puzzles, and basic logic concepts will be used to learn how to think differently and use critical thinking skills.

Marine Biology- Discover the creatures that live in our oceans. Immerse in the underwater world looking at plants, animals, and the factors that influence life under the seas. Observation, dissection, and even an opportunity for more hands-on learning at the end of the year.

Nature Exploration- Outdoor time spent discovering the world around us, and indoor time drawing, and talking about what we see in our outdoor environment. See what is happening as the seasons change and nature takes over.

Personal Finance- Introducing high school students to the world of personal finance. Money basics, insurance, budgeting, setting financial goals, saving, investing, credit, and much more. ***Meets the high school requirement for financial literacy.

Spanish-Conversational Spanish and foundational Spanish concepts with increasing difficulty based on student age. Students will learn how to ask and answer questions in Spanish, give and follow directions, and build a vocabulary in Spanish.

World Cultures- take a spin around the earth looking at the geography and different cultures you may encounter in your travels. Grab your passport and get ready to take flight on this journey to new places. See new people and expect the unexpected!

Zoology- Spend some time looking at the different groups in the animal kingdom. Learn about the different animals that we see all over the world, from ants to elephants!