kale, corn, oregano, thyme, rosemary, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. A new greenhouse keeps produce growing through winter months. Students at Conservatory Prep High School, in Davie, Florida, were tasked with finding a way to walk on water in order to explore principles of flotation and buoyancy. After researching and experimenting with each of a series of materials, they analyzed what went wrong, worked to fix it and then tried again. “We did the testing at our onsite pool,” says Wendy Weiner, Ed.D., the school’s founder and principal and a Waldorf alumna. “We saw some pretty funny results, but they eventually invented a pair of shoes that worked. Of course, they were pretty big shoes.”
Homeschooling
Homeschooling provides another option. Parents don’t need to know all about a subject with organizations like Bridgeway Academy’s homeschool curricula at hand. This Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, institution provides easy access to tools and support for families
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Children at Wisconsin’s Montessori School of Waukesha learn to baste; spoon beans or rice from bowls; cut paper, draw, paint or paste cutouts; and sew or embroider using a three-finger grip. It strengthens the muscles they will need later to practice writing skills. nationwide. “We’re a kindergartento-12th-grade provider,” says Jessica Parnell, academy president. “Teachers in a school setting have to teach standardized subjects, in certain ways, to the whole class. We use customized learning to inspire and excite children individually. We help parents discover their child’s learning style, personality
natural awakenings
and ideal learning environment.” Materials provided include instructor guides, user-friendly websites and interactive games and other activities. “It gives kids the freedom to explore, learn and discover,” Parnell adds. “This is how you grow a lifelong learner.”
Un-Schooling
Un-schooling, another pioneering approach, is a method of homeschooling in which children pursue areas that interest them, eat foods they enjoy, rest when needed, choose friends of all ages or none at all and engage their world in unique, powerful and self-directed ways. Suzanne Strisower, a life and career coach in Oroville, California, has written a commoncore, standards-based curriculum for un-schoolers. “It’s a yearlong program for ages 15 and up designed to enable a student to realize his career path and life’s purpose,” she says.
Online Tutorials
“There’s an explosion in online learning, too,” observes Bob Bowdon, executive director of nonprofit Choice