Science Curriculum
Science starts with our Junior Kindergarten (age 4). They visit one time per week to help them transition into science in a laboratory setting. Their curriculum centers around the Quirkles book series. Each week students investigate a new science concept by reading a story and conducting a hands-on experiment.
Senior Kindergarten and First Graders visit twice a week, while the Second through Sixth Grades visit three days a week. The science program for Senior Kindergarten through Sixth Grades focuses on four basic areas: earth sciences, biology, chemistry, and physics. The curriculum spirals, meaning that all four of these concepts are repeated at increasing levels of difficulty as the student progresses through the grades. The students are required to demonstrate an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the concepts that are presented. The approach is very experiential incorporating many hands-on activities. A challenging curriculum is created using note-taking skills, laboratory experiments, projects, multi-draft lab reports, tests and quizzes. Leadership skills are practiced during small group lab work.
The Health curriculum is introduced in Fifth and Sixth grades and focuses on human body systems, human growth and development, and diet and exercise.
Students in all grades are involved in the planting, care, and harvesting of our six raised garden beds. During the warmer months, crops are grown in all of the beds. During the winter months, beds are planted with cold hardy crops and covered with a low tunnel system so that your child can garden year round. When possible, crops are harvested and your child will participate in the preparation of recipes using what was grown.
Students in all grades participate in the observation and care of our observation honeybee hive. The hive acts as a catalyst for study in a myriad of different ways within the science curriculum.
