For the past 10 years, we have been a part of our local homeschool group's Enrichment Class program. We meet on Fridays for 10 weeks in a row for a variety of classes. This takes place every Spring and Fall. It is the only 'school' my kids have ever attended, and it is where their 'socialization' takes place. : )
This year, we've done the following -
Claudia, age 14:
Basic Cake Decorating
Advanced Flags and Rifles
Choir
Watercolor
Chloe, age 10:
Calligraphy
Little House Cooking
Crafts
Jewelry Making with Beads
Poetry
Nicholas, age 4:
Young Einstein's Memory Masters
Puppet Time
ABC Books and More
Art Center
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Nathan, age 2:
Nursery
Chloe (middle) with two of her best friends:
Claudia learning the basketweave in Beginning Cake Decorating:
Nicholas in Little Einstein's Memory Masters:
Chloe in Little House cooking, making lemonade:
The classes are taught by the moms (and a few dads, too). This semester I taught Little House Cooking for 4th-6th graders, and Good Citizenship for 9th-12th graders. I also spent time in the nursery with Nathan.
The kids love their classes and get so much out of them. Chloe instantly loved jewelry making and calligraphy. She even spent her own money to buy more beads and findings, and both girls put their money together to purchase calligraphy pens and ink. Claudia has always loved cake decorating, and now she has learned more skills that she can put to use for future birthday parties! Nicholas has made a new puppet each week, which he enjoys entertaining us with.
At the end of the semester, we have the Evening of Enrichment, where some of the classees will put on a program. Claudia performed with her Choir group and Advanced Flags and Rifles. Here is the video of the Flags performance (Claudia is front left, nearest the camera most of the time):
And at the end of the program, someone asked if they could buy the Cake Decorating Class's cakes that were being displayed. Claudia sold this one for $20!
I love Enrichment Classes, because my kids are able to learn new things, take lessons they enjoy, and it all takes place at the same location on the same day. It eliminates the need to sign kids up for fun stuff and be somewhere different every day. We eat lunch together in the middle of the day, and oftentimes I am the teacher for my own kids' classes.
There are lots of academic classes offered, too, and sometimes they have more of those than this year. Next semester, Claudia will take more 'artsy' classes, with the addition of one called Creation vs. Evolution. Chloe will do a volleyball class, along with one called Remember the Alamo, as well as a couple more crafty classes. And Nicholas will learn about the Presidents and how to speak Spanish! Sounds fun already!
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