Following the fourth grade study of the animal kingdom, the fifth grader now takes up the study of the plant kingdom, or botany. Students combine personal observations and teacher-led information to delve into the relationship of the human person to the plant world.

As the sixth grader’s body begins to sink closer to the Earth, emotionally and physically, a study of the Earth and its features helps to ground them in understanding better this floating rock they live upon.

6th Graders will to look up and out, contrasting and balancing their developmental growth towards the Earth. In this block we will once again combine both personal observation and scientific data to familiarize ourselves with the members and movements of the Heavens.

This block introduces the sixth grader to laboratory science. Working from a phenomenological approach, the senses are utilized to determine what we experience in the world around us, attempting to seek answers to the emerging questions of “What is happening here? How do I know? Where else do I experience this in the world? How are they connected?”

We will play with the relationship between degree of exertion and mechanical advantage of these machines, as well as the role they play in complex machines we depend on. This particular physics block embodies a lively balance of playful inventiveness, engineering, and some mathematical thinking.

8th grade physics focuses on how knowledge of natural phenomena has led to discoveries and inventions that have transformed our society. The block consists of a mixture of laboratory demonstrations, hands-on experiments, and group work.

Chemistry, the science of transformation, is taught in the seventh grade not only as a laboratory science, but as a means of extending the students’ observation of the transforming earth and humanity.

Through laboratory demonstrations and classroom discussions we will study the role of carbohydrates (sugars and starches), oils, fats and proteins in outer nature and in human nourishment.

During this 4 week course the structure, anatomy and physiology of the human skeleton, our senses and the muscles will be discovered by doing many experiments and assignments.

Astronomy has shaped and guided the development of math and science perhaps more than any other field. Through this four-week course, we will become familiar with the motions of the sun, moon, stars, and neighboring planets through the sky, and gain an understanding of what they teach us about our place in the Cosmos.

In this Mechanics course, we begin with the historical transition from the medieval worldview and Aristotelian physics to the development of the modern scientific method brought about initially through the radical ideas of Galileo. Our focus is then on kinematics (the study of motion), as we search for mathematical relationships between distance, velocity, and acceleration. Through a series of hands-on experiments and analytical thinking, we follow the path of Galileo to calculate the acceleration due to gravity (on Earth) of objects in free fall.

We now move into the realm of the invisible. Through experimentation, scientists have made the properties of electricity and magnetism apparent and tangible, and engineers have made them practical and effective. Indispensable as electricity and magnetism are to society today, their essence is yet elusive. It is not with the eye, but only a mind well-trained that their true nature can be perceived.

Organic Chemistry is the study of the inner nature of living things. Building on the 5 organic compounds explored in 8th grade Chemistry and the process of photosynthesis, this block further connects the student to the formation of the substances that form the living body, as well as to the living world in industrial processes.

Join us for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade Botany in the small farming community of Rutland, Ohio. Study the plants of Appalachia by experiencing their habitat, morphology, and uses. Come get into the woods, get your hands in the dirt, and get the plants in you.

Ecology is the study of organisms and their physical environment. In this 7th grade ecology course, we will begin with the study of organization levels.

During this 8 week course we will start with different historical, the most recent atom models and also what has been discoverd during the latest research projects. We will continue with basic formulas, how these can be balanced and the proportions between atoms in molecules and reactants/products in more complex chemical reactions

Surveying, the science of accurately locating points on the earth for the purpose of making maps, serves as an excellent example of how mathematics and technology can be applied in the modern world. This in-person main lesson will transport students into the magical world of numbers, geometry, and map-making during three weeks of fieldwork and classroom sessions.

During this main lesson block we will start with different perspectives on historical atom models, as well as discoveries in the field of chemistry during the latest research projects. We continue with the most accepted atomic model and learn about some of the elementary particles they consist of.

This course will cover homeostasis, reproduction, and hormones. During the first week, we will focus on the organs in the thorax and abdomen, including all the digestive and digestion-supporting organs. Each organ will get comprehensive descriptions and detailed drawings.