The RISE center is AMAZING! It's physically located at a Methodist church but is separate from the church. It's function is to provide support and advocacy for homeschooling families. I took an "Intro to Homeschooling" class there this summer.
The super cool thing is that it's a place for homeschoolers to gather, hang out and/or take classes. I felt like I was picking classes for college when I chose classes for Bryce! They offer everything from drama, to Spanish, to geography, to chess, to sewing, to creative writing, to Shakespeare, to an equine class. There are SO many classes to pick from that I'm afraid that we don't have time to do our actual school work:)
RISE Education Resource Center
On Tuesdays, Bryce is doing a Spanish and a Creative Writing class. The creative writing class is taught by Marissa who the students adore. Bryce is in the 7-9 year old class which I was a little worried about because Bryce's handwriting skills are pretty basic still. But Marissa thinks from a maturity level it's where he belongs and she is going to have teenagers in the class to assist.
Writing Adventures
Honestly, I'm a little disappointed in the Spanish class. After Montessori, I was expecting things to be more hands-on and interactive. So when she handed out worksheets I almost wanted to walk out:) But her enthusiasm and passion for Spanish may just compensate for the worksheets. I think it's still good for Bryce to learn Spanish and interact with the kids.
On Wednesdays, Bryce will do a Pretend Drama and Geography class. Just the Pretend Drama class made me think this homeschooling thing was well worth it. The class is AMAZING! The teacher, Cielja Kieft is from Amsterdam, where she was a theater director and drama teacher for 30 years. At the end of each class, they do a improv performance. Bryce was a knight of course in the first show!
In the Geography class, the kids are studying a different state each week. They started with Nevada of course! During the 1.5 hour class, they learned about the background of Nevada, ate food from the miners' time, made a basket like the Indians and constructed "Hoover Dam." It was a large, multi-age class that I think Bryce is really going to like.
Pictures from the Drama Class.
Making Hoover Dam
SO great to hear about this opportunity for Bryce! That way he is getting the social and the awesome classes at the same time. Is it expensive? Love that he chose to be a Knight! hehe :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, you are making me want to learn more about the activities Alison participates in at her school, too. Like I really have no Idea what her "spanish" classes are like or how interactive they are? She comes home with worksheets but I've never been there to see in person. I do love her Drama teacher (who worked in professional theatre in L.A for years) and I also love her Art and Music teacher.