In this art class we will use a variety of unusual materials to create abstract art projects. Projects will be child led and messy! Some examples of process art are pendulum painting, paint filled balloon explosion art, bubble painting and marble painting.

This Spring we will be studying the anatomy and physiology of aquatic and marine animals, including the lamprey, starfish, dogfish, and stingray. We will also cover science lab protocol and safety, as well as a review of microscope skills. There is a $70 supply fee for this class, which includes a personal dissection kit and safety glasses as well as high quality, double-injected specimens (where applicable). Students will dissect their own lamprey and starfish and will share the dogfish and stingray with a lab partner, as these are easier to dissect with a helping hand.

This class explores a variety of countries and cultures from all over the world. We will have some cooking projects and hands-on activities to teach students about how others within our community and our world celebrate their favorite traditions and holidays.

Explore art techniques on the page! Students will learn a variety of techniques and work with several different materials, including watercolor, acrylic, pastels, charcoal, markers, and paper collage. Due to the small class size, the curriculum course will be somewhat child-directed as the course progresses, with the focus on encouraging students to try new skills and explore new media.

In this class, we will explore process-based art using unconventional materials and techniques. Keri-Anne will encourage students as they explore alternative canvasses, media, and interpretations of classic artistic techniques. Students may not bring home a ‘completed’ project each week, as some lessons may be collaborative or experimental in nature. There is a $20 supply fee for this class. Please do not dress in your finest clothes for IfSpace art class! Kids are likely to come home more colorful than they arrived.

We will choose a book as a class to read and discuss. Together we will explore different types of literature, and complete a student-based project centered on our book!

This is a hands-on class where students learn about chemistry, and perform experiements and demonstrations based on what they learn! We will talk about chemical reactions, the properties of matter, and where we see chemistry in our day-to-day life.

This will be a hands-on class where students learn about chemistry, study the properties of matter and how matter interacts with energy. There will be class activities, discussions, and lots of messy exciting fun as we study the general science of chemistry and how scientists use it in their professions.

In this class we will be reading a variety of children’s classics from favorite authors, including Eric Carle, Dr. Suess, Jane Yolen, Tomie dePaola, Audrey Wood and many others. We will create lap books, art projects and our own works of literature! Students will choose the books and projects from a wide range of suggestions.

During this class we will explore the history of comic books, different techniques that cartoonists use, and apply these to create a comic book of our own! We will also be using different art mediums to create cartoon panels as well as flip books.

Meant for the older beginner, this class will progress from an unplugged approach to Computer Science that introduces the basics of logic, functions and variables to beginning projects in C, and perhaps other languages based on student goals and interests. This is a great class for students possibly interested in joining next year’s FIRST Tech Challenge team, or looking to become ‘code literate’ in their daily life. There is a $40 supply fee for this class, and students are encouraged to bring their own laptops if they have them.

Students will mix a variety of traditional art techniques with unusual items in order to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art. The classes is often messy and always child led/initiated!

This science unit centers around the children who enroll! During the first session we will compile activities based on what the children are interested in, with teacher guidance. All of the subsequent activities will be hands-on and vary from week to week.

Children will have an opportunity to use a variety of costumes and props to act out popular children’s plays, as well as write and act in their own play that they will work together to write! We will create a set and scenes to enhance our theater experience.

Our Elementary core program consists of 2 hours of classroom instruction per week, with a complete syllabus of activities and suggested assignments provided for 3.5 – 4 additional days of study at home. Elementary aged students focus on skill building in the areas of math and literacy. For the 2017-18 year, we will continue exploration- and observation-based science, and enjoy books together with our Socratic discussion-based literature program. For math, students will continue their home programs and use time at IfSpace to enjoy Math Circle activities, as well as begin pre-algebra with Hands-On Equations in the second semester. We will take a deep dive into Ancient History, spending each semester creating a living history museum at IfSpace complete with costumes, sets, props, and role plays.

2017-18 curriculum includes the The Story of the World Volume I, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, Hands-On Equations, and grammar and language arts concepts as introduced in the Royal Fireworks Press/MCT materials. A complete list of curricula, history and science spines, and living books and supplies will be supplied to families upon registration.

Our Elementary core program consists of 2 hours of classroom instruction per week, with a complete syllabus of activities and suggested assignments provided for 3.5 – 4 additional days of study at home. Elementary aged students focus on skill building in the areas of math and literacy. For the 2017-18 year, we will continue exploration- and observation-based science, and enjoy books together with our Socratic discussion-based literature program. For math, students will continue their home programs and use time at IfSpace to enjoy Math Circle activities, as well as begin pre-algebra with Hands-On Equations in the second semester. We will take a deep dive into Ancient History, spending each semester creating a living history museum at IfSpace complete with costumes, sets, props, and role plays.

2017-18 curriculum includes the The Story of the World Volume I, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, Hands-On Equations, and grammar and language arts concepts as introduced in the Royal Fireworks Press/MCT materials. A complete list of curricula, history and science spines, and living books and supplies will be supplied to families upon registration.

During this class we will learn about different classifications of animals and insects, and the importance of each one in our world. We will talk about how certain species have been put on the endangered species list and how we can help protect them. This unit will include studying about manatees, bees, monarch butterflies, the Amur Leopard, and orangutans, just to name a few. We will use materials from the World Wildlife Fund to guide this unit.

Engineering is Elementary introduces students to engineering and the engineering design process through hands-on classroom builds and experiments!

Engineering is Elementary introduces students to engineering and the engineering design process through hands-on classroom builds and experiments!

This year’s planned units of study are:

Catching the Wind: Designing Windmills (Fall Semester/Quarter One)

A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill (Fall Semester/Quarter Two)

An Alarming Idea: Designing Alarm Circuits (Spring Semester/Quarter Three)

A Long Way Down: Designing Parachutes (Spring Semester/Quarter Four)

Hop To It: Invasive Species (Summer Semester / July-Aug)

You can read more about Engineering is Elementary at IfSpace here!

We will explore many different varieties of fabric print, such as screen printing, tie dye, Batik and plant impressions on fabric. We will be making keepsake projects during this class.

IfSpace competitive LEGO Robotics teams. 4 teams available 2016/17.

Join the IfSpace Invaders, our premier middle and high school robotics competition team! FTC is like a sports team for robots – each year, the FIRST organization dreams up a new challenge for our bot. We work as a team to strategize how to score the most points, design our mechanisms, assemble and tune the robot, CAD new parts and pieces, and program its operation. You don’t have to be an experienced roboticist to join FTC, however! We need team managers, graphic designers, team spirit leaders, historians, and all around hard workers to be successful as a group!

Join Keri-Anne on a 16-week trip through the wondrous human body! Students will enjoy hands-on projects, demonstrations, crafts and games that bring the wonder of the human body to life. Beginning with the humble cell and careening through all of the body systems, students will finish this class with a great working knowledge of our miraculous selves.

Our High School core program seeks to prepare students for rigorous study in college through the same hands-on, discussion-based explorations used throughout the IfSpace curriculum. High School students meet twice per week for 2 hours each, and will study European literature including Shakespeare, Austen and Dickens, SAT writing and vocabulary, and American History. Our science focus this year is on Biology, and students will be offered differentiated instruction in mathematics, with a choice between supported home study or group instruction in Algebra II with trig.

Curriculum for High School includes The American Pageant, Math Without Borders Algebra II or Saxon 7/8 for home instruction support, and Campbell’s Biology. Students who keep up with assignments and approach IfSpace classes with academic rigor should expect to be prepared for the US History and Biology CLEP exams. A complete list of curricula, history and science spines, and living books, study guides and supplies will be supplied to families upon registration.

We will be learning about past and present leaders who have made a positive impact in our world. The list of people includes Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jane Goodall, Malala, Desmond Tutu, Bill Gates, Mother Teresa, Abe Lincoln, Nelson Mandela. We will do a variety of hands-on activities reflecting on the works of these people, including a community outreach project that the students will decide on together.

We will be learning about past and present leaders who have made a positive impact in our world. The list of people includes Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jane Goodall, Malala, Desmond Tutu, Bill Gates, Mother Teresa, Abe Lincoln, Nelson Mandela. We will do a variety of hands-on activities reflecting on the works of these people, including a community outreach project that the students will decide on together.

We will be studying a wide range of wild animals, from semi-domesticated farm animals to animals of the rain forest. We will explore the different classifications of animals, as well as engage in a variety of hands-on projects that coincide with the children’s interest in specific animals.

The Intermediate program consists of 3 hours of classroom instruction per week, with a complete syllabus and schedule provided for 4 additional days of study at home. Intermediate students will continue with literature and poetry study based in Socratic discussion, both persuasive and creative writing, and math concepts explored through challenging, real-world applications. Our history studies will be focused on Ancient Times, and we will join the Elementary students in creating an immersive Living History museum at IfSpace each semester. We will continue our study of the sciences with an interdisciplinary, hands-on approach that prepares the student for high school science.

Planned curriculum includes (but is not limited to) the final volume of Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, Teaching the Classics, IEW Ancient History-Based Writing, History Odyssey: Ancients, History of the Ancient World, and team explorations through Mathalicious. A complete list of curricula, history and science spines, and living books and supplies will be supplied to families upon registration.

This is a gentle introduction to conversational Japanese and Japanese culture for the younger crowd! With more focus on building simple vocabulary and character recognition, this class is a great start for students who are interested in Japanese but aren’t ready for the more intense grammar of the upper level class. In addition to language practice, Lonna introduces her students to Japanese holidays, traditions, foods and pop culture in her classes.

Written and spoken Japanese for absolute beginners! Students will learn spoken and written Japanese (Hirugana) and Japanese culture. Class is organized into a series of monthly themes focused on different areas of life in Japan, and will include games, cooking activities, and lots of traditional writing, speaking, and grammar.

Interest in Japanese classes has been very high. We will be adding an additional class for younger students on Wednesday mornings, and would happily consider adding a second culture/study hour of class if there is enough interest!

The required textbook for this class is Genki : An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I, Second Edition. You can find it on Amazon here. Please do not rent this textbook! If you decide to continue with Japanese in the second semester, you will need this book again!

The recommended workbook for this class is Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I, Workbook, Second Edition. You can find it on Amazon here. This workbook is not absolutely required, but having access to additional practice will help build confidence and encourage greater fluency, which is important in learning to love a language. We strongly suggest making this investment!

We will be using a variety of jewelry- making techniques to create one-of-a-kind pieces. Each student will choose their own projects, based on their skill set. Projects will include macrame, beading, wooden jewelry and metal wrap techniques.

In Tinkering, students explore materials, supplies, tools and concepts in an open-ended, adult-guided way. Past Tinkering sessions have involved making custom Minecraft controllers with Makey Makey, exploring linkage mechanisms with cardboard and brads, testing out paper circuits to make light-up cards and pictures, taking apart consumer electronics and toys to see what’s inside, and a multi-week construction of an elaborate Rube Goldberg device. Tinkering is where we try out new ideas as a group, and encourage one another as we try to get our thing to work.

This special tinkering course is tailored for a younger audience including children who are still developing their fine-motor skills.

In this class we learn about kinetic energy and how we can use it to make a variety of structures. Some kinetic sculptures are made specifically as art pieces, while some serve very specific mechanical purposes. We will explore both of these, and create several kinetic sculptures/towers/machines based on what we learn.

Use LEGO WeDo 2.0 to build LEGO creations that move! Students will have an opportunity to practice science, engineering, building and coding skills, all while using familiar LEGO pieces and software.

Use LEGO to practice building stories! Students will use the unique set of inspiring bricks and pieces that comprise the LEGO Story Starter curriculum, along with exciting prompts and backgrounds, to polish their story telling skills. Once their build is complete, they will photograph the scenes they have created and use these photos to illustrate comics or graphic novels. The possibilities are endless! We can’t wait to hear the stories they tell!

Use LEGO to practice building stories! Students will use the unique set of inspiring bricks and pieces that comprise the LEGO Story Starter curriculum, along with exciting prompts and backgrounds, to polish their story-telling skills. Once their build is complete, they will photograph the scenes they have created and use these photos to illustrate comics or graphic novels. The possibilities are endless!

During this class students will have an opportunity to work with LEGO WeDo 2.0 as well as LEGO Story Starter sets to create a moving scene made out of LEGO! Students will work in small, mixed-age groups in order to achieve a combination of robotics and storytelling.

Dissections is one of our most popular courses! In this 8-week class, we will learn dissection and science lab safety practices, practice microscope skills, and dissect three specimens – an earthworm, grasshopper, and starfish – and learn about their habitats, adaptations, and anatomy.

In this class students will use a variety of upcycled, reclaimed and new materials to complete engineering challenges! Some of the challenges include egg drops, bridge-building, the bungee challenge and a top-secret art challenge!

Makey Makey is an invention kit for the 21st century! Students will turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It’s a simple Invention Kit for Beginners and Experts doing art, engineering, and everything in-between.

Patience, a steady hand, attention to detail – if this is an area where you’d like to see your kids grow, this just might be a great fit for them. Our class will be working together to make miniature models out of recycled materials, training the eye to see someone else’s trash in a new light! This is a great opportunity for imaginative play, fine motor practice, and plain old fun. Miniature building is a favorite IfSpace activity anyway; we’re happy to give it its own place on the schedule!

Students hone their research, argument, presentation and persuasive skills as they represent the international community of the United Nations in various crisis scenarios. We will learn parliamentary procedure, how to draft resolutions, and the art of the caucus as our students how to represent a given point of view and negotiate resolutions that meet the needs of their country. After initial scenarios are introduced, the bulk of position research will need to be completed at home, as class time is reserved for caucus and debate!

Highly interested students are invited to travel with us to the Model UN conferences in early 2017 – more information coming soon!

During this class we will identify the oceans of the world, explore the different layers of the ocean, and discover many things that live in the ocean. We will partner with local organizations and a marine biologist for age-specific materials and hands-on activities.

We are so excited to get started with Odyssey of the Mind again this year!

OM is a creative problem solving competition. The students choose from 5 long-term problems, and prepare their solution in advance, which they must present through a skit or similar performance. Additionally, teams compete together in a spontaneous problem solving challenge that is not announced beforehand. OM teams display out of this world creativity, pun perfection, and spendiferous crafting, costuming, and construction skills! Humor and outright hilarity are encouraged throughout the OM organization, from silly chants and rhymes to mirthful millenery.

IfSpace plans to host 5 Odyssey of the Mind teams this year. Students are sorted by age, with a maximum of 7 and a minimum of 5 students per team. One of our 5 teams will perform in the Primary division, which is non-competitive, expo-only. The other 5 teams will choose from the list of 5 long-terms problems after we have sorted our 2017 participants by age and schedule availability. The oldest participant on each team determines the level at which the whole team competes, so it’s important to try to keep the teams similar in age! Our 2016 teams scored very well at the Space Coast competition, and our Division III team advanced to state competition at UCF!

If you register for OM, please select the time that is most ideal for you, and include any additional information regarding your schedule preferences in the comments or send me an email at odyssey@ifspace.org.

More About Odyssey of the Mind Here

Read the 2017 Problem Synopses Here

Throughout their time at IfSpace, many of our students are inspired to begin projects of their own inspired by the activities and opportunities around them. Open Lab exists for this purpose – uninterrupted time in the lab to make, scheme, design and build with friends. IfSpace’s Big Spring Project this year is the design and construction of our Intra-Class Vacuum Tube system, and Open Lab kids are invited to join in this fun project! Because 2 hours of Open Lab is material intensive, there is a $30 semester supply fee for this class. Please note that this is a 2-hour class.

Share and discuss favorite poems and enjoy a snack! Students meet for weekly teatime with Desiree, as presented by Juile of Bravewriter. Poetry is enjoyed as it was meant to be, in a relaxed environment that encourages reading aloud and lively discussion. Students will take turns providing teatime treats for the class, and IfSpace will happily provide the tea and china.

Our primary core program consists of 2 hours of classroom instruction per week,with lessons introduced in the invitation-based style known as the Reggio Emilia approach. A weekly syllabus of activities is provided for 3 additional days of home engagement. Our goal in these early years is to stoke enthusiasm and confidence in learning, build literacy, and develop skills that will serve the students as they pursue further study. Together we will share books and songs, play with numbers and letters, build a strong foundation in science through inquiry and observation, and practice being kind, encouraging, and accepting with one another.

Planned curriculum includes the Five in a Row series, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, and a D’Nealean italics approach to letter formation. Math concepts will be introduced with a Montessori approach.

We will be exploring the wonderful world of puppets, Muppets and marionettes. Students will work collaboratively to create characters, sets and scripts for a variety of plays.

Practice fundamental math skills through games, drills, and art! Rec Math 1 is suitable for all elementary aged kids who could use some practice with the basics in a fun, engaging, playful way. Desiree encourages students to use their whole bodies and voices while answering questions, completing puzzles, playing games, and working with friends. The small class size means that the topics can be customized to the strengths and challenges of the students. This of this class as arithmetic infused with joy and friendship.

In this class we will learn about the importance of recycling and giving new life to  everyday materials by creating hands-on art, sculpture and upcycled projects. Children are encouraged to bring materials in from home that they would ordinarily throw away so we can make something new with it.

A Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption or apparatus that is deliberately over-engineered to perform a simple task in a complicated fashion, generally including a chain reaction. Students will work together to create a chain reaction machine that will do something awesome in the most complicated way!

Leigh-Ann leads this class in machine sewing for beginners! Small class sizes mean that students can work at their own pace, starting with simple straight-line projects like pillowcases and drawstring bags and progressing to clothes, accessories, toys, and more! Intermediate sewists are also welcome to join, as Leigh-Ann can support them in pursuing projects at their current skill level.

IfSpace provides several sewing machines, but students who have a machine at home are encouraged to bring it to class to increase their familiarity with their home machine. We also provide a limited selection of notions and fabric, but students are welcome to bring their own materials from home if they wish to use something specific for their projects.

Leigh-Ann leads this class in machine sewing for beginners! Students in Level 2 are expected to have some familiarity with machine operation and sewing, and be ready to work on more advanced techniques including garment and stuffed toy construction. Leigh-Ann’s extensive sewing experience leaves her well-positioned to support kids in a wide range of projects!

IfSpace provides several sewing machines, but students who have a machine at home are encouraged to bring it to class to increase their familiarity with their home machine. We also provide a limited selection of notions and fabric, but students are welcome to bring their own materials from home if they wish to use something specific for their projects.

During this class we will be learning about how simple machines help us do work by building catapults, pulleys, ramps, wind-powered machines, and noise makers!

At IfSpace we welcome discussion and differences of opinion. We are excited to offer a class in Social Justice this year, where we will explore three political ‘hot topics’ using current events and news in addition to primary sources. Classroom activities include historical simulations, mock trials and elections, and hopefully some knowledgeable guest speakers. Our investigations will be guided by the Choices series from Brown University where applicable. The planned topics for this school year are Racism and Civil Rights, Global Poverty and Human Rights, and Immigration.
While our personal backgrounds will always inevitable inform our opinions as teachers, the goal in this class is to allow students to form their own informed opinions that hold up to debate within the classroom environment. We will not be promoting a particular political party or worldview – just working to raise aware citizens.

In this class we will be exploring clean energy and creativity. We will be doing some experiments centered around renewable energy, and then we will focus specifically on solar energy. Our end goal will be to attend the Energy Whiz Olympics as a team/teams with our machines/inventions. The Olympics are held at the Florida Solar Energy Center on the second Saturday in May. Based on student interest we would choose from the following three events: Critter Comfort Cottage: This is a real-world, engineering and communications challenge, which showcases energy efficient building design and construction, based on small critters. (no actual critters needed 😉 )

Energy Transfer Machine: A competition that was developed to provide opportunities for students to explore hydrogen power through a hands-on engineering component. The students show understanding of hydrogen through a creative “timing” apparatus built with several ‘Rube Goldberg’ type steps.

Solar Energy Cook-Off: The Solar Energy Cook-off is a solar cooker competition. The teams demonstrate the performance of their solar heating devices, that they have designed and built by cooking an original dish of food created for the competition. Each solar cooker and recipe is judged by a panel of experts.

During this class we will learn about the power of the sun! Some of our activities will include building a solar oven, a solar-powered car and creating solar art.

STEAM Lab is an opportunity for our Elementary aged student to explore STEAM through projects, experiments, and tinkering. Both in small groups and individually, students will work on designing and building, programming and predicting, hypothesizing and observing, and making connections between what happens in class and how things work in the world. This class is hands on, with different STEAM invitations presented each week.

Together we will play a variety of games to strengthen code-breaking and logical thinking skills. The games can include, but are not limited to chess, Battleship, Risk, Mastermind, Rummikub, and Mancala.

We’re delighted to found the first Homeschool chapter of the Technology Student Association in Florida! As a group, students will explore different technologies as they choose the field in which they would like to compete. Learn more about the TSA and potential projects at their website here!

Tinker Tots is our play-based, non-academic, child-led preschool for 3-5. You can read all about what to expect on our Tinker Tots page here!

In Tinkering, students explore materials, supplies, tools and concepts in an open-ended, adult-guided way. Past Tinkering sessions have involved making custom Minecraft controllers with Makey Makey, exploring linkage mechanisms with cardboard and brads, testing out paper circuits to make light-up cards and pictures, taking apart consumer electronics and toys to see what’s inside, and a multi-week construction of an elaborate Rube Goldberg device. Tinkering is where we try out new ideas as a group, and encourage one another as we try to get our thing to work.

Much of what we do in Tinkering is fine-motor intensive. Students should be able to properly use scissors well before signing up for Tinkering, in order to prevent a great deal of frustration for them on our projects.

Tinkering is very popular, and class size is limited. If this Tinkering session fills, another may be added – please let us know if you’re interested in a different date or time!

In Tinkering, students explore materials, supplies, tools and concepts in an open-ended, adult-guided way. Past Tinkering sessions have involved making custom Minecraft controllers, exploring linkage mechanisms with cardboard and brads, testing out paper circuits to make light-up cards and pictures, and taking apart consumer electronics and toys to see what’s inside.

Students will learn about the tradition and art of hand and loom weaving in a variety of cultures. We will then complete several weaving projects using recycled materials, natural materials, yarns, string, and hemp. We will also explore French knitting and macrame.

More info coming soon from Jessicah! Excited to have her with us to teach more kids the fundamentals of storytelling and character development.

More info coming soon from Jessicah! Excited to have her with us to teach more kids the fundamentals of storytelling and character development.

Students will explore the Four Orders of Architecture and will drawing designs and create their own 3d structures while having fun learning about art history, architecture and math. We will have a variety of building challenges and STEM-related problems during the course of this class!