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Homeschool Enrichment Program

House Mountain Learning Cooperative (HMLC) is an offering of Raw Learning, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding opportunities for self-directed education and nature connection in western Virginia. We offer a 1-day per week drop-off program focused on project-based learning for students ages 8-14.  

 

Learners at HMLC follow both an inquiry and project-based approach. Throughout the entire year learners are encouraged to ask questions, think critically, challenge their assumptions, and investigate their wonderings to learn more. Personal projects, either on a daily, monthly, or year-long basis are encouraged.

 

In addition to personal projects, each six weeks we offer a unit of study that will drive our focus. These units guide students in thinking about a specific topic, while allowing them to approach it in their own way. Previous projects included an amusement park unit where students learned physics principles, designed their own rides, learned the history of amusement parks, and learned about advertising and marketing. Throughout the unit students were busy performing physics experiments, creating videos that taught about the physic principles, designed, tested, and perfected amusement park rides, and marketed their rides to others. Other units included designing a candy village, researching a historical person, and creating an ecosystem.

 

THEMES

Our first unit for the 2024-2025 school year was Tell Your Story. Registration is now open for our second session, Heroes and Journeys. In this unit we'll explore stories that focus on heroes and their journeys. We'll examine common hero traits and the key stages of the hero’s journey, while considering how the setting influences the hero’s choices. Learners will analyze the challenges and obstacles heroes face, and how they overcome them within the narrative. After studying a range of these stories, learners will create their own hero and develop their journey. They will showcase their understanding through various mediums such as writing, graphic novels, art, sculpture, and puppetry.The last day of the six week session families will be invited to see our work.​​​

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Regardless of our units, HMLC believes learners do best when they have choice, autonomy, and agency over their learning. No assignment or activity is required. If learners do not want to participate in an activity we encourage them to make respectful choices, whether that is to sit quietly and read a book until the group activity is over, or to explore their own question, project, or learning. 

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Check out our blog or visit us on FaceBook to see examples of our projects and learning environment.

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This year we'll gather at the Maury River Friends Meeting House from 9am-3pm on Thursdays. We follow the Rockbridge County Public Schools decisions for weather-related cancellations. We offer 5 six-week sessions between September 12th 2024 - May 1st, 2025 and our meeting days for the 2024-25 school year are:

  • Session 1: September 12, 19, 26 and October 3, 10, 17

  • Session 2: October 24, 31, November 7, 14, 21 and December 5

  • Session 3: January 9, 16, 23, 30 and February 6, 13

  • Session 4: February 6, 13, 20, 27 and March 6, 13

  • Session 5: March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 24 and May 1

 

Each session is $210 per child. Learn more about our daily schedule and our policies on our About page.​​​

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Please email sarah@hmlclex.org with questions.

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