We got a call from La Vida last week and they said that Nykki could start kindergarten on Wednesday! We were so excited because we thought for sure he would have to wait until fall but they let him in early! Horray!
Ok, so for those who don't know La Vida is the coolest thing since sliced bread. La Vida is an independant study charter school. The state of California regulates it like any other school but it isn't like any other school because the children go to on site, Waldorf method based, classes only two days per week and work on the rest of their school work at home using Oak Meadow as homeschool. The parents are the primary teachers. The school itself is located in the beautiful, scenic, Ridegewood Ranch. It's a small community just south of us surrounded by an organic farm with roaming heards of albino deer.
I kid you not, white deer.
They are breath taking.
The horse Sea Busicut was raised in this ranch area and his museum is located there today. The sweeping valley and wise knotted trees make the perfect environment for such a school.
(Going to class)The Kindergarten has their own little house. They have a playroom full of all natural toys (wood trucks, wool dolls, sea shells, pine cones, etc). They have a fully functional kitchen and they help make their snack with teacher everyday. Kindergarten also has their own play yard complete with a tee pee!
The school does not allow logos of any kind. You wont find Disney or Nike here. Children bring their organic, non-prepackaged, homemade lunces to school in baskets instead of lunch boxes. They paint with all natural water colors and color with beeswax crayons. In the afternoons teacher Gail sits in a big wooden rocking chair, wearing a patchwork apron, and tells the children fairy tales.
(At class)It's heavenly and I'm jealous as hell LOL!
The school goes all the way through higschool and regularly holds assemblies and performances. Today's assembly featured an Eskimo/Inuit culural lesson complete with real huskie dogs and a sled! As you can imagin Nykki is ready to move in!
I picked up his books for homeschool today form the office. He's pretty much on a 1st grade lesson plan. His objectives for now are learning word families (to better help him sound out words), to begin adding and subtracting, and learning the recorder. I'll be regularly posting his progress and field trips with this new Oak Meadow program just I have been posting his homeschool on this blog in the past. :)
We are all excited to begin this new chapter of our lives as a homeschooling family!
