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Our Learning Offerings
We encourage your young people to join in as many meetings as you see fit for your family. We continue to revisit and revise the schedule, based on the needs and interests of the families in our village.
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For clubs that still have space, we accept signups (and cancellations) at least 48 hours prior to any scheduled meeting.
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Our Fall 2024 schedule begins on 8/27/2024. Scroll down for detailed descriptions.
Starseeds Activate
Tuesdays ONLINE 10:00 -10:50 am
Thursdays IN PERSON 12:00 - 2:00pm
This club is an interactive holistic experience for kids ages 5-14. We survey healing modalities that include Somatic tools for the mind, body and spirit, Emotional Intelligence, and Mindful+Metaphysical Wellbeing. The foundation of this offering embodies three important components: Movement, Mantras and Meditation. Our Starseeds cherish these weekly grounding sessions and activations through rest, breathwork and body practices.
Learners tap into and build onto what they already know about various Holistic Keys for the MindBodySpirit, including practice with wellness vocabulary, journaling, emotional awareness and energetic boundaries.
Teenage Think Tank
Tuesdays 11:30am - 2:00pm
This club is an offering to the future, where we bring together the teenage vanguard of autonomous minds and righteous builders of our community and world. We hold space for a meeting of the minds, focusing on Philosophy, using the tools of personal and creative expression as well as persuasive writing. Teenagers continue to hone their leadership skills of intent listening, critical thinking, thoughtful questioning, logical reasoning, mindful observing, and energetic balancing.
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They are invited into philosophical conversations around ideas that surface from song lyrics, poems, speeches, historical and current event reports, works of art, etc. While the facilitator supports the ease of the dialogue, our teenagers lead themselves and each other in authentic discourse. A 30-minute lunch break is included in these 2.5 hour meetings.​
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Soil to Soul Club
Wednesdays 9:00am - 2:00pm
In these 5-hour club meetings, learners explore the interconnectedness between the land's life energies and the joys of well-prepared plant-based dishes. Throughout the day, they tend to the soil, and enjoy incorporating their harvests into recipes for their souls.
Our young people connect with Earth by planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, playing, meditating, observing, breathing, listening and talking to plants, writing, and seed-saving. They learn about life cycles, seasons and transitions, and about the ecosystems that thrive above and below ground. They practice classifying plants, fungi, and insects, study natural art and mathematics, explore herbal remedies, composting, and learn ancestral farming practices like polyculture as developed by the Hausa and Abakaliki farmers in Nigeria. They honor the care of self and community as they see it modeled in nature.
Our learners also prepare garden-to-table dishes, connecting with African diaspora cultures through food stories and herbal remedies. Our recipes include Ful Madames (Egypt), various green and bean salads from Morocco, South Africa, and the Caribbean, Hoppin' John (Gullah Geechee), West African chickpea soup with collards and yams, Uji and fruit (Kenya), Trinidadian Doubles, Jollof Rice (Nigeria), as well as refreshing and healing teas, juices, and fruit-flavored sea moss.
As they work with the food, learners expand their skills with creating, planning, adapting, chopping, timing, plating, collaborating, controlling temperatures, measuring, problem-solving, maintaining safety and cleanliness, observing and describing.
Black Literacy Club
Thursdays 9:00 - 11:00am
We enjoy and analyze literature (books, poetry, articles, song lyrics, historical documents, speeches, films, and documentaries) that are written by and about people of color. We study writing that is rich and engaging, and that invites us to build upon our own writing skills.
We treat literature as an invitation to extend our learning into related topics of geography, mathematics, art, science, history, Spanish, etc.
In the Black Literacy Club, different learners are reading to/with us, listening to a reading, and/or reading independently.
Activities can include:
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freewriting
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playing with words
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transcription and textual analysis
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sketching/labeling
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revising or editing writing
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As we build on our own literacy skills, we are constantly making connections to systematic oppression, bold resistance, the respectful connection to Mother Nature, and the revolutionary activism of our people around the world and across history. Learners are wondering, connecting, sharing their thinking, and engaging in lots of dialogue. Each individual is celebrated and supported as a brilliant thinker, reader, and writer.
Anatomy Of Health
Get ready to embark on a wild adventure where we'll unravel the mysteries of our amazing anatomy. We'll uncover the secrets of bones, muscles, organs, and more through exciting games and hands-on activities. From learning about our super-powered heartbeats to discovering how our brain controls our body, every week will be packed with fun and fascinating discoveries.
Let’s dive into the fantastic world inside us!
Vibrant Mathematics
Learners engage in open-ended tasks and games that promote math fluency and flexibility. We solve culturally-relevant story problems in ways that make sense to each of us, and compare and build upon each other’s mathematical strategies. We joyfully and curiously discover our own ways to describe mathematical patterns and make deep connections across number and algebraic properties. We explore mathematics in art and nature, and enjoy strategy games from around the world.
In the Vibrant Mathematics Club, learners do much more than memorize math facts and algorithms. They come to see themselves as profound mathematical thinkers who have the confidence and the habits of mind to tackle new problems.
Arts and Activism Club
In this club, learners engage in conversations around identity of self, health and wellness habits, family roots and heritage, community strength and upliftment, land care and connection, ourstories and the many possibilities of changing lives through art.
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We study the works of artists like Bisa Butler, Romare Dearden, and local community artists. We explore affirmations, music, meditation, journaling, and movement as art. We enjoy working with various mediums, including acrylic paints, watercolors, chalk pastels, textiles, plants, air dry clay, and recycled materials as we create abstract self-portraits, community/family flags and maps, upcycled projects, still life paintings, and symbolic art that speaks boldly.
Arts and Literacy Club
Learners are invited into art through literature and into literature through art. To foster joy for both visual and written expression, we study the beautiful techniques used by Black and Brown writers, poets, lyricists, and illustrators.
We get our hands, minds, hearts, and souls into making art that intertwines the use of metaphors, literary themes, contrasting and powerful quotes. We collaboratively and independently engage in storytelling through creative writing, song writing, sculpting, painting, mood coloring, collaging, 3-dimensional designing, nature-crafting and risk-taking.
Mindful Explorers
In this club, we utilize our minds, bodies, and spirits to explore the world around us. At different destinations throughout Los Angeles County, we invite our learners into tasks and conversations in mathematics, art study, literacy, map study, geography, and health and wellness. Throughout our time, our facilitators partner with our young people to foster self-directedness and community cohesion for each individual and the village.
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Our adventures include visits to:
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parks and museums
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libraries and bookstores
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beaches and hiking trails
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Black-owned businesses
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places of cultural treasures
Like all of our learning offerings, we facilitate the safety and flow of the group so that their strengths and curiosities can lead the way.
Herb Lab
Throughout this journey, we will embark on an exploration of herbs and plants through the lens of the five elements. Learners will investigate how herbs embody earth, water, fire, air, and ether, understanding their roles and significance in the natural world. Furthermore, participants will immerse themselves in crafting their very own herbal teas and remedies, discovering the diverse properties and benefits that different herbs offer. From cultivating, harvesting, and drying herbs to blending and brewing unique tea concoctions, every step will be hands-on and exploratory. Get ready to unlock the secrets of nature's pharmacy and unleash your creativity in the captivating universe of herbs and plants!
Fractional Relationships and Algebraic Thinking
During these club meetings, our growing mathematicians are invited to dig into relationships amongst the fractional understandings that they intuitively bring with them. With culturally relevant tasks, we also support them in their experiences with the language and beauty of algebra. ​
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writing and solving equations
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analyzing and describing algebraic patterns
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dividing and partitioning
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visualizing
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representing
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abstracting their thinking
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As they explore and expand their mathematical understandings, our learners are engaging with each other's ideas and perspectives, inspiring each other to see their own brilliance, and collaborating with comfort and joy.
Science Club
Learners engage in inquiry and practices to build, deepen, and apply their knowledge of Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering. ​
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We invite our young scientists to begin with questions, to develop and use models, to plan and carry out investigations, to interpret and analyze data, to construct and refine arguments based on evidence and reasoning, and to obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.​
Spanish Club
Our Spanish Language Learners enjoy conversing with vocabulary, phrases, and expressions within the context of a learning invitation. As we appreciate nature, art, reading, emotions, movement, and unpredictable projects, we develop a familiarity and fluency with the accents, letters, words, and grammar of Spanish.
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We see ourselves in the Spanish language stories we read, the songs we sing and dance to, and in the Afro-Latino cultures that we explore.
Community Business Club
As learners create an expanded version of a lemonade stand, they practice collaborative decision-making skills, customer service skills, marketing, accounting and budgeting skills. Most importantly, they learn more about themselves and each other as they interact with our neighbors.
In this club, learners are brainstorming, marketing, budgeting, accounting, and preparing lemonade and supplies. They set up their lemonade stand (along with other products that they may want to sell), and enjoy the experience of selling to and providing for the community.
Our Little Ancestors
Our youngest humans come from the realm that is closest to that of our ancestors. They have so much to teach us with their wonder, their curiosity, their intuition, their honesty, love, energy, and boldness.
In this club, we offer invitations that excite their genius and inspire them to lead themselves and each other with joy, love, and awareness. They see themselves in the stories we read, and the songs we sing and dance to. They enjoy what nature offers, through noticing, observing, collecting, counting, questioning, and classifying. They get creative with arts and crafts, play with letters and words, and they move their bodies with freedom. With any and all learning invitations, we support them in strengthening mindfulness, recognizing and working with emotions, navigating agreements, and resolving conflict.
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Bike and Art Study Club
Our community has so much to offer in the study of art, nature, humanity, and history. We start our bike ride in Leimert Park, and ride throughout the neighborhood and community, stopping to admire murals, gardens, and other forms of art.
We agree upon a focus, and then we start sketching and labeling in our sketchbooks. Depending on the curiosities and interests of the group, our sketches can lead to further questions, research, exploration, writing tasks, math problems, etc.
We enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and the joy of connecting with our neighbors as we learn together.
Chess Club
Chess is one of the greatest metaphors for life. Through the game, we practice the skills of logic, critical thinking, forecasting outcomes, and strategic planning. We gain insight into making adjustments when met with adversity. When desired outcomes are not achieved, we learn to use healthy coping mechanisms and discover new ways to strategize.
In this Chess Club, our learners use the board, the pieces, and their movements as another tool to gain direction in life.
Magic Club
Learners open their minds to a world of wondrous possibilities in this club. While exploring the mysterious art of magic with delight and laughter, they are also building their critical thinking skills of predicting, analyzing, planning, sequencing, and memorizing. Individuals are refining their hand-eye coordination abilities, and pushing themselves as they practice and persevere with their magic methods. ​
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We invite our young magicians to write their own scripts and show introductions. We also support them as they build their self-confidence as brilliant and comedic presenters. Our learning process culminates in magic presentations performed in the surrounding community.​
Financial Literacy
Our learners investigate and build on their own understandings of income and expenses, corporate systems and government policies, investments and savings, entrepreneurship and financial decision-making, community partnerships, Black ownership, and social responsibility.
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We read about historical and current events, we play games, we examine bills and documents, we dialogue - all through the lense of what our learners already know and how we can better serve our individual dreams, our families, our community, and our world.
Individualized
Learning
Partnerships
Scheduled with each family
Whether the focus is math, literacy, knot-tying, Spanish, or another area of study, this is much more than a tutoring session. Learning facilitators partner with your child to build a trusting relationship, engage in joyful and easeful conversations, and develop conceptual understandings in depth.
Coaching Sessions for Homelearning
Parents and Caregivers
Scheduled with each family
We know that every family is continually creating, navigating, and discovering new paths in their unique home learning journey. In these coaching sessions, we respectfully listen and support you as you explore ideas, philosophies, resources, programs, logistics, and communities. We offer questions and options for you to consider as you plan, reflect, and problem-solve through your adventures of home learning.