A Day
at
Heritage Academy

Cooper arrives at 8:45, excited to start the day! He is greeted at the door by one of the class pets, Fluffy, the cat. After giving Fluffy a quick scratch, he hangs his backpack and jacket up, and rushes over to the round tables to see what books, curiosities, and games Mrs. Nuss has set out for students to explore.

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Soon, the schoolhouse is buzzing with the excited chatter of his fellow classmates over the specimens they've found to look at under the microscope. Cooper smiles. It's going to be another great day!

After chores, it's time to come inside and get cleaned up. John, who is in 6th grade, pulls out his Personalized Learning Plan and goes over the schedule he created with Mrs. Nuss' help. Today he will be reading about the genetics of goat coat patterns and colors. His long-term project involves breeding two goats, Mary and Mac, and predicting what colors and patterns their offspring may have. 

Everet leans over to see what plant specimen his friend Mark has found. Every week the school explores the woods, foraging for acorns, identifying trees, and finding new insects to write about in their nature journals. Everet's favorite part is learning what the different plants can be used for. 

After Morning Meeting, where Charlotte and her classmates learn about the day's agenda and break into chore groups, it's time for one of her favorite parts of the day--Farm Chores! Charlotte grabs her coveralls and gloves. This week she'll be working with the chickens and can't wait to help care for them and collect eggs from the chicken coop.

Clara loves eating lunch on the farm. It's a beautiful day, which means picnic style lunches in the fields. Afterwards, there's plenty of time to play games and to run in the fields. Later in the day, Clara will help make homemade butter while another group makes crackers from freshly milled wheat berries.

The schoolhouse is filled with the sounds of children working hard on their studies. Small groups of the youngest students work with Mrs. Nuss on their reading, while the older students work in groups putting the final touches on their presentations. Emma's group will be giving a presentation on life in colonial America. Emma has prepared a posterboard of what a colonial village might have looked like, with each part carefully labeled. Emma's groupmates ooh and ahhh over the tiny chickens she thought to include around the village.