Journey School teachers design lessons that engage students’ minds, bodies, and feelings. Whatever the grade might be you can see students recite rhythmic verses to improve speech articulation; make beautiful music on a variety of instruments; engage in mental math exercises to increase automaticity; summarize stories in their own textbook; create art from their own imagination; garden, build, and explore the practical arts; and, research and solve problems through collaboration, experimentation, and project-based learning.
As children grow older, students begin to participate in overnight field trips. These field trips serve as rites of passage that allow the children to deepen their experience of the curriculum in an outdoor learning environment. These trips also challenge and fortify character; as students must face their fears, work together in community, and participate in activities specific to the outdoor environment.
Some of the locations visited include:
- 3rd Grade: A local trip to study organic farming, community supported agriculture, and/or animals.
- 4th Grade: A local trip to continue studies on animal habitat and tracking, or to study California history.
- 5th Grade: A camping trip to Catalina to study botany, ecology, and environmental stewardship.
- 6th Grade: An overnight trip to Pali Institute to study mineralogy and geology while pushing beyond perceived physical barriers.
- 7th Grade: A trip that supports curricular learning such as a camping trip to a permaculture site to study Eco-Leadership.
- 8th Grade: An extended camping trip geared toward strengthening the eighth grade student’s mind, body, and spirit in preparation for high school.
