A homeschool pod is a small learning community where children from multiple families learn together under one instructor. Unlike traditional homeschooling, where parents teach only their own children at home, our pod brings together students aged 8-12 to learn in a supportive group setting. This approach combines the personalized attention of homeschooling with valuable social interaction, collaborative projects, and peer relationships—all while maintaining consistent guidance from a dedicated teacher. Children benefit from both structured learning and the natural mentoring that occurs in our mixed-age environment.
Our homeschool pod welcomes children between 8 and 12 years old. We believe the beauty of this mixed-age setting is how it reflects the real world, where people with different abilities naturally learn together. This gentle approach helps children develop not just academic skills, but also valuable social qualities like empathy, leadership, and working together. We’ve noticed this age range creates a warm space for shared learning while still respecting different developmental stages. Sometimes, we’ll gently separate children into smaller groups (8-10 and 11-12) to make sure everyone feels appropriately challenged. Much like in Montessori spaces, we encourage older children to guide younger ones, which helps reinforce what the older students have learned while providing caring role models for the younger children.
Our pod meets Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. We follow a traditional academic calendar with breaks for major holidays and a summer recess from mid-June through August.
We embrace a thoughtful blend of classical education, project-based learning, and nature-inspired approaches. Our core subjects—language arts, mathematics, science, and history—are nurtured through carefully selected homeschool curricula, enriched with hands-on activities that connect to everyday experiences. We gently weave critical thinking exercises throughout our days, encouraging children to question, explore, and develop their own understanding. Mindfulness practices offer moments of calm reflection, while character education flows naturally through our interactions, stories, and community experiences. We incorporate resources from Lexia, Brave Writer, Singapore Math, and the beautiful nature-based materials from Seasons Afield (Beautiful Books) to create a warm, engaging learning environment where both minds and hearts can flourish.
Students should bring a backpack, a healthy lunch and snacks, a water bottle, weather-appropriate clothing (we go outside daily), and a change of clothes. We provide all other learning materials, art supplies, and specialized equipment.
Our small group size (maximum 8 children) allows us to personalize instruction. We employ mixed-age groupings that let children work at their appropriate level regardless of age.
We administer NWEA/MAP testing twice per year through Homeschool Boss to track academic progress in core subject areas. This standardized assessment helps us identify strengths and growth opportunities while providing comparable data to traditional schools. Fees for MAP testing will be discussed with parents individually. In addition to MAP testing, we use project completion, individual conferences, and observation notes to provide a comprehensive view of each child’s development.
We welcome parent involvement! Opportunities include assisting in special interest workshops, chaperoning field trips, sharing professional expertise for topic explorations, and participating in our quarterly conferences.
We believe in balanced technology use. Digital tools are integrated purposefully for research, creative projects, and specific educational applications. Students have supervised access to tablets and computers for certain learning activities, typically 2-3 times per week. We do not use technology as a primary teaching method but rather as one tool among many. We focus on developing healthy digital literacy skills while prioritizing hands-on, experiential learning.
Our pod maintains a secular approach to education while respecting diverse family beliefs. For potentially controversial topics, we focus on presenting factual information and encouraging critical thinking rather than advocating specific viewpoints. Parents receive advance notice when sensitive topics will be discussed, and we welcome family input on how to approach these conversations respectfully.
We encourage all interested families to schedule a visit to experience our homeschool pod firsthand. To arrange a visit, please contact Kelli by email or call (603) 369-1974. We typically offer visit opportunities by appointment and during times when you can observe our learning environment in action. After your observation, we’ll schedule a brief meeting to answer any specific questions you might have.