Wonder Homeschool Center

Most homeschooling families that spent time in the public school system agree: their kids have busier schedules, are involved in more activities, spend more time with friends, and pursuing authentic interests than they did when they were in public school!

Stronger relationships and better communication, you say!?!?!

More families are opting out of traditional schooling over concerns about the school environment - Safety, Bullying, Drugs - than any other single reason.

Join us this July as we uncover the Top Ten Myths about Homeschooling.

Y'all... I am absolutely THRILLED about our newest offering.

We'll be offering our first-ever HYBRID class!!! We're hoping this provides the best of everything - at home, self-paced learning, in-person labs and dissections, and community outings for field trips!

This program will be limited to TEN students!

Details are attached, but ask all the questions!

Reading is reading! Whether it’s eye reading or ear reading, access to books is transformative!

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Listening to audiobooks activates the same regions of the brain as reading silently to yourself. It also reduces the load on working memory, which is really helpful to children with weak executive functioning. Always allow audiobooks!

We have a small team competing at The National Beta Convention this week in Savannah and have learned a lot bout the event, had fun and did a little exploring of the city! Finished our trip up with a tour of SCAD where students learned of the school’s history and the brave work of its creative founder who dreamt of a school where students could create, innovate, design, invent and find their joy!

Instead of trying to get your kid to love or be interested in the things YOU or a set of “standards” decide, focus on nurturing the things THEY love.

You might not be able to check society’s boxes that way, but you’ll fully prepare your child to be a lifelong learner, trust their instincts, and be passionate about the things that will make them the best versions of themselves. 💚

At Bridge Academy, we don’t just nurture the weird things… we lean alllll the way into them! 🎉 We celebrate the natural talents, passions, strengths, and interests of our students. And we begin the process of our transcript development each year by hearing about those things FIRST.

If you’re ready to lean fully into trusting and following your child (while not having to stress about state regulations on homeschoolers), it’s time for you to enroll your child in Bridge Academy! Enrollment is open for the 24-25 school year! Visit .us to discover more. 💚

We are so excited to be phone/ipad -free next school year.

This story shows the power in parents coming together to advocate for change!

In our town there is an annual 5th grade field trip 2 hrs away. This is a much anticipated adventure as well as a beloved tradition that marks the end of elementary and the transition to middle school.

The thought had not crossed my mind that personal internet-enabled devices could be an issue on the bus. In our school the policy is that personal devices like a smartphone must be powered down and out of sight for the school day.

So I was surprised when a fellow 5th grade mom reached out to share that her daughter was in knots because she didn't have a smartphone for the trip. Her daughter was consumed by anxiety because kids with phones and ipads were using the devices to entice friends to sit with them, making plans about what they'll watch or do. This girl said to her mom: "I have nothing to offer."

And that's before you get into all the other issues that could be introduced by smartphones/iPads with cameras and internet capabilities.

I reached out to some of the parents to ask if there had been any conversation around this. There was immediate consensus that there would be a lot of missed opportunities for connection. I asked the school and it was confirmed that since smartphones, etc. have been allowed in the past without issue, yes, personal internet devices were OK'd.

I shared all of this with our Wait Until 8th group and talked with friends.

And long story short--thanks to an outpouring of personal emails, the teachers decided smartphones and iPads would not be allowed on the field trip!

Many parents and kids are relieved. It really has taken a lot of pressure off and I think will ultimately be a better experience. Unfortunately, in this particular class of kids there have already been serious issues stemming from a group text that hovers somewhere around 40 numbers. Nobody wants that interfering with a field trip.

Even though it was a small win, it happened in less than 48 hours! We're all feeling hopeful that it will empower parents to have these conversations--and believe that change is possible!

Special thanks to the mom who shared this story!

🙌🙌🙌🙌

It’s you - you’re the problem.

Couldn’t help but thinking this exact thought when reading an article in the local news about the fact that our local public school district has had a consistent dip in enrollment over the last ten years despite a steady increase in population on the area.

Breaking Up With Public School And Finding A School That Fits — Young Scholars Academy Finding the right fit for a twice-exceptional student can feel like ordering clothes from Wish. Everything looks really good online, but then never fits in all the right places. They may have a great program for reading, but it comes at the cost of child autonomy. T

Did you know...

We offer scholarships!?

Many thanks to The Coastal Observer for sharing the story behind our Odyssey Team’s journey to the World Competiton.

It was an incredible experience and we can’t wait to compete again next year!

Did you know … We start each day with Wonder Morning Moments - social emotional work to support our kids through this transitional period.

Middle school is HARD.

Join us, as we cocoon students in a safe place -

- a safe place to learn
- a safe place to explore a higher level of academics - high school classes and dual enrollment options
- a safe place to be who they are, without fear of judgment
- a safe place without the bombardment of social media
- a safe place for parents to ask questions, share concerns, and be authentically involved in their children’s’ education
- a safe place for teachers to support students in whatever they need most
- a safe place where kids have permission to remain kids
- a safe place where kids have time to connect with their parents and spend with their families
- a safe place to be

Https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/navigating-middle-school-is-tough-how-parents-can-help-202310042979

Navigating middle school is tough: How parents can help - Harvard Health Middle school can be challenging for many students, with increased time demands, more homework, and social situations to navigate. What can parents do to support their kids and strengthen fa...

This year, 30+ of our Wonder community came together for our last field trip of the year to Carowinds. This annual tradition is all about having fun, stretching outside of our comfort zones, and building relationships among students, teachers, AND families.

For students to learn and grow academically, it truly takes a village, but also, takes knowing that mental health and emotional security must come before learning is possible.

So, technically, it's still May but we don't care... we are so excited about next school year's Book Club, we can't wait till August to share!

We're super excited about some of the selected Books, and have already started penning emails to the nominated authors inviting them to Meet & Greets with our Book Club students!

We'll host an Open House in late August with more information and a preview of all the nominated books. The Club will host its first meeting in September, during which our students will vote on which books they’ll read this year. This year, we’ll also be participating in both the Book Banner and Book Trailer awards and can't wait to see the creativity that comes when our students tackle those!

Comment below or reach out if you want to get on our mailing list for more info!

In her own words …

My name is Katelyn Moore and I am 16. When I was in 4th grade, all of my classmates began acquiring smartphones. When I asked my parents for one, their response was “What is your why behind wanting one?”

This question surprised me and I answered with “All my friends have one, I feel left out when they are on theirs, etc.” And while they understood where I was coming from they clarified that they didn’t see the need for one at that point in my life.

While at that moment I was disappointed, looking back I see that they were doing their jobs as my parents to protect me and keep things “age-appropriate”. They were defending me from the threats I didn’t know existed .

I was not given a phone until my freshman year, and I would not have asked for it a moment sooner. Growing up outside of a screen made me who I am today. I have a confidence you can only discover in the real world, not the virtual one and I also have the ability to carry on a conversation while making eye contact. I have many hobbies such as baking, painting, and guitar.

Another thing my parents didn’t allow is social media until I was 16. I am so thankful that they postponed it until I was mature enough to regulate everything that comes with not only such an influential device but social media in itself.

I see my teenage peers struggling with anxiety, loneliness and depression which is yet another reason why I am grateful that my parents waited for me to learn who I am without the world's opinions pushed onto me (beauty standards, life, relationships, perfection, etc).

I realize now I have had a real childhood, one filled with playing outside, imagination, and memories. I also don’t see my parents as strict parents, but as parents who have reasonable restrictions to protect me, and for that I thank them. I was young, naive, and not ready for the world it opens up. This is why I believe we need to let kids be kids a little longer and delay the smartphone!

Thank you, Katelyn !

Parents sign the pledge today to delay smartphones until the end of 8th grade. We link you up with other families waiting from your child's school 🙌

Who’s “wonder”ing what the 2024-25 Odyssey of the Mind problems might be!?

Wait no longer! Here they are!

If you a wildly creative, deeply artistic, theatrical performer and innovative problem solver …we want you!

We’ll be auditioning students in grades 6-8, and, if there’s enough interest, grades 3-5 and 9-12 as well. Teams are limited to seven members and must be available to attend the SC state competition in March 2025 and, if the team advances, the World Finals in Ann Arbor, Michigan in May 2025.

Contact us for more information!

Our final day started with sirens blasting at 4 am and an hour taking cover in the basement due to tornado warnings.

Despite the early alarm, our team rallied and brought all the energy to their performance. We were able to watch a few other teams again, including a deeply moving performance by a Native American school paying tribute to their storied history. We spent the rest of our day pin trading, exploring campus, and spent a gorgeous afternoon outside and introduced one of the Korean team to their first parachute games. We closed our day with an Odyssey tradition - the “dumpster ceremony” whereby the team utterly destroyed their set and props before tossing into a dumpster! We wrapped up the night with the awards show and closing ceremony. We are truly sad to see this adventure come to an end, but we’re already scheming about Odyssey of the Mind 2025!

Our Odyssey Team Competing at Worlds

Ready to Rock! Wish us luck. We perform at 11:51 am CT!

Odyssey Day 3 was our “free day” with neither spontaneous nor long term scheduled for our team.

We took full advantage and watched more teams from our division - a library team (Colorado), a homeschool team (Florida), and one of them German teams. We were also able to watch a few performances for the other problems, which brought us around different parts of campus and some pretty cool buildings! We spent some time exploring the International Festival meeting teams and buying unique items from other teams’ countries and spent even MORE time trading pins.

We compete tomorrow morning at 11 so we spent some time this afternoon and evening with final prep. Don’t have a ton of pics because my phone died pretty early in the day.

Stay tuned …tomorrow is competition day for our team and awards and closing ceremonies.

A little background on Odyssey of the Mind…

Schools, microschools, homeschool groups, even community groups can form teams (minimum 2, max 7) in several age-based divisions. Each team chooses 1 problem and presents their solution to a team of judges at the state commotion - each solution is a performance that the team must originally write, put to music, and design and build props, sets, costumes, hair and makeup for without any adult or outside assistance - and with a budget of $75!

This years problems are attached. Our team chose Problem 5 - Rock Tour Detour! We’ll post their outrageously original performance after the competition!

Day two at Odyssey of the Mind’s World Finals did not disappoint.

Our team had a blast at The Creativity Festival, earning stamps with creative challenges and trading pins with OM teams from around the globe. We even met students from Hong King who gifted us a scroll with “Wonder” in Cantonese before we headed across campus to compete in the Spontaneous problem.

We were able to watch a few of the teams’ performances in our division, including teams from Singapore, Korea, California, and New York. Everyone we’ve met has been friendly, encouraging and supportive of everyone in the competition, which has been such a great thing to see and a positive energy to be around!

Working Memory (WM) is the part of memory that allows people to turn information they learn into action, such as remembering instructions long enough to complete a task. In people with ADHD, impairments are linked to key symptoms such as inattention and hyperactivity.

With rising ADHD diagnosis and even greater increase in symptoms, the impact of phones on WM provides an even greater reason to delay the introduction of cell phones to kids!

Research says: To preserve your focus, hide your phone! 🧠 📱

Watch our video, "Optimizing Working Memory in the Classroom," to learn more: https://edut.to/3Kb4ujP

We made it! We road-tripped 7 states for the 19-hour drive, including dodging a few tornados 🌪️

We are so excited for our students to have the opportunity to display their phenomenal creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals Competition. They are part of a group of 6,000 students from across the globe - over 850 teams representing 40 + states and 10 countries - that have gathered for this four-day competition after slaying their state and regional competitions. We can’t wait to see them ROCK the 6-8th grade division!