Our main program meets on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 3pm. It’s for homeschooled children ages 5 – 13 and is based on the Agile Learning Center model.
➡️ See our other program options here
The ALC Model
The Agile Learning Centers model is a framework for learning communities rooted in trust, self-direction, and collaboration.
Big Tree ALC is a community that emphasizes autonomy, self-directed learning, and play within a flexible and supportive environment. We aim to cultivate lifelong learners who are self-motivated, adaptable, and capable of navigating an ever-changing world.
Our Values
At Big Tree we emphasize play, nature, community involvement, setting intention, and making decisions grounded in trust. We strive to create a nurturing and compassionate environment where effective communication, empathy, and understanding flourish within our community.
We use Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as a foundation for interpersonal interactions. We use Gina Simm’s Heart to Heart program to help children apply NVC to themselves and their relationships.
Facilitators
Adult facilitators play a crucial role in the ALC model. They serve as guides and mentors for the learners.
Their responsibilities include:
- Establishing a safe, nurturing space for children to explore their interests.
- Assessing each child’s learning style, interests, strengths, and challenges in order to provide personalized guidance.
- Identifying relevant materials, connecting with external resources, and facilitating access to information.
- Encouraging collaboration among learners so that peer learning and cooperation can thrive.
- Empowering children to make decisions, manage their time, and take responsibility for their educational choices.
- Modeling the willingness to learn, adapt, and grow alongside the children.
What We Do
We begin each day Morning Meeting where we create intentions and schedule offerings.
What is an offering? It’s any one of an infinite amount of possibilities! It could be an art project, a game or sport, investigation into a particular topic, a group discussion, science experiment, nature hike, cooking project, performing a play, filming a movie, etc. Offerings are only limited by our imagination and what we wish to learn! Anyone is welcome suggest an offering – learners, parents, facilitators, or invited guests.
If there is an idea for an offering that requires planning (i.e. a field trip, bringing in a specialist, or acquiring supplies/tools, etc) it goes on a list to be planned for a future date.
In addition to offerings, our learning center is full of books, board games, musical instruments, crafting and maker supplies, outdoor equipment, building materials, comfortable lounge spaces, and more.
➡️ Learn more about our space here.
Throughout the day, learners are free to move around the space as they wish, participating with others or spending time alone. Our facilitators support students as guides, mentors, and facilitators of learning.
At the end of each day we come together as a team to restore our space and ensure everything finds its rightful place during cleanup. To conclude our day, we embrace a moment of reflection, offering each child a valuable opportunity to share their unique experiences from the day.