The children in the Youngers' Group range in age from five to ten years old; the maximum number of enrollees is twenty.   Research is now proving that the developing brains of children are best served when their learning takes place in an open, comfortable environment.   This is precisely what Clonlara offers.   The large, light filled classroom is furnished with an art area, a quiet time reading area, work tables for group instruction, computers for exploration and enrichment, a science corner, a kitchenette and two private bathrooms.

We view the play area as a classroom:   the skills of teamwork, problem solving, healthy competition and independent play all occur naturally.   Outside play is not only encouraged,
it is expected!

Clonlara also views the community as a classroom:   the real-life experiences of toad hunting, maple sap gathering, ice sculpturing, gardening, attending plays and concerts are all examples of outings we have had.   Field trips to libraries, museums, parks and other areas of interest are regularly integrated into our school week.

Each day, Youngers begin their day by setting learning goals and reviewing the day's activities.   Students work at their own pace.   We know, after 40 years of experience, that the best way to engage students is to use their curiosity and interests as the bases for their learning designs.   For example, one student may have a passion for turtles:   there are creative ways to build the subject of turtles in to every discipline.   Another may want to construct or destruct machines:   there is math and science and story reading and telling, and writing there, too!

Every student has basic skills time that they work on daily.   This year we have used the Harcourt Family Learning series that covers gramnmar, punctuation, vocabulary, writing, and research.   The Language Arts program is based on the Four Blocks Literacy Model:   where guided reading, self-selected reading, writing and working with words is covered.   McGraw-Hill's Mathematics is our text for Math. Keep in mind that each child follows his or her own pace.

Social Studies and Science books fit within the guided and self-selected reading framework of the Four Blocks.   We augment these texts with library resources, the Internet, field trips, independent and small group studies.

This year, we have also used "Handwriting Without Tears."   We plan to continue using this text as we introduce cursive to those students ready for it.

The Youngers set aside special times for bringing toys and video games from home and every Wednesday finds each student Showing and Telling.

Students bring their own lunches and snacks; we encourage healthy guidelines for their food choices:   protein, fruits, whole grain breads, and no soda pop!   Families are welcome to store special food items in our refrigerator.   Just so you know, birthdays and special occasions are exempt from these guidelines...

Visiting the classroom is a must.   Refer to our enrollment guidelines page.   We would love to show you our program.   We are proud of our ability to create an environment where every child is encouraged to do his or her personal best, without coercion.   You will find the environment purposeful, yet playful; busy, yet focused; happy, yet not silly, filled with laughter, music and the sounds of children hard at work and play.

"What children need is not new and better curricula but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use fantasy and play to make meaning out of them; and advice, road maps, guidebooks, to make it easier for them to get where they want to go (not where we think they ought to go), and to find out what they want to find out." ~John Holt