What is a typical day like?
The following schedule describes the typical flow of a Tuesday or Thursday at Bloom:
8:45 - 9:00 Arrival + Free Time: Flexible arrival time makes for calmer mornings! Children arrive and sign in. Belongings are put away and the children have free social time to play and reconnect with friends, explore materials, opportunities to ask questions to learning guides, and time to prepare for the day.
9:00 - 9:15 Planning Ritual: A gentle and peaceful start spent reflecting on personal daily goals and setting intentions for the day.
9:15 - 9:30 Centering Circle: Intentionally coming together on common ground as they do at Rainbow Community School to “awaken the spiritual center, opening the pathways to learning.” The activities will vary, but can include music, yoga, meditation, mindful breathing, inner reflection, brain warm-ups, and social emotional components.
9:30 - 11:30 Learning Activities: Each morning children cycle through center-based small group activities in math and language arts. Each center includes a variety of choices, including academic games, flashcards, computers, and written work, to suit individual preferences and abilities. Small group instruction focuses on guiding learners to develop and build on formative skills in math, reading, and writing. Individual work towards personal learning goals is encouraged.
11:30 - 12:00 Flex Time: During this time learners might work on projects, attend a school meeting, join a club, or participate in a special workshop with a guest teacher. This time allows for a variety of learning activities and enriching experiences for students to choose from.
12:00 - 2:00 Lunch and Free Time: Lunch is a fun and social experience at Bloom. We eat outside as much as the weather allows. Unstructured outdoor time with friends in nature at Mucklo Playground, Coe Lake park, the Music Mound, or Mill Stream Run Reservation is an invaluable type of holistic learning.
2:00 - 2:40 Art/Science/Social Studies/NVC: On a rotating basis, afternoons at Bloom are spent diving into the children’s current interests in science - with lots of hands-on experiments, creative exploration in a variety of art projects, research and writing about social/cultural studies, or social-emotional/Nonviolent Communication learning games and role-plays. Other activities may include guest teachers in areas like music, snap circuits, history, etc.
2:40 - 2:50 Clean Up: All students and staff work together to complete all cleaning tasks and take care of our shared learning space.
2:50 Closing Circle: Brings us together as a large group again. We will retell the “story” of our day together as we re-center and focus within during a brief guided reflection meditation. Children may each have an opportunity to share feelings, appreciations, ideas, reflections, questions, new insights, and suggestions for tomorrow before we say good-bye for today.
3:00 Departure: Children are dismissed to walk or bike home, or be picked up by parents.
The following schedule describes the typical flow of a Wednesday at Bloom:
8:45 - 9:00 Arrival + Free Time: Flexible arrival time makes for calmer mornings! Children arrive and sign in. Belongings are put away and the children have free social time to play and reconnect with friends, explore materials, opportunities to ask questions to learning guides, and time to prepare for the day.
9:00 - 10:15 Class Block A: Class Blocks on Wednesdays are led by Bloom Staff, Outside Instructors, or Parent and Community Volunteers and offer choices that focus on a variety of topics (music, STEM, writing, nature, arts & crafts, math labs, history, etc.) based on who is offering the class and what the students are interested in.
10:15 - 10:30 Break for snack/socialization
10:30 - 11:45 Class Block B
11:45 - 12:30 Lunch
12:30 - 1:45 Class Block C
1:45 - 3:00 Class Block D
3:00 Departure: Children are dismissed to walk or bike home, or be picked up by parents.
“I like EVERYTHING about Bloom! I feel the happiest all day!”
-Bloom Member, age 8
How will students stay on task in a self-directed environment?
At the heart of Bloom is the learner.
Because we are a learner-centered microschool, we trust learners with their own learning journey. The responsibility for learning is gifted back to the child. When children are free to choose their own path, passion and interest keep them intrinsically motivated and moving forward at their chosen pace.
Children at Bloom will increasingly practice:
setting personalized and meaningful learning goals
participating in interesting learning activities and projects to actively construct their own knowledge and new skills
finding their personal pace and rhythm
overcoming obstacles and learning from mistakes
regularly self-monitoring progress
partaking in reflection and revision processes
celebrating each success!
We expect natural cycles and rhythms of activity and learning to evolve within each individual. The steps above are an essential aspect of life, and we believe it is liberating to invite children into this process for themselves.
If learners decide to step away from their learning path from time to time, we support their needs to regulate themselves. Studies find that taking regular breaks enhances meaningful learning. Unlike some traditional school settings, staff at Bloom do not use coercion to keep students working at a specific pace or on a particular activity.
Bloom learning guides are always available to troubleshoot challenges and obstacles, and will assist learners to keep going when they want to, and support them to find ways to rebalance by stepping away to partake in restorative practices (movement, fresh air, a rest, music) when they need to.
“There are nice people at Bloom. Nice teachers. I like seeing the teachers and my friends.”
-Bloom Member, age 7
What is a learning community? How can families participate?
A learning community is a group that shares a lifelong love of learning. At Bloom, parents and caregivers are an essential part of our daily community! Our community is strengthened and enriched by the combination of unique differences and shared communal values. Our intent is for all members of our community to feel welcomed, appreciated, and supported, and to offer this energy back to the community.
Here are some of the many ways families can participate in our learning community:
volunteering with both special and day-to-day activities at Bloom
share interests and knowledge (speakers and guests will be arranged on a regular basis)
join in special events and celebrations
help with organizing and planning events and field trips
participating in parent meetings and conferences with Bloom staff
assist Bloom’s fundraising efforts
expand our learning community by sharing info about Bloom online and with word-of-mouth endorsements to family and friends
