The curriculum at Our School stems directly from our philosophy. Our holistic foundation yields activities with many levels and areas of learning occurring together. While we can isolate and examine a piece of our curriculum, such as a particular math skill or a handwriting objective, our educational program is far more complex and interconnected than just a set of isolated components. A great deal of children's work involves theme studies and creative expression. A particular interest of a child may be a motivating dynamic for a creative story, a painting, a journal entry, a research topic, or perhaps a combination of these. Our School curriculum utilizes an integrated, child-centered approach.

Creative arts, physical activity, social pastimes, and outdoor play are essential components of Our School curriculum. Balanced with academic studies, these non-academic components help create an education for the whole child. Snack time not only offers an important opportunity for social interactions, but it also provides a kinesthetic change of pace. Children are renewed and ready for the next chunk of quiet work after snack time. Brain research validates what has been known in many educational circles for a long time: cognitive performance is highly affected by one's emotional and physical state. Thus the nurturing, fun, and physically balanced atmosphere of Our School contributes to the enjoyment and success of the academic program.

Even during academically structured time periods, an observer might be surprised to see children in one classroom involved in a variety of activities. Perhaps one group of children is working together while others are engaged in different types of individual pursuits. Some children may be on the rug or a pillow while others are at a table. A child might walk across the room to get a supply and the teacher might be working closely with just one student, seemingly oblivious to other children. Rather than ``pin-drop silence'', there may be a few quiet discussions going on at once. However, if the observer looks closely, s/he would see each child actively working. The teacher may indeed be focussing attention on one student, but that teacher is well aware of all that is going on in the room. There is an underlying rhythm and structure that has been carefully designed with the children to create an environment where self-directed activity is the norm. Within this environment are parameters that promote the blossoming and development of each child.

There is no one academic mode that characterizes Our School. Information is presented through a variety of modes. Studies in the fields of multiple intelligence and learning styles support the need to introduce material in many different ways. Perhaps most importantly, teachers stay attuned to their students, and respond to student needs. Exploration, imagination, discussion, prediction, and speculation are common elements to academic studies.

Specific studies vary from group to group; however, certain threads are woven into the curriculum throughout the school. Journal writing is one of these common threads. The youngest children create books with a series of drawings. The teacher adds text to the drawings, and as the children begin to form their own letters, they start to write the text themselves. The looking over, reading, and sharing of these books reinforces story-telling sequencing and is part of early reading experiences. Writing skills mature, and journal entries become more involved. In the older groups, writing experiences include first drafts, editing conferences, and final drafts. In all family groups, the teacher carefully guides each child to advance her/his writing skills while encouraging the expression of ideas. Because the subject matter has sprung from the child's experiences or imagination, the written content is automatically of interest to the child.

For certain projects children with different skill levels will work together. For example, a group working on the possibility of life on Mars might include students with varying reading, math, and social skills. The team leader might be strong in pulling the team together, but might need to rely on another member for map reading skills. Working together, pooling resources, and mentoring are important pieces of such a project.

Math is an area where children are grouped with others who share a similar skill level. One family group may have a couple of math groups. As needed, children easily move to a different math group within their family group, or to another family group, in order to meet their needs.

Overall, Our School academic content tends to be oriented towards depth, concepts, critical thinking, communication, and guided independent learning. In today's information revolution, it is clear that just having a certain body of knowledge is no longer equated with being an educated person. Knowing how to obtain, analyze, and process information, along with communicating facts and ideas is essential to operating in today's world. As Our School children delve intensely into rich, absorbing topics, they not only obtain important information, but also build fundamental research skills.