The Alcove at Heartwood

Looking for a self-directed learning space that welcomes homeschoolers part-time? We’re here!

Okay, technically this is a pilot program right now. It’s built off what we’ve offered full-time students since 2016, and we look forward to community input helping us refine it in future semesters!

structured learning

Each semester we host offerings based on kids’ interests. Chess, crafting, graphic novels, and Minecraft are perennial favorites. We also set up student accounts so they can access platforms like IXL, Scratch, and Brilliant.

free play

We prioritize play, for so many reasons. It keeps us creative, lets us practice skills, builds social ties, and brings us joy. We enthusiastically welcome paint splatters, mud puddles, video game puzzles, and ambitious blanket fort experiments.

project support

When kids have big project ideas, we work together to identify the smaller steps, map out a plan, and check-in across days or weeks. Whether they accomplish their goal or change plans, we know there are many lessons to uncover just by trying.

The Alcove operates during our August-to-May school year. Learners meet Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The space is open from 9:00 am to 3:15 pm, and programming runs from 9:30 am to 3 pm. Alcove students participate in meetings, clean-up, and special events alongside our full-time students.

There isn’t a requirement to attend all 3 days, but we are deliberately choosing to gather a cohort instead of offering drop-in or per activity registration. The young people around us said they want to prioritize finding community, and encouraging them to gather consistently — even if they aren’t sure they are excited about any scheduled events that day — is intended to help set them up to build community with each other.

We have rolling admissions and are currently accepting applications for cohort members ages 7 - 17 from the metro Atlanta area. The admissions process is the same as for enrollment in the school, except that the student “visiting week” will be 3 days instead of 5 unless the family and facilitators arrange otherwise.

This program is offered as an experiential learning and social space for self-directed homeschoolers and unschoolers! It is an experiment in response to community requests, which means we might change the format slightly in the next iteration based on how these first months unfold. Feedback or sharing about what you loved about other, similar programs is very welcome!

There are many ways that people practice self-directed education. You can learn more about Heartwood’s approach on our FAQ page.