Mrs. Amber's Homeschool Enrichment Center

Join us in the fall for our new High School classes!

Great American Confrontations will combine speech/debate with American History.

Within a talk show, game show, or other television format, students get inside issues in U.S. history by role-playing key people involved in major historical and cultural controversies. Students not acting as specific figures participate by playing characters representing various viewpoints, injecting questions that provide a whole-picture portrayal. Culminating debriefing sessions engage players in discussions relating the confrontations to the present.

The six simulations are:

Who Really Discovered America? - Six different explorers who claim to be the “true discoverer of America”—a Chinese Buddhist monk, an Irish priest, a disinherited Welsh prince, a Viking, an Icelander, and a certain Genovese admiral—sit on a panel with a Cree Indian chief.

Jeffersonians vs. Hamiltonians - Should the Federalists continue to govern America? Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson and their “families” square off in a popular game-show format.

Calhoun vs. Garrison - In a confrontational talk-show format, Southern politician John C. Calhoun and abolitionist William Lloyd Garrision debate whether Americans should allow slavery to persist in their nation.

Progressive Era Forum - Eight Progressive leaders gather for a panel discussion on whether America’s emerging “social conscience” will have a lasting impact.

New Deal on Trial - An imaginary trial complete with judge, jury, attorneys, court reporters, and witnesses has students assess the impact of FDR and his raft of legislation.

Congressional Fact-Finding Mission - In the thick of World War II, a congressional committee calls for testimony regarding whether Japanese American internment is warranted and if it should continue, and takes questions in a citizens’ forum.

You can view this class, and our other HS offerings here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gFjclnZGyo8Z86WrAU5wL28VGeylDVr2UyGr0NgQmMA/edit?usp=sharing

I'm excited to announce that registration is open for Fall 2025!
We have some amazing class offerings this semester, and classes are filling fast!
Please let me know if you have any questions, and I can't wait to work with your families!
Amber Hardy
Registration Links: Fall 2025
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gFjclnZGyo8Z86WrAU5wL28VGeylDVr2UyGr0NgQmMA/edit?usp=sharing

I've been thinking...

Our program is always looking to adapt and change to the needs of our students. Currently, all of our classes are meant for enrichment, and are not desiged to be a full curriculum. I have thought about adding an option to include supplemental materials that would complement what we are working on in class to be completed at home. Is this something you would be interested in? If so, which classes/age groups do you feel this would be most beneficial for?

This is why our program focuses on meeting EVERY student at their INDIVIDUAL point of need! Join us and see what our classes can do for you!

Registration for Fall 2025 will be opening this Friday!
We've got some great classes in store and can't wait to have you join us!

Urgent!
Everyone, if you can, please call, email, and share! This would kill the education model that many of you use, and would ruin my business. This model helps SO many families be able to educate their children at home, in a way that best fits their learning style/needs.

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! I just got told that if we want to save the program it's time to rally our parents. We need a miracle right now! We need to assume that Idaho Senate Bill 1176 bill (https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/S1176.pdf) is going through AS WRITTEN without any of the amendments we were hoping for. This will destroy our program by ending the educational funding completely if we don't get it changed significantly or killed completely! We tried to negotiate and still have people working on that option, but that looks to be falling apart. IHLA is working on an official letter from them that should be going out to ALL IHLA students and staff later tonight with more details.

Here is what we need:
1. Email and call your own local legislators. As the subject put Please Oppose SB 1176: Save School Choice in Idaho (or something similar)
In the body, state that your children are part of Idaho Home Learning Academy a virtual public charter school that is the best school choice for your children. Briefly explain why.
End with something like "Please protect this school choice option for Idaho students and I look forward to hearing back from you about this time sensitive matter."

If your legislator voted FOR HB 93, you can include information about how it doesn't feel fair that our legislators are opening school choice for private school students while destroying public school choice options.

2. We are expecting the bill to be presented Friday at 2:00 pm, but it could be slipped onto the agenda tomorrow. I will be watching closely for changes, but I will very likely not have much notice. They will most likely allow very limited testimony, but they usually allow written testimony and have a sign in sheet where you indicate if you support or oppose the bill. We need to fill that room full of people who OPPOSE the bill. Kids are welcome.

The key words to emphasize are School Choice!

I'm feeling pretty whiplashed right now, but I know we have an army of parents who care and now THEY need to know it!!! Feel free to copy, edit, and share with anyone you know who supports school choice and might be willing to stand up and fight with us. We need every voice we can get right now!

If you have any connections to media, Idaho Freedom Foundation, or any other group that might advocate for us, please also reach out to them.

HB 93 voting record:
House:
AYES – Alfieri, Andrus, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Harris, Hawkins, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Horman, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mendive, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Palmer, Pickett, Price, Rasor, Redman, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Wisniewski, Mr. Speaker
NAYS – Achilles, Berch, Cayler, Cheatum, Church, Clow, Cornilles, Egbert, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Green(Casner), Handy, Mathias, McCann, Mickelsen, Nelsen, Petzke, Pohanka, Raybould, Raymond, Rubel, Sauter, Weber, Wheeler(Goode)

Senate:
AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bjerke, Blaylock, Carlson, Den Hartog, Foreman, Galloway, Grow, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Ricks, Toews, Zito, Zuiderveld
NAYS – Bernt, Burtenshaw, Cook, Guthrie, Harris, Lent, Rabe, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Shippy, Taylor, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woodward

legislature.idaho.gov

I'm so excited for the amount of interest we have had in our Dekodiphukan Summer Reading Bootcamp! Unfortunately, we've had more interest than I have kits available, so at this time I have closed the interest form. I will be reaching out to people based on when they submitted their forms.
Since we have so much interest, I will be looking at adding Fall and Spring reading bootcamp sessions as well.
You all are amazing and I can't wait to work with your kiddos!

It looks like we're going to move forward with offering high school classes next year!
My plan is to start with 3 class offerings, likely ELA, science, and SS based.
When I offer 4 classes a day, they run from 9:30-3. My question is, if you are interested in our high school classes, would you/your teens rather they ran from 9:30-1:30, 10-2, or 11-3?

Hi everyone!
As we begin thinking about classes for next year, we are looking for some amazing teachers to join our team. Do you know a teacher or parent that has a skill they would like to share? Do you have an idea for a class that you would like to teach? We'll be offering K-12 next year, so we're open to class ideas at all levels! Please reach out to me if you're interested and I'd love to chat!

It was great meeting so many new families, and putting so many names to faces at today's Community and Co-Op event! My plan is to have registration for next fall open by the end of April.
It's going to be an amazing year!

I'm starting to look towards next year...
Do I have any families that would be interested if I added In-Person High School classes? What types of classes would your students be interested in?

Updated:
I'm so excited for the amount of interest we have had in our Dekodiphukan Summer Reading Bootcamp! Unfortunately, we've had more interest than I have kits available, so at this time I have closed the interest form. I will be reaching out to people based on when they submitted their forms.
Since we have so much interest, I will be looking at adding Fall and Spring reading bootcamp sessions as well.
You all are amazing and I can't wait to work with your kiddos!

Hi everyone!
I have been seeing a lot of people asking about reading classes, and I have been working on figuring out the best way to make this happen. Please watch this short (3 1/2 minute) video, to learn more about our upcoming Summer Reading Bootcamp opportunity!
https://www.loom.com/share/7cf275dace2549129013fff046814414?sid=fbc0a7a8-7928-45aa-8b7d-b3c50a8c1751

If you are interested, you can also watch some of the original videos from the creator, introducing the program to teahers, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZbmVMiJShU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI4M7lscunE

If you've made it this far, and are interested in participating or learning more, please fill out this short survey:
https://forms.gle/esMRkRXzfQKLVgyZA

I look forward to helping your students learn to read this summer!

Summer Reading Boot Camp Opportunity! 📚 Hi everyone! I'm excited to share a summer reading boot camp I'm offering, inspired by a successful program from the 80s called Decode If You Can. We'll have a week-long session in May, where I'll provide kits for families and guide them on how to support their students. The cost is $100 per student...

Last Call!
Registration for Spring 2025 closes tomorrow, 1/8.
We have some great class offerings this semester and are going to have so much fun learning and hanging out with our friends!
Our in-person classes average out to about $10/class, and our virtual classes are only $5/class!
Please share with your fellow homeschoolers, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

Spring 2025 - Registration Links Mrs. Amber’s Homeschool Enrichment Center Spring 2025 I'm excited to be able to offer a variety of IN PERSON classes in the Treasure Valley, and VIRTUAL options for all homeschoolers for the 2024-2025 school year. New classes will be offered each semester covering a variety of subjects. Stude...

New class idea I'm playing around with:
Playhouse Construction
Students would learn how to design, frame, sheet, side, roof, tape, texture, and paint a play house, and then market and sell it.
What do you think? Anyone interested?
(Image just as an example)

We just had 2 spots open up in our 3rd-5th grade American Sign Language and Art classes! Share with your friends if you know of anyone that would like to join! Our 3rd-5th class fill super fast and are a lot of fun!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XdA-smbeeNnXj_56cTmLouk-ShDZC4vsn0YQxxWdRds/edit?usp=sharing

Did you know my Virtual classes are available to ALL HOMESCHOOLERS, no matter where you live?
We have some great options beginning in January like:
Dinner Around the World: Mondays 4:30-5:30 mt
Everything Potatoe: Tuesdays 2:00-3:00 mt
and Virtual Sewing: Thursdays 11:00-12:00 mt
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, and I can't wait to work with your family!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XdA-smbeeNnXj_56cTmLouk-ShDZC4vsn0YQxxWdRds/edit?usp=sharing

Are you ready to start the new year with some amazing new classes? I know we are!
We still have some space available in some of our In-Person (Boise) and Virtual classes for Spring 2025. Classes will begin the week of January 20th, and we would love to have YOU join us!

K-2nd will be learning about Animals & Their Habitats, beginning Plant Science, Math Games, and Music & Movement!

3rd-5th: Sorry, all of the classes for this age group are full, but we expect to have space available next year!

6th-8th will Journey Through the Judicial System, explore Elements & Interactions through Chemistry, immerse themselves in the world of Greek Mythology, and use their critical thinking skills to complete various Escape Rooms!

Virtual options include Dinner Around the World, Everything Potato, and our brand new virtual Sewing class!

All classes are a-la-carte, and we encourage students/families to sign up for as many or as few classes as interest them. Multi-Class and Sibling discounts are available for in-person classes and will be applied automatically.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, and I look forward to working with your family!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XdA-smbeeNnXj_56cTmLouk-ShDZC4vsn0YQxxWdRds/edit?usp=sharing

Tomorrow our "Me in My Community" class will celebrate the end of the semester with a Community Carnival! These kiddos have been working hard to learn about their communities and their places in them, and I can't wait to celebrate with them!