Underground Learning Cooperative

05/13/2026

Join our team! For questions, text 317-966-8686 or to apply, follow the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeO4qofv87C1C51ykomTkAK6Eux7FihkJaeZEZ1YFze9EhqNw/viewform?

05/02/2026

✨✨FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ✨✨

🌎 Location: Danville, IN, off of 200S between 39S and Cartersburg Rd. We are home-based in a 1500 sqft converted basement.

⏰ Hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays full days 8:00-4:30 and half days 9:30-1:30 - you choose how many days per week you join in.

📅 What are your semesters? ULC operates year round! You can enroll in our semesters only, August-December and February-June, or you can enroll year round and participate in our Winter Camp in January and our Summer Camp in July.

👧🏻 Ages enrolled: 4 years - 16 years

👯 How many students are enrolled? At capacity, we have 40 students total with an average of 10 students per level

⭐️ What are the levels? Level 1s are 4-5 year olds. Level 2s are our 6-7 year olds. Level 3s are our 8-10 year olds. Level 4s are our 11+ year olds.

💲 Tuition: tuition is based on three factors - child’s level, number of days enrolled per week, and full or half days.

👩‍🏫 How many teachers are there? ULC has six amazing teachers on staff. All staff members have been involved in the education field and have experience homeschooling their own children.

📖 What curriculum do we use? ULC does not follow any set curriculum. Each school year, the teachers meet as a team and with their students to determine what the next school year will look like. We offer a variety of new experiences for the students to participate in that we feel will spark their interests. We keep lessons flexible, so if something new or more relevant presents itself, we are able to pursue that topic instead! Students are always welcome and encouraged to bring new ideas for daily lessons.

💥 Are students required to participate? We do ask for participation during class meeting so all voices can be represented. Participation in activities is optional but encouraged. If a student isn’t interested in the activity, they’re welcome to find another activity, do art, play in the fort room, or hang out in the quiet corner.

☀️ What does a “typical” day look like?
9:30 Class meeting
10:00-10:45 First class
11:00-1:00 Lunch & Free play
1:30-2:30 Second class
2:30 Snack (provided)
3:00 Optional afternoon activity or free play
4:30 Pick Up

🌲Do you play outside? Yes! Much of our day is spent outside. We are outside year round, from March to December. Students are free to play as they wish, climbing trees, playing in the mud kitchen, or swinging to touch the trees!

🖇 What are class meetings? We start with 10 minutes of mindfulness with journaling or drawing, followed by On This Day in History, and a word of the day. Then teachers share what activities they have planned. We then go over any concerns or ideas students may have, share thoughts, and take votes. If a student wants a new rule in place, they can bring it to class meeting where it can be discussed and voted on. All voices are shared equally, regardless of age or status.

♣️ What are classes? Classes range from cooking, animal studies, sewing, space, jewelry making, greek mythology, how things work, theater and many more. Each class will have a 6 week term, be varied from day to day (if your student attends multiple days per week, they will not have duplicate classes), and offered age appropriately for students' levels.

🎨Do we follow any religious or political stances? ULC functions as a secular and politically unbiased learning environment. We welcome and respect all people and beliefs, and encourage our students to do the same. We do not collectively share one religious or political viewpoint.

✅ Ok, I’m interested. What’s next? Send us a message! We’d love to set up an after hours meeting on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings. If it feels like a good fit, you can register your child and get started as soon as you’re ready! We offer year round enrollment.

05/01/2026

05/01/2026

✨ Now Enrolling for Fall 2026! ✨

Underground Learning Co-op (ULC) is now enrolling for the upcoming school year beginning August 2026, and we’d love to welcome new families into our community!

ULC is a drop-off homeschool co-op for students ages 4–16, designed to give kids a mix of hands-on learning, creativity, and meaningful social connection.

We’re open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with full-day and half-day options, so you can build a schedule that truly works for your family.

Our teachers create engaging, interest-led classes that are different every week and tailored to each group of students. Some past favorites include:
🍳 Cooking & baking
🧵 Sewing & crafting
🔍 Forensic science & escape rooms
🎨 Art & art history
🌊 Ocean mysteries
📚 Book clubs
…and so much more!

In addition to classes, students enjoy plenty of free play, outdoor time, and opportunities to build friendships in a relaxed, supportive environment.

Spots are limited and days fill quickly, so if you’re curious or want to learn more, send us a message on our page. We’d love to connect with you! 💛

04/07/2026

Underground Learning Co-op is hiring awesome teachers to join our team!

We are a homeschool co-op focused on hands-on, engaging learning experiences for children of varying ages and abilities. Our goal is to create classes that foster curiosity, creativity, and meaningful connection.

Shifts are flexible and can include Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (full or half days). Your own children are welcome to attend as well! We are located in Danville, IN.

We’re looking for people who:
✨ Enjoy working with kids and have some experience doing so
✨ Are familiar with homeschooling and the unique needs of homeschool families
✨ Value creativity in learning and are excited to build classes inspired by student interests and their own passions
✨ Think outside the box when it comes to teaching
✨ Are reliable, communicative, and team-oriented

You don’t need to be a certified teacher—just someone who is passionate, creative, and ready to create meaningful learning experiences.

Have a class idea you’ve been wanting to bring to life? We’d love to hear it.

Message Emily for more information or apply at the link below. Feel free to tag someone who you think would be a great fit!

11/30/2025

❄️We have openings!❄️

ULC has a few openings for our spring semester beginning January 6. ULC is a drop-off co-op that offers extracurricular activities and plenty of socializing opportunities for students ages 4-16! We are open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for full or half day enrollment - build a schedule that fits your family’s needs.

ULC has five teachers who put together exciting new each week. Classes can range in topic and vary by age groups. Topics are chosen by that group of students’ interests. Some of our favorite class topics have been cooking, sewing, forensic science, Lego challenges, art history, mysteries of the ocean, book clubs, and much more.

Outside of our daily activities, students will have plenty of free time to play with peers, get a lot of outdoor time, and use their imaginations!

If you are interested in more information, please send a message on our page! We’re so excited to welcome a couple of new families to our group!

02/25/2025

Teaching is an act of faith. We pour our hearts into guiding, nurturing, and inspiring, knowing that our students will take their own paths—paths we may never see or fully understand. But the lessons we share, the encouragement we offer, and the love we give will stay with them, shaping their journeys in ways we can’t always measure.

Know the beauty of your work: planting seeds, lifting wings, and trusting that every lesson in kindness, resilience, and wonder will carry forward. 💛

✨ Tag an educator or mentor you know who has poured their heart into guiding and inspiring in immeasurable ways.

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12/07/2024

Reassure yourself that kids don’t need a lot of toys to play with. In fact, the fewer the better.

A study by Dauch and colleagues tested whether the number of toys placed in a child's play environment has an impact on the quality of play for toddlers. Quality of play is measured by how long a child stays focused on one toy and how they can use their imagination to play with that toy in different ways.

Dauch reminds us that Piaget's cognitive-developmental theory (1952) states that children acquire as they , , and the environment around them. Attention plays a huge role in play by keeping a child engaged. Contrarily, distractions can cause a child to lose focus and become disinterested in play as well. Too many toys in the environment or TV playing in the background are some of the significant distractors that can shorten the duration of play with a single toy.

A total of 36 toddlers between the ages of 18-30 months were tested by letting them play with various toys. Toys were divided into four categories and designated as battery operated or not:
📚 Educational: Toys that may teach a concept such as shapes, colours, or counting.
🎎 Pretend: Toys that suggest themed play scenarios for ‘as if' play.
🥁 Action: Toys that can be activated through manipulation or toys that encourage exploration/ activity on the part of the toddler i.e. building, stacking, opening, twisting.
🚜 Vehicles: Toys that have wheels that promote play through the toddlers ability to push the toy.

Although we may have a lot of toys for our children, this study emphasises the importance of having only a few toys available at a time in their play environment for children to stay focused longer and play with that toy in various ways - don't get rid of all your toys! This study suggests 4 toys, however you can have a toy rotation and keep the rest of the toys in a closet or storage area. This helps create an aspect of novelty for a child and sparks their interest and curiosity in their toys since they have not been in their environment for a while. Create a space or a room that is safe for your child to explore, has no distractions such as TV and has only a few toys available for play.

When creating a playroom or a play area, ask yourself the following questions:
🎯 Do I have some toys from the different categories: educational, pretend, action and vehicles?
🎯 Are toys at my child's eye level? Having toys or books at eye level allows children to develop independence and follow the Montessori playroom guidelines.
🎯 Have I limited the battery-operated toys if I have children under 2?
🎯 Do I have open-ended toys such as wooden blocks, animal figurines or pretend play items?
🎯 Have I allowed an area dedicated to “quiet time” to either read or play in a sensory bin?
🎯 Does my child have a creative space in their playroom?

It is through children's early childhood experiences, when the brain is rapidly developing, that we have the opportunity to support learning through a child's natural curiosity and imaginative play. From birth through age 5, children's brains are literally forming the complex web of synapses that last throughout their lives, and greatly impact their social, emotional, physical and cognitive performance as adults.

One of the best ways to nurture development is with open-ended play. Open-ended play materials allow children to make choices, express their creativity and support their independence. Open-ended materials by definition do not have a predetermined use. A block can be a car, phone, doll's chair, ice-cream bar or any number of other things in play. It is through these experiences that children are able to learn best.

A few examples of open-ended toys include:
⭐ Blocks of all shapes and sizes, including blocks that connect like Legos; magnetic blocks; geometric building materials.
⭐ Art supplies including paper, paint, markers and scissors
⭐ Play with silks or large pieces of fabric and blankets.
⭐ Sand and water play baskets.
⭐ Nature items such as seashells and pinecones.

When choosing toys for your child, ask yourself if the toy allows them to make choices about their play or tells them how to play. Be intentional about providing children with toys that let them make choices about play, and support them in strengthening their cognitive, language and social skills in the process. As you watch your child figure out how to build the tallest block tower ever, you could be watching a future engineer begin to work out solutions to building skyscrapers, or an architect working on their first building design. The options are endless!

References:
https://thegracefulolive.com/.../children-need-open.../
https://www.google.com/.../the-less-toys-in-a-childs...
https://static1.squarespace.com/.../DauchImwalleOcasioMet...

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12/01/2024

This month at Neurochild we will spend time sharing some gifts of reassurance. As parents we get bombarded with ways to parent and with that, how we might be doing it ‘wrong.’ We wanted this month’s posts to focus on some reassurance in our parenting and to reflect on all the things we simply do right.

While academic skills are valuable, what kids need most is time.

🕰️ Time to discover who they are.

🌍 Time to explore the world around them.

🎨 Time to dream, dawdle, and wonder.

In a world that often pushes kids to move faster, achieve more, and stay constantly busy, we can create space for unstructured moments of growth and creativity. These are the times when resilience is built, passions are discovered, and lifelong memories are made.

⏳ We give our kids the gift of time. ⏳

✨Volunteer with us by signing up here: https://forms.neuroecosystem.com/Private/WorkWithUs

11/07/2024

When we are self-aware, we are able to recognize and tune in to our emotions, identify our triggers, and empathize with others to take on another person’s perspective. We also can recognize how others see us. So how do we develop more self-awareness in our children and even in ourselves?

🩵 Label it and learn it
Our first step is to acknowledge the emotion-to identify it. Dr. Daniel Siegel, author of The Whole Brain Child, calls this strategy “Name It, to Tame It.” Kids may need help putting words to these emotions to associate the word with the feeling. Children even as young as infancy can begin to develop self-awareness with simple games such as peek-a-boo. As adults we can practice saying aloud how we are feeling and model how to work with that feeling for ourselves and our children. This might sound like, “I am feeling stressed right now.” I am going to lay down and breathe for a few minutes to try to feel better.

🩵 Encourage self-reflection to spend time with emotions
There is great value in thinking and discussing how situations made us feel; to practice discerning and articulating emotions. Our emotions happen organically, they are a biological part of us. So there should be no judgement of having the emotion, but what we do to understand and work with our emotions is an important journey, for any age.

🩵 Read together some social-emotional books
There are a great many books that discuss social-emotional situations that can prove powerful to share together. Your local librarians would love to make some recommendations.

We can also foster self-awareness through the following:
🩵 Yoga and meditation
🩵 Journaling and self-reflection
🩵 Identifying your values
🩵 Acknowledging your feelings
🩵 Noticing your bodily sensations
🩵 Learning your triggers
🩵 Tuning in to your needs

It is important to recognize and acknowledge our emotions even when it is difficult. This is important for noticing how our behavior corresponds to our emotions. Helping children to recognize and practice self-awareness will improve their confidence, growth mindset, and optimism. Awareness of who we are and how we feel is an essential first step for social emotional learning and will give children the tools they need to understand self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.

References:
https://betterkids.education/blog/what-is-self-awareness-and-why-is-it-important

https://kinderly.co.uk/2023/04/05/4-ways-to-support-a-childs-self-awareness-journey/