Home School

Home School Happenings

Burritt on the Mountain is excited to offer another great year of home school classes!  Whether your student loves experiencing history, expressing themselves in art, or discovering more about the science around us, you can find an enriching opportunity here at our mountaintop campus.  Each lesson includes an oral presentation, a hands-on learning experience, and a handout featuring information and follow-up activities related to that month’s topic. We are looking forward to a year of lessons that will give you a chance to explore life in our historic homes or the wonder of nature on our forest trails. Our home school classes are open to children from kindergarten to 8th grade. This spring, we are offering Wednesday and Thursday morning classes that are geared for lower elementary students (K-3rd) and Wednesday and Thursday afternoon classes that are designed for upper elementary and middle school students (4th-8th). Morning classes run 9:30-11:00, and afternoon classes run 12:00-1:30. Exceptions may be made to these age designations so that siblings may attend class at the same time, so choose the class that best suits your family’s needs. There is an option on the website to be placed on a waiting list if a class is full.  

Some classes fill up quickly, so send in your registration today! Students must be registered and paid at least one week in advance to ensure that ample supplies are available. The cost for each class is $15, or $12 for members. Due to limited space, parents who choose to attend with their child must register and pay also.  Sorry, no younger siblings may attend with parents; we have found this can cause both space issues and distractions.  Please note that during our winter hours (November-March) the gift shop is not open until 10:00, and our morning class will begin before the grounds and welcome center are open to the public.  

Home School FAQs

Will I drop off my child or stay with them?
Most parents drop their students off for the hour and a half class. A small number of parents do choose to stay with their students. However, due to limited space parents who choose to attend with their child must register and pay also. Sorry, no younger siblings may attend with parents; we have found this can cause both space issues and distractions.

Is there a place I can wait during the class?
Burritt on the Mountain has a large green with a restroom and some picnic tables that you are welcome to use if you choose to stay onsite. We also have our trails which circle the mountain and take just over an hour to hike. You can also pay admission or purchase a Burritt membership, and have full access to our facilities, including our playground, historic park with barnyard and animals, and the Burritt Mansion and exhibits.

What if I am late picking up my child from class?
Plan to pick up your child when the class ends. If you are more than ten minutes late picking up your child you will incur a $10 fee. For every additional five minutes that you are late, there will be an additional $5 fee. If you incur a charge due to picking your child up late, the fee must be paid before your child is accepted for the next class. We accept cash, check, and credit cards. After the second infraction, your child will be unenrolled from our homeschool program, and no refunds will be given.

If you have an unexpected delay (traffic, etc.), please call  256-536-2882 and let us know.

I have both elementary and middle school students. Will they need two different classes?
We are happy to allow siblings to attend together.  The class material is the same, just presented at slightly different levels, which can be tailored based on the ages we have enrolled. If you have multiple students, choose whichever class suits your schedule best. If you have any concerns, we would be happy to advise you about which session would be ideal.

Should we sign up for all the classes in that week?
Each month’s lesson is a single class session, offered at four different times. Unless you would like additional reinforcement of the lesson, please choose one class.

My students have some home-schooled friends who would like to attend.  Can I sign them up? Only a parent or guardian may register a student for classes. If you are attending with another family, please make sure they are listed as one of your emergency contacts. We can only release children to and share registration information with the contacts listed on your registration form.

What if I need to cancel or change my enrollment?
Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to change or cancel a class reservation.  We will do our best to fit you in to another class when space is available.  We will issue a refund if the student withdraws at least two weeks before the class.

I have a large study group/co-op that would like to come for this month’s topic.
If you have a group of 12 or more who would like to attend, we would be happy to look into setting up an individual class for you. Please contact Avery Patz at 256-427-5199 or avery.patz@huntsvilleal.gov to discuss the details of the trip.