Elementary STEM Class for Homeschool Students

Register by Feb 25 See Fall 2026-2027 Classes
Mobirise Website Builder

Upcoming Classes

Mobirise Website Builder
The Electrical Connection

Located in Holland, MI.
For 2nd-5th grade students.

Learn more
Mobirise Website Builder
Fall 2026-2027 Classes

Sept. 14 - Dec. 3
For 2nd-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-12th

Learn more
Mobirise Website Builder
TRAC Michigan Bridge Challenge

Oct 13 - April 13
For 7th-12th

Learn more

Register for Fall
2026-2027 Classes

Register for Fall Classes by Aug 14

2026-2027 Fall Classes 

Mondays - Sept. 14 – Nov. 30

All classes have a minimum size of four students and a maximum size of 20.

Refund Policy:
If a class has insufficient students, you will be refunded for the whole class.
If you cancel a class, you will be refunded for the cost of the class, but not the Admin fee or processing fee.


Monday's Classes are all geared for 6th-8th grade students.

Class Description:
Have you ever wondered why the periodic table is organized the way it is? Have you ever wondered how atoms combine and create everything we see around us? In this class, we will be modeling ionic bonds and building covalent bonds using toothpicks and packing peanuts to explore the world that God has created around us. By the end of the class, students will be trying their hands at writing the correct chemical formulas for and balancing the equations of chemical reactions that they will get to see firsthand. 

Grade: 6th-8th
Dates: Mondays Sept. 14 - Nov. 30
Time: 8:30 AM - 9:40 AM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Notebook
Pencil
Calculator 

Class Description:
In this class, we will investigate God's orderly world. Every class will start with a review of the five assignments that were given out at the end of the last class. Please complete the assignments or quizzes before you come to class so you can ask questions as needed. The second part of the class will introduce the new content so that it can be practiced at home through 5 different assignments. The class will teach the content of the first half of the book.

Grade: 6th-8th (Traditionally 7th grade)
Dates: Mondays Sept. 14 - Nov. 30
Time: 9:50 AM - 11:00 AM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Saxon Math 8/7 Homeschool with Prealgebra, Third Edition
Textbook ISBN: 1-59141-320-6
Test and Workbook ISBN: 1-59141-324-9
Solutions Manual ISBN: 1-59141-328-1
Bring completed assignments back to class each week
Notebook
Pencil
Calculator
Compass
Protractor
Ruler  

Class Description:
In life, are you “busy” with stuff that really matters? The Bible gives us a mission to follow, one of our biggest problems is complacency. We will be digging into what the Bible says we should be fighting for and then practicing it by living out our faith while working together on a low ropes course to overcome challenges!

Grade: 6th-8th
Dates: Mondays - Sept. 14 - Nov. 30
Time: 11:10 AM -12:20 PM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Clothing to be outdoors for part or all of the time
Closed toe-shoes
Notebook
Pencil

Class Description:
Technology doesn't just happen on a screen, it can be touched, programmed, and used to physically interact with the world around us. In this class, we will use the Lego Mindstorm EV3 to learn programming.  Then students will be given different challenges that can be accomplished with the EV3. For the second half of the class, students be introduced to the Raspberry Pi.  They will move from block based programming to using Python.  They they will design a project of their choice to build and control through the Raspberry Pi, watching their ideas come to life in the physical world.

Grade: 6th-8th
Dates: Mondays Sept. 14 - Nov. 30
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:10 PM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Notebook
Pencil  

Class Description:
In this class, we will investigate God's orderly world. Every class will start with a review of the five assignments that were given out at the end of the last class. Please complete the assignments or quizzes before you come to class so you can ask questions as needed. The second part of the class will introduce the new content so that it can be practiced at home through 5 different assignments. The class will teach the content of the first half of the book.

Grade: 6th-8th (Traditionally 8th grade)
Dates: Mondays Sept. 14 - Nov. 30
Time: 9:50 AM - 11:00 AM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Saxon Algebra 1/2, Third Edition
Textbook ISBN: 978-1565771499
Test ISBN: 978-1591411734
Solutions Manual ISBN: 978-1565771314
Bring completed assignments back to class each week
Notebook
Pencil
Calculator

Tuesdays - Sept. 15 – Dec. 1

 
All Tuesday classes meet at Bysterveld Park in Dorr, MI.

First two classes on Tuesday morning are geared toward 2nd-5th grader students and the other classes are geared toward 6th-8th grade students.

Class Description:
We will explore the park and take the time needed to notice what is around us and wonder at what God has made. We will practice specific tips about how we can use drawings, numbers, and words in our journals to communicate and wonder about what God has made. We will practice making scale drawings, making maps, measuring, and estimating in order to investigate the world around us. 

Grade: 2nd - 5th
Dates: Tuesdays Sept. 15 - Dec. 1
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Bysterveld Park - 4171 14th St, Dorr, MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Clothing to be outdoors - rain or shine
Closed toe-shoes
Sunscreen/Bug spray as needed
Clipboard with storage
Notebook
Pencil
Colored pencils

Sept. 15 - Oct. 6 - Boat Challenges
Oct. 13 - Nov. 3 - Rubber Band Powered Car Challenges
Nov. 10 - Dec. 1 - Pop Bottle Rocket Challenge

Class Description:
This class is divided into 3 separate classes, each 4 weeks long.  Your child can participate in just one or all three.  Each of these classes focus on the skills of working together, collecting data as a scientist, and competing in God-honoring ways.  We will be designing, building, and testing different ideas to complete a variety of challenges: Building a raft out of recyclable material to hold the most weight, Build a rubber-band powered car that travels the furthest, Build a pop bottle rocket powered by compressed air to stay in the air the longest...  Each class will have a variety of challenges to complete as we use our imagination to bring reality to life.

Grade: 2nd-5th
Dates: Tuesdays Sept. 15 - Dec. 1
Time: 9:50 AM - 11:00 AM
Location: Bysterveld Park - 4171 14th St, Dorr, MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost per 4 week session: $40 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Clothing to be outdoors - rain or shine
Rain boots for when we work by the pond
Closed toe-shoes
Sunscreen/Bug spray as needed
Clipboard with storage
Notebook
Pencil

Class Description:
We will explore the park and take the time to investigate what God has made. Journaling will include drawings, numbers, and words. Mathematics will be used as we begin to estimate numbers, whether to estimate populations in the thousands or to use our individual pacing to measure distances and heights. Bird songs will be analyzed and journaled about and we will look at different ways that objects can be compared to help us really see the variety that God has made. We will even run our own investigations to discover new things that we didn’t know! 

Grade: 6th-8th
Dates: Tuesdays Sept. 15 - Dec. 1
Time: 11:10 AM -12:20 PM
Location: Bysterveld Park - 4171 14th St, Dorr, MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Clothing to be outdoors - rain or shine
Closed toe-shoes
Sunscreen/Bug spray as needed
Clipboard with storage
Notebook
Pencil
Colored pencils
Calculator 

Class Description:
In this class, we will calculate what theory tells us, comparing it to what we actually measure outside. We will be measuring the time and distance of our movements to calculate speed and acceleration. We will calculate the mechanical advantage of different simple machines by balancing our bodies on levers, pulling objects up inclined planes, and even picking each other up with pulleys and a rope. This class will take a hands-on approach to scientific theory and uses real-world application to practice mathematics.
 
Grade: 6th-8th
Dates: Tuesdays Sept. 15 - Dec. 1
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:10 PM
Location: Bysterveld Park - 4171 14th St, Dorr, MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Clothing to be outdoors - rain or shine
Closed toe-shoes
Sunscreen/Bug spray as needed
Clipboard with storage
Notebook
Pencil
Calculator 

Class Description:
How many fish are in the pond? Roll up your sleeves and we will count and estimate them. Ever seen a macroinvertebrate? We will scrape them out of the pond to take a closer look at them. What are food chains anyway, and where do these macroinvertebrates fit in? Did you know that you can use macroinvertebrates to help determine the pollution level in a stream or body of water? Our hands will get dirty, but we will get to peek into a world of miniature creatures that God has made. 

Grade: 6th-8th
Dates: Tuesdays Sept. 15 - Dec. 1
Time: 2:20 PM - 3:30 AM
Location: Bysterveld Park - 4171 14th St, Dorr, MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Clothing to be outdoors - rain or shine
Rain boots while we work on the edge of the water
Sunscreen/Bug spray as needed
Clipboard with storage
Notebook
Pencil
Calculator 

Wednesdays - Sept. 16 – Dec. 2

The first two classes Wednesday morning classes are geared toward high school students, the next class is geared toward middle school and afternoon classes are geared for 2nd-5th grade students.

Class Description:
In this class, we will investigate God's orderly world. Every class will start by reviewing the four assignments that were given out at the end of the last class. Please complete and check the assignments or quizzes before you come to class so you can ask questions as needed. The second part of the class will introduce the new content so that it can be practiced at home through 4 different assignments. The class will teach the content of the first half of the book.

Grade: 9th-12th (Traditionally 11th grade)
Dates: Wednesdays Sept. 16 - Dec. 2
Time: 8:30 AM - 9:40 AM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Prerequisite:
Algebra 1
Pass this placement test at home with at least an 85% before enrolling in the class.

Required Materials:
Algebra 2 An Incremental Development, Third Edition
Textbook: ISBN 978-1-56577-140-6
Testing book (with answers): ISBN 978-6003-2014-9
Solutions Manual: ISBN 1-56577-143-5
Bring completed assignments back to class each week
Notebook
Pencil
Scientific Calculator 

Class Description:
In this class, we will investigate God's orderly world. Every class will start by reviewing the four assignments that were given out at the end of the last class. Please complete and check the assignments or quizzes before you come to class so you can ask questions as needed. The second part of the class will introduce the new content so that it can be practiced at home through 4 different assignments. The class will teach the content of the first half of the book.

Grade: 9th-12th (Traditionally 9th grade)
Dates: Wednesdays Sept. 16 - Dec. 2
Time: 9:50 AM - 11:00 AM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Prerequisite:
Saxon Math - Algebra 1/2

Required Materials:
Algebra 1: An Incremental Development, Third Edition
Textbook: ISBN 978-1565771345
Tests and Answer Key: ISBN 978-1565771383
Test Forms: ISBN 978-1565771390
Bring completed assignments back to class each week
Notebook
Pencil
Scientific Calculator 


Class Description:
Technology doesn't just happen on a screen, it can be touched, programmed, and used to physically interact with the world around us. In this class, we will use the Makey Makey to build our own controllers or sensors that can interact with any device that has a USB connection. Then students will be given different challenges that can be accomplished with a micro:bit. Students will learn how to program the micro:bit and then compete with each other to see their ideas come to life in the physical world through the micro:bit. 

Grade: 6th-8th
Dates: Wednesdays Sept. 16 - Dec. 2
Time: 11:10 AM - 12:20 PM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost: $120 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Notebook
Pencil 

Sept. 16 - Oct. 7 - Conservation of Matter
Oct. 14 - Nov. 4 - Physical and Chemical Properties
Nov. 11 - Dec. 2 - Synthetic vs. Natural Products

Class Description:
This class is divided into 3 separate classes, each 4 weeks long. Your child can participate in just one or all three. Each of these classes focus on concepts in chemistry.  In Conservation of Matter, students will learn how to interpret data.  They will learn to design and then conduct experiments to test their  hypotheses about the conservation of matter.  In Physical and Chemical Properties, students will learn about different physical and chemical properties.  They will carry out experiments to determine the properties of different substances.  They will even identify unknown substances by determining their physical and chemical properties.  In Synthetic vs. Natural Products students will make cordage and soap using yucca plants that they find in the woods.  Then they will compare their own cordage and soap to synthetic cordage and soap as we look at the differences between man-made and natural products.

Grade: 2nd-5th
Dates: Wednesdays Sept. 16 - Dec. 2
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:10 PM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost per 4 week session: $40 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Notebook
Pencil  

Sept. 16 - Oct. 7 - DC Electricity
Oct. 14 - Nov. 4 - Magnetism
Nov. 11 - Dec. 2 - AC Electricity

Class Description:
This class is divided into 3 separate classes, each 4 weeks long. Your child can participate in just one or all three. Each of these classes focus on concepts in electricity.  In DC Electricity, students will discover what substances are conductive and which are insulators.  They will explore how to light a light-bulb with just a battery and a piece of tin foil.  They will learn about series and parallel circuits. In Magnetism, they will develop and run experiments that test the strength of magnets.  The will measure how the force of a magnet changes over distance.  They will discover the magnetic field lines produced by magnets and build simple electromagnets and motors.  In AC Electricity, students will discover what the wiring looks like behind the outlets in their homes.  Then will actually wire up light switches and follow the electric wire back to the power plant, learning about circuit breakers, transformers, and generators.

Grade: 2nd-5th
Dates: Wednesdays Sept. 16 - Dec. 2
Time: 2:20 PM - 3:30 PM
Location: 2445 136th Ave, Dorr MI 49323
Instructor: Alvin Essenburg

Cost per 4 week session: $40 class + $5 equipment/copies + $30 Admin non-refundable fee

Required Materials:
Notebook
Pencil  

Register for Fall
2026-2027 Classes

Register for Fall Classes by Aug 14

Spring 2026-2027 Classes

Tentative Schedule

About Me

Mobirise Website Builder

Outdoor Teaching Experience

I, Alvin Essenburg, taught middle school for 29 years in Christian Schools and Charter Schools all while I have been a homeschool parent. In those schools I have built up programs that connect learning in the classroom with the outdoors. As I step away from being in the classroom full time, I am continuing to work as a consultant with my last school so that their middle school off-site program will continue to thrive.
Mobirise Website Builder

Experience Coordinating Middle School Leadership Opportunities

I have also developed leadership opportunities for my middle school students. In the Christian Schools I worked in, the 7th graders developed the school theme for the following year. They planned and ran school wide chapels. In the charter school I was able challenge my students to lead school wide assemblies every month where my students taught about managing their emotions, organization, and being respectful.
Mobirise Website Builder

Christ Is My Foundation

My family and I are very involved at LifeChange Community Church, a local church right here in Burnips. As I step out of the charter school, I am excited to connect faith, science, math, and the outdoors for the local homeschool students in this area. God put us in his world, and has given us a mission, to take care of his world, everything and everyone in it. I am excited to join your child in exploring and learning about God's world. As well as encouraging each of them to see where God is calling them, as God calls each of us to all different areas of his kingdom. 

Contact Form

Contacts

Get in touch

© Copyright 2026 Interconnnected Learning - All Rights Reserved

‌

Free AI Website Creator