We believe that children, and people of any age, learn best by doing. When students experience the material, they are much more likely to not only retain the information but take their learning to the next level. Our youngest learners are engaged to touch, smell, feel and engage in their environment. As the children progress into the upper grades, their experiences are more developed and richer as they are encouraged to take on the persona of those they are studying, visually experience the surroundings as they would have been and use all of their senses to immerse themselves in the subject matter they are learning.

Here are some real-life experiences at Wesley Prep:

• Primer students study geographical land formations, create dioramas, and present these projects in front of their class.

• First Grade classes study Veterans Day, write letters, perform research, interview and honor military personnel (both current and past), and plan and carryout a special Veterans Day Chapel service and celebration.

• Second Grade incubates and hatches baby chicks as part of their study on the Life Cycle. Students take turns caring for the chicks at home until they are ready to be adopted. This lesson is not only shared at home, but the students also share the chicks and their knowledge with students throughout the school.

• Third Graders study the 6 Simple Machines (inclined plane, wedge, screw, lever, pulley, and wheel-and-axle). Students create fun midway games using their knowledge - games must incorporate at least two of the simple machines. The games are tested to ensure they aren't too easy to win and to ensure they can withstand lots of children playing them during a the Night at the Museum Open House.

• Fourth Graders students study all about electricity. Working in groups, they construct and wire cardboard structures with multiple rooms and multiple circuits. Each student also creates, wires, and decorates a question and answer hidden circuit board. Our electricians are given the freedom to choose any topic for these boards and present both projects during the Night at the Museum Open House.

• Fifth Graders read and study Washington Irving's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Students write and create a play that imagines the character Brom Bones on trial for the disappearance of Ichabod Crane. The show is presented during Open House, and includes songs, created characters, and choreography.

• Sixth Graders read and study the book, "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From A Medieval Village" (a Newbery Medal-winning book by Laura Amy Schlitz). The students memorize and recite monologues from the book describing the lives of children in a Medieval Village during Open House each fall. These performances include costumes, sets, props, and backdrops created by the sixth graders.