'26 Spring Freedom Fridays w/ Ms. Ona

Service Description

Our Unique Curriculum: Welcome to Freedom Fridays, a hands-on homeschool enrichment program where children learn through creativity, connection, and craft. Freedom Fridays is a full-day pottery, art and cooking based program for ages 5 and up at Firefly Valley Pottery Studio in West Asheville, NC. This fall we will be doing a deep dive into the rich culture and history of Japan. Each week, children work in three core areas: pottery, fiber arts, and cooking—offering a rich, sensory experience that supports fine motor skills, patience, problem-solving, and self-expression. Our typical day might look like learning about the ceramic techniques found in Japan and how they serve the unique culinary practices of this country. Students will throw on the wheel with an instructor one-on-one each day and cook Japanese food in the afternoon. In pottery, kids explore hand-building techniques like pinch pots, coil work, and slab construction, developing a tactile relationship with clay while making everything from functional wares to imaginative sculptures. Our fiber arts sessions introduce children to the magic of textiles, from natural dyeing with indigo to sachiko stitching and woodblock printing. These activities foster focus and creativity while connecting kids to traditional handmade practices. In cooking, students engage in hands-on food preparation using wholesome, seasonal ingredients. They’ll learn kitchen basics, follow recipes, and build confidence as they chop, mix, measure, and taste their way through the seasons. Our unique environment: This will be almost entirely outdoors, with an indoor studio space available in colder/wet weather or lightening/high winds. We have a 500 square foot outdoor art pavilion that is covered for rain and sun. Oscar is our friendly, 22 lb hypoallergenic therapy dog that lives at Firefly Valley and is off leash, sniffing around the property. We look forward to having you in class!