A local wellness sanctuary brings homeschooled kids together with the Wonder Haven program

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — A local wellness sanctuary in Columbus is bringing homeschooled kids together to focus on hands-on exploration and meaningful connections.

Aglow Apothecary and Healing Haven, located on Massee Lane, have been creating programs for homeschooled children for the past three summers.

While their primary services offer a wide range of healing modalities, the business has also ventured into creating the Wonder Haven Homeschooling Collective.

This program allows homeschooled children in the community, learning at various levels from first grade to fifth grade, to come together and engage in activities focusing on friendship, art, science, and culture.

Each class aims to help with the development of students through hands-on exploration and meaningful relationships.

“It’s a really great opportunity for them to meet other kids and experience new things that they might not otherwise,” Gibson said. “And so we try to kind of hold space for all those different learning styles and different curiosities. We see a lot of kids that will start on a project in one way, and then they take it a whole different way, and it’s great to watch them go on their own path and learn in their own way.”

The class met on Tuesday to focus on science and imagination. The activity included writing and decoding secret messages using homemade invisible ink.

Gibson explains the beauty of homeschooling after experiencing traditional education systems.

“A lot of the parents we talked to have tried traditional school, and for whatever reason, it just didn’t feel like the right fit for their child, said Founder of Aglow Apothecary Nedda Gibson. “And so they really have, you know, taken it into their own hands and created something beautiful for their kids.”

Homeschooling Mom and Aglow Vendor Maria Herlth recently enrolled her twin daughters in the Wonder Haven program for the first time after leaving the traditional schooling system.

Herlth enjoys seeing her girls interact with other kids and mentors involved in the classes.

She expresses her excitement for this opportunity to see her kids in a new learning environment.

“We needed a change from what we had experienced with, the opposite,” Herlth said. “And so we were very excited to have this program start up over here. It was a chance for the girls to try some new hands-on activities, which they love to do, get into a creative space, and meet other kids in the community.”

The students meet every Tuesday, continuously building relationships and learning new skills as they go.