FOREST SCHOOL
Fee: $200 plus curriculum
Community
The Forest School at Honey of the Hive is a place where families school in community, serve one another as the body of Christ, and hold one another accountable in our profession as Charlotte Mason home educators. It's a place where students work through the same curriculum, delight in the same stories and characters, and share the same learning experiences. It's a place where friendships can blossom and grow, new discoveries are around every corner, and good habits are contagious.
Symbiosis. Mothers (or Fathers) attend Forest School with their students because it operates on symbiotic relationships (this is not a drop-off school). Parents with formal year students need someone to love on, invest in, and fill up their Early Years children while they teach. Early Years parents need mentorship and want to see CM methods implemented as they prepare for the formal years ahead. Parents with multiple children in different Forms need opportunities to provide the best for ALL of their children. Everyone needs time together with other believers to sharpen one another in our faith and encourage one another in our homeschool journeys. Honey of the Hive is about building community and life-long relationships, and we want our families to be genuinely seeking this community.
Symbiosis. Mothers (or Fathers) attend Forest School with their students because it operates on symbiotic relationships (this is not a drop-off school). Parents with formal year students need someone to love on, invest in, and fill up their Early Years children while they teach. Early Years parents need mentorship and want to see CM methods implemented as they prepare for the formal years ahead. Parents with multiple children in different Forms need opportunities to provide the best for ALL of their children. Everyone needs time together with other believers to sharpen one another in our faith and encourage one another in our homeschool journeys. Honey of the Hive is about building community and life-long relationships, and we want our families to be genuinely seeking this community.
GAMES & TEA TIMEPhysical and musical games offer opportunities for whole-hive cooperative play. "Tea Time" in our smaller "tribes" fills bellies with nutritious food and hearts and minds with noble ideas. We read living books and good poetry, appreciate works of music and art, and practice recitations. We also spend time sharing milestones, prayer requests, and checking on feelings.
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NATURE & GEOGRAPHYChildren still in their Early-Years freely explore the nature and geography around them, learning to use their five senses to describe their treasures. Formal students read science or geography lessons together and then further investigate topics in real life via object lessons, field trips, and guided walks with a ranger. Everyone enjoys nature journaling.
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FOREST CLASSROOMEarly-Year teachers engage children in conversations around math and literacy "pocket topics"as they explore nature and play. Formal students are given nature challenges to apply math, literacy, and other skills they are learning in their formal lessons at home. This is an excellent way for them to explore concepts deeper and work cooperatively.
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Excursions
Occasionally, we plan full-day nature or geography excursions which allow us to explore different geographical landforms and scout a different variety of flora and fauna. These are typically scheduled during Forest School days, but also sometimes on weekends so Dads can come along, too. Most of the time these excursions will be free and unstructured. However, we sometimes plan nature classes or events that require a small fee or travel expenses. |
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Field Trips
Field trips open our children's eyes to the great unknown, expose how our local community functions, and afford natural learning connections to their lessons in Art, History, Literature, Citizenship, and more. Some are planned during our regular Hive days and rotate with our formal Forest School and Nature Club activities. However, we also try to schedule additional field trips as relationship-building time with our greater CM community. These are great for dads or grandparents to join in and see what we do.
Classes & CoursesCharlotte Mason students partake of a broad and generous feast of beautiful courses such as the ones listed on the right. Some of these are taught at home as a family, some in our Forest School as a large group (or Hive), and others as individual classes based on Form or ability. At Forest School, we keep a consistent rhythm each time we meet, but within that rhythm we alternate some courses such as art and music appreciation, so we get to experience a wide variety of courses together while still maintaining balance in schedules at home.
We operate as a large family would at home, but in the great outdoors. There is something beautiful and calming about learning out of doors. We meet rain or shine, and we take "weather events" as opportunities to explore God's creation in different circumstances. Teaching together in community harnesses the benefit of multiple parents and allows certain courses the small-group attention they need. Classes We do some activities as a whole group to nurture community relationships, even with our little ones. These include sharing, singing, playground games, and handcrafts or art projects. When it comes time for our skill-level lessons, we work for a while in even smaller groups or "tribes" based on skill level and ability. These are play-based activities that encourage team work, problem solving, communication, and other real-life social skills. Early Years students enjoy a balance of unstructured nature playtime and playing games to further their habits of obedience, attention, and truthfulness. While there are no formal lessons planned for them, their guides are thoughtful to incidentally use math and literacy language around "pocket topics." Kinders enjoy pressure-free opportunities to play games to further develop their habits of obedience, attention, truthfulness, and cooperation. They have nature challenges that highlight beginning math and literacy skills. Our goal is to gently prepare them for their first year of formal lessons in Form 1b while respecting their need for plenty of unstructured play. Formal Students delight in their time together exploring math and literacy concepts out in the wild! Their skill-based lessons take the form of nature challenges, games, and tasks as they put into real-world practice what they are learning at home in their formal lessons. Middle and High School students are welcome to join in the Forest School days. Parents decide how involved they want their older students to be and in what capacity, whether serving the community or in independent study. We will offer structured high school days as we grow. CurriculumFamilies with formal-aged students 6 years old and older are required to purchase and apply the same curriculum. We use an excellent curriculum written by the well-known and respected Charlotte Mason Institute. It provides much-needed support and teacher training materials that range from paradigm shift to scheduling details. These tools cut down on the amount of prep work we have to do as a group and help with decision fatigue as individuals. We know the experts are on it, so we don't have to worry about the quality of materials. It is steeped in research and stays true to Mason's principles, but it is also designed for the 21st century North American student, so we feel confident our students will be prepared for whatever path the Lord calls them to travel.
Learning Together. Our Forest School has everyone follow the same curriculum for many reasons. Being in the same curriculum ensures accountability for staying on track throughout the year, and for filling out the broad and generous CM feast at home. While our curriculum choice provides resources to show how it is possible to spread the entire feast, an authentic Charlotte Mason education is much more a way of living than a boxed curriculum. We support and encourages families to only do what they can while maintaining peace in the home. Early Years activities and all math and literacy nature challenge topics are inspired by and used with permission by a plethora of resources.
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FEASTArt Artist Study Bible Current Events English Composition Grammar Penmanship Fairy Tales Poetry American Lit World Lit Recitation Shakespeare Geography Handicrafts Citizenship US History World History Ancient History Languages Latin Math Math Games Math History Music Music Study Piano Singing Dancing Natural History Nature Study Nature Lore Outdoor Work Gen. Science Lab Sciences Architecture Family Reading |
Teacher Training & Support
Whether you are brand-new or well-seasoned, homeschooling is hard work. Honey of the Hive strives to make the Forest School experience delightful for all families involved. Our organic mentorship and intentional teacher training helps parents feel confident in this high calling. We have families subscribe to a curriculum which also serves as a training program for educators. We map out the academic year and weekly calendars in addition to a daily rhythm for Forest School Days. We also offer free consultations to guide member families through planning at-home lessons.
TRAININGWe train educators through mentorship, workshops and retreats, plus resources from our curriculum choice.
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PLANNINGOrganizing the school year gets simpler when using the right tools. We help you learn how to utilize those tools.
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SCHEDULINGForest School yearly, weekly and daily rhythms are planned by leadership. We offer consultations to help with the rest.
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Commitment
Forest School members belong to a local hive, are active in Basecamp, faithfully attend our CM Book Club, and participate in a reasonable amount of Mother Culture events. These requirements help keep the focus on building community. The membership fee covers school scheduling and administration, class organization, facility fees, field trip deposits, administrative fees, and other supplies and it is non-refundable. Families with formal-aged students will be responsible for purchasing the Alveary curriculum, books, and supplies. Please speak with Jenna before signing up for the Alveary or ordering supplies, as we have a group discount code and will order some supplies in bulk to keep costs down.
Forest School membership includes Nature Club membership benefits as outlined below.
Worker Bees. Every member is respected and valued, and everyone has a role in the Forest School. Responsibilities are set up by level of experience to give new-to-CM parents opportunities to grown in their understanding of CM philosophy and teaching practices. These are managed at the local hive level.
Forest School membership includes Nature Club membership benefits as outlined below.
Worker Bees. Every member is respected and valued, and everyone has a role in the Forest School. Responsibilities are set up by level of experience to give new-to-CM parents opportunities to grown in their understanding of CM philosophy and teaching practices. These are managed at the local hive level.
Forest School Commitment:
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Examples of Worker Bee Responsibilities:
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We expect faithful attendance on Forest School days. Please plan family vacations or travels during breaks.
Seasons. To everything there is a season, and Honey of the Hive is a place where we support one another as homeschooling families in every season of life. Babies happen. Illness happens. Hard times happen. Having committed members is important to keep things running smoothly, but we are first and foremost a place where our families feel supported and cared for, not isolated, in times of need. In the event that a family is weathering a storm, the Forest School will keep on meeting and stay the course. Local hive leaders will work with that family personally on how to keep them connected and students involved. We want families to feel secure and confident that our students can keep on learning and growing together and our moms and dads are loved-on and cared-for well.