The Good Earth: Natural Lifeways & Village Building

There are few things as constant as the human connection to nature. Studies have shown participation in nature learning programs increases motivation, concentration, confidence, awareness of the natural environment and awareness of others in youth*. Let embrace this timeless connection to our good earth that nourishes in so many ways!

Join Good Earth: Natural Lifeways & Village Building; where students of homeschool communities will connect via age appropriate, nature centered activities in a drop off style class. Your child will learn how to identify plants, build healthy peer relationships, develop healthy conflict skills, and engage in wonder and exploration through creative activities. Some highlights of our semester together will include:

• Wonder Stewarding with Nature Meditations, Relationship Building Games and Plant Spotlights
• Natural craft making 
• Animal Husbandry 
• Fall Plant Identification Bingo
• Gratitude Crafts & Halloween Party
• Right Relationship with each other and the earth
• Conflict Skills & self expression 
• Community Building 
• Ecosystems, waterways, and relationships 
• Seasons Identification and Weather Patterns
• Natural First Aid

Through our unique, student-led format, your child will walk away with improved self confidence, resilience, joy, and reverence for the earth all around them. All sessions will be taught completely outside under our beloved crab apple tree, amongst the wildflowers at the Wild Ginger Community Herbal Center in Bryans Road, Maryland 20616 (note the center is closed during non programming hours). If you have questions after reading the information below, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at ofeandsinfo@gmail.com anytime.

Logistics:

This program is open to all and anyone, regardless of gender, sex, race, sexuality, religion, nationality, or disability
Drop off style at the Wild Ginger Community Herbal Center, 20616 (so parents get some adult time!)

Sunday Monthly Village for ages 3-8; 10am-1pm

📷Photo By @kidsherbalism; littles embark on a garden adventure thanks to Sam the Junior Herbalist Book

Class Dates:

Sept 17, 2023 11-4pm

Oct 29, 2023 11-4pm

Nov 19, 2023 11-4pm

Dec 17, 2023 10-3pm

Example Daily Rhythm:

11am-11:30am: Opening Song, Game, and Movement

11:30am-12:30pm: Farm walk and scavenger hunt

12:30pm-1:00pm: Lunch

1:00pm-1:30pm: Plant Story time

1:30pm-2:00pm: Free Play

2:00pm-3:00pm: Nature Craft

3:00pm-3:30pm Dance party and somatic work

3:30pm-4:00pm Closing Circle

Pricing: $220 /child for the Fall 2023 semester, due in full by September 15th.

Email ofeandsinfo@gmail.com to find out if Good Earth is a good fit for your Family!

What will my child learn?

Each child will walk away with foundational nature and social skills that will carry them through life. Below you can find the core learning objectives of the semester.
Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to identify 15+ plants; grown in SOMD ecosystems
• Students will express emotions via nature based arts
• Students will garner understanding about and be able to explain the ecosystem
• Students will garner understanding about and be able to explain weather patterns
• Students will cultivate practical living skills such as fire building, harvesting, stewarding, sowing, and tending the earth
• Students will cultivate generative conflict resolution skills
• Students will demonstrate what it means to be a good steward of the earth
• Students will cultivate a inner peace practice
• Students will develop social emotional literacy skills through connection to the earth, their senses, and one another
• Students will identify and interpret colors and the color’s correlating meaning/message in the natural world; understanding the doctrine of signatures
• Students will craft child safe herbal medicine
• Students will understand the medicinal properties of 20+ plants
  

Safety Protocols:

We are still in the time of covid. We humbly ask that any student experiencing coughing, sniffles, or a fever remain home. Good Earth and Of Earth and Sea will be observing federal and state guidelines regarding masks & covid safety. At this time, masks will not be required for youth but we reserve the right to change that at any time.
For safety, all food & water bottles should be labeled with the child's first and last name to avoid confusion.

Supply List:

Almost all supplies are included in tuition, but each student should attend class with the following materials in a backpack or bag:

• LABELED Water Bottle
• Mug/Thermos for tea tastings- LABLED
• LABELED Journal
• Packed Lunch- LABLED
• Weather appropriate clothing (rain boots and floppy hats are great!)
• A change of clothes incase of adventure accidents
• LABELED personal emergent medical materials (inhaler or epipen etc) if applicable

About Your Educator:

Madison (she/her) is an educator, conflict practitioner, herbalist in training and nature enthusiast who has dedicated her career to connecting children to the healing power of the earth and their own wild hearts. This mission came from her childhood and the haven forests offered in the most turbulent times of her development. Madison has taught children in public school, after school, summer camp, and curated nature immersion retreats for DC Public School Middle and High Schoolers since 2015.

She holds a bachelors in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and has an array of Continuing Education Credits in Youth Facilitation, Trauma Informed Care, Arts Based Facilitation, Nature Therapy, Foraging, Herbalism, and Restorative Justice. Madison is certified in Wilderness First Aid, CPR, and Youth Mental Health First Aid. She is a current registered mandated reporter and holds an active Youth Partner Clearance from DC Public School Central Office.
Over and over, she has witnessed the innate power and transformation a young person undergoes when deeply connected to the world and community around them. She firmly believes children rooted in nature will grow to become thoughtful, well rounded adults deeply capable of creating the better world we so desperately need. It is one of her personal missions in life to equip children with powerful social emotional literacy tools, skills for resolving conflict and self empowerment through deep relationship with nature at pivotal developmental moments.
*Ridgers, N., Knowles, Z., Sayers, J., (2012). Encouraging play in the natural environment: A child-focused case study of forest school. Children's Geographies, 10(1), 49 - 65.