Growers Academey

From Friedrich Froebel to Charlotte Mason, John Dewey and Rudolf Steiner there are rich educational philosophies and a growing framework of research showing the benefit of and need for an early education founded in nature, hands on work, leadership practice and literacy rich environments. The Growers Academy aims to be just that- a deliberate approach to education focusing on citizenry, classical learning and instilling a love of learning for those in our community.

The Growers Academy is a 2 and a half day program aimed at meeting children where they are at, connecting to the world around them and making an individualized home education experiences achievable to all parents in our community.

It is clear that children are natural born learners and we will harness that gift by exploring together rich and living books frequently. We will build confidence and comprehension skills through public speaking and narration, or retelling, of shared books. Handwriting and spelling will be practiced utilizing high interest parts of loved stories and true physiological education (fitness and the science of how your body works) will be given adequate time in the daily schedule. Teaching through books allows for precise individualization while keeping community experiences a focus. We will encourage personal connection to one another, to the learning material and to the world around us.

Interested in enrolling?

Tuition Schedule

All rates are for the full school year (Sep-June, in rough accordance with BKW school calendar)

3 days

2 full days- Tuesday/Thursday (9am-5pm)
Half day community day on Fridays (parents provide transportation, rotate participation)
$7,000

*Registration and materials deposit (nonrefundable), will be taken out of the last payment: $750

Required Gear

*There's no bad weather, just bad gear!*

In addition to focused instructional time inside, we will also have focused physiological lesson time each day which includes moving our body along with carrying out the responsibility of working on the farm. Children should be prepared for such with high quality gear. Gear will be available, depending on size, to rent for the year.

Comfortable and appropriately sized backpack
Weather appropriate outerwear
Change of clothes, socks and weather appropriate layers
2 Filled water bottles
Waterproof Farm boots (insulated for winter)
Weather appropriate base layers
Whole food, energy sustaining snacks and lunch

A recommended gear list, based on years of experience and research will be provided to each enrolled family

Daily Rhythm

Students enrolled in the Growers Academy are ideally between the ages of 6 and 9, or therefore academically placed. .

We will follow a curriculum unique to Henrieka Farm Center that follows the philosophy of Charlotte Mason while integrating the knowledge base and values that make Henrieka Farm Center one of a kind.

Our morning will begin with free play, community building activities and a morning routine. We will then follow a visual schedule broken into roughly 20 minute segments to encourage focus, engagement and self-directed learning. These segments will rotate through the topics covered to the right. Our academic time may occur in our cozy school house, around our beautiful outdoor table or in the woods.

Our lunch hour will include more free play (a great time for processing and comprehension of lessons learned to take place) and will be followed by our physiological session. We will wrap up the day with time in nature, on the farm and completing teamwork based projects.

Perfect for the Homeschooling Family interested in a part-time, unique program!

Please note- Our program will not encompass EVERY aspect of your home education. You will want to complete lessons at home and leverage the experiences you are able to provide. Most notably, math will not intentionally be covered as it is such an individualized experience.

Topics Covered

Writing
- To include cursive study
Reading Tales, fables and living books
Recitations (public speaking practice and comprehension skills)
Handiwork from guest instructors
- Sewing, Knitting and others
Drawing, Painting and other basic art
History
Geography
Nature study
Drill and physiological education
- Focusing on Yoga, Army Physical Readiness Training and how the body works
Music

Fridays will be a half day program in the community that includes field trips to local farms, unique physical activities (hiking, ice fishing, fishing, etc) and community projects (cleaning public spaces, visiting nursing homes, etc). Parents will be expected to participate in these community Fridays on a rotating schedule.

Most importantly, an emphasis on child led discovery will help to foster a love of learning and doing to help set students up for continued success.

All enrolled parents will receive a PDF of the topics to be covered each quarter as well as a summary of topics covered as we progress through the year.