Traditions of Wisdom Homeschooling Program

Mornings, children will alternate weekly between doing outdoor animal chores and cooking lunch. Afternoon lesson consisting of a practical lessons (Thursdays), or jump rope, Spanish, singing, a lesson (see below), math, a story, and an artistic element (Fridays).

Thursdays: Practical lessons, songs, and stories

Session 1 – Basketmaking and harvesting on the farm (pears, sea buckthorn, persimmon, elderberry), Beatrix Potter

Session 2 – Home materials (Making lotion, soap, candles, decorations from natural materials, garlands for winter holidays, grapevine wreaths, wrapping gifts), A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Session 3 – Fiber arts (Embroidery, sewing a button, making a patch, sewing hems, darning socks, crochet/knitting), The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Session 4 – Woodworking, Fairy Tales

Fridays: Spanish, songs, stories and activities surrounding a tradition of wisdom

Session 1 – Ancient - Cave paintings, Form drawing, Warrior songs, Creation stories

Session 2 – India - Indian songs and stories, Spices and Plants

Session 3 – France - Les Miserables, French folk songs, botany or other art

Session 4 – Performing a musical (with its songs and story) to be performed at the end of the session.

Dates:

Session 1: September 3/4 – October 22/23 (8 weeks)

Session 2: October 29/30 – December 17/18 (7 weeks, with a break November 26/27 for Thanksgiving)

(Session 3 and 4 will continue similar to last year, from the end of January until the end of May.)

Time: 9:30-3:30

Lunch is provided and made by the children.

Priority is given to families who are committing to the whole year, although it is possible to join for a singular session.

There will be a performance of the material we learned at 2:30 the last day of each session.

Price: $100/day, Early bird 10% discount for paying 1 month before start date (Eg, $800 for 1 child for Thursdays for Session 1, $720 for 1 child for Session 1 Thursdays if paid for by August 3, $1600 for 1 child for both Thursdays and Fridays for Session 1)

Payment can be made by Zelle

(to Kate Meyer / lasjuniperfarm@gmail.com)

or by check to Juniper Farm Programs.

Kate Meyer’s CV:

University of Notre Dame, 2020 (I studied Romance Languages - Spanish and French, mainly - Great Books, and a little bit of agriculture.)

Teacher assistant at The Windward School of Manhattan in New York, 2020-2022 (I taught English, History, and music to middle schoolers with language-learning disabilities like dyslexia.)

Apprentice on the Sow’s Ear Farm in Ohio with Shawn & Beth Dougherty, 2022-2023 (This is where I learned to farm ecologically and began to think about its impact on our being.)

Spanish Teacher at Prairie Hill Waldorf School, 2023-2024 (Taught Spanish to grades 1-8. I made lots of friends here and dove deep into Waldorf methods of teaching.)

Farmer at Farmwise / Cook and Homemaker, 2024-2025 (I started helping Bente with her programs during the summer of 2024, then brought my cow in September, and have been learning how she conducts the homeschool coop this year. I also have been a homemaker and cook in Brookfield for a non-profit.)

Have lived: In Brookfield, Chicago, California, Paris, and Spain (In Jaén when I was one and thirteen, and in Toledo when I was 21).

Registration form:

If you have not already done so for a previous farm school session, fill out this google form.

Snow day policy:

If a farm program is cancelled for weather, a makeup day will be offered on a given placeholder day (usually the week preceding the last date for that session).

Sick policy:

Children are expected to stay home if they have experienced a fever or vomiting within 24 hours of the start of the program. For other cases of communicable illness, the parent of the child can email the group, describing their situation and asking for the go-ahead of all the parents before bringing their child. The parent can contact Kate directly and ask her to make that communication, if preferred.