By: Christine Arena, Guest Blogger
This year we did something different. After leaning head first into homeschooling our boys, we chose a co-op that was unlike anything we had ever heard of before. Well, almost never heard of before.
A good friend who had moved to Montana with her family of young children had told stories about the forest school that her elementary-aged children attended. “Think about it, we went from suburban California to suburban Pennsylvania, to the base of a mountain in Montana. Talk about an environment shift! We wanted them to know and have comfort in the wilderness that surrounds our little town but also a healthy amount of fear!” I was fascinated – a school to learn about different kinds of trees, animal prints, hiking in the forest, looking for interesting creatures, and confident awareness of signs of creatures you don’t want to be surprised by…especially in Montana. I remember telling her how cool that something like that exists to help transition children into Montana children experientially. A few years later, as we were discussing and planning what our schooling would look like for the upcoming year, the idea of the forest school popped back into my head. Someone at church had shared their enjoyment of something called Barefoot University and was encouraging other homeschoolers from the parish to consider it. After a few moments looking into Barefoot, we decided that this could be part of a vibrant homeschool for the 24-25 year and hit submit on the registration.
To be honest, I’m not totally sure what we expected. I absolutely had images of Montana skies and Moose tracks, but living in Virginia, I knew that was not going to happen. My husband had hopes of our somewhat latent family hobby of hiking and camping being bolstered with skills and renewed interest. We landed with an expectation of outside time coupled with didactic modules and exploring a new park that is close to us but we haven’t been to much in the past few years.
A month into the school year, we knew we had struck gold. Our expectations were blown out of the water — weekly hikes, adventure skills, community engagement, high-quality unstructured play, supportive natural history and journaling, and at home our boys wanted to be outside astronomically more than before, and we had thought ourselves an outside time family! It was as if a switch was flicked and the imaginations kicked into high gear, roping in risky play and deep fascination with creation all around them. I was swept up into it too, marveling at what was around us all the time and seeming to hide in plain sight.
If you are looking for something different in your homeschool, something that does more than just gets the energy out or is another activity, I urge you to consider Barefoot University. You will be shocked at how much 2 hours of intentional time per week in creation will transform your connection with your children, your children’s connection with you and pay dividends by electrifying learning in other avenues.
Christine Arena
Christine is a wife and mother of many in Virginia. She is passionate about being really present with those whom she is with, and especially her family. A grateful daughter of God the Father, lover of Creation and Beauty — you can find the Arena family hiking, playing music, making plays, gardening and telling jokes. 2024-2025 was their first year with Barefoot University, and they are excitedly looking forward to Rhythm Sky!”
