As summer comes to a close, it's worth asking what children truly gain from these long, unhurried days. More than time away from school, summer offers opportunities for play, creativity, family connection, and outdoor exploration. Discover why summer isn't a break from learning—it's a different kind of learning.

When we first moved to Northern California, we built a garden before we built a house. I imagined rich soil and abundant harvests, but instead I spent years wrestling with hydrophobic soil, experimenting with compost, mulch, mushrooms, and native clay, and learning from experienced farmers who kept telling me the same thing: “It takes about five years.” This story is about patience, learning through doing, and the surprising parallels between growing a garden and raising children.

Meet Suuzi Hazen—a parent, entrepreneur, and thoughtful presence in Nevada County. From growing her small business Mother’s Best Liver Pills out of her kitchen to finding secret spots of peace in her community, Suuzi shows what it looks like to live with intention, curiosity, and care. Her journey through health, parenting, and entrepreneurship is full of insight, humor, and heart.

Inside our four-week volcano study: students investigated shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes, and supervolcanoes through eruptions, experiments, and geologic discovery.

After three days of snow, the land became our lab. Sledding turned into physics in motion, and snowmen became lessons in engineering. This is what learning looks like when winter is the classroom.

When snow lingered for three days in Nevada County, the landscape softened, the sky turned blue-pink-gold, and the rhythm of the foothills slowed — just long enough to notice.

At Ohmapi, the best lessons happen outdoors. Last week, our students discovered balance, courage, and curiosity on a slippery mud hill. Jumping, sliding, and splashing through puddles, they learned through play — building confidence, resilience, and joy with every muddy step.

In our first Community Spotlight, Kelsey Nover sits down with ceramics instructor Jesse Hanshaw to talk about harvesting clay, building a kiln, and why working with natural materials is about relationship, not just results.

Through a hands-on nature lesson at The Ohmapi Nature Project forest school students explored deer anatomy and learned about muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments with guidance from our neighbor and educator, Woniya. By observing closely and asking questions, the children connected the lesson to their own bodies and the natural world, gaining a deeper understanding of life, nourishment, and the connections between humans, animals, and the environment in Nevada County.

Before we take, we give thanks. Through a real-world encounter with death, Ohmapi students explored the circle of life, learning to honor what is given and return what remains to the Earth.

Turn chocolate into rocks! Kids learn about sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks in a hands-on, edible geology experiment.