Northern California Homeschool Convention & Stacey’s Thoughts
Hi there, Stacey here. Our beloved Dawn was in the midst of a week-long overnight summer camp last week, doing what she does so well. I am filling in on the newsletter this week.
Keep reading to find out more about:
- The Northern California Homeschool Convention (NCHC)
- Ohmapi Curriculum
- Prospective Parent Meeting, Sunday August 4th 10am-12pm
- Fall 2024 Enrollment
Northern California Homeschool Convention (NCHC)
Ohmapi participated in the NCHC last weekend in Rocklin, and there was an amazing turnout of homeschooling parents, homeschool students, vendors, and speakers. This was our second year in a row attending as a vendor, getting to know the homeschooling community of northern California.
Welcome to all our new subscribers from NCHC! It was so great to meet you and spend time talking with you!
NHCH attendees were invited to spin our survey question wheel to help us find out more about what kinds of curriculum homeschooling families love, what’s working, and what’s not. Here are some of the questions we asked:
Have you purchased curriculum you love? If yes, what is it?
What is your biggest frustration when purchasing curriculum?
Do you prefer to purchase curriculum as a full-year offering or as 3-4 week blocks or as single lesson plans?
Based on your preference, how much do you think curriculum should cost?
Please feel free to respond to this email with your answers and insights. We will send you a bonus Ohmapi curriculum offering!
In return for your time, we will send you a fun math lesson all about John Quincy Adams and his clever math bunny. The lesson includes a historical fictional story of John Qunicy Adams when he was a young boy growing up in Braintree, MA; a step-by-step guide for a Waldorf-inspired main lesson, and directions for a fun math game that will have everyone giggling in no time.
Coming Soon…The Ohmapi Curriculum
As you may know, Ohmapi has gained notoriety for offering thoughtful, place-based, story-centric curriculum in our in-person academic programs. We are currently in the process of making these wonderful lessons available to everyone, no matter how far away you are!
Last year we spent 32 weeks learning about all the tiny critters that make up so much of our local and global ecosystems, from the favorites: earthworms, honeybees, and butterflies; to the not so popular: horseflies, ticks, black widows, and everything in between. Each week we introduced a new tiny critter, by way of an original fictional story meant to inspire the imagination and speak to the heart, bringing the critter to life as a relatable character.
I have always been an avid researcher, which began when I was a college student, at a small liberal arts school where students were given a lot of freedom to create a self-directed curriculum. All proposed curriculum had to meet the rigorous standards of the school and be sponsored by a professor related to the field of study. My research journey began with an interest in the microcosm of our biology, falling in love with cell biology and learning about the different “characters” of our cellular millieu. Lately I am exploring the history of the United States of America, as well as the biographies and works of authors from the early days of publishing books.
For example, last year I wrote a couple stories featuring Izaak Walton from Stafford, England. He was a well-known author in the 1600’s who primarily wrote biographies, but also wrote The Compleat Angler, a story that introduced many readers to the joy of fly fishing. The Compleat Angler was first published in 1653, at time before illustrations were common in books, and Izaak was able to bring to life vivid images of time spent in nature with words alone!
Inspired by the power of stories, I took the creative liberty of combining research about Izaak Walton and the caddisfly, which we were learning about at the time, and I brought Izaak to life with a fictionalized story about him as a young boy and his fishing adventures with Piscator, a character from his book. This summer I am doing a deep dive on John Quincy Adams, and I am excited to bring him on board as a character to help us with our nature focus this school year.
Did you know John Q. was only 7 years old as the first battle of the American Revolution unfolded? The battle was close enough to see and hear from their farmhouse in Braintree (now Quincy, MA). He traveled overseas with his father, John Adams, at the age of 11, and witnessed his father’s diplomacy efforts as one of the first Americans independent of the British Empire. Fortunately for us, John Q. began keeping a diary at the age of 12 and continued this practice until his death at the age of 81. The collected pages of his diaries amounts to 14,000 pages!
If you have any fun facts about John Quincy Adams or early America, I’d love to hear from you! Just reply to this email…
Our 2024/25 curriculum will feature stories and lessons inspired by the theme: Fur, Feather, Scales, and Skin. It will include the following 8 animals: newts, salmon, bear, humans, owls, rabbits/hares, robins, and snakes.
Our soon-to-be released digital curriculum is cultivated and curated from our in-person academic program. Our curriculum will guide you in how to teach you children to learn through nature while in nature.
Our lessons and curriculum, for grades 1-8, focus on developing nature connection and academic skills. Soon to be available on our website are:
Individual lessons
Lesson units or blocks
Story collections
One year curriculum
Prospective Parent Meeting
Sunday, August 4th, 10am-12pm
Please reach out to register. We will send out location details to registered participants. Children are welcome to attend!
Fall 2024 Enrollment
In-person educational programs are being offered in picturesque forest settings in Nevada City for homeschoolers, ages 7-15. Children learn academic and specialty subjects in a holistic and experiential manner as we weave academics into our nature studies. Fall classes start Monday, September 9th. We are offering:
If you have any questions, please reach out by replying to this email or giving us a call, (714) 618-8925.
