there just something about the miracle of growing things. there something about the lessons that we learn and the way that those lessons shape our lives. we live in a world that celebrates sameness in so many ways and yet that sameness is the exact opposite of who we were created to be. the amount of hours your friend has been logging ‘researching education’ as a part of my day has been insane. It’s caused me to rethink and reimagine educational choices over and over again.

“OUR HIGHEST ENDEAVOR MUST BE TO DEVELOP FREE HUMAN BEINGS WHO ARE ABLE OF THEMSELVES TO IMPART PURPOSE AND DIRECTION TO THIER LIVES. THE NEED FOR IMAGINATION, A SENSE OF TRUTH, AND A FEELING OF RESPONSIBILITY — THESE THREE FORCES ARE THE VERY NERVE OF EDUCATION.”

— RUDOLPH STEINER

imagination, truth and responsibility play a major role in the way we live and learn. “free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives…” as i research more and more about the history of educational systems and institutions it continues to shape and mold the way we cultivate our own.

in our unschool year recap i share a bit about what the past year taught me and the importance of being good soil and good ground in our lives. this year, our gap year is about growing from the ground up and letting our faith and how we love lead the way.

longwood gardens is located in kennet square, pa.

what started out as a simple annual membership for our family is quickly becoming a massive resource and source of inspiration in this next chapter of our story. surrounding ourselves with things that grow and observing the way they withstand the tests of time helps us to consider our path forward. frequenting a botanical garden is always a win in my book

visiting their website has been everything for this teacher mama’s heart. from the carefully organized stories that make up it’s history to the clear and concise breakdown of their grounds, their mission, their vision and strategy for the future… it’s like a magical garden of discovery if you are the kind to observe, dig deeper, explore. and, as it turns out… we are!

them !!! and, can we get into this treehouse goodness for a moment please?!?

watching them explore the treehouses was so incredibly cute as far as i’m concerned. the way my life would be made if we could just transport this amazingness into our own backyard… friennnndddsss!!!

watching them play peek-a-boo around the window pane was also pure magic.

ohhhhh, and it’s the stewardship for me!!! the level of care and consideration required to maintain such beautiful grounds full of life is heavenly. the best part of exploring the gardens it that we have yet to cover all of the gardens grounds. each time we visit we head off in a different direction adding more perspective and discovering the diversity that each changing seasons brings.

these photos are so special to me. while i spend most of my time behind the camera, its nice to have photos that sum up nicely how we spend most of our time learning together. OBSERVING, EXPLORING, IN CONVERSATIONS, EXCHANGING EACH OTHERS QUESTIONS FOR ANSWERS AND A BOAT LOAD OF OOOOOoooooo’s and AAAAHHHHHHhhhhhh’s!!!

every time i write up plans for our units or focus for our studies I began with a clear objective to guide our goals. this units object was as follows: “to explore the purpose and importance of growth by observing elements in nature and uncovering the pathways to fruitfulness. to consider the role that good soil plays in productivity and understand our role and responsibility in the process of fruit bearing (seed time and harvest).”

we’ve attempted to sit down all in one shot and brainstorm the goals we have for this gap year as a whole. we’ve tossed up the idea of language study goals, writing goals, maker goals and so many more. what we ultimately settled on is to continue to allow ourselves room to grow. taking things one day at a time, applying “there’s no need to rush” to yet another chapter of our story and our visits to longwood gardens have been such the inspiration for me to keep pressing towards the heart of our goals.

pop-pop with a little cameo appearance bc, for us, this will always be a family affair.

it’s never lost on me the FACT that this beautiful creations all grew from a magical little seed.

in a recent publication from the longwood gardens blog there is a piece called “the stories we tell”.

“every garden tells a story…”

the writer shares how the property was purchased ‘to save its trees; and the plants and people who carry on their collective legacy by way of longwood’s horticulture, education, and the arts.” he continues on to share that his goal to focus on “how we interpret and share such details… constantly thinking about the stories we tell in our garden, as well as the design choices, gardening techniques, and plant selections we employ to tell them.”

gosh… it reminded me of the very nature of our purpose-driven homeschool, our gap year, and the simple fact that our goals will be met… through the stories we tell!!!