Farmyard Adventurers Homeschool Class

Description

Longshadows Ranch Farm School

Farmyard Adventurers, 11 and younger

Overview

Longshadows Ranch is a teaching homestead farm and ranch, offering life lessons, farm experiences, and volunteer opportunities. In the process of living, we preserve and pass on traditional Cherokee life ways and children and families a chance to experience life lived in a different way.

What we do includes most sciences like chemistry, physics, biology, ecology, zoology, botany, nutrition, holistic health, home medicine and math, English, reading, history, and social studies. Skills such as construction, pond management, livestock management (horses, chickens, ducks, worms, bees, rabbits, pigs and sheep (the last 3 are coming in 2024), electrical, plumbing and welding. Alternative energy and water catchment. Even a little archeology with artifacts and fossil hunting (field trip) and astronomy. We also harvest, cook, fish, hunt, make cheese, bread and preserve foods. We also always find time to ride now and again 🙂 Finally we cover the business side of things on a homestead farm and ranch.

During good weather we are mostly outside, although there is some inside learning. In really bad weather we reschedule.

Who is teaching?

The 4 of us (Brian, Eli, Brian and Sophia) and we have about 10 teachers that rotate through for various topics. We encourage families to bring a small gratuity for the guest teachers.

Basics

• Fall Semester: Sept 3 – Nov 26, 2024 with an Oct Fall Break, Total: 11 classes
• 3.5 hours, Tues, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
• Field trip: Fossil hunting at the Kroeger’s Ranch in Park Hill, south of Tahlequah
• $225 / child per semester.
• Best ages? Any
• Food: We provide a snack that is mostly farm to table, supply allowing. When we buy food it is first from other organic farmers and second from the store. We believe in tasty but healthy snacks and beverages and prepare most of our food from scratch. We encourage you to bring a sack lunch and enjoy a picnic. Many families do this and let the kids run around and play and explore on their own.

Clothing and Shoes

Appropriate dress for the season is requested. We have found that wearing layers works best as the early part of the day can be cool whereas the afternoons can get warm.

Closed toe shoes are important and required out in the paddock and pasture. There are brambles and critters and we would like to protect all the toes. Near the house it is safe to go barefoot or use flip flops.

Water

We supply fresh, clean drinking water but ask that our students bring their own water bottles. We spend a lot of time outside and want everyone to stay hydrated.

Bug Sprays

Bring your own favorite bug spray if you would like. We do not really use anything other than essential oils.

Wildlife

There are many creatures sharing the land with us such as deer, fox, racoons, possum, bobcat, coyote, hogs, black bears, turtles, snakes, rabbits and a variety of birds. We will do a wildlife safety session with everyone.

Ranch Animals

We have some strict rules about our ranch animals that we ask all guests to follow.

Rule #1: No chasing animals! Everyone will get lots of time to interact with their favorite animals, but with such a large crowd, we want to minimize the impact on our critters.

Rule #2: Animals can only be fed certain foods. Students are welcome to bring things from home to feed their favorite critters as long as they are on the list. If you aren’t sure, reach out and ask us.

• Horses: Carrots, apples, watermelon
• Chickens: veggies, grains, worms, bugs
• Worms: veggies

We try to work in animal time as often as possible, including horse rides.

FAQ

• Parents are welcome to hang out, participate or take a nap. We have wifi that can be used close to the house. There are always tables set up.
• Pets are welcome on a leash but need to be cleaned up after (we have shovels for this).
• No one is too young or old- we have babies, toddlers, elementary, older teens, and college students as well as a few adults who are here to learn and help on work-study programs.
• Yes, there are spiders and snakes but we help you avoid them.
• Yes, there are bees, wasps and a variety of other flying insects but we teach bug safety the first day.
• We have homeopathic remedies and a first aid kit on hand if needed for bites, stings, wounds, etc.
• If your person has any type of serious allergic reaction to bees or anything really, be sure and have your emergency treatment with you, for example, an epi pen.
• If you have lots of kids, we can chat about the cost. Perhaps we barter for some of the cost… in work time or other things.
• We only hold spots that are paid.

Curriculum

There are 27-30 developed classes listed here and a number of classes under development. The specific classes we choose each semester depends on the group, weather, the animals, etc. The two classes that are never skipped are orientation and the last class celebration. Once we have all students enrolled for the session we send out a survey and ask folks to select their favorites.

List of Classes (scroll past class basic info)