I've gotten a few questions about what I "do"? Well, I am a homeschooling mama that also co-created (with one of my favorite people -Ashley (@afrocentric.montessori)) a beautiful outdoors community called Gather. Recently, I re-introduced us in an article on our website. Here is the article:
What & Who is Gather?
Hi friends, We have soooo many new faces! A HUGE WELCOME!!!
We are a black-centered eco-forest school that offers an outdoorsy community, nature-based events, resources, and materials for children.
Black-centered, all our materials, books, events, and resources have black children in mind. We have created a space where black children feel liberated, safe, celebrated, and have a sense of belonging. We want adults to feel included (lol), but our primary focus is protecting and honoring the dignity of childhood.
We are a Forest school, not a:
Nature (or nature-based) school (30% minimum outdoors)
Farm school (on a farm)
Waldorf (outdoor free play)
Montessori (forming an outdoor environment with indoor)
A traditional school that meets outdoors (traditional classes outside)?
All of these schools are wonderful & we have incorporated pieces of each of them in our flow, but we are a forest school. Forest schools are considered to be the most immersive type of outdoor education. Forest schools can be located in public parks, gardens, forests, etc. The key is the time; time spent indoors must be minimal during school hours. That's why you won't find many true-to-definition "forest schools" that go longer than four hours. Most don't meet daily. Risks such as exploration, independent play, and wandering must also be incorporated into the curriculum. At Gather, we spend 99.93% of our time outdoors.
Eco or environmental education, because our Gather curriculum is steeped in:
Ecological systems
Agriculture & urban horticulture
Scientific observation
Environmentalism
Biodiversity
Environmental relationships
We focus on being sustainable and ecologically conscious.
We offer:
School - FULL for the 2022-2023 year (11 months)
Saturday Schools
Camping
Community Playdates
Resources
Virtual Calls
Clothing Swaps
Learning Materials
And more...
Outside of the school, we are a team of seven passionate volunteers.
Shalom, friends!
Shelby