Nature-Based Homeschool Enrichment
Nature-Based Homeschool Enrichment
Growing Future Minds: A hands-on science curriculum led by instructional staff on our working farm.
Why a Homeschool Enrichment Program?
Hands-On: classes are held in our Living Classroom, which offers students real-life experience and interaction with farm animals, nature, agriculture, culinary arts, and more.
Curriculum-Based: sessions are taught by our licensed educational staff, and can replace an at-home science course with book curriculum & tracking of activities.
Learning With Peers: In addition to curriculum, our Homeschool Enrichment focuses on helping students develop leadership, self-motivation, and interpersonal skills.
Science Course Credit: Older students will be provided with a science curriculum to take home and complete to count as a science course in North Carolina.
Our Homeschool Programs
Nature Explorers
Open to homeschool students ages 5-9.
Held in our Living Classroom, this program will dive into nature-based learning, working with animals, plants, soil, cooking, and more. Students will learn about scientific topics like birds, ecosystems, mammals, geology, kingdoms & classifications, botany, weather & water and more!
All curriculums will come from the science curriculums created by The Good & The Beautiful. Students will leave with a science journal of the activities and topics they have learned to replace a science course. This program can count as a science course while allowing students opportunities to get experiences with the course subjects and spending time outdoors and socializing with their peers. Students will need to bring lunch.
The Explorers will meet from 9am-2pm on Thursdays.
Nature Trailblazers
Open to homeschool students ages 10-15.
Older students dig deeper into science curriculum through scientific experiments and hands-on learning. Students will learn about topics like birds, ecosystems, mammals, geology & soil, kingdoms & classifications, botany, weather & water and more!
This program helps students fulfill the hands-on requirement of their at-home science curriculum through experiments, hands-on learning, and skill development. Students should receive more science curriculum at home to finish their science course – they may continue the course from The Good and the Beautiful at home or use another curriculum. Students will leave with a science journal showcasing their experiences.
The Trailblazers will meet from 9-11am on Wednesdays.
Enrollment
Enrollment deadline is January 9th. Payment must be received to secure your child’s spot. Once the first 15 spots are filled, your child will be added to a waitlist.
Step 1 – Complete the Enrollment Form linked above.
Step 2 – We will contact you to confirm your child’s enrollment.
Juneberry Education Foundation: Helping Students Grow.
Our Mission
Our mission is to inspire current and future farmers to reimagine the agricultural landscape in North Carolina through the study, research, and real-world application of regenerative farming. What better way to inspire future farmers, scientists, and community builders than to offer a program for school aged student enrichment!
How It Works
This program allows immersive science learning in topics including regenerative agriculture, leadership development, and making healthy habits which will reshape the future of agriculture, food production, and student development.
Our Staff
Danielle Rushing
Education Director with JEF and previous High School Agriculture Teacher
Casey Thompson
Program Coordinator with JEF and previous High School Agriculture Teacher
Other teachers, teachers aids, and Juneberry Ridge Farmers may be brought in for special courses or experiences but must go through background checks and meet certification requirements.
Quick Facts
Maximum Class Size: 15 students for each level
Spring 2026 Semester: January 15th, 2026 – April 2nd, 2026 and April 16th, 2026 – May 7th, 2026
Program Dates & Times:
Nature Explorers: Thursdays from 9AM – 2PM.
Nature Trailblazers: Wednesdays from 9AM – 11am
Eligibility: Participants must be enrolled in homeschool or private school. Nature Explorers must be between 5 and 9 years old. Nature Trailblazers must be between 10 and 15 years old.
Cost:
Nature Explorers (5-9): $50/day
Nature Trailblazers (10-15): $25/day
Discounts: 5% discount for paying in full for the semester. Sibling discounts available up to 10%.
How to pay:
To receive a 5% discount, parents can pay for the full semester via the stripe link on the application.
Monthly payment plans are offered, but must be set up with Danielle before the student’s spot is reserved in the program. To set these up, please mark your choice on the application – Danielle will reach out to send an invoice. Spots are not reserved until invoices or stripe link is paid.
Example Nature Explorers Daily Schedule:
9:00AM-9:30AM: Morning Mindfulness
9:30AM-10:30AM: Morning Farm Chores
10:30AM-11:00AM: Learning Time!
11:00AM-11:30AM: Application and Playtime!
11:30AM-12:00PM: Lunch (Students should bring their own lunch)
12:00PM-1:45PM: Blended learning of teacher led instruction, application/experiment, and self-based independent learning
1:45PM-2:00PM: Take Home Time
Example Nature Trailblazers Daily Schedule
9:00AM-9:30AM: Instruction Time (review last week and start discussion of this weeks topic)
9:30AM-10:30AM: Experiments, hands-on activities, nature journal completion
10:30AM-10:45AM: Application to real-life, future, etc.
10:45AM-11:00AM: Take home time (wrap up what we learned, gather information to take home, go over what they would need to complete on their own time for this to count as a course)