Earthroots Field School - Homeschool Field Class (Ages 6-12)

Outdoors · Trabuco Canyon, CA · Ages 6–12

By Earthroots Field School

Schedule

Fall 2026: Sep 16, 2026 – Jan 22, 2027 · 2026-2027 Full Year: Sep 16, 2026 – May 26, 2027

About

Earthroots Homeschool Field Classes are nature immersion programs designed for children ages 6-12 years old. These programs offer students the opportunity to connect with the natural world in parks and other natural spaces around Orange County. In Homeschool Field Classes, nature itself serves as the teacher, and the focus is on cultivating wonder, curiosity, and life-long nature connection for each child.

The program explores a wide range of topics including wilderness awareness, ancestral living skills, ecological gardening, cooking, natural building, and crafts, through hands-on outdoor lessons and activities. Students may experience hiking to natural hot springs to study geology, tide-pooling along the coast, tracking animals, learning about watershed health and the water cycle, rainwater harvesting, identifying and using native plants, growing food organically, and cooking with a solar oven or over an open fire. We eat what we grow and discuss how our individual actions impact the world around us.

Participants develop a deeper connection with nature and learn to observe the rhythms and patterns of the earth’s cycles. No two days are the same, as lessons are adapted to meet the interests of the students and the spontaneous discoveries made in each location. For example, finding an octopus in the tide pools or discovering animal tracks on the trail may guide the day’s lessons.

A typical day follows the rhythm of morning circle, snack, exploration, lunch, journaling, a quiet sit, and closing circle, but the structure is flexible to embrace the natural flow of the environment.

Class Content

Topics planned for each class are determined by what is happening on the land seasonally in the location where the class is meeting that day. Examples of seasonal patterns that guide the class include elderberries ripening, yucca flowering, bird migrations, and creek flow.

Throughout the semester and over the course of many years, our participants build community through the shared experience of living in relationship with earth’s rhythms. Deep friendships are made as children are guided to show care and kindness for each other and the earth.

“The method of learning that Earthroots has provided has led our children to develop a deeper personal connection with the world, with their community and with each other.”

– Earthroots Homeschool Field Class parent

As participants gain experience, knowledge, and care for our earth, they are able to share their outdoor skills and nature awareness with family and friends. Homeschool class graduates are often empowered to successfully lead their loved ones on hikes and journeys that were inspired by their time with Earthroots. We recommend parents read Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature by Jon Young to get an inside glimpse of Earthroots mentoring philosophies.