Hilltown Families 
Winter Solstice and indeed the entire season provides a unique opportunity to begin to learn and live in deeper connection with Earth. Many people believe that Earth is farthest way and...
Thanksgiving is over, now what? An attitude of gratitude nourishes life. The time for this has not passed, but it before us. Opportunities to embrace this are all around if we...
Children are naturally drawn to explore and understand Nature in their place and time. The reading of, playing with and making of maps and paths helps children develop a connection with...
7-Day Outdoors Family Challenge Want to get outside more, connect with your kids and enjoy some old-fashioned family time? Join in a fun 7-Day Outdoors Family Challenge that was created by Shannon...
Education is indeed our greatest resource, but it is not facts and figures that hold the power of change, regeneration and even transformation for humans and Earth. What might be possible...
”Stone age painting” is an opportunity for all, regardless of age, to use and value local resources, celebrate creativity, inquisitiveness and innovation as well as strengthen community throughout the summer...
Adventure develops connection with our selves, place and community. It is more than cognitive. Adventures help us find our heart place and real adventure ignites a thirst for exploration and stimulates...
There is a common fear that learning through fantasy leads to misunderstandings and misconceptions. It turns out this may also be, according to research, contradictory to the nature of child development....
“You can’t solve a problem on the same level on which it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level.” - Albert Einstein
Learners make connections that link the edges of their own questions, educational subjects, skills, ways of learning, previous knowledge and personal interests to pattern a sturdy, integrated structure much like snapping...
Diversity is at the core of life. Human diversity is also key to creativity, resilience and a vibrant, healthy human society. Each person, each child, is an individual with intrinsic worth...
Year of Small and Slow A new year, a new opportunity to reflect and renew our beliefs, values and intentions. Many people create resolutions each year and then we hit the...
This month in "Learning Landscapes," Jen writes: "Permaculture is a fundamental component of our journey back to wholeness, away from the segregated “me” and into the “we.” Permaculture is a flexible...
There are patterns all around us, from the large-scale patterns of our universe to nano-scale of atoms, and in everything we learn. If we work “with” the natural patterns within children...
With passing of the recent equinox we are entering into the cooler weather of autumn in the northern hemisphere – a time for many that is fondly thought of as apple...
In addition to the typical way of thinking about resources – renewable and nonrenewable – consider the natural, raw intellectual energy of our children. Learn about the open invitation to families...
Education is our greatest potential resource. Before jumping into action and using our greatest potential resource, we need to rush to reflection in order to ensure that we and our children can...
Integrating the ethics and thinking tools of permaculture into children’s learning landscapes helps them extend and enrich their understanding of themselves.
This month in "Learning Landscapes: Integrating Permaculture with Community-Based Education," Jen shares how superheros are examples of how a complex, interdependent permaculture idea like “catch and store energy” can be...
Children can be way more creative in their approach to learning critical skills than we may them credit for. This month in "Learning Landscapes: Integrating Permaculture with Community-Based Education," Jen talks...
There is a natural symbiotic relationship between the complex life system that comprises healthy soil and all the other elements thriving in that ecosystem. Check Jen's column, "Learning Landscapes: Integrating Permaculture...
How can you leverage everyday experiences, curiosity, and natural relationships in your child’s learning landscape? We're delighted to introduce a new column by Jen Mendez, founder of PERMIE KIDS, who will be...