Families of children newborn to 8 months

Caregiver Focus
This pod’s focus is on building networks of support and exploring topics that support a caretakers transition into parenting.

Families of children prominently between the ages of 8 months to 5 years old.

Play Focus
The big idea is to get out and learn, play, explore, and have fun with others! Think group games, berry picking, adult dialog, and much more with these pods.

Homeschooling families with children between the ages 5 to 7

Academic and Play Focus
The focus is centered around exploring academics through hands-on activities, journaling, games and a kindergarten routine using nature as an important element. This is an enrichment program for five to six year olds.

Homeschooling families of children ages 8+

Learning and Social Work Focus
This pod is about hands-on, experimental learning. Families plan field trips and invite guest speakers to share on a specific topic of academic or social interest. This goes above the basic museum visits towards an intentional focus on learning from experts and receiving a new outlook on how the world works. It’s also an opportunity to find a group of kids that are interested in applying what they learn to the world through a social focused lens.

I would love for all the Seedling Pods to come together at different times of the year and am exploring how we as a “Forest” of pods can create cool things together. How do we share the role of planning, prepping, and hosting? My thought is that I create a framework for gathering as a large Forest and then the next year an individual or pod can rise to the task of hosting.

A few ideas that I have:

Mom/Dad Nights Out
The Forest as a whole or indivdiausl pods meet up for drinks and/or dinner at a local restaurant. I plan to host the first “Night Out” around the 8-week mark of each pod meeting on their own.

Workshops
Parenting workshops facilitated by local parenting coaches.

Adult-only hikes, biking, climbing, etc.

Potlucks

Pumpkin Village
Carved pumpkins to look like gnome homes with homemade miniatures. The creation and setup of this could be a Big Pod activity.

Lantern Walk
Families meet a week before to make homemade lanterns and to learn songs sung during the walk. Then everyone meets in the evening to walk around a designated loop. A potluck or bonfire could close the evening.

Solstice Spiral
Big Pod helps set up a spiral either from footprints in the snow or out of greenery from Christmas trees. Each pod visits the pod one evening and children take turns walking toward the center spiral to light their candles. I love the idea of this spiral being hidden in the woods somewhere to be found and used by each pod and open through word of mouth.

Bunny Nest
Children work together to make a big nest for the Easter Bunny and then the following week, a parent sneaks to the nest and places special treats.

May Day
A gathering to make flower crowns and/or wands. To play group games and celebrate the coming of summer.

Family Camp
I’d love to help host an annual family camp at Eklutna Lake. The ideas are limited on what we can do together! I’m fond of group games that adults and kids play together. We could also have a talent show put on by kids and adults, singing around the campfire, stories, etc.

I have my favorite parks for gathering but am open to other meeting spaces. My goal is to starts pod in each major parks in Anchorage: Abbott Loop Community Park, Johns Park, Forsyth, Kincaid, Russian Jack, and Lyn Ary. The homeschooling pod for older kids and families travel to different locations depending on the topic of explorations. They also meet up weekly in nature to sled, ski, hike, bike and play in nature.

In every pod but the Kindergarten Pod, parents commit to meeting for a minimum of six weeks with Amy Rupp as their facilitator and cordinator. This commitment is key in building relationships, learning and implement a gathering rhythm, and testing to see if a nature-based pod is a good fit for your family. The Kindergarten Pod runs August to October and March to May and is lead exclusively by Amy Rupp. If you are interested in this pod, please fill out the Interest List below and this will help her establish a time/date that works best for the majority of parents.

Seedling School is a little different in that it is a social project around the formation of strong social structures that explore group dynamics. We will be exploring group structure together. A few areas that we explore in the first 6 to 8 weeks of the pod formation are:

• Decision-making and power dynamic

• Sharing and receiving feedback

• Leaving a pod

• Children’s behavior/needs

• Working through conflict

• The process of reflection

• The building of an “ecosystem of purpose.” Dreaming into the experience of what can be created together.

• Baby Pod - $100

• Littles Pod -$100

• Kindergarten Pod - TBD

• Big Pod - Free with a commitment of participating and collaboration.

We were never meant to raise our children alone. Many of us long for more support or a consistent group of friends that we can connect with regularly.

Seedling School is focused on the idea that we need others more than our given social structures allows.

Seedling school explores the idea that consistency of showing up with the same group of people over time creates special bonds that support our personal wellness.

There is something special about visiting the same place with the same group of people over an extended period of time. It is unifying and vastly different than meeting in an indoor setting.

Nature is grounding and has a way of transforming daily stress and overwhelm.

Meeting in nature with children gives space for loud voices and big movements. Those over-stimulated by large groups can explore independently and decide when and how they want to interact with others.

Children get lost in their imagination in the woods and this gives parents time to socialize without (as much) interruption. Parents that need a moment alone can step away and finding relief knowing that there is a group of parents watching to keep their child safe.

A gift economy is an economy in which goods and services are given to one another without specific agreements for immediate or future returns. Unlike transactions using currency, in which there are no future obligations, gifts imply future gifts and therefore establish new and meaningful relations and a sense of community.

When I started Nature Song in 2015, I had planned on charging parents to attend my parent/child program. It was a big endeavor to get Nature Song up and running and being paid for my time and effort seemed reasonable.

The problem was, my goal was to build community and I felt that the exchange of money was going to prevent the circular nature of giving and receiving that could occur.

I’m so thankful that I went with my heart and decided to not charge. Instead, what was built was a collaborative effort among the group that supported the bond of friendship and support. A money exchange would have prevented this from happening.