Earthaven has 330 acres. About 40 are devoted to farmland, and 50 to neighborhoods and their gardens. So there are more than 200 acres in forest! I like living there because it feels like a world inside of the world. When I was little I thought it was normal to live in the middle of a forest with lots of friendly people. One time I was exploring the woods with my friends and we got lost. Don’t worry, we found our way! I think it’s really cool we had the opportunity to get lost, as well as woods to get lost in!

I was homeschooled most of my life. It was really fun. There were barely any rules, and we went on plant walks almost every day. Our lunch was an hour long and, in addition to that, there was an hour-long free time. Some of us were in second grade in reading and fifth grade in math. Or the opposite. We were all different and we learned at our own pace

right: Aidan’s first year in homeschool.

 Our parents taught in turn each day of the week, one subject the whole day. We learned things in fourth grade people learn in high school or college, like anatomy. We were way ahead in some places and way behind in others.

We had chores at the end of the day. Each person had their own job and everyone knew what to do. There were only four of us in our homeschool then, but nowadays, there’s 13 toddlers running around!

Sometimes I close my eyes and Earthaven feels like a dream. There are farm animals to hang out with, and berries straight off the bush, but it’s the people that sum it all up! So many people have to be willing to live together in a successful way. Working together to create a community, we’re like cells working to make a body, to make a better world.

Aidan O’Hare, almost 13, is one of several teens to start attending local charter schools this year. Excited to meet more of their peer groups and have access to a wider range of educational possibilities, their reports are upbeat and reassuring. A longer version of Aidan’s essay was written for a recent 7th grade assignment.

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Folks from all around the village cheered in response.

A group of homeschooled Earthaven residents ranging in age from 10-13 (and a mom) have spruced up, stocked up, and re-initiated the retail shop at Earthaven.

The young folks have been learning inventory, purchasing, cash handling, stock rotation, accounting, merchandising, customer service and teamwork, all of which has been a part of their hands-on learning curriculum.

Julie’s organic ice cream bars, organic chips, and chocolate seem to be the most popular items, but we carry from apples to Zevia sodas, to personal care items, books, camping gear, and more.

We are also open in cyberspace featuring handmade goods from our very own ecovillagers.

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The Forest Children Program (FCP) has been celebrating a big accomplishment. The students published a book entitled Princess Gilanee, about how Princess Gilanee and her horse, Pal, united the elements of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire to bring peace to their community.

The book was one of the focal points of last year’s curriculum for this integrative homeschool resource and enrichment program, now in its fifth year at Earthaven. The program includes Earthaven members’ children and children from local families as well. It currently involves less than a dozen children, ages 6 through 12, and meets three days a week, weaving together individual homeschooling and a supplemental experiential program that provides each child with personal attention and focus.

When Kiesa Kay became coordinator of the FCP in 2006, she came with a project. Her author friend, Robin Carrington, dying from melanoma. asked her friend Kiesa to finish a book Robin had begun but would not be able to finish. She feared her children and grandchildren wouldn’t be able to hear her stories about Princess Gilanee.

Kiesa brought the two chapters Robin had completed to the Forest Children, and they immediately offered to help. After reviewing the mind map for the book, their creative work began. Dylan, Cory, Noah, Nimuae, Soleil, Malachi, and Yeshua worked together through the school year to bring the book to life.

Princess Gilanee tells the story of how one girl and her horse succeeded in uniting feuding tribes  by helping them realize they were all one tribe and must work together. Along the journey, Gilanee makes important discoveries about herself, as well.

The children visualized the homes, clothes, and conversations of the various Earth, Water, Air and Fire element people. They acted out scenes that hadn’t been written yet, working with the ideas they’d added to Robin’s original vision. The completed version says a lot about being one with nature and living joyfully. The coordinator typed up their stories, blending them with Robin’s work, and arranged for the book to be published through Sheridan Books and Bremner Press. The story of Princess Gilanee and the element people appeals to adults and children, with its timeless message of one tribe, love, and resilience.

Princess Gilanee is available for a $10 donation to the Forest Children Program.

Donations account for about 40% of the FCP’s income (tuition accounts for the rest). Your contribution helps keep the Forest Children Program open and thriving. Your donation can also help support the funding of a playground by designating the purpose of your gift on your check.

The Forest Children Program Vision

We envision a world of people living sustainably, thinking independently, making decisions cooperatively, nurturing healthy children, families and communities, and allowing the flow of divine spirit through everything.

We take advantage of our natural setting in the Appalachian mountains of western North Carolina to encourage each child to develop a deeper understanding of the cycles of nature and sustainable stewardship of the earth.

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