"this approach harnesses the power of bringing an online community into real life."
"As a new parent embarking on our natural learning experience with our five year old son, Rachel has taken my biggest fear - lack of socialization - and given me a blueprint to take charge of not only my son's socialization but my own. Our world can feel so disconnected sometimes, social media can feel divisive, but this approach harnesses the power of taking an only e community and bringing it into real life. I can't wait to dive in and become a Hackschool Leader and reap the rewards."
from
tracy gillett
Ever had the thought . . .
“I want my kids to have friends. Real talk: I want to have friends too. I don't want to admit it, but we can sometimes feel a little isolated, like we're gentle parents on natural homeschooling island in a sea of harried disconnection and schoolishness."
“My kids come alive exploring out in the world in a way that just doesn't happen sitting in front of a worksheet. How can we make the whole world our classroom?"
“The judgment from family is a heavy weight to bear. I wish I had something I could point to that they could see to assuage their concerns (and silence their criticisms).”
“I'd love to create exactly what we need but I don't know anything about leading a group and I've seen so many crash and burn."
me too.
I was there too when we first transitioned into homeschooling. It felt so right and yet we were also longing for more authentic connection with others and adventurous experiential learning. And if we felt that way, I was sure other homeschooling families were feeling the same way. So I brought the two pieces together and created Homeschool Adventure Club (using the acronym h-a-ckschool). I started reaching out to interesting people and places in my community and found so many had enriching group experiences for us (programs that weren't available to us alone). I invited my friends, they invited their friends, and pretty soon we were meeting up weekly for shared adventures. The photos I took on these adventures and shared with family quieted the negative noise that fought to undermine my peace and confidence and satisfied some legal homeschooling requirements.
After a couple successful years hackschooling around San Diego, where I was born and raised, we moved to a new corner of the country where we had never before been, knowing exactly 1 person. We were so excited to explore this whole new region and find our people so before even securing a home, I started up hackschool. These last couple years have been the best of our lives as we have nurtured and been nurtured by the best of friends and learned more than I ever thought possible through a wealth of nature, community resources, events, and mentors.
There is no experience I've found that parallels watching children you adore make discoveries together while running through a forest, encircled in the loving and attentive presence of like-minded mama friends who can share in your tears and laughter.
Are you ready for socialization: kids connecting with kids, parents connecting with parents, and families connecting with their community?
Are you ready for experiential learning: hands-on exploration of the real world that yields meaningful and lasting learning?
Are you ready for evidence: to produce the photos and descriptions you need to get the doubters on board and/or meet legal homeschooling requirements?
Are you ready for leadership skills: to learn what you need to step up as the leader that makes this dream a reality for your children and others like them?
THE
chapters
one
build
Build your village by setting up and running your hackschool facebook group.
two
organize
Organize fun adventures that harness experiential learning and connect you with friends, nature, and your community.
three
lead
Lead a group of families by establishing and maintaining a culture of authenticity and kindness.
the
benefits
In other words, start now and you’ll be posting such dreamy pictures of your adventures that even Aunt Judy will comment with heart-eyes.
get your local group up and running.
gain a community of like-minded families.
competently organize local adventures.
feel confident navigating group dynamics.
enjoy a novel weekly routine.
bonus
simplify facebook
I hear from so many of you that you want to participate in things like Hackschool, but logging into your Facebook account triggers a cascade of negative overwhelm. I get it. At one point I was there too. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can simplify your Facebook account to the point of being connected only with the few people and resources that are a value add for your life. You’re going to have to be liberal with the unlike button and brutal with the unfriending but I’ll virtually hold your hand through it. You’ll feel so relieved when the culling is through and you’re left with a space that actually feels nourishing.
I'm rachel
hey there
The gentle parenting, natural homeschooling, and simple living mentor and founder of Sage Family. With a master’s degree in marital and family therapy, I have spent decades guiding thousands of overwhelmed families to peace and joy.
I developed the Hackschool Leadership course to bring the joy my family was getting from our Hackschool group into the lives of other homeschooling families around the world.
“we are truly living the life we dreamed of when we imagined what homeschooling could be.”
— you, next month