Samantha Langlois

I'd be afraid of poopy water too! Essential oils are a great way to keep antibacterials, antivirals, and antifungals in your repertoire without bringing chemicals into your house. doTerra essential oils are high quality and sustainably sourced. They sell a blend called OnGuard which pretty much can handle anything. I highly recommend it.

Lots of great ways to use essential oils in your house, cleaning, treating illness, etc.

Good luck!

We're passionate unschoolers! Our two little girls (5 and 3) love spending their days in the garden, doing art projects, studying nature, writing and reading, creating, exploring. My 5 year old whispered to me as she went to bed the other night that she "loves learning". I couldn't be happier.

Northern New England forests are notorious for acidic soil and blueberries. You might find some benefit from looking at a species lists from plant communities in that area. Natural Communities of New Hampshire might be a good place to start.

FYI, Silver Maple tends to be a flood plain species.

Good luck!

Are you open to families with young children?

I agree with the electric fence suggestion. I use one in NW Montana to keep chickens in griz country. You could check with Defenders of Wildlife's Got Grizzlies program. In Montana they help pay for the cost of electric fencing to keep bears out of compost, chickens, fruit trees, etc. I don't know if they have a program in Alaska. In certain counties in Montana they pay for 1/2 the cost of electric fencing up to $500 and they offer expertise on setting up the right fencing for your situation.

Livestock guardian dogs can be very beneficial too. I've never had one but I've read lots of accounts about how they can help deter bears.

Good Luck!

Check the full course out at Organic Life Guru.

Hey Kayla,

Good for you for searching out exactly what you're looking for! College (and higher education in general) can be a big waste of time and money if you're not focused. I can mention a couple of experiences that are very hands-on:

Sterling College in Craftsbury, VT. This a very hands-on, environmentally focused school - agriculture, ecology, outdoor education. It is a small community in rural VT that does a good job of walking the talk while also offering a college degree.

WOOFing is a great way to explore lots of different organic farming methods around the world without paying for the education. I bet you can find some folks practicing permaculture too.

Take a PDC (permaculture design course). There are a zillion options for both in-person and online PDCs. Michael Pilarski offers a good review of online PDCs. Online PDCs can be a lot cheaper or even free. Some folks like to start with an online course and then take an in-person PDC later once they have a handle on the material. Permaculture Magazine lists PDCs all over the world.

Good luck!

Thanks Jacob for answering everyone's questions!

Burra Maluca wrote:

Samantha Langlois wrote:

Dawn, our online PDC does not have a design element that is reviewed by the instructor.

So does that mean that what you are offering is just a permculture course, not a full PDC?

Our online PDC offers all the content of a live, 2-week PDC with internationally known instructors. We don't offer the instructor interaction or a certificate so that we can share the information at an affordable price. This course is perfect for those who want all the content but don't need the certificate. Our courses are live-streamed and once purchased, students have life-time access to the course so they can revisit any part of the course at any time.

Cheers!
Sam

Hannah Davidson wrote:I'm part of a really great group of families and we have some interesting stuff coming up this year. Working on "Kids teaching nature crafts" series of workshops to teach leadership for homeschool kids and I am tapped in to homeschool groups in two counties.

Hannah, where are you guys in VT? I'd love to know more about your homeschool community. We're unschoolers and always looking for other unschooling families. Feel free to contact me at my email: splanglois@hotmail.com

Thanks!
Sam