Outdoor Education
Seeds of Love Collective
Seeds of Love Collective was started by Brooke Mitschang to create a community centered collaboration among teachers, children, and families working together to nurture our academic and social-emotional development in connection with nature.
Open Wilderness Literacy & Science (OWLS) Outdoor Education
We work together in the development of Brooke's Open Wilderness Literacy and Science (OWLS) program in which she provides a kind and safe community for neurodiverse learners ages 6-11 to enjoy authentic, hands-on learning experiences outdoors.
We meet at Camp Herms in El Cerrito (three weeks a month) or in the Tilden Nature Area (one week a month) on: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Students may attend 1, 2, or 3 days a week. They may also be dropped off at 9 am or 11am. Pick up is at 3:15pm.
2022-2023 Groups
Our 2022-2023 OWLS groups across Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays consisted of 14 students. Depending on the day, anywhere between 1-8 students were present. Throughout the year, we had: two 6 year olds, three 7 year olds, an 8 year old, four 9 year olds, and four 10-11 year olds.
2022-2023 Families
Some of our families have been homeschooling for years and some of our families have recently started homeschooling. One of our families was travel schooling. We enjoyed hosting students throughout the year on visit days. Four of our students have graduated to middle school.
Fall 2023
Our FALL Term groups for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Tuesdays: 8 students: one 6 year old, one 7 year old, three 8 year olds, one 9 year old and two 10 year olds.
Wednesdays: 10 students: one 6 year old, two 7 year olds, three 8 year olds, two 9 year olds and two 10 year olds.
Thursdays: 9 students: two 6 year olds, one 7 year old, three 8 year olds, one 9 year old and two 10 year olds.
Sign up for a visit day today! *Receive 50% off your first visit day. **Siblings enrolled together are also eligible for a 5% discount. Email contact@seedsoflovecollective.org to schedule a visit.
Teacher/Grown Up to Student Ratio is 1:8.
Vaccinations are required.
So far, we can accept school funds from Hickman & Connecting Waters Charter Schools. We are now able to accept evouchers from Visions.
OWLS Family Experiences
Collective Languages & Cultures
We practice using words from different languages and appreciate the words people use to communicate.
Generally, when we start our community meeting, we have practiced the following greetings:
Good day/horše ṭuuxi! (Hor-shay Too-hee) in Chochenyo Ohlone
Good day/Καλημέρα (kalí méra) in Greek
Hello/ Merhaba in Turkish
Hi/你好(nǐhǎo) in Mandarin Chinese
Hello!/¡Hola! (o-la) in Spanish
Good day/Bonjour in French
Hello/안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) in Korean
Hello/Aloha in Hawaiin
Hi/γεια in Greek
Good Day/Morning/Buenos días in Spanish
Good Day/ Mishish tux (Meesh-ees Too) in Rumsen Ohlone
Greetings/السلام علیکم (Salaam-vaalaikum) in Urdu
Greetings/ وعلیکم السلام (Vaalaikum-salaam) in Urdu
Good morning/早上好 (Zǎoshang hǎo) in Mandarin Chinese
We each take turns welcoming all of us around the circle in the language of our choice.
Outdoor Education
Nature inspires units of inquiry! Literacy skills are practiced and strengthened alongside deep investigations into plants, animals, and fungi. Scientific knowledge is expanded upon through guided reading, novel exploration, and interactive writing that supports academic and social-emotional development.
Community Building Games
We also enjoy playing games. Here are some write ups to:
Camp Herms
We love to do various projects engaging with our environment. At Camp Herms, we are able to forage, harvest, and build. We tend to many garden planter boxes and enjoy eating and cooking what we grow. We are able to harvest wood to build fires for warmth and cooking, as well as, to make things like burn bowls.
Family Friday News
Every Friday, Brooke sends home a Family Newsletter that includes:
Daily Community Highlights: animals, games, and projects.
Home Study Connections
Family Friendly Events
Family Resources
For more information, check out our FAQ page.
You may direct any other questions to contact@seedsoflovecollective.org