“CHOMP!”
Five-year-old Iris opens her mouth wide and gobbles up a handful of wood sorrel. Sometimes called sourgrass, this wild edible looks quite similar to clover.
“Clover is more rounded and has a little white border on the leaves,” Amanda Jo Boener explains to the excited kids circled around her. “You can tell the difference because sourgrass leaves are shaped like hearts and it has little yellow flowers.”
Amanda Jo and her husband, John, are teaching kids how to engage with each other and the natural world in the Wild School program on their four-acre homestead, Luna Hill Farm, in Plymouth, IN.
“Thank you for asking if you could eat that,” continues Amanda Jo. “It is really important that you always ask an adult before you eat anything you find outside. Even if you know something is edible, asking before you eat it is a great example for the littler kids.”
Amanda Jo is a Purdue Master Gardener, National Geographic–certified educator, artist and photographer. She loves to teach children about vegetable and animal life and the beauty all around.
“Our mission is cultivating community, celebrating curiosity and nurturing wonder with nature‚” she says, “We’re very science based and we love being around all different types of people with different backgrounds.”
Luna Hill Farm is a registered historic landmark with a big round red barn that was built in 1911. The family—Amanda Jo, John and their four children (Lilly, 8; Henry, 6½; Iris, 5; and Violet, 2½)—keeps a rabbit, a dog, two cats, three goats‚ five ducks‚ eight pigs, 17 chickens, thousands of honeybees and innumerable plants on their property.
Before buying the farm in 2012, Amanda Jo and John had considered moving to a larger, more diverse city so their children could have a different educational experience than what was available in Michiana. Instead, they decided to stay here to create something for their kids and the community.
“There was no exact moment when I said, ‘All right, let’s do this homeschool thing!’” says Amanda Jo. “It was more like a million little moments of joy that I saw in my children—learning and growing through curiosity, through play, with their siblings, with peers, lots of great, real and engaging conversations with adults … a million tiny, beautiful moments that showed me, just like in nature, that wild could be better.”
For three years they invited other homeschoolers to participate in guided free play on the farm. They learned what worked and what didn’t and figured out that they also wanted to offer wild schools to kids who were not homeschooled.
In 2019 they launched the Luna Hill Wild School with a full day each week. This year they’ve switched to specific two-and-a-half-hour courses, a more manageable option for most families.
“We provide a space that is welcoming and safe,” says Amanda Jo. “We value diversity, and not just as a little tagline or something. It’s a basic principle around how we think we all thrive best—people, gardens, even plants do better with diversity.”
Very quickly the program attracted like-minded people.
“I think it’s really essential for kids to grow up with a connection to the earth in a nurturing environment,” says Molly Schuster, whose 6‐year‐old daughter Lily attends the Wild School. “I’ve watched kids thrive under their guidance.”
Lessons at Luna Hill are guided by the seasons. Think, “What is growing now? Let’s learn about that.” Classes touch on art, craft, language, history, science, holistic health, medicinal plants, communication skills, teamwork and so much more.
“Part of what I love about teaching kids is learning alongside them,” Amanda Jo says. “I see myself as a teacher in partnership with Mother Nature.”
When the Boeners bought the property eight years ago, it had about 45 black walnut and silver maple trees towering over two acres of mowed grass. They stopped mowing, except a few pathways, and let it grow wild and free. In time, plants and insects arrived as if by magic, like nettles, black raspberries and Luna moths. Over the years they’ve added asparagus, wild oyster mushrooms, wild leeks, elderberries and more.
They love sharing these wild foods with their students.
“When you can taste something, it’s a little bit more exciting, especially for kids,” says Amanda Jo. “We really love sharing about mushroom hunting. The ways that they work in nature is just so exciting to observe and opens up a whole other world. It’s important to teach safety—mushrooms don’t have to be terrifying.”
A cornerstone practice of the program is nature journaling. Amanda Jo leads students to observe what’s happening around them in the forest garden. They discuss what they see and how it works. If there is something to taste, they’ll all have a nibble. Then they sketch.
The largest class size so far led by two teachers has been 14. Students range in age from 4 to 15. Siblings from the same family receive a 25% discount. Parents bring their kids from as far away as the Chicago suburbs.
“What surprised me is how appreciative people are of it,” says John. “Parents are saying, ‘We’ve noticed the difference in our child because of the way you speak to them,’ and that gives me a lot of joy.”
John is converting a garage into a woodshop, where he will be teaching a class for even the littlest kids.
“We’re not going to be using power tools,” says John. “It will be real old timey, giving kids confidence that they can do something with their hands, that they can use maybe a small handsaw and not be in trouble for it. I think that is really important, that a child can make something that didn’t come out of a box.”
In addition to Wild School, Luna Hill Farm organizes seed swaps, a monthly women’s circle and community gatherings on the farm. They plan to add a small stage for live music events in the forest garden, along with a zip line and a composting toilet. They’re also working on adding a gray water and rainwater garden, hosting community potlucks twice each month, selling foraged foods and, someday, offering the Indiana Master Naturalist and Junior Naturalist programs.
Amanda Jo and John love teaching the Wild School program at Luna Hill Farm, but it has been a challenge to fit their endeavors into a standard business model. Thus, Luna Hill Farm is working toward becoming a not‐for‐profit.
As their kids grow, so does Luna Hill Farm, and they’re planning to offer more community events and workshops for adults as well as children.
“We are excited about what we are doing here,” says John. “It can be sometimes hard to pinpoint exactly what it’s going to be. What we do know is that it is all about cultivating community in our little space.”
NOTE: Wild School courses have been paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luna Hill Farm is offering pop-up Forest Friday Hikes & Adventures led by John and Amanda Jo. Follow Luna Hill Farm on Facebook for events and updates.
Luna Hill Farm Wild School
LunaHillFarm.com
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