About The Free Range School
This page includes the vision of The Free Range School and the story of founder Crystal Scheer. To read about our Board, and our Board of Advisers, click here.
No Child Left Inside
The Vision of the Free Range School: Imagine a school that is purely free. No more staring out the window and day dreaming about life on the outside, for this school is on the outside. This school takes the world as its classroom. Every day is an adventure and an opportunity for real learning. Knowledge will have the opportunity to sink deeply into fertile minds where it will take root and grow, rather than be tested and forgotten as soon as the last bubble is filled.
Imagine a school where students not only learn science, math, reading and writing, but also emotional intelligence and sense education as well. Imagine students standing silently in a forest honing their observational skills with exercises that sharpen their sight, hearing, smell, touch and even taste. Imagine a school where students develop their bodies and minds in harmony with each other and cultivate a love of nature, music, reflection and artful living. Imagine a school that is more than a school, a school where students are given the opportunity to reach out in community service projects and see the difference they are capable of making in another’s life or in the environment.
Imagine a school where the students’ highest potentials are enthusiastically permitted to explore beyond the confines of four walls. Can you see it? Your son or daughter patiently examining and sketching a barnacle and pursuing answers to all the questions that leap into his/her mind, or performing a water quality test at a local aquifer and then jumping in for a swim. Does your 10-14 year old feel “cooped up?” Are you ready to unlatch the cage?
“Suppose you had the revolution you are talking and dreaming about. Suppose your side had won, and you had the kind of society that you wanted. How would you live, you personally, in that society? Start living that way now!”
Paul Goodman
Curriculum
The Free-Range School incorporates subjects in the realms of humanities, science and math with sense education and emotional intelligence skill building through Imaginative Education and experiential learning methods.
Imaginative Education
Imaginative Education: Imaginative Education focuses on appealing to the five kinds of understanding in order to make education more engaging, thought-provoking and effective. Imaginative education is a thrilling approach to education and I encourage you to visit the IERG website for further information.
Somatic Understanding: Bodily Senses, Emotional Responses & Attachments, Rhythm & Musicality, Gesture & Communication, Referencing and Intentionality
Mythic Understanding: Story, Metaphor, Abstract Binary Opposites, Rhyme, Meter & Pattern, Joking & Humor, Forming Images, Sense of Mystery, Games, Drama & Play
Romantic Understanding: Sense of Reality, Extremes & Limits of Reality, Association with Heroes, Wonder, Humanizing of Meaning, Collections & Hobbies, Revolt & Idealism and Context Change
Philosophic Understanding: Drive for Generality, Processes, Lure of Certainty, General Schemes & Anomalies, Flexibility of Theory and Search for Authority & Truth
Ironic Understanding: Limits of Theory, Reflexivity & Identity, Coalescence, Particularity and Radical Epistemic Doubt
”Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.” -Juvenal, Satires
Nature Awareness: When students learn about the amazing properties of plants that may have previously gone overlooked, students’ perspective on the world shifts and opens. Some will look at a vacant lot with various plants growing wild and simply see weeds. Now imagine viewing this same field and seeing edible greens and plants that sooth and heal. Historically speaking, this kind of knowledge was common, as well as knowledge about the night sky and its many constellations and planets. This knowledge is not so common anymore. Lets change that.
Sense Education:“Learn to apprehend the world with unobstructed senses…. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is—infinite.”~William Blake
We participate in exercises and activities that will help us develop more sensitive eyes, ears, hands, noses and tongues. For example, we take silent nature walks and try to identify all of the sound layers we become aware of. To educate the tongue, we learn about the cultural value of food as well as learning about how chemicals effect food, how to read labels, what foods do to the body and what the body does to foods. These observational skills are key to becoming more fully alive and alert individuals.
Humanities and Science: Science is integrated with art and the humanities. Students keep intricate and detailed nature journals that are used as tools for documenting, reflecting, sketching and painting. They also keep a personal spelling journal which we study weekly. Writing happens constantly, in both creative and expository forms. History comes alive with field trips and imaginative education techniques. Books are our constant companions, whether they are classic literature, young adult lit, research resources or books that steer us towards more advanced communication skills.
Art and Creative Expression: Students learn by doing. Their trusty companions on all adventures are their beloved sketch books/journals. These journals truly are works of art. Students practice plein air art everywhere we go. Their botanical sketches are stunning. Students joyfully practice their art skills while also learning about the plants, animals and geographical features of our world. How could they ever forget the magical Jewel Weed plant after having sketched its delicate flower and witnessed its seeds spring out like confetti? Creative writing also comes alive when touched by the inspiration of the vivid displays of nature.
“With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things.” Wordsworth
Math: For math, we focus on building true number sense. This means that rather than plunging head long into Algebra, we will begin with discovering the meaning behind the algorithms for fractions, decimals and percents. Students will learn proportional logic and geometry as well. This learning happens in an integrated fashion as we discover the true value of mathematical thinking.
Emotional Intelligence: Throughout our time together we delve into such books as Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without and Emotional Intelligence. We discuss these texts and other topics relating to compassionate communication such as Non-violent Communication.
Physical Education: We do a lot of moving and shaking. We frequently hike, swim, climb, walk and play. We also stretch our well-worked muscles with yoga practice, as well as have some time for meditative silence. Being highly active helps your adolescent maintain an even keel as they work through the transitions that puberty brings.
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” Helen Keller
Community Service: We participate in various community service projects throughout the year. These projects are geared towards allowing our students to use their hearts and hands and feel the difference they are capable of making in the world and in other lives.
Preparing for High School/College: Whether you student desires to attend traditional high school, learn a trade, or get geared up for running start, Free Range School sees to it that your student understands how to succeed. The tools, knowledge and preparedness for whatever may lie in the path of your child’s dreams are examined through discussion, interviews and guest speakers.
Tuition: Tuition is based on a sliding scale of $480.00-$600.00 a month for four days a week, or $40.00 a day for those who wish to participate less than four days a week. You may qualify for up to $400.00 a month funding through home school outreach programs. Please inquire for further information.
Funding Options: You may qualify for up to $400.00 a month to use towards educational expenses when you enroll in a Home School Support Program such as the Columbia Virtual Academy, Mt. Baker Academy or the Meridian Parent Partnership. Visit www.columbiavirtualacademy.org,
http://sites.google.com/site/oasisk8/General-Information for more information.
School Schedule: School days run from Monday through Thursday. The school day will begin at 9:00am and end at 4:00pm. Holidays and vacations are determined collectively.
“Future generations, if there is a livable world for them, will look back at the epochal transition we are making to a life-sustaining society. And hey may well call this the time of the Great Turning.”
~Joanna Macy
My Story: My name is Crystal Scheer, though some of my former students and parents have taken to calling me Mrs. Frizzle in reference to the adventure-loving teacher in the popular Magic School Bus books. Though I do not have that amazing red hair, I do have a love of adventure and learning. I have over ten years of experience as a WWU-trained certified teacher, mostly in the field of alternative approaches such as Montessori and cooperatively run schools. While teaching at Three Rivers Cooperative School in Deming, I implemented a program that was fairly close to the one I am currently offering. Some of our learning adventures included traveling to Lummi Island where we met a Native totem pole carver and were privileged to hear some stories and paint cedar paddles with native designs; performing a much-needed beach clean up in our community; finding ancient fossils and rare minerals and nature journaling and water coloring on a mountaintop. My idea for this school was inspired by the beautiful discoveries and deep learning experiences we encountered through such learning adventures.