Late Summer Reflection + Opportunities

Hiya pals! We are eating, breathing, and dreaming of education over in these parts. The consuming of educational resources, observing our students, listening to our families, asking advice from wise counsel, and looking at the local and global surroundings has been both impactful and fun! The overarching question is: What are families yearning for?

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The summer of 2026 has been one of listening and experimenting. We’ve offered Third Space drop-offs for kids who needed unstructured time and play. We’ve gathered for Model UN with Mikhail leading the charge—preparing students not just in parliamentary procedure, but in seeing themselves as changemakers in their local and global communities. We’ve held multigenerational Round Circles, where families gathered around conversations that matter. We’ve seen young people engage in real work—Leadership & Internship at Ancestor Seeds—learning that scholarship isn’t just about books, but about doing in community. We even took ourselves to DC, where these ideas moved from the table to the monuments and halls of our nation’s capital.

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All of this has been in service of a bigger question: How do we build a middle school experience that honors the whole person? Not just the mind, but the heart, the hands, the spirit.

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One More Summer Moment

Before we turn toward fall, we’re gathering one more time for Garden Day on Friday, September 18. This is a drop-off gathering where we’ll be tending the garden—pulling weeds, preparing soil, connecting our hands to the earth. There will be plenty of time for play, and it’s a Geography Day: as we work, we’ll be thinking about where we are, why this place matters, and what it means to care for the land we inhabit.

Interested in joining? Email us!

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What’s Stirring in the Fall

As we move into September, we’re approaching this differently. We’ve learned something important: flexibility and choice matter. Instead of one rigid program, we’re offering a constellation of opportunities, each one rooted in that core vision of fellowship, scholarship, play, and service

Next Steps

Although we are full for the fall session, we will have open field trips, service opportunities, and movement hangs throughout the season. If you’re interested in taking part in any of our fall offerings—whether it’s Garden Day on September 18, joining us for field trips and service work, or just staying connected as we continue to figure this out—please email us by replying to this email :)

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Why We’re Reimagining

When our oldest was small, there were so many opportunities for engagement and socializing—I wanted to sign up for everything. We were always around the city on playdates. Homeschooling, though not a new concept, was experiencing a revival, and the COVID era pushed it into the limelight. Families began joining in massive numbers. It felt like a dream. Both boys had plenty of chances to engage, and our days were full of play and fellowship.

However, as we entered middle school, the homeschool social scene seems to shrink each year—often because families return to traditional school, or the need to protect academic time takes priority over social and play. We completely understand and are facing the same decisions. That's why we're reimagining what this could look like: Is there a way to create space for fellowship, scholarship, play, and service—all tailored to what families truly want? We believe so, and we're working hard to figure it out.

With the help of our amazing community of educators (both home-based and traditional) and community organizers, we're discovering some exciting new opportunities. 

More soon. 🌱

— The GrassRoots Team