Anniston, AL – Lake Yahou Park has been selected as the designated “Forest School” for the upcoming academic year of the Anniston, Alabama chapter of Barefoot University (BU). This initiative, part of a country-wide outdoor education program, aims to connect homeschool students with nature and each other.
Local moms Katlyen Helton and Laura Chenoweth are leading this new chapter, bringing their personal homeschooling experiences to benefit other families in the area. “As parents, we feel like children are being hindered by too much access to technology at too young of an age, and many are not able to experience and appreciate nature in a way that’s developmentally appropriate,” said Helton. “We hope that by providing this new group to others, we are helping foster a sense of wonderment, independence, and appreciation we see in our own children when we get them outside in nature.”
Barefoot University was founded in 2019 by Amber Brown and Madeleine Braden as an outdoor alternative to traditional learning. The program has since expanded to over 20 states, with Anniston joining other Alabama chapters in Gadsden, Jasper, Tuscaloosa, and Springville.
When choosing a location for their BU Forest School, Helton and Chenoweth prioritized a site deeply immersed in nature yet accessible for families. McClellan’s Lake Yahou Park, with its natural beauty and convenient highway access, was deemed the perfect setting for their curriculum. “We hope to provide a top-notch nature experience for Barefoot University students,” Helton explained, highlighting the park’s scenic lake and trail system.
Although the final curriculum for Anniston’s chapter is not yet set, Barefoot University operates through yearly “rhythms” with activities tied to each theme. These rhythms include:
– Rhythm Earth: Geology, botany, zoology, foraging, earth sciences, minerals, fossils, and soil studies.
– Rhythm Fire: Survival skills, first aid, orienteering, outdoor safety, self-reliance, and physical skills.
– Rhythm Water: Physics, marine life, reptiles & amphibians, water habitats, rain, erosion, and movement.
– Rhythm Sky: Astronomy, meteorology, environmental and space sciences, winged life, and flight.
The program focuses on developing children in four key areas: cognitive, emotional, physical, and social. Learning is tailored to different age groups, building progressively from exploration and observation for ages 5-8, to analysis and navigation for ages 9-13, and application and independence for ages 18+.
Julie Moss, Executive Director of the McClellan Development Authority, expressed her excitement about the program through the McClellan Develelopment Authorty’s Newsletter, “Barefoot University is a very unique program for our area, and we’re thrilled the chapter leaders chose Lake Yahou Park for their Forest School this fall. We hope our beautiful lake and park will foster a love of nature and sense of adventure in Barefoot University students.”
The Lake Yahou Park Forest School will meet every Wednesday at 9 a.m. starting in September. Families interested in enrolling must do so by June 30, 2024. For more information or to register, contact Katlyen Helton at katlyenh@gmail.com.
