Maine Home Education Week

In recognition of the value and importance of home education, Maine Governors have traditionally designated one week each spring as Maine Home Education Week. Since 1987, Maine homeschoolers have gathered during this special week in a variety of ways to celebrate and thank God for the freedoms we enjoy.   

While there may be no homeschool proclamations issued by the current Governor, 2022 will be no exception to our coming together! During the week of May 1st - 7th, 2022, homeschoolers will celebrate the 35th Annual Maine Home Education Week! To mark the occasion, homeschoolers will gather at The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for the "Sense of Wonder Trail Walk."  

Please join us in Boothbay as we follow in Rachel Carson’s footsteps by exploring the Maine Woods. Students will be introduced to author, biologist, and conservationist Rachel Carson as they explore the web of life in our forest ecosystem.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: May 6, 2022

Time: 10:00am, 12:00pm, or 2:00pm (maximum 25 guests per timeslot) 

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay, ME

Ages: Recommended grade range is K - 8

Cost: $2.00 per person (including adults). Please use the mail-in or online registration form below.  You may make your payment using the Donate button in the margin to the right.

Introduction: This activity is designed to introduce students to Rachel Carson’s influence and awaken or perpetuate a sense of wonder about nature. The activity involves walking the Maine Woods or Cedar Ledge trail, stopping several times for observation and discovery, followed by questions to help students share their experience of nature. The role of the guide is to expose students to several pieces of the web of life in nature. The role of the teachers and the chaperones is to participate with the children while they explore and discover. This activity is intended to be a joyful, wondrous observation of nature.

Please Note: This activity involves walking on a trail. Sneakers or boots are required. Chaperones and students must be able to hike for at least 45 minutes. Before the activity: When your group arrives at the Gardens, you will go to your designated home base to receive admission stickers, drop off backpacks, use the restrooms, and meet your Gardens Guide who will introduce you to the tour.

Things to know: 

• The activity is designed for students to experience the sense of wonder that Rachel Carson felt whenever she was in a wild, natural place.
• The students will walk on a trail that is not cultivated or manicured like the other garden areas they will see. 
• The students will see many wild, beautiful, and natural things such as moss, lichen, mushrooms, birds, animals, insects, plants, and trees. 
• The students will stop at different points along the trail to explore some of the amazing pieces of the web of life and will hear some words from Rachel Carson.  

Direction to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 

* Learn more about Maine Home Education Week when you attend the Annual HOME Conference, March 17 - 19, 2022. 

* Event Refund Policy - Registration fees may be refunded up to the registration deadline for this event. No refunds will be made after the registration deadline. In the event that you must cancel, please consider making your fee a donation to HOME rather than requesting a refund! If an event must be canceled or rescheduled for any reason, HOME will notify participants. Refunds will then be considered on a case by case basis, depending on whether or not the event is rescheduled.

MORE HOME EDUCATION WEEK ACTIVITIES

Celebrate Maine Home Education Week every year in your own community, too. Find ways to celebrate and be visible throughout the designated week. The following is just a sampling of activities that could be planned especially for Home Education Week within individual support groups and families:

• Wear a homeschool t-shirt, sticker or button wherever you go during Home Education Week.

• Have a potluck meal of thanksgiving with other homeschooling families.

• Bake a celebration cake!

• Plan a local field trip with a few families or your support group.

• Arrange for a homeschooling display at your local library.

• Visit a nursing home.

• Bring a new homeschooler to visit the HOME Office and The Heart of Home Bookstore.

• Find ways to volunteer in your community.

• Plan a fundraiser to raise money for your support group or for HOME.

• Buy a copy of Homeschool Heroes and read it to your family! Copies are available at the HOME Office. 

No matter how you choose to celebrate during Maine Home Education Week, please take time to give thanks and glory to God for the very precious freedoms we have to teach our children at home. Without continued prayer, vigilance and a strong homeschool presence within each Maine community, our blessings of freedom could be easily taken away. Take pride in what you do and enjoy your well-deserved week of recognition!

View the most recent Home Education Week Proclamation issued by Governor LePage!

** If you would like information on helping to sponsor this or other HOME Events, please contact Angela Hurd at angela4homeadv@gmail.com.