TURTLE LEARNING CO-OP
LIVE THE LEARNING
OF A LIFETIME
Welcome to Turtle Learning Co-Op
A ceremonial school of life.
We are a nurturing, collaborative and empowering alternative to k-5 schooling for families dedicated to purposeful connection with their children during their early years.
We offer a dynamic design of liberatory, experiential education within an intergenerational network of community partners both in person, in the Greater Duwamish (Seattle) area, and live online across the globe!
Each of our learning pods serves 13 children in person each quarter. Gather with us and grow!
We’re educating Wise Ones to be who they truly are—in a society that, try as it might, will never squelch out their magic, their heritage or their pure hearts!
Turtle Learning Co-Op is: a hybrid model of immersive living learning experiences structured and spearheaded by a licensed k-12 educator, shaped and adapted by a like-hearted community of guardians with one goal: to live thriving.
Who we serve: We serve a diverse group of youth ages 5-11 who are engaged in homeschooling, free-schooling or schooling alternatives with their guardians.
What you’ll love: There is a lot that guardians love about TLC. The many gifts we share with you include—
Choose your own curriculum—or none at all!
Consult with a professional educator to design & implement learning
Share resources and collaborate with guardian-educators & experts
Empower your child with 8+ hours of meaningful, high quality instruction each week
Enjoy the expertise of local geniuses in your child’s areas of interest
Trust in your process and in your child’s capacity to transition after k-5
Thrive within the supportive power of a global network of guardians
Identify your creative and leadership scope and niche to confidently lead as a guardian-educator
Contribute your unique gifts to our like-hearted community
Maximize your economic impact in your family while spending quality time with your children
Liberate yourself from the stress and weight of doing it ALL, all the time.
AND OF COURSE—
Turtle Learning Co-Op gives you the gift of that sacred time and space for yourself and your projects every single week!
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Our Vision
Every child, everywhere, living, learning and loving life in keeping with their purpose, passions and personal power to create a harmonious, interdependent culture where everyone thrives.
Our Purpose
The purpose of Turtle Learning Co-Op is to protect and nurture balanced physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual wellbeing in young children by empowering them to explore their senses, exercise their gifts and joyfully contribute their wisdom to a thriving like-hearted, diverse, global community.
We provide a dynamic educational design that promotes wisdom, maturity and harmonious interdependence among youth, guardians, elders and our wider community.
Our Values
We prioritize living our values. We aspire to uphold, embody and inspire these four core values in our community:
Equity: providing for each what they need—completely
Playfulness: delighting in the process
Wisdom: honoring the truth of the heart in action
Service: acting with integrity and generosity beyond the self
Statement of Inclusion & Belonging
Turtle Learning Co-Op upholds the core values of equity, playfulness, wisdom and service. We respect and protect the right of each individual in our community to be who they are in their authenticity. We know that empowered, confident and unique individuals participating harmoniously together create a vibrant, thriving community where—when respected in their originality—each can experience a genuine sense of belonging.
We have a zero tolerance policy for expressions of disrespect within our community of Co-Op members, or beyond, in the broader communities in which we participate and collaborate.
OUR MODEL
LIVING LEARNING
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Living Learning Day is the core of the educational model. These immersive learning experiences are led by the director and involve exercises and projects to facilitate learning and growth in the four core dimensions of the self: spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual.
The design is seasonal, thematic, personalized and empowering. Through soul-aligned curriculum and developmentally appropriate practices, these sessions meet the needs of Wise Ones ages 5 to 11 years old.
The principles of Active Pedagogy and Project Based Learning inform the central activities of Living Learning days. We focus on inquiry, project and play in the context of cultivating intercultural, intergenerational community in harmony with our environment.
LOCAL GENIUS
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Gatherings for living learning generated and led by a Local Genius—an expert, wisdom keeper, leader, professional or organization with a unique gift or skill to share. The purpose of the Local Genius sessions is to nurture Wise Ones on their path by inspiring their hearts and expanding their horizons while creating connection to purpose, place and people.
Local Genius sessions are often accompanied by a reciprocity project or community service component in keeping with the genius topic. These are typically collaborative, giving children and adults the opportunity to contribute side by side.
LIKE-HEARTED COMMUNITY
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As a co-op member, you’re part of a powerful network of guardians, educators, artists, tradespeople, entreprenuers, health and wellness practitioners, elders, empaths, abolitionists, environmentalists, change makers and humble humans collaborating in the spirit of service to our next generation—the Wise Ones we call our kids.
SCHEDULE & CALENDAR
2024 WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Our hybrid model combines connective, in-person Living Learning experiences with online LIVE (not pre-recorded) Enrichment opportunities on a flexible, consistent weekly schedule—all facilitated by the Director.
This also includes 3 Local Genius sessions each quarter held as a part of the Living Learning Days.
2024 ANNUAL CALENDAR
The Co-Op runs on a quarterly calendar. Each quarter is a 10-week immersive learning experience that includes Living Learning, LIVE Online Enrichment and Local Genius offerings. Plus, opportunities to consult with an educator to guide your process as a guardian-educator at home, including tools and resources to empower meaningful learning experiences.
A SAMPLE LIVING LEARNING DAY
Arrival, Greetings & Routine of Gratitude
Movement & Mindfulness
10:30 AM
Personal Exercise: Embodying Our Core Values
Routine of Connection: Sharing My Offering in Community
11:00 AM
Lunch & Laughter
Play & Free Time
12:00 PM
Project: Gathering Wisdom Within Me & Around Me
(Project-based learning in keeping with the theme of the the module)
1:00 PM
Spanish Supplement: Vocab Vitamin
Routine of Reflection: My Week’s Ebb & Flow
Routine of Connection, Goodbyes & Departure
2:00 PM
Full curriculum, weekly schedule, annual calendar, resource lists, interactive networking forum and more is provided upon enrollment in your TLC Welcome Packet!
Hi, I’m Emma!
Director of Turtle Learning Co-Op. I am excited to facilitate a beautiful experience for your family and nurture your Wise Ones on Living Learning Days!
This co-op is my passion. I strive to provide you and your child with the best connection to purpose, place & people in their essential early years.
I look forward to meeting you!
TUITION & SCHOLARSHIPS
TLC MEMBERSHIP FALL 2024
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A 10-week immersive learning experience for children ages 5 to 12. This is the entire hybrid model of in-person Living Learning and 3 weekly online LIVE Enrichment sessions facilitated by the Director. Plus, consultation with a professional to guide your process as a guardian-educator, full access to supportive resources, and participation in our global TLC network!
In-Person Living Learning:
1 day of learning in a community of peers
3 Enrichment sessions each week:
Being Human 101: The Wisdom of Who You Are (for k-5)
Sol y Soul: Spanish Language Immersion (for k-5)
Write On!: Creative Writing (for k-5)
Tuition Total $1,800
$15/hr for 150 hours
$100 supplies fee
We offer sliding scale, scholarship and sibling options so if you’d like to discuss your investment, just let us know!
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Before you enroll, please be sure that you’ve read our policies, which you can find here.
TLC ONLINE-ONLY MEMBERSHIP
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A 10-week immersive learning experience for children ages 5 to 11. This Online Only membership includes ONLY the online LIVE Enrichment sessions facilitated by the Director. View out the Weekly Schedule for session day/time.
This includes 3 Enrichment sessions each week:
Being Human 101: The Wisdom of Who You Are (for k-5)
Sol y Soul: Spanish Language Immersion (for k-5)
Write On!: Creative Writing (for k-5)
Tuition Total: $450
$15/hr for 30 hours
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Before you enroll, please be sure that you’ve read our policies, which you can find here.
F. A. Q.
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TLC is designed for families engaged in alternatives to traditional schooling. It’s for you, your children and our planet.
It’s for travellers, work-from-homers, unschoolers, free-schoolers and maybe-heading-back-to-schoolers. Its for neurodiverse little ones and guardians alike.
Its for Black and Brown children. For talented and gifted children. It’s for multilingual children. It’s for adoptive guardians, single-parent and single income households. It’s for the tender-hearted. The wise-minded. It’s for the differently-abeled. The sleep deprived, the educationally-unsure. It’s for Indigenous families and AAPI families. It’s for abolitionists. Its for Caucasian kids.
It’s for the family-comes-first-folks. It’s for the intergenerational households, the aspirational mamas and the devoted, connected dads. It’s for immigrants and the children of immigrants. It’s for kids that need extra support and kids that need extra freedom. It’s for kids that need to focus and for kids that need to socialize.
TLC is for a global community of human beings who are determined to be their best and most balanced selves who desire to create the opportunities and the pathways for their children to do the same, right now: by living the learning of a lifetime, together.
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Living Learning Days are led by the Director, Emma, and meet in the greater Seattle area based on the needs of the cohort each quarter.
Although we’re dedicated to deepening connection with the land, we provide a mix of both indoor and outdoor experiences. We’re not an ”outdoor school."
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TLC communicates with families primarily via email.
TLC Member families will receive an invitation to connect on our app for community engagement during the quarter in which they are enrolled.
TLC Online Only Member families will receive access to sessions via email.
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No. Turtle Learning Co-Op is an educational program of Temple of the Land.
At TLC we share our understandings of physics and metaphysics as it pertains to the development of the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual—energetic—development of young people.
We practice and believe in honoring Earth-based Wisdom traditions, which manifests in our respect for the land, its stewards and creatures as well as through our Routines of Gratitude, Connection, Inspiration and Reflection.
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Yes, we're an educational program of Temple of the Land. Funds donated to Turtle Learning Co-Op are strictly allocated to student scholarships & operations within the co-op.
Our EIN: 88-286-1259
Thank you for your generosity!
