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Monday 9am - 3pm Tuesday 9am - 3pm Wednesday 9am - 3pm Thursday 9am - 3pm Friday 9am - 3pm

PeaPod Place - Homeschool Learning Center, Canterbury, NH (2026)

10/05/2026

Our This or That question this morning was: Would you rather always know the answer, or always know the right question to ask?

I thought we’d get a pretty good mix, but a surprising number of them chose to know the answer. Their reasoning was basically that you can ask all the right questions in the world, but that doesn’t mean the person you’re asking actually knows the correct answer. Which… solid point. 👏 I really love the critical thinking and reasoning skills that these types of exercises bring out of them!

After morning meeting we read Chapter 6 of Winnie-the-Pooh, all about Eeyore’s birthday, and had a completely separate (and equally entertaining) discussion about Pooh and Piglet’s attempts at birthday gifts and about thoughtfulness in general.

Then came math—IXL for the bigger kids and some number work for the younger ones—before everyone headed outside for a nature break.

It was such a beautiful fall day that we ended up spending most of our afternoon with leaves. First there were giant leaf piles being made in the woods, and then everyone got a bag and went looking for the best and most special leaves they could find.

I think watching them choose the leaves might have been my favorite part. There were thousands of leaves around them, and technically they could have just grabbed a handful and called it good—but they didn’t. Some were immediately drawn to every bright red leaf they saw. Some picked up two or three and compared them before deciding which one deserved a spot in the bag, casting the others back to the forest floor. This one had a better shape. That one had too many holes. One was unusually big. Another was still half green. Some were looking for colors and others seemed much more interested in finding leaves that were unique in some way.

It was really interesting to just follow along and watch what caught each person’s attention. Nobody had been given criteria for what made a leaf worth choosing. They had to slow down, look around, notice the differences, and decide that for themselves.

We brought everything back inside, fitted everyone with a paper crown, and pulled out the oil pastels to decorate them before stapling on their leaves.

Four very different collections turned into four very different crowns. And somehow that took us almost perfectly to the end of the day.

What a beautiful fall day we all had together! ❤️🍁

10/01/2026

A little bit of life at Peapod lately…

We’ve been settling into our fall rhythm — reading together, working with our hands, cooking, exploring math, spending time outside, making trips to the library, and apparently growing tomatoes nearly as big as our heads. 😂 🍅

One of my favorite things about our days is how many different ways learning happens here. Sometimes we’re gathered around the table working on something together. Sometimes everyone is working at their own level side by side. Sometimes we’re measuring ingredients for something we’ll eat later, finding something interesting outside, or getting completely absorbed in a fantastic book at the library.

There is plenty of intentional learning woven into our week, but there is also time to talk, make things, help each other, wonder about things, read, play, and just be together.

That’s really what I want Peapod to feel like — a small community where learning is part of everyday life.

www.peapodplace.com

09/15/2026

One of the simplest changes we made this year might already be one of my favorites...

We’ve started each day with Morning Meeting—a little bit of time before we begin our regular work when everyone piles into the living room, sprawls out on the couches, and we just… talk.

Sometimes there’s a riddle or a question. Sometimes there’s something to share. It isn’t complicated, but I’m quickly realizing how much can happen in that little pocket of time.

Yesterday’s question was: Would you rather be able to fly or breathe underwater? At first, answers were pretty divided. But then everyone started thinking about it together. If you could breathe underwater, you could explore an enormous part of the Earth that we normally can’t—but what about all the animals down there? Would anything try to eat you?

Flying would mean no traffic and no long car rides. You could just GO. But what about airplanes? Bad weather? And perhaps the most pressing concern: would your arms eventually get tired?! 😂By the end of the conversation, some kids had actually changed their answers after listening to everyone else’s ideas.

Today I asked, “If you could add anything to Peapod Place, what would you add?”

Suggestions included a giant pirate ship for the playground, a seesaw, and a snake. I happened to mention that I have contemplated getting a scorpion at some point, which was apparently VERY exciting information. Within minutes, we had moved on to discussing potential names for a scorpion that does not, in fact, exist. 😂

And before today was even over, I was already being asked to confirm that tomorrow really IS Show & Share because everyone is busy deciding what they’re going to bring.

I added Morning Meeting because I wanted a gentler way for us to come together before jumping into our day. What I didn’t fully anticipate was how quickly the kids would make that time their own.

They’re listening to each other. They’re explaining why they think something. They’re reconsidering an idea when someone brings up something they hadn’t thought about. They’re being ridiculous together. They’re getting comfortable speaking in front of the group. And we’re starting the day connected instead of immediately moving into the next thing we need to accomplish.

It’s only our second week back, but I already can’t imagine our mornings without it.

Peapod Place does still have limited space available this year for families looking for a small, secular, mixed-age learning environment for elementary-aged children. We currently have children in kindergarten through fourth grade, with limited full-week and two-day availability. If you think your child might enjoy learning with us, you’re always welcome to reach out and learn more.

www.peapodplace.com

*(And yes, one of our Peapod kids has been expertly recreated as a beautiful stick figure to honor her family’s photo preferences. 😂)

09/10/2026

It was a short week back thanks to Labor Day, but we packed a lot into our first three days together!

We started exploring France 🇫🇷 in geography — learning about French cuisine 🥖🐌 and also some of the unique places we’d visit there. 🖼️

We also:
Built our own Eiffel Towers out of Legos
Prepared (and demolished) a giant fruit salad together 🍉🍓🫐🍍
Started our first read-aloud 📗
Worked independently on math ➕➗✖️
Picked out new books for our reading buddies 📘
Broke in our new creative journals with the prompt: “You find a hole that leads somewhere… where does it go?” 🕳️🤔

And, of course, there was LOTS of time outside — exploring the woods, inventing games, cooking up who-knows-what in the mud kitchen, and mostly just getting to know one another.

Three days down and many, many more to go!

www.peapodplace.com

09/03/2026

🎉Less than a week until we’re back! 🎉

I’ve spent the last few weeks getting everything ready for another year at Peapod Place, and I’m getting so excited to have kids filling these spaces again.

One of my favorite things about the way we learn here is that school doesn’t have to look like one particular thing.

Sometimes learning looks like everyone gathered around the table completely absorbed in a story. Sometimes it’s an experiment that turns into fifteen other questions we weren’t planning to investigate. It can be cooking something from another part of the world, working in the garden, making art, building something in the woods, playing a math game, writing together, watching a caterpillar we found outside, or having a conversation that takes us somewhere completely unexpected.

We have curriculum. We have routines. We have things I want the kids to learn and skills we’re working toward. But there’s also room here to follow curiosity, change course when something isn’t working, spend a beautiful afternoon outside, and let kids be active participants in their own education.

That’s probably the thing I’m most excited to get back to.

Our fourth year begins next week. 🥹 I’m not entirely sure how that happened so quickly, but I can’t wait to see where this one takes us. 💚

P.S. We do still have limited enrollment availability for the 2026–27 school year. If you’ve been following along and wondering whether Peapod might be a good fit for your child, you’re always welcome to reach out.

08/23/2026

🎉 New for Fall: Limited Two-Day Enrollment at Peapod Place! 🎉

If you’ve looked at Peapod Place and thought, “I love this… but four days just isn’t the right fit for our family,” I have some new information for you!

As I finalize our group for the 2026–27 school year, I’ve decided to open two Monday + Tuesday enrollment spaces for families looking for a consistent two-day option.

Monday and Tuesday form the foundation of our week at Peapod Place. Children join us for language arts, math, natural science study, geography and world exploration — alongside plenty of outdoor time, shared meals, games, friendships and all of the everyday experiences that come with learning together in a small mixed-age group.

I chose these days very intentionally. Rather than offering a variety of rotating schedules, children enrolled part-time will attend the same two days each week and begin the week alongside our full-time group. This allows them to become a consistent part of our community while still leaving three weekdays at home for families who want to maintain more of their own homeschool rhythm.

And for families who fall in love with Peapod and eventually decide they’d like more? Part-time children may have the opportunity to expand to our full Monday–Thursday program later in the year, space permitting.

🌱 Monday + Tuesday | 9am–3pm
🌱 Ages 5–10 | Mixed-age group
🌱 Canterbury, NH
🌱 September–June
🌱 $3,500/year | $350/month
🌱 EFA/ClassWallet eligible
🌱 Only TWO part-time spaces currently available

Our full Monday–Thursday program ($6,000/year) remains available for families looking for the complete four-day Peapod Place experience.

Peapod Place is a small, secular homeschool learning program built around meaningful academics, literature, nature, practical skills, creativity, plenty of time outdoors, and the relationships that develop when children have the opportunity to learn alongside the same small group of friends.

If Peapod Place has been on your radar but the four-day schedule was holding you back, this might be the opening you’ve been waiting for.

Learn more about the School Year Program or submit an enrollment inquiry at:

www.peapodplace.com

08/12/2026

When you first walk into Peapod Place, you’ll find our classroom — our home base and the heart of most of our school day.

This is where we gather around the tables for language arts, geography, science, creative projects, practical food work and all of the other things we’re exploring together. Books and art supplies share shelves with board games, puzzles, learning materials, and individual cubbies for each child, while some of our classroom animals live right alongside us. It’s a space designed to be used — and it changes right along with whatever we’re doing that day.

When it’s time for snack or lunch, we leave the classroom and gather around the dining room table. Meals are a regular pause in our day: a chance to sit together, talk, eat and reset before moving on to whatever comes next.

And while the classroom remains our primary learning space, it certainly isn’t the only place where learning happens here. There are couches, comfy chairs and quiet corners inside, and I’m looking forward to using those spaces even more intentionally this year — especially for the kind of learning that doesn’t require a table at all. A chapter from our read aloud book sounds considerably better from a pile of couches than from a classroom chair, after all.

Step through the back door and there’s a large screened porch overlooking the backyard, with places to sit, gather or simply enjoy being a little closer to outside.

And then there’s actually outside.

That’s where things get considerably less structured.

There are multiple swings to enjoy, things to climb, dirt and water to turn into beautiful culinary inspired creations, and a large picnic table where we can gather outdoors. Ducks regularly wander through the middle of things- We adore our quirky little runner ducks.

Then there are the gardens themselves — raised beds, flowers, vegetables, berries, vines and pathways that look completely different in September than they will in November, April or June. They’re not a separate “school garden” created for children to visit. They’re simply part of the environment we’re lucky enough to spend our days in as I grow an abundance of organic produce to feed my family.

And tucked right into the middle of the garden is one of my favorite little spaces at Peapod Place: our library.

It’s home to a much larger collection of books than we could ever fit in the classroom (nearing 2,000!), carefully organized by subject so I can pull resources as we need them throughout the year. It also houses a large collection of chapter books, and children looking for something different during free reading time can head out and browse for a book that catches their interest.

Beyond the main yard, trails disappear into the woods, where fallen logs become balance beams, sticks become building materials, and forts are built, abandoned, redesigned and built again. Some of the best things children do here aren’t things I planned for them at all.

And I think that’s probably the best way to describe Peapod Place.

We have a classroom. But Peapod Place is much bigger than a classroom.

It’s the table where we work together and the table where we share lunch. It’s books and pencils and projects, but also couches and gardens and animals and mud and woods. It’s having spaces designed specifically for learning alongside spaces where children are simply given the time and room to be children.

Not every part of the property is part of every day. Sometimes we’re gathered in the classroom for a good portion of it. Other times the weather, the season, what we’re studying or simply what the children need gives us a reason to take what we’re doing somewhere else.

It’s one of the things I appreciate most about learning here: our environment can change with us.

So, for those who haven’t had the chance to walk through Peapod Place in person yet…

Welcome.

Want to learn more? 🌿
Enrollment is currently open for the 2026–27 school year. You can explore the School Year Program, learn more about our approach, or send an enrollment inquiry through the our website:

www.peapodplace.com

Peapod Place is located in Canterbury, NH and serves a small, mixed-age group of children ages 5–10 (K - 4th Grade), Monday–Thursday.

07/28/2026

I've had quite a few people ask lately whether Peapod Place offers a one, two, or three day per week option.

The answer is no... but it wasn't always.

When I first opened Peapod Place, I actually did offer part-time enrollment. At the time, it felt like the right thing to do. I wanted homeschooling to be accessible to more families, and I figured that even a couple of days each week would give children meaningful experiences.

And honestly... it did.

The children learned. We had great conversations. We built things together, spent hours outside, got lost in fantastic books, and had a lot of fun.

So this isn't one of those stories where I look back and think, "Well, that was an obvious mistake." It wasn't. But it also just wasn't quite getting me where I was yearning to go.

At first, I couldn't really explain why. I just knew something felt... disconnected... disjointed... perhaps even a bit fragmented?

Then I started paying closer attention.

One thing I hadn't fully considered was just how much "life" simply happens. Kids get sick, families travel, appointments pop up. Sometimes someone had a rough night and everyone needs a slower morning. None of that is unusual—it's just part of life.

But I also noticed something.

When a child who only attended two days a week missed even one of those days, they hadn't just missed "a day of school." They had missed half of their week with us and that was huge.

Sometimes we'd spend time helping them catch up on where we were in a chapter book before we could move forward. Other times they'd walk back into the middle of a project that had already taken on a life of its own. They had missed conversations, little jokes, discoveries, and all those other tiny moments that don't make it onto a lesson plan but somehow become the glue that holds a community together.

The more I reflected on it, the more I realized something. I wasn't just trying to build a place where children came to learn- I was actually trying to build a place where children genuinely felt like they belonged- and I don't think those are quite the same thing.

That realization completely changed the way I thought about our schedule.

Instead of asking myself, "What's the smallest commitment that still works?" I found myself asking, "What kind of rhythm gives us the best chance of creating the kind of learning environment I'm hoping for?" For me, the answer kept coming back to four days.

Now, I realize that's a bigger commitment... It asks more from families and admittedly asks much more from me as well, but I've also come to believe that some things simply take time.

Trust, confidence, and deep friendships all take time to grow and build. The kind of discussions that venture far past surface level, where children build on one another's ideas instead of just answering a question, also require time to unfold naturally. They can't be rushed or forced.

Even the learning itself starts to weave together differently. A conversation we have during our read-aloud might show up in a writing lesson the next day, inspire a science question after lunch, and somehow find its way into a game outside before we head home. Those connections are some of my favorite parts of teaching, and they happen much more naturally when we're sharing enough time together.

Every now and then someone asks me what "kind" of school Peapod Place is, and I always smirk because I never quite know how to answer. The truth is, I don't spend much time worrying about fitting into a particular educational philosophy. I care much more about whether what we're doing genuinely benefits the children sitting around our table.

We're not an enrichment program. We're definitely not trying to recreate a traditional classroom. I also wouldn't describe us as an unschooling program either. I think we're just... us.

Our days are incredibly intentional by design. I spend a ridiculous amount of time choosing books, planning projects, and thinking about how everything fits together, holistically. But I also want our days to be responsive to the children in front of me.

If someone discovers a neat looking beetle, we're definitely going to stop and admire it. When a discussion takes an unexpected turn because someone asks a thought-provoking question, I'm probably going to let that conversation unfold and see where it leads. If the children find themselves completely absorbed in building something together outside, I won't interrupt them just because the clock says it's time to move on.

The schedule exists to support learning... not the other way around.

Will four days be the right fit for every family? Probably not. I genuinely think that's okay. One of the things I love most about homeschooling is that families have choices. There are so many wonderful ways to learn and more popping up each day it seems.

This just happens to be the rhythm I believe gives us the best chance of creating the kind of community I've always hoped Peapod Place could be.

And if I'm being completely honest... I'm not trying to build the biggest program. Or the flashiest.

I'm trying to build the kind of learning environment I wish had existed when I was a child, and also the kind of place I genuinely want my own children to experience now.

Thankfully... I get to build it.

07/27/2026

Some of the sweetest learning doesn't happen around a table.

It happens with stained fingers, full bowls, and the quiet satisfaction of filling them one beautiful berry at a time. 🫐

We spent the morning picking blueberries from the garden. There was counting, comparing sizes, deciding which ones were ripe, sharing discoveries, and—of course—sampling plenty along the way.

These ordinary moments are part of what inspires Peapod Place.

Children don't need every minute carefully orchestrated to learn. They need time to notice, explore, ask questions, work alongside one another, and experience the simple rhythms of the seasons.

It's a reminder that learning doesn't stop when summer arrives—it simply changes shape.

As we look ahead to another school year, I'm so grateful for this little place and all the opportunities it gives children to connect with nature, with one another, and with the joy of discovering something for themselves.

As summer begins to wind down, I'm looking forward to welcoming another group of curious children for the school year ahead. I still have a few openings for families who are looking for a small, relationship-centered homeschool learning experience where childhood is honored and learning feels connected to real life.

Learn more at www.peapodplace.com

PeaPod Place - Homeschool Learning Center

10/05/2026

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09/15/2026

09/10/2026

09/03/2026

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Monday	9am - 3pm
Tuesday	9am - 3pm
Wednesday	9am - 3pm
Thursday	9am - 3pm
Friday	9am - 3pm