Little Roots Academy

🌿 Little Roots Academy Homeschool Learning Community is excited to offer three stand-alone summer camps for children ages 6–10, and only a few spots remain! 🌿

Located on a local urban homestead in Herndon, VA, our small-group camps provide children with an opportunity to slow down, connect with nature, and learn meaningful life skills in an intimate setting where campers are truly known.

Families are welcome to register for one week or multiple weeks:

🌲 July 20–24
Learning to Live on the Land

🌱 July 27–31
Growing Food & Caring for Animals

🧵 August 3–7
Making & Maintaining What We Use

✨ Ages 6–10
✨ 10:00 AM–2:30 PM
✨ Herndon, VA
✨ Small-group setting with plenty of individual attention
✨ Hosted on a real urban homestead
✨ Nature-based, hands-on learning

Children spend their days hiking, tending the garden, caring for chicks and rabbits, cooking, crafting, and building confidence through practical skills and meaningful relationships.

Full details for each week are included in the attached flyers.

📩 Feel free to send me a direct message or email me at [email protected] for more information or to reserve your child's spot.

🤎

Ashleigh Kapetanakis
Founder & Lead Educator
Little Roots Academy

I’m excited to announce that Little Roots Academy is officially full for the 2026–2027 school year!

When I started this journey, I dreamed of creating a place where children could spend their days exploring the woods, learning practical life skills, building meaningful relationships, and developing a deep connection to the natural world. To see our community continue to grow and thrive is something I am incredibly grateful for.

Thank you to every family who has trusted me to be part of their child's journey. Your support, encouragement, and belief in this vision have made Little Roots Academy what it is today.

While enrollment for the school year is now closed, I am maintaining a waitlist for interested families.

And if you missed out on the school year, there is still an opportunity to join us this summer! We have a few spots remaining in our Summer Camp series.

🌿 Week 1: Learning to Live on the Land
🐓 Week 2: Growing Food and Caring for Animals
🛠️ Week 3: Making and Maintaining What We Use

Families may register for individual weeks or all three.

These camps are designed to give children hands-on experiences in sustainability, homesteading, practical life skills, and nature connection while enjoying the freedom and wonder of summer outdoors.

I'll attach the flyer below. Feel free to reach out with any questions or to join the waitlist for future openings.

🌿 LOCAL NATURE & HOMESCHOOL COMMUNITY BOARD 🌿

Summer is right around the corner! We are entering our final month of Little Roots Academy before we transition into our Summer Camps in July, and then welcome families back for our regular season beginning in September.

As the pace of summer approaches, I wanted to continue sharing local outdoor events, homeschool opportunities, nature programs, farm experiences, and family-friendly adventures happening around our area.

This summer, I will also be visiting and exploring local farms throughout Northern Virginia and Loudoun County and sharing them here with our Little Roots community. My hope is to help connect families with the many wonderful farms, nature spaces, and educational opportunities available right in our own backyard. 🌻🐐🌿

Here are a few upcoming events to check out:

🥾 Appalachian Trail Festival — June 6
11:00 AM–5:00 PM

Celebrate one of America's most iconic trails right here in Loudoun County. Enjoy live music, hiking experts, nature crafts, art exhibits, rock climbing, and family-friendly outdoor activities while learning about the Appalachian Trail and our local outdoor community.

📍 Old Stone School, Hillsboro

🐾 Animal Expedition at Reston Town Center — June 7
11:00 AM–3:00 PM

Meet local rescue organizations, animal exhibitors, and pet vendors while enjoying family-friendly activities including face painting, train rides, live music, and more.

📍 Reston Town Center

🦋 Pollinator Hike at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve — June 14

Celebrate National Pollinator Month with a guided family-friendly hike through one of Loudoun County's most beautiful nature preserves. Learn about butterflies, bees, birds, and other important pollinators while exploring a variety of ecosystems.

📍 Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, Leesburg

🍎 Teacher & Homeschool Educator Appreciation Days at Great Country Farms — June 15–30

Great Country Farms is offering free admission for teachers, homeschool educators, school staff, and their families. Enjoy farm animals, wagon rides, slides, jumping pillows, mini golf, and more.

📍 Great Country Farms, Bluemont

🐦 Bird Walk at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve — June 20

Whether you're a beginner birder or a seasoned bird enthusiast, this monthly guided bird walk is a wonderful way to observe local wildlife and explore the preserve.

📍 Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, Leesburg

🚜 Great Country Farms Little Farmers Series — Every Friday in June

A fun weekly farm education program designed for young children featuring topics such as farm tools, bunny care, bees and honey, and peacocks.

📍 Great Country Farms, Bluemont

As always, if you know of local events, farms, nature programs, or homeschool opportunities that would benefit our community, feel free to share them below. I love discovering new places and helping families connect with the incredible resources our area has to offer. 🌿

Hi everyone, I realized that while I share so much of our days here at Little Roots Academy, I have never properly introduced myself.

I’m Ashleigh, founder and lead educator of Little Roots Academy and Rooted to Rise.

These two photos pretty much capture outdoor education life. One day we are navigating 95-degree heat, and a few days later we are layered up in rain gear for a chilly 60-degree downpour. Nature constantly asks us to adapt, slow down, observe, and work with what we are given.

That philosophy extends far beyond education for me. I am deeply passionate about rebuilding connection to nature, community, practical life skills, and self-reliance. While building Little Roots Academy, I have also been slowly building our little homestead and learning how to make do with what we have, right where we are. I believe we do not need perfect land, perfect conditions, or endless resources to begin creating a more connected and intentional life.

My approach to education is rooted in the whole person philosophy. I believe children are not just academic beings, but emotional, physical, social, and spiritual beings as well. Some of the most meaningful learning happens through lived experiences, relationships, challenges, creativity, and connection to the natural world.

Before creating Little Roots Academy, I spent years working in education, including supporting children with diverse learning needs. I hold a Master’s in Curriculum & Instruction, but much of what shaped this vision came from observing what children truly need and what modern childhood is often missing.

My goal with Little Roots Academy is to create a childhood rooted in wonder, resilience, practical skills, emotional connection, and community. A place where children can get muddy, take risks, build confidence, care for living things, and experience learning as something alive.

Thank you for being here and supporting this little community as it continues to root and rise

There is something so special about this time of year at Little Roots 🌱

Last week, we spent time preparing our garden together. Small hands in the soil, turning the earth, clearing space, and getting everything ready for what is to come. These moments are simple, but they hold so much meaning.

At Little Roots, this is at the heart of what we do. We are not a school, but a learning community where children and families come together in relationship with the land. Instead of separating learning from real life, we root it in lived experience, in seasons, in care, and in connection.

We are not just planting a garden, we are helping children build a relationship with the earth. They are learning patience, responsibility, and trust in natural rhythms. They are learning that growth takes time, that tending matters, and that what we nurture will eventually bloom.

This is the work we do in partnership with families. Supporting the whole child through meaningful, hands-on experiences that cannot be replicated inside four walls.

Spring invites us into this work. It is a season of awakening, of possibility, of quiet beginnings that will become something more.

As we move into our Spring Break, the work continues behind the scenes. While the children are away, we will be tending to our garden space, preparing it for planting in the coming weeks, and getting ready for the arrival of our chickens.

There is so much life on the horizon here.

We can’t wait to welcome the children back to continue what they’ve started, to care for what they’ve helped build, and to witness the transformation together.

This is Little Roots ♥️

The Spring Equinox marks a moment of balance, where light and dark meet in equal measure. From here, the days begin to grow longer, warmer, and full of life.

In nature, everything is slowly waking up. The ground softens, seeds begin to stir beneath the soil, and new growth emerges in its own time.

This season mirrors the way children grow and develop.

Growth is not rushed. It is not forced. It unfolds gradually, through rhythm, repetition, and experience. Just like the earth, children need time, space, and the right environment to bloom.

At Little Roots, we honor this season through hands-on experiences, time in nature, and opportunities for children to observe, create, and connect. These moments may seem simple, but they are laying the foundation for deep learning, confidence, and a sense of belonging in the world around them.

The equinox reminds us that development is a process of balance. Rest and activity. Light and shadow. Holding on and letting go.

And just like the season, our children are always becoming.

Happy Spring Equinox!

They’re almost here 🐣🌿

We are so excited to share that our baby chicks will be arriving at Little Roots Academy on April 29th!

This spring, our outdoor classroom is growing in the most beautiful way. The children will get to experience firsthand what it means to care for living creatures from the very beginning. We’ll learn about life cycles, responsibility, gentleness, food systems, and what it truly means to steward our little homestead space.

Watching chicks grow from tiny, fluffy hatchlings into laying hens is such a special part of a nature-based education. The children will help observe, journal, prepare feed, refresh water, and slowly build the routines that teach patience and care.

Our flock will include:
• Buff Orpington
• Lavender Orpington
• Black Australorp
• Silver or Gold Laced Wyandotte
• Light Brahma

Spring on the homestead is going to be sweet, muddy, and full of peeping sounds. We cannot wait to welcome them.