Heartwood Homeschool Program
Heartwood is the core of our nature-connection curriculum, the trunk from which our other programs branch out. Heartwood has been carefully crafted since 2011 to provide a progressive learning journey and comprehensive foundation in deeply relating to the natural world and this year we are excited to support the evolution of the program into a full three-season program meeting as always on Wednesdays.
Who Heartwood is For?
The Heartwood program is for kids who want MORE. These are the experienced kids who are practicing their skills at home: building fires, carving spoons, naming plants, sharing what they know with others. The kids who are excited to pack up and come to Forest Floor each week, with light in their eyes. Kids who can’t get enough of what we do!
Heartwood is for families who can commit to the full 9 month experience.
Committing to a three-season program with the same instructors (PLUS Guest Instructors!) facilitates deeper dives into primitive skills, nature connection, and rewilding work…along with all the games, stories, and songs that get them there. 🙂
The three season model creates opportunities for our kids to develop meaningful relationships with their mentors as they guidethem through the seasons, to deepen their existing skills and dive into new ones, and to truly bond with peers as they come into themselves together. It’ll also mean less repetition for kids who have been coming for a long time, and, most importantly, it makes more space than ever for each child to discover an abiding sense of confidence and home in the natural world.
Includes seasonal Village Days for a deeper sense of community, featuring lighthearted skill tests that provide a benchmark for advancing skills and an opportunity to celebrate their acheivements.
Forest Floor continues to offer seasonal homeschool programs on other weekdays. Our friends at Teen Forest Adventures offer programming for older teens (14+) to continue thru High School graduation.
Head over to our registration portal to sign up or keep scrolling for more program details.
New Option For Teens 14+
Friends, we are so excited to introduce you to our dear friends and sister organization, Teen Forest Adventures!
Started by a long-time Forest Floor family, Teen Forest Adventures is the natural next step for our kids as they grow out of Forest Floor’s programming. It’s a mobile, screen- free program that is focused specifically on mentoring teens from 15-18, and we are happy to get to share a little more about them with you today!
Teen Forest Adventures
Friends, we are so excited to introduce you to our dear friends and sister organization, Teen Forest Adventures!
Started by a long-time Forest Floor family, Teen Forest Adventures is the natural next step for our kids as they grow out of Forest Floor’s programming. It’s a mobile, screen- free program that is focused specifically on mentoring teens from 15-18, and we are happy to get to share a little more about them with you today!
We are excited to partner with Teen Forest Adventures to add new programming this fall as a continuation of our Heartwood Program!
They’ll be adding a Wednesday mobile program to the roster, especially for teens aged 15+. We’ll send more info out with registration links soon!
This program is a mobile adventure, and the pick-up and drop-off is at Haw Creek Commons. The schedule and break days aligns with our Heartwood dates. Visit the Teen Forest Adventures website for more details or to register.
Heartwood Program Details
Ages:
6-15
Groupings:
Staff will separate the children into groups based on their individual experience, maturity, skill and readiness. Some kids may not like this, especially if they are not grouped with a specific friend or favorite instructor, but we see this is a wonderful opportunity for them to work on specific goals to advance. Please speak with your children about this in advance.
Location:
Shope Creek Wilderness
2026-2027 Sessions:
Wednesdays – Three Seasons
September 10, 2025 – May 26th, 2026
32 Program Days Total
Break Days: 10/21, 11/25, 12/23, 12/30, 2/17, 4/21
Price:
$73.75 Per Program Day
$150 Deposit
With 9 Monthly Payments of $245.56
- Monthly payment plans are available
- $150 non-refundable deposit due at registration
- Work-Trade & Tuition Assistance are available
If you are able, please consider donating to our Scholarship Fund with this form.
Registration
Registration for the 2025-2026 season is now closed. Registration for the 2026-2027 season begins May 6, 2026.
New Option For Teens 14+
Friends, we are so excited to introduce you to our dear friends and sister organization, Teen Forest Adventures!
Started by a long-time Forest Floor family, Teen Forest Adventures is the natural next step for our kids as they grow out of Forest Floor’s programming. It’s a mobile, screen- free program that is focused specifically on mentoring teens from 15-18, and we are happy to get to share a little more about them with you today!
More Information
Click to expand the toggle sections below for more detailed information.
Shope Creek Shuttles - Reservations Required
- The default drop-off/pick-up location for our Shope Creek Wilderness location is directly at the camp location.
- Alternatively, shuttle vans provide roundtrip transportation from our in-town location of Haw Creek Commons each day.
- Shuttle van seats for each weekday are listed as it’s own “camp” on the Camp Availability page.
- Shuttle van seats are offered free of charge for your convenience.
- To save a seat in the shuttle van you MUST register for the Shuttle Van “camp” for each weekday of programs your child is attending at the same time you are registering for their actual program.
- The Shuttle Van “camp” for each weekday will be clearly listed with the programs for that weekday and will show if there are any seats still available.
- The Shuttle Van “camp” will have a waitlist available, but once the van is full we can’t guarantee more spots will open up and parents on the waitlist should be prepared to drop-off/pick-up at Shope Creek.
- If your child’s participation in a program is dependent on a seat in the van and the Shuttle Van is listed as full for a given weekday, we encourage parents to sign-up for a different weekday.
Pick-up & Drop-off Options for Shope Creek Programs
Shope Creek Wilderness
Direct Drop-off & Pick-up Location
472 Shope Creek Road, Asheville, NC 28805
Pick-up and drop-off here at the program location, unless you have reserved a shuttle seat during program registration.
- Drop-off: 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
- Pick-up: 3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Haw Creek Commons
Shuttle Van Base
315 Old Haw Creek Rd., Asheville, NC 28805
Pick-up and drop-off here only if you have reserved a shuttle seat.
- Drop-off: 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
- Pick-up: 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
If you are running late and miss the shuttle van departure, please proceed directly to Shope Creek Wilderness to drop-off prior to programs starting at 10:00 a.m.
Clothing & Daily Packing List
What to Pack
Please send your child with the following items, packed in a small, well-fitting backpack. No rolling bags or one-shoulder satchels, please! ):
- Rain gear or a poncho (even in summer)
- A full 1-liter water bottle (24 oz. for younger campers is fine)
- A sack lunch
- At least one snack
- Personal sunscreen (if needed)
- Bug repellent (we encourage herbal-based, rather than DEET)
- An extra pair of dry socks in a ziploc bag
What NOT to Pack
Please make your children aware of these limitations and check with them before you sign them in each morning.
Having extra items is a distraction and often causes discomfort for kids carrying extra weight as we cover a lot of ground each day.
- Electronics
- A change of clothes (extra layers or rain gear are fine, but please keep a change of clothes in the car instead of in their backpack)
- Extra items like toys
- Sandals or open-toed shoes
- A knife
What Your Child Should Wear
Sturdy, close-toed, waterproof shoes. If they are wearing crocks they must have the heel strap.
Comfortable clothes that are appropriate for the weather. For cold weather dressing details, visit our Weather page.
Dirty Clothes Alert!
Here at Forest Floor, we encourage children to really engage with nature—sometimes that means getting dirty! Expect muddy faces, berry stains, and other nature-inspired designs on their clothes by the end of the day. We suggest keeping a plastic trash bag in the car for your child to sit on, especially if they get really muddy. Please don’t send a back up set of clothes in their backpacks, this makes their backpacks too heavy and then they don’t want to carry their backpacks.
Special Safety & Clothing Considerations for Blacksmithing & Knife-making
These activities carry inherent risks. We have strict safety procedures in place to ensure your child’s safety, but small burns can happen from time to time. These are usually minor, and we see them as learning opportunities about staying focused and present in the moment.
For safety, please dress your child in natural materials only—no synthetic fabrics like nylon, polyester, or spandex. These materials can melt when exposed to hot metal. It’s also important that sleeves and pants aren’t rolled up to prevent embers from getting caught in the cuffs.
They should be wearing closed toed shoes, no Crocs or similar.
Also, be prepared for your child to get dirty—blacksmithing can be a very sooty activity! Keep an extra plastic bag in the car for easy clean-up afterward.
Why Choose Forest Floor Homeschool Programs?
We help children have fun, be healthy, and achieve their fullest potential with nature connection mentoring.
- Health benefits of nature connection
- Learn wilderness skills & traditional crafts
- Meet new friends and reunite with old ones
- Unforgettable adventures every day
- Skilled and caring mentors
- Exciting wilderness experiences
- Convenient in-town drop-off & pickup
- Boost long term cognitive & social development