Journey North International Plant Study

Homeschooling and the Journey North Garden Project


The Blueridge Homeschool group planting tulips. October, 2004

The Blue Ridge Homeschool Group is thrilled to participate in Journey North this year!
The Blue Ridge Homeschool Groups consists of about 25 homeschooling families in the Pocono Mountain area of Pennsylvania. There are 10 families participating in this project. The kids participating comprise the Junior Group, a subset of the larger Blue Ridge Group. Ages range from preK-third grade.

The interdisciplinary aspect of Journey North, combined with a community service project, attracted us to participate. Each family is planting 10 tulips at home. We also planted 100 tulips at a local park. We hold our meetings at the community building in the Chestnut Hill Township Park in Brodheadsville PA, and planting tulips there was way to give thanks for the use of the facility. Because we are concerned that the location we were given at the park (next to the basketball courts, along a retaining wall) may heat up faster than average for our area, each family will report separately on our home tulips for the official study. (See planting photos.) Since we live in a mountain area, we expect to see differences in when the tulips bloom at different homes, based on elevation. We will also monitor the ones at the park.

Planting and monitoring the tulips locally and across the country allows for lessons in science, math, geography, and more. We already used some of the lesson plans on the Journey North website as a group. The kids dissected tulips and set-up forced bulbs together. (See photos.) Individual families are choosing from the other fall lessons to do at home. We are excited to be part of this project!