Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Propert.
Hi Ellie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Shade Tree started as a vision to build community, share hands-on experiences, and provide support to families who have the goal of raising children to be of the highest character they can be.
The idea for an outdoor nature school began when I was in my first year of college. I had a dream to provide a place where anyone could come to learn, grow, and fellowship with people who had similar goals. As a teenager I had been exposed to many different skills and had worked hard to develop them, and I always had a heart to teach. I began teaching music at 13 and did a variety of other teaching-related jobs. I completely credit the fact that I was homeschooled and had the flexibility to finish school at my own pace, work, and attend extracurricular activities. If I wanted to do something, I had to earn it- and I wanted to do a lot!
As I entered college and the workforce, I listened to my peers (many of which were also homeschooled) share their experiences as we navigated becoming adults. They shared similar thoughts on the experiences they wish they would have had being homeschooled through the early-mid 2000s. All of these testimonies encouraged me to continue towards to goal of assisting families who wanted their children to thrive, learn skills, and grow into genuinely good people. I didn’t want anyone choosing to homeschool their children to feel like they had to miss out on opportunities.
In 2021 the opportunity arose to start a nature school in Dickson, TN at Cactus Creek Barn. We provided an outdoor learning environment for children to explore God’s creation and discover their place in it. In 2024, the opportunity arose for my husband and I to move to a property where we could live on-site and build the community, which worked well for our growing family.
We now host our homeschool tutorial on 14 acres in Fairview, and our lessons are designed to teach life skills and hands on learning through the lens of developing Godly character. We offer enrichment for History, Science, PE, Bible, Social Studies, ASL, Art, and so much more. The experiences these children have are rich, in-depth, and full of learning that lasts a lifetime. The testimonials we’ve received from parents encourage us, as the children go home actually excited about what they learned. Children shock their parents (and us!) with how much information they retain, and best of all, their children are immersed in an environment that encourages their unique skills, personalities, and learning styles, all with a foundation that inspires Godly character in the best ways possible. Many of our parents ask to stay through the school day as well so they can have these experiences for themselves and re-learn what didn’t stick the first time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think anyone with a small business will admit that it’s rarely a smooth road. That being said, I absolutely love what I do and the families I work with. It makes the hard things so much easier knowing that there are people who benefit and are encouraged by what we do.
The bumps? There’s definitely been a few. Our staff jokes that God gives us a 2-week deadline. Every semester since starting we’ve had a seemingly impossible hurdle come up within 2 weeks of a semester starting. Every time the right people assist at the right time, and the issue typically resolves just in the nick of time for class to start. Besides that, there is an insane amount of unseen administrative work, lesson planning, and class prep that goes into making sure classes run smoothly for our students. I’m so grateful to have staff that goes above and beyond to make sure our environment is always optimal.
We’ve had countless testimonials from parents who are blown away by how their children’s character has changed and what a difference it makes in their behavior at home. That alone makes it all worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Shade Tree is known specifically for our outdoor homeschool tutorial. We specialize in enrichment classes for children ages 4-13 that instill practical, hands-on skills while building Godly character. Our subjects include History, Science, Social Studies, Bible, American Sign Language, PE, Art, and Music, as well as practical learning in a range of topics like bushcraft skills, agriculture and homesteading, and so much more.
We are incredibly proud of the environment that we have curated. The only way to describe it is “peaceful.” Our parents have used this word over and over. They feel that their children are safe and free to explore the world around them. Because of this environment, our children are engaged and excited to be here. We don’t have to drag answers out of them, they are eager to participate and learn.
We take a lot of pride in the quality of our teachers. They are so gifted in how they communicate with our students- in teaching, problem-solving, and making sure that each student’s unique needs are met. Their skill in scaffolding lessons is unparalleled. We are also very proud of the curriculum we’ve written- in our experience with homeschool tutorials, co-ops, and as homeschooling parents, we have yet to find any lesson plan or curriculum that spans the wide age range. Our lessons are thoughtfully designed for each developmental level to be applicable for all ages and instill life-long learning, not just knowledge to pass a test.
I absolutely love to brag on our students, and one of my favorite examples is a project we did during a unit study on Native Americans. Even our 4 year old students were able to complete a pair of hand stitched moccasins to take home. Parents are shocked when they come visit and see what our students have completed- projects that most people would think are far above the level of understanding or skill for even some of our oldest students. The expert guidance and hours of trial and error our teachers put in ensure that our student are ready to take on the newest challenge for the week. Not only are our students able to complete absolutely insane levels of hands-on learning, they are also incredibly articulate in summarizing the information that is paired with our lessons. In all my years in the homeschooling community, I have yet to find an environment that parallels what we have created here at Shade Tree.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Our homeschool tutorial runs throughout the school year- we offer classes on Monday and Wednesday, which is the best way to get involved with Shade Tree! We have a wide variety of summer camps that run June-August as well. We also offer specialty workshops and classes as often as we can and try to extend these classes to our parents as well. Our social media is the best place to keep up with what’s happening at Shade Tree, and you can view more at our website as well. We really appreciate when people share our content and spread the word.
www.shadetreehomeschool.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561380143585#
https://www.instagram.com/shadetreenatureschool/
We are always looking for vendors for specialty classes and workshops, so please reach out to shadetreehomeschool@gmail.com to work with us!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shadetreehomeschool.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadetreenatureschool/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561380143585#
