Homeschooling Through Real Projects with Danika Dunn of Bramblewood Mama

If school feels like a tight box your kid keeps bouncing off of, this conversation offers a different path that still takes learning seriously. We sit down with Danica Dunn from Bramblewood Mamas to talk about why she chose homeschooling for her family and how a project-based learning approach can turn “What’s the point?” into real motivation. Danica shares what she noticed in her oldest child’s experience, including the challenges that can come with ADHD, and how that sparked a search for something more meaningful.

We get specific about what project-based learning looks like at home and in community settings. Danica breaks down how you can flip the usual model by starting with an engaging project and letting reading, writing, science, and math show up as tools to solve a real problem. She shares a standout example from a high school environmental science project: students creating an aquaponics float to support the health of a local pond, complete with labs and an authentic audience beyond the kitchen table.

We also talk about the practical side of growing a homeschool co-op into a hybrid homeschool program, plus how Bramblewood Mamas reaches families through local workshops, conferences, and social media on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. If you’re craving a modern homeschooling strategy that builds real-world skills and confidence, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs options, and leave a review with your biggest question about project-based learning.

Transcript

Welcome To The Show

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Joe Longo.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Welcome back to the Good Neighbor Podcast Live. Are you in need of some homeschooling guidance? Well, we've got an episode for you today. And today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Danica Dunn and Bramblewood Mamas. How are you? Thank you so much for being here with us today.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Thanks for having me on, Joe. This is exciting.

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Yeah, we're excited to learn all about Bramblewood Mamas. Can you give us the lowdown? Tell us all about it. What is it?

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Yeah.

Why Danica Chose Homeschooling

SPEAKER_00 0:43

So uh a number of years ago, I have I have five kids. And when the oldest was in about first grade, I was I was not in love with with his experience. It was it was great. He did well in school and life was good. Um, but he has ADHD and he's very bright. And and I never saw him. So I wanted, I felt like there was something better out there. And this pull of that excitement of what could be um lured me out of the public school system and into homeschooling. Um and I've I hit on, I found project-based learning somewhere in my journey. And the idea of learning through the lens of a real-world engaging project that makes all the learning meaningful and you can go as deep as you want. Um, that was really almost intoxicating for me as an educator. That was really exciting. So we started this, we started a homeschool co-op, um, which became a hybrid program called Bramblewood Learning Community. And from that, now we were we realized that most homeschoolers out there would really love this project-based learning style, but not many people were talking about it. There weren't very many resources for homeschoolers about project-based learning. So we created Bramblewood Mamas as a way to educate people, um, other homeschool parents, um, about this method of learning and teaching. And we also do a number of community events, conferences, and that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

That's wonderful. Uh, and you kind of already answered the next question, which is, you know, how did you get into it? But since you did that so beautifully, could you tell us a little bit about what that learning model is all about? What that might look like?

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Yeah.

Project Based Learning In Action

SPEAKER_00 2:23

So it like if you think about maybe a unit study or doing a project in school where you kind of you do your lessons and you learn about, I don't know, you learn about plate tectonics and all of these different things. And then at the end of the unit, maybe you do a project, and that's the fun part. But by that point, a lot of times it feels like like it's just rote and there's there's not really a point to it. This flips everything on its head so that you are starting, starting the unit or whatever it is through a project. So we had some kids um do a project. They actually our high schoolers did a project on uh on environmental science, and they their project was creating an aquaponics float for a local pond, so helping with pond health. So then they ended up learning all about, I mean, they did most of the labs from AP Environmental Science through the lens of doing this project, but it made everything mean something. And there was there was this authentic audience of a real actual pond that needed their help. So instead of dragging kids through this learning that they didn't really care about or want to do, they were driving it and asking questions and and pushing to do more.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

That I'm sitting here right now saying, man, I wish my education was like that growing up. Because I definitely would have been more involved and into it. Do you uh I'm assuming you notice that with the kids, that they're actually like, oh, this is fun, dare I say.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Yeah, and it really works. Um, a lot of the skills that are actually useful in the real world, the collaboration, the communication, all of those just are naturally looped in. So you come out with kids who are able to find a problem and address it and find solutions and work with people and are used to be to working in the real world. So we've even done we've even done a podcast, Joe.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

That's awesome. That's awesome. I would I would love to check it out and and and and see what it's

Reaching Families And Marketing

SPEAKER_02 4:22

about. Um, and it's interesting that you bring that up because podcasting, right? It's a part of uh like this new world that we live in, and all businesses is you know, we need marketing, and it's kind of what makes the business go. So, what are you doing to attract your clients, students into this environment that you've created?

SPEAKER_00 4:46

So we have we have some kind of grassroots things going on in the greater Philadelphia area because that's where we're located. So we've done a number of local workshops um that are in person. We've done um uh so most of the homeschoolers are on Facebook. That's where most of our local traffic comes from. But then if we want we hit this point where we really want this word to get out to a broader audience, so we're having to turn to social media, which is admittedly not my favorite thing, but necessary evil. And we're learning that that's my current project is learning all of those things. Um where we're working, and and then there's other conferences in different areas, so working our way into those circuits as well.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

Have you ever thought about having a podcast for the for the business?

SPEAKER_00 5:34

We have we actually have one episode. It's the uh it's the there's too many things on our plates in different directions we can go. So we have hopes and dreams of continuing that podcast. Maybe this summer.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Yeah, that's awesome.

Life With Five Kids

SPEAKER_02 5:48

Um, so outside of work, what are you and the five kids doing for fun?

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Well, this summer, we uh my first is graduating right in this year. So this summer is gonna be all about family time and cramming in those memories. And I keep taking pictures at the dinner table, and my kids are like, Oh, mom, we're just eating food. Like, it's the last time we're gonna be doing this all together and all those things. So lots of family fun and just those little moments, I think, is what the summer is gonna be all about.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Ah, that's wonderful. I'm the youngest of six kids, so I totally get that whole big thing, and I'm having this interesting feeling of like, I want to ask you every question that I probably have for my mom in that whole concept of having such a big family. Because I remember those moments of just like, what are we doing this now for? And my mom just kind of be like, Yeah, well, you know, because this is what we're doing right now, and you'll understand later.

Rethinking Education With Confidence

SPEAKER_02 6:45

Um, so if you can tell our listeners one thing that they should remember about you and everything that you're doing, what would that be?

SPEAKER_00 6:55

It would be that you don't have to stick to the way things have always been done. That there are so many other ways of meeting needs and learning and educating. And the world is open right now and homeschooling doesn't look like it did 20 years ago. There are so many options. And so if your kid doesn't feel like they fit the box that public school provides, which is wonderful and teachers are wonderful and we fully support them, but there are so many other options out there. Um, and I I guess just this idea of that confidence that you can do it and that there are resources and that we as adults aren't done learning either, and we can learn new skills and this ability to teach and educate and become mentors to our kids, that even just as a parent, I've benefited so much for what I've learned through project-based learning of asking my kids questions and leading from the side and helping helping guide them while kind of giving them their freedom without abdicating my role as a parent, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

Totally, totally.

Where To Find Bramblewood Mamas

SPEAKER_02 8:02

And how can our listeners learn more about you and all of the resources that you have to offer?

SPEAKER_00 8:07

Well, come find us on our social media accounts that we're working really hard on. Um, we're at Bramblewood Mamas on Instagram and TikTok. And and you can find us on Facebook as well with Bramblewood Mamas.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

Wonderful. Well, Danica, thank you so much for being here with us. I appreciate everything that you're doing, and we wish you all of the luck and success moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Thank you so much, Joe. It was a pleasure talking to you.

Closing And Local Business Nominations

SPEAKER_01 8:35

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPNEPA.com. That's GNPNEPA.com. Or call 572 9208 48.