Junior Herbalist Club (JHC) is a 2-year extracurricular course for children (aged 7-12, but teens also welcome) which runs for 90 minutes, once a month, for 10 months of the year.
Junior Herbalist Club has been designed to engage and educate children, on a journey of discovery through play to learn about the healing and medicinal plants all around them in a safe and supervised environment. The course covertly incorporates core subjects including English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Botany, Latin and Cookery, as well as helps children to gain in confidence, improve fine motor control and develop a new skill set.
Each month the children learn about the medicinal uses of plants and make something to take home (lavender bags, lip balms, bath bombs and much more!!). JHC has been planned so that each month the children build on their knowledge and skills. In the second year, the tasks become more complex, building on the skill set developed in the first year. At the end of each session the children are given a worksheet to complete so they can develop a portfolio of learning.
The course includes:
- Identification of common herbs growing all around
- Safety – which herbs are safe to use and which are poisonous
- Folklore – taught through stories and songs
- How to grow and harvest herbs
- Medicinal uses of common herbs
- How to use a variety of common herbs for first aid
- How to make a variety of herbal preparations to keep and take home
- Respect for all plants and their environment
JHC was created and developed by Medical Herbalist Mel Hornby and has been delivering herbal education to children in the UK since 2014, and is now available in Australia for the first time.
Virginia Maddock has been a qualified herbalist since 2000 and will be offering this wonderful education in plant healing for children in the Sutherland Shire and West Ryde, starting in February 2024.
JHC is designed for 7-12yo’s, however teens do enjoy these classes too so if there is demand, a separate ones for teens will be available. Get in contact with Virginia for enquiries!
Class numbers: Minimum 4, maximum 8.
**Dates for 2024**
Class 1 @ Natural Beginnings HQ
Thursdays 10.30am
February 15th
March 7th
April 4th
May 16th
July 4th (double class)
August 8th
September 5th
October 17th
November 14th – Final class for the year + Year 1 certification presentation for kids who have completed minimum 8/10 classes!
Wednesdays @ West Ryde
Class 2: 10.30am (7-12yo’s)
Class 3: 1pm (for teens)
February 21st
March 20th
April 3rd
May 15th
June 12th
July 31st
August 14th
September 18th
October 23rd
November 20th – Final class for the year + Year 1 certification presentation for kids who have completed minimum 8/10 classes!
Cost is $400 up front for the year, all inclusive of materials.
Click on the Paypal button below to pay before the first class, and then get in contact with Virginia to sign up your child so she can send you all the info!
Payment plans also available – 4 x $120 payments, every 3 months from first payment, due before commencement of first class. Click on the Paypal button below to pay, and don’t forget to get in contact with Virginia to sign up your child.
Refund Policy
No refunds for classes missed, unless Virginia needs to reschedule last minute (eg. due to illness or being at/recovering from being at a birth), and you cannot make the rescheduled date, which you will be refunded $40 for that class only!
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