Feature Family

Meet the Tenneson Family

Learning and sharing about nature has always been a passion for Jamie Tenneson. She spent fourteen years volunteering as a naturalist at Riverbend Nature Center. When she and her husband, John, were able to purchase John’s family farm in 2017, Jamie said, “It was like a dream come true.” As the farm already had an established Christmas tree farm, John and Jamie, along with their nine children, quickly started to learn the skills needed to grow and sell trees. 

Now six years later, The Evergreens Farm in Clarks Grove, MN, is a hub for buying Christmas trees and hosting hundreds of students annually for field trips. The students study topics such as pond life, edible and medicinal plants, wildlife signs, birds and migration, tree identification, backyard beekeeping, and much more! John has taken his skills into starting a tree removal and lumber milling business. 

With a busy schedule and lifestyle, Jamie Tenneson has always homeschooled her children. They range in age from eighteen to one-years-old. She started when her oldest, William, was just in kindergarten. When Venture Upward started in Minnesota a few years ago, Jamie was one of the first families to sign up. When asked about why a veteran homeschool mom would want to join a program like Venture, she observed, “I do much better when I have accountability to be sure we are accomplishing what we should be. It makes it easier to actually get it all done if there’s a plan already in place, and the students and I know what is required by the end of each day/week.” 

Their favorite part of home education is the freedom to pursue personal interests and talents. Instead of having to spend hours on a bus, the children love having free time outdoors. After their core subjects are completed, the afternoons are filled with creative learning. Whether it is woodworking at the shop or building forts and bushwacking trails in their woods, the family has many outlets! Jamie also asserted, “Each student has their own strengths and weaknesses, and learning from home makes it much easier to address their individual needs.”