Herbalism for Kids & Teens

It’s going to be a weird back-to-school season this year, but we’ve got you!

Below, i’ve listed our kid-appropriate courses by age group, and if there is interest, we can create some live Q&A sessions for kids themselves, and/or for parents who are supporting kids through this time.

Pre-school/Kindergarten

Pre-schoolers and kindergarteners are a little too young to sit and learn from video lessons, but they are the perfect age to be learning medicine-making skills, and very basic matching between plants and simple health issues. I recommend the Family Herbalist program – this way, a parent or caregiver can be learning the individual herbs themselves and decide which ones are appropriate for your family. Then it’s easy to incorporate those herbs into kid-focused activities – there’s an entire chapter with lots of activity ideas, plus all of the medicine-making videos will be appropriate. There are videos on everything – like how to make different kinds of tea, salves and lotions, lozenges (they’re like playdough!), even all kinds of herbal treats! You can bring your phone, laptop, or tablet right into the kitchen and follow along with the step-by-step videos together!

Not only will they be learning about plants and about how to prepare them, but they’re also watching you learn, which sets up a model for them that learning is a life-long pursuit, and that when you don’t know how to do something – no matter what age you are – you can just take lessons or find someone to teach you!

Elementary

Younger elementary-aged kids will probably feel similarly to the kindergarteners – they will probably be much more interested in the hands-on activities in the Medicine Making videos included in the Family Herbalist program, and you can make the decisions about which herbs are appropriate for your family to work with – we’ve included the most important and safest herbs in the Materia Medica course, which is part of Family Herbalist.

Older elementary schoolers will also enjoy that, as well as the Herbal First Aid course that will be releasing in late August. (you can enroll now and videos will automagically appear in your account as soon as they upload – and we’ll send you notifications too!)

First aid skills are helpful for folks of any age, and they also teach kids to think about other people with compassion. When you’re always ready to help someone who is hurting, you are thinking about people who are hurting as people who are worth helping!

Middle School

Middle schoolers are at an age where they might enjoy working on lessons with you, or they might want to do it themselves. No problem!

They can work through the Family Herbalist program (and might especially love medicine making on their own in the kitchen!) – though they might appreciate some input from you about which herbs to work with.

They can work through the First Aid course that releases in late August on their own, with friends/siblings, or with you. And it’ll be time to start working on the Supporting Kids in Puberty course as well! When i set up this course, i intended that kids and parents might watch it together, but also that kids might want to watch it without their parents – this is an age where kids are starting to build more independence, and would rather try new ideas that they feel ownership of than new ideas that come from care givers.

(And if they don’t want to watch it together with you, that doesn’t mean you can watch it when they’re not around 🙂 )

Middle schoolers are also old enough to start working through the mini-courses on Cold & Flu (and flu-like illnesses – there’s a whole Covid chapter!), Seasonal Allergies, and Better Sleep. Especially the one about sleep, because kids in puberty need a lot of it and they might not want to!

If you live in an area where there are frequent natural disasters such as wild fire, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, or flooding – the Emergent Responder program might be age appropriate for older middle schoolers, especially if these events have already been a factor in their lives. This course goes well beyond first aid and gets into much deeper detail about long-term disaster recovery. Middle schoolers who have already experienced these types of events may find this material empowering, especially if they know that these events are just a part of life and are not unlikely to occur again. This program may also be appropriate for middle schoolers who are very plugged in to current events and are looking for ways to feel empowered in uncertain times. I’d recommend that a parent or caregiver skim the material first – you can return the courses if it turns out to be not right for your child.

High School

Highschoolers are ready for any of our courses! Here are some of my personal recommendations:

Supporting kids through Puberty

Neurological & Emotional Health

Cold & Flu

Seasonal & Environmental Allergies

Better Sleep

Fundamentals of Holistic Nutrition

First Aid

Family Herbalist

And any of the other courses and programs, especially if your child has any health issues of their own. If your kiddo has asthma, for example, they might really enjoy the Respiratory Health course, or if your young person is managing an autoimmune disorder, they might appreciate the Immune Health course. A teen who has dealt with digestive issues might like the Digestive Health course.

The Emergent Responder program will be appropriate for teens who live in areas prone to natural (or man-made) disasters, or kids who are just looking for the confidence of knowing what to do in emergency situations. Teens who are becoming interested in political issues, whether that’s climate change, equal rights for all people, or any other issue – may also find this program empowering.

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If you have any questions about what courses might be appropriate for your kids, just ask! I’m happy to help you decide. And if you try something your kids don’t like, don’t worry: you can get a refund!