What Makes a Thriving Homeschool Collective? With Cassie Tinsmon

In this episode of the OpenEd podcast, we speak with Cassie Tinsmon, founder of Lily Lake Homeschool Collective in Kansas. Cassie shares how she created a flexible learning community that supports working parents while giving children the freedom to learn naturally and at their own pace.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Cassie chose an unschooling approach and built a microschool community
• How Lily Lake integrates real-life business experience into children's education
• The importance of parent confidence in guiding a child's learning journey
• What a typical day looks like in a self-directed learning environment
• How children naturally develop academic and practical skills when given freedom

Guest Spotlight:

Cassie Tinsmon Born and raised in Wichita, KS, Cassie earned her degree in Social Work from Wichita State University and later completed a Masters in Public Health from New Mexico State University. Her career path took her through Denver, Washington DC, and New York City before returning to her Midwestern roots in 2012. Today, she serves as President of Katz Compliance LLC, a political consulting firm where she's worked for 15 years. Together with her husband Stewart and another homeschooling family, she founded what began as Bee Curious Learning Collective in 2022, supported by a $10,000 grant from Vela Education Fund. When the opportunity arose to purchase Lily Lake, Cassie saw the potential to create the supportive learning community she had always envisioned. What started as a small co-op has now grown into a flexible educational community serving families from across the region, complete with a homeschool space and toddler play café.

Connect with Lily Lake:

Website: https://lilylakekansas.com/

Key Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to Raising Kids Beyond Productivity
• 00:31 Welcome to the Open Ed Podcast
• 00:59 Cassie Tinman's Educational Journey
• 01:28 Unschooling and Self-Directed Learning
• 03:29 Challenges and Adaptations in Homeschooling
• 04:10 The Birth of Lily Lake Homeschool Collective
• 07:47 Daily Life at Lily Lake
• 09:53 Balancing Work and Homeschooling
• 15:31 Integrating Learning into Everyday Life
• 18:27 Supporting Homeschooling Families
• 19:56 Concerns About Traditional Schooling
• 24:59 Homeschooling Success Stories
• 30:07 Building a Homeschool Community
• 32:17 Exciting Developments at Lily Lake
• 34:46 Conclusion and Contact Information