About Us
We’d like to introduce ourselves. We are Joe and Janelle Frenette, the husband and wife team behind this new family-run venture rooted in community, connection, and countryside life.
After spending several years in Alberta, we moved back to Northwestern Ontario in 2024 to put down roots once again. Joe is originally from Thunder Bay, and Janelle grew up in Fort Frances. Both of us attended Lakehead University and spent time living in the Thunder Bay area before heading west. Now, we’re thrilled to be home, living on 120 acres just west of Kakabeka Falls.
Our homestead is non-denominational, but grounded in traditional and family values. We love blending old-fashioned skills with modern efficiencies, a lifestyle we’ve been building since 2014. What started with a few rabbits and chickens has grown into a full-fledged hobby farm with goats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, poultry of all kinds, and cows!
Even though we’ve moved (and restarted) a few times, our commitment to this lifestyle has only deepened. We raise animals that not only provide for our family - with fresh eggs, meat, and milk - but are also friendly, safe, and gentle enough to be part of our children’s daily lives. Our mature Jersey cows are as calm and cuddly as oversized dogs, and our Kunekune pigs are some of the sweetest animals you’ll meet.
We take pride in our high standards of animal care, focusing on humane, sustainable practices like rotational grazing to nurture both livestock and land. Now, as we open up our small but growing farm to the community, we’re excited to share our animals, and our passion, with new friends!
Beyond farming, we’re deeply committed to offering children a hands-on, dynamic, and individualized learning experience, something we feel is hard to find in traditional classrooms.
We believe in:
Teaching the younger generations about where real food comes from
Helping kids discover real-life skills based on their unique interests
Fostering a deep connection with the natural world
Allowing children to learn at their own pace through play and experience
Our vision blends elements of forest school with basic farm life education, a place where kids can safely interact with animals, explore the outdoors, and enjoy guided learning through crafts, nature studies, and seasonal activities.
With daily adventures including trail walks, scavenger hunts, archery, animal care, sledding and snowshoeing, plus unique experiences like cuddling baby animals, watching eggs hatch, and harvesting from the land, each day is sure to be packed with purpose, play, and discovery!
Our Educational Vision
Meet the Team
Joe Frenette is a certified teacher in both Ontario and Alberta, with degrees in Education, Outdoor Recreation, and English from Lakehead University. He is First Aid certified with a current criminal record check.
He brings over 15 years of experience as an educator both in and out of traditional systems in schools, museums and parks, teaching all ages and subjects. His most recent work focused on science, history, and geography at a small charter school, and he’s played a key role in developing outdoor education programs in both Fort Frances and northern Alberta.
He is passionate about reconnecting youth with nature, and in sharing the skills needed for them to safely and respectfully immerse themselves in the wild.
Janelle is the heart behind the homestead, often spending countless hours researching animal breeds and their care, planning projects, and managing the day-to-day operations of both farm and family.
She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology but has spent the past decade homeschooling and raising their (soon-to-be four) children.
Janelle believes that children learn best through play, hands-on experiences, and real world problem solving and feels that any and all time spent outdoors is highly beneficial for growing bodies and minds. Her goal is to help children reconnect with the roots of real food, rediscover traditional skills that have been lost over generations, and inspire more sustainable ways of living.