Homesteading and Homeschooling Go Together

 Raising children on a farm or a homestead offers so many opportunities for teaching, not just the basic things like reading, ‘riting, and ‘rythmatic, but the important lessons in life as well.

On a small scale caring for animals like chickens and rabbits, or even cats and dogs, teaches responsibility and stewardship for another living being. It also can be used to teach about the circle of life. Hatching baby chicks is always a popular spring treat around here, as the day approaches when the chicks are supposed to hatch we are all checking the incubator regularly to see if any of the eggs have started to crack yet.  On the other end is butchering day in the fall, when we dispatch, de-feather, clean, cut, package and freeze our chickens.  It is important for children to learn about the foods they eat.

On a larger scale you could raise goats, cows or llamas. Bottle feeding these animals and helping them get a good start teaches compassion for them. Over the course of the year or years as these animals breed and produce offspring children learn about reproduction.

Gardening is another of my favorite teaching times. There are just so many things you can learn in a garden from weeding to picking your ripe harvest. Once your harvest is in there is learning about preserving your harvest for the coming winter.  There is nothing quite like pulling out raspberry jam in the dead of winter to smother on your fresh baked bread to remind you all of the fun spent outside picking raspberries and talking and singing.

Homesteading and homeschooling are both ways of life. They have a rhythm.  Yes there are times when you need to sit down at the table and work out math problems – Math-u-see is my hands down favorite math curriculum out there or spending time reading and writing about what you have learned, but for the most part that time is small in comparison to the time spent just talking about stuff.  Jimmie made a comment in her article about liking to learn.  It is true and profound. If you like to learn yourself and if you have broad interests, homeschooling is going to be very easy for you.

If everything you do is an opportunity for learning and you simply take your child or children on that journey with you, you will find your life is interesting and fun.