Homesteading and Homeschooling Go Together

by hartnana

Homesteading makes homeschooling much easier; tips and ideas for living your life and educating your children all at the same time.

Homeschooling by Homesteading

Using life to educate your children

 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.

 

Other articles on Homesteading and Homeschooling

If you are considering homeschooling your children, there are some factors you should evaluate. If you have these qualities, homeschooling will be easier for you.
I wanted to share my thoughts today about Homesteading and answer some questions I have been asked.

Books on Homesteading

Even if you live in the city you can still homestead
The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 5...
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The Homesteader's Herbal Companion: T...
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Pictures around the Farm

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Homesteading and homeschooling vegetable garden
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Larry the Llama
Larry the Llama
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Books on Homeschooling

Homeschooling is for the feint of heart
The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas: 500+ Fun and Creative Learning Activities for Kids ...

Fun and Effective Home Learning Activities for Every SubjectAs a homeschooling parent, you're always looking for new and creative ways to teach your child the basics. Look no ...

$16.18  $1.83
Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything

Free Range Learning presents eye-opening data about the meaning and importance of natural learning. This data-from neurologists, child development specialists, ...

$18.04  $9.99
Homeschooling Boys - Gaining Maximum Success from Minimum Cooperation

Product DescriptionWhat do you do when life gives you boys to raise? In Tina Razzell’s case the answer is homeschool them. In her fifteen years as a homeschool mom she’s ...

Only $0.99
The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling

Socialization may well be the single most important aspect of education today. With high and rising rates of divorce, drug abuse, youth violence, alcoholism, teen promiscuity, ...

$8.82  $24.9
Homeschooling for the Rest of Us: How Your One-of-a-Kind Family Can Make Homeschooling and Real ...

Homeschooling parents are under great pressure. Besides trying to balance teaching responsibilities and family life, they often face unrealistic expectations from relatives, ...

Only $15.0
Updated: 01/04/2012, hartnana
 
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hartnana on 01/02/2012

Bhavesh, we drill on multiplication while we milk the goats LOL It is way more fun than sitting at a table.

Bhavesh on 01/01/2012

Growing up in India, some of my best times were spent on our family farm looking after animals, helping pick fruits and getting involved in the selling of crops. I learned many lesson on industry, commerce and working with other people. What a great idea to combine farm-life with schooling - I think it's one of the best ways to teach our children life-lessons while we give them math lessons.

Jimmie on 12/11/2011

Your farm is beautiful! I love the concept of homesteading and homeschooling. Very idyllic and old fashioned. Can't wait to see what else you write about here. (Thanks for linking to my article!)

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