Instilling a love of learning into a child is completely unnecessary – they are born with it. What parents really should be focusing on is fanning the flames of that inherent joy and preventing it from being stifled by exposing them to rigid forms of education. Children are born with a sense of wonder and … Read more
Caring for ducklings in the winter is not necessarily a difficult task, but does require the following of some specific husbandry techniques. Ducklings are, of course, baby ducks. And like all babies, they are fragile, vulnerable, and depend entirely on the help of grown ups (either feathered or human) for their survival. Both ducks and … Read more
Making soap is not a complicated process, but it is a process that involves some very specific steps … unless you want to wind up with a useless pile of goop. Soap is basically a mixture of combined oils, fats, and a caustic solution. So, can you make soap without any lye? No, you can’t … Read more
Dandelion soap is such a mood lifter in the early spring as the bright yellow flowers start popping up everywhere after the long, cold winter. This colorful and fragrant soap is wonderful to use any time of the year, and leaves the skin feeling fresh and well moisturized. This recipe used a glycerin melt-and-pour base … Read more
If you’re wondering how to keep chickens warm in the winter without electricity, you’ve come to the right place – and I have a secret to tell you… For the most part, chickens can handle the cold weather themselves. They don’t need you. I know, that might break your heart. To some extent, you want … Read more
Ducks are far easier to care for during the winter months than chickens, according to my years of personal experience. If you start preparing for the coming months of frigid cold in the fall, just as you do for firewood and hay bales, keeping your duck flock safe, healthy, and laying eggs will be a … Read more
The first thing you should do when trying to figure out a way to stick to a homeschool schedule is stop thinking of the daily learning plan as well… a schedule. Developing a homeschool routine instead of a rigid schedule that mirrors a public school day is often a part of the “deschooling” process for … Read more
Bees are one of the most vital creatures on our planet. Without bees one of every two to three morsels of food that we put into our mouths would simply not exist. Because of both the crucial role these tiny pollinators play in the food cycle and their dwindling numbers around the world, teaching children … Read more
Once you have tasted biltong, you’ll be a fan of this spiced dried meat that South Africans have made famous around the world. As with jerky, biltong making arose out of necessity. In the early days, when there were no fridges to store fresh meat, and once a steer had been slaughtered or an antelope … Read more
The Amish lifestyle in real life is a lot different than what most folks watch on television reality shows. Amish communities are present in most regions of the United States, but the largest congregations are located in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The culture in Amish communities varies in many cases. Amish and Minnonite communities may share … Read more
If you have a farm, you might be wondering about the best ways to winterize your barn… Truth be told, there’s no single right way to winterize a barn, chicken coop, or any other kind of livestock housing facility. The steps that you need to take to do so will depend largely on where you … Read more
Making floral soap with a melt and pour glycerin soap base is both fun and easy. The process is so simple and safe, that children can also help with the project – or do it themselves under adult supervision. Suspending flowers inside of a clear soap base with dried flowers allows you to harness both … Read more
The word permaculture, derived from permanent agriculture by Bill Mollison, has not yet seemed to have found its way into the halls of local, regional or federal governments. Currently, the term used for any type of green urban renewal is referred to as agricultural regeneration, or urban agriculture. The terms are similar in the fact, … Read more
There are pros and cons with raising any animal, ducks included. But, from my many years of personal experience, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to duck keeping. Ducks, like chickens, can be kept not only on spacious rural homesteads, but in suburban or urban areas as well. A small flock of … Read more
How many hours you homeschool a week must take into consideration a myriad of factors. The age of the children, how many children you are teaching, the homeschool method or curriculum you are using, and last but not least – the rules of your state. Homeschooling attendance is almost exclusively determined by hours and not … Read more
I’d never really considered dehydrating honey on the homestead, however, the other day I was gifted a lot of honey and I really wanted to use the five-gallon buckets that it came in for another project on the homestead. So I did some research and came up with some ways to store the honey that … Read more