It's foraging season in NE Missouri. On recent forest walks we have collected thistle, wood nettles, and the amazingly delicious mushroom, Chicken of the Woods. We encourage our kids to participate in all aspects of foraging - from learning the safe collection of wild edibles, to cooking, and of course, eating! Today, I welcome my friend Kathie Lapcevic, from the blog Homespun Seasonal Living, to share some of her tips for foraging with kids. And if you're interested in diving into foraging more deeply, check out my book, Family Homesteading, which has entire chapter dedicated to foraging, including recipes for using foraged foods! Foraging with … [Read more...]
Waldorf Homeschooling on our Homestead
I’m often asked about how we homeschool our two children, ages 4 and 7. And while I’ve shared quite a bit about our homeschooling experience in past blog posts, I haven’t given an update in quite a while. Last year we gathered every Friday with a few other families for a Waldorf-inspired mixed ages kindergarten consisting of circle time, crafts, story, and seasonal celebrations. While we still gather on Tuesday afternoons for a totally informal, fun playdate, and we still try to celebrate festivals and holidays together, we are no longer meeting for “school.” Several of us had children entering into First Grade this year, which is a really big deal if you follow the Waldorf philosophy, … [Read more...]
An Advent Spiral Celebration
One of the sweetest yearly rituals that our family enjoys is an Advent spiral in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Although we do not practice a particular religion at home, I find that the Advent spiral encompasses all of the many festivals of light in a beautiful, introspective, and peace-filled way. Our Waldorf homeschool cooperative group has come together to celebrate this festival for the past three years. The details have changed from year to year, but the essence remains the same: the spiral, songs, a story, and a shared meal. The Spiral The Advent spiral is really at the heart of our festival. It is not possible to describe how precious it is to watch each child walk slowly … [Read more...]
How to Have a Totally Awesome Camping Road Trip with Kids
Hello! We're back from our almost three week epic road trip vacation, and I have to say, it was fabulous. So many beautiful places, hours spent with beautiful people, and beautifully focused family time. It was really wonderful to visit our old home of nearly 14 years, but also really wonderful to return to this new home. When we moved to Missouri almost two years ago, in October of 2012, we also drove across the country. But since it was October and we weren't sure what kind of weather we would encounter, we didn't camp, but stayed with friends and in hotels. This time, we camped 10 out of 18 nights, and with two young and energetic children, ages 3 and 6, just being able to … [Read more...]
Gardening with Children
Gardening is both a passion of mine and a way of life, and it's important to me that my children experience the joys of digging in the earth and growing food. Gardening with young children is really quite wonderful - yes, you might have to re-do a few plantings, and some tasks do take a bit longer - but the sense of wonder and connection that develops from a child's relationship with their garden is worth it. Here are some of my best tips for gardening with children, from many, many hours spent in the garden with my two little ones. Tips for Gardening with Children Start Gardening with Kids Now There's no need to wait until children are older. Bring them into the garden … [Read more...]
Keeping Homestead Kids Warm in Winter
When winter comes around, it's time to consider how to keep homestead kids warm. Especially when there are chores to be done, it's important that our little ones are comfortable and safe and warm. Plus, it's way more fun when your little ones aren't complaining of cold fingers! This has been one of the coldest winters in a decade in NE Missouri, and certainly the coldest one for my kids, who spent their first years in the more mild, rainy Oregon climate. We have not been able to get outside every day - particularly when the wind chill is -25 degrees! But most days, we all head out as a family to bring water back from the pond, collect chicken eggs, ski, or just get some … [Read more...]
January Circle Time
This January has been one of the coldest I've experienced since 1995, when I was in college in Maine. That winter, I remember walking across our small campus, bundled up in my warmest L.L. Bean wool sweater and down vest, and having to retreat into buildings just to escape the cold. This year, we've had several Arctic cold fronts move through, accompanied by high winds, so even if we bundle the kids up for an outdoor adventure, within minutes, they seem to get cold. I've been very grateful for indoor adventures, such as a trip to Columbia where enjoyed their huge public library, or a field trip to a local hotel that let our community rent their indoor pool for a few hours, and especially … [Read more...]
December Circle Time
Our little homeschool cooperative has expanded to 12 little ones, and still meets weekly on Friday mornings. In addition, we are gathering on Monday evenings to celebrate Advent with a beautiful spiral, singing, a short ritual, and a shared meal. It's very sweet, and I hope to take and share some photos in the coming weeks. Today, I will share our December circle time, which is a combination of nature-based, Christmas, and Advent songs, fingerplays, and movement. This month we have enjoyed listening to stories about St. Nicholas, The Christmas Rose, and the wonderful children's book, Holly and Ivy. Some of my favorite resources for creating our circle are the lovely CD Come Follow … [Read more...]
Gratitude :: Community Communication
This week has been a challenging one for our little homeschool cooperative. We experienced some group conflict as a result of diving forward into the new year without a clear set of guidelines for how we'd make group decisions or resolve disagreements. A seemingly simple decision over an upcoming festival turned into two meetings, then three, then phone calls and long conversations, some confusion and disagreement, and even a few hurt feelings. It's so natural for conflict to arise in groups, and particularly in a homeschool cooperative environment, where each of us is so fully invested in our children's education; discussions naturally bring out big emotions. But we were unprepared for … [Read more...]