Outdoor Play

Faith in a Seed Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.~ Thoreau

What We Learned From Our First Garden 1.  Get bigger tomato cages. The tomatoes get a lot bigger and heavier than you think they will. 2. Plan ahead a little bit. We started the first garden Mother’s Day weekend 2011, which I’ve learned is kind of late. 3.  Plant more than two okra plants if […]

Winter nature study is just as fun and interesting as any other season, and getting outside in the crisp, cool weather is just the thing to cure the winter-blahs. All you have to do is head outside to find something interesting to observe and study. Winter Nature Study Resources   If you need a little […]

Even if it’s really cold outside, you can still enjoy nature study projects in the winter. So, pull out your nature journals, and bundle up! It’s time to go explore what’s outside in the winter world. 1. Fill up the bird feeder and watch for winter birds. Are they different from the birds you see […]

I’m on a quest to incorporate more outside play into our school days this year. Even though my kids are getting older, there’s always a benefit to going outside and expending some energy. With schoolwork, media, and Minecraft taking so much of their time and attention, I am actually planning “Active Time” in our school […]

This humongous spider has a nice little hidey hole in our flower bed. We found out some cool stuff about it when we started investigating to find out what it is: Carolina Wolf Spider (Hogna carolinensis) Largest wolf spider in North America Average 3 to 4 inches long Live in the ground and cannot climb […]

The boys were swimming and diving in the pool over the weekend, when a surprise came swimming by. We got an up-close look at this bullfrog, who was enjoying the pool as much as the boys were. It was really huge, and filled up both of my 16-year-old’s hands! Being homeschoolers, of course we had […]

It’s so easy to incorporate nature study into your homeschool schedule, and many times, it just happens spontaneously. Our nature studies take many forms, from drawing in our nature journals to simply observing. How to make the most of spontaneous nature study: Ask your child questions about what he sees. Look closer and observe the details. What […]

Groundbreaking Food Gardens by Niki Jabbour is a collection of food garden plans from inspiring gardeners from across North America, including formal gardens, front yard gardens, and even patio gardens. There is something for everyone of all ability-levels in this book, and there’s even a school garden for kids. Along with advice and tips from […]

It’s gardening time!! One of my favorite times of the year. My youngest son is my farmer in training, and he and I have already been cultivating our seedlings as we anxiously await putting them in the ground. Our raised bed is all prepared, and our little plants are coming along nicely. My mom was […]

My kids attend homeschool art classes throughout the school year, but they go on hiatus for the summer months. This gives us an even greater opportunity to pull out our drawing supplies and head outside and practice the art skills they’ve learned as we await fall classes to begin again. We love to spend time […]