Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Category Archives: Homeschooling

Family Literacy: The Truth About Nature

Family Literacy: The Truth About Nature

Our family likes nature.  And we like to read.  So we were happy to review the latest book from Destination Nature – The Truth About Nature: A Family’s Guide to 144 Common Myths about the Great Outdoors.  This is the second book we’ve had the pleasure to read from these authors, and it’s just as good, if not better than, the first! (Click here for our review of The Kid’s Outdoor Adventure Book.) The Truth About Nature debunks 144 different nature myths – about animals, plants, the ocean, weather, and even outer space.  The myths are divided into seasons, and…Read the rest of this entry →

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Opening a Can of Worm (Farm)

Opening a Can of Worm (Farm)

Hands-on nature activities are a big thing at our house – the messier, the better.  It’s my opinion that allowing a child to explore the world around them with all 5 of his/her God-given senses will create a lifelong curiosity and appetite for learning.  One such activity that we tried recently was making a worm farm.  It’s easy to do, and is fun for all ages! How to: All you need is a container of some sort, preferably clear.  (We re-used an old soda bottle.)  Toss in some dirt along with a few compost items (rotting leaves, banana peel, coffee grounds, etc),…Read the rest of this entry →

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It’s Apple Mania Week at Our House!

It’s Apple Mania Week at Our House!

The temps have started to go down, and it’s finally starting to feel like fall!  For our family that means prime climbing season…but it also means the local apple orchards are ripe and ready for pickin’!  I love apples, and they are one of Big C’s favorite foods as well, so this year I decided to dedicate an entire week to cooking nothing but apples (well, maybe we’ll cook a few other things too, but apples will be our main theme!)  My hope is that we  can find a few go-to recipes that we love enough to establish a family…Read the rest of this entry →

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Nursery Rhymes for Outdoor Play

Nursery Rhymes for Outdoor Play

Not sure about your kiddo, but my 4 year old absolutely loves to sing.  He sings in his room in the morning, sings at the dinner table, and sings in the car.  In fact, he sings his loudest when he thinks no one can hear him…Many of the songs are learned from us, from Sunday School, from preschool and from the occasional TV show (the theme song from “Thomas the Train” is an annoyingly catchy favorite).   Anyway, one recent school song was the nursery rhyme about the speckled frogs.  Big C has been singing it constantly for several days…Read the rest of this entry →

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6 Ideas for Nature Hunts with Young Explorers

6 Ideas for Nature Hunts with Young Explorers

While I’ve written before on the many benefits of unstructured outdoor time for children, you might find that your green hour time needs a refreshing boost every now and then with a planned activity.  Also, the added challenge of a trail “assignment” can make for happy hikers!  But just because an activity is planned doesn’t mean it has to be elaborate or complex, especially for younger kiddos.  By nature kids are creatures of curiosity that love exploring (whether it’s out in the woods or rifling through that drawer in Mommy’s office they aren’t supposed to be into…)  And I don’t…Read the rest of this entry →

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“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN