Children's Gardening Resources for Your Homeschool

When I first saw this series of unit studies (Lessons From the Homestead by Carol J. Alexander) , I was in love as they are just the style we use in our classroom. Because I appreciate this kind of real life learning, I am going to do a giveaway on my favorite unit study from her set (giveaway has ended and has been removed from this post).

Lessons from the Homestead by Carol J. Alexander

"Lessons from the Homestead is a series of unit studies written for homeschooling or involved parents who want something that turns everyday life into learning lessons. Each unit study includes lessons for math, language, science, geography, home economics, art and more for each grade level. Each study includes a reading list for further study, literature suggestions and vocabulary words."

These are all wonderful unit studies based on farm life but my favorite is "Lessons from the Seed Catalog". I can imagine the fun of cutting and pasting up those cute catalogs for a fun crafting hour too! The lessons are arranged according to age—elementary, middle, or high school. They are grouped according to subject and there is much room for flexibility with more than 50 lesson plans using your seed catalogs... for math, language, science and more (how economical is that)! The best part is that it is a SIMPLE study to do that will not overwhelm mother.

Along the same lines, I have prepared some additional goodies to supplement these homestead-like studies (or use alone for fun). First of all, there is this "Children in the Garden ~ Coloring and Activity Book" that might be helpful to inspire your children to dig in the dirt this spring!  ~ Find your free printable HERE! They are featuring the old-fashioned regency images that I adore! 

I am also sharing a vintage "seed envelope" template that can be used in many ways to inspire a love for gardening. You will find the free printable HERE! Start crafting some envelopes now to use in the summer! 

-- Other posts we shared which also compliment these studies is our Garden Unit Study, Pumpkin Seed Packet Printables, Peter Rabbit Seed Packets and this Gardening with Peter Rabbit round up. Happy homeschooling! Love, JES

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). 

"The Time to Come" ~ Proverbs 31 Preparedness Series

"Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come."

~ Proverbs 31:25

To begin with, our family is not what you would call "preppers" but we do believe in being prepared. Not only is prudence spoken of many times in the Proverbs, but there are many other verses which support preparedness in general. As the days of His coming is getting closer, so will the calamities written of such as wars, famine, earthquakes, pestilence and so forth.  As these birth pains occur, we may begin to experience more and more of these signs. As depressing as that thought is, it can be alleviated with some prudent preparations (and always prayer!). Here is where a Proverbs 31 woman might act in advance to protect her household. As keeper of the home, we are to consider our current needs as well as potential future needs. As the guard of our homes, we need to protect it from possible calamities within the boundaries of common sense. This is not a post about panic and fear but wisdom and foresight.

I love what one author from the Back to Basics Living Bundle wrote about preparedness:

"Being prepared is a mixture of skills, knowledge, self-sufficiency, and good old-fashioned work... The pioneers and original homesteaders never referred to themselves as preppers, but they were both. I've heard it said (I don't know the original source) that not all preppers are homesteaders, but all homesteaders are preppers. And I have to say I agree with that..."

~ 30 Days to Preparedness ~ Old Fashioned Skills to Increase Self-Sufficiency by Melissa K. Norris 

And I would like to add that (to me) a homestead is any home where the occupants produce goods on their own which creates their own domestic economy! You don't need lots of land, but a cultivating spirit to prepare for those "rainy days". Perhaps it is a stocked pantry, a thriving garden, knowledge of the old ways and the list goes on.

Many translations (ESV, NIV) of the Virtuous Woman share her as "laughing at the time to come". It seems like an odd verse. What time to come? To me it can mean the future. She has obviously invested her energy into her home. She has made warm garments for her household for those frigid winter days, she has packed her pantry and she has planted her fields (this can be a garden). These are all practical and doable measures of preparedness that we can achieve in our homes. After all, it has been done by our ancestors for years!

"It has occurred to me that I am only doing what every housewife did as a matter of course only a generation or two ago. She always preserved food for the coming year as it came into season and bulk-purchased staples such as sugar and vinegar. Our grandmothers did this not because they were paranoid, isolated survivalists, but rather because they had learned from experience that blizzards, crop failures, and epidemics happened. The prudent, prepared household prevailed. Others did not.

As the winter storms howl outside my window and the political, economic, and ecological news goes from bad to worse, I sleep well, knowing I can care for my family during times of plenty and times of want."

~ Just in Case: How to Be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens

by Kathy Harrison

While we do not have the extra income to invest in buckets of freeze-dried foods, fancy food storage supplies and other helpful "prepper" materials, we are trying to accumulate at least a month's worth of provisions in case an emergency occurs. I would also like to be prepared with back-up systems for my household (i.e., cooking without gas, washing without electricity and so forth) and have other plans worked out in the case of the unexpected. What I will be doing will be general household preparedness that won't dip deeply into the pocketbook while still being a blessing in a time of need. There will also be some basic pantry building. We would love to share this with you in a series (probably a once a month "project" with pertaining printables).

This new series will share simple and practical ways we are preparing in case that "rainy day" ever does happen. The worse case is that we will have extra groceries, etc., in case our income is decreased in any way and our children will be learning along side us valuable lessons that can benefit their futures.

To begin, here is a printable cover page for this homemaking endeavor. I will be placing much of my information in a binder specifically for "the time to come". In the meantime, here are the preparedness articles we have shared thus far to get you inspired to start a Proverbs 31 Preparedness Binder: 

• Prepare Your Own Pantry Series
• Versatility, Reclaiming Space and Basic Pantry Building
• Our Pantry Rotation Strategy and Food Storage Tips
• A Call to Common Sense 
• Home-Made Meals Strictly from the Pantry
• How to Store, Sanitize & Use Water for Emergencies
• Women in the Ark ~ A Lesson in Prayer and Preparedness
• Some "Food" Storage for Thought ~ Pantry Preparedness
• 10 Reasons to Prepare a Pantry
• Buying in Bulk ~ Shelf Life Basics
• Frugal Living and Self-Sufficiency Skills ~ Printable Checklist
• Outdoor Wood-Fire Cooking Inspiration
• 5 Reasons to Store Frozen Water Bottles in Your Freezer
• Shelf Life of Canned Goods ~ Think Before You Throw Out
• Egg Substitutions ~ Free Printable List
• Sugar ~ Foods with No Expiration Date ~ Pantry Builder #1
• Raw Honey ~ Foods with No Expiration Date ~ Pantry Builder #2
• Alternative Lighting Options
• Power Outages, Generator Safety and Carbon Monoxide Awareness
• Medical Preparedness
• Abigail's Pantry ~ A Lesson in Opportunity, Pantry and Preparedness

The world of preparedness can be very overwhelming! To simplify it for myself, I will be using this very practical book as my outline (I am gleaning what is doable for a busy homemaking, homeschooling and homesteading mother):

Just in Case ~ How to Be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens by Kathy Harrison

Once again, this will not be a "hard-core" preparedness program but a sensible guide for the thoughtful homemaker on a budget. There are many "ordinary" homemakers like ourselves who feel this importance and are sharing their ideas and experiences that you may also appreciate such as Annabel at The Bluebirds are Nesting and Patsy at A Working Pantry. I also glean much from the Preparedness Mama (though her blog is solely preparedness tips). Being that this is the latest project in our household, I thought to share our journey too. I hope you will join us!

Your homework for the month:

• Print out the cover page we shared (if you like) and place it inside the cover of an empty binder. You now have started your preparedness binder! (That is an easy start isn't it?)

Extra Credit:

• Gather up some books on the subject and start reading! I would love for you to share your ideas along the way as we tackle different Proverbs 31 preparedness subjects!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

DIY "Liquid Morphine" Topical Pain Reliever Essential Oil Blend Recipe

Today we are sharing an essential oil blend recipe from the Essential Oil 101 Guide and Recipe Book by Caroline Vencil ! What I like about this book is that she includes recipes for blends. Using the proper dilution method, your essential oils will last longer as well as achieve more surface space on the skin (making them more effective) when you utilize a carrier oil . 

Instead of paying for the pre-made expensive blends, she shares many useful make-your-own recipes such as an allergy blend, headache blends, fight the flu blend, tummy blend, etc. She also shares diffuser blends, pregnancy blends as well as many ideas for using essential oils in the home. Today I will be sharing her "Liquid Morphine" Blend (aka Topical Pain Reliever Essential Oil Blend).

DIY "Liquid Morphine"

Topical Pain Reliever Essential Oil Blend Recipe

(shared with permission by the author)

For convenience, place ingredients (in order given) directly into a 10 ml rollerball bottle. You could also recycle an essential oil bottle for this recipe but will need to adjust the ratio according to the size of the bottle (and you will want to make sure that the bottle you are using is compatible (property wise) with your recipe. For instance, don't re-use a chamomile oil bottle (which is a relaxant) for a "Get Energy" essential oil blend! :)

Add to 10ml bottle:

• 10 drops marjoram essential oil
• 10 drops frankincense essential oil (This is a pricey one! The wise men brought good gifts!)
• 10 drops lemongrass essential oil

Note: There are some sources that think the oil blend might be too strong (specifically the lemongrass dosage), please read the comment section below for a varying opinion, options and an alternative recipe. I have shared what was printed in the Essential Oil Ebook but please use your own discretion. There are so many theories about safe usage of essential oils and we must all judge accordingly.

Fill the remainder of the bottle with the carrier oil of your choice such as fractionated coconut oil, almond oil, sunflower oil, etc. Make sure to cap the bottle tightly (especially if using the rollerball bottle) and your topical pain reliever blend is ready to use! For a quick label, use a sharpie and write the name of the blend directly on the glass bottle. 

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). 

DIY Vanilla Bean Syrup {with Printable Labels and Option to Can} & Favorite New Pantry Cookbook

Today I am sharing a homemaking/homesteading resource that has become a favorite of mine and a recipe from it! It is full of old fashioned meal ideas and is shared by a woman who had once lived for three years off-grid with no modern appliances and minimal electricity. The reason I mention this is because her recipes are real and down to earth! These are the kinds of recipes that have been interesting to me as of late-- ones that are nourishing and can be prepared from your basic pantry staples without needing a trip to the grocery store. I have only dreamt of a cookbook like this -- for the common farm pantry and frugal, from-scratch cook! No need for fancy ingredients to make these homemade and healthy comfort foods! May I introduce you to...

"A Cabin Full of Food" by Marie Beausoleil (349 pages!)

~~ The Ultimate "Store What You Use and Use What You Store" Cookbook ~~

As Marie (the author of the cookbook) explains...

"you don't need another cookbook that requires a shopping trip before you make dinner. You need to know how to cook with what you have...

The Irish have a saying: Better a cabin full of food than a hungry castle.

I couldn’t agree more!

Unfortunately, too many people would rather be in the middle of a cabin full of food because most of us are not used to dealing with food (and lots of it) in its natural state.

Whether you’re on the farm or in town, you’ll find great classic recipes that you can use today in this cookbook. If you have a fully stocked pantry, you have what you need to feed your family!

This book is organized by food type (grains, vegetables, fruit, meat) and written in a conversational, easy to follow format. It’s packed with almost 1000 easy, frugal, traditional recipes that will help you make the best use of what you have in the pantry already!

This is a massive, value-loaded book with over 300 pages of recipes.

This isn’t a cookbook so much as an encyclopedia on homestead cooking written by someone who knows what she’s doing – the author lives deep in the woods, raising four children in an off-grid cabin with solar power, wood heat and no fridge.

FARM FOOD

My grandfather always said to eat food that remembers where it came from.

But in this era of cans, boxes and bags, it is sometimes hard to know what to do with simple, from-the-farm food.

My book contains over 1000 of my own recipes, or ones that I have adapted and used over the years to make my own. There are lot of plain old classics that have almost been forgotten.

And quite a few come from the hand-written tried-and-true recipe books of my Old Order Mennonite friends.

These are recipes that have stood the test of time.

FOOD DOESN’T HAVE TO BE FANCY

You don’t need another book telling you how to make exotic ingredients into meals. This is real, down home cooking at its best. Save money by making your own ketchup, barbecue sauce, tomato soup and more from fresh tomatoes.

I’ll show you how to put up the garden bounty to quickly use it all winter. Learn to keep up with the egg and milk abundance when you have small livestock."

  ~ A Cabin Full of Food by Marie Beausoleil

Marie also shares a variety of pre-made spice recipes, a section on grains which shares many interesting frugal recipes such as a mixed coffee substitute, war yeast bread and leftovers quick bread. It is not a normal cook book but reminds me of an old fashioned receipt book. Her book is segmented by garden produce and how to use each one in each category and even includes some home remedies. There is a recipe for bean loaf instead of meat loaf (lots of bean recipes) that I am eager to try (lots of frugal recipes in general)!

This is probably one of her fanciest recipes that I am sharing today as it uses a vanilla bean (while the remainder of the book focuses on common pantry ingredients, garden harvests and farm by-products) but as a coffee lover, I had to try it! Marie mentions what a nice gift it would make and I must agree (I am sharing some vanilla bean syrup labels in case you would like to make some!).

She also says to drizzle it over baked goods, add to hot beverages or stew fresh fruit with it. I would like to add that you could even create the fancy cold coffee drinks with it! A bit of leftover morning coffee from the fridge... a splash of cream, a few cubes of ice, a drizzle of this syrup and you have an iced vanilla coffee.

Vanilla Bean Syrup Recipe 

(shared with permission by the author)

Bring to a simmer the following ingredients in a small saucepan:

• 1 c. water
• 2 c. sugar
• 3 vanilla beans (split lengthwise and scraped) *

Cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into 2 half-pint jars. Make sure to distribute the beans into each jar. You can refrigerate once cool or you can preserve it for your pantry she says. To do so, wipe the jar rims, apply lids and rings and process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner for a shelf stable syrup. Do make sure your jars have been sterilized first if you opt to can the syrup like I did.

* I get our vanilla beans on eBay from a French merchant as they are much more affordable this way.

Happy homemaking!

A Cabin Full of Food by Marie Beausoleil

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).