Homeschooling from the Heart

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April 20, 2008 - Gardening Projects

Now that all of our children are old enough to allow us some freedom for working in the yard while they play (and help us with the gardening chores) we are looking forward to putting in a decent sized vegetable garden. It will be so nice to have fresh homegrown tomatoes, green beans, snap peas, peppers..... I could go on and on listing what I'd like to plant but what will actually get in the ground and thrive remains to be seen.

This past weekend we went to our local petting farm for their annual spring event which included watching the sheep get sheared and crafts for the kids. There were also some interesting displays in the main building. One was a lady who raises red worms in her basement in rubbermaid tubs. She feeds her food remnants to them and they turn it into compost for her garden. It is certainly fascinating stuff but I'm not sure I could get involved in something like that.

Something else I am interested in that I learned about at the the petting farm is creating a monarch butterfly waystation. Apparently, the monarch butterfly population is declining due to shrinking habitat and herbicide overuse. There is a program out of Kansas where you can get certified as a Monarch Waystation by planting nectar and host plant varieties for monarch butterflies to use for nectar, laying eggs and caterpillars food. The website address for more information is www.monarchwatch.org. Last year we ordered Painted Lady caterpillars from Insect Lore and watched them turn into butterflies and then released them. This will be a fun way to take that experience one giant step further. It will also get us involved in an activity that demonstrates to the children how to be good stewards of the earth and the creatures God made for us to enjoy. I'll keep you posted as we create our butterfly garden and hopefully even see some of their lifecycle occur there!

We also got some sunflower seeds for J and M to plant and grow for the Sunflower Growing Contest. Maybe one of them will win a prize for tallest sunflower or largest bloom.

I'm so happy that spring is finally here (it seemed to take forever to arrive) and that we have much to look forward to during these warmer months.

April 29, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

I've been wanting to order some of those from Insect Lore but haven't yet...they have some neat stuff. That would be so neat...and beautiful. Glad spring has sprung for you! Enjoy planting!
Jamie
www.princessruby.blogspot.com

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July 4, 2008 - Hello

Posted by layla7

Just stopping by to say Hi.
Cheryl

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August 13, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Jocelyndixon

Hello there! I'd like to invite you to check out the new blogger "writing assignments" school at the Homeschool Blog Awards site, called Blogger Class Mates! It's just starting today and we hope you will stop over and join us!

You can go here for more info: http://homeschoolblogawards.com/2008/08/blogger-class-mates/

Blessings to you!
Miss Jocelyn

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About Me

I am a Christian wife and mother of 3 in Michigan. This is where I will be sharing our experiences in homeschooling our children. I welcome comments and look forward to hearing from my readers!