The Evolution ...

Wed, 2 Aug 2006 16:09:00 -0500

I think the most incredible thing about home schooling is that... In working hard to provide my child with the best possible education, not only did I learn along with my daughter... But I learned to see the world through a child�s eyes. It brought me back to where I once was. When everything was a question, when the feeling of wonderment prevailed...This happens to most adults, as we grow� the questions seem silly and we lose the wonderment. Once it is lost, I think we need an epiphany, to get it back. My epiphany came more as a process. Somehow, in the process of researching material for unit studies.. I had to look at things from different angles. It was in doing this that I re-learned to ask the questions again.. Why is the sky blue? How can a bumble bee fly? Oh, this is so cool.. I wonder what it must feel like to depend on one�s own skills to maintain our own lives, just as the pioneers did. Then came the interest in making soap, preserving food, raising chickens. Anything you can think of� We have talked about. The enthusiasm to answer the new questions, built. I found that as my daughter and I bounced ideas and questions off each other. This new way of thinking seeing and experiencing things, became second nature for each of us. What a joy life is, when you can see� really see.. All of the things God has given us. How sad it is when people say, �I�m bored�. It just means that they have not learned to ask questions. I doubt either one of us will ever say we are bored again.

The Evolution�

I looked at our urban backyard and thought to myself� How stupid to have all this land go to waste. Then I got the idea.. Of digging it up and putting in an expansive garden. More research.. More thought� When I spoke with my daughter about my idea.. She lit up like a Christmas tree� We gave much thought to what we wanted to grow in our garden.. We talked about ways to preserve food, we learned about how the pioneers did such things� (This link is an awesome and fun website with tons of fun to read information regarding how people sustained their lives http://waltonfeed.com/old/index.html ) After reading and learning.. We decided we wanted to preserve the vegetables we grew. We took an unorthodox way of deciding what to plant based on canning recipes we collected. After doing this.. We researched what specific types of vegetables we wanted to grow. We started collecting seeds already in January, which was nice because it gave us something to look forward to during the long cold and gray days of winter. We decided to keep a garden journal, and keep track of what seeds do best, so we would know what to purchase the following year. So far, we have decided that the Martha Stewart seeds show the most promise. As all that brand of seeds came up, the others lagged far behind.

Then came spring�� YIPPEE!!! Spring was here.. Nevertheless, so were the rains of spring.. Finally, at the end of May we were able to start our garden. I enlisted the help of my son to dig up the back yard. My husband looked a little worried�. However, he has warmed up to the idea, especially now that we are going to have a bumper crop of tomatoes! We have five different kinds of tomatoes, divided into two groups. Salad tomatoes and canning/processing tomatoes, Early Girl, Roma, Yellow Pear, Cherry Vine, and Currant Tomatoes. Yellow and green beans, sugar snap and Asian peas, okra, brussel sprouts, two different kinds of onions, and also green onions, radishes, carrots and beets, kale, lettuce, yellow squash, patti-pan, zucchini squash, acorn squash, and baking pumpkins. Everything we have in our garden was started by us from seed. It is amazing how much food one can raise in a rather small area. Nothing but the seeds was purchased from the store! This is the first year I have done this. I am sold.. This is the ONLY way I will do it from now on.. No more pre-started plants!

I have had a garden for years, and have known that the best way to get kids to eat vegetables is to have them participate in growing them. However, I am enthralled with the idea of using the resources we have to help sustain our lives.

In the process of learning, doing, more reading .. I found a site that shares my view of not wasting land on lawns, instead using what we have to help sustain ourselves. http://www.foodnotlawns.com/lawns_to_gardens.html

Yippee! I�m not alone anymore!

How It Began...

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 11:43:00 -0500

Hello and Welcome!

Urban Homeschooling Homesteader... Funny title, I know.

However, there is a story behind this title. Last fall we decided to homeschool our daughter Marianna. It had become apparent that the public school atmosphere that we had her in was doing more harm than good.

So..... In August we began Unit Study based Homeschooling.. It started with Hurricane Katrina. I had decided to do Unit based study. I am amazed at how much opportunity life itself gives us to learn. We learned about hurricanes, from their scientific inner workings to their effects on people, animals and environment. Along with all of this, we were able to ask questions. What could have been prevented? What things can be controlled and what cannot be? What can an individual do to help themselves in an emergency? As we asked questions, we learned more and more. I say we.... because both Marianna and myself learned together. As we went on .. We could see our simple home school evolve. We created an atmosphere of questions.... research.... answers..... More questions.... and a whoooooooole lot of learning!

As we progressed with our questions. We asked ourselves.. What can we do to prevent disasters? What can we do help ourselves and our neighbors? The concept of self sufficiency emerged. We asked more questions, and researched more.... We learned what to put in an emergency kit, how much food and water five people (the number of people in our immediate family) required. It was there.. The idea of homesteading was born. As we learned what was required, we thought more and more about how fragile we actually are. How dependent we are on the ability to run to the store... hop in the car and get this and that to make dinner...etc. We thought about the word fragile.. If you consult *Merriam Webster's Thesaurus.. You will find this..

Text: 1 easily broken <attaching the beautiful but fragile ornaments to the Christmas tree is always a touchy operation>
Synonyms breakable, delicate, frail
Related Word dainty, fine, gossamer; flimsy, slight, tenuous; brittle, crisp, crumbly, flaky, friable, short; feeble, infirm, weak; inelastic, inflexible, stiff firm, solid, substantial; elastic, flexible, resilient
Antonyms nonbreakable, strong, sturdy, tough, unbreakable
2 easily injured without careful handling

After reading this, we decided that the antonyms appealed to us more than the synonyms. Again, more questions... What can we do?

That is where our Homestead.. Urban as it is....Came to be... We learned a little about early homesteaders, and what they did to survive. What they did to help themselves. We are learning more about this, while reading the Little House series this summer.

Again... we ask questions... learn more.... We have come to the conclusion, that there is so much to learn in this wonderful life of ours.... the more we learn... the more questions we ask...

It's that simple.

... Urban Homesteading HomeSchooler ... - Homeschool Blogger

The Evolution ...

How It Began...