~ Down on the Farm Homeschooling/Unschooling ~

Welcome to the September Carnival of Natural Parenting: We're all home schoolers
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how their children learn at home as a natural part of their day. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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We have yet to officially begin homeschooling for this year. We are starting off our year with a field trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota next week and will begin structured classes when we get back. Not being in structure class however does not keep us from learning on a day to day basis. Living on a farm requires you to be open to learning all the time. There is always something that needs to be done and just about a million ways to get it done. The hard part is choosing the way that is not only going to be fastest but also the way that makes the most sense in the long run.

"Many hands makes little work" and "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" are a big part of our day. I am only one mom to four kids and a farm. Including our kids in the kitchen not only has helped us to teach fractions, fire safety, and why choosing organic/heirloom foods are important, but that when you are really hungry, lunch or dinner comes much faster if you are willing to help.

My three year old daughter is learning fractions by helping to fold kitchen towels. We have one drawer for towels and if they are all going to fit they have to be folded in half, in half again, and then in thirds. If was so much fun to watch her little brain go and the concentration on her face as she folded those towels.

We learn about animal husbandry and what it takes to keep animals by having animals. We had 65 chickens, but between one getting stepped on (got the worse mom in the world award for that one), a fox and an owl, we are down to something like 58. The boys and I had to go out in the chicken yard for a few night and chase chickens in the coop instead of letting them roost in the trees. The boys thought it was fun for the first five minutes but after that they were ready to go in. It was a lesson in patience, putting others first, and compassion. If we left the chickens in the trees there was possibility of them getting attacked by the owl.

The chicken in the above picture is a Light Brahms. These guys have turned out to be huge, but gentle and have feathers on their feet. They are tons of fun.

Our calf Carmel.

They have learned that having a cow means we have to have a bit of a schedule if they want fresh milk. She likes to be milked around the same time every morning and when you are late she gets a bit annoyed, but she is always patience and stands to be milked. You most likely will get a few swats with a tail, but after all, you were late. I remind them that when they get annoyed, patience is a much better route to take. It again helps them learn to put others first as our animals can not let themselves out or get their own water.

And last but certainly not least, all of the creepy crawlies that we find. This is a snake that we found the other day. I wanted to get a picture of his whole body because he was huge. He was about four feet long and an inch in diameter. The boys were running home to show their dad before I got a chance to take more pictures. We find moths, worms, beetles, caterpillars, toads, salamanders...its hard to think of what we haven't found.

I know that not every one can or has the inclination to live on a farm or homeschool for that matter, but I believe that our kids are losing out on a huge learning opportunity when all they do is go to the grocery store to get food or stare at a textbook to learn. See if there is a local farmer, big or small, animals or no animals, where you can get a tour or even go help out with afternoon/ evening chores. Most farmers would be glad for the help. Farmers markets are a great place to meet farmers and get some great local foods to cook up together. Scour your back yard for bugs and creepy crawling things. Check out your local library for books on creepy crawly creatures. There are lots of online resources for learning about the life cycle of butterflies or the parts of a plant. (weeds are great to dig up roots and all to learn about the different parts of the plant) God created this wonderful earth in all its glory and I am very thankful that I can spend each and everyday learning and teaching my kids of all it's wonders.

**I must apologize to Lauren and the rest of the carnival members, we went on vacation and I thought I had my post schedule and ready to go but apparently it wasn't.**

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated September 14 with all the carnival links.)

• A is for Apple {But right now it's more fun to pick apples!} — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment has a four-year-old who wisely knows she must forgo the worksheets for now and do things with her mother if she's going to learn.
• Baby Talks — Amy at Anktangle talks, talks, talks all day long to her preverbal baby, about simple things and complexities. (@anktangle)
• Baby University: Little Man, My Teacher — The ArtsyMama shares how her relaxed and patient "teaching" at home resulted in a confident little one when she returned to work.
• Creating a Sensory Garden — A sensory garden has given Marita at Stuff With Thing and her girls practice in math, science, budgeting, fine motor skills, and more. (@leechbabe)
• Despite the Big Yellow Bus — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante has surprised many friends by sending her kids off to mainstream schooling — but their learning doesn't stop there. (@seonaid_lee)
• Down on the Farm — Megan at Purple Dancing Dhalias describes the multitude of skills her children learn by homeschooling on a farm.
• Early Childhood Education — First Do No Harm — Laura at Laura's Blog provides an incredible list of tips to facilitate learning at home.
• Education Starts At Home — Luschka at Diary of a First Child was happy to realize that learning at home isn't limited to older children. (@lvano)
• Every Day Is A School Day — Summer at Finding Summer lists the ways her family learns in this poem of a post. (@summerminor)
• hands on — the grumbles at grumbles and grunts read her little one Sherlock Holmes in utero. She'll continue to make learning fun now that he's on this side of the womb. (@thegrumbles)
• Have a Happy Heart — Erica at ChildOrganics has days of poop on the couch and oatmeal down the pants when sending her children to school seems like the perfect solution — until she regains her perspective. (@childorganics)
• Home Sweet Home Schooling — Check out CurlyMonkey's Blog for a photo montage of how her kids are learning anatomy, architecture, and more — all at home. (@curlymonkey_)
• Homeschooling — My Needs? — Do you homeschool for the kids, or do you do it for you? Read some thoughts from Home Grown Families. (@momtosprouts)
• Homeschooling: A Way of Life — Kimberly at Homeschooling in Nova Scotia has children who meet learning with enthusiasm and are becoming self-sufficient at a young age. (@UsborneBooksCB)
• How We Homeschooled — Deb at Living Montessori Now details in retrospect how her two lifelong learners spent their homeschooling years. (@DebChitwood)
• Learning at Home With a Preschooler and Toddler — Need some inspiration? Michelle at The Parent Vortex shares her tips and resources for lifelong learning. (@TheParentVortex)
• Learning at Home: Are We All Homeschoolers? — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings incorporates homeschool ideas even though she plans to send her kids to school. (@sunfrog)
• Learning From Life — Mamapoekie at Authentic Parenting doesn't even have to think about how her daughter learns. She just does it. (@mamapoekie)
• Learning Through Play — What better way to learn at home than through play? Dionna at Code Name: Mama lists the many ways children learn through play, whether they know it or not. (@CodeNameMama)
• Learning With Savoury Pikelets — Deb at Science@Home breaks down how cooking facilitates learning. (@ScienceMum)
• Lessons Learned by Bowling (Yes, Bowling) — What life lessons can you learn from bowling? Ask Jessica from This is Worthwhile. (@tisworthwhile)
• Life is learning, learning is life. — Kristin, guest posting at Janet Fraser — Where birth and feminism intersect, defends the truth that children are hardwired to learn. (@JoyousLearning)
• life learning... — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children found that structured schooling is about teaching, whereas unschooling is about learning, and her family resonated with the latter.
• Live to Learn Together — RealMommy at True Confessions of a Real Mommy knows that children learn in all different styles, so only one-on-one attention can do the trick.
• Natural Parenting and the Working Mom — Jenny from Chronicles of a Nursing Mom shares how natural parenting in the Philippines — and learning at home — includes "yayas" (nannies). (@crazydigger)
• Not Back to School: How We Learn at Home — Denise at This Holistic Life has learned to describe what unschooling is, rather than what it isn't.
• Our Learning Curve — Andrea of Ella-Bean & Co. has a special bookshelf set up where her daughter can explore the world on her own terms.
• School at Our House — Where is learning happening at Kellie at Our Mindful Life's house? It is pouring all over the floor. It is digging down deep in the earth. It is everywhere!
• Schooling Three Little Piggies — Despite the mess and the chaos, Melissa at White Noise lets her children into the kitchen.
• SuperMom versus The Comic Books of Doom! — Mommy Soup at Cream of Mommy Soup realized that if "getting the kids to read" was the goal, it didn't matter what the kids read. (@mommysoup)
• The joy of learning at home — Heather at Life, Gluten Free has a daughter who sees magic in the stars and understands the honeybees. (@lifeglutenfree)
• those who can't teach — Do you need a superiority complex to homeschool? Stefanie at Very, Very Fine wonders.
• Too lazy to unschool? — If unschoolers aren't lazy, Lauren at Hobo Mama wonders if she's too lazy to live her dream of free-form education. (@Hobo_Mama)
• Unschooling the School of Me — Rachael at The Variegated Life considers what she's teaching her son about work as a work-at-home mother — and the extreme work ethic she doesn't want him to emulate. (@RachaelNevins)
• What We Do All Day — Alison at BluebirdMama discovered that it's easier than she thought it would be to quantify how her child learns all day. (@childbearing)
• Who taught that kid ‘exoskeleton’? — Nervous about how you will facilitate learning at home? Don't be - they will absorb things on their own! Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma shares her story. (@kitchenwitch)

~ Are We Setting Our Kids Up To Fail? ~

Welcome to the July Carnival of Natural Parenting: Let's Talk About Food
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about their struggles and successes with healthy eating. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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Our gentle walk to a whole foods diet was turned into a sprint when we learned that our daughter was allergic to corn based products. Having to cut out the corn meant we needed to be reading labels and we were astonished at how many things had high fructose corn syrup in them, almost everything. The yogurt that we thought was really good for them with the live active culture - high fructose corn syrup. The granola bar with fruit that we thought was a great afternoon snack - high fructose corn syrup. It happened time and time again and I asked myself - WHY? Why do we have so much fake food. I started to read through my mom’s old cookbooks, ones that I would never have fathomed she would have because our running joke when I was in high school was "What do you want from the frozen food section".

I had read the book the Maker's Diet by Jordon Ruben before I had my daughter and my interest was piqued and I had begun making some minor changes to our diet. After the allergy was discovered I read through For The Love Of Food by Jeanne Martin and Laurels Kitchen and what an eye opener that was. We went from the typical, eat as cheap as you can, white bread and white sugar diet to a whole foods diet made from scratch in under two weeks and the most amazing thing happened. Our older boys behavior improved to the point to where family members asked what we were doing. They were not terribly behaved children before. We used the typical parental excuse for when their behavior was less that desirable such as, "its been a long day" or "they are coming down off of their ‘sugar high‘, lol". What we didn't realize is that for some kids, sugar highs are as severe as a drug addict coming down off of their high. Our second son had severe reactions to his MMR shot turning a happy go lucky kid into a tantrum nightmare over such things as not getting to touch the door first or if we drove the "wrong way" on the way home from preschool. He didn't want to be touch and had turned into a carbo loading junky which only further fueled his unknown sugar addiction. He went from a fully potty trained two year old to a child with severe digestive/bowel issues. The hardest part as we eliminated corn syrup from out diet was those family members and people that just didn't understand why my kids couldn't have a treat. I was viewed as the mean mom who wouldn't even let her kids have a cupcake at the birthday party or candy at the 4th of July Parade, both of which are loaded with corn syrup and artificial food dyes. It was like everything we did for fun and a treat we could no longer do.
That got me thinking even further.

Why must something that is loaded with sugar, a toxic substance to our bodies, be called a treat? From then on we changed our definition of a treat. A treat became fresh fruit with real whipped cream on top. A treat became fresh peas right from the vine. But it wasn't until I read the book Little Sugar Addicts that I became a bit crazy about sugar. My husband casually said one afternoon "You are so far in the deep end of the pool that you aren't even in it anymore". Hardy-har-har, honey. As I read the book I had to keep reminding my wholefoods self that the book is written primarily for those who are still eating the Standard American Diet (SAD). I do not consider a hot dog a good choice because of where I am in my food journey, but to someone who is just starting out in their no sugar/wholefoods journey is it an acceptable high protein food choice. I just hope that you don't stay there and find even better foods that offer the protein without all the chemicals. My boys soon started reading labels before they asked for something at the grocery store. If they couldn't pronounce something, they put it back with a very emphatic "YUK". A no sugar, high protein diet along with naturopathic healing has helped our second son become a happy functioning child again. He fully realizes that sugar makes his brain feel fuzzy, his words not mine and that high amounts of sugar or HFCS cause GI discomfort. Now that my boys are older (7 & 8), I let them make their own food choices. Nine times out of ten they will politely decline whatever is being offered and I am incredibly proud of them. That tenth time is a total disaster with tears, meltdowns, fights, and behavior that is totally uncharacteristic of my children. I, myself, am a sugar addict. One small piece of chocolate as a child would send me airborne for hours and then crash land into a pile of tears when the sugar wore off. I still fall into the sugar trap and it changes my whole demeanor. I become crabby and not the person I would like to be as the sugar wears off. Sometimes I am smart enough to realize I have slid head first into the sugar bowl and can run for the protein before I am totally submerged. Sometimes it takes my husband’s "gentle" reminder to kick the sugar and eat some protein before I turn into a green eye monster. We still have cookies and "extras" as we call them, but they are made from scratch with whole wheat flour and half the sugar called for. We replaced white and brown sugar with raw honey or real maple syrup. We still slip up now and again, mostly when we are out and about and fail to get the kids some good food to keep their blood sugar level and brains running at optimum levels.

 Education is the key. We need to change our thinking, the terms we use with our kids and the foods we feed them. We need to learn how our bodies run and make food choices accordingly, because we all know that kids do what we do and not as we say. Teach them about their bodies, what food does to them and why certain foods are better than others. You truly are what you eat. Many times people will ask/tell me that everything in moderation is key. My response is no, everything in moderation is not key. There is no okay amount of trans fats and I don't believe there is any acceptable level of refined sugars and carbohydrate. Sadly, those three things are found in the majority of our food in the US. Our bodies were not meant to run on refined foods, the current obesity and diabetes epidemic is proof of that. There are over 30,000 different food additives that are put into wholesome, nutritious food to make it shelf stable. Shelf stable = fake food. What saddens me more are the children who are labeled as problem children in their classroom but have cereal and a pop tart for breakfast. The average kids breakfast cereal, such a fruit loops or golden smacks has around 15 teaspoons of sugar in one serving, HFCS and artificial food dyes. A pop tart has no real fruit in it last time I checked and is also loaded with HFCS and artificial food dye. These kinds of breakfasts have no protein whatsoever. No wonder they are bouncing off the wall and crash just before lunch which in most schools is the equivalent of eating fast food.
The average American is on seven to ten prescription drugs and it isn't necessarily in old age. We have got to change the way we think about food in this country and we have to do it quickly. Our kids are depending on us. So, my challenge to all of you loving parents with awesome children, is to learn how to make good food choices and then teach your children how through example. We either pay now or pay later. Set them up for success, not failure.
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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be updated July 13 with all the carnival links.)

• Welcome to Two — All About Food — In case you hadn't heard, there is a conspiracy afoot from the two year olds of the world. Shana at Tales of Minor Interest stumbled onto their newsletter!
• Four Seasons of Eating Locally — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction has pointers for what fresh produce can be found year-round. (@MBJunction)
• Happy Families Can Have More Than One Diet — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has figured out a way for her family to live happily as vegans and vegetarians with relatives who eat meat. (@DebChitwood)
• My Own Omnivore’s Dilemma — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante prioritizes responsible consumer choices for her family.
• No Gluten — No Cry — Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma learned to cook balanced meals when her son's food sensitivities prompted a diet overhaul. (@kitchenwitch)
• Try, Try Again — Stefanie at very very fine has become an enthusiastic consumer of locally grown food.
• CSA — Week 1 — Casey at What Love Is wants her children to know where their food comes from, so she joined a friendly CSA. (@CBerbs)
• Food: Parenting or Homemaking? — Michelle at The Parent Vortex sees food as part of a parent's nurturing role. (@TheParentVortex)
• 5 Tips to Help Kids Develop Healthy Eating Habits — If you struggle with healthy eating, helping your child develop healthy habits might be a challenge. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares five easy tips that will help your kids learn to make good food choices. (@CodeNameMama)
• Family Food: Seeking Balance Between Healthy, Sustainable & Affordable — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings has a whole list of ideas for how she can improve her family's eating, both now and into the future. (@sunfrog)
• Whole Foods in, Wholesome Feelings Out — Jessica at This is Worthwhile has turned her back on the processed, preservative-ridden food of her childhood. (@tisworthwhile)
• When to Splurge on Organic (and When It Is Okay to Skip It) — Becoming Mamas tell you what foods to prioritize when buying pricier organic food, and where you can find it cheaper. (@becomingmamas)
• A Locavore's Family Meal — Acacia at Be Present Mama tells a story in pictures of her family taking a trip to the local organic farmers market and then preparing a summer meal together with their bounty.
• Eat Your Food, or Else — Why should we not bribe a child to eat? TwinToddlersDad from Littlestomaks (Science Driven Real Life Toddler Nutrition) explains. (@TwinToddlersDad)
• Food, Glorious Food! — Luschka at Diary of a First Child describes three easy ways her family has started eating healthier. (@diaryfirstchild)
• Celebrating Food — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog believes in food as medicine and thinks it's worth paying more to keep healthy. (@myzerowaste)
• Oil and Yogurt — What have you been motivated to do with the current oil spill crisis? midnightfeedings has started making her own yogurt. (@midnightfeeding)
• Growth-Spurt Soup (AKA "Beannut Stew") — BeanMa has a special stew to help her baby through growth spurts that keep her up all night. (@thebeanma)
• Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the "real food" philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom)
• Feeding a Family of Six — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children gives helpful tips for feeding a family of six.
• Starting Solids at 6 Months — Did your doctor recommend that you give your baby cereal? Sheryl at Little Snowflakes discusses how whole foods are so much healthier (and more delicious) than traditional cereal. (@sheryljesin)
• Am I What I Eat? — Andrea!!! at Ella-Bean & Co. has figured out a way to avoid grocery stores nearly altogether.
• Are We Setting Our Kids Up To Fail? — Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias found that cutting out the junk also transformed her sons' behavior problems.
• Changing your family's way of eating — Lauren at Hobo Mama has techniques you can try to move your family gradually toward a healthier diet. (@Hobo_Mama)
• Real Food — What kinds of fake foods do you eat? And why?! Lisa C. at My World Edenwild talks about why she chooses real food.
• A Snackaholic’s Food Battle — Julie at Simple Life wants to stop snacking and get into the old ways of cooking from scratch and raising her own food. (@homemakerjulie)
• Food, Not Fight — Summer at Finding Summer doesn't want her kids to grow up like her husband: hating everything green. (@summerm)
• How Do You Eat When You Are out of Town? — Cassie at There's a Pickle In My Life wants some tips on how to eat healthy when you are out of town.
• Carnival of Natural Parenting: Food! — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker hopes that by serving her children healthy, balanced meals, they will become accustomed to making good food choices. (@sybilryan)
• There's No Food Like Home's — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing revels in the Bajan food of her upbringing. (@BlkWmnDoBF)
• This Mom's Food Journey — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment made a journey from not paying attention to food to growing her own.
• Who Knew Eating Was So Hard? — The challenges involved in changing to healthier eating habits take on a whole new dimension when you have a child who has difficulties eating. kadiera at Our Little Acorn shares her own experiences. (@kadiera)
• Loving Food — Starr at Earth Mama truly believes food is her family's medicine and is willing to spend days preparing it the traditional way.
• Food Mindfulness — Danielle at born.in.japan details how her family spends money on each category of food. (@borninjp)
• Food for Little People — Zoey at Good Goog wants to bless her daughter with happy traditions built around good food. (@zoeyspeak)
• Eat Like a Baby — Have you been told that you should not equate food with love? Kate Wicker at Momopoly shows us why that's not necessarily true. (@Momopoly)
• Food — Deb at Science@Home tries to teach her children three rules to help them eat a healthy diet. (@ScienceMum)
• Healthy Eating Lactose-Free — MamanADroit gives us tips on how to eat healthy if you are lactose intolerant (or just don’t want cow milk). (@MamanADroit)