Fun Ways to Improve Your Homesteading Skills

Homesteading is a lot of work. It’s a lot of fun too so it’s more than worth the effort. However, at a certain point you may feel a bit overwhelmed. You might not know where to start or how to approach homesteading without making costly mistakes. When you’re dealing with animals and expansive gardens, mistakes can sometimes be devastating. One of the wonderful aspects of homesteading is the community that it creates. Take advantage of that community and leverage it to improve your homesteading skills.

1. Take classes

Check with your community center and recreation facilities. There are likely some basic and intermediate homesteading classes. Local farms and fellow homesteaders may also offer the occasional class. These can be fantastic opportunities to learn more about homesteading, ask questions from experienced homesteaders, and meet more people in your community.

2. Volunteer

Volunteer in a community garden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another option to learn more about homesteading and improve your skills is to volunteer. You may have some community organized gardens and community organized homesteads. Consider reaching out to these organizations to find out if they have volunteer opportunities. It’s a great way to learn and give back at the same time.

3. Attend workshops

Many farms and community homesteads offer homesteading workshops. These workshops are often a few days in length and they can be an excellent opportunity to gain hands on learning as they’re often hosted at a farm. You can choose from basic homesteading workshops to specific workshops on more technical projects like aquaponics or installing a solar panel system.

When it comes to homesteading there is certainly room to learn as you go. However, some projects require a bit more technical knowledge and sometimes it’s just good to gain an education before you start a new project. Learn about homesteading by connecting with your community. Take classes, volunteer, and attend workshops on a wide variety of homesteading topics. Next time we’ll take a look at the three steps every new homesteader must take before they get started.

10 Ways to Become Eco-Parents

My sister recently had twins, and it got me thinking a lot about parenthood, and how important it is to teach your kids to appreciate and value the world we live in.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “children learn by our actions, not by our words?”  When it comes to many issues, this is very true.  Children emulate what they see.  If you want your children to grow up to be environmentally conscious and responsible adults, show them what that looks like.  Show them what it means to be eco-friendly.  Here are ten great ways to become eco-parents, and teach your kids to respect and care for themselves and the world they live in:

CSA share (Photo credit: .m.e.c.)

#1.  Buy organic when possible.  In this instance, it is important to also discuss with your children why you buy organic.  Make them part of the shopping process by having them find items on your grocery list.  Take them to the farmer’s market with your or join a CSA (community sustained agriculture) program and have them come with you when you visit the farm.  Share with your children your thoughts on why to buy organic produce and then follow through with your actions.

#2.  Recycle.  This is such a small thing but it has a huge impact.  If your community waste management program offers a recycling program, then getting your children involved is easy.  Have them recycle paper, clean out plastic containers and help with the recycling system in your home.  If you don’t have the convenience of curbside recycling, it is a bit more of a process, but children can still get involved and it can become a family routine. 

#3.  Walk, ride your bike and take public transportation when possible.  Demonstrate to your children the value of conserving resources by practicing good eco-friendly habits.

#4.  Teach them to appreciate nature by taking them on nature walks, visiting wildlife preserves and learning about animals and their habitats.

#5.  Use reusable products whenever possible.  One very simple tip is to use reusable shopping bags.  Children are great for helping you remember to bring them along when you head to the store!

#6.  Grow a garden.  Children of all ages love digging their hands in the dirt and growing things.  Let them choose what they want to grow, help them cultivate it and teach them about planting and growing their own fruits and vegetables.

#7.  Travel.  Visiting other places helps children develop an appreciation and an awareness for the world outside their immediate surroundings.

Natural Laundry Detergent, Free and Clear (Photo credit: artizone)

#8.  Use natural cleaners.  Mainstream cleaning products contain a whole host of chemicals and fragrances that are harmful to our health, and if you’re going to get your children involved in cleaning and caring for the home, then they’re going to be exposed to those chemicals.  Opting for natural cleaners gets the job done while staying chemical free - it's healthy for you, for them, and for the environment. Many cleaning products can even be made at home using safe, natural, and cheap ingredients like baking soda and vinegar, so they can save you money too.

#9.  Breastfeed infants.  Breastfeeding isn’t just better for a child’s health, it eliminates the need to manufacture and distribute formula.  And when your other children see you breastfeeding their sibling, they begin to develop an appreciation for its practicality - and for the efficiency of nature to provide what we need.

#10.  Buy used.  Clothing, furniture and even kitchen appliances can all be purchased used. This keeps them out of the landfills, and it saves money and resources manufacturing and distributing these items.  And you save a bit of money too.

Being an eco-parent is really about adopting environmentally friendly practices that make sense for you and your family, and taking responsibility for your role in the natural world.  Your children will grow up knowing you thought it was important to conserve, preserve, and take care of their health, and the health of the world we live in, and hopefully they’ll adopt the same responsible philosophy as they grow into adults themselves.

Review - The Earth Day Book

The Earth Day book is part of the popular Rookie Books series, which gives young children a basic introduction to various holidays that are celebrated. The books of this series are at a level that encourages children with independent reading. The Earth Day book explains in easy written and interesting language the story of Earth Day, traditions, actions children can take, craft, activities and food ideas.

The book comes with lovely bright illustrations and photographs to grab your child's attention. Reading this book will not only improve your child's reading skills, but also teaches them all about Earth Day and instils in them the importance of protecting our environment.

I would certainly recommend Earth Day and the Rookie Books series in general as engaging teaching tools for your children and a way to give them a better understanding of our traditions and holidays. These books would make a nice present to any young elementary child with an interest in learning about the world. Parents can use this book and any book in the series to spend time together with their child reading and learning.

Where to Buy: www.amazon.com

5 Fun Earth Day Craft Ideas for the Whole Family

Earth Day is a day the entire family can enjoy together. You can use this day to teach your children about caring for the earth. Consider also spending time together doing some Earth Day crafts - these are fun for the kids, and a great educational opportunity as well. Here are a few ideas to consider.

nature journal sycamore tree (Photo credit: jimmiehomeschoolmom)#1 Nature Hike/Art Project

Go on a hike and have each person in the family pick up five to ten nature items. For example, they might pick up a leaf or a flower petal. Have them take along a bag so they can collect their things. Take them home and make a collage. You can use the collage to create placemats, wall art, or even a desk pad or mouse pad.
You’ll Need: laminate sheets, construction paper, scissors, clear glue or hot glue and other items on hand.

Get creative and have fun!

#2 Tie Dye Party

Tie dying is fun and interesting for kids. And when you use natural food dyes it becomes an earth friendly activity. If you want to add a little education to the project, talk with your children about why you chose to use natural dye instead of chemical dye. Discuss how chemicals harm the planet. You can use carrots, beets, berries, turmeric and other natural items to create the dye.

#3 Make Stuffed Animals

Using materials found around your home create stuffed animals. For example a black sock can be used to create a penguin’s body. Cut out white t-shirt material and glue or sew it on for the belly. A few buttons for eyes. A felt or foam triangle for the beak and feet.

Kids and adults can make fun monster animals too. You can use old corduroy skirts or pants for the bodies. Buttons, ribbons and fiberfill take care of the rest. Each monster can be unique. Because you’re using items already in your home you can talk with your children about why repurposing and reusing items is good for the planet. If you want, you can focus on endangered animals, for an additional teaching opportunity.

Tie Dye (Photo credit: deborah.soltesz)#4 Create Bracelets or Cuffs

Cuffs are trendy right now and old wool sweaters can make beautiful cuffs. With old buttons, flowers and embellishments your children can have a lot of fun with this craft. And you can too! In order to make the old wool sweaters work for this project you’ll want to “Felt” them. This means you shrink them until the wool is thick so it won’t unravel (this can be done by washing them in the washing machine using hot water, then spread flat and let dry - or you can even dry them in the dryer on a low-heat or delicate setting). Then simply cut the wool to size. Fit it to your wrist. Fasten with Velcro, buttons or even sew it closed. Add embellishments and you have a lovely cuff.

#5 Tin Can Gardening

If you’re a gardening family then start collecting tin cans. This is a recycling project and a gardening project in one. Decide how you want to decorate the outside of the can. You may create your own labels using a computer or you can draw or paint them. Painting works well because you don’t have to worry about water ruining any paper decorations. If you’re going to paint the cans consider using a primer like Gesso beforehand so the paint will adhere well to the can. You can also decorate with stickers.

Punch a few holes in the bottom of the clean can for drainage before you decorate the outside. Place a few rocks on the bottom of the can. Then fill the can with potting soil and plant seeds or seedlings. Place in a sunny location. Your children can watch their plants grow. Note: If you each plant a different herb you can have a windowsill herb garden, and then your kids can even see how these herbs can be used in cooking - for yet another educational moment!

Take the age and attention span of your children into account before choosing a craft. Earth Day is a day that can be both fun and educational. Help your children learn about caring for the earth in a fun way they’ll remember.

Video - Ecological Issues Explained (For Kids)

Here is a short video detailing some of the issues facing our planet today, but explained in a clear way to help kids understand their own impact and what they can do to help. Share this with them, or just watch it yourself for a quick reminder of some discussion points you can talk about with your kids.

Eco Kids - The Earth Needs Your Help
The Earth Needs YOUR Help, the first part of the Eco Kids series, discusses some the biggest problems facing the environment today and how it is being abused. Well learn the role of the greenhouse effect, carbon emissions, air pollution and how the b...