As parents, we have a responsibility to raise our children the best that we can.  

Homeschooling….

…..has gained in popularity in the last couple years. It is so exciting to see the growing number of homeschool families and today I am going to share with you why I believe homeschooling is necessary and why you might want to consider it. I have been homeschooled all throughout my school years and I am so thankful for it. I believe that we should homeschool our kids for the following reasons.

1.Education

Okay, I know this seems obvious but let me explain. I don’t think that the public school system does a good job educating. I know I will get crap for saying that but hear me out. Between the breaks and the wasted time kids really do not spend that much time in the classroom. And the time they do spend is spent learning things that I for one do not approve of. Things were bad when I was in school but I feel like that have gotten terribly worse over the last few years. Not only are our kids being filled with things I don’t believe in such as evolution but now they have to be brainwashed with things such and perverse sexual topics and heavy liberal thinking. I want to have control over when and how my kids learn about certain things. I believe that God has given me that gift as a parent and I do not take it lightly.

2. Time

I mentioned the waste of time at school above and I wanted to expound on it a bit more. When You are in school there are very large classrooms. This means that the teacher has to teach each one of those kids. And each one of those kids is going to have a different learning style. This results in wasted time. If you teach your kids at home you can get the work done much faster because you can work together one on one. You know your child and their style of learning and can help them get their work done in a much quicker manner.

Another aspect of time is how your child learns. In the public school system your child HAS to learn at the same pace as every other kid in their class. If they are at home you can move with them at the pace they are ready for. This way they will not be pushed faster then they are ready to go and they will not be held back.

3. Spiritual growth

As you have hopefully figured out by now I am a believer and strive to raise my kids in the same manner. From what I have seen it is very difficult for a child to go through public education and stay strong in the faith. I am not saying it is impossible but because of the time the kids are in school is it very hard for the parent to keep up with their kids spiritual growth. Between school and sports the kids are barely at home with the family. It makes having deep conversations almost impossible. I have heard parents say that they want to put their kids in school so that they can be a salt and a light…

….But to me that seems very far fetched. How can you expect your kinder gardener to be a salt and a light when most of us as adults are to scared to speak up in our own lives. We need to prepare them for what they will face before we send them into the real world. There is no way they are ready at 5 to really be effective.

4. Practical Learning

I want my kids to know how to do the practical things in life. They need to know how to cook, take care of kids and take care of a home etc. These are skills that get brushed aside in public education and as I said when your kids are gone for so many hours of the day it is hard for you to teach them these skills on your own.

If you have a homestead this is just another way your kids can learn practical life skills. They can learn how to grow and raise their own food and take care of themselves. This is a skill that is quickly dying.

5. Thinking outside the box

I have found that when kids grow up schooling at home they are more capable of thinking outside the box. Not saying that public school kids can’t think outside the box they just don’t have as much opportunity to. When they are in public school they are told what to do and when to do it. When your kids are home they have more opportunities to think more creatively.

6. No one loves like you

There is no one that loves your child like you do. So if your child is struggling you are the best person to help them through. I know there are some amazing teachers but they can not give your child what you can. God created you to be the mom of that child and only you can really give them what they need. Now I am not saying that you can never have help! No way! God gave us each other to help each other out. I just believe that it is our job to be the primary teacher in our children’s lives.

No one is going to encourage your child to become better and chase their dreams like YOU. No one can love like YOU!

You were given this child and the years go so fast. Don’t you want to be the one with your child 8+ hours and day and not someone else. I am a mom of young kids and I already can’t believe how fast the years go by. There is no way I want someone else having those moments with my child. Those are all mine!

7. Setting your own schedule

The great thing about homeschooling is that you can set your own schedule. This is great for everyday living and for family emergencies. Because you have flexibility your family is available to be there in case something happens. For example my Grandma has cancer and it is so relieving to know that I am free if she needs anything from me or my family. And My kids will not get behind because of it. We can just shift our day around and get both things done. I want my kids to know that school is important but so if loving and caring on our loved ones. To me that is part of education/raising my kids. I want to raise kids that think about others and how they can be a help to those around them and not just always focusing on themselves.

8. Spending time with people other then their peers

When kids are in the public school system they spend the majority of their time with their peers. Some kids struggle when they are put in situations when they have to talk to older people. I want my kids to know how to carry on a conversation with older people and be comfortable around young kids as well. We make it a point at our house to take our kids to visit older people. They have such great stories and it is so important for our kids to talk with them and ask questions. They can learn so much just from talking with the elderly.

9. Alternative learning

Before I get started with this point let me assure you that I do still teach my kids through books. But I think that we can teach our kids in other ways as well. I for one am a visual learner. I really struggle learning just by reading. So I try my best to teach my kids in all different ways. I want to teach my kids by doing, by hearing and by reading.

10. The family can learn together

We started a curriculum this year that I absolutely love. It is a way that all of my kids can learn together and help each other with their subjects. It is so great having the family together and learning as a team. And because the kids are home more Dad has a bigger role and can be a better leader of the family. He has the opportunity and pour into the kids lives more because they are around to spend time with. It is so sad to me when kids are gone and the Dad can only see them for a hour here or there. How can you expect him to lead the family when he can never even see his kids? And trust me the Dad is a very vital part of the family structure.

homeschooling is a very tough job but it is so worth it in the long run. I promise you will not regret it!

Q & A

If you are considering homeschooling I am sure that the questions are flooding your brain. I wanted to do my best to answer them so that you can feel more at peace about your decision.

Should I Home School my Child with ADHD?

I would strongly encourage you to homeschool your child with ADHD. Believe me, I know it will be hard but I think that it will be very beneficial for your child. I mentioned how when they go to public school it is hard for the teacher to give your child one on one time. And when your child has ADHD they will need even more one on one attention. When you have your child at home you can give them what they need. You also have the opportunity to give them alternate ways to learn. A lot of kids with ADHD need to be moving more and when you homeschool you can let them learn while they are being active. They can run in place do some jumping jacks Etc. They would be a disruption if they did that at school but because they are in the freedom of their own home they have more freedom.

But if your child needs some extra outside help there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes things are a bit outside of our sphere of knowledge and we need people who know more in specific areas then we do. There are so many great resources when it comes to homeschooling children with different needs.

Should I Home School My child with anxiety?

Everything I said about homeschooling your child with ADHD applies here as well. Your child will have slightly different needs but the basic idea is the same. I believe a child with anxiety will do much better at home for many reasons. The most prominent reason being there mental state. If they are with a bunch of kids all day I would assume that might be part of the cause of their anxiety. If you can keep them home in a comfortable environment I believe that they will be able to learn much more efficiently.

Depending on the cause of the issue you might need help as well. But don’t feel like you have to put them into school full time. Check out the options in your community sometimes they have times your child can go in and get help without having to go to school for the full 8 hours.

When Should I start homeschooling?

Good question! Ideally, I would encourage you to homeschool all throughout your children’s school years. This way you will be able to start impressing good values and morals from a very young age… But if that is not an option for you I would suggest you start around 5th grade. My reason for that? Well by this age they will have learned the basics, reading, writing, math Etc. and they are at the age where they are very vulnerable. They care what their peers think and they will begin making decisions about the type of people they hang out with. I believe it is vital to have them home during these years so that you can be with them more and help encourage them to go down the right path. Those teen years are tough and you want to be the one helping to influence them and not their peers.

What qualifications do you need to homeschool?

This depends on your state. Thankfully in MI, you do not need a degree or qualifications. Now don’t think that just because you do not have a degree does not mean you are not qualified to teach your kids. You will have all the help you need from the curriculum that you choose. Some curriculum has the teacher on video. You are really more of just their guide. And if you think you are not qualified to teach a certain subject look into a co-op in your area. a co-op is a group of homeschool parents that come together and share the teaching responsibility. It is great for a first time homeschool family to get into the swing of homeschooling. I would highly recommend it!

Will my child lack a social life?

No way! If you think about it a homeschooled child will have more of a social life then a child who attends public school….Wanna know why? Public school kids are in classes all day and get in trouble when they socialize. In my opinion, homeschool kids are more socialized. I never felt like I was isolated or had no social life. I still played sports and did the same activities that the public school kids did.

Will my child miss out on sports?

Again, NO! Depending on your area they might be able to play sports on the local public school teams. I had no desire to play for the public school teams growing up because I wanted to play with my homeschool friends. thankfully we had some great homeschool teams in my area that I was able to be on. Look into groups in your area. There should be options for homeschool sports teams as well as drama clubs, orchestras, and other activities as well. Your child should not have to miss out on any of it!

Final thoughts

As you can see I am a big advocate of homeschooling. I just believe that it is our job as parents to raise our children as we see fit. The world continues to get more and more evil and dangerous and I want to do what I can to not only protect my children from it but also raise them in a way that they know how to deal with it. If you have any other questions about homeschooling or something I might have missed please let me know in the comments. I love to hear from you!

happy Homesteading!

~Courtney

Sewing with a 5-year-old might seem a little intimidating at first but depending on the level of maturity of your 5-year-old they should be totally fine. My 5-year-old LOVES sewing and does projects on her own, but some might not love it as much and might need a little more prompting. I would encourage you to teach your children though because I believe that it is a life skill that they should have. You can even make it part of your homeschooling.

Sewing is a practical skill that is very nice to have in your repertoire. You may think that it is something that you would never use but I promise that you will use it more then you might think.

It might just be little things such as sewing buttons back on or stitch up holes. Or you might even like it and learn how to do bigger jobs. My mom is a seamstress and it comes in handy having her to be able to help us out when we need clothes altered. If you don’t know how to sew I would strongly encourage you to try and learn…

Learning from you

If you need some help I would check out you-tube. Start with small projects and look up specifically what you need to know about that project. Once you have a grip on sewing try having your kiddos help you. This will be difficult but it is worth it…I promise. There is something special about being able to teach things to your kids. Even if we do need you-tubes help every once and while.

If you already know how to sew you are a step ahead. Try having your kiddo help you with a small project. If you can, have it be something that you need around the house. Maybe a pot holder or a dishcloth. This will make them feel like they are making something to benefit the family. My husbands Grandma would just buy dishcloths from the store and put pretty stitching around the edges. It seems a little silly to us but there is something about having pretty things. And that is a nice easy project to do if you are just starting out.

Letting them try

At 5 years old I would start with having them sew by hand. This will get them comfortable with the idea and how sewing works. And hopefully, you will not have as many accidents this way. But once they get the hang of it I would try letting them use a sewing machine. You can get kids sewing machines or just teach them on your sewing machine. I don’t recommend letting them do it all by themselves. I just mean to start teaching them how it works and maybe let them do little things to help as you use the machine.

A kid sewing machine is totally not necessary but it is a good idea for a birthday or Christmas present for your little one. If you are interested in a good one you can check out my recommendation below. I love when I can get my kids practical gifts that they will actually think it cool. I am over all the toys!

Start with little projects

My daughter got a little sewing kit for Christmas and had so much fun playing around with it and learning how to sew. Then we got some material scraps and she went to town designing her own dresses. She had a blast. I totally understand a little girl is going to want to make dresses and fun stuff. But you can also have them make things you can use around the house. They will be so proud that they made something you can actually use. Some ideas might be…

1. Potholders
2. Dishcloth
3. Pincushion
4. pillows

They also might enjoy making things for them as well. Such as…

1. Doll clothes
2. Doll Bedding
3. Doll Blankets

Don’t stress

Their projects at this age will not be perfect! And that is okay. You are just starting out and have years to perfect their level of skill. Guide them in the process but also give them a little space to figure it out and make their own mistakes. You don’t want it to be a stressful process you want it to be something fun that you do together as you are teaching them a valuable skill. I have learned that I have to let go and let them do things at their level. If you always re-do what they do they will lose confidence and feel like they can never please you. You want them to believe in themselves and their skills and as they grow you will gently guide them to do better.

Oh and don’t forget the boys. Teach your sons to sew as well. My husband knows how to sew and honestly does more of the little sewing projects then I do. There is no reason that our sons can’t know how to do these things as well. We so often think of things as “girl” jobs or “boy” jobs but so many things are a great skill for boys and girls.

Q & A

Why is it important?

I am guessing you already figured out my answer but I just want to expound on it a bit more. If you have read any of my other posts you will know how strongly I feel about raising our kids to be the best that they can be. I am very disappointed in the public school system and feel that we as parents have to take our responsibility to raise our kids to be fully equipped for the world that they live in.

I’m sure you think I am old fashioned but I think that our kids should know how to do things for themselves. I want my kids to be well rounded and know how to take care of themselves. If I can add in things like sewing, gardening, and raising animals to my children’s skill set I believe I am setting them above the majority and that they will go far in life.

I feel that as a culture we are raising a generation of lazy kids and I don’t want my kids to have such low expectations and be able to get away with knowing the bare minimum. I want them to love learning and be able to take care of things for themselves. Obviously, sewing in itself will not accomplish that but my hope is that as I have my children home with me I can instill many valuable skill sets into them.

Are they old enough at 5?

I would say yes. My daughter is 5 and is doing just fine. Obviously, if you feel like your child is not ready then, by all means, wait a little while. But just start slow and see how it goes. I would use bigger needles and tools that are more age appropriate as they are starting out. You don’t want them to be frustrated and then not want to learn to sew all together.

As I mentioned above I want don’t want my kids to have such low expectations set for them and think that they can’t accomplish things just because they are young. I want to give them the chances to try things and not hold them back in anyway. Young kids are so smart and way more capable then we give them credit for.

Should they just sew by hand?

I would have them start by just sewing by hand. They can even use tools that are more age appropriate. Normal size needles might be hard for them to hold onto and they might get annoyed that they can’t do it and want to quit. But depending on the maturity level of your child I would definitely let them help with a sewing machine. At this age, they will need guidance and a lot of it. Do not let them use the sewing machine on their own. But I would get them familiar with it and teach them how it works.

When I was young my mom would let me help do little things like threading the bobbin or hold the material as she sewed and I thought I was pretty big stuff. Even if you just let them sit on your lap and help you they will love it. This will help prepare them so that when they are ready to use the machine themselves they are already comfortable with it and can just go for it!

What if I am not confident in my abilities?

If you have learned what you can from you-tube and still feel like you don’t know enough to teach your little one then I would recommend taking a class or learning from a family member. See if your grandma knows how to sew and see if you can meet with her and she can teach you. If you don’t have a family member you can go to your local craft store and they generally have classes that you can sign up for. This is also nice if you have a project you want to do they can be there to answer questions as they come up.

They should even have classes for kids that you can take your kiddo too and they can get a start there.

My Recommendations

The singer is a brand of sewing machine that has been around for ages. It is the machine that my mom has and my grandma. ( Who is also a seamstress) It is the brand that is most well known and from what I know has the best product. Obviously, it depends on exactly what you want to do. But for a beginner, I think you will be completely pleased with their product.

If you are looking for a machine for your little one to start out on I would check out their beginner model. Any beginner can use this machine, so if you are just getting started with sewing then you could also start with this machine.

If you are in the market for a little higher end of a machine you should check out singers top model machine. This machine is their heavy duty machine and should be able to do anything you need it to.

Extra tips and tricks

• Set time aside

If you have other little ones running around you will want to make sure they are occupied. Sewing is one thing that takes a bit of time and will be tricky if you have other little ones demanding your attention. I have a little guy myself and it can be a bit of a nightmare trying to do projects with him grabbing at everything. If you need some ideas on how to entertain your little ones check out my post.

• Clear a space

If you have a table to work at where you can leave everything for a little while that is best. Maybe a home-school table? Sometimes the projects last for a couple of days and it is nice to be able to spread things out and work on it as you can.

If you little one has an issue sitting tall enough at the table they may need to just sit on a couch or a chair. My kiddos are really little and can’t sit tall enough at the table in order to be able to be comfortable enough to work. If they have their own little school desk that would work well too.

• Start with Scraps

You won’t want to spend a lot on material and stuff up front because there will be lots of mistakes. So if you have old scraps or old clothes that don’t fit anymore I would suggest you start with those. That way when mistakes happen it is no big deal. And trust me they will!

• Recycle

Speaking of using old clothes you can actually do that and make some pretty cute things. My sister turned her old skirt into a skirt for my little girls. You can also turn your kid’s old jeans into shorts and so on. It is fun to teach our kids not to waste in fun and creative ways. And when they are little they will think it is so cool!

• Don’t make a big deal about it

Sewing is something you want your kids to learn. But if they don’t want to then just don’t make a big deal about it. You continue to do the projects and just show them as you go along. I promise they are learning just by watching you and hearing.

• It’s not just for the girls

I kind of already touched on this but sewing is not just for the girls. I know what you are thinking. How in the world would I get my boys to think that sewing is cool? Well, My husband is a total outdoorsman and like I said he knows how to sew.

Show your boys things they might need to sew someday. What if they are camping and they get a hole in their tent? They will need to know how to repair it. Or maybe their Sleeping bag? Mom won’t always be there to take care of things for them. They need to know how to do these things for themselves.

Sewing Essentials

If you are already an avid sewer then you can just skip over this part. But if you are just getting started and have no clue where to start here is a list of things you will need to get started. This list is very basic and will just be what you will need for general projects. Nothing to fancy here.

1. A good sewing scissors

This is very important. You want a very good sharp pair of sewing scissors to get the job done. If you use a crappy pair you will not get a good line and  it might mess up your fabric. Also, make sure to not use this pair of scissors for anything besides on your fabric.

2. An Iron

This is helpful so that you can make sure your fabric looks good before you start your project.

3. Pins/Needles and a pin cushion

This is obviously a must-have. You will use the pins to keep your fabric in place as you are working on your project. And obviously the needles for the actual sewing.

4. Seam ripper

Remember those mistakes 4. you are going to make? Yah…this little guy will make your mistakes go away much faster.

5. Tape measure

You can get ones that are soft and are made for sewing. Just trust me this will come in handy.

I know you are probably wondering why you would need all of this just to sew with your 5-year-old. But You want to make sure you have all the right tools because you will be sewing too and I am sure you will continue to find projects to work on yourself. I find myself using my sewing kit all the time.

As always I hope this was helpful and I would love to hear about the projects you have done with your little ones in the comments.

Happy Homesteading!

~Courtney

And now that I am on my 4th kid I have a pretty good feeling at what toys they will play with and what will just sit there and get stepped on.

Lets get to it! Here is my list of the 11 toys I have found that toddlers will actaully play with. I also want to point out that if a toy is in my home it will get lots of love. (Meaning my kids will detsroy it if at all possible) So The toys I am suggesting have been tried and tested. Each picture is a link to amazon.

1.Green Toys

My kids were gifted a few different green toys for christmas and I had never really heard of them. After my kids started playing with them I took a better look. I was amazed at the qaulity!

They are awesome! My kids have taken them in the bathtub, swimming in the pool, in the sandbox and pretty much anywhere they go and they have not broke or faded! On top of that they are really cute classic toys.

Below is on of the toys my kids have. But they have multiple and they all hold up the same. And I can’t believe the price point is so low considering the quality you get.

2. Kids Ukelele

I bought my daughter a pink minnie mouse ukelele for her 3rd birthday. She loved it! She used it all the time. Now my 2 year old son has recently become obssesed with it. Which is hilerious. He plays his heart out on that little thing.

And it is serioulsy indestructable. He has thrown it down the stairs, left it outside, it has been stepped on and you name it. And it still works great!

I don’t see the exact minnie mouse one I bought a few years ago but this one is the same brand and the same one.

3. Duplos

We love duplos at our house. They are great because the toddlers love them but so do my older kids. And It is something that even my husband and I enjoy doing with the kids.

We have a huge rubbermaid container full and we will dump them all out and build a whole village. The kids love playing with them alone but get so excited when we make it a family ordeal.

We have tons of different sets and you can get most of them on amazon. But since I have a love for farming and homesteading I just have to link to the cute little farm.

4. Slide

Who has little people with loads of energy? hand raise over here. My 2 year old son drove me nuts this last winter with his endless amounts of energy.

Anything I can find that helps release some of that energy is a win in my book. You can go with a basic slide, but I think this one is pretty cool with the basketball hoop attached.

5. Puzzles

I homeschool my kids and I am always looking for quiet things my little ones can do as I school my older kids. I have found that puzzles work really well. Now I would suggest you get wooden puzzles. I have found that the cardboard ones rip and do not last long at all. Here are some great educational options.

6.Play Kitchen

Little ones love to copy what their mommy and daddy are doing! And we have found that our little ones love their play kitchen. My husband built our little girls a wooden kitchen.

So I don’t own one to reccomend for you. But I am obsessed with vintage stuff and look at this adorable kitchen on amazon! Has great reviews too!

7. Doll

My girls have loved playing with dolls since they were tiny. That motherly instinct starts young! A doll is always a good idea. When looking for a doll the one thing I would suggest is not getting one with hair that looks and feels real. It gets so tangled and gross real fast.

My little sisters always had bittie babies growing up. Which I will say last forever. My sisters are in their upper teens and twenties now and my girls are playing with their bittie babies!

I will link the bittie baby below. The cool thing about a bittie baby is that you can pick what it looks like so you can make it look like your toddler.

But if you don’t want to invest in a bittie baby amazon has plenty of other options as well.

8. Books

I like to minamize screen time for my kids as much as I can. I know they have been doing research and it is coming out that screen time for little people is not good. It can stunt their development and really mess them up.

So I like to keep my kiddos busy with books. And when it comes to toddlers I would highly suggest board books. Board books are awesome! They can’t rip and if they get dirty you can wipe them right off. Here is a classic. But amzon has lots of other good ones as well.

9. Wooden Animals

All little ones love to play with animals and I think the wooden ones are so cute. This set is so fun because you can balance the animals in the tree. Obvisouly if your toddler is on the younger side they will need help.

10. John Deere

So I grew up in the country and I now have a small homestead. So you better believe we have some john deere. I also have 2 little boys and I can’t help but get them John Deere stuff. I am going to link some of our faverites.

So for this first item, I do have to admit that I have not purchased it for my boys yet. But our friends have one and my 2 year old can’t get enough. He absolutley loves it. And I must say he looks pretty dang cute riding it.

But if you are looking for something on the cheaper end here is another option. I bought this for my son last christmas and he really liked it. I will say that there are a lot of pieces. But if you can keep them togther it is a super cute little set.

11. Bounce House

I know this sounds crazy but just hear me out. I mentioned earlier that I struggled last year to keep my 2 year old little boy busy during the long winter moths. Well I was talking to my friend who also has a little boy and she told me to “GET A BOUNCE HOUSE”.

It’s not what you think! It is not a huge carnival bounce house. It is small enough to fit in most basements or a garage.

I have actaully not gotten one yet, but I am trusting my friend on this one and I will be getting my kids one this christmas!

Here is the one she said to get. When I checked it out it was under $200 but go ahead and follow the link to check for sure.

Other Creative outlets…

As a mom of 4 I am always trying to find ways to keep my little ones busy. As I said I homeschool so I need things to keep my toddlers busy while we do school. I know this post is about toddler toys but I wanted to take a little time to give you some other ways to keep your toddler busy so that you can get some things done.

Beans in a box

As I was looking up ideas on things for toddlers to do all I could come up with was super messy projects that I would have to do with them. Now there is nothing wrong with those ideas and I probably should do more fun things with my kids, but what I was looking for was things that could keep my little one busy while I was getting things done.

So when I was finding things that would require me to be right with them the whole time was counter-intuitive for me. The whole point was having my toddler doing something on his own so that I could get something done!

A friend suggested beans in a box and it really worked. All you do is take dry beans of any kind and put them in a box or a large shallow container.

Give them some spoons and cups, and they will be entertained for awhile. It is kinda like an indoor sandbox. But just make sure you kinda keep an eye on it as it can get very messy very fast. But for the most part, they keep the beans in one spot.

Making a “safe space”

My son gets up early and I am really needing a little more rest. So I made my sons room baby proof and that is our escape room now!

When I need a little rest we go in there and he can play with his toys and I can lay down and get a little rest.

It is such a relief to have a place that we can go and I know he can’t get into trouble. When you have a little one it is hard to take a break because you have to have your eyes on them at all times. So having a place you can resort to is a major relief.

Outdoor Time

Thankfully springtime has finally come and it is helping immensely. Depending on what I need to get done I use the outdoors to help distract my little ones.

As I mentioned if I am working outside I try to let them help. If I am doing something that they can’t help with then I use my deck as that “safe space” I mentioned earlier.

My husband built a gate on our deck so the kids can play safely on the deck and I can see them from the whole yard. We have bikes and a water table and it works great to keep my little ones busy. My son is in his glory now that he can play in the water all that he wants.

I honestly would really recommend a water table.  At first, I was not sure how much my kids would like it but I really like it for the younger kids because they can still play in the water but It is much safer than a pool.

And I mean you can grab one on Amazon and it will be there in 2 days! Can’t beat that.

Our animals also do an amazing job distracting the kids. If I let the chickens out my kids will chase them and play with them for quite a while. It distracts them and gets their energy out. I love it. They also love chasing the dog around! This is something that I do when I am trying to get things done outside and can keep a close eye on them.

Music

This is one I always seem to forget about, but my kids love. My kids are big fans of dance parties and it seems to keep them entertained for a while.

We have Alexa and the kids think it is so great to play the songs they ask for. You can make the kids their own playlists or they can just ask her to play certain songs.

Just make sure you are in earshot so that you can know what they are listening too. I know I sound a bit paranoid but it is so easy for our kids to see and hear things they should not and we just have to be on our guard to protect them against it.

Just a side note if you don’t have Alexa GET HER!! (You can follow this link) She is a life saver for a busy mom. I use her for reminders, writing lists, weather updates, playing music, an alarm clock and more. Seriously she is the best. I have one in my bedroom and kitchen. It is so great.

Siblings

If you have multiple children, siblings are a great distraction and a big help. Have your older children keep the younger ones entertained. Some of the ways my older kids help are…

• Reading
• Playing
• Chalk
• Bikes
• Sandbox
• Coloring

It is so great that they can help me keep the little ones entertained but it also teaches my older kids responsibility and how to take care of kids. I am amazed at how uncomfortable some people are with kids.

I want my kids to grow up knowing how to take care of kids and will be totally okay with it when they have their own someday.

Sleep

Take advantage of those naps times! If you have multiple little ones make sure you plan nap time so they can hopefully go down at the same time. This is really when I get the most done. This way is the most guaranteed way out of all the ideas on this list.

If they are sleeping I don’t have to worry about them getting into trouble and can focus on what I need to get done. I am a list person so I make sure I know what I need to get done that day and what things will be the most difficult with my little one awake. I try my best to get those things done when he is sleeping.

Chores

It seems like a silly idea to have your 2-year-old do chores…But my little guy loves to do whatever I am doing. So I let him help put the dishes away or “fold” the laundry. Clearly, he is not going to do it right but it gives him something to focus on while I am doing the work.

We have our little kid dishes in a low drawer so the kids can help. If you don’t have a set up like that then maybe just have a space that they can put things. Just to keep them busy. You can always move them later.

Dinner time is SO stressful for me! My kids always seem to be losing their minds by that point of the day. If at all possible have them help!

Having them pull up a chair works but sometimes is a bit harder when they are smaller. This helper stool is awesome! They can be right up at the counter with you and you don’t have to worry about them falling down. You can also put some snacks on the counter for them to munch on and they feel like they are helping you at the same time!

My little guy loves being outside as well. So I make sure to take him when I feed our animals and give him a little food to let him help with that as well.

He loves it! There is absolutely nothing wrong with starting your kids with chores at a young age and they love doing it at that age! If you that excitement stuck around huh?

Electronics

This idea I am not the proudest of. As I said I don’t want my kids to have much screen time at all. But there are certain seasons where I have had to use screen time and thats okay, sometimes I just need a little extra help in the form of modern technology.

I was letting my kids watch Netflix but there is so much garbage on there and I don’t want them having free access to it so I started paying for Jelly Telly.

It is amazing. It is all good clean Christian shows and my kids love it. There are well-known shows like veggie tales and then also cute detective shows and stuff like that.

I can’t tell you how great it has been. When my kid’s play pretend they play whatever they recently watched. And I notice such a difference in their play when they watch good wholesome shows compared to the garbage that is on Netflix…

I also have a fun educational game on my phone that they like to play. You can get games that teach reading, shapes, colors Etc. Whatever level your child is at. I try my best to have them play or watch educational shows instead of just filling their brains with useless information.

There are also great little songs and fun resources on youtube. You just have to make sure to monitor that because there is lots of garbage that pops up on youtube as well.

Final thoughts

As always I hope this was helpful to you and that you were able to get some good ideas from the list of toddler toys and also some ideas about keeping your kids entertained so that you can get some things done without losing your mind.

Don’t forget that your kids are a gift and to spend some good quality time with them today!

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The Best Phonics Program

Our children’s minds are like little sponges when they are little and we need to do all that we can to fill them up with good positive things…

I am going to share with you 13 things I believe every child should know.

1. Where food comes from

This one seems obvious, but you would be surprised at how kids, adults even don’t know where their food comes from. Now I’m sure if you live on a homestead your child knows where their food comes from…

..but make sure that you get them involved in the process. Have them help with the planting and let them watch the whole thing from start to finish.

Also, if you don’t have certain aspects of food production such as milking cows on your homestead take a field trip to another local farm so that your children can see how milking works.

Another, form of learning books! If you don’t have access to learning get your hands on some fun books and read with your kids. It is great bonding time as well as a chance to learn with them.

2. How to grow & produce their own food

This is a great practical way to teach your children. I would encourage you to give your child their own space in the garden that they are responsible for. Even very young kids can do this…you will just need to guide them more.

This is such a wonderful way for them to see exactly how food is grown and how much work goes into it. Have them do everything from planting to harvesting. They will be so excited to watch the plants grow and be able to have that feeling of accomplishment when their garden matures and yields a crop.

My daughters are 3 & 5 and I plan to have them do all the work. Even planning the garden and where they would like to plant things. If you need some help with that check out my post on planning a garden!

3. How to prepare their own food

I was raised in a home where we made all home cooked meals. Growing up I thought that’s what everybody did. I could not believe it when people would tell me they did not know how to cook. But once I started thinking about it I guess it makes sense that if your mom never taught you…how would you know how?

Even if you don’t know how to prepare home cooked meals as well as you would like I would encourage you to keep at it and teach your kids. Being able to make good healthy homemade meals is so valuable.

Again, start this at a young age. I know it will be messy but let your little ones help in the kitchen. They love that time with mom and it is essential for them as they grow up to know how to cook. If your kids are older start handing off some of the responsibility. Have your older kids take a night of the week. Have them plan the dinner and prepare it. This is great practice for when they move out!

4. How to care for animals

As you have probably noticed I am focusing quite a bit of attention on giving kids responsibility. I believe that is so important! As parents that is our job to teach our children how to live and slowly as they grow up handing them more and more responsibility until they are on there own and have all the responsibility. We sometimes think we are “loving” our kids if you do everything for them. But really we are hurting them. If we do everything for them once they move out they will be in complete shock when all of a sudden they have to do everything!

Anyway, back to the point. Caring for animals is a great way to build responsibility in your child. They have someone’s need’s depending on them and if they forget or decide not to do their job the animal suffers.

We have our 5-year-old take care of the dog. She loves having that responsibility…but she’s 5. So she needs reminders and some guidance. Depending on the age of your child they may or may not be able to take on the job on their own.

5. How to work with their hands

I am going to sound like an old person here…but nowadays with all the devices and machines that do our work for us, we almost don’t have to work with our hands…

But getting a little dirty and working with your hands is such a rewarding feeling. Make sure that your kids have some physical labor. I am in no way saying to use your kids to get all your work done for you…

…but have your kids working alongside you doing the hard work. Some examples would be.

• Weeding the garden
• Cleaning the chicken coop
• Cleaning out the pond
• Cutting wood
• Butchering chickens

Obviously, some of these ideas would just be for older children. But don’t be afraid of getting your little ones involved. You want them to not think twice about hard work and some of the gross stuff…

…this last year as we butchered chickens I made sure my girls helped. I want them to not be grossed out and know how to do it. Of course, they did not actually use a knife you touch any of the dangerous stuff. But they would help with the little jobs. They would hand us the chickens after they had been de-feathered so we could clean them or move them to the water and stuff like that! They loved being involved!

6. Use the equipment

I sometimes say that I would love to live in simpler times and we don’t need all of this modern technology…

..but who am I kidding? there is no way I would be strong enough to do all that those women did back in the day. I am a fan of farm equipment for sure.

I mean my tiller is my best friend! Who has time to pick all those weeds by hand? Not me! At this point in my life my husband I and I have to use the equipment because our kids are so young. But if you have kids that are older get them comfortable with using the equipment.

Have your pre-teens and teens mow the yard, till the garden, split the wood etc. Give them these jobs and have them be responsible to get them done. The best way I have seen it down is to give them a day of the week and they get to choose when they do it but sometime that day the Chore needs to get done.

Another aspect of using the equipment is maintaining the equipment and fixing it. If at all possible do the work yourself so that you can teach your kids how to fix the problems on their own. You can save so much money by fixing things yourself. And it is such a valuable thing for your kids to know how to do. And this is not just for the boys! Get the girls out there as well. And if you can’t figure something out YouTube is the greatest resource

If you were not raised fixing things don’t let that stop you. Make a change in your family and teach your kids that they can figure it out! Between Google and YouTube, we have so much at our disposal! Take advantage of it.

7. Learn freely

There are an incredible amount of opportunities for learning on the homestead. I personally Homeschool and love the freedom it brings to our family. As I mentioned I believe that as parents we need to take the opportunity God has given us and teach our children about the world around them.

I am certainly not against book learning by any means but I also believe that we can learn so much from the hands-on experience. I am a visual learner. So for me, I will learn much better by watching than by reading a book.

I love how freeing it is being on the homestead and teaching my children the way I believe is right. And they are freer to learn the way it best fits their needs.

As I said I an no means am saying book learning is bad. We do a curriculum called Classical conversations and they are very diligent in book learning. I just believe that you need balance. You need time behind the books and time outside.

When your kids are in school balance is very hard because they are gone at least 8 hours a day. This gives very little time for you as the Parent to speak into their lives and have them learn from the homestead.

8. Respect others

Respect! This is a character quality that you rarely see in Kids these days. Well and honestly most of us adults struggle with it as well. I feel like our grandparents would have never gotten away with saying the things our kids say. I always wonder what happened? What did we do wrong? How can I change it?

From what I have observed is that as parents we have not held our kids to a high enough standard. They are only doing what we let them get away with. We need to set the standard, make known the standard and then enforce it!

This is much easier said than done. But if we are going to raise children that are respectful we have to put in the work at home! It drives me nuts when parents put more time and effort into their jobs and life rather than putting time into raising children that are going to make society a better place to live. We can’t expect anyone else to raise our children! That is our job!

9. Work with others

On that note, we also need to raise children that can work well with others. Whether your child decides to be an employee or start their own business they need to know how to work well with other people. Some people are harder than others to deal with and we need to instill characteristics in our children that will help them work well with others.

A few I would recommend…

1. Patience

Teach your children to have patience with others. A great practical way to do this is having them teach a younger sibling how to do something. This will encourage patients at a young age and will be a good learning experience.

2. Think before you speak

In your child’s lifetime, they will have many opportunities to say what’s right or blurt something out without thinking. Guide your children to think before they speak. A good way to practice this is to count to 5 before they respond. This will give them time to think about their response.

3. Care

Teach your child to care about those who are around them. Teach them how to have good heartfelt conversations and really care about people. This will take you far in life. You will back amazed what a little caring can do.

As parents, we need to practice what we preach and be an example to our children. You will not be perfect! As I was writing the portion about being patient I was getting upset at My kids! Ha! Pretty ironic huh? But just keep doing better each day!

10. Run a business

Whether or not your child decides to run their own business it is important that they understand how it works. If you are running a homestead then more likely you will have some opportunities to teach your children how business works.

If you don’t run your own business give them ways to learn about business. Have them sell the eggs or have a veggie stand Etc. Again, I am a visual and hands-on learner. So for me, I want to find good practical ways to teach my kids. If your kids are older have them find a skill or talent and start a small business. They will learn so many life skills from running their own business.

11. Be healthy

I am so glad that we are slowly learning about health again and how to take care of our bodies properly. As parents, it is our job to teach our children about their bodies and how to properly take care of them. If they are going live long and happy lives they need to know how to feed their bodies right.

Thankfully, If you have a homestead you are already well on your way to growing your own healthy food. Make sure you are sharing with your children why you are homesteading and the benefits of doing things yourself. Again, make them a part of the process.

If you are at a loss and how to learn about health and what to feed your family. I recommend the “Trim Healthy Mama” books They do such a good job explaining how to eat a good healthy balanced diet. THEY SERIOUSLY CHANGED MY LIFE!

12. Run a home

Generally, when we talk about running a home we think of women. And obviously, they are a huge part! I believe we to raise our daughters to be good homemakers. They should be able to a good homemaker and take care of their family well. But it is also important that our sons know how to run a home. They need to know what their job is and what they can do to help around the house and make the home run more smoothly.

In our day and age a dad figure in a child’s life is lacking more then it ever has. We need good strong Dad’s in the home raising the next generation of men!

13. Do what is needed

Lastly, teach your children to be observant and see what needs to be done around them. If they see a need they should be able to fill it without being asked. This skill will set them so far above the rest when they go out and get a job.

Remind your children that they are practicing for real life and a future job. So they need to pay attention to the home and the chores that need to be done just as if they were working outside of the home.

Final thought

Trust me I know this list can seem long and a bit daunting. But don’t try to perfect it all at once. Slowly start implementing the ideas into your life one at a time. It will be hard work but it will be so rewarding in the end. Your kids are worth it! and even though they will fight you at first they will appreciate what you did for them as they grew older. I am still waiting for those years But I know they will come.

Happy Homesteading!

~Courtney

Sing, Spell Read and write. 

If you are one of those people who need to know why please read on…

What is the Best Phonics Program?

Seems like a strange question for a homesteading blog, huh? But I happen to homeschool, so for me, homeschooling and homesteading go hand in hand. Just to give you a little back story I was homeschooled my whole life and my husband was homeschooled for a majority of his school years as well…

…Because of our backgrounds, we are pretty comfortable with the whole homeschooling thing and how to pick out the curriculum. As I was looking for the best phonics program for my little one I Decided on…

Sing Spell Read and Write …

And here are my reasons

• Learning to Song

I love that they have you learning to a song. I have found that kids (and adults) will learn so much quicker when what they are trying to learn is set to music. For some reason, it sticks in your head so much better. Some of the only things I remember from childhood are the things that I learned in music.

• Fun and Colorful

School for young kids should be FUN! They not only love the music aspect, but also the fun games that come with Sing, Spell Read and Write. For example, they have bingo and card games to help them with their learning. They also do fun activities while learning. My daughter LOVES crafts so this is huge for her. As they are learning the alphabet they will be cutting things out that start with that letter and coloring the pieces and gluing them on their book.

• Ties it all in

I love that they are not just focusing on reading, but also the spelling and the writing. I was always a poor speller and I appreciate the focus they put on all the aspects of phonics. And As a mom, I love the fact that I only need one curriculum. Whats nice Is that I only have to buy the package once and I can use it for my other kids as well. All I have to do it buy new workbooks when my next child is ready to use it.

• Gives you everything you need

You can totally teach your kids to read on your own. ( I will talk more about that below) But sometimes we can miss things and why not just invest upfront instead of taking the time to do the work that someone else already did? The creators of Sing Spell Read and Write did a great job.

They have included everything that your child will need to learn how to read and beyond. The readers are awesome and the kids feel so accomplished when they have succeeded at reading a book on their own! I started Sing Spell Read and Write with my daughter at 4 1/2 and she is now reading on her own at 5.

I almost feel like she taught herself. The curriculum is so easy to teach, your child will pretty much teach themselves. If you are overwhelmed at the thought of homeschooling your child…Don’t be! It is so simple and easy to use.

Sing Spell Read and Write Questions 

Is it hard to teach?

NO! That is why I picked it. I have a hectic life and don’t have hours to spend on preparing for school. I try to pick curriculum that is put together and ready for the child. When I started all I did was look over the teacher booklet and went from there. They have everything laid out and tell you exactly what pages to do each day, what songs to listen to and what games to play. It’s great!

What do I need to get started?

You can buy everything separately or just buy the package. Personally, I  went with the full package. I wanted to utilize everything they offered and I figured I will be using it for all my kids. My thought is that I can use everything again and will just need to buy new workbooks for my other kids.

If you are interested in trying the full package you can check it out on Amazon here. I mean who doesn’t love the fact that you can get it in in 2 days. Thank you, Amazon for making us last minute people look like we were prepared and ready

Will it be too hard for my little one?

Every child is different! My little one was begging to start school. But I know some kids are not interested at all. Like I said you want to make it as fun as possible! And If your little one is not quite ready don’t rush it. Just try again in a couple months.

Or be creative. If you have a super active little one may be sitting at the table for long periods of time is not working for them. Blare the songs and have a dance party. You will be surprised at how much they are getting in.

Overall I don’t think it will be too hard. If you feel like it is then you can go at your own pace. If playing all the games and doing all the activities are too much then cut back and just do the basics. Just do your best to make sure they are learning the main stuff and you should be good. That leads to the next question…

What age should I start my child on sing spell read and write?

This will obviously depend on the child. I would say that you should be able to start your child at level one around 5-6 years old. You can get Sing Spell Read and Write for kids even younger than that. But I would suggest to just get little books from the dollar store or printouts online for Pre-k and start Sing Spell Read and Write at kindergarten age. (Whatever age that you decide your child is ready)

Just for sake of example…I started Level one with my daughter at 4 1/2 and she loved it. But she was very ready and eager. So I would just see how your child is and go from there. If you start and it just seems to be a struggle then just wait it out and try again.

 Can You teach your Child Phonics without a Curriculum?

YES! Like I mentioned I wanted to touch on this subject a bit. Just because I am teaching my child this way does not mean you have to. I wanted to share a few tips if you have decided to teach your child phonics on your own.

• Find great Resources

Thanks to the internet we have so much help when it comes to homeschooling. Like I mentioned above kids learn great to music.

So do your best to find songs that will go along with what your child is learning. You can find songs on youtube or you can buy Cds. If you don’t want the whole Sing Spell Read and Write package but just want the cd you can do that too! But I would encourage you to do something! Trust me it will make the learning process so much more fun!

Along with music, I would also encourage you to find fun printouts online. Remember to make it fun! You don’t want the school to be boring at this age and you want to encourage fun in learning!

Apps! I don’t always love my children being on devices, but if they are I try to have them play games that will encourage learning. You can find lots of free games that help with phonics.

• Get Organized

When You buy a curriculum everything is ready to go for the year. So try your best to have things printed out and the songs you want to use ready to go. If you wait until the last minute you will be stressing out and that will be no fun for anyone!

• Don’t Overcomplicate it

When people just start out they think that things need to be time consuming and in depth. But you have to remember you are working with little minds and very active little bodies. They are very smart but don’t like to sit for real long. Do your best to keep it simple and to the point.

Application 

As you have figured out by now I love sing spell read and write. I believe they have a great system and I would rather pay for an awesome working system then take the time to patch my own together. But that is totally my personal preference.

I am at a place in life where I don’t have much extra time and I am not super creative when it comes to putting fun things together for my little ones. But If you are that person and you have the time…then, by all means, make your own phonics curriculum! As I mentioned just take the time to find great resources in the form of music, printouts, and apps and get organized! You can also buy things separately and not the entire package if that works for you too.

Don’t be overwhelmed! You got this! I know it can seem very daunting having to teach your child…But you will figure it out and your child will be better off! I promise. I highly believe in homeschooling and our children being home with us…But that is another topic for another day!

Happy Homeschooling!

~Courtney

Why Chores are important for children 

In our day and age kids do not have nearly as many responsibilities as kids used to. And I believe that is not right at all. Our kids should be held to higher standards and we should not just be following them around cleaning up after them and being at their beckon call. They need to learn how to take care of themselves at a young age and understand that the world does not revolve around them. Now am I saying that I make my 5 year old make her own meals and fend for herself? Of course not! There are things that are appropriate for a 5-year-old…..

Appropriate chores are a 5-6-year-old

As I mentioned we want to start training our children to take care of themselves and this is a great age to start. They also need to start realizing that they also have to care for those around them and help with the chores around the house ( or the homestead in our case). I love to start implementing not only personal responsibility but also their family responsibility.

Trust me I know that it is easier to just do the work yourself. But like I said it is so important that they learn responsibility and know that they are needed in the family. I believe that a child who is between 5-6 should be able to…

• Get Dressed on their own

Let them pick their clothes and get dressed on their own! This gives them such a confidence boost. Of course, you can help if you are going out of the house and want them to look presentable. My daughter has quite the fashion sense and picks some very interesting outfits. So if we are going out I help her tone them down a bit.

• Make their bed 

Again, Let them do this and just guide! My 5 year old makes her own bed….half the bedding might be falling off the bed, but she did it! Feel free to guide them and show them how to do it better but try not to scold them too much, if it is not done perfectly. At this age, you are just helping them to do the job. The quality of the job will get better as they grow up.

• Pick up their things

As a mom of 3 toys are overtaking my life. I am pretty close to just getting rid of all of them! But I don’t think that will ultimately fix my problem. If we had no toys their clothes and shoes will still be all over, right? And unfortunately, they have to wear clothes! Things will always be a part of our lives so it is super important to teach them to put their things away. And trust me it does NOT happen overnight. You have to keep reminding…and KEEP reminding. But it is important that they do it because soon it will become a habit. Eventually, they will put their shoes and coat away as they walk in the door.

Now onto family chores…

Like I mentioned this is key! They need to know that they are a big part of the family and that they have a responsibility to the family. This helps them to think bigger and realize that life is about more than just them. And again at this age, it is sometimes more of a hassle to have them help…BUT do it! They need to start learning at this age and they are so eager and willing. It is also a great bonding time as they are right alongside you as you are doing the everyday chores…

• Getting the table ready for dinner

They can help set the table. This is a very easy and simple task for your children to do and it will make them feel like they are a big help. They can also help make dinner….my girls LOVE to help bake and cook. This will take a little more time and patience though

• Unload the dishwasher

We keep our kids dishes in a low drawer. So they are able to help put their own dishes away! And My daughter can reach the silverware drawer so she can also put the silverware away!

• Help with groceries 

My kids love to run the groceries back and forth and hey why not let them use all their energy up, am I right?

• Doing the laundry

I can’t believe how helpful my daughter is in this area. She will fold and put away all her laundry! She loves being a little mom and I am sure lots of little boys are not dying to put their laundry away…So If it is a struggle just have them match socks or fold the towels.

• Taking care of a pet

This is a great one! Because they have someone else relying on them to eat! It is a great way to teach them how to take care of someone else. I have my daughter take care of our dog and also the chickens. She helps me carry their food out to the coop to feed and water them.

When you have a homestead, you have extra work. Which is great! I love that my kids can help do things that other kids might not get to do. They are learning how to can, make homemade food, raise animals Etc. But I know you might not have a homestead and that is perfectly fine. These ideas will work for any kid. Just alter the ideas to fit your needs!

Extra tips

• Don’t underestimate your child

You will be surprised at how much your child is capable of doing. Even though they will complain the whole way through they are very capable of doing many things at their young age.

• Make a chore chart

And You don’t need a fancy chart. Give them a piece of paper and have them make it themselves. Make a little project out of it and teach them how to write as you go along. ( Can you tell I was home-schooled and my mom turned everything into a lesson?) A chore chart is nice so that they know what is expected of them!

• Make it fun

I really struggle with this one because I tend to treat My children as adults. BUT it is okay to make work fun. Not that you have to do this every time…But if you can they really love it and it makes the whole process so much more bearable. And sometimes you just have to survive.

Ways to make cleaning fun…

1. A proven winner is having a competition with cleaning up their toys. See who can get 10 toys put away first. Or who can make the most “baskets” into the toy bin?
2. Play “pretend” My daughter will tell me that I am the sister and she is the mom. So she has to do what I would do as a mom!
3. For super active kids who need to move all the time do exercises while cleaning. For example, do toe touches and pick of a toy on your way down to touch your toes.
4. Have a dance party! Your kids will love it. Turn on some crazy fun music and start cleaning. Trust me it will put you in a better mood too.

There are so many ways to make cleaning fun and it will also create such fun memories with your kiddos. I have a tendency to rush through life and not take the time to get my kids involved the way I should…

• Praise & Discipline 

We all like to hear how good we are doing, Right? So kids are the same way. They want to know how they are doing and need lots of encouragement. I struggle with this but I really need to try to get better. They need to know how much they are needed and how good they are doing.

But on the other end of the spectrum, they also need to know if they are not obeying and what the consequences will be if they do not do what they’re told. A major pet peeve of mine is our current day teenagers who think that there are no consequences to their actions. I DO not want to raise my children to think that they can do whatever they want and just fly under the radar. Does that mean I am perfect, heck no! I get tired and will see them not obeying and just let it slide. But I try overall to let them know that they will be held responsible if they choose not to obey.

I hope this was helpful to you as you continue to work with your child to grow up into a responsible adult! But remember this is just a guide. If your child can’t seem to do the things on this list…That is okay! Just have them do something. Just so that they know they have to help and contribute to the families needs. They just need to understand that life does not revolve around them and I prefer to let that sink in at an early age…

….Now, this is tricky because I love my kids so much and would love to just spoil them and “love” them the way the world does. But that is not real love. Teaching them to take care of themselves is the ultimate goal as parents right? So don’t wait! Get started now!

~Courtney