Family Resources

Spring Nature Walk

7 Ideas for a Spring Nature Walk

Scavenger Hunts and Nature Walks are a great way to get everyone outside.  After the novelty of spring weather wears off and you find yourself in need of ideas for enjoying the great outdoors with your tribe, try a few of these fun ideas!

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10 Simple Ways to Weave Holiday Traditions Into Everyday Life

Here at the Yankee Homestead, we love getting into the spirit for holidays and seasonal celebrations.   We don’t do anything too elaborate, certainly nothing that would land on anyone’s Pinterest board. 🙂 Children love to celebrate, and I find that holidays make a great jumping off point for learning about all sorts of things–culture, history,…

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Winter Nature Walk on the W&OD Trail (& excellent nature biography for kids)

Background Info: Older Brother and I just finished reading this awesome book, The Flower Hunter, about William Bartram, America’s first naturalist.  His father, John Bartram, was America’s first botanist.  So, so fun to read about their explorations as they studied and gathered plants. As a botanist, John Bartram taught his son William to observe nature…

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Take a Winter Nature Walk

Exploring Nature with Kids: Winter Nature Walk

The boys and I enjoyed (for the most part) a Winter Nature Walk with some friends yesterday.  Read more about our nature buddies here: 5 Tips for a Successful Nature Walk with Kids: {#1 Find a Buddy}. We hit a trail near our friends’ home–not really a destination per se, but a convenient location for us.…

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Christmas Carols for a Kid’s Heart (for a parent’s heart, too)

Christmas Carols for a Kid’s Heart is the third volume of a series called Hymns for a Kid’s Heart.  The Christmas volume is the only one we own, although I’d love to add more to our collection.

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Favorite Thanksgiving Poems, Hymns & Scriptures

Add meaning and warmth to your family’s holiday celebrations with this collection of Thanksgiving poems, hymns & scriptures. Keep this list handy and simply read a poem at the breakfast table, sing a hymn at the dinner table, or share a scripture at your Thanksgiving meal.  It’s a simple way to elevate your Thanksgiving traditions beyond…

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9 wks pregnant in Dec of 2007

Singing in the Shadow of His Wings: Truths to cling to during trial and tragedy

At 2:15 in the morning on November 3rd, I underwent emergency surgery to remove an ectopic pregnancy. The night started out with a date at one of our favorite restaurants.  Mr. Native Texan had returned from a long business trip and we were eager to catch up, as well as to give me a break…

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Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

While I am not an “animal person” (something I recently came to terms with, after growing up on a small farm), I have always been a “nature person.” As an adult, I’ve come to value the many opportunities my childhood afforded me to become personally acquainted with God’s creation. As a parent, I greatly desire…

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