Farm & Family
Changing of the Guards: Our Rotating Book Display
Well, it’s a new month and almost a new season. Â We’ve also got a birthday in a few days. Â [Older Brother will be 7–I can hardly believe it!] At the Yankee Homestead, all of this adds up to: A New Book Display. Â Several new book displays, actually.
Year Round Nature Activity for Kids: Raising Butterflies
Raising butterflies is a perfect nature activity for young children–it’s fairly easy to do, and gives everyone a firsthand look at a butterfly’s life cycle. Reading excellent books on the topic makes the experience even more delightful. Want to give it a shot? Read on for our favorite butterfly-raising resources.
Free Printable Activity: Last Days of Summer
Last Days of Summer It’s hard to believe that fall is just around the corner. Summer is still with us for a few more weeks, though, and what better way to enjoy these final days of the season than with this fun (and free!) printable activity from Harmony Art Mom, over at Handbook of Nature…
This Year’s Garden Experiments: Organic Bug Control
If you’ve been following along with our Garden Experiments, you may know that we’ve experienced a few mishaps along the way.  Recently, I showed our abundant green bean harvest, so you may also know that we’ve experienced some success as well. The first major Garden Experiment was the implementation of a new method: Square Foot Gardening.  You can…
Nature Activity for Kids: Butterfly Identification
As you may know by now, we’re crazy about nature here at the Yankee Homestead. [By the way, if you’re a parent or teacher, or have any interaction or influence with children, I highly recommend this book: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. Â It’s fantastic–both inspirational and practical. Â Read my…
2 Favorite Folk Singers and 1 Fantastic Venue {Part Two}
Did you catch this post: 2Â Favorite Folk Singers and 1 Fantastic Venue {Part One}? If there are any children in your life, I highly recommend the two musicians–and their CD’s–discussed in that post. This part is for the locals, or for visitors to our nation’s capital… Do you live in or near Northern Virginia (outside…
2 Favorite Folk Singers and 1 Fantastic Venue {Part One}
Our family has a slight obsession with good folk music. I love these words from Ruth Crawford Seeger, in her wonderfully helpful book American Folksongs For Children: Many of us open a savings account at the bank when a child is born, and add layer after layer of small deposits which he can later draw…
Recommended Family Resource: The Singing Bible
Just the other day, out of the blue, Older Brother asked if I would load The Singing Bible onto his ipod. [Note: He received a tiny ipod and docking station for his 6th birthday, in order to listen to quality literature during his rest time.  Yes, it was expensive, but we considered it an investment in…
Family Resource: My Quotable Kid
“I may not be able to snap or whistle, but I’m a fierce fighter.” Older Brother uttered these words one day last December while working on his Nature Calendar. I would have absolutely no recollection of that hilarious statement, had I not recorded it in this fun little journal gifted to me by a friend.…
My Best Finds at This Year’s Book Sales {Part One}
Recently, I attended a used curriculum and book sale with a friend. Â (Not to be confused with our huge, local book sale. Â More on that sale later…) This annual used curriculum sale was geared toward homeschooling families in that all the vendors are home schoolers looking to sell their gently used curriculum, books and materials.…