Farm & Family

A Pot o’Gold: More Irish Culture for Kids

What we love about this collection of “Irish stories, poetry, folklore, and (of course) blarney”: Brief selections.  Perfect for kids!  I tend to read one or two to the boys as they finish up breakfast or lunch. Excellent explanations.  Each selection begins with a short description of pertinent background information, including remarks about the author.…

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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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A Wee Bit o’ Irish Culture

Tales from Old Ireland So I’m about 1/4 Irish.   (And 1/4 Mexican + 1/2 German.  Amish-German, to be exact.  But that’s definitely a story for another day…)  Mr. Native Texan also boasts some UK heritage.  Not from Ireland exactly, but close enough to make the Emerald Isle dear to his heart. Even without familiar…

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What's for Lunch

What’s for Lunch? (other than bread)

One of the questions I fielded most frequently at the beginning of our Strange New Dietary Journey was, “What do you eat for lunch?” I think the rest of the question was implied: “…if you can’t eat bread?” Whenever we eat lunch with non-Real-Foodies, there seems to be much curiosity over the contents of our…

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Children's Books for St. Patrick's Day | Roots & Boots

Children’s Books for St. Patrick’s Day

Looking for the best Children’s Books for St. Patrick’s Day ?  

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You're grape!

You’re grape! Valentine Bag Toppers

Looking for a cute, edible, non-candy, mass-producible Valentine idea? Try this! This cute idea is not limited to Valentine’s Day.  It would make a fun treat for any number of situations: lunchboxes, picnics, classroom birthday treats, birthday party favors and more! When our homeschool co-op of about 30 kids decided to do a valentine exchange,…

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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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Favorite Books for Valentine's Day

Favorite Valentine’s Day Books for Children

Happy February!  It’s the month of love.  Want to know which books we enjoy reading during the first half of February, in honor of Valentine’s Day?  You’re in luck!  Our top picks are listed below.

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Happy Winter: this year’s favorite winter book

Happy Winter by Karen Gundersheimer is our new favorite children’s book for winter. (Last year, it was Red Fox Running by Eve Bunting, of which I can still recite the first four lines: Red fox running, /  Running through the snow, / White sky above / And white earth below. / ). We discovered Happy…

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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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