information;to;make;sure;that;what;we
had learned was accurate. Finally, we
documented all we had learned so that
the;information;would;be;at;our;finger-tips;at;a;moment’s;notice.
Growing up I often heard my parents
say, “Our goal is not to teach you every-thing;you;will;ever;need;to;know;but;to
teach you how to learn, so you can teach
yourself;anything;you;need;to;know.”;My
parents wisely understood that in eighteen short years, it was impossible for
them;to;coach;me;on;all;the;knowledge
I would need for the rest of my life. Instead, they showed me how to research,
which has given me the ability to learn
everything;I;will;ever;need;to;know.
The Science Wonderland
The;farm;will;beat;the;science;fanatic’s
wackiest;dreams!;The;subjects;are;vast,
ranging from genetics to weather patterns. Growing a garden is a perfect
example.
First, before planting a single seed,
the soil must be evaluated (edaphology).
Second, you must become familiar with
your local weather patterns (
meteorology). Third, you must understand your
plants’;care;requirements,;when;to;har-vest, and finally, how to preserve that
harvest (plant biology and agrobiology).
All this just to get those veggies to your
plate! You also have all the health benefits that fresh, organic produce gives
to our bodies and minds. Wow! That
is enough science material for a whole
year’s;worth;of;curriculum!
Then;there;are;all;the;scientific;won-
ders of animals, including studies in
animal biology, anatomy, behavioral
science, and both medical and natural
healthcare. The homestead brings science
to life, and when science is alive, children
will completely absorb what they are
learning. A textbook on chickens will
never;capture;the;thrill;of;seeing;a;chick
peck;its;way;out;of;a;shell;to;the;world
beyond.;These;memories;stay;in;a;child’s
heart;forever;and;with;it;all;the;scientific
knowledge;he;has;gleaned.
Practical Math?
•;A;dairy;goat;requires;a;14%;protein
diet, and Australian Winter peas are
23% protein. What amount of peas
should be added to the goat ration?
•;If;the;field;is;400;ft.;x;800;ft.,;how;many
acres;does;the;field;encompass?
•;Twenty-three;of;the;chickens;weigh;4. 5
lbs.,;fifteen;weigh;5;lbs.;and;nine;weigh
6;lbs.;What;is;the;average;weight;of;the
chickens?
No, these are not word problems from
a;homeschooler’s;dog-eared;math;book
but rather are examples of daily questions that homesteaders must find an-swers;to.;Like;other;subjects;we;have;cov-ered, heady math concepts come down to
earth in the homestead context, as I can
certainly testify.
As a young child I had a horrible time
with;math!;I;couldn’t;understand;how;1⁄ 8
was;smaller;than;¼;since;all;of;my;life,
I;had;been;taught;that;8;was;larger;than
4.;Yet,;when;I;went;out;to;the;barnyard
with my plastic measuring cup and fed
the;goat;kids;1⁄8-cup;of;corn;and;¼-cup;of
oats, I was able to see those proportions
and begin to wrap my mind around the
earth-shaking fact that 4 is not always
smaller;than;8.
Listening;to;adults;work;out;daily;math
problems also helped me see the practical
side of math. In the day-to-day of life, a
math question would come up. Watching
how these perplexities were solved devel-oped;my;reasoning;skills;as;I;saw;the;vital
role math plays in our lives.
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
Have your child research one of the
animals;listed;below;and;find/draw;a
picture of that animal. Grab a world
map;and;fasten;the;animal’s;picture
to its country of origin—a fantastic
way to incorporate geography and
learn about uncommon animals in
one setting!
•;Nubian;dairy;goat
• ;Komondor;livestock;guardian;dog
•;White;Yokohama;chicken
• ;Guineas
• ;Fox;Trotter;horse
• ;Jersey;cow
Race to Learn!
The;Bible;contains;many;verses;dis-cussing;animals,;plants,;and;Man’s
stewardship over creation. Set a
timer;for;15;minutes,;and;with;the
aid;of;a;Bible;concordance,;have;the
children race to see who can gather
the most Scripture references. Discuss each passage, and brainstorm
about how you can put the precepts
you discover into everyday practice.
One of the glorious advantages of homeschooling
is that parents can infuse educational principles
into real-life settings.
