the Imperfectly Happy home

Tiffany Davis

Homesteading Skills We Need to Learn and Teach

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The other night I was thinking about the homesteading skills I learned from my grandmothers. They were very different women, each with their own skill set. Neither of these women were homesteaders really but they had vintage skills to share with me…sadly, at the time, I wasn’t very interested in learning them. But it got me thinking about homesteading skills; how important it is that we learn them and begin to teach them to others (especially the younger generation).

These vintage skills were naturally passed on for generations. That is until many of us moved into cities and found that we enjoyed convenience over quality. However in the last few years I have seen a revival of homesteading – from small backyard homesteaders to those leaving city life behind and moving onto acres in the country.  But what homesteading skills do we really need? Where can we learn them and who needs to be taught?

Homesteading Skills We Need to Learn & Teach.

Homesteading Skills We Need to Learn and Teach

Well I’m glad you asked! I formulated a little list of what I think are the most important homesteading skills that we need to learn. Now I’m not saying these are the only homesteading skills you need, nor am I saying you are not a homesteader if you do not know how to do some of these. But I do believe we all should be doing our best to acquire and then pass down these skills; and I’ll share why as well as some resources.

The biggest piece of advice I can give you, before we head into the list, is to take on one or two skills at a time. If you try to learn and execute them all at once, you are going to do them poorly and probably burn out.

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Free Homeschooling With YouTube

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Free homeschooling with YouTube – another tool in the modern homeschooler’s resource belt. We’ve been homeschooling since 1996, and have 3 graduates and 1 current student. I wish we had some of the internet tools available when we started our homeschooling adventures. Homeschooling has been a viable form of education for many years; prior to the creation of public and private school institutions, homeschooling was essential in society. It was parents that taught children logic, life and social skills and given guidance about career paths or how to take care of their future home and family.

Today, homeschooling is still appreciable. This type of education gives parents the significant role in their child’s life. Instead of giving control to teachers, parents are given the opportunity to be their child’s biggest example. Homeschooling is unique because no one is forced into a specific curriculum- they are encouraged to learn at their own pace and try different things.

homeschooling for free with youtube

Free Homeschooling With YouTube

One of the most controversial debates about a home education is that a child will not develop social skills and be able to apply them in the real world. This argument is interesting as most homeschooled children will spend more time around different age groups than a child in public education will. Even though this topic could be debated for years to come, it is as simple as this: homeschooling works for some families, and for others it won’t, and that is okay.

Homeschool graduates still receive a high school diploma and are eligible to attend college. Most universities will require ‘transcripts’ so keep track of what subjects and classes your child passes if you decide homeschooling is right for your family. Some core subjects you may want to include:…

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Growing Borage For Home Health and Garden

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Growing Borage may be the single best thing you do for your home and garden this year! Growing Borage is fairly easy and it is a powerful herb for healing and companion planting. And if that isn’t reason enough, growing Borage adds a touch of whimsy and beauty to any garden. It never fails to attract friends and family that wander out to my garden. I want to show you how to grow Borage, without it taking over; and using it effectively for your home, health and garden.

Growing Borage For Home Health and GardenGrowing Borage For Home Health and Garden

How to Grow Borage…wait what is Borage?

Borage is an herbal plant with bright blue flowers. This Mediterranean native herb also sometimes called a starflower, bee bush or bee bread. It is used in medicinal purposes as well as many garden uses….

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9 Ways to Conserve Water in Your Vegetable Garden

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Conserve water, save water, call it whatever you like; but our vegetable gardens can be more efficient and use less! It is so important to conserve water in your garden; even if you don’t live in the desert like I do. There are so many ways we can save water in our vegetable gardens; good for the environment and our wallets. Water is our great resource but it isn’t unlimited, and it doesn’t take a lot to reduce your usage.  Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to let your garden die – you’re a great resource too!  But I have some simple ways you can conserve water and still have an amazing harvest!

 

Conserve Water in Your Garden

Conserve Water in Your Garden

Save Water by Amending Your Soil

Soil that has a lot of compost, worm castings and other organic material helps with the growth of beneficial bacteria and organisms that will keep the soil light, nutrient rich and requiring less water. See DIY Soil Mix.

Live in a place where outside composting isn’t an option? You can still compost for your garden – give Bokashi composting a try.

Plant in Raised Beds

Planting your garden in raised beds has many benefits, one of those being is to conserve water. When you plant in raised beds, with plants closer together, you have less area to water.  In traditional gardening you end up watering a lot of ground that has nothing growing. See Raised Garden Bed Benefits….

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Back to School Sales What You Need to Stockpile

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Back to school sales are already starting and typically run through most of August. I know you’re probably in full-summer mode and the LAST thing you want to think about are the back to school sales; BUT you don’t want to miss out and it is time to plan ahead.

Even as a homeschooler, who schools year-round, I get very excited about these sales. I do some serious back to school stockpiling during these the sales and you should too! Regardless of your choice of education for your child, stockpiling supplies is essential. Most public, private, charter schools and even homeschooling require the same items for each student.

Stocking Up on School Supplies Just Makes Sense

Many of the items that stores put out for the back to school sales are, what they call, loss leaders. That means they are typically losing money or not making money on those items to get you into their store; in hopes that you’ll buy other full-priced. Typically, consumers buy more than one item at any trip to a retail store. During back to school season, supplies are so in-demand that the average amount of money spent on items for their child is over $600. Can you imagine how much it would be if no discounts were offered?

I have a few tips to share with you on shopping back to school sales as well as what to you need to stockpile during them. Over the years I have been able to do a year’s worth of school shopping for our homeschool in one day! And with most public and private schools needing students to bring their own supplies, you need to know how to make the most of the back to school sales. Here are some ways to save you some moo-lah!

Back to School Sales – What You Need to Stockpile

Everyone loves back to school sales! Despite the idea that most kids don’t enjoy this time of year, they can learn to love the process of back to school shopping too. Bring them along and allow them to choose a few of their own supplies should they be in your budget….

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