Inside Our Homeschool… On A Multi-Family Farm
This post is part of a series of homeschool snapshots. No two families are alike so why should your homeschool. Head to the Event Page to read the rest of the stories and find your tribe.
Homeschooling on a farm is a great way to live which is why the Hess Family Homeschool (AKA Hess UnAcademy) moved to a multi-family farm where we learn and grow as a whole group!
You can follow our journey over at The Secret Life Of Homesteaders. But first, I’d like to give you a first-hand tour of what life is like over on our family farm.
Come and see where life and school collide!
Schooling In The Garden
One of the best things about homeschooling on a farm is that we are able to learn in so many different ways and places. For example, one of our favorite subjects is gardening. We love getting our hands dirty and learning about where our food comes from. Plus, it’s a great way to get some exercise!
At the beginning of the season, we had to plan, map out, and prep our garden. We had to learn what plants do well in which climate and in which type of soil. We had to make sure every plant had the right amount of space, water, and sunlight. And we had to do all of this while working together as a team!
Now that our garden is in full swing, we spend a few hours every day taking care of it. We weed, water, and harvest the vegetables. We also have to keep an eye out for pests and diseases.
Are we very good at gardening? Absolutely not! But with every plant we kill, we learn how to change and improve until one day, heaven help us, we WILL have a strong and plentiful garden.
Besides, even if our gardens don’t look like much, they still provide for us in more ways than one. For example, we learn a lot about cooperation and communication while working together to get the garden in shape. And when it comes time to harvest, there’s nothing more satisfying than being able to sit down to a meal that we’ve grown ourselves.
When we’re in between projects due to seasons, weather, or something else, we love enjoying some STEAM activities for kids. STEAM activities are a great way to continue the learning process as a whole group, no matter what’s going on outside.
What Can Livestock Teach Inside Our Homeschool?
On our homestead, we are currently raising about 50 chickens, 25 ducks, and 20 sheep. We also have a livestock guardian dog.
Over the next few years we would like to expand our numbers to reach beyond several hundred of each species of livestock, while also adding more dogs, some rabbits, and some worms (for the garden and for the birds).
What can all this livestock teach our homeschool? The better question is what can’t the livestock teach us?
We learn about animal husbandry, their habitats, needs, and how to work with them. We’ve learned about the food chain, and how each species fits within it. We’ve even learned how to open, operate, and market various business markets via our livestock.
But, the most important thing that our livestock has taught us is responsibility. How to take care of something other than ourselves. How to think about someone else’s needs before our own. How to work as a team to get a job done well.
Plus, there is nothing quite like snuggling a baby animal.
Homeschool, Farm School
We are always busy on the farm! There is always something that needs to be done. From taking care of the animals, to gardening, to canning, to making sure the fences are in good repair, there is no shortage of things to do.
All this work is great for our homeschool!
When building and preparing fencing around the property, a heavy amount of math is involved. Where do we build? How much material do we need? What specs do we need to follow? These are all examples of questions we must ask ourselves each and every time we work on a project.
When we are out in the garden, we are constantly using measurement tools to space our plants properly. We have to know how much water they need, how tall they will grow, and when to harvest them.
Then there is the canning. Depending on what we are canning, the process will be different each time. With jams, we have to use specific ratios of fruit to sugar. With pickles, we have to be very precise with our measurements so that everything can fit properly into the jars.
This is just a small sampling of the ways that farm work doubles as schoolwork!
Working Together As A Team
No matter what we’re doing on our family farm, we are learning and growing together as a team. One of the best things about homeschooling on a farm is that there are always opportunities to work together.
For example, when we are out in the garden, everyone has a specific job to do. One person might be in charge of weeding, while another is in charge of watering. And, of course, someone has to be in charge of tossing all those giant boulders out of the way!
But it’s not just the work that we do together that helps us to grow as a team. It’s also the fun stuff! From bonfires and sing-alongs, to hayrides and swimming in the pond, there is always something fun to do on the farm.
We’ve even been known to enjoy the weekly family movie night. And all of the kids love pulling out one of our educational board games and playing as a group during the evenings.
And, of course, we can’t forget about all the learning opportunities that come from working together on the farm. From learning how to take care of animals, to working in the garden, to canning and preserving food, there is so much to learn!
When we work together as a team, we are able to accomplish so much more than we ever could on our own. And this is perhaps the greatest lesson that comes from homeschooling on a family farm.
This post is part of a series of homeschool snapshots. No two families are alike so why should your homeschool. Head to the Event Page to read the rest of the stories and find your tribe.
Charlene Hess spent many years teaching kids in volunteer positions before she had her own kids. Her goal is to make learning as exciting and fun as possible!
She now has 8 kids of her own, whom she has been homeschooling for the last 13 years. Charlene still teaches other children outside of her home but finds great joy in exploring the world with her family. She also loves sharing unique learning ideas with homeschooling families from all around.
You can find Charlene inside of her Facebook Group, Homeschool Help, Tips, and Free Homeschool Resources and Printables Charlene and her husband Benjamin blog about homeschooling and success principles for kids at Hess Unacademy. They also blog about homesteading at Secret LIfe of Homesteaders