Meghan Andrus

Blueberries for Sale is a fun one. Do the berries "plip" or "plop" into the bucket? Whatever it was its was a great time for the young young ones!

Great response ( and hello to the western slope! my kids were born in Steamboat.)
You are correct: safety does come first. I had a farming friend who said she didn't appreciate "city kids" coming out to play with her kids because those children generally have less capacity to understand limits and safety: For example, understanding of how high is too high up a tree, how far is too far down to jump, how not to spook the pony, etc....so sharing our wonderfulness does come at a cost, and if someone were to get hurt, its on our heads (not the head of the no-appropriate-limits-enforced parent standing idle). Point taken.

Are any homeschooling parents out there in the Permie world NOT homesteading and still finding ways to enforce rules-of-nature appropriate behavior? City kids with Farm-kid sense? Theres a whole other topic!

Hi Gang! ( Hi Matt! Great Work! )

Just wondering if anyone else can speak to brining other peoples children out to their homesteads. Let's be frank: Sometimes it can be isolating to live "out in the county." I love our routine, and I wouldn't change a thing for homeschooling my two kids out where the wild winds blow...but sometimes I feel like it's not enough to just be offering my two children this life.

Has anyone turned their home into a hosting site? Had tour days for homeschooled kids, or offered a chance to other homeschoolers to "Come out and pet the goats" or whatever?
Before homeschooling my kids our place had a revolving door for kids of my friends who work. We offered open play, food from the ground, exposure to light/soil/ air etc. now that I have cirriculum on my plate I have backed off on having other kids about (maybe just until our routine becomes more solid...)

Is anyone regularly, or occasionally, sharing their land/projects with the homeschooling community? I feel like this is a valuable piece. In permaculture, we share when there is excess or abundance. If our lifestyle is already abundant, don't we have a moral permaculture obligation to share?? There is room on my soap box! Who's with me?
~Meghan

The Story of the Root Children by Sibylle Von Olfers is timeless, gentle, beautiful. It reads with a rhythm of seasons. A few art projects have sprung from this book in my home (beeswax form of root children, making "Root Children Dresses". My Nine year old still tunes in when I am reading it too my five year old, so you can also get some mileage out of this one. I believe I found it through searching Waldorf books for young children, so there's another avenue for you! Enjoy!

...so what is the difference?
If, say, I purchased a 50 lb. bag of DE and my chickens, pigs, horse, and goats are all getting doses mixed in their food, which they are, should I not be eating this stuff, as well,? (The extra comma was to point out my absurd sentence structure)....I bought DE from a feed store. Do I assume this is food grade, or do I need to be buying a different DE for my human-ness?