Community Gardens

Community Gardens are popping-up all over the place. I recently learned about one in our area that already has a waiting list. It's a year-round garden that cost about $500 a year (less if you volunteer to help-out) which comes out to less than $45 a month. I, personally, shop for produce every week and spend more than $11.25 on produce.

The downfall is that many families cannot foot the bill all at once. However, start planning now and put a little money away when you can for next year...or get on a waiting list.
It may turn-out to save you a lot of money in the long run.
Plus, you get lots of healthy produce to eat all year.
Many of these Gardens have other functions as well, such as nutrition classes, gardening basics, recipes on how to use your produce, and more.

It's worth checking out.

Links to Free Resources

If you look on the left and right of this blog you will see many links to free resources. These resources were written in a brief and easy to understand format. New resources will be added on a weekly basis.
Currently there are many unique topics that maybe you need help with, such as:

• Feudalism
• Fire Safety
• Fruit of the Spirit Activities
• Government
• Health
• Medieval Food
• Missions
• Paper Cutting
• Psalm 150 Activities
• Short Poems
• Teaching Bible to Children
• Wooden Kitchen Tools for Learning
• Youth Group Helpers

My goal is to provide supplemental material to homeschoolers and Christian educators...without cost.

Be Blessed!

A Time For Giving

We are in hard economic times. Many of us have lost jobs, spouses and the way we use to "do life." But God always has a plan.

This a time of reflection. 

• A time to rid complacency (See the Joel discussions on the right). 
• A time to stop living a disposable life. 
• A time to pass clothes back and forth between friends. 
• A time to share resources. 
• A time to provide tangible help to the fatherless.
• A time to consistently stay in the Word.
• A time to honor our military.
• A time to be simple.
• A time to take a look at our stress and re-evaluate.
• A time to love and not control.

Plan casual community groups where you can share resources that may help one another:

1. Share coupons
2. Share food purchased in bulk
3. Start a paper drive for single moms (toilet paper, tissue, paper towel, etc.)
4. Give clothes that you no longer need
5. Provide information on free medical and dental clinics in your area
6. Do you know of a mechanic who offers discounts to the military or single parents?
7. Teach teens how to change the oil in their car or other car maintenance procedures.
8. Share your talent. Do you know how to build shelves or fix appliances?
9. Share gardening ideas. 

These steps help your community and help bring people together in a way that breeds fellowship, leadership, servitude and Christian love.

Sports and Kids....and parents

Sports and homeschooling families can be a touchy subject. Either we've had bad experiences or would rather avoid them.

• Look for programs that are careful about who they pick to coach.
• Look for programs that expect parents to act maturely.
• Find out how much practice time is expected. Is there a mindset that sports come first before family?
• Find out if foul language will be tolerated from players and parents. Some programs just "do nothing."
• Ask around. Find out from your homeschooling friends if they can recommend a sports program.
• When you do sign-up for a program, be reliable and responsible. 

Here are two articles from a Christian counselor and homeschool mom that give great insight into this topic:

• Kid's Sports Should Be About the Kids
• Parent's Expectations and Youth Sports

Plan a field trip to break-up the monotony

January can be monotonous at times. Especially if you live in a cold climate. This is the time to break-up the monotony. One way to do that is to plan a field trip or two. Look for discounts!

• Zoos often offer free days in the winter because the animals aren't as active and they just don't get the attendance that they would in the summer. If a somewhat warm day (warm for January anyway) happens, drop everything and go to the zoo. Spontaneity can be fun!
• Museums are a warm way to get out of the house. 
• Snow Walk. A quick, fun and free get-a-way. Go for a snow walk around your neighborhood or a park.
• Cheese. Find a store that specializes in cheese and go cheese tasting.
• Hotel. Sometimes you can get a great deal at a local hotel that has a pool. Go swimming and bring some Hawaiian type food like pineapple chunks. If the room has a refrigerator, you can bring your own food and save money.

What's on your heart when it comes to food?

Whatever your thinking, it will show through to your family. Do you have too much worldliness when it comes to food and meals; "...it's ok God, I've got this one." We often tend to forget that God created food and with that we've downright forgotten why He created food.
I've started a new Hub.Something that's been on my heart for a while now. After much prayer and consideration, I've started a new channel centered around the Christian lifestyle. I've just completed my first article and would be honored if you read it and gave me your thoughts.
Food God-Designed for More than Sustenance...Click here....

Unschooling and Free-Schooling

I found a great article concerning unschooling and free-schooling that includes resources. It's written from a fellow homeschooler (not me). Click here to read the article.