By Holly Giles | Florida , homeschooling
Our Home Schooling Learning Style When my oldest son was small we spent most of his little years exploring and reading aloud as an early learning style. We did simple math at the farmer’s market, caught tadpoles at a local boat ramp, and went for nature walks close by. We watched the birds, and the […]
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By Holly Giles | Family , Florida , Simple Living , southern homestead
Florida Milk Farm I met Shanna Rae Horstmeyer and her two young boys during a homeschool field trip last year. I heard she had her own Florida milk farm. She recognized my feed-sack purse and introduced herself. She said she had been saving feedbags to work with but had been too busy moving onto their […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , Florida field trips , florida vacations
Treasure the History of Florida It can be hard to treasure the history of Florida when you aren’t sure you like it very much. I am a native Floridian. Actually, I am a fourth-generation Floridian- a rarity these days. As a child, I did not think it was a special place but my grandparents did. […]
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By Holly Giles | Family , homeschooling , Motherhood
Parenting question I met a mom recently at a convention I was speaking at who asked me a parenting question. She was a young mother of 3 boys who were all under the age of 9 and she had many miles to go. It was our first time meeting in person however, she has been […]
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By Holly Giles | Motherhood
Supermoms syndrome The bustle of the holidays is over. Now you are gearing up for the race to the finish of your school year. The activities, co-ops, sports, and the looming chapters of that math book will wear you down by the end of March and ready to throw in the towel. Fitting it all […]
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By Holly Giles | Family
Walking through sorrow Walking through sorrow together is something that seemed so foreign to me. When my boys were born all wanted to do was protect them from pain. I tried to do everything in my power to keep them from being lonesome, missing a loved one, or having to experience loss in their childhood. […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , Great Outdoors , homeschooling
Outdoor Learning Spaces Nature on its own is a powerful tool for outdoor learning spaces. Nature is a classroom. Extended periods of outdoor time increase attention, yes, INCREASES attention in children. It aids in behavior, activates creative development and all senses are activated in nature. What do you see? What do you smell? How do […]
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By Holly Giles | Motherhood
Favorite Mason Jar I picked some camellias from my neighbor’s yard. It is not technically stealing because they aren’t in town and she told me I could. They are just the most beautiful pink color and they make me smile. Anyway, I grabbed a blue mason jar off the top of the laundry room freezer to […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors
Florida traditions Quail hunting was a staple in my grandparent’s generation in providing food for the family. However, I had not experienced a hunt myself, but I remember having quail for dinner. My grandfather cleaned and dressed them out behind the barn and my grandmother would coat them in flour and fry them up in […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , Great Outdoors , homeschooling
Lifestyle Learning Many families view home education as a lifestyle. A specific schedule, routine, or curriculum do not bind learning. In addition, families who embrace a learning lifestyle weave education into their daily life. Generally, they do not categorize learning into subjects or grade levels. In the philosophy of education, learning is the product of […]
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