Studies Reveal Children Should Be Outside 4-6 Hours Per Day

children outside

In modern society, many children have extremely limited time spent outside. And that time may be on a concrete playground without access to many elements of nature. A 2016 UK study indicated that the average child in Great Britain spends only 4 hours outside per week.  In contrast, the American Heart Association reports the average […]

Susanne’s Fruit Farm in Arkansas, Harvesting Blackberries

Catherine stops in Arkansas to harvest blackberries and plums on their way to Indiana. You can homestead from the road by stopping at local farms along your route!!! The blackberries were eaten in the car and used in smoothies in Indiana with friends. The plums are still being eaten 4 days later from the road.

Easter Basket Ideas for Healthy Homesteading Kids!

Did you know Easter is the biggest candy-sales holiday in America, after Halloween? Instead of filling up plastic Easter baskets with plastic eggs, plastic “grass”, and five pounds of High-Fructose Corn Syrup, why not make your own Easter baskets out of healthy, fun, and useful stuff? Here’s some of my favorite DIY Easter basket ideas […]

Why You Should Say NO More Often and Give Fewer Fucks

For many years, I thought that it was my responsibility, my duty, to deep-dive into the most terrible and baffling situations (and people), with the mad hope of understanding them in order to transmute them–to bring about healing. I thought I had to suffer in order to heal suffering. Then I realized that was hopelessly arrogant […]

3 Movies That REALLY Make You Think About Freedom & Responsibility

Sometimes lessons are best taught via storytelling. As a freethinker, however–it can be pretty tough to find any worthwhile stories to listen to. Reality TV doesn’t cut it–and it’s fake anyway… These three movies each offer a perspective on something profound that you won’t be likely to come across elsewhere. I won’t say I “like” them, […]

Don’t Die Eating Wild Berries! Use a Plant Identification Phone App!

shazam

Shazam! When I was a kid, I remember being cautioned with dire warnings to never eat anything that didn’t come from the grocery store. My parents were generally really cautious about nature. Poison ivy could be out there, you know. At the edge of our property, there were these vines growing with dark berries all […]

The Tropical Fruit Tree Americans Forgot: The Pawpaw Tree

What if I told you that North America has an easy-to-grow native tropical fruit tree that you’ve never even heard of? The Pawpaw is our largest native fruit, and it tastes something like banana and mango with hints of vanilla (yum!). Nicknamed the “Appalachian Banana” or “poor man’s banana”, Pawpaws are the largest edible fruit […]

Knives and Fires at Preschool? Yes, It’s a Good Thing.

Do you let your kids play with fire? For most Americans, child safety means keeping kids far away from anything sharper than a nerf ball. However, you might be surprised to learn that not all countries treat their children like delicate flowers if they’re under the age of ten (or twenty). For example, the children […]

The Tomato Leaf Myth: Debunking the Poisonous Lie

Have you ever heard that tomato leaves are poisonous!? What if I told you they not only aren’t poisonous but that they’re actually really tasty and medicinal! Like all vegetables, they contain alkaloids that help defend against overgrazing, but they aren’t the toxic menace they’ve been put off as! Nicotine and cocaine (not the street […]