1
0
We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
The most wonderful part of homeschooling is the ability to teach our children real life skills. Don’t get me wrong, skills like basic math and reading are definitely life skills, but I am talking about the ones that go even further. Skills that apply basic math, reading, and science to the task. Spring is one of the most perfect opportunities for these skills and so I’m going to show you 5 simple life skills to teach your children in Spring.
Spring is our favorite time of year. After the long and dark Winter, it is refreshing to see the sunshine return. We love to watch the birds return home after their long stay South and we are eager to get outside to stretch our legs and feel the sun on our face. Here in Alaska, we start busting out the Summer clothes around this time. Once the temps reach 40 and sunny, you’ll likely find us outside in shorts and short sleeve shirts splashing in the puddles made by the melting snow. Harsh but fun, this state runs wild with learning opportunities that I can experience with my kids and Spring is the best time for this.
Spring Foraging
Do you ever feel overwhelmed when trying to identify the many different varieties of plants on a walk? This is why I love Spring. At least here in Alaska, most plants begin to start showing a few at a time so there isn’t a huge selection to pick and choose. It is much easier to get started with foraging because you can focus on learning one new plant at a time.
Foraging is a controversial topic. There are strong advocates either for or against it. There are many who do not view humans as a part of nature. They view us as separate and believe in keeping nature as human free as possible. I cannot deny the immense destruction that humans have brought on nature, but it is my strong belief that this is occurring because of the separation from nature. When we were connected with acquiring our own food in nature, we had a stronger drive to take care of the many plants and animals that surround us.
What to Forage in Spring
My family’s absolute favorite plant in the Spring are the dandelions. They are easy to identify and my children love to collect them. The flowers, leaves, and roots are all safe to eat and use. You can make Dandelion jelly from the flowers, add the leaves to your salads or smoothies, and make a lovely “coffee” from the roots. It is all around versatile and a wonderful place to start if you are a beginner.
Our second favorite is clover. It grows in abundance with the Dandelions at our favorite spot on the Tanana river. In the Summer, you can find us basking in the sunshine and collecting these beautiful and tasty flowers. They are high in vitamins and minerals and are a sweet addition to many foods, including infused honey. I love a nice cup of clover tea during the Summer. Clover is another wonderful beginner plant to look for.
The first plants to make an appearance in our part of Alaska are the Willows. We live off of the Tanana river and are surrounded by beautiful river Willows. The telltale sign that we know Spring is in the air is the arrival of pussy willows. Once we see the little fluffs on the Willows then we know that the geese are soon to arrive and the snow is soon to be gone.
Willows are a well known pain relief remedy. White Willow bark is highly medicinal and contains the same compound as aspirin. You can make a simple Willow bark tea to help with pains instead of jumping for the Tylenol first.
Start Your Spring Garden
Growing and obtaining food is probably the number one life skill you can teach your children. Along with being able to identify edible plants, being able to grow them is also important and fun. Kids naturally love gardening. My kids never miss an opportunity to dig around in the dirt and they love watching the seeds turn into plants.
You can certainly have a much easier time planting a garden on your own, but you will be missing out on the most wonderful learning opportunity for your children. Not only is it a life skill, but it teaches science, math, and reading as well. Between YouTube, books, and magazines, there are many wonderful resources out there to help you along.
Even if it is just a windowsill herb garden, which is where I started with my kids, you will feel really good about growing a couple of herbs to add into your kitchen or medicine cabinet. It is a highly rewarding experience and a fun experiment to try as a family.
Some easy plants to start with are tomatoes, peppers, green onions, chives, cilantro, beans, and cucumbers. These are easy to start and can be kept in containers on a patio if space is your concern. They don’t require a ton of care, but they have a nice yield.
Whenever I am learning something new, I tend to go headfirst and start with too much and there is a strong learning curve. It is much easier to start small and work up.
Learn to Cook with What is in Season
We’ve been focusing on growing and collecting food but now it is time to focus on the preparation. We take the plants that we have grown or foraged into the kitchen and prepare a tasty, seasonal meal from them. Like foraging and gardening, cooking at home is sadly a dying art. With the ease of fast food and meal delivery services, it is just too easy to go for the simplest option.
This is scary in a world where disease and sickness is on the rise. Food is medicine. Cooking at home using the freshest and most local produce to be found is the foundation of health.
Even if you are unable to grow your own food, you can shop at the farmer’s market and teach your kids how to prepare it. Kids are eager to get into the kitchen. You can begin at a very young age with age appropriate tasks.
I like to let my oldest chop the vegetables and my youngest kids will place them on the pan. I let my younger ones practice chopping with supervision and we have yet to have an accident. Kids are more capable than they are given credit for and will certainly rise to the task.
Common tasks that my children will have in the kitchen:
- Helping to chop vegetables
- Adding ingredients to the bowl/pan
- Stirring the ingredients
- Helping form biscuits
- Icing a cake
- Seasoning meat
- Flipping pancakes
These are just a few of the many tasks that my children have. There are others, but it just depends on what I am cooking and what they are comfortable helping with.
Knowing how to cook is always a valuable skill. Your children will be adults some day needing to cook for their own family. It is best they learn as they are growing so it isn’t a hard learning curve later in life. The more experience I gain with cooking, the easier it is and the less likely I am to lean on fast food in a pinch.
Knowledge of Basic Tools
Spring is that time of year where my husband gets to flex his carpentry skills, and he is always eager for it. Even now as we plan for our new raised garden beds he can’t stop grinning thinking of the project that lies before him.
He learned how to build and use tools from a young age because his dad taught him as early as possible. These skills have been foundational in his career and beyond helpful around our house. He has even been able to help friends and family who have needed it.
It is nice to know that if something breaks or needs repair in the house, he can usually fix it or learn how to. He is determined to teach these skills to all of our children as well. I fully expect my daughters to outshine their husbands in the carpentry field some day with how their dad is teaching them.
Even if you have no knowledge of hand tools, a simple YouTube tutorial or well written book can remedy that. They are easy to learn and practice makes perfect. I love to learn alongside my children anyway, so anytime there is a learning opportunity for all of us, I jump on it.
You can start small by buying a simple birdhouse building kit like this one on Amazon. You can’t go wrong because it tells you exactly step by step how to do everything. The birds in your yard will thank you for it and your kids will have learned new skills. They will easily take pride in their creation once they see it come together.
Learning to Take Care of the House
Winter tends to take a toll on the house. The long, dark days offer less sunshine through the windows. The cold prevents the windows from being open and the stagnant air stays trapped inside. There is nothing like Spring cleaning to completely flip this around.
Enlisting the help of your children will not only make this task a little easier on you, but it will provide a learning opportunity as well. When they see that refreshing the house is important to you and you build it into your seasonal routine, they will expect it every year.
I’m not saying that every house should look perfect, but there is a certain peace to a clean house. Assign everyone a different task. The younger ones can help wipe the walls and load the linens into the washer. They can load and unload the dishwasher. Older ones can sweep, mop, and vacuum. Take out the trash. There is plenty that they are capable of and will feel proud to have accomplished it with you.
Again, I don’t think perfection is key here. I’m certainly not trying to teach my kids to stress over every little crumb, but I do want them to know how to pick up after themselves. This is important for when they are no longer living with me and they grow up and live on their own.
5 Simple Life Skills
- Spring Foraging
- Spring Gardening
- Cooking with in season produce
- Use of basic tools
- Taking care of the house
My ultimate goal as a mother is to pass on skills to my children that they will someday need when they are grown. Some may not classify gardening as a “need” but it is my greatest wish to gift my kids the familiarity of where their food comes from. I want them to always know how to grow and acquire more of it if needed.
Spring is also a time where we focus on stewardship of the land. In April we celebrate Earth Day and the kids have a lot of fun with the baking and projects we like to do on this day. It is a great opportunity to teach kids about recycling and taking care of our beautiful Earth. You can find 20 simple Earth Day activities for families here.
I hope that these skills have been an inspiration for your Spring activities with your family. I find immense joy in combining our home school days with real life practical skills. If you are interested in more content on homeschooling life and support for homeschooling mamas, you can find more content from me. What life skills do you find most important to teach? Which ones are you implementing in your home school days? I’d love to hear from you to find out!
Great article!
Thank you!!!
[…] As a Wildschooling family, teaching life skills is at the forefront of our daily curriculum. There are plenty of resources out there to teach basic math and literacy skills, but at the end of the day, life skills are beginning to plummet. If you are like me, you want your kids to grow up and thrive, not just merely get by in life. If you are looking for a great place to start, here are some good starter ideas. […]