Babe's Bucket List Challenge #6: Write a Book

 Welcome to Babe's Bucket List Challenge, where I'm tackling twelve of the thirty things on my bucket list and writing about the experiences...won't you join me?

Remember my dad (from the Word of the Year post)?  Dad's joie de vivre was unmatched -- he loved life!  Music, surfing, engineering, strong coffee, and family were part of his core.  He loved tinkering with ideas and often worked with his grandsons on projects such as building a siege tower, designing and building a chicken coop, and designing and shooting off rockets...plus going fishing.  He lived life with an engineer's precision, a surfer's spirit, and a drummer's soul.  Even as his health declined, his spirit, sense of humor, and love for ice cream never wavered.

In his honor, this year I have created a bucket list - a compliation of dreams and aspirations - to work from.  My husband (who grew up in our town and interned with him as a teen) has also written down a bucket list, and we're going for it!  You can download your own Bucket List template at the Word of the Year post.

Challenge number six on the list?  Writing a book.

I'd like to take a moment here to shout out all of the authors out there...especially those who have been quite prolific.  It's one thing to have a creative idea, and to even have a rough plot in your head.  It's quite another to bring it to fruition on the page!

While I began writing a longer novel, and still have all of those planning pages and rough drafts, ultimately I knew I would have to shift gears to be able to accomplish this goal this year.  I had been kicking around an idea for a children's book and found that one much easier to pull together in a shortened period of time.  I'm thinking the fact that it was non-fiction also helped here, as I didn't have to keep my head wrapped around an alternate universe to keep all of the plotlines together, as one does for a novel.

Hippie Mama's ABC is a non-fiction, educational book (did you expect any less from a long-term homeschooler?) written for preschool and elementary aged children.  It covers natural and simple living, homesteading, and self-sufficiency, all at an introductory level.  Again, as a homeschooler, I've also included hands-on activities for concept reinforcement.  It is available on both kindle format and in paperback, and while I'm biased, I really think you're going to love it!

  

Hippie Mama's ABC

Imagine if you knew how to grow your own juicy strawberries, make your own bread, and fix a broken toy all by yourself. Learning about self-sufficiency and homesteading is a little bit like becoming a real-life explorer and helper at the same time. It means learning how to take care of yourself, your family, and the world around you. When kids learn these things, they discover that they are strong, smart, and able to do amazing things!  Told through the ABCs for elementary-aged children, there are also hands-on activities and parent-led adventures included.

While I am still currently working on my full-length novel, it's going to be a while before that one sees the light of day.  With dozens of pages of notes, multiple timelines plotted out, and a character map, it's something that requires chunks of time to devote to thinking and writing that I simply do have not have at the moment.  In this in-between stage -- taking care of both childrens and aging parents -- we do the best we can with the time we have.  Until then....Buonanotte, Tesoro!

Hippie Mama's ABC is available in kindle version or paperback 

Homestead Education - High School Projects

 

Our son, Xander, loves the farm life!  I'm sure you'll see him many times over the course of our journey here at Homeschool On the Range.  If you love his work, click on the Xander tag at the bottom of this post to find more!

This year for science, I have been using Homestead Education.  (Mom says you can see all about it on her review thing.) 

Middle / High School Learners

Created for upper grades learners, Introduction to Homestead Science contains 18 interactive units that teach agriculture science, life skills, applied mathematics, and character lessons.  Each of those units includes eight lessons, spanning two weeks, for a total of thirty-six weeks.  Each lesson has accompanying workbook activities and projects.  The curriculum also includes tests, quizzes, and six homestead projects (no acreage required).

Anyway.  I like it.  There is a lot of hands on stuff and while I have to still read and write and watch some videos, I also get to build things and make better stuff for the farm.

We had to build a new waterer and make a better fence so that we can get more cows.  This is what we are working on here to add on to the barn.

Part of having a chicken coop is having to keep it clean.  The chickens have made a mess!

This is the winter house I made for our goats out of an old motorcycle trailer.  It keeps them safe from the wind at night and has lots of hay.  I let them out during the day time.

Whether it's stuff we grew ourselves or got at the store, it is important to know how to cook.  It saves you a lot of money more than going out to eat all the time.

Grilling is very important because it's an easy way to cook the meat we raise.

Moving hay is a regular chore on the farm, but usually it's something my dad does.  Here I am learning how to use the hay spike.

Here I am learning how to fix the dryer.  It turned out that it just needed a good cleaning!

Farming Books for Elementary, Middle & High School (Interest-Led Learning)

One of our sons is more the hands-on, outdoors type of kid.  He works hard and has great work ethic, but doesn't really plan to continue schooling beyond graduation.  He's not a fan of reading, but enjoys reading about working with animals and the land.  If you've got a kid like this....this list is for you!

Farm & Homestead Books for Elementary School

Lower Elementary

Along Came a Dog

The Biggest Bear

Blueberries for Sal

Brambly Hedge

Grandpa's Farm

Grandpa's Tractor

James Herriot's Treasury for Children

Little Blue Truck's Springtime

Little House on the Prairie (easy readers)

A Little House Picture Treasury

The Little Lamb

A New Coat for Anna

Ox-Cart Man

A Year on Our Farm

Upper Elementary

The Bears of the Blue River

Caddie Woodlawn

Charlotte's Web

Diary of an Early American Boy

Down Down the Mountain

Eric Sloan's Weather Book

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

Heidi

Little Britches

Little House on the Prairie

Sign of the Beaver

The Year at Maple Hill Farm

Understood Betsy

--> Download & Print the Farm Book List <--

Farm & Homestead Books for Middle & High School

• Farm Hands - Rivers, Tom
• Carrots Love Tomatoes - Riotte, Louise
• Potatoes, Corn, and Beans - Johnson, Sylvia A.
• A Family Apart - Nixon, Joan
• Ancient Agricultural Technology - Woods, Michael
• Droughts - Allaby, Michael
• Food Watch -Bramwell, Martyn
• An American Safari - Brandenburg, Jim
• Geosphere: The Land and Its Uses - Desonie, Dana
• Invisible Allies - Farrell, Jeanette
• Urban Sprawl - Miller, Debra
• The Barn - Avi
• How I Found the Strong - McMullan, Margaret
• Four Seasons With Five Kids on One Family's Farm - Rosen, Michael
• The Man Who Fed the World - Hesser, Leon
• Honey Bees: Letters from the Hive - Buchmann, Stephen
• Symbiosis - Silverstein, Alvin
• Once Upon a Farm - Artley, Bob
• The Haymeadow - Paulsen, Gary
• Thunder on the Plains - Robbins, Ken
• The Worm Cafe - Payne, Binet
• Edible Gardening - Israelsson, Lena
• Dust Bowl Diary - Low, Ann Marie
• Superfood or Superthreat - Gay, Kathlyn
• Little Men - Louisa May Alcott
• Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
• Folks This Ain't Normal - Joel Salatin

Check out for our 2023 Word of the Year -- it has something to do with homesteading!

You may also like...

Arts & Crafts: Seed Art

Using pumpkin seeds, corn, peas, wheat berries, or any other hard seed, create your own nature art!  You'll need seeds, glue, construction paper, paint, and a little creativity.  (Parents should supervise younger children as small seeds can be a choking hazard.)

Build Your Own Homestead Little Learner’s Homestead Science

This elementary curriculum is an interactive homeschool curriculum that will introduce your child to small scale farming. This one of a kind homestead curriculum is designed for pre-school through to 3rd or 4th grade depending on your child and whether this will be used as a full curriculum or supplemental to another curriculum.  

Build Your Own Homestead is designed to give your child a better understanding of where their food comes from. This allows them to take ownership in providing food for the family whether that’s understanding what they are choosing at the grocery store, helping you tend to the garden, or gathering eggs from your chickens.  Homesteading is a science on multiple different levels. Agriculture, animal science, food science, experimentation, and social science are used everyday on the homestead.

*Homestead NOT required*

For more on homesteading, check out the Homesteading Course at SchoolhouseTeachers!

This homeschool homesteading course is designed for anyone who has a desire to live more independently and prepare much of what is needed each day using their own hands. In this elective course, the student can learn how to work for what they want by making it themselves, instead of participating in an “on demand” society. Homeschool students of all ages learn patience, along with the skills needed to make their own cleaners for the home, sunscreen, homemade ketchup and dry mixes, as well as how to choose animals and prepare for emergencies, and much more. Learning the patience and usefulness of “doing it yourself” can be immensely helpful not only in the sense of living a healthier life, but also for the budget!

Butchering the Hog

Our son, Xander, loves the farm life!  I'm sure you'll see him many times over the course of our journey here at Homeschool On the Range.  If you love his work, click on the Xander tag at the bottom of this post to find more!

Wintertime is when you want to butcher your hog.  This is because it gets hot and stinky.  First you have to kill the hog quickly.  My dad did that.  Then we used the tractor to hang it so we could start the process.  We skinned it because that makes it easier.  He was really happy when we were able to start working in the garage where it wasn't as windy.

We had to use a hacksaw and it was a lot of hard work.  It took a lot longer than we thought it was going to, but then we put the pieces in the fridge to rest for a little while.  Then we put some in the freezer and kept out a little bit for the weekend.  It was really tasty!  If you can get a hog, you should definitely because it is better than the stuff at the store.

Word of the Year 2023 - Self-Sufficient

Each year, we choose a Word of the Year...something to focus on energies on for the upcoming year.  It's akin to the New Year Resolution, but less of an actual task than a change in mindset.  For 2023, we selected Self-Sufficiency.  While this is something we've been working on for a while, we've decided it's time to put just a little more energy into this goal...

Previous words of the year include:

• 2022 - Self-Care
• 2021 - Grace
• 2020 - Slow

You can visit each of these to pick up resources and ideas for incorporating those principles and goals into your home.

Homestead Skills

Good planning is essential to a successful vegetable garden. Vegetables have specific requirements, and you must choose your site carefully to ensure a bountiful harvest. Get to Planning Your Productive Home Garden, and follow the basics.  

Want to take it a step further, or spruce up your front yard?  In Raised Beds & Pallet Planters, you'll get step-by-step instructions for unique planters!

Canning, freezing, and drying -- do you know which is best for each food?  Learn to put up your harvest (or bulk buys) in Home Preservation Basics.

At one time, most children learned Basic Outdoor Skills, but now we have to seek opportunities for teaching them.  Don't let another year go by without incorporating these simple tasks into your homeschool.

Whether you have a hobby-homestead, are a frugal momma, or just spent a lot of time with the 'Greatest Generation,' re-purposing is a simple fact of life.  Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!  These Repurposing Ideas for the Homestead will help you to save money, do a little recycling, and even bring a personal flair to your home!

Immunity is affected by daily habits, lifestyle choices, and exposure to toxins.  Your immune system doesn't just help prevent you from catching colds, but also prevents against things like cancer.  Maintaining a healthy immune system should be top priority all year long, not just during cold and flu season...learn more in Immune Boosting Herbs.

Animals, outbuildings, pipes...all of these things need tending to and don't just wait for better weather.  But be smart about it and follow these tips from Winter Safety on the Homestead.  All I can say is, on cold winter days, I'm so glad we don't homestead closer to the Arctic!

Unit Studies (not just for kids!)

In the Farming & Ranching for Teens curriculum, we've pulled together books, videos, and hands-on projects covering both animal husbandry and agriculture.  We start out by covering the difference between farming and ranching and how the work of these folks affects you everyday, such as in the grocery store.

The My Side of the Mountain novel study features Sam, runs away to the wilderness to escape his family.  He is tested and discovers strength and self-confidence.  Today, the Boy Scouts teach survival skills in their Wilderness Survival badge.

Herb studies combine both science and life skills.  In The Secret Garden novel study, students learn to start and maintain an herb garden, as well as the uses for each plant.

In the Willa and the Wood novel study, you and your students will learn about foraging for plants and basic herb uses.

Download and print the Farming Book List to incorporate agricultural wisdom into your homeschool.  This list includes both fiction and non-fiction books.

Recently, there has been a rise in the popularity of survival-based books for children.  Our boys were definitely drawn to these more rough and tumble types of books, but they're not just for boys.  Here are some of the Best Kids' Books About Survival.

Eat In Tonight

It may take some adjustments in your shopping and cooking habits, but eating real food (and not nuking it in the microwave) is so much healthier for you!  Your body will appreciate the difference, and after a little bit your mood will improve as you begin to feel more energized.

We use the crockpot to throw together dinners quickly at night.  A bit of prep work, toss it in the pot in the morning, and it's ready to go in the evening!  We also do freezer cooking, so that healthy homemade meals are possible when time is short.  It takes a day of prep (or sometimes, a few hours here and there spread over several days), but is so very worth it.  Does that mean we never eat out or grab something fast?  Nope.  Everything in moderation....

  

A Slow-Cooked Year This book includes : the whats and whys behind crockpot cooking, how-to tips and tricks, safe crockpot guidelines, printable planning sheets, and more than thirty seasonally-appropriate, kid-friendly recipes!

Another Year of Freezer Cooking For anyone who wants to get a leg up on getting healthy meals on the family table, without much fuss...this book includes : the whats and whys behind freezer cooking how-to tips and tricks pantry freezing guidelines, printable planning sheets more than thirty seasonally-appropriate, kid-friendly recipes!

Courses & Resources

I cannot say enough about the Homestead Education curriculum!  Introduction to Homestead Science covers the art and science of homesteading in a full year science curriculum. There is daily reading and vocabulary, additional research projects, hands on projects both short and long term, and applied mathematics. Being an introductory course, there are some topics that are covered more in depth than others.  

Peek through the photos here and you'll see that it is multi-modal and incorporates all the subjects!! My son is using it this year, but mom is learning alongside him as well. There's always something new to learn in the homestead life. There's a curriculum for Little Learners as well (preschool / elementary). Use code RANGE10 to save an extra 10%!

One of our favorite courses at SchoolhouseTeachers is the Homesteading course! If you’ve ever wanted to ditch the chemicals in your household cleaners, can what you grow or purchase at a farmer’s market, make your own gifts and candles, or learn how to do things the natural way, you need to see the Homesteading class.

This ongoing course shares tips and detailed instructions that can enable you and your family to live more simply and naturally. Printables and some how-to videos are included with these weekly lessons...and it's all included with the 350+ other courses offered at SchoolhouseTeachers.com.

Pick up the Homemaking & Homesteading Bundle in our Cottage Shoppe!  

The bundle includes twenty-four tutorials with background information for anyone who is interested in homemaking and homesteading. Topics are broken down into:

• In the Kitchen – Fall & Winter
• In the Kitchen – Spring & Summer
• Around the Homestead – Inside
• Around the Homestead – Outside

The Permaculture Student includes:

• Private Community Facebook Group for Students
• Unlimited Access to the Video Library
  
• Includes eBook versions of The Permaculture Student 1 textbook & workbook
  
• Hands-On Projects with Step-by-Step Directions & Video
• Open & self-paced course. Start anytime, take your time & enjoy the design!
  
• What you will learn:
  
• Permaculture Design - homes, landscapes, society, businesses & more
• Pattern Literacy
• Reading the Landscape
• Seed-to-Table Cooking
• Earthworks
• Seed Saving
• Composting, Compost Tea, & Extract!
• Food Preservation & Storage

DIY - Do It Yourself

Instead of getting desperate and spraying on commercial bug sprays, consider a better alternative... a Homemade Bug Repellant that smells wonderful, is effective, and takes only minutes to whip up!

For the price of one bottle of elderberry syrup at the store, you could make ten to fifteen times that amount at home! Homemade Elderberry Syrup is super easy, and anyone can make it.

Organic pecan butter is one of my favorite treats. It's also $18 per teeny-tiny jar.  I love to eat well, but I'm also cheap, so here is our recipe for Homemade Pecan Butter.

Making Homemade Mustard is simple and easy.  When making your own mustard, you can tailor it to your family's tastes, making it milder or spicier, and add herbs and spices to mix it up.

Another cost-cutting DIY is Homemade Fire Cider & Kombucha!  Get all the benefits for a fraction of the price.

Working out in the heat of summer can take its toll on your body!  Learn how to make Homemade Electrolyte Drinks, and skip the chemicals. (As an aside, I've also had friends and family use the replenishment drink as part of colonoscopy prep, with good results.)

What's your family's word of the year?  We want to know!

Make this year YOUR year! This reusable calendar features monthly at-a-glance pages and weekly pages with space for notes and planning. Each week also has a habit tracker grid to help keep the momentum going with your new habits! Just print and reuse each year for your planner.