If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already figured out the hardest part — actually homeschooling your kids. Now you just need to prove you’re doing it, right? Documenting your homeschool for the Florida PEP scholarship doesn’t have to feel like a second job. I promise.

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When we first started using the FES PEP scholarship, I’ll admit I was a little overwhelmed by the documentation requirements. What counts? How much is enough? Am I going to mess this up and lose our funding? But after a couple of years in the trenches — and plenty of conversations with other Florida homeschool mamas — I’ve landed on a system that’s simple, sustainable, and actually reflects how we learn around here.

Understanding What Florida PEP Actually Requires

First, let’s take a breath and look at what the scholarship actually asks for. The Florida Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarship requires you to maintain a portfolio that demonstrates educational progress. This isn’t about proving you followed a rigid curriculum or that your kid can recite multiplication tables on command.

You need to show:

• That instruction is taking place
• That your child is making educational progress
• Samples of work across subject areas

That’s it. Really. The state isn’t looking for perfection — they’re looking for evidence that learning is happening. And friend, if you’re homeschooling with any kind of intentionality, learning IS happening. You just need to capture it.

Our Simple Documentation System

I’m not naturally an organized person. I’m more of a “let’s see where the day takes us” type, which works beautifully for Charlotte Mason-style learning but less beautifully for paperwork. So I had to create a system that even I couldn’t mess up.

Keep a Running Log

I keep a simple spiral notebook in our homeschool space. At the end of each day (or let’s be honest, every few days), I jot down what we covered. It doesn’t have to be fancy:

Tuesday: Read two chapters of Understood Betsy. Nature walk — identified three bird species using Sibley guide. Math lesson on carrying. Handwriting practice.

That’s it. This takes maybe two minutes and creates a paper trail that shows consistent instruction. When evaluation time comes, you’ll be so grateful you did this.

The Weekly Photo Dump

Every Friday, I take photos of completed work, projects, nature journal entries, and anything else that shows learning. I drop them in a Google Photos album organized by month. This has been a game-changer.

Our nature journals are probably my favorite thing to photograph because they capture so much — the watercolor paintings of Gulf Coast shells, sketches of the chickens, pressed wildflowers from our walks. It’s real evidence of learning AND it becomes a beautiful memory book.

Subject Area Folders

I keep simple folders for each main subject area: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, and PE/Health. Throughout the week, I slip completed worksheets, writing samples, and printed photos into the appropriate folder. Nothing complicated — just a holding zone until portfolio review time.

What Counts as Documentation (More Than You Think)

Here’s where I want to encourage you: almost everything you’re already doing counts. Florida PEP doesn’t require traditional “school” work. They want to see educational progress, and that looks different for every family.

Things We Document That You Might Not Think Of:

Nature Study: Photos of my kids using their pocket microscope to examine pond water. Entries in their nature journals. Lists of birds identified. Sketches of insects caught with their bug catcher kit.

Life Skills: Photos of the kids collecting eggs, measuring chicken feed, helping in the garden. These count for science, math, and practical life skills.

Read-Alouds: I keep a running book list. All those hours snuggled on the couch reading living books? That’s language arts, history, and character education.

Art: We love our Faber-Castell watercolors and I photograph finished paintings regularly. Art absolutely counts.

Physical Education: Photos of bike rides, nature hikes, swimming at the beach, backyard games. Living in Northwest Florida means we can be outside almost year-round, and that outdoor play is legitimate PE.

Making It Work With a Charlotte Mason Approach

If you’re doing Charlotte Mason homeschooling like we are, documentation might feel a little tricky at first. So much of what we do is oral narration, living books, and nature observation — things that don’t always produce a worksheet.

Here’s what works for us:

Written Narrations: Once my kids were old enough, written narrations became gold for documentation. They show reading comprehension, writing skills, and content knowledge all in one.

Nature Journals: I cannot overstate how valuable these are. They demonstrate science, art, writing, and observation skills. If you’re not already doing nature journaling, grab a quality sketchbook and start this week.

Copywork and Dictation: These Charlotte Mason staples produce actual paper evidence of language arts instruction. Win-win.

Photographs: When my daughter gives an oral narration about the life cycle of our chickens while we watch them in the backyard, I can’t hand that to an evaluator. But I CAN photograph her chicken observation journal, her diagram of a chicken’s anatomy, or the Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens she’s been reading.

Curriculum Purchases Through PEP

One beautiful thing about the PEP scholarship is that curriculum purchases are pre-approved documentation. When you buy through approved vendors like Rainbow Resource or Timberdoodle, you’re automatically creating a paper trail showing what you’re using for instruction.

I keep a simple list of everything we’ve purchased through PEP each year. It helps at evaluation time and also reminds me of resources I bought and then forgot about (please tell me I’m not the only one).

The Annual Evaluation

In Florida, homeschoolers need an annual evaluation. For PEP families, this is when your documentation really comes together. You’ll gather your portfolio — that collection of work samples, your log, photos, and curriculum records — and meet with a certified evaluator.

Here’s my biggest tip: don’t stress about making it perfect. Evaluators who work with homeschoolers understand that education looks different from traditional school. They’re looking for progress, not perfection.

I typically organize our portfolio by subject area, include my log with dates, and add a selection of our best nature journal pages. The whole thing takes maybe an evening to pull together because I’ve been documenting all year.

Keep It Sustainable

The most important thing about any documentation system is that you’ll actually use it. If my system sounds like too much, simplify it. If you want more structure, add it. The goal is consistent, low-effort documentation that captures your homeschool without becoming a burden.

We got into this homeschool life so our kids could learn through wonder and exploration — catching fireflies at dusk, raising baby chicks, reading good books on the porch while the dog naps at our feet. Don’t let documentation anxiety steal the joy from that.

You’re doing a beautiful thing, mama. The paperwork is just proof of what you already know — your kids are learning, growing, and thriving. And that’s the whole point, isn’t it?

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If you’ve ever watched your labradoodle scratch themselves raw after a bath, you know the frustration. You’re trying to do something good — get them clean after a romp through the Florida mud or a roll in something suspicious near the chicken coop — and somehow you’ve made everything worse. Red skin, flaky patches, endless scratching. It’s heartbreaking.

Our mini labradoodle has been part of our family for years now, and let me tell you, we learned the hard way that what goes ON our pets matters just as much as what goes IN them. The same way I started reading labels on our kids’ sunscreen and household cleaners, I eventually had to get serious about what we were bathing our dog with. And spoiler alert: most conventional pet shampoos are full of the same junk I’d never put on my children’s skin.

Why Labradoodles Are Prone to Sensitive Skin

Labradoodles — whether standard, medium, or mini like ours — often inherit sensitive skin from their poodle side. That gorgeous curly or wavy coat that makes them so appealing? It also traps moisture, allergens, and irritants close to the skin. Here in Northwest Florida, we’re dealing with humidity that never quits, seasonal pollen that coats everything in yellow dust, and sandy soil that works its way into every curl.

Add in the fact that doodles often have what groomers call “high maintenance” coats that need regular washing, and you’ve got a recipe for skin problems if you’re using the wrong products.

Our girl started showing signs of sensitivity around age two — dry patches behind her ears, pink irritated skin on her belly after baths, and that telltale excessive licking of her paws. The vet suggested allergies (helpful, right?) and wanted to put her on medication. That’s when I decided to look at what we were actually putting on her first.

What Makes a Pet Shampoo “Non-Toxic” (And What to Avoid)

Here’s where my science background kicks in. When I started researching non-toxic pet shampoo for labradoodle sensitive skin, I realized the pet care industry is basically the Wild West. There’s minimal regulation, and words like “natural” and “gentle” mean absolutely nothing legally.

Ingredients to Avoid

Sulfates (like sodium lauryl sulfate) are the biggest culprits. They’re what make shampoo foam up all pretty, but they strip natural oils from your dog’s skin and coat. For a labradoodle that already tends toward dryness? Disaster.

Artificial fragrances are another red flag. That “fresh puppy” scent is usually a cocktail of synthetic chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions. If the label just says “fragrance” without specifying the source, I put it back on the shelf.

Parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives — same stuff I avoid in our family’s personal care products — have no business being on our dog’s skin either.

What to Look For Instead

The best non-toxic pet shampoos use plant-based cleansers, essential oils (used appropriately for pets — some are toxic to dogs, so do your research), colloidal oatmeal for soothing, and natural oils like coconut or jojoba for moisture.

We’ve had great luck with products from Wondercide — they’re actually a Texas company, so they understand Southern climate issues, and everything they make is designed to be safe around kids and pets. Their shampoo bars last forever and don’t irritate our girl’s skin at all.

Our Bath Day Routine

Bath time at our house usually happens outside, which is one of the perks of Florida living. Even in January, we can usually find a warm enough afternoon to set up in the backyard. The kids think it’s hilarious, the dog tolerates it, and the chickens observe from a safe distance like judgmental little dinosaurs.

Here’s what works for us:

Pre-bath brush out. Those labradoodle curls need to be tangle-free before they get wet, or you’re creating felted mats. We do this on the back porch while the kids are doing nature journaling or outdoor time.

Lukewarm water only. Hot water dries out sensitive skin even more.

Dilute the shampoo. Even with non-toxic products, I mix a small amount with water before applying. It spreads easier and rinses cleaner.

Rinse, rinse, rinse. Product buildup is a major cause of skin irritation. I rinse until I think I’m done, then rinse again.

Apple cider vinegar final rinse. Once a month or so, I do a diluted ACV rinse (1 part vinegar to 4 parts water). It helps restore pH balance and adds shine to that doodle coat.

Between Baths: Keeping Skin Healthy

Honest truth? The less we bathe her, the better her skin does. We aim for every 3-4 weeks unless she’s gotten into something truly foul (chicken coop adventures, anyone?). Between baths, we use a few strategies:

Regular brushing distributes natural oils and removes allergens trapped in her coat. The kids have actually taken this over as one of their responsibilities — it’s become part of our afternoon rhythm alongside checking on the hens and recording observations in our nature journals.

Paw wipes after outdoor play. We keep a stack of damp washcloths by the back door. Quick wipe of the paws means fewer allergens tracked inside and less paw-licking later.

Quality diet with omega fatty acids. Skin health starts from the inside. We add fish oil to her food and notice a real difference in her coat texture.

Flea and tick prevention that isn’t toxic. We use Wondercide for this too — their yard spray and topical treatments mean we’re not putting harsh chemicals on her skin. Important when you’ve got kids who are constantly hugging and snuggling the dog.

A Note on Florida-Specific Challenges

Living in the Pensacola area means dealing with humidity that can lead to yeast overgrowth on sensitive dog skin, plus sand that acts like tiny pieces of sandpaper against irritated areas. Our girl also has a tendency to find every mud puddle and brackish water source when we’re out exploring nature trails.

I’ve learned to keep her ears extra dry (doodle ears trap moisture like nobody’s business), and we do more frequent paw checks during our wet season. The same diatomaceous earth I use in the chicken coop for pest control can actually be dusted lightly on dog bedding to help with fleas naturally — just make sure you’re using food-grade.

When to See the Vet

Switching to non-toxic products resolved about 80% of our dog’s skin issues. But I want to be clear: sometimes sensitive skin is a symptom of something else. If you’re seeing hot spots that won’t heal, persistent ear infections, or dramatic hair loss, please see your vet. We’re not trying to replace medical care here — just reduce the toxic load on our pets the same way we do for our families.

The Bigger Picture

Here’s what I’ve come to believe: the way we care for every member of our household — kids, chickens, dog included — reflects our values. We’re trying to raise children who notice things, who pay attention to what’s real and true, who understand that choices have consequences. Choosing non-toxic pet shampoo for our labradoodle’s sensitive skin isn’t just about avoiding a vet bill. It’s about being intentional, reading labels, questioning what we’re sold, and making decisions based on what actually works.

Our kids see us do this. They see us research, ask questions, try things, adjust. That’s education too — maybe the most important kind.

If your doodle is struggling with skin issues, start simple. Swap out the shampoo, pay attention to ingredients, give it a few weeks. You might be surprised how much better things get when you remove the things causing harm.

And hey — if you figure out how to keep them from rolling in chicken poop, let me know. That’s a problem I haven’t solved yet.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Feed Recipe: A Simple Guide for Backyard Flocks

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If you’ve ever stood in the feed store aisle squinting at ingredient labels and wondering what half those things even are, you’re not alone. When we first got our backyard chickens, I assumed commercial feed was the only option. But the more I learned about what goes into some of those bags — and the more our family leaned into intentional, non-toxic living — the more I wanted to try something different.

Making your own chicken feed isn’t complicated. It does take a little research and some trial and error, but honestly? It’s become one of those rhythms in our homestead life that just feels right. Kind of like making bread from scratch or hanging laundry on the line. There’s something satisfying about knowing exactly what’s nourishing your flock.

Why Consider Homemade Chicken Feed?

Let me be real with you: commercial feed is convenient, and there are some good organic options out there. If that’s what works for your family, no judgment here. But there are a few reasons we made the switch to mixing our own.

You control the ingredients. No mysterious fillers, no soy (which some chicken keepers prefer to avoid), and no wondering about the quality of what’s in that bag.

It can be more affordable. Especially if you buy grains in bulk or connect with local farms. Here in Northwest Florida, we’ve found a few co-ops that make sourcing ingredients easier than I expected.

Your chickens might actually prefer it. Ours definitely do. They go absolutely wild for the mix, and I’ve noticed their feathers look glossier and their egg yolks are that deep, beautiful orange.

If you’re newer to keeping chickens and want a solid foundation before diving into DIY feed, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens is an excellent resource. It covers nutrition, health, and just about everything else you’d want to know.

Understanding What Chickens Need Nutritionally

Before you start tossing grains into a bucket, it helps to understand the basics of chicken nutrition. Laying hens need a diet that’s roughly:

• 16-18% protein (higher for growing chicks or molting hens)
• Calcium for strong eggshells
• A balance of fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals

They also benefit from variety — just like us. Chickens are omnivores, and in the wild (or in a nice big backyard), they’d be eating bugs, seeds, greens, and all sorts of things. Our goal with homemade feed is to mimic that diversity as much as possible.

A Simple Homemade Chicken Feed Recipe

Here’s the base recipe we use for our laying hens. You can adjust ratios based on availability and your flock’s needs.

Base Grain Mix (by weight)

• 4 parts whole wheat or wheat berries
• 2 parts corn (cracked or whole)
• 2 parts oats (whole or rolled)
• 1 part sunflower seeds (black oil)
• 1 part field peas or lentils
• ½ part flaxseed or sesame seeds

Protein Boosters (pick one or combine)

• Fish meal
• Dried mealworms
• Brewer’s yeast

Calcium & Minerals

• Oyster shell (free choice, in a separate dish)
• Kelp meal (a sprinkle for trace minerals)
• Food-grade diatomaceous earth — we add a small amount to the feed and also use it in the coop for natural pest control

Optional Additions

• Dried herbs (oregano, parsley, calendula)
• Garlic powder (natural immune support)
• Probiotic powder

We mix up a big batch every few weeks and store it in a metal trash can with a tight lid. Florida humidity is no joke, so keeping feed dry and pest-free is essential.

Tips for Success with DIY Chicken Feed

Start Slow

If your chickens have been on commercial feed, transition gradually. Mix your homemade feed with their regular feed over a week or two so their digestive systems can adjust.

Watch Your Flock

Pay attention to egg production, feather quality, and energy levels. If something seems off, you may need to tweak the protein content or add a supplement.

Don’t Skip the Calcium

Laying hens need calcium for eggshells, and the feed alone usually isn’t enough. We keep a dish of crushed oyster shell in the coop at all times so the girls can self-regulate.

Let Them Forage Too

Homemade feed is just part of the picture. Our chickens spend their days scratching around the yard, eating bugs and weeds and whatever else catches their attention. That natural foraging adds nutrition and keeps them happy. It’s the chicken equivalent of a 1990s childhood — less processed, more exploration.

Making It a Learning Experience

One thing I love about keeping chickens is how naturally it ties into our homeschool. We’re a Charlotte Mason family, so living books and nature study are already woven into our days. The chickens give us endless opportunities for observation.

My kids have learned about nutrition, life cycles, and even basic math through our flock. Measuring out feed ingredients? That’s math. Observing how different foods affect egg color? That’s science. Sketching a hen in their nature journal? That’s art.

If your kids are interested in getting more involved, A Kid’s Guide to Keeping Chickens is a wonderful book. It’s written at their level and covers everything from daily care to fun projects.

A Note on Sourcing Ingredients

Finding bulk grains can feel tricky at first, but here are a few places to check:

• Local feed mills — often cheaper than bagged feed at big box stores
• Azure Standard — delivers to drop points across Florida
• Buying co-ops — check Facebook groups for your area
• Restaurant supply stores — sometimes carry bulk grains

It took us a few months to figure out our sourcing rhythm, but now it’s second nature. And honestly, picking up a 50-pound bag of oats feels a lot more satisfying than grabbing a bag of mystery pellets off the shelf.

Keeping the Coop Running Smoothly

While we’re talking about feeding, I’ll mention a couple other things that have made our chicken-keeping life easier here in Florida.

First, a good chicken waterer with nipples keeps the water clean way longer than open dishes — important when it’s 90 degrees and humid.

Second, we finally invested in an automatic coop door, and it’s been a game-changer. The girls are safely tucked in at dusk and let out at dawn, even if we’re running late on a busy homeschool morning.

Final Thoughts

Making your own chicken feed isn’t about being perfect or doing everything from scratch. It’s about taking one more step toward knowing what goes into the things your family depends on — whether that’s the eggs on your breakfast table or the feed in the coop.

Our chickens are healthy, our kids are learning, and I feel good about what we’re doing. That’s enough for me.

If you’re on the fence, I’d say give it a try. Start with a small batch. See how your flock responds. You might just find, like we did, that it fits right into the rhythm of your days.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I hear the girls fussing — someone probably laid an egg and wants the whole neighborhood to know about it.

Best Florida Nature Centers for Homeschool Field Trips (From a Mama Who’s Been There)

If you’re a Florida homeschool parent trying to figure out how to make science come alive beyond the textbook, you’re in the right place. There’s something magical about watching your kid crouch down to examine a gopher tortoise burrow or gasp at a manatee surfacing for air — that kind of learning just can’t happen at a desk.

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We’ve spent the last several years exploring nature centers across Florida, and I’ll be honest — some are absolutely worth the drive, and others are better saved for a rainy day when you’re desperate to get out of the house. Here’s my real-deal guide to the best Florida nature centers for homeschool field trips, plus tips for making the most of your visits.

Why Nature Centers Are Perfect for Florida Homeschoolers

Florida is basically one giant outdoor classroom. We’ve got ecosystems most states can only dream of — salt marshes, cypress swamps, coastal dunes, pine flatwoods, and the Everglades, just to name a few. Nature centers give our kids guided access to these habitats with interpretive trails, live animal exhibits, and educators who actually know what they’re talking about.

For Charlotte Mason families like ours, nature centers are gold. They support the kind of living, hands-on science that sticks with kids — the kind where you’re sketching a brown pelican in your nature journal rather than filling in a worksheet about one.

And if you’re using the Florida PEP scholarship, many nature centers qualify as approved educational expenses. Always double-check, but we’ve used ours for memberships and special homeschool programs without issue.

Our Favorite Florida Nature Centers by Region

Northwest Florida (The Panhandle)

This is our home turf, so I’ve got strong opinions here.

Gulf Islands National Seashore (Pensacola/Gulf Breeze) — Technically a National Park site, but the Fort Pickens area has ranger-led programs and incredible coastal ecosystems. We’ve seen sea turtles nesting, explored tidal pools, and learned about the barrier island system. Pack non-toxic sunscreen because there’s zero shade.

E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center (Freeport) — Named after the famous biologist and absolutely worth the drive. They have phenomenal homeschool days with hands-on activities. The preserve itself is gorgeous — longleaf pine habitat, gopher tortoises everywhere, and trails that feel like stepping back in time. Bring a pocket microscope for examining lichen and bark up close.

Central Florida

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park — This one is all about the manatees, y’all. The underwater observatory lets you watch them at eye level, and they have Florida-native wildlife including black bears, whooping cranes, and the famous Lu the Hippo (he was grandfathered in). It’s touristy but educational.

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (St. Petersburg) — Six distinct ecosystems on one property. They offer homeschool programs throughout the year, and the trails are perfect for bird identification practice. We always bring our Sibley Guide to Birds here — the variety of wading birds is incredible.

Wekiwa Springs State Park — The spring itself is stunning, but the nature trails are where the magic happens for homeschoolers. We’ve spotted deer, armadillos, and countless birds. Pack a picnic and make a day of it.

South Florida

Everglades National Park (Multiple Entrances) — I know, it’s a national park, not a nature center. But the visitor centers (especially Shark Valley and Flamingo) offer ranger programs that rival any formal nature center. Anhinga Trail is basically a guaranteed alligator sighting and perfect for younger kids. Just go in winter unless you enjoy being carried away by mosquitoes.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Naples) — Operated by Audubon, this one features a 2.25-mile boardwalk through old-growth cypress forest. It’s otherworldly. They have excellent educational programs and the birding is phenomenal. If your kids are into journaling, this is a dream location for nature sketching with watercolor pencils.

Flamingo Gardens (Davie) — Part botanical garden, part wildlife sanctuary. They have a wonderful collection of Florida native animals that can’t be released back into the wild. The wading bird rookery during nesting season is unforgettable.

How to Make the Most of Your Visit

Before You Go

Do a little prep work — not a full lesson plan, just enough to spark curiosity. Look up what animals or ecosystems you might encounter. Let your kids help research. If you’re visiting a place with specific wildlife (like Homosassa for manatees), read a living book about them first.

Also, check for homeschool-specific programs. Many Florida nature centers offer discounted homeschool days with guided activities. These often fill up fast, so get on their email lists.

What to Pack

Our nature center bag always includes:

• Nature journals and pencils
• A field guide (birds, tracks, or trees depending on location)
• Magnifying glass or pocket microscope
• Bug catcher kit for catch-and-release observation
• Water bottles and snacks
• Sunscreen and bug spray (we use Wondercide for a non-toxic option)
• Rain boots if there’s any chance of wet trails

After Your Trip

This is where Charlotte Mason homeschoolers shine. Don’t let the learning end when you leave the parking lot. Have your kids narrate what they observed. Spend time on nature journal entries — even rough sketches with labels count. Look up any animals or plants you couldn’t identify.

We like to extend our trips by checking out library books about what we saw or watching a documentary together. It turns a single field trip into a week of connected learning.

A Note on Slowing Down

Here’s my gentle reminder: you don’t have to see everything. Some of our best nature center memories are from days when we barely made it past the first exhibit because one of the kids was fascinated by a spider web or couldn’t stop watching the turtles bask.

That kind of slow, wonder-filled observation? That’s the whole point. That’s the 1990s childhood we’re trying to give our kids — where boredom leads to discovery and there’s no rush to get to the next thing.

Our chickens at home teach us this daily, actually. Kids will spend an embarrassing amount of time just watching hens scratch around. It looks like nothing is happening, but so much is — observation skills, patience, connection to the natural world.

Plan Your Next Adventure

Florida really is a homeschooler’s paradise when it comes to nature education. Between our state parks, wildlife refuges, and dedicated nature centers, we have access to learning experiences that families in other states would have to travel hundreds of miles for.

So pick one from this list, pack your bag, and go. Your kids don’t need a perfect lesson plan — they need mud on their boots and stories to tell. The learning will happen, I promise.

And hey, if you discover an amazing Florida nature center I didn’t mention, come tell me about it. We’re always looking for our next adventure.

Happy trails, friends.

How to Teach Kids About Stars and Planets in Your Homeschool (Without a Fancy Telescope)

There’s something about standing in the backyard at dusk, waiting for the first star to appear, that just hits different. My kids will argue over who spots it first while the chickens are making their way into the coop for the night, and our dog is doing her final perimeter check of the yard. These simple moments — the ones that don’t cost anything and don’t require a screen — are exactly why we homeschool the way we do.

If you’ve been wondering how to teach kids about stars and planets in your homeschool, I want you to take a deep breath and release any pressure you’re feeling. You don’t need an expensive telescope. You don’t need a PhD in astrophysics. You just need curiosity, a little intentionality, and some clear Florida nights (which, thankfully, we get plenty of down here in the Panhandle).

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Why Astronomy Belongs in a Charlotte Mason Homeschool

Charlotte Mason believed children should be raised on a feast of ideas and given direct contact with the natural world. And honestly? What’s more awe-inspiring than the night sky? It’s the original wonder — the thing humans have looked up at and questioned for thousands of years.

Astronomy isn’t just science. It’s poetry, it’s history, it’s mythology, it’s math. It connects to everything. When my kids learn about the phases of the moon, they’re also learning about tides, about ancient calendars, about how people navigated before GPS existed. This is the kind of rich, living education that sticks.

Plus, studying the stars gets us outside after dinner instead of defaulting to a show. And that’s always a win in my book.

Start Simple: Observation First

Before you buy anything or plan elaborate lessons, just go outside. Seriously. That’s step one.

We started our astronomy journey by simply sitting on a blanket in the backyard after sunset. No agenda. Just looking up. The kids noticed things on their own — “Why is that star brighter?” “Is that one moving?” “Why does the moon look different than last week?”

Those questions? That’s your curriculum right there.

Keep a nature journal dedicated to night sky observations. We sketch the moon phases, note which planets are visible, and draw any constellations we’ve identified. It doesn’t have to be beautiful — it just has to be real. My kindergartener’s moon drawings look like lumpy potatoes, and that’s perfectly fine.

Moon Phases Are Your Easy Win

If you’re brand new to teaching astronomy, start with the moon. It’s visible, it changes predictably, and kids can track it themselves.

Every night for a month, we step outside and find the moon. We talk about whether it’s waxing or waning, crescent or gibbous. By the end of the month, even my youngest understood the basic cycle. No workbook required — just consistent observation.

Learn the Planets Like Old Friends

Here’s the thing about planets: kids don’t need to memorize facts from a textbook. They need to feel like Jupiter and Saturn are familiar friends.

We read picture books about the solar system (the library has tons), watch short documentaries together, and talk about the planets casually over breakfast. “Did you know it rains diamonds on Neptune?” is a great way to start a Tuesday.

For hands-on learning, we’ve made salt dough planets, sorted them by size using fruit, and calculated how old we’d be on different planets (my seven-year-old was thrilled to learn she’d be “not even one” on Jupiter).

If you’re using Math-U-See or any other hands-on math curriculum, astronomy offers endless real-world connections. Distances, sizes, time calculations — it all ties together beautifully.

Use What You Already Have

Binoculars Work Great

Before you invest in a telescope, try binoculars. We can see Jupiter’s moons with a decent pair, and the craters on our moon are absolutely stunning up close. Kids can handle binoculars more easily than a telescope, and there’s less fiddling with settings.

Apps for Identification (Used Wisely)

I know, I know — we’re a low-screen family. But I’ll make an exception for a stargazing app used intentionally. We pull it out, identify what we’re looking at, and put it away. Five minutes, max. It’s a tool, not entertainment.

Books That Feel Like Adventures

We love field guides that make identification feel like a treasure hunt. The same way we use our Sibley Birds guide for bird watching, we have constellation guides that the kids flip through before we head outside. It builds anticipation and gives them something to search for.

Create Rituals Around the Night Sky

One of the best parts of homeschooling is that we can build our days (and nights) around what matters to us. We’ve created little astronomy rituals that have become family traditions:

New Moon Nights: When the moon is dark, we focus on stars. We lay out blankets, bring hot chocolate (even in Florida, January evenings can be chilly), and see how many constellations we can find.

Planet Watching Parties: When a planet is especially visible — like when Venus is bright in the evening sky — we make it an event. We’ll eat dinner outside and watch it appear as the sky darkens.

Meteor Shower Campouts: Florida’s relatively dark skies (especially if you get away from the city lights near Pensacola) make meteor showers spectacular. We’ve stayed up late for the Perseids and Geminids, and those memories are priceless.

Art and Astronomy Go Together

One of the most Charlotte Mason things we do with astronomy is nature journaling the night sky. We use Faber-Castell watercolors to paint what we observe — dark blue washes with white and yellow stars dotted on top.

The kids also love making constellation viewers out of toilet paper tubes and black paper with holes poked in patterns. Low-tech, zero-screen fun that reinforces what they’re learning.

Tie It All Together

Astronomy connects to everything we’re already doing:

• Nature study: The night sky is nature. We’re just looking up instead of down.
• Poetry and literature: We read myths about the constellations and poems about the moon.
• History: We learn about ancient astronomers and how navigation worked before modern technology.
• Science: Gravity, light, orbits, seasons — it’s all here.

This is the beauty of a living education. Nothing exists in isolation. Stars connect to stories connect to science connect to wonder.

Resources Worth Having

You don’t need much, but a few quality resources make this easier:

• A good nature journal for night sky observations
• A simple constellation guide (check Rainbow Resource or Timberdoodle for curated options)
• Binoculars for closer looks
• Watercolors for painting what you see
• Blankets and bug spray (we use Wondercide so we’re not breathing in chemicals while stargazing)

The Gift of Wonder

Here’s what I want you to remember: teaching your kids about stars and planets isn’t about checking a box on your homeschool plan. It’s about preserving wonder. It’s about giving them something bigger than themselves to think about. It’s about being together, outside, looking up.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of summer nights catching fireflies and watching for shooting stars. I didn’t know I was “learning astronomy.” I just knew the sky was magical. That’s what I want for my kids too — and it sounds like that’s what you want for yours.

So tonight, after the sun sets and the chickens are roosting and the house is quiet, grab a blanket and head outside. Point up. Ask questions. Wonder together.

That’s the whole lesson. And it’s more than enough.

Non-Toxic Baby Wipes Brands Worth Buying: A Real Mama’s Guide

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If you’ve ever stood in the baby aisle squinting at ingredient lists while your toddler tries to escape the cart, you’re my people. I remember those early days of motherhood when I thought “fragrance-free” meant a product was safe. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. And once you start reading labels — really reading them — you can’t unsee what’s in most conventional baby wipes.

Here in Florida, we use wipes for everything. Sweaty summer foreheads, sandy beach feet, sticky popsicle hands, and yes — the occasional chicken coop incident when little hands get a bit too curious. Our wipes work overtime, which means whatever’s in them is touching my kids’ skin multiple times a day.

So let’s talk about non-toxic baby wipes brands worth buying — the ones I actually keep stocked in our diaper bag, car, and that basket by the back door.

Why Non-Toxic Baby Wipes Actually Matter

Here’s the thing: baby wipes sit on skin. They don’t get rinsed off. Whatever ingredients are in that wipe — the preservatives, the surfactants, the mystery “fragrance” — they’re absorbing right into your little one’s body.

Conventional wipes often contain:

• Fragrance (which can hide hundreds of undisclosed chemicals)
• Parabens (hormone disruptors)
• Phenoxyethanol (a preservative linked to skin irritation)
• Polyethylene glycol (PEGs) (often contaminated with carcinogens)

And babies? Their skin is thinner and more permeable than ours. What goes on absolutely goes in.

I’m not saying this to scare you — I’m saying it because once I understood the “why,” making the switch felt obvious. It’s the same reason we use Wondercide for pest control around the house and yard instead of conventional sprays. We’re building an intentional home, one small swap at a time.

What to Look for in Clean Baby Wipes

Before I share my favorite brands, here’s my quick checklist when evaluating any wipe:

Ingredients That Get a Yes

• Water (should be the first ingredient)
• Aloe vera
• Vitamin E
• Chamomile or calendula
• Coconut oil or plant-based cleansers
• Citric acid (a natural pH adjuster)

Ingredients That Get a Hard No

• Fragrance or parfum
• Parabens
• Phthalates
• Chlorine bleach
• Alcohol (drying and irritating)
• MIT/MCI preservatives

I also look for brands that are transparent about their ingredient sourcing and manufacturing. If a company hides behind vague terms, that’s a red flag.

My Favorite Non-Toxic Baby Wipes Brands

After years of trial and error (and a few rashes that taught me hard lessons), these are the brands I trust:

Water Wipes

These are about as simple as it gets — 99.9% water and a drop of fruit extract. No funky preservatives, no fragrance, no nonsense. They’re gentle enough for newborn skin and effective enough for my kindergartner’s post-playground hands.

The only downside? They’re on the pricier side and can dry out quickly if you don’t seal the pack well. But for diaper changes on sensitive skin, they’re gold.

MADE OF Organic Baby Wipes

These are USDA-certified organic and use ingredients like organic aloe and chamomile. They’re thick, sturdy, and don’t fall apart mid-wipe (you know what I’m talking about). I love that they’re also Environmental Working Group (EWG) verified.

Caboo Tree-Free Bamboo Wipes

If sustainability matters to you — and it does to our family — Caboo makes wipes from bamboo instead of trees. They’re fragrance-free, paraben-free, and actually hold up well. Plus, teaching our kids about resource stewardship is part of our Charlotte Mason approach. Even our wipes can be a conversation starter.

Natracare Organic Cotton Wipes

Natracare has been in the clean product game for decades, and their baby wipes are no exception. Made with organic cotton and certified by multiple third-party organizations, these are a great choice for families prioritizing organic materials.

Honest Company Wipes

I know Honest Company has had some controversy over the years, but their current wipe formula is quite clean. They’re affordable, widely available, and EWG-verified. For everyday use when you’re going through wipes like water (Florida summers, y’all), these are a solid budget-friendly option.

Beyond the Diaper Bag: How We Use Wipes Around Here

Let me be honest — my youngest has been potty trained for a while now, but we still go through wipes like nobody’s business. Here’s how they earn their keep in our home:

• Nature study clean-up: After sketching in our nature journals with watercolor pencils, little hands need wiping down.
• Post-chicken duties: When the kids help collect eggs or refill the waterer, a quick wipe handles the mess before we head inside.
• Beach days: Sand gets everywhere. Everywhere. Non-toxic wipes plus clean sunscreen are our beach bag essentials.
• Car stash: Because Florida heat plus snacks equals sticky situations.
• Quick face wipes: After a sweaty afternoon of free play, sometimes a cool wipe is all we need before quiet time.

A Note on Cloth Wipes

I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t mention cloth wipes. For families ready to take the leap, reusable cloth wipes with a simple water-and-aloe solution are the most non-toxic option of all. Zero waste, zero mystery ingredients.

We use a mix of both — cloth at home, disposable non-toxic wipes on the go. It’s about finding what works for your family without the guilt spiral.

I get my cloth wipes wet with a homemade solution and keep them in a small wet bag. For cleaning supplies and refills, I love shopping through Grove Collaborative because they curate cleaner options and it saves me from wandering Target for an hour.

The Bottom Line

Switching to non-toxic baby wipes isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress. Every small swap reduces the chemical load on our kids’ bodies. And honestly? Once you find brands you trust, it becomes second nature.

Our family’s approach to raising kids is pretty simple: more time outside, more curiosity, more getting dirty, and fewer unnecessary chemicals along the way. Whether we’re out exploring the Gulf Islands National Seashore, checking on the chickens, or just playing in the backyard with our pup, clean wipes are part of our toolkit.

You don’t have to overhaul everything overnight. Start with one pack of cleaner wipes and see how it feels. Your little one’s skin will thank you — and so will your mama heart.

Here’s to raising wild-rooted kids, one intentional choice at a time.

Backyard Chickens Smell Management Tips That Actually Work (From a Florida Chicken Mama)

Let’s be honest — when I first told my husband I wanted backyard chickens, one of his biggest concerns was the smell. “I don’t want our backyard smelling like a barn,” he said. And you know what? That was a fair concern. Nobody wants to be that neighbor, the one whose yard makes people wrinkle their noses when they walk by.

But here’s the good news: backyard chickens don’t have to smell bad. After keeping a small flock here in Northwest Florida for a few years now, I can tell you that with the right management, your coop can stay surprisingly fresh — even in our ridiculous humidity.

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Why Do Chicken Coops Smell in the First Place?

Before we talk solutions, it helps to understand what causes that telltale chicken smell. It’s not actually the chickens themselves — they’re pretty clean animals. The culprit is almost always a combination of:

• Ammonia from droppings (especially when wet)
• Moisture buildup from humidity, spilled water, or poor ventilation
• Decomposing organic matter that isn’t being managed properly

Here in Florida, we have the added challenge of heat and humidity working against us. A damp coop in August can go from fresh to funky in about two days flat. But once you understand the “why,” the “how to fix it” becomes a lot more straightforward.

The Deep Litter Method: Our Game-Changer

I’ll be honest — I resisted the deep litter method for a while because it seemed counterintuitive. You’re telling me to add more bedding instead of cleaning it all out? But this method has been absolutely transformative for smell management in our coop.

Here’s how it works: instead of scraping the coop clean every few days, you start with about 4-6 inches of carbon-rich bedding (we use pine shavings), and then you just keep adding more on top as droppings accumulate. You stir it occasionally with a rake or pitchfork, and the beneficial microbes do their thing — breaking down waste and actually composting right there in the coop.

The key is keeping it dry and adding fresh shavings regularly. I toss in a handful of food-grade diatomaceous earth every week or so, which helps with moisture and pest control. By the time we do a full cleanout (twice a year for us), we’ve got beautiful compost for the garden.

Ventilation Is Non-Negotiable

This is where I see a lot of new chicken keepers go wrong. They build a cute little coop, seal it up tight to keep predators out, and then wonder why it smells like an outhouse by day three.

Chickens need airflow — a lot of it. Your coop should have ventilation near the roofline where hot, ammonia-laden air can escape. We have hardware cloth-covered openings on two sides of our coop that stay open year-round. Yes, even in our (admittedly mild) Florida winters.

If you’re dealing with smell issues, I’d look at ventilation before anything else. More airflow almost always equals less smell.

Keep That Water Under Control

Wet bedding is the fastest path to a stinky coop. And if your chickens are anything like ours, they treat their waterer like a splash pad.

We switched to a nipple-style chicken waterer a couple years ago, and the difference was immediate. No more puddles in the bedding, no more that soggy-corner smell. The chickens figured it out in about a day (they’re smarter than we give them credit for), and our bedding stays so much drier.

I also keep our waterer outside the coop in the covered run area. The girls go in to sleep and lay, but their water stays outside where any drips won’t affect the bedding.

Location, Location, Location

When we were planning our coop placement, I thought a lot about sight lines and convenience. What I should have thought more about was drainage and airflow.

If your coop is in a low spot where water collects, or tucked into a corner with no breeze, you’re fighting an uphill battle. Our coop sits on slightly elevated ground with good drainage, and it gets the Gulf breeze that comes through most afternoons. That natural air movement makes a huge difference.

If you can’t move your coop, consider adding a small fan for circulation during our hot, still summer days.

The Automatic Door That Changed My Mornings

Okay, this isn’t directly about smell — but hear me out. An automatic chicken coop door means the chickens let themselves out at dawn, which means droppings from overnight roosting get spread out and dried up faster.

Before we had one, I’d sometimes sleep in on weekends and the girls would be cooped up (literally) until 8 or 9 AM. All that morning activity happening in the coop instead of the run made a noticeable difference in freshness. Plus, I get to drink my coffee before dealing with chickens, which makes me a better chicken mama overall.

Quick Daily Habits That Make a Big Difference

You don’t need a complicated system. These small habits keep our coop fresh:

• Morning poop board scrape: We have a dropping board under the roost that catches most of the nighttime deposits. A quick scrape into a bucket each morning takes 30 seconds.
• Afternoon stir: When I go out to collect eggs, I give the bedding a quick fluff with a rake. This aerates it and helps everything dry out.
• Weekly diatomaceous earth: A light sprinkle helps with moisture and keeps mites at bay.
• Monthly deep bedding add: I toss in a fresh bag of pine shavings about once a month, more in summer when things break down faster.

When the Kids Want to Help

One thing I love about chicken keeping is how naturally it fits into our homeschool rhythm. The kids help with egg collecting and feeding, and my oldest has started keeping notes in her nature journal about chicken behavior and egg production.

If you want to go deeper with your kids, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens is a fantastic reference for the adults, and there’s also a wonderful kid-friendly chicken guide that breaks things down for elementary-age helpers.

Teaching kids about composting, nitrogen cycles, and why we manage the coop the way we do? That’s real science happening right in our backyard. Charlotte Mason would approve.

A Fresh Coop Is Possible — I Promise

Look, I’m not going to pretend our coop smells like roses. It smells like… a coop. There’s pine shavings, there’s a slight earthiness, and if you stick your head right in the nesting box after Henrietta’s been in there, well, you’ll know it.

But that barn smell? The one that hits you from twenty feet away? We don’t have that. Our neighbors don’t complain. Our labradoodle doesn’t come back inside smelling like a farm. And most importantly, the chickens are healthy and comfortable.

If you’re on the fence about backyard chickens because of smell concerns, I hope this helps ease your mind. With a little intention and some simple habits, you really can have a backyard flock without the funk.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some eggs to collect. 🐔

Best Homeschool Science Experiments in the Backyard (No Fancy Equipment Needed)

If you’ve ever felt like science class requires a bunch of expensive supplies and a dedicated lab space, I want to encourage you today: your backyard is the best science classroom you could ask for.

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Seriously. Some of the most wonder-filled learning happens right outside our back door — no curriculum box required. Charlotte Mason called this “the science of relations,” and I’ve found that when my kids are digging in the dirt, watching our chickens, or catching bugs in a jar, they’re learning more than any worksheet could ever teach them.

Here in Northwest Florida, we’re blessed with mild winters and a whole lot of outdoor days. We use that to our full advantage. So if you’re looking for the best homeschool science experiments you can do in your backyard, here’s what’s actually working in our home.

Why Backyard Science Works So Well

Before I get into the experiments themselves, let me just say this: backyard science isn’t a lesser version of “real” science. It IS real science.

Observation. Questions. Hypotheses. Testing. Recording. That’s the scientific method — and it happens naturally when kids are outside exploring. My elementary-age kids have learned more about ecosystems from our backyard than they ever would from a textbook chapter.

Plus, this kind of learning sticks. When my daughter watched a caterpillar form a chrysalis on our milkweed plant, she wasn’t memorizing stages of metamorphosis for a test. She was LIVING it. That’s the magic.

Simple Backyard Science Experiments We Actually Do

Bug Observation and Collection

This one is a favorite around here, especially in the warmer months (which, let’s be honest, is most of the year in Florida). We keep a bug catcher kit on our back porch, and whenever someone finds something interesting — a beetle, a caterpillar, a moth — we catch it gently, observe it up close, and then release it.

We pair this with our pocket microscope, which has been worth every penny. Looking at a dragonfly wing magnified? That’s the kind of thing that makes a kid fall in love with science.

Afterward, we sketch what we saw and jot down observations in a simple nature journal. Nothing fancy — just a record of what we noticed.

Chicken Science (Yes, Really)

If you have backyard chickens, you have a built-in biology lab. Our flock has taught my kids about:

• Anatomy — We’ve examined molted feathers under the microscope and talked about how they’re structured for flight (or in our hens’ case, short bursts of flapping chaos).
• Life cycles — We’ve hatched eggs in an incubator and watched the whole process unfold.
• Animal behavior — Pecking order is a real thing, y’all. My kids have observed it firsthand and we’ve had great conversations about instinct vs. learned behavior.
• Nutrition and health — What do chickens need to thrive? What happens when they don’t get enough calcium? Science in action.

If your kids are into chickens too, I really recommend A Kid’s Guide to Keeping Chickens. It’s written at a perfect level for elementary kids to read and take ownership.

Soil and Decomposition Studies

This one sounds boring, but kids actually love it. We dug a small hole in our backyard and buried several items: a banana peel, a piece of paper, a plastic bottle cap, and a leaf. Every few weeks, we dig it up and check on the decomposition.

Cue the gasps. “The banana is GONE!” “The plastic looks exactly the same!”

This has led to incredible conversations about ecosystems, bacteria, waste, and why we try to be intentional about what we bring into our home. Real-world learning, no textbook needed.

Bird Watching and Identification

We keep a simple bird feeder near our kitchen window, and identifying backyard visitors has become part of our daily rhythm. Florida has such a variety — cardinals, mockingbirds, blue jays, woodpeckers, and during migration season, some real surprises.

We use our Sibley Birds field guide to look up what we see, and the kids record their sightings in their nature journals. This kind of slow, patient observation is such a gift in a world that’s constantly rushing.

Weather Tracking

Florida weather is… dramatic. We get afternoon thunderstorms that roll in like clockwork in the summer, and tracking them has become a science experiment in itself.

We keep a simple weather journal where the kids record daily temperature, cloud types, and precipitation. Over time, they’ve started noticing patterns — “It’s humid and there are cumulonimbus clouds building… I bet we’ll get a storm by 3!” That’s meteorology, friends.

Plant Growth Experiments

We’ve done several variations of this:

• Growing the same seeds in different locations (full sun vs. shade)
• Testing different soil types
• Seeing what happens when plants don’t get water for a week (spoiler: Florida heat is unforgiving)

My kids have learned about photosynthesis, variables in experiments, and plant biology — all from a few seed packets and some patience.

Tips for Making Backyard Science a Habit

You don’t need a perfect setup or a detailed plan. Here’s what helps us:

1. Keep supplies accessible. Our bug catchers, magnifying glasses, nature journals, and field guides live in a basket by the back door. Low barrier = more likely to happen.

2. Follow their curiosity. If your kid is obsessed with worms right now, lean into it. The best experiments come from genuine wonder.

3. Don’t over-complicate it. You don’t need to turn every observation into a formal lesson. Sometimes we just watch. Sometimes we sketch. Sometimes we look something up later. It all counts.

4. Get outside even when it’s not perfect. Some of our best science days have been overcast or right after a rain. A good pair of rain boots makes all the difference.

The Real Goal Here

I want my kids to grow up knowing how to observe the world carefully. To ask questions. To notice things most people walk right past. That’s what backyard science really teaches — and it’s a skill that will serve them far beyond any standardized test.

This is the 1990s childhood I’m trying to give them. Less screen time, more dirt under their fingernails. More wonder. More slow discovery.

So if you’re feeling pressure to buy a fancy curriculum or set up elaborate experiments, take a breath. Walk outside with your kids. Watch the clouds. Dig in the dirt. Catch a bug.

That’s science. And it’s more than enough.

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What’s your favorite backyard science activity? I’d love to hear what’s working in your homeschool — drop a comment or send me a message!

How to Do Hymn Study in Your Charlotte Mason Homeschool (Without Overthinking It)

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If you’ve been circling around hymn study for a while now — pinning ideas, bookmarking blog posts, maybe even buying a hymnal that’s still sitting on your shelf — I get it. When I first started our Charlotte Mason homeschool journey, hymn study felt like one of those “nice to have” subjects that kept getting bumped for math drills and read-alouds. But here’s what I’ve learned after a few years of actually doing this: hymn study is one of the simplest, most soul-filling parts of our week. And it takes almost no prep.

Let me show you how we make it work in our Florida homeschool — chickens crowing in the background and all.

Why Hymn Study Belongs in a Charlotte Mason Education

Charlotte Mason believed that children deserve a rich, full education — one that feeds the whole person, not just the academic mind. She called this a “feast” of ideas, and music was always part of that table. Hymns specifically offer something beautiful: they combine poetry, melody, theology, and history all in one.

For young children especially, hymns become a way to store up truth in their hearts through song. My kids might not remember every history timeline date, but they can sing “Be Thou My Vision” from memory while swinging in the backyard. That sticks.

And honestly? In a world full of noise and screens and overstimulation, there’s something grounding about gathering together and singing something old and true. It’s the kind of slow, intentional moment I want woven through our days.

How to Start Hymn Study (Keep It Simple)

Here’s the good news: you don’t need a music degree, a piano, or even a good singing voice. You just need a hymn and a willingness to learn it together.

Step 1: Choose One Hymn Per Term

Charlotte Mason recommended studying one hymn per term (about 12 weeks). That’s it. One hymn, learned slowly, sung often. Don’t overcomplicate this.

You can choose based on:

• The liturgical season (Advent, Lent, Easter)
• A theme you’re studying in history or nature
• Personal family favorites
• Hymns your church sings regularly

We usually pick hymns that connect to what we’re already learning. When we studied birds last fall and spent time with our Sibley Birds field guide, we learned “All Creatures of Our God and King.” It just fit.

Step 2: Listen First

Before we even try to sing, we listen. I find a good recording on YouTube or a hymn app and we play it during breakfast or morning time for the first week or two. The kids absorb the tune without any pressure.

This is how children learn best anyway — through immersion. They’re hearing the melody, catching phrases, maybe humming along while they eat their eggs (fresh from our girls out back, of course).

Step 3: Sing Together

Once the tune feels familiar, we sing. I pull up the lyrics or grab our hymnal, and we just… sing. Some days it’s beautiful. Some days the dog howls along and someone argues about who gets to hold the book. That’s fine. We’re not performing. We’re learning.

We sing our hymn a few times a week — usually during our morning basket time. It takes maybe five minutes. Sometimes less.

Step 4: Add a Little Context (Optional)

If you want to go deeper, you can share a bit about the hymn’s history or author. Kids love a good story, and many hymns have fascinating ones. “Amazing Grace” written by a former slave trader? “It Is Well” penned after a man lost his four daughters at sea? These stories make the words come alive.

We often do this casually — I’ll just mention something I read while we’re eating lunch or taking a walk. No formal lesson required.

Our Simple Weekly Rhythm

Here’s roughly what hymn study looks like in our house:

Week 1-2: Listen to the hymn daily during breakfast or morning time

Week 3-6: Sing together 2-3 times per week; introduce any backstory

Week 7-12: Continue singing; by now, the kids mostly know it by heart

That’s it. No worksheets. No quizzes. Just slow, repeated exposure — the Charlotte Mason way.

Tips for Hymn Study with Young Children

If you’ve got littles (mine are elementary age), here are a few things that help:

• Use hand motions or simple movements. Kids remember better when their bodies are involved.
• Don’t worry about perfect pitch. Joyful noise, y’all.
• Let them illustrate the hymn. We keep our nature journals handy, and sometimes the kids will sketch something inspired by the hymn’s words. A sunrise, a shepherd, a flowing river. We break out the Faber-Castell watercolor pencils and let them create.
• Connect it to nature study when you can. So many hymns reference creation — birds, mountains, seas, seasons. Living in Florida, we see God’s handiwork every single day, from the Gulf shores to our backyard garden. Hymns give us words for the wonder.

Hymn Study Resources We Love

You don’t need much, but here are a few things that make hymn study easier:

• A good hymnal: We use a traditional one from our church, but there are many options. Look for one with both lyrics and music notation.
• YouTube or Spotify: Search for hymn recordings — there are beautiful acapella versions, instrumental versions, and even kid-friendly ones.
• Ambleside Online’s hymn rotation: If you need help choosing hymns term by term, Ambleside has a lovely free list.
• A nature journal for hymn illustrations: We already use ours for nature study, so it’s easy to add a hymn page here and there.

When you’re ordering homeschool supplies from Rainbow Resource or Timberdoodle, keep an eye out for hymnals and music appreciation resources. They often have great options tucked in their catalogs.

What Hymn Study Has Given Our Family

I’ll be honest — I didn’t expect hymn study to become one of my favorite parts of our homeschool. But there’s something about standing in the kitchen on a humid Florida morning, singing an old hymn with my kids while the sun streams through the window, that just fills me up.

These songs are becoming part of our family’s collective memory. I imagine my kids grown, maybe with families of their own someday, and a hymn comes on — and they’re right back here, in this kitchen, in this season.

That’s the gift of a Charlotte Mason education. It’s not just about academics. It’s about forming souls, building memories, and passing down things that matter.

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So if you’ve been putting off hymn study because it feels like “one more thing” — let this be your permission to keep it simple. One hymn. One term. Sung imperfectly but joyfully together.

That’s enough. That’s more than enough.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go let the chickens out and start our morning time. We’re on verse three of “Come Thou Fount” this week, and my youngest has been requesting it on repeat. I’m not complaining.

Non-Toxic Mold Remover Safe for Family Bathroom: What Actually Works

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If you live in Florida — or really anywhere with humidity — you know that bathroom mold isn’t a matter of if but when. Between our Pensacola summers that feel like living inside a warm, wet sponge and the constant battle against moisture in enclosed spaces, mold has tried to take up residence in our bathroom more times than I can count. And when you’ve got little ones splashing in the tub and brushing teeth at the sink, the last thing you want is to spray harsh chemicals all over the surfaces they touch.

I spent way too long assuming I had to choose between actually killing mold and keeping our home non-toxic. Turns out, that’s not true at all. So let me share what I’ve learned — the hard way, as usual.

Why Conventional Mold Removers Are a Problem

Most commercial mold and mildew sprays contain bleach, ammonia, or other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can irritate lungs, trigger headaches, and leave behind residues I just don’t want my kids touching. Have you ever sprayed one of those products and immediately had to open every window and leave the room? That’s your body telling you something.

For our family, switching to non-toxic cleaning wasn’t about perfection — it was about reducing the overall chemical load in our home. We spend so much time thinking about what goes in our bodies, but what goes on our surfaces matters too. Especially in a bathroom where everything is wet, warm, and constantly touched by little hands.

What Actually Kills Mold Without Harsh Chemicals

Here’s the thing: mold isn’t invincible. It just needs the right approach. These are the non-toxic options that have genuinely worked in our bathroom.

White Vinegar

Plain white vinegar is my first line of defense. It’s mildly acidic, which disrupts mold growth and kills most common household mold species. I keep a spray bottle of undiluted white vinegar under the bathroom sink and spray down the shower walls, grout lines, and around the base of the toilet regularly.

The smell dissipates quickly — usually within an hour — and it’s completely safe around kids and pets. Our mini labradoodle likes to follow me around while I clean, and I never have to worry about her breathing in something harmful.

Hydrogen Peroxide

For more stubborn spots, 3% hydrogen peroxide (the kind you probably already have in your medicine cabinet) works beautifully. Spray it directly on the mold, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then scrub with a brush. It’s antifungal, antibacterial, and breaks down into just water and oxygen.

I love this for the grout between our floor tiles — that’s always the first place mold tries to creep in during Florida’s rainy season.

Baking Soda Paste

For textured surfaces or really stubborn grout mold, I make a paste with baking soda and a little water. Apply it, let it sit, scrub, and rinse. It’s gentle enough not to scratch surfaces but abrasive enough to physically remove mold. Plus, baking soda naturally absorbs odors, which is a nice bonus in a bathroom.

Tea Tree Oil Solution

Tea tree oil is a powerful natural fungicide. I add about 10-15 drops to a spray bottle filled with water and use it as a preventative spray after showers. The smell is strong and medicinal, but I’ve grown to associate it with clean. A little goes a long way.

Products That Make Non-Toxic Cleaning Easier

I’ll be honest — some days I don’t have time to mix up homemade solutions. For those days, having good products on hand makes all the difference.

Grove Collaborative has been my go-to for stocking up on non-toxic cleaning supplies. They carry concentrated cleaners, refillable bottles, and brands that actually meet my standards without me having to read every single ingredient label. It’s also nice to have everything delivered so I’m not wandering Target with three kids trying to comparison shop.

I also use Wondercide products throughout our home — primarily for pest control, but their plant-based formulas remind me that effective doesn’t have to mean toxic. Same philosophy applies to cleaning.

Prevention: The Best Mold Strategy

Killing mold is one thing. Keeping it from coming back is where the real work happens. Here’s what’s made the biggest difference for us:

Run the exhaust fan. During every shower and for at least 20 minutes after. This is non-negotiable in Florida humidity.

Squeegee the shower walls. It takes 30 seconds and removes the moisture mold needs to grow. We hung a simple squeegee on a suction hook and even the kids help with this now.

Wash bath mats weekly. They hold so much moisture. I toss ours in the wash with hot water and a little vinegar in the rinse cycle.

Keep surfaces dry. Wipe down the sink and counter after morning routines. It sounds tedious but becomes automatic after a while.

Check for leaks. That slow drip under the sink? It’s a mold invitation. Fix it sooner rather than later.

Our Whole-Home Approach to Non-Toxic Living

Switching to a non-toxic mold remover was just one piece of our family’s shift toward more intentional living. It started when my oldest was a toddler and I realized I couldn’t control everything — but I could control what I brought into our home.

The same philosophy guides how we homeschool (Charlotte Mason all the way, with lots of time outside), how we care for our backyard chickens (we use food-grade diatomaceous earth in their coop for natural pest control), and how we spend our days. Less stuff, more intention. Fewer chemicals, more fresh air.

When the kids come inside covered in dirt from the backyard or mud from a nature walk, I want to clean up after them with products that are as gentle as the life we’re building. Not because I’m trying to be perfect, but because it just makes sense.

What About Serious Mold Problems?

I want to be clear: these methods work beautifully for surface mold — the pink stuff in the shower, the black spots on grout, the mildew around the tub caulk. If you’re dealing with mold inside walls, under flooring, or covering large areas, please call a professional. That’s a health hazard that goes beyond DIY cleaning.

But for everyday bathroom maintenance? You don’t need the harsh stuff. I promise.

Simple Is Usually Better

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from years of trying to live more naturally — whether it’s in our homeschool approach, our backyard, or our cleaning routine — it’s that simple usually wins. Vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and a little consistency go a long way.

Your bathroom can be mold-free and safe for your family. You don’t have to choose. And honestly? Knowing I’m not filling our home with chemical fumes while I scrub the shower makes the whole chore feel a little less annoying.

Now if someone could just invent a non-toxic solution for getting kids to actually hang up their wet towels, I’d be all set.