Florida Food Forest Beginner Guide: What to Plant (and How to Actually Get Started)

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

I remember standing in our backyard a few years ago, looking at a patch of scraggly grass that basically refused to grow anyway, and thinking: there has to be something better I can do with this space. We already had our chickens scratching around, a few raised beds that I was always fighting the Florida heat to keep alive, and a kid who wanted to pick something — anything — every single time we stepped outside.

That’s when I stumbled onto the concept of a food forest, and honestly? It changed how I think about our whole yard.

If you’re a Florida mama who wants more food, more nature, less work over time, and a backyard your kids can actually explore — a food forest might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

What Even Is a Food Forest?

A food forest (sometimes called a permaculture food forest or forest garden) is basically a garden designed to mimic the structure of a natural woodland — except everything in it is edible or useful in some way. Instead of fighting your environment, you work with it.

In Florida, this is a game-changer. Our heat, our sandy soil, our humidity — all of those things that make traditional gardening a challenge? A food forest uses them as assets.

The design is based on layers:

• Canopy layer — your tallest fruit trees
• Sub-canopy layer — smaller fruit trees and large shrubs
• Shrub layer — berry bushes, herbs that get woody
• Herbaceous layer — ground-level edibles and perennial herbs
• Ground cover layer — low-growing plants that protect the soil
• Root layer — underground crops like sweet potatoes
• Vine layer — climbing plants that use vertical space

You don’t have to plant all seven layers to get started. Even three or four layers working together will give you something that produces food, supports wildlife, and practically takes care of itself once it’s established.

Why Florida Is Actually Perfect for This

I know it doesn’t always feel that way when your tomatoes are fried by May, but hear me out. Florida’s long growing season, abundant rainfall, and subtropical climate mean that many of the most productive food forest plants in the world absolutely thrive here. We just have to choose the right ones.

And unlike a vegetable garden — where you’re replanting constantly — most food forest plants are perennials. You plant them once, tend them while they establish, and then they just keep giving. That’s a completely different relationship with your garden, and honestly, it’s much more in line with how I want our kids to experience food and nature.

If you want to see what we’ve already got growing and blooming around our yard naturally, check out our Florida Wildflowers Kids Identification Guide (What We’ve Found Blooming in Our Own Backyard) — some of those wildflowers have found their way into the food forest edges as beneficial plants.

What to Plant: Florida Food Forest Starter List

Canopy Trees

Citrus is the obvious one — Meyer lemon, satsuma mandarin, and navel orange all do beautifully in Northwest Florida with some cold protection for younger trees. Satsumas are particularly cold-hardy and our kids eat them straight off the tree all winter long.

Mulberry is one of my absolute favorites for a Florida food forest. It grows fast, produces insane amounts of fruit, and the kids (and the chickens) go absolutely wild for it. It also brings in birds like crazy — grab your Sibley Birds guide because you’ll be identifying species left and right once that tree starts fruiting.

Fig — Brown Turkey fig is a Florida classic. Drought-tolerant once established, low-fuss, and incredibly productive.

Sub-Canopy Layer

Moringa grows so fast in Florida it almost feels like cheating. The leaves are edible and nutritious, and it fills out a food forest quickly while other trees are still getting established.

Avocado (cold-hardy varieties like Mexicola or Brogdon) can work in our zone with some protection. They’re slower to produce, but worth the wait.

Banana and Plantain — technically herbaceous but act as sub-canopy. Cavendish and Manzano varieties do well here. They spread, they produce, and the kids love watching the flower develop.

Shrub Layer

Elderberry is a must. Grows like a weed in Florida, produces medicinal berries, and the flowers are beautiful. We use the berries for elderberry syrup every fall.

Pigeon pea is one of those plants that pulls double duty — it fixes nitrogen in the soil (huge for our sandy Florida ground) AND produces edible pods.

Roselle (Florida Cranberry) — If you’ve never grown roselle, put it on your list right now. It’s a native-ish hibiscus that produces gorgeous red calyces you can make into tea, jam, and syrup. Very Florida, very easy.

Herbaceous and Ground Cover Layers

This is where the food forest starts to really fill in and feel alive. Think lemongrass, sweet potato vine (edible leaves AND tubers), Cuban oregano, turmeric, ginger, and comfrey as a dynamic accumulator that feeds the soil.

Perennial peanut makes a fantastic living ground cover that also fixes nitrogen — and it looks beautiful with its little yellow flowers.

For a deeper dive into getting food plants going from seed before they go in the ground, I’ve linked to a seed starting kit that makes that process so much simpler, especially for the herbs and ground covers.

How to Get Started Without Overwhelming Yourself

Here’s what I’d tell a friend who’s brand new to this: start small and start with what you’ll actually eat.

Pick one small area — even a 10×10 patch. Plant one canopy tree, one shrub, and fill in around it with herbs and ground covers. Let the chickens help you prep the area first if you have them (seriously, they’re incredible at scratching up and fertilizing a patch of ground).

Keep a nature journal specifically for your food forest. Sketch what you plant and where. Note when things bloom, when they fruit, what creatures visit. This is one of those things that sounds extra but is genuinely useful — and it’s a beautiful Charlotte Mason nature study activity for your kids at the same time.

Speak of which — our Homeschool Spring Florida Nature Study Ideas Your Kids Will Actually Want to Do has a whole section on using your garden space as a living classroom, and the food forest fits right into that.

Making It a Real Learning Space

This is my favorite part. A food forest isn’t just a garden — it’s an ecosystem your kids can study, observe, and interact with year-round.

Grab a pocket microscope and let them examine leaves, bark, and soil. Use a bug collection kit to identify beneficial insects (we’ve found so many interesting pollinators since we started planting more diversity). Have them sketch and label plants with Faber-Castell watercolors in their nature journals.

The 1990s kid in me loves that this kind of learning is completely screen-free, completely hands-on, and endlessly interesting. There’s always something new to find. If you love this kind of approach, you might enjoy 1990s Childhood Activities We’re Bringing Back (And Why Our Kids Are Thriving Because of It).

And for our fellow chicken keepers — a food forest and backyard flock pair beautifully together. We let ours rotate through established sections to scratch for bugs and add fertility. Just protect young plantings with wire until they’re established. If you’re just getting your flock set up, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens is the reference I always recommend to new chicken families.

One Last Thing

A food forest is slow at first. There’s a season or two of tending before it really starts to hum. But there is something so deeply satisfying about building something that gets better with time instead of harder — and watching your kids grow up eating food they helped plant, in a space that feels wild and alive and theirs.

That’s the kind of childhood I’m trying to give them. And honestly? It’s the kind of yard I always dreamed of having.

Start with one tree. One patch. One good afternoon outside with your kids and a handful of seeds. You’ll be amazed where it goes from there.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• Florida Wildflowers Kids Identification Guide (What We’ve Found Blooming in Our Own Backyard)
• Homeschool Fall Unit Study Ideas: Nature-Based Themes Your Kids Will Actually Love
• How to Start a Homestead Garden in Florida for Beginners (What Actually Works Down Here)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a food forest and how is it different from a regular garden?

A food forest is a perennial, multi-layered planting system designed to mimic the structure of a natural forest — except everything in it is edible or beneficial. Unlike a traditional vegetable garden where you replant each season, a food forest is designed to become more self-sustaining over time, requiring less work as it matures. It includes layers from tall canopy trees down to ground covers and root crops.

What fruit trees grow best in a Florida food forest?

In Florida — especially Northwest Florida — great canopy choices include satsuma mandarin, Meyer lemon, fig (Brown Turkey is very reliable), mulberry, and cold-hardy avocado varieties like Brogdon or Mexicola. Moringa and banana work beautifully as sub-canopy. Focus on varieties suited to your specific USDA zone, as North Florida can get light freezes that Central and South Florida don’t see.

How much space do I need to start a food forest in Florida?

You can start a small food forest in as little as a 10×10 foot area. The key is layering plants at different heights so they support each other. Start with one tree, a shrub or two, and fill in with herbs and ground cover. You can always expand from there as you learn what works in your specific yard and soil conditions.

Can I have backyard chickens and a food forest at the same time?

Yes, and they actually pair really well together! Chickens are excellent at preparing a new planting area — they scratch, fertilize, and clear weeds naturally. Once your food forest plants are established, you can rotate your flock through sections to control bugs and add nutrients to the soil. Just make sure to protect young seedlings and newly planted trees with wire or fencing until they’re big enough to withstand chicken traffic.

How long does it take a food forest to produce food?

It depends on what you plant. Fast growers like moringa, roselle, lemongrass, and banana can produce within the first season. Elderberry and pigeon pea typically produce in year one or two. Fig trees often fruit within two to three years. Citrus and avocado take longer — sometimes three to five years for a significant harvest — but once they’re producing, they produce abundantly for decades. The first year or two require the most attention; after that, the system becomes increasingly self-sustaining.

Best Container Vegetable Garden for Florida Summer Heat (What Actually Survives Down Here)

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

If you’ve ever tried to grow a garden in the Florida Panhandle in July and watched it slowly die in real time, you are not alone. I have killed more tomato plants than I care to admit. The heat is no joke — we’re talking 95 degrees with humidity so thick you feel like you’re walking through soup. Most of what works in a spring garden up north simply does not work here in summer.

But here’s what I’ve figured out over the last few years: container gardening is actually ideal for Florida summers. Not because it’s easier, but because containers give you control. You can move them. You can adjust drainage. You can position them where they’ll catch morning sun but dodge the brutal afternoon rays. And honestly? A cluster of big pots on the back porch becomes one of the best teaching tools we have for our homeschool days.

Our kids check those containers every single morning before they go let the chickens out. They notice when something’s wilting, when something’s blooming, when a new leaf has unfurled overnight. That kind of daily observation is exactly the slow, attentive, real kind of learning that Charlotte Mason was talking about — and it costs basically nothing once you’ve got a few pots going.

Let me share what’s actually worked for us.

Why Container Gardening Works in Florida Summer Heat

Most people give up on summer gardening in Florida because they’re fighting the climate instead of working with it. Containers let you do a few things that in-ground beds don’t:

• Move pots to shade during peak heat hours (2–5pm is often lethal for tender plants here)
• Control moisture — Florida’s afternoon downpours can drown plants that are stuck in clay-heavy ground
• Elevate plants off hot concrete or mulch that radiates heat upward
• Protect roots with light-colored containers that don’t absorb as much radiant heat

If you want to dig deeper into what actually grows well in our weird Florida seasons overall, I wrote about that in How to Start a Homestead Garden in Florida for Beginners (What Actually Works Down Here) — that post covers the full picture of our gardening year.

The Best Vegetables to Grow in Containers in Florida Summer

This is the part where I save you some heartache. Not everything survives a Panhandle summer, even in containers. Here’s what we’ve had real success with:

Heat-Lovers That Thrive in Pots

Sweet Potatoes — These are practically made for Florida summers. They love heat, they tolerate some drought, and the vines are beautiful trailing over a large pot or fabric grow bag. Bonus: kids love digging them up at harvest time like buried treasure.

Southern Peas (Cowpeas/Black-Eyed Peas) — This is real Florida summer food. They’re low maintenance, heat-tolerant, and incredibly productive in a good-sized container.

Okra — Plant okra in a deep 5-gallon bucket and it will reward you all summer long. It genuinely does not care how hot it gets. We’ve harvested okra here in August when nothing else is producing.

Cherry Tomatoes — Full-size tomatoes struggle in our peak summer heat, but cherry varieties like Sweet 100 or Juliet are more forgiving. Give them morning sun, afternoon shade, and consistent water and they’ll produce.

Basil — Not technically a vegetable, but grows like a weed in summer heat and the kids love snipping leaves for dinner. Grow it in a pot near your tomatoes.

Hot Peppers — Jalapeños, serranos, banana peppers — they all love Florida summers. Our pepper plants have lived for two+ years in containers because our winters barely slow them down.

Malabar Spinach — This is not the spinach you’re thinking of, but it’s a gorgeous climbing green that thrives in heat when regular spinach bolts immediately. Great for trellising up a porch railing.

What to Skip in Summer

Broccoli, regular spinach, lettuce, peas, and carrots are cool-weather crops. Save those for fall and winter — which are genuinely wonderful growing seasons here in North Florida. For those ideas, check out Homeschool Spring Florida Nature Study Ideas Your Kids Will Actually Want to Do for how we tie seasonal planting into our Charlotte Mason days.

Container Setup: What Actually Matters

Size and Material

Bigger is almost always better in Florida summer heat because larger containers hold moisture longer and don’t heat up as fast. We use a mix of:

• Fabric grow bags (great drainage, prevent root circling, and the fabric breathes — huge for our humidity)
• Large plastic pots in light colors — black containers will cook your roots in this sun
• Wooden half-barrels — beautiful on a porch and hold moisture well

Avoid terracotta in summer. It dries out incredibly fast and in 95-degree heat, you’ll be watering twice a day.

Soil Mix

Do not use straight potting mix from the bag. Florida’s humidity plus that kind of soil leads to compaction and root rot fast. We mix:

• 50% quality potting mix
• 25% perlite for drainage
• 25% compost (we use our own from the kitchen scraps bin — we keep a simple kitchen compost bin on the counter and it makes a huge difference)

Watering in the Florida Heat

This is the part that trips most people up. In summer, containers may need water every single day — sometimes twice. BUT Florida also gets those afternoon storms that can dump an inch of rain in 20 minutes. You have to check soil moisture, not just go by the calendar.

We let the kids do a daily “soil check” — stick a finger an inch into the soil. Dry? Water it. Still moist from yesterday’s storm? Leave it. It sounds simple, but it genuinely teaches them to observe before they act. That’s good science and good life sense.

A seed starting kit is also great to have on hand for starting new transplants indoors under a fan — we start our fall garden seeds inside in August when it’s still scorching outside.

Making Container Gardening a Real Homeschool Activity

This is where the Charlotte Mason magic really shows up. The garden isn’t separate from school — it is school.

Our kids keep a nature journal and they sketch their container plants every couple of weeks. They note what’s blooming, what’s being visited by which insects, and what’s changed since last time. We use Faber-Castell watercolors for their botanical sketches and it’s become one of their favorite parts of the week.

We also bring out the pocket microscope to look at soil, leaves, roots — whatever sparks curiosity that day. You’d be amazed how long a six-year-old will stare at a root hair under magnification.

If you want more ideas for weaving nature into your homeschool days, Homeschool Fall Unit Study Ideas: Nature-Based Themes Your Kids Will Actually Love has a lot of the same spirit — just swap the season.

A Few More Tips for Florida Container Gardening Success

Mulch the top of your containers. A thin layer of straw or wood chips over the soil surface dramatically reduces moisture loss. This one tip alone has saved so many of our pots.

Fertilize more often. Every time you water a container, nutrients leach out the bottom. We use a diluted liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks through the summer growing season.

Watch for pests. Florida’s humidity brings fungus gnats, aphids, and spider mites to containers fast. We use Wondercide for pest control in and around the garden — it’s what we use on the chickens and the yard too, so I feel good about it being where my kids are digging around.

Give kids their own pot. Seriously. Each of our kids has one container that is completely theirs. They choose what to grow, they water it, they problem-solve when something goes wrong. The ownership changes everything.

You Can Grow Something This Summer

I know Florida summer can feel discouraging for gardeners. Everything burns, nothing seems to work, and you watch your neighbors’ beautiful Instagram gardens from colder climates with a little bit of envy. But we have something they don’t: a 12-month growing season if you work with it instead of against it.

Start with one or two containers this summer. Grow okra. Grow some basil. Let your kids water it every morning before the chickens get their scratch. Watch what happens. That’s really how we learn down here — not from a perfect plan, but from paying attention to what’s actually in front of us.

And if you’re looking for even more ways to get your kids hands-in-the-dirt this growing season, don’t miss Starting a Vegetable Garden With Kids: A Beginner’s Guide for Families Who Want to Actually Enjoy It — it’s full of practical, low-pressure ideas for making it fun instead of stressful.

Happy growing, friend. You’ve got this. 🌱

📖 You Might Also Like:

• How to Start a Homestead Garden in Florida for Beginners (What Actually Works Down Here)
• Starting a Vegetable Garden With Kids: A Beginner’s Guide for Families Who Want to Actually Enjoy It
• Homeschool Spring Florida Nature Study Ideas Your Kids Will Actually Want to Do

Frequently Asked Questions

What vegetables grow best in containers in Florida summer heat?

The best vegetables for Florida summer containers are heat-tolerant crops like okra, sweet potatoes, southern peas (cowpeas), cherry tomatoes, hot peppers, and Malabar spinach. These can handle high temperatures and humidity better than cool-season crops like lettuce or broccoli, which should be saved for Florida’s fall and winter growing season.

What kind of containers work best for Florida’s hot summers?

Fabric grow bags and large light-colored plastic pots work best in Florida summer heat. Fabric bags allow excellent drainage and airflow around roots, which is critical in high humidity. Avoid black containers, which absorb radiant heat and can cook roots, and terracotta, which dries out far too quickly in the Florida sun. Aim for containers at least 5 gallons in size.

How often do you need to water container vegetables in Florida summer?

In Florida’s summer heat, container vegetables may need watering every day — sometimes twice a day during dry spells. However, Florida’s frequent afternoon thunderstorms can overwater your plants, so it’s important to check soil moisture before watering rather than following a set schedule. Stick a finger an inch into the soil; if it’s dry, water. If it’s still moist, skip it.

Can you grow tomatoes in containers in Florida in summer?

Full-size tomatoes struggle in Florida’s peak summer heat, but cherry tomato varieties like Sweet 100 and Juliet are more resilient in containers. For the best results, position them where they receive morning sun but are shaded from the intense afternoon heat, water consistently, and use a large container (at least 5 gallons) with well-draining soil mix.

What soil mix should I use for container gardening in Florida?

A straight bag of potting mix often compacts and leads to drainage problems in Florida’s humidity. A better mix is roughly 50% quality potting mix, 25% perlite for drainage, and 25% compost. This combination keeps roots from sitting in waterlogged soil while still retaining enough moisture between Florida’s unpredictable summer rainstorms. Adding a thin mulch layer on top of the container soil also significantly reduces moisture evaporation.

How to Start a Homestead Garden in Florida for Beginners (What Actually Works Down Here)

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

I killed a lot of plants before I figured out Florida gardening. Like, a truly embarrassing number of tomato plants. I was following advice from blogs written by people in Ohio, planting in May, wondering why everything fried or drowned before I got a single harvest. Nobody warned me that Florida basically has two growing seasons — and neither of them is summer.

If you’ve been wanting to start a homestead garden but feel overwhelmed or like you just don’t have a green thumb, I want to tell you: it’s probably not you. It’s the timing. Once that clicked for me, everything changed. We went from a sad little raised bed with three sad little pepper plants to a real, productive garden that feeds our family and gives our kids the kind of hands-in-the-dirt childhood I grew up with.

Here’s how to actually get started — Florida style.

First, Forget Everything You Know About Gardening Seasons

This is genuinely the most important thing I can tell you. In most of the country, you plant in spring and harvest in summer. In Florida — especially here in the Panhandle — that logic will break your heart every single time.

Our two main growing seasons are:

• Fall/Winter (October–March): This is our best season. Cooler temps, lower humidity, fewer pests. You can grow greens, broccoli, carrots, beets, herbs, and more.
• Spring (February–April): A shorter window before the heat hits, but great for warm-season crops like tomatoes, squash, and beans if you time it right.

Summer in Florida is hot, humid, and full of pests and fungal issues. Most beginners should skip trying to grow vegetables in June, July, and August. Use that time to plan, prep your beds, and grow heat-lovers like sweet potatoes if you want something in the ground.

If you’re in the Pensacola area specifically, check with your local UF/IFAS Extension office — they have a free planting calendar specific to our zone (8a/8b) and it is gold.

Start Small. No, Smaller Than That.

Every gardening-excited person I know (including past me) starts too big. You buy all the seeds, build three raised beds, plant everything in week one, and then get overwhelmed and let it go by week three.

Start with one 4×8 raised bed or even a few large containers on a sunny porch. That’s it. One bed, done well, will teach you more than three beds done halfway.

For Florida, raised beds are genuinely better than in-ground planting for most beginners. Our native soil is mostly sand — it drains fast, doesn’t hold nutrients well, and needs a lot of amending to support vegetables. A raised bed lets you control your soil completely from day one.

Fill it with a mix of quality garden soil, compost, and a little perlite for drainage. We add compost from our kitchen compost bin throughout the year, and it has made a noticeable difference in how our plants perform.

The Best Beginner Crops for Florida

Stick to things that actually want to grow here. These are our family’s tried-and-true beginner picks:

Fall/Winter:

• Collards and kale (almost impossible to kill)
• Lettuce and spinach
• Broccoli and cabbage
• Carrots and radishes
• Herbs: basil, parsley, cilantro, rosemary

Spring:

• Cherry tomatoes (easier than big slicers)
• Zucchini and yellow squash
• Green beans
• Cucumbers

If you want to get your kids involved in starting seeds indoors before transplanting — which is a wonderful homeschool activity, by the way — a simple seed starting kit makes it really approachable. We’ve done this as part of our nature study, watching germination and sketching what we observe in a nature journal. It connects so naturally to Charlotte Mason’s emphasis on real, living science.

If you want even more ideas for weaving gardening into your homeschool days, I wrote about it in our Homeschool Spring Florida Nature Study Ideas Your Kids Will Actually Want to Do post.

Getting the Kids Involved (Without It Becoming a Disaster)

Honestly? Kids and gardens are a match made in heaven when you set it up right. Give them ownership over something small — their own little patch, their own row of radishes, their own pot of herbs. Let them get dirty. Let them make mistakes.

We give our kids their own garden gloves and let them do real work — planting seeds, watering, pulling weeds, harvesting. There is nothing like watching a kid eat a cherry tomato they grew themselves. The pride on their face is everything.

This is exactly the kind of 1990s-style childhood I want for my kids — out in the yard, hands busy, learning something real. Not a worksheet about plants. Actual plants. If this resonates with you, you might also love our post on 1990s Childhood Activities We’re Bringing Back (And Why Our Kids Are Thriving Because of It).

Don’t Forget About Pests (The Florida Way)

Florida bugs are not playing around. You will deal with aphids, caterpillars, whiteflies, and more. But you don’t have to reach for harsh chemicals to handle them — especially if you’re growing food your kids are going to eat.

Our go-to pest management toolkit:

• Row cover fabric for protecting seedlings from insects and light frost
• Neem oil spray for aphids and whiteflies
• Wondercide — we use this around the garden perimeter and it’s completely non-toxic
• Diatomaceous earth sprinkled around the base of plants for crawling insects

We also use DE in our chicken coop, which leads me to my next point…

How Your Chickens Fit Into This

If you have backyard chickens (or are thinking about getting them), they are a huge asset to a homestead garden — with some important caveats.

Chicken manure, when composted properly, is one of the best fertilizers you can use. We collect ours, compost it for several months, and work it into our beds each season. It has transformed our soil.

BUT — and this is important — don’t let your chickens free-range in your active garden beds. They will eat everything. We learned this the hard way. Use fencing or let them in only after a bed is done for the season to scratch and eat bugs. They’ll till it up beautifully for you.

For more on managing a backyard flock, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens is the one book I recommend to everyone. It lives on our kitchen shelf.

A Few More Florida-Specific Tips

• Water deeply but less often. Shallow, frequent watering encourages shallow roots. Deep, less frequent watering builds stronger plants.
• Mulch everything. Seriously. A thick layer of mulch keeps moisture in, soil temps regulated, and weeds down. In our summer heat, it’s non-negotiable.
• Watch for frost in the Panhandle. Unlike South Florida, we do get occasional freezes here. Keep row cover or old bedsheets on hand for nights that dip below 32°F.
• Connect with local gardeners. Facebook groups for Northwest Florida gardeners are incredibly helpful. Someone local has already figured out the thing you’re struggling with.

For more inspiration on building out your whole backyard ecosystem — birds, wildlife, wildflowers and all — check out our Florida Backyard Wildlife Identification Guide for Families. It’ll make you look at your yard completely differently.

You Don’t Have to Have It All Figured Out

Our homestead garden didn’t happen overnight. It happened in layers — one bed, then two, then a perennial herb section, then a small fruit tree. It’s still evolving. And that’s kind of the point.

This isn’t about perfection or having a Pinterest-worthy farm. It’s about growing something real, feeding your family something you grew yourself, and giving your kids the experience of watching a seed become food. That’s worth every failed tomato plant along the way.

Start where you are. Start small. Start this fall — because fall is honestly the best time to garden in Florida anyway, and you’ve got perfect timing on your side.

You’ve got this, friend.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• 1990s Childhood Activities We’re Bringing Back (And Why Our Kids Are Thriving Because of It)
• Florida Backyard Wildlife Identification Guide for Families (What We’ve Actually Found in Our Yard)
• Starting a Vegetable Garden With Kids: A Beginner’s Guide for Families Who Want to Actually Enjoy It

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start a garden in Florida?

Florida has two main growing seasons — fall/winter (October through March) and a shorter spring window (February through April). Fall is actually the best time for beginners because temps are cooler, humidity is lower, and pests are less of a problem. Avoid trying to grow most vegetables in the summer heat.

What vegetables grow best in Florida for beginners?

For fall and winter, focus on collards, kale, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, and herbs like parsley and cilantro. In spring, try cherry tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, and cucumbers. These crops are forgiving and well-suited to Florida’s climate.

Do I need raised beds to garden in Florida?

You don’t have to use raised beds, but they’re highly recommended for beginners in Florida. Our native soil is mostly sand — it drains too fast and lacks the nutrients vegetables need. Raised beds let you start with quality soil and compost from day one, which gives you much better results.

Can backyard chickens help with a homestead garden?

Yes — composted chicken manure is an excellent fertilizer and can really improve Florida’s sandy soil over time. Just don’t let your chickens loose in active garden beds or they’ll eat everything. Let them into finished beds at the end of a season to scratch, till, and eat pests instead.

How do I deal with garden pests in Florida without toxic chemicals?

Florida bugs are persistent, but you can manage them without harsh pesticides. Neem oil spray works well for aphids and whiteflies. Food-grade diatomaceous earth sprinkled around plant bases deters crawling insects. Row cover fabric protects seedlings physically, and non-toxic sprays like Wondercide work well around the garden perimeter.

Florida Hurricane Preparedness for Families With Kids: What We Actually Do Before the Storm

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

If you’ve lived in Northwest Florida for any length of time, you know that hurricane season isn’t really a question of if — it’s when. We’ve had our share of close calls right here in the Pensacola area, and I’ll be honest: the first time a major storm was tracking toward us with little ones at home, I felt that particular brand of mama-panic that no amount of Pinterest lists could fully fix.

But here’s what I’ve learned after several seasons of doing this: preparation is the antidote to panic. And when you pull your kids into the process instead of shielding them from it, something really cool happens. They stop being scared and start feeling capable. That right there? That’s one of the best things we can give our kids — the confidence that they can handle hard things.

So let’s talk about what hurricane preparedness actually looks like for a homeschool family with backyard chickens, a dog, young kids, and a commitment to doing things as naturally and intentionally as possible.

Start With Calm, Not Fear

I know it’s tempting to keep the storm talk away from little ears, but honestly, kids sense anxiety whether we voice it or not. We’ve found that a matter-of-fact, age-appropriate conversation goes a long way. We treat it almost like a nature study unit — because really, it is one.

We talk about how hurricanes form (warm Gulf water + rising air = big spinning storm), why Florida gets them, and what the different categories mean. My kids have ended up genuinely curious about meteorology because of it. If your kids are the same way, Homeschool Spring Florida Nature Study Ideas Your Kids Will Actually Want to Do has some great atmospheric science rabbit trails you can follow year-round.

The message we give our kids is simple: storms are powerful, we respect them, and our family is prepared. That’s it.

Build Your Family Emergency Kit Together

This is where you can really get kids involved, and it doubles as a fantastic real-life learning experience. Have them help you gather and check supplies. Give them ownership over a piece of it.

The Basics You Need (Non-Negotiables)

• Water — one gallon per person per day for at least three days (we do a week)
• Food — shelf-stable, things your family actually eats
• Flashlights and batteries (or a hand-crank lantern — my kids love being in charge of this)
• First aid kit
• Copies of important documents in a waterproof bag
• Cash — ATMs go down when power does
• Medications, pet supplies, and any special needs items
• Stainless steel water bottles for each family member — durable, non-toxic, and genuinely useful

What We Add as a Non-Toxic Family

We’re intentional about what comes into our home normally, and emergency prep is no exception. We keep non-toxic sunscreen stocked in our kit since we’ll likely be outdoors doing cleanup. We also keep Wondercide on hand — not just for everyday pest control, but because standing water after a storm brings mosquitoes like nothing else.

And if you haven’t already, Grove Collaborative is great for stocking up on non-toxic household essentials before a storm — I often do a big order at the start of hurricane season each June.

Make It a Kid Job

We give each child a specific hurricane prep responsibility. My older kids help rotate food and water supplies every few months (great math practice — check dates, calculate quantities). My younger ones are in charge of making sure the flashlights work and that their own backpack has what they need.

We also let them pack a small comfort bag: a favorite book, a nature journal (ours love this one), colored pencils, and a small toy. No screens required. When the power is out and the wind is howling, having something familiar and hands-on to do is genuinely calming.

This connects to something we talk about more in 1990s Childhood Activities We’re Bringing Back (And Why Our Kids Are Thriving Because of It) — kids who know how to entertain themselves without electricity are better prepared for, well, literally everything.

Don’t Forget the Animals

Oh, this section. If you have backyard chickens, you know that storm prep includes them too — and it’s not always simple.

For the Chickens

• Make sure your coop is as secure as possible. Check latches, reinforce weak spots, and trim any branches that could fall on or near it.
• Stock extra feed ahead of time — stores sell out fast before a storm.
• If you have an automatic coop door, make sure it has a battery backup or know how to operate it manually.
• Keep diatomaceous earth on hand — wet conditions after a storm can increase mite and pest pressure, and DE is our go-to natural solution.
• Consider having a backup chicken waterer that doesn’t rely on electricity.

For more on keeping a backyard flock healthy through Florida’s wild weather, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens has a great section on environmental stressors and flock management — it’s been one of my most-referenced books.

For the Dog

Keep a bag ready with food, a collapsible bowl, vaccination records, a leash, and any medications. Our mini labradoodle is part of the family and part of the plan.

Have a Clear Family Plan

Sit down together — before storm season, not during it — and go over your plan as a family. Kids do so much better when they know what to expect.

Cover these basics:

• Where will we shelter in the house? (Interior room, away from windows — we use our hallway)
• What’s our evacuation route if we need to leave? Know two ways out of your neighborhood.
• Who is our out-of-state contact? Teach your kids a phone number to memorize. Yes, an actual phone number. This is the 1990s way and it still works.
• What does each person do when we hear a warning?

Practice it. Make it low-key and matter-of-fact, like a fire drill. The more familiar it is, the less scary it becomes.

The Homeschool Angle: Make It a Real Unit Study

If you want to lean into this educationally, a hurricane preparedness unit is genuinely rich content. We’ve covered:

• Science: How hurricanes form, the Saffir-Simpson scale, reading weather maps
• Geography: Tracking storms on a Florida map, understanding storm surge vs. wind damage
• Math: Calculating water needs, food quantities, and supply rotation dates
• Life skills: First aid basics, how to shut off utilities, reading a compass
• Nature journaling: Kids sketch cloud formations and observe barometric pressure changes with a simple home barometer

For a full look at how we build out real-life unit studies like this, check out How to Create Your Own Unit Studies for Homeschool (A Real Mama’s Step-by-Step Guide).

After the Storm: Involve the Kids in Recovery Too

Once it’s safe to go outside, bring the kids with you. Let them help assess the yard, check on the chickens, and document what they see. My kids have sketched downed branches, found displaced wildlife (always fascinating), and helped bag debris — all in a morning.

This is where a bug catcher kit and a pocket microscope come in handy — standing water and overturned logs after a storm reveal an entirely different world of creatures to investigate.

Post-storm cleanup is a little grimy. We keep kids’ rain boots by the door year-round in Florida, and hurricane season is exactly why.

You’ve Got This, Mama

Living in Florida means accepting that hurricanes are part of the rhythm of life here — like humidity and sandhill cranes wandering through your yard. But prepared families are calm families, and calm families raise kids who trust that hard things can be faced and survived.

You don’t have to have a perfect kit or a laminated binder (though hey, no judgment if you do). You just have to start. Go through your supplies this week. Talk to your kids tonight. Update your plan before June 1st.

We’re all in this together down here on the Gulf Coast. Stay safe, stay grounded, and keep raising those wild-rooted kids.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• How to Start a Butterfly Garden in Florida With Kids (And Why It’s the Best Nature Study You’ll Ever Do)
• Educational Florida Beach Activities for Kids (That Don’t Feel Like School)
• Starting a Vegetable Garden With Kids: A Beginner’s Guide for Families Who Want to Actually Enjoy It

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start preparing my family for hurricane season in Florida?

Hurricane season officially runs June 1 through November 30, so aim to have your kit stocked and your family plan reviewed by late May each year. Don’t wait until a storm is named — stores sell out of water, batteries, and supplies quickly once a storm is tracking toward your area.

How do I talk to young kids about hurricanes without scaring them?

Keep it matter-of-fact and age-appropriate. Explain what hurricanes are in simple terms (big spinning storms that form over warm ocean water), focus on what your family does to stay safe, and involve them in prep tasks so they feel capable rather than helpless. Kids handle uncertainty much better when they have a role to play.

What should I do with my backyard chickens before a hurricane?

Secure the coop as much as possible — check latches, reinforce walls, and remove or anchor anything that could blow into it. Stock extra feed and water ahead of time. If you have an automatic coop door, ensure it has battery backup. After the storm, watch for increased pest pressure from standing water and have diatomaceous earth on hand.

What non-toxic items should I include in a family hurricane kit?

Stock non-toxic sunscreen for post-storm outdoor work, a natural bug repellent like Wondercide for the surge in mosquitoes after a storm, stainless steel water bottles for each family member, and non-toxic cleaning supplies for water damage or mold prevention. Being intentional about what’s in your kit is absolutely possible even in an emergency scenario.

How can I turn hurricane preparedness into a homeschool lesson?

There’s so much rich content here! Cover the science of how hurricanes form and the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, practice geography by tracking storms on a Florida map, use math to calculate water and food needs for your family, and work on life skills like basic first aid. It’s a genuine real-world unit study that kids actually care about because it directly affects their lives.

1990s Childhood Activities We’re Bringing Back (And Why Our Kids Are Thriving Because of It)

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Some mornings I watch my kids from the back porch — barefoot in the grass, chasing the chickens, arguing over something completely inconsequential — and I think, this is it. This is what I was trying to get back to.

I grew up in the ’90s. We were shoved out the door after breakfast and expected back when the streetlights came on. We caught bugs, built forts, rode bikes to the gas station, and entertained ourselves with basically nothing. And honestly? I turned out fine. More than fine. I turned out with a deep love of the outdoors, a decent amount of grit, and a really solid imagination.

My kids deserve that same gift. And if you’re here, I’m guessing you feel the same way.

So this is our family’s real list — the 1990s childhood activities we’ve intentionally brought back into our home, our homeschool days, and our backyard here in Northwest Florida. No nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. These things work, and our kids are better for them.

Bug Catching and Actual Critter Exploration

This was peak 1990s childhood, and it is absolutely still available to your kids today. All you need is a backyard and the willingness to let things get a little gross.

We started keeping a dedicated bug collection kit near the back door, and that single purchase has probably generated more genuine science learning than half our curriculum materials combined. We also grabbed a pocket microscope — the kids can examine wings, legs, and antennae up close, and the wonder on their faces never gets old.

Here in Florida, we are not short on insects. From the giant lubber grasshoppers to the lightning bugs that show up in early summer evenings, the material is endless. We tie this right into our Charlotte Mason nature study — observations go into our nature journals, sketched with Faber-Castell watercolors, labeled and dated. It sounds fancy but it’s really just kids paying close attention to the world around them. Which is exactly what Charlotte Mason intended.

If you want to take this further, check out our Florida Backyard Wildlife Identification Guide for Families — we’ve documented some pretty cool finds right from our own yard.

Walkie Talkies and Neighborhood Roaming

Okay, hear me out. I know our neighborhoods look different than they did in 1995. But the spirit of independent roaming? We can still give our kids that.

We got our kids a set of walkie talkies a couple years ago, and it completely changed the dynamic of their outdoor play. Suddenly they could split up — one kid checking on the chickens, another exploring the back corner of the yard — and still feel connected and a little bit official about the whole operation. They make up missions. They report back. They have a communication system that does not involve a screen.

For older kids, this pairs really well with some gentle expanding of their boundaries — a walk to a neighbor’s house, a bike ride on a quiet street. The goal is to build confidence and independence incrementally, the way it happened naturally for us as kids.

If this resonates with you, I wrote more about how we’re doing this intentionally in Raising Kids Without Constant Screens: Practical Tips That Actually Work for Real Families.

Backyard Chickens as a Daily Chore and Life Lesson

Having backyard chickens is deeply, fundamentally a 1990s-era farm-kid activity that more suburban families can actually do now. Our flock has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made for our kids’ development.

They learn responsibility, animal care, where food comes from, and how to handle things not going perfectly (chickens will humble you, fast). We use Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens as our reference, and the Kid’s Guide to Chickens is genuinely great for elementary-age kids who want to understand what’s happening with their birds.

Daily chicken chores — filling the waterer, collecting eggs, doing a quick coop check — are simple, grounding, and real. They’re not screen time. They’re not passive. They require a kid to show up and do the thing, every single day. That’s a 1990s childhood value if I’ve ever heard one.

Outdoor Lawn Games and Unstructured Play

Remember just… playing outside? No agenda, no adult-directed activity, just kids figuring it out?

We keep a rotating stash of outdoor lawn games in the garage — cornhole, bocce, a badminton set — and the rule is that the yard is always an option. We don’t schedule it. We don’t facilitate it. We just make sure the tools are available and the door is open.

Our labradoodle, Biscuit, makes himself a willing (if chaotic) participant in most backyard activities, which adds an extra layer of joy and unpredictability. Which, again — very 1990s.

For days when we want a little more direction, we’ll head somewhere new. Florida’s winter months are perfect for this. I shared a bunch of ideas in Outdoor Activities for Kids in Florida’s Winter Months if you need some inspiration.

Gardening With Their Hands in the Actual Dirt

Gardening was such a natural part of childhood before we all moved indoors. Kids would help grandma with tomatoes or dig up potatoes from the garden like it was just a Tuesday. We’re reclaiming that.

Our kids have their own garden beds, their own garden gloves, and genuine ownership over what they grow. We’ve started seeds indoors using a simple seed starting kit and the excitement of watching something they planted actually come up — there’s nothing quite like it.

Gardening also sneaks in so much real learning: plant biology, soil science, patience, math (spacing, measuring, counting), and the satisfaction of feeding your family something you grew. It connects to everything we value in our Charlotte Mason homeschool approach.

If you want to start a garden with your kids but aren’t sure where to begin, I laid out the whole thing in Starting a Vegetable Garden With Kids: A Beginner’s Guide for Families Who Want to Actually Enjoy It.

Bird Watching the Old-Fashioned Way

Before there were apps that identified every bird with a photo, kids just… watched birds. They flipped through a field guide and tried to match what they saw. It was slower. More observational. More satisfying.

We use the Sibley Birds field guide — a real, physical book — and the kids sketch what they see in their nature journals. Northwest Florida is genuinely one of the best places in the country for backyard bird watching, and we’ve spotted some incredible species without leaving our yard.

You can see a full list of what we’ve found in our Florida Backyard Birds Identification Guide for Kids.

Mud, Rain Boots, and Just Being Messy

This one’s simple and costs basically nothing: let your kids get muddy. Buy them a pair of kids’ rain boots and then let them use them. After a Florida afternoon thunderstorm, our backyard becomes a genuine mud situation, and our kids are absolutely out there for it.

Dirt is not the enemy. Mud is not a problem. A washing machine exists. The 1990s kid in me wants to shake every parent and say: the mess is the point.

You Don’t Have to Recreate the ’90s Exactly

You just have to give your kids time, space, and permission. Permission to be bored. Permission to figure it out. Permission to get dirty and loud and imaginative without a screen filling in all the gaps.

Our family isn’t perfect at this. Some days the iPad wins. But we keep coming back to these rhythms — the chickens, the garden, the bug jars, the walkie talkies — because they work. Our kids are more creative, more resilient, and more connected to the real world because of them.

That’s what a 1990s childhood was really about. And it’s still available to your kids, right now, today.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• Easy Outdoor Science Experiments for Kids in the Backyard (No Lab Required)
• Florida Backyard Birds Identification Guide for Kids (What We’ve Actually Spotted From Our Own Yard)
• Raising Kids Without Constant Screens: Practical Tips That Actually Work for Real Families

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some classic 1990s childhood activities I can bring back for my kids today?

Some of the best ones to bring back include catching bugs and exploring critters, playing outdoor lawn games, gardening with their hands in the dirt, watching birds with a real field guide, using walkie talkies for independent outdoor play, and getting muddy after rainstorms. None of these require screens or expensive equipment — just time, space, and a willingness to let kids be kids.

How do I get my kids off screens and interested in outdoor play?

Start by making outdoor play more appealing than the screen — not by lecturing, but by providing interesting tools and low-key invitations. A bug catcher kit near the back door, rain boots ready to go, a garden plot that’s theirs to tend, or walkie talkies for backyard adventures can all spark genuine interest. Consistency matters too: the more outdoor time becomes normal in your family’s rhythm, the less the screen becomes the default.

Is it safe to let kids roam and play outside more independently today?

Yes, with age-appropriate boundaries and good tools. Start small — a bigger yard radius, a neighbor’s house, a quiet street — and expand as your child builds confidence and judgment. Walkie talkies are a great way to let kids feel independent while still staying connected with you. The research consistently shows that outdoor free play builds resilience, problem-solving skills, and emotional regulation in children.

How can I incorporate 1990s-style outdoor activities into a homeschool curriculum?

This fits beautifully into a Charlotte Mason approach. Nature journaling, bird identification with field guides, bug observation and sketching, gardening, and animal care (like backyard chickens) all count as real, substantive nature study. These activities build observation skills, scientific thinking, and a genuine relationship with the natural world — which is at the heart of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy.

What outdoor gear is actually worth buying to encourage 1990s-style play?

You don’t need much, but a few things make a real difference: a solid bug collection kit, a pocket microscope, nature journals and watercolor paints for recording observations, rain boots so wet weather isn’t a barrier, walkie talkies for independent play, and a set of outdoor lawn games. A good field guide like Sibley Birds rounds it out nicely. Keep it simple — the goal is less gear, more time outside.

Raising Kids Without Constant Screens: Practical Tips That Actually Work for Real Families

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Somewhere between the third time my kid asked to watch YouTube and the moment I found myself handing over my phone just to get five minutes of peace, I decided something had to change. Not in a dramatic, throw-every-device-in-the-trash way. Just… a quiet decision that we were going to do things differently.

I grew up in the ’90s. We had one TV, no internet, and a neighborhood full of kids who spent summers building forts, catching fireflies, and riding bikes until the streetlights came on. Nobody organized it. Nobody scheduled it. It just happened — because there was nothing else competing for our attention.

That’s the part I keep coming back to. Screens aren’t inherently evil. But they’re really, really good at winning the attention competition. And if we want our kids to choose dirt over devices, we have to make the alternative genuinely compelling.

Here’s what’s actually worked for our family.

Start With the Environment, Not the Rules

The biggest shift we made wasn’t setting a screen time limit. It was changing what our kids encountered first when they were bored.

When boredom hits and the first thing a kid sees is a tablet on the counter, you already know how that ends. But if the first thing they see is a bug collection kit on the back porch, a nature journal open on the table, or a jar waiting to be filled with something interesting — suddenly the day looks different.

We keep a dedicated “go outside” basket by the back door. It has kids’ rain boots (because Florida), a pocket microscope, a magnifying glass, and whatever nature study materials we’re currently using. My kids walk past that basket every single morning. It plants a seed.

Devices, on the other hand, live in a drawer in our room. Out of sight really is out of mind — especially for younger kids.

Give Them Real Work to Do

Kids who have genuine responsibilities don’t have as much empty time to fill with screens. This sounds obvious, but I think we underestimate how capable our kids actually are.

Our backyard chickens have been one of the best screen-time antidotes we’ve stumbled into. My kids help collect eggs every morning, refill the chicken waterer, and scatter scratch. It takes maybe fifteen minutes, but it anchors the morning in something real. Something living depends on them. That’s a different feeling than anything a screen can offer.

Garden tasks work the same way. Pulling weeds, watering seedlings, checking on a seed starting kit on the windowsill — these are small jobs that give kids ownership over something tangible. If you’re just getting started, our post on Starting a Vegetable Garden With Kids is a good place to begin.

Build a Rhythm, Not a Schedule

Charlotte Mason had it right: rhythm is more sustainable than rigid scheduling, especially with little kids. We don’t have a clock-based screen time rule in our house. We have a rhythm — and screens just aren’t part of it until the evening.

Our mornings are for school, outside time, and chores. Afternoons are free play, creative work, or nature study. Evenings are when screens are allowed if everything else is done — but honestly, by then the kids are usually worn out from actually living their day and don’t even ask.

The key is making sure the rhythm is full enough that there’s no gaping hole where boredom turns desperate. This doesn’t mean every moment is programmed. It means the day has a shape that kids can feel.

Make Outside Time the Default, Not the Reward

We never use outside time as a reward for good behavior or finished schoolwork. That accidentally frames the outdoors as something special and rare — and screens as the baseline normal.

Flip it. Outside is just what we do. It’s not earned. It’s not optional. In Pensacola, we are genuinely lucky — even our winters are mild enough that we’re outside almost every day. (If you need ideas for the cooler months, I’ve got you: Outdoor Activities for Kids in Florida’s Winter Months.)

The summer heat is a real hurdle, I won’t pretend otherwise. We do morning outside time before 10 a.m. and keep non-toxic sunscreen at the door so there’s no friction. Even twenty minutes of backyard time before the heat sets in is enough to reset a kid’s whole mood.

Stock Their Hands, Not Their Screens

If my kids’ hands are busy, their brains aren’t looking for a screen. This is just true. Creative materials that are always accessible — not tucked away in a cabinet — make a huge difference.

We keep Faber-Castell watercolors and a stack of nature journals on the kitchen table. Always. My kids will sit and paint for an hour if the supplies are just there. If I had to get them out every time, it would never happen.

Other things we keep accessible: Legos, art supplies, kids’ garden gloves and tools, and a bin of nature finds (feathers, shells, seed pods, rocks). We also have a set of walkie talkies that my kids absolutely love for backyard adventures and imaginative play. Old school and still magical.

Let Boredom Breathe

This one is uncomfortable for a lot of parents — including me, at first. But boredom is not a problem to solve. It’s a doorway.

When my kids say “I’m bored” and I resist the urge to fix it, something interesting always happens within about fifteen minutes. Someone starts building something. Someone goes outside. Someone decides to see what the chickens are doing. The creative brain needs that uncomfortable gap to activate.

I’m not going to pretend this is always peaceful. Sometimes there’s whining. Sometimes I have to say “I trust you to figure it out” three times before they believe me. But kids who are allowed to be bored regularly become kids who are genuinely good at entertaining themselves. And that is a life skill.

Have an Honest Conversation With Your Kids

Even with elementary-age kids, we can be honest about why we make the choices we make. I don’t frame screens as “bad.” I frame them as something that’s easy to do too much of, kind of like candy — fine sometimes, but not something we want running the whole day.

My kids know that our family values real-life experiences. They know we watch for birds in the backyard (our Florida Backyard Birds guide has helped so much with this), that we care about our chickens, that we like to learn things by actually doing them. When they understand the why, low-screen living becomes part of their identity — not just a rule imposed on them.

You Don’t Have to Be Perfect

Listen. There are days when screens happen more than I’d like. Travel days. Sick days. The days when mama has a migraine and just needs everyone to be quiet for two hours. Those days are real and they happen.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about the general direction of your family culture. If screens are the exception rather than the constant hum of your household, you’re doing it. Give yourself grace and keep going.

Raising kids without constant screens is less about what you’re taking away and more about what you’re building in its place — a childhood full of real things, dirty hands, living creatures, outdoor discoveries, and the kind of boredom that sparks imagination. That’s the goal. And honestly? It’s a really beautiful one to work toward.

📖 You Might Also Like:

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• Nature Crafts for Kids Using Backyard Materials (No Store Trip Required)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get my kids to stop asking for screens all day?

The most effective approach isn’t saying no more — it’s making the alternatives genuinely accessible and appealing. Keep creative supplies, outdoor tools, and nature materials visible and easy to reach. When kids have interesting things available to them without effort, they stop defaulting to screens as the only option. It also helps to establish a daily rhythm where screens simply aren’t part of the morning or afternoon routine.

What are good screen-free activities for elementary-age kids?

For elementary-age kids, some of the best screen-free activities include nature journaling, backyard exploration with a bug catcher or pocket microscope, watercolor painting, building with Legos or blocks, gardening, caring for animals, free outdoor play, and simple imaginative games. The key is keeping supplies accessible so kids can dive in without waiting for you to set everything up.

Is it realistic to raise kids with very little screen time today?

Yes — it’s realistic, but it works best when you focus on building a lifestyle rather than just enforcing rules. Families who successfully limit screens tend to have strong outdoor habits, hands-on hobbies, and a home environment where creative materials are always available. It’s also important to give yourself grace; the goal isn’t zero screens forever, it’s making sure screens aren’t the default way your kids spend their time.

How do I handle screen time when I need a break as a parent?

This is real life, and every parent needs a break sometimes. Having a short list of independent activities your kids can do without you — audiobooks, art supplies, outdoor free play, or a special toy they only get occasionally — can give you breathing room without turning to screens every time. That said, there’s no shame in using screens strategically when you genuinely need the help. The goal is balance over time, not perfection every day.

At what age should I start limiting screen time for kids?

Most child development experts recommend very minimal to no screen time for children under 2, and limited, intentional use for ages 2-5. For elementary-age kids, the quality and context of screen use matters just as much as the quantity. Starting low-screen habits early is much easier than walking them back later, so building a screen-light home culture from toddlerhood gives you a strong foundation as kids grow.

Florida Backyard Birds Identification Guide for Kids (What We’ve Actually Spotted From Our Own Yard)

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Some of our best school mornings start before we ever open a book. One of the kids will be out feeding the chickens and come running back in — “Mama, there’s a huge red bird on the fence!” — and just like that, we’ve got a science lesson on our hands.

Living in Northwest Florida, we are genuinely spoiled when it comes to backyard birds. The mix of coastal habitat, pine flatwoods, and live oak canopy means we get an incredible variety of species right outside our back door — year-round residents, winter visitors, and migratory birds just passing through. And honestly? Helping kids learn to identify birds might be the most natural, low-prep, high-reward nature study there is.

You don’t need a fancy setup. You need your eyes, maybe a good field guide, and a little patience. Here’s what we’ve actually found in our own Pensacola-area backyard and how we’ve turned it into real learning for our elementary kids.

Why Bird Identification Is Perfect for Charlotte Mason Nature Study

Charlotte Mason believed that children learn best through direct observation of the living world — not worksheets about it. Birds are honestly a perfect entry point for this. They’re everywhere, they’re active, they’re visually interesting, and they behave in ways kids naturally want to talk about.

We keep a nature journal on the kitchen table, and drawing a bird from observation — really looking at the shape of the beak, the color of the wing bars, the way it holds its tail — is exactly the kind of slow, attentive learning that Charlotte Mason championed. Add a written or narrated description, and you’ve covered science, language arts, and fine motor all before lunch.

If your kids like to paint what they see (mine absolutely do), a set of Faber-Castell watercolors is perfect for nature journal illustrations. The colors are vibrant enough to capture a painted bunting, which — I’m telling you — is a spiritual experience when you see one for the first time.

For a real field guide that works for this age, we love the Sibley Birds guide. It’s detailed without being overwhelming, and my kids have spent hours just flipping through the illustrations.

Common Florida Backyard Birds Kids Can Learn to Identify

The Ones You’ll See Almost Every Single Day

Northern Cardinal — The one my kids spotted on the chicken fence. The male is that unmistakable all-red bird with the crest on top of his head. The female is a warm brown with red highlights — equally beautiful, just more subtle. Cardinals love sunflower seeds and will come to a feeder reliably. A great starter bird because they’re so recognizable.

Carolina Wren — Tiny, loud, and bossy. These little brown birds with the upturned tail have a surprisingly huge voice. We have a pair that nests near our back porch every spring. Kids love how much sound comes out of such a small bird.

Mourning Dove — Soft gray-brown with a gentle, cooing call. They forage on the ground under feeders and are calm enough that you can watch them for a while without them spooking. Great for early bird watchers because they move slowly and stay put.

Blue Jay — Loud, flashy, opinionated. Blue jays are bossy at the feeder and fascinating to watch. My kids have strong feelings about them (half love them, half think they’re too aggressive), which makes for great nature journaling — observations and opinions.

Red-bellied Woodpecker — This one always confuses kids at first because the red part is actually mostly on the head, not the belly. They’re regulars on our oak trees and have a distinctive churring call. A pocket microscope is a fun way to look at a feather up close if you ever find one on the ground.

American Crow — Big, black, smart as a whip. Crows are genuinely one of the most intelligent bird species, and there’s so much to learn about their behavior. We’ve watched them use tools and solve problems right in the yard. Great conversation starter.

Seasonal and Special Visitors

Painted Bunting — If you’ve never seen one, prepare yourself. The male is arguably the most colorful bird in North America — electric blue head, red chest, green back. They show up in our area in fall and winter, and every single time my kids see one at the feeder, someone gasps. This is the bird that turns kids into birders.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird — Summer visitors that pass through during migration. They’re attracted to red tubular flowers — plant native salvia or firebush in your yard and you’ll see them regularly. Kids are always amazed by how small and fast they are.

Yellow-rumped Warbler — A common winter visitor in Northwest Florida. Small, active, and they flit around constantly. Look for the yellow patch on the rump (yes, that’s what it’s named for — kids find this hilarious). Great for teaching about migration.

Osprey and Red-tailed Hawk — We see these regularly soaring overhead. Hawks and ospreys offer a great lesson on raptors versus songbirds — different body shapes, different hunting strategies, different habitats. If you’re near the coast or any water body, osprey are almost guaranteed.

American Robin — Up north they’re the first sign of spring, but in Florida we see them in winter flocks. Big flocks of robins rolling through the yard always get the kids excited.

How We Actually Do Bird Study With Elementary Kids

Honestly, the 1990s approach works best here. No structured lesson plan. No app doing the work for them. Just: go outside, look, wonder, come back and figure it out.

Here’s the loose rhythm that works for our family:

Morning observation time. Before structured school starts, kids spend 10-15 minutes in the yard or watching from the porch. They’re already out there doing chicken chores anyway — we’ve got a nipple waterer that makes that quick — so bird watching happens naturally while they’re already outside.

Sketch and narrate. Come inside and draw what they saw. Describe it in words. What color was it? How big? What was it doing? This is straight Charlotte Mason narration, and it builds real observational skills over time.

Look it up together. Pull out the Sibley guide and find it. This is the exciting part — flipping through pages, comparing illustrations, arguing about whether it had one wing bar or two.

Record it. Add it to the nature journal with the date and any notes. Over a year, kids can see patterns — “We always see yellow-rumped warblers in December” — and that’s real science happening.

For our Florida Backyard Wildlife Identification Guide for Families (What We’ve Actually Found in Our Yard), I go deeper on all kinds of backyard wildlife beyond birds — worth checking out if your kids are curious about everything, not just birds.

Also, if wildflowers and plants are starting to interest them too, our Florida Wildflowers Kids Identification Guide is a great companion to this one — the two studies overlap naturally when you’re out in the yard together.

Simple Ways to Attract More Birds to Your Yard

• Plant natives. Firebush, beautyberry, and native oaks attract more birds than a feeder ever will. They provide food and shelter.
• Put out a simple feeder. Black oil sunflower seeds attract the widest variety of birds. Cardinals, chickadees, finches, wrens — they all love it.
• Add a birdbath. Moving water is especially attractive. Even a basic shallow dish refreshed daily makes a difference.
• Leave the leaf litter. I know it looks messy, but ground-feeding birds like towhees and thrushes are working that leaf litter for insects. Let it be.
• Reduce pesticide use. This one matters a lot. Insects are the base of the food chain for most birds, especially during nesting season. We use Wondercide around the yard and coop because it keeps things safe for our chickens, the kids, and yes — the birds too.

Making Bird Study Feel Like Childhood, Not School

Here’s the thing I keep coming back to: kids who spent their childhoods outside in the 80s and 90s just knew birds. Not because someone taught them in a formal way, but because they were out there long enough to notice things. That’s what we’re trying to recreate.

Give your kids the tools — a good journal, a field guide, maybe a bug collection kit for the days they want to go deeper on the ecosystem as a whole — and then get out of the way. Let them be curious. Let them be wrong sometimes. Let them argue about whether that was a fish crow or an American crow (spoiler: it’s harder to tell than you’d think).

Bird identification is one of those skills that compounds over time. A kid who learns to really see a cardinal — to notice the crest, the thick seed-cracking beak, the way the female’s colors echo the male’s — is building the same careful observation skills that will serve them in every area of learning for the rest of their life.

And on the days when school feels hard and nobody wants to sit at the table? Go outside. Watch the birds. Draw what you see. That counts. It always counts.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• Screen-Free Summer Activities for Florida Kids (When They Say They’re Bored)
• Chicken Brooder Setup for Beginners: Everything You Actually Need to Get Chicks Off to a Good Start
• Florida Backyard Wildlife Identification Guide for Families (What We’ve Actually Found in Our Yard)

Frequently Asked Questions

What birds are most common in Florida backyards for kids to identify?

Some of the easiest and most common Florida backyard birds for kids to start with are the Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, and Red-bellied Woodpecker. These species are present year-round in most of Florida, including the Pensacola and Northwest Florida area, and are visually distinctive enough for young kids to recognize with a little practice.

What is the best bird field guide for kids?

The Sibley Birds guide is one of our favorites for family nature study — it’s detailed and accurate but very visual, which works well for elementary-age kids. For younger children, look for regional or beginner guides with large illustrations. The key is having a physical book kids can flip through themselves rather than relying on an app to do the identifying for them.

How do I teach bird identification to elementary-age kids using Charlotte Mason methods?

Charlotte Mason bird study is beautifully simple: go outside and observe, then come in and narrate or sketch what you saw, then look it up together in a field guide. Keep a nature journal where kids draw and describe birds they’ve spotted, noting the date, location, and behavior. Over time, this builds real observational skills and a growing knowledge of local species — no worksheets required.

When is the best time to see birds in a Florida backyard?

Early morning is generally the best time for bird activity in Florida backyards — birds are most active in the first hour or two after sunrise. Florida also has the advantage of great birding year-round, with winter bringing migratory visitors like painted buntings, yellow-rumped warblers, and American robins that you won’t see in summer. Fall migration (September–November) is particularly exciting in Northwest Florida.

How can I attract more birds to my Florida backyard?

The most effective ways to attract birds to a Florida backyard are planting native plants (firebush, beautyberry, and native oaks are excellent choices), putting out a feeder stocked with black oil sunflower seeds, adding a shallow birdbath with fresh water, and leaving leaf litter on the ground for foraging birds. Reducing pesticide use is also important since insects are the primary food source for most birds, especially during nesting season.

Florida Wildflowers Kids Identification Guide (What We’ve Found Blooming in Our Own Backyard)

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Somewhere between letting the chickens out and pouring my first cup of coffee, one of my kids called out from the backyard: “Mama, what’s this purple flower?”

And honestly? I had no idea.

That moment sent us down a rabbit hole — in the best possible way. We started noticing wildflowers everywhere. On the edges of our yard, along the road when we’d go on our morning walks, in the field behind our neighborhood. Florida is full of wildflowers, and most of us just walk right past them without a second glance.

If you’ve got kids who love being outside (or kids you’re trying to get outside), wildflower identification is one of those nature study activities that sounds fancy but is really just… looking. Paying attention. And that? That’s something we can all do.

Here’s what we’ve found, what we use to learn, and how we’ve woven it into our homeschool days.

Why Wildflower Identification Is Such a Good Fit for Kids

Charlotte Mason was big on “living education” — the idea that children learn best when they’re interacting with real, beautiful, living things rather than just reading about them in a textbook. Wildflowers are a perfect example of that. You can’t fake the experience of crouching down next to a patch of blue-eyed grass and really looking at it.

This is also the kind of thing kids in the 1990s just did naturally — wandered around, noticed stuff, picked things up, asked questions. We’re just giving it a little more intention now.

A good nature journal is the starting point for us. My kids sketch what they find, write the name (or a guess), and sometimes press a small clipping inside. Add a set of Faber-Castell watercolors and you’ve got a full-on nature study session that covers science, art, and writing — all outside, all real.

Florida Wildflowers You’re Likely to Spot (By Season)

One thing I love about Florida is that wildflowers aren’t just a spring thing here. We get blooms almost year-round if you know what to look for. Here’s a breakdown of what we’ve actually found in and around the Pensacola area.

Spring (March–May)

Wild Blue Phlox — This one shows up in wooded areas and roadsides in early spring. Pale lavender-blue clusters on thin stems. My youngest thinks it looks like a fairy flower, and honestly, same.

Lanceleaf Coreopsis — Florida’s state wildflower, and for good reason. Cheerful yellow petals with a darker center. It pops up in open fields and roadsides and is almost impossible to miss.

Spiderwort — Three purple petals, early morning bloomer. By afternoon it often closes up, which makes it a great one for talking about how different flowers behave at different times of day.

Carolina Wild Petunia — Lavender blooms that look like petunias but are entirely wild. Grows along roadsides and woodland edges. Native bees love it.

Summer (June–August)

Okay, yes — summer in Florida is brutal. But wildflowers don’t care. They’re out there. We just find them on early morning walks before the heat hits.

Partridge Pea — Bright yellow flowers with distinctive reddish stamens. The compound leaves fold up when touched, which is endlessly entertaining for kids. Butterflies and bees absolutely flock to this one. If you’re working on a butterfly garden, this plant belongs in it.

Daylily (Native/Naturalized) — Tawny orange blooms on tall stalks. Each flower only lasts a single day, which is a great lesson all by itself.

Elderflower — Technically a shrub, but those flat-topped clusters of tiny white flowers are gorgeous and easy to spot. Berries come later in the season. (We always remind the kids: look, don’t eat unless an adult confirms it’s safe.)

Buttonbush — Round white flower clusters that look like little pincushions. Grows near water, and if you live near a pond or wetland area, you’ve probably seen it.

Fall (September–November)

Goldenrod — Those tall golden plumes that show up everywhere in fall? That’s goldenrod. It gets blamed for allergies a lot, but it’s actually wind-pollinated ragweed that’s the culprit. Goldenrod is an incredible pollinator plant.

Blazing Star (Liatris) — Purple spikes that bloom from the top down. Monarch butterflies love this one during their fall migration, which makes it extra exciting if you’re doing any butterfly watching.

Saltmarsh Fleabane — Pink fluffy flowers that show up in moist areas. Common near coastal areas, so if you’re heading to any of our local spots near Pensacola Bay or the Gulf, keep an eye out.

Winter (December–February)

This is actually our favorite time to get outside here in Northwest Florida — the weather finally cooperates! And yes, there are still flowers.

Henbit — Small pink-purple flowers on low-growing stems. Technically a weed by most people’s standards, but it’s charming and one of the first bloomers after cold snaps.

Florida betony — White tubular flowers and square stems. The kids always notice the square stems because it feels like a trick of nature.

For more on what we do outside during our cooler months, check out our favorite outdoor activities for kids in Florida’s winter months.

How We Actually Do Wildflower Study (Without Making It Feel Like School)

The key is keeping it loose. We don’t sit down and quiz the kids on flower names. We just… go outside and notice things together.

Here’s what a typical wildflower walk looks like for us:

1. We head out in the morning, sometimes with the dog, sometimes while the chickens free-range in the yard.
2. Someone spots something — a new bloom, a weird seedpod, a bug on a flower. We stop and look.
3. We use a field guide or a simple plant ID app (iNaturalist is our favorite — totally free) to figure out what it is.
4. Back inside, my older kids sketch it in their nature journals and write a few notes.

That’s it. Fifteen to thirty minutes, mostly outside, totally engaging.

For the sketching and painting, those Faber-Castell watercolors we mentioned are our go-to — they’re quality enough to actually mix colors well, and they hold up to kid use without being expensive to replace.

We’ve also been slowly working our way through the Sibley Birds guide for bird ID on those same walks — and honestly, wildflowers and bird watching go hand-in-hand beautifully. You start noticing which birds visit which flowers, which flowers attract which butterflies, and suddenly you’ve got a whole ecosystem study happening in your front yard.

For a full list of what we’ve found, check out our Florida backyard wildlife identification guide — it goes way beyond flowers.

A Note on Toxicity (Because Kids Touch Everything)

This is a real thing. Before we started our wildflower study, I made it a point to look up any potential toxicity concerns for common plants in our area. Some beautiful wildflowers — like nightshade and certain buttercup varieties — can cause skin irritation or worse if ingested.

Our family rule: look, smell (carefully), sketch, photograph. We don’t eat anything without verification from a trusted field guide or adult who actually knows plants.

Make it a fun rule, not a scary one. “We’re scientists — scientists observe first” has worked pretty well around here.

What You Actually Need to Get Started

You don’t need much. Truly.

• A nature journal and pencil
• Watercolor paints for illustrating findings
• A plant ID app like iNaturalist (free)
• A pocket microscope for looking at pollen and tiny flower structures up close — this one alone will blow your kids’ minds
• A good pair of kids’ rain boots if you’re exploring wet areas or meadows after summer storms

That’s honestly it. Florida is your classroom. You just have to walk out the back door.

And if wildflower walks lead to bigger curiosity about gardening, we’ve got you covered there too — our guide on starting a vegetable garden with kids is a great next step.

Start Where You Are

You don’t have to know all the names before you start. We sure didn’t. We started with that one purple flower in the backyard, wrote “purple flower — looks like phlox?” in the nature journal, and went from there.

Now my kids will stop mid-sentence on a walk to point something out. They argue (lovingly) about whether something is goldenrod or dog fennel. They notice the bees. They care about what’s growing. That’s the whole point, really — not building a perfect botanical database, but growing kids who pay attention to the world around them.

And in a world that really wants our kids staring at screens, a child crouching in the grass to sketch a wildflower feels like a quiet little act of resistance. The best kind.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• How to Start a Butterfly Garden in Florida With Kids (And Why It’s the Best Nature Study You’ll Ever Do)
• Florida Backyard Wildlife Identification Guide for Families (What We’ve Actually Found in Our Yard)
• Easy Outdoor Science Experiments for Kids in the Backyard (No Lab Required)

Frequently Asked Questions

What wildflowers are common in Florida backyards?

Florida backyards and roadsides are home to many beautiful wildflowers, including Lanceleaf Coreopsis (the state wildflower), Spiderwort, Wild Blue Phlox, Partridge Pea, Goldenrod, and Blazing Star. The specific flowers you’ll see depend on your region — North and Northwest Florida tend to have more variety thanks to the temperate climate, especially in spring and fall.

How do I teach kids to identify wildflowers without a botany background?

You don’t need a botany degree — just curiosity and a few simple tools. Start with a free plant ID app like iNaturalist, which lets kids photograph a flower and get an instant identification. Pair that with a nature journal where they sketch and write what they find. Field guides written for beginners also help, and the learning happens naturally over time just by getting outside regularly and paying attention.

Are any Florida wildflowers dangerous or toxic to kids?

Yes, some Florida wildflowers and look-alikes can be toxic or cause skin irritation — including species in the nightshade family, certain buttercups, and water hemlock near wetlands. A good rule of thumb for kids: observe, sketch, and photograph, but never taste or eat anything without adult verification from a trusted field guide. Teaching this as a ‘scientist rule’ rather than a fear-based restriction works well with younger children.

What season has the most wildflowers in Florida?

Spring (March through May) is the most spectacular season for wildflowers in Florida, especially in North and Northwest Florida where the climate is more temperate. However, Florida has blooms in every season — fall brings goldenrod and liatris, summer has partridge pea and elderflower, and even winter has small bloomers like henbit. One of the perks of homeschooling in Florida is that nature study can happen outdoors almost year-round.

How do I use wildflower identification as part of a Charlotte Mason nature study?

Charlotte Mason’s approach to nature study is all about direct observation and narration — and wildflowers are a perfect subject. Take kids outside with a nature journal, let them choose a flower to sketch, and encourage them to write or narrate what they notice (color, shape, smell, what insects visited it). Over time these journals become a beautiful record of what they’ve learned. Add watercolor illustrations, pressed flower specimens, and seasonal observation notes to deepen the study naturally.

Florida Backyard Wildlife Identification Guide for Families (What We’ve Actually Found in Our Yard)

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

I didn’t grow up calling myself a naturalist. I grew up a kid in the 90s who spent a lot of time outside turning over rocks, chasing lizards, and shrieking at things in the grass. Turns out, that’s basically the same thing.

Now I have kids of my own, and we homeschool, and one of my absolute favorite parts of our days is just… going outside and paying attention. Florida — especially up here in the Pensacola area — is genuinely one of the most biodiverse places you can raise a family. Our backyard is small. Our wildlife list is not.

Whether you’re new to nature study, just getting your Charlotte Mason legs under you, or you’ve got a kid who’s been obsessed with bugs since birth (hi, same), this guide is for you. Let’s talk about what’s actually out there in your Florida backyard and how to start identifying it together.

Why Backyard Wildlife ID Is Such Great Nature Study

Charlotte Mason was big on the idea that children should have a living, breathing relationship with the natural world — not just textbook facts, but real observation. Backyard wildlife identification is that in its purest form. You’re not driving anywhere. You’re not buying a curriculum. You’re just stepping outside and asking, what is that?

It builds observation skills, vocabulary, patience, and genuine wonder. And honestly? It’s as good for us mamas as it is for the kids.

We keep a nature journal on the kitchen counter so that when someone spots something interesting, we can sketch it and write down what we noticed — wing color, behavior, where it was, what time of day. Over months, patterns start to emerge. That’s real science happening at your kitchen table.

If you want more ways to bring this kind of learning outside, check out our Easy Outdoor Science Experiments for Kids in the Backyard (No Lab Required) — lots of overlap with this kind of nature observation work.

Common Florida Backyard Birds (And How to Tell Them Apart)

Birds are the easiest entry point for wildlife ID with kids because they’re visible, they move during the day, and there are great tools to help.

Here’s what we see regularly in our Northwest Florida yard:

Year-Round Residents

• Northern Mockingbird — Florida’s state bird, and it earns it. This bird will sing at 2am and has opinions about your cat.
• Carolina Wren — tiny, loud, brown, and absolutely convinced it owns your porch.
• Blue Jay — bold, beautiful, and a bit of a bully at the feeder.
• Red-bellied Woodpecker — despite the name, the red is on the head. Classic Florida confusion.
• Eastern Towhee — loves scratching around in leaf litter; black, white, and rufous coloring.

Winter Visitors

• Yellow-rumped Warbler — one of the most common winter warblers up here, they flock to wax myrtle berries.
• American Goldfinch — in winter plumage they’re olive-yellow, not the bright gold you might expect.
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet — tiny and hyperactive, flicking wings constantly.

We use the Sibley Birds guide and it has been genuinely worth every penny. The illustrations are beautiful and it’s organized in a way that actually makes sense when you’re trying to figure out what just flew past your head.

Reptiles and Amphibians: Florida’s Most Underappreciated Backyard Residents

Okay, real talk — Florida reptiles get a bad reputation and I think it’s wildly unfair.

Lizards

• Green Anole — native, changes color based on temperature and mood (not background, despite the myth). Males do little push-ups with a pink dewlap. Kids are obsessed.
• Brown Anole — non-native but everywhere. Competes with the green anole, unfortunately.
• Six-lined Racerunner — fast as lightning, usually in sunny open areas.

Skinks

• Broadhead Skink — big, shiny, and the males have striking orange heads. Lives in oak trees.
• Five-lined Skink — juveniles have vivid blue tails. My kids have chased these for years.

Frogs and Toads

• Green Tree Frog — Florida’s other state animal (the frog, officially). Shows up on windows at night hunting bugs near lights.
• Squirrel Tree Frog — similar but smaller, with variable patterns.
• Southern Toad — common in yards, eats fire ants, absolutely a friend.
• Eastern Narrowmouth Toad — tiny, secretive, and often under boards or rocks.

The Ones That Deserve Respect (Not Fear)

• Eastern Fence Lizard — not super common in our area but worth knowing.
• Black Racer Snake — nonvenomous, fast, eats rodents. We leave ours alone.
• Gopher Tortoise — a keystone species. If you have one, you’re lucky. Do not disturb.

Insects and Bugs: The Overlooked Stars of Your Yard

This is where my bug-kid really shines. Florida has an extraordinary insect population, and honestly, once you start paying attention, you can’t stop.

We love using a pocket microscope for close-up looks at wing scales, compound eyes, and leg structures — the kids are absolutely riveted. Pair it with a bug collection kit for catching, observing, and releasing without harm.

What we find regularly:

• Lubber Grasshoppers — enormous, colorful, and slow. Very easy to catch and observe.
• Gulf Fritillary Butterfly — brilliant orange, passionate about passionvine. (If you want to attract more, we have a whole post on How to Start a Butterfly Garden in Florida With Kids.)
• Wheel Bug — assassin bug, looks prehistoric, fascinating.
• Fireflies — we do still have them in Northwest Florida, particularly in early summer near wooded edges. Magic.
• Orb Weaver Spiders — the big gorgeous ones in the fall. Totally harmless, incredible architects.
• Cicadas — loud doesn’t begin to cover it, but finding a shed exoskeleton is a genuine treasure for kids.

Backyard Mammals: More Than Just Squirrels

• Eastern Gray Squirrel — classic, chaotic, always plotting against your bird feeder.
• Eastern Cottontail — we see these at dusk, especially near garden beds. (A good reason to fence your vegetable garden.)
• Armadillo — the yard aerator nobody asked for. Fascinating ancient-looking creatures.
• Opossum — underrated. They eat ticks. A lot of ticks. Be kind to opossums.
• Raccoon — smart, dexterous, and absolutely a threat to our chicken coop. We use an automatic coop door partly because of these guys.

Simple Tools for Getting Started With Wildlife ID

You don’t need a lot. Here’s what we actually use:

• A good field guide — Sibley Birds for birds, iNaturalist app for everything else (free and incredible)
• A nature journal — this one holds up well outside and has blank pages for sketching
• Faber-Castell watercolors — for nature journaling, because sketching is one thing but adding color is what makes it stick
• A pocket microscope — for small finds like insects, feathers, or shed skins
• Kids’ rain boots — because Florida and mud go together always

Making It a Regular Practice

The secret to good nature study isn’t a fancy curriculum. It’s just going outside consistently and being curious together. We do a slow morning loop around the yard most days — check the chicken run, look at what’s blooming, see who’s visiting the bird bath. It takes ten minutes and it has produced some of our best school conversations.

Grab your journals. Go slow. Let the kids lead. Florida will do the rest — I promise, it always shows up.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• Easy Outdoor Science Experiments for Kids in the Backyard (No Lab Required)
• How to Start a Butterfly Garden in Florida With Kids (And Why It’s the Best Nature Study You’ll Ever Do)
• Screen-Free Summer Activities for Florida Kids (When They Say They’re Bored)

Frequently Asked Questions

What wildlife is commonly found in Florida backyards?

Florida backyards are home to a surprising variety of wildlife including birds like Northern Mockingbirds, Blue Jays, and seasonal warblers; reptiles like Green Anoles, skinks, and Black Racer snakes; amphibians like Green Tree Frogs and Southern Toads; insects like Gulf Fritillary butterflies, cicadas, and Lubber Grasshoppers; and mammals like armadillos, opossums, and Eastern Cottontails. The diversity is genuinely one of the best things about raising kids in Florida.

What is the best app for identifying Florida backyard wildlife?

iNaturalist is hands-down the best free app for identifying Florida wildlife. You take a photo, it suggests an ID based on visual AI and community verification, and your observations get added to a global database. Kids love submitting their own observations. For birds specifically, Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab is excellent and even identifies birds by sound.

Are there dangerous animals I should watch for in a Florida backyard?

Florida does have venomous snakes — including the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Cottonmouth (Water Moccasin), and Coral Snake — but encounters in a typical suburban backyard are uncommon. The most important rule is to teach kids never to pick up a snake they can’t identify. Most snakes seen in Florida yards are nonvenomous and beneficial. Fire ants are a more everyday concern, especially for young children, so check play areas regularly.

How do I start nature journaling with my kids?

Start simple — a blank notebook, a pencil, and time outside is all you need. Encourage kids to sketch what they observe (not what they think it should look like) and write down details: color, size, behavior, location, time of day. Adding watercolor is a natural next step that makes journaling feel like art. The habit matters more than the quality of the drawings, especially at first.

What are the best field guides for Florida wildlife identification with kids?

For birds, the Sibley Birds guide is excellent for all ages. For a broader Florida focus, the Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America is very thorough. The iNaturalist app is a fantastic digital companion for everything. For younger children, DK Eyewitness nature books offer beautiful visuals that are very kid-friendly as a starting point.

Starting a Vegetable Garden With Kids: A Beginner’s Guide for Families Who Want to Actually Enjoy It

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Somewhere between the chicken coop and the back fence, we found a little patch of dirt that changed everything. It wasn’t pretty at first — just a raised bed my husband threw together from some scrap lumber and a bag of garden soil from the hardware store. But the morning my oldest pulled her first cherry tomato off the vine and popped it straight into her mouth, eyes wide, I knew we were onto something good.

That’s really what starting a vegetable garden with kids is about. Not the harvest. Not the Pinterest-worthy garden beds. It’s that moment when a child realizes food comes from the ground — that they can grow it, that they helped, and that it tastes better than anything from a plastic bag at the grocery store.

If you’ve been wanting to try gardening with your kids but feel overwhelmed before you even start, I’m here to tell you: start small, start messy, and just start.

Why Gardening Is One of the Best Things You Can Do With Your Kids Right Now

I grew up in the ’90s with a grandma who had a garden every single summer. We dug in the dirt, we ate tomatoes off the vine, we got muddy and sunburned and didn’t care. That kind of hands-in-the-earth childhood shaped how I see the world, and I want that for my kids too.

Beyond the nostalgia, though? Gardening hits almost every subject in our Charlotte Mason homeschool without even trying. Science (plant life cycles, soil composition, insects), math (measuring rows, counting seeds, tracking growth), language arts (nature journaling, research), and even character — patience, responsibility, and the satisfaction of doing hard things.

We use our nature journal to sketch seedlings as they sprout, observe which beds get more sun, and record when things first bloom. It’s living science, and it’s free once you’ve got some seeds in the ground.

Starting a Vegetable Garden With Kids: Where to Actually Begin

Step 1: Pick One Small Spot (Seriously, Just One)

Don’t let this be the thing that stops you. You don’t need raised beds with perfect lumber. You don’t need a tiller. You need a sunny spot — at least 6 hours of direct sun per day — and some decent soil.

For beginners with kids, I’d honestly recommend starting with just a 4×4 raised bed or even a few large containers on a patio. The smaller the space, the more manageable it is, and the more your kids can actually take ownership of it.

If you want to start seeds indoors before transplanting (which gives you a big head start, especially with Florida’s weird shoulder seasons), a simple seed starting kit makes the whole process so much easier and more successful.

Step 2: Know Your Florida Planting Windows

This is where so many Florida beginners go wrong — they plant on a Northern schedule and wonder why everything dies or bolts. Here in Northwest Florida, we have two main growing seasons:

• Fall/Winter garden: September through February is actually prime time for cool-season crops. Lettuce, kale, broccoli, carrots, snap peas, spinach. This is genuinely some of the best gardening weather we get.
• Spring garden: March through May before the heat and humidity shut everything down. Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans, peppers.

Summer here is brutal, and trying to fight it with a full veggie garden is a recipe for frustration. Stick to a few heat-tolerant herbs like basil and sweet potatoes, and give yourself grace.

Step 3: Choose Kid-Friendly Crops

Not all vegetables are created equal when kids are involved. You want things that:

• Grow fast enough to hold a child’s attention
• Are easy to harvest (little hands need to succeed)
• Taste good eaten right off the plant

Best beginner crops for kids in Florida:

• Cherry tomatoes — they’re practically foolproof and kids love hunting for ripe ones
• Snap peas — sweet, fast, and fun to pick
• Radishes — ready in as little as 25 days, which feels like magic to a 6-year-old
• Sunflowers — technically not a vegetable but the seeds are edible and kids go absolutely wild for giant sunflowers
• Lettuce — cut-and-come-again varieties are satisfying because you get results fast
• Herbs like basil, mint, and chives — low maintenance and great for little ones to smell and taste

Step 4: Get Kids Involved From the Very Beginning

This is the whole point, right? Don’t just let them water occasionally. Let them be actual gardeners.

By age:

• K-1st grade: Digging holes, dropping seeds, watering, pulling weeds (with supervision), harvesting
• 2nd-3rd grade: Reading seed packets, measuring spacing, keeping a garden journal, identifying beneficial insects
• 4th-5th grade: Planning the layout, researching companion planting, tracking data, researching pests

For the research and observation side of things, a pocket microscope is one of those tools that never gets old. Looking at soil, examining a diseased leaf up close, checking out root structures — kids who might not sit still for a worksheet will happily spend 20 minutes with that thing.

Grab a pair of kids’ garden gloves so your littles feel like real gardeners (also helpful for keeping hands away from fire ants, which are very much a Florida gardening reality).

Connecting the Garden to Your Homeschool

If you’re homeschooling, the garden is basically a free curriculum supplement. Here’s how we weave it in without making it feel forced:

• Nature journaling: Sketch plants at different growth stages using Faber-Castell watercolors. Record observations, ask questions, make predictions.
• Bug study: The garden brings bugs, and bugs are fascinating. A bug collection kit takes the observation to another level. Identify what you find — some are helpers, some are pests.
• Life cycles: Watching a seed become a plant that flowers and fruits and drops seeds again is the most concrete life cycle lesson a child can get. No worksheet needed.
• Math: Measure plant height weekly, calculate how many seeds fit in a row, track harvest totals.

This pairs so naturally with our Easy Outdoor Science Experiments for Kids in the Backyard (No Lab Required) — the backyard really is the best classroom.

The Chicken Connection (Because Of Course)

If you have backyard chickens like we do, your garden and your flock can actually work together beautifully — with some important boundaries. Our girls are absolute demolition machines in the garden beds, so free-ranging near anything we’re actually growing requires supervision.

But the relationship is genuinely symbiotic: chickens eat garden scraps and bugs, their manure (composted, not fresh) is incredible fertilizer, and they’ll help you turn beds at the end of a season. We keep a kitchen compost bin on the counter for veggie scraps — what the chickens don’t eat goes to the compost pile, and what comes out of the compost pile feeds the garden. It’s a real loop, and watching kids understand that cycle is worth more than any textbook chapter on ecosystems.

Keeping It Non-Toxic in the Garden

We don’t use synthetic pesticides anywhere near where our kids play or our chickens forage, and that goes double for the food garden. Diatomaceous earth (food grade) is our go-to for pests like slugs and beetles — safe for kids, safe for chickens, and genuinely effective.

For pest and weed pressure, sometimes the best tool is just a child with curious hands and a jar. Send them out to pick hornworms off the tomatoes. Make it a challenge. They’ll do it happily.

This fits right in with how we approach the rest of our home — if you’re newer to reducing toxins and want a starting place, I wrote a whole guide on Switching to a Non-Toxic Home But Don’t Know Where to Start? Read This First.

You Don’t Have to Do It Perfectly

Some things will die. You’ll forget to water during a heat wave. The squirrels will find your strawberries before your kids do. That’s gardening. That’s also life.

What matters is that your children got their hands in the dirt, that they watched something grow, that they ate something they grew themselves, and that they learned that food doesn’t just appear in a store — it takes patience and work and a little bit of faith.

We started with one sad raised bed and a handful of cherry tomato seedlings. Now we’ve got a real little kitchen garden that my kids argue over who gets to water. That’s a win in my book, and I think it’ll be one in yours too.

Start small. Involve them early. Let it be messy. The harvest will come.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What vegetables are easiest to grow with kids for beginners?

Cherry tomatoes, snap peas, radishes, lettuce, and sunflowers are all fantastic starter crops for kids. They grow relatively quickly, are satisfying to harvest, and taste great eaten straight from the garden — which is the best motivator for any child.

When should I start a vegetable garden with kids in Florida?

In Northwest Florida and the Pensacola area, you actually have two great growing windows: fall through winter (September–February) for cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and carrots, and early spring (March–May) for tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans. Avoid trying to grow most vegetables through the peak of summer heat.

How do I get young kids interested in gardening?

Let them own it from the very beginning — picking what to plant, pressing seeds into soil, and doing the actual watering. Children are far more invested when they’re genuine participants, not just observers. Fast-growing crops like radishes and cherry tomatoes help too because kids can see real results quickly.

How can gardening count as homeschool education?

Gardening naturally covers science (plant life cycles, soil biology, insects), math (measuring, counting, tracking growth), language arts (journaling and research), and character development (patience and responsibility). Paired with a nature journal and some simple observation tools, it’s one of the richest hands-on learning experiences you can give your kids.

How do I garden with kids without using toxic pesticides?

Food-grade diatomaceous earth is great for common garden pests and is safe around kids and chickens. You can also hand-pick many pests like hornworms and aphids — kids actually enjoy the bug-hunting aspect. Companion planting (like basil near tomatoes) can also naturally deter certain pests without any sprays at all.