Natural Ways to Keep Ants Out of Your House in Florida (What Actually Works for Our Family)

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

If you live in Florida, you already know. You set a single crumb on the counter and within twenty minutes there’s a whole ant highway running across your kitchen. It doesn’t matter how clean your house is. It doesn’t matter what season it is. Down here in Northwest Florida, ants are just… a fact of life. Especially in summer when the rain drives them inside looking for dry ground.

For a long time I just dealt with it — or I’d grab whatever was under the sink and spray, not really thinking about what was in it. Then I started paying more attention to what we were bringing into our home, and I realized I didn’t want to use harsh chemical pesticides around my kids, our mini labradoodle, or especially our backyard chickens who free range near the house. So I started researching and testing. Some things flopped. Some things actually worked.

Here’s what we’ve landed on.

Why Florida Ants Are Especially Stubborn

We’re not dealing with one species here. Florida has fire ants, ghost ants, carpenter ants, Argentine ants, and the infamous crazy ants — and they all behave a little differently. Ghost ants are the tiny ones that swarm your kitchen counters. Fire ants build those sandy mounds in the yard that your kids inevitably step in barefoot. Carpenter ants go after wood (which is very much not what you want in a Florida home).

The other thing working against us is our climate. The heat and humidity that Florida is famous for creates the perfect environment for ants to thrive year-round. After heavy rains — which we get plenty of from May through October — colonies move to higher, drier ground. That often means inside your walls or under your floors.

All of that to say: this isn’t a one-and-done situation. It’s an ongoing habit of small, consistent actions. But they genuinely work.

The Natural Methods We Actually Use

Diatomaceous Earth — Our Biggest Win

This is hands-down our most-used tool. Food-grade diatomaceous earth is a fine powder made from fossilized algae, and it works mechanically — not chemically. It damages the exoskeleton of insects so they dry out and die. It’s completely safe around kids, dogs, and importantly for us, our chickens. We actually use it in the coop too for pest control.

We apply a thin line of it along baseboards, around door frames, under appliances, and anywhere we see ant trails starting. Outside, we dust it around the foundation of the house after dry weather. (It loses effectiveness when wet, so reapply after rain.)

If you’re curious about how we use it in the chicken yard too, check out Non-Toxic Pest Control for Florida Homes: What’s Actually Safe for Kids, Chickens, and Pets — I go into a lot more detail there.

Peppermint Oil and Other Essential Oil Barriers

Ants navigate by scent trails. Disrupting those trails with strong smells throws them off. We mix about 15-20 drops of peppermint essential oil with water in a spray bottle and wipe down counters, window sills, and door thresholds regularly. It actually smells really good in the kitchen, which is a bonus.

Other oils that work similarly: tea tree, clove, and cinnamon. I rotate them so the ants don’t adapt. Cinnamon powder itself sprinkled along entry points also acts as a physical deterrent — they won’t cross it.

White Vinegar for Counters and Trails

When I see an active trail, I spray undiluted white vinegar directly on it. This destroys the pheromone trail so other ants can’t follow. Then I wipe it clean. It smells strong for a minute but dissipates quickly and leaves no residue I’m worried about on food prep surfaces.

For ongoing cleaning, we use Grove Collaborative products for our everyday counters — their concentrates are non-toxic and we’ve found the clean surfaces genuinely reduce ant interest in the kitchen.

Wondercide for the Perimeter

Wondercide is something I recommend to every Florida mama in our homeschool co-op. It’s a plant-based pest spray that’s safe to use around kids, pets, and chickens. We spray it around the foundation of our house, on the porch, and along the fence line every few weeks — especially heading into rainy season. It handles ants but also mosquitoes and other pests, which is a huge deal down here in Pensacola where the bugs come in waves.

I actually wrote more about how we handle bugs outside in Natural Mosquito Repellent That’s Actually Safe for Kids in Florida if you want the full outdoor pest picture.

Borax Bait for Serious Infestations

Okay, this one requires a little more care because borax shouldn’t be left where toddlers or pets can get into it directly. But in the right spots — inside a bait station, tucked under the fridge or behind the stove — it’s incredibly effective and still far safer than commercial ant killers.

The recipe is simple: mix 1/2 teaspoon of borax with 8 teaspoons of sugar and enough warm water to dissolve it. Soak a cotton ball and place it inside a small lidded container with tiny holes poked in the sides. Worker ants carry the bait back to the colony and it kills it from the inside out. This works especially well for ghost ants, which are the ones most likely to be all over your kitchen.

Seal Everything — Seriously, Everything

This sounds obvious but it made a huge difference for us. We went around the house with clear caulk and sealed every gap we could find around baseboards, pipe entry points, window frames, and door sweeps. Florida homes have a lot of tiny entry points because of how they’re built and how much the wood expands and contracts with our humidity.

Pair that with keeping food in sealed containers (we use glass jars for pantry staples) and making sure the trash has a tight lid, and you remove a lot of the reason ants want to come inside in the first place.

Keeping Ants Away From the Chicken Coop Area

Fire ants are a real problem near chicken coops. They’ll get into feed, swarm chicks, and can actually harm young birds. We keep the area around our coop dry and clean, remove spilled feed promptly, and use diatomaceous earth around the perimeter of the run. We’ve had good luck with it.

If you’re newer to keeping chickens and want the bigger picture on coop setup and keeping things healthy, our Backyard Chicken Starter Guide covers a lot of this.

Making It a Learning Moment

One thing I love about this whole natural pest control approach is that it turns into actual nature study. My kids are fascinated by ants — we’ve spent more than one morning watching a trail with a pocket microscope and sketching what we see in their nature journals. We’ve talked about why ants come inside after rain, how they communicate through pheromones, and why diatomaceous earth works the way it does.

That’s the thing about living intentionally — even the annoying stuff, like a line of ants across your counter, becomes an opportunity to slow down and actually look. My kids now know more about ant biology than most adults, and we learned it in our kitchen while making breakfast.

Very 1990s of us, honestly. No app required.

A Few Quick Reminders

• Reapply diatomaceous earth after every rain
• Rotate your essential oils so ants don’t habituate
• Borax bait is effective but keep it away from very young children and pets
• Consistency matters more than any single product — make these habits, not one-time fixes
• Address moisture issues inside and outside your home — ants follow water

We’re not a pest-free house — this is Florida and that’s probably not realistic. But we’ve gone from full-on ant invasions to occasional scouts that don’t find anything worth reporting back about. And we’ve done it without a single can of chemical spray. That feels really good.

If you’re just starting to move toward a less-toxic home and feel a little overwhelmed by where to start, my How to Detox Your Home Room by Room checklist is a great first step. Small changes add up faster than you’d think.

You’ve got this, mama. Even with the ants.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• Non-Toxic Pest Control for Florida Homes: What’s Actually Safe for Kids, Chickens, and Pets
• How to Detox Your Home Room by Room: A Real Family’s Checklist
• Common Chicken Health Problems in Florida Humidity — and How We Actually Fix Them

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most effective natural way to keep ants out of the house in Florida?

A combination approach works best in Florida’s climate. Food-grade diatomaceous earth applied along baseboards and entry points, peppermint oil sprays on surfaces, and Wondercide around the home’s exterior perimeter together form a strong, non-toxic barrier. Sealing entry points with caulk and keeping food in sealed containers removes the reason ants want to come inside in the first place.

Is diatomaceous earth safe to use around kids and chickens?

Yes — food-grade diatomaceous earth is considered safe around children, dogs, cats, and backyard chickens. It works mechanically rather than chemically, damaging insect exoskeletons without leaving toxic residue. Just avoid applying it in a way that creates a large dust cloud that could irritate lungs. A light, targeted application is all you need.

Why are there so many ants in Florida homes after rain?

Florida’s heavy rains — especially common from May through October — flood ant colonies in the ground, forcing them to relocate to higher, drier spaces. Your home’s foundation, walls, and kitchen are prime targets. This is why ant pressure increases noticeably after summer storms in Northwest Florida and throughout the state.

Does peppermint oil actually repel ants?

Yes, and fairly reliably. Ants navigate using pheromone scent trails, and strong essential oils like peppermint disrupt those trails and deter scouts from marking new paths. Spraying a diluted peppermint oil mixture along windowsills, countertops, and door thresholds is a genuinely effective deterrent, though it needs to be reapplied regularly — especially in Florida’s humidity.

How do I get rid of fire ants in my yard naturally without harming my chickens?

For fire ant mounds in the yard, diatomaceous earth dusted directly into and around the mound is a chicken-safe option. Boiling water poured directly into the mound is also effective and leaves no residue. Some families use beneficial nematodes applied to the lawn as a longer-term biological control. Avoid boric acid or chemical fire ant baits in areas where chickens free range.

Natural Mosquito Repellent That’s Actually Safe for Kids in Florida (What We’ve Tested and Trust)

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

If you live in Florida, you already know mosquitoes are not a minor inconvenience. They are a lifestyle. From April through November — honestly sometimes longer here in the Pensacola area — you cannot step into the backyard after 5 PM without getting eaten alive. And if you’re trying to raise your kids the old-fashioned way, outside and in the dirt, that is a real problem.

For years I just grabbed whatever was on the shelf at Target. Then I started reading labels and realized I was spraying DEET on my kids’ arms multiple times a day, every single day of the Florida summer. That didn’t sit right with me anymore. So I went down the rabbit hole of natural alternatives — tested a lot of them, threw some away, and kept a few. This is what I actually know after several summers of outdoor Charlotte Mason nature walks, backyard chicken chores, and kids who think the best part of summer is catching bugs until dark.

Why Florida Is a Whole Different Animal

Here’s the thing about natural mosquito repellent reviews: most of them are written by people in places where mosquitoes are a seasonal annoyance, not a year-round, Biblical-plague situation. Florida humidity and heat break down plant-based oils faster than in drier climates. That essential oil blend that works great for an hour in Tennessee might give you fifteen minutes here before you’re getting bit again.

So when I say “tested in Florida,” I mean tested during afternoon chicken chores in July when it’s 94 degrees and 90% humidity. That’s my measuring stick.

What’s Actually in Most Conventional Repellents (And Why I Moved Away)

The most common active ingredient in conventional repellents is DEET. It works — nobody is arguing that. But the CDC and AAP both recommend using it cautiously on children, and when your kids are outside for hours every day doing nature study, gardening, playing with the chickens, and just being kids, “cautious” starts to feel like a lot. There’s also permethrin, which is effective but is genuinely toxic to cats, and I’ve seen enough warnings about it around chickens to make me nervous using it anywhere near our coop.

If you want a deeper dive into what’s safe to use around your animals and kids, I wrote about this in more detail in Non-Toxic Pest Control for Florida Homes: What’s Actually Safe for Kids, Chickens, and Pets — that post covers the bigger picture beyond just mosquitoes.

Natural Ingredients That Actually Work

Before I get into specific products, here’s what the research (and my personal experience) backs up:

Picaridin

Okay, picaridin is synthetic, but it’s worth including here because it’s significantly lower-risk than DEET, approved by the EPA, and recommended by the EWG as a safer alternative. It doesn’t have that greasy DEET feel, it doesn’t melt plastic, and it’s gentle enough that I use it on my younger kids when we’re going to be out for several hours. It’s my “we’re hiking the nature trail” option when I need something heavy duty.

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE)

This one is CDC-approved for mosquito repellency and it genuinely works — but it is not the same as lemon eucalyptus essential oil. OLE is a refined extract with a concentrated active compound called PMD. It’s not recommended for kids under 3, and I use it on my older elementary kids when we’re spending a lot of time near standing water (which in Northwest Florida is basically everywhere after a rain).

Citronella, Peppermint, Lavender, and Clove

These are the ingredients you’ll see in most “all natural” sprays. Citronella is probably the most effective of the bunch, but on its own, it burns off fast in heat. Products that combine several of these oils tend to last longer. Lavender is actually my favorite for the little ones because it’s gentle and smells wonderful.

Witch Hazel as a Base

Most quality natural sprays use witch hazel or alcohol as the carrier instead of water, and that matters for how long it clings to skin in humidity. Water-based sprays? They sweat right off. Look for this on the label.

Specific Products We’ve Actually Used

Wondercide is what I reach for most often. It’s plant-based, works well around our chickens and our mini labradoodle without worry, and I feel good spraying it on the kids before they head out to collect eggs in the evening. They also make a yard spray that we use around the perimeter of the coop area. You can grab it through Wondercide — I’ve ordered from them several times and always been happy.

Murphy’s Naturals makes a good picaridin spray that holds up well in Florida conditions. Not fully plant-based, but genuinely low-toxicity and effective for longer outdoor sessions.

DIY blends — I’ve made my own with witch hazel, distilled water, a little vegetable glycerin, and a combination of citronella, lavender, and peppermint essential oils. Does it work as long as commercial stuff? Honestly, no. But for a quick 30-minute nature walk or backyard play session, it’s fine and the kids love helping make it.

For application, I use non-toxic sunscreen first, let it absorb, then apply repellent over top. That combo is our warm-weather daily routine from about March through October.

Making It Part of Our Outdoor Routine

One thing I’ve learned: natural repellents require a little more intentionality. You have to reapply more often, usually every 60-90 minutes outdoors in peak mosquito hours. We’ve just made it part of our rhythm.

The kids do their morning nature journaling with their nature journal and Faber-Castell watercolors on the back porch during the cooler part of the morning when mosquitoes are less active. Afternoon chicken chores and free play are when we spray down. Evening bug catching with the bug collection kit is prime mosquito hour, so that’s when we’re most careful about coverage.

I also keep kids’ rain boots by the back door — bare ankles are mosquito magnets, and after every afternoon thunderstorm there are puddles everywhere. Covered feet make a real difference.

Around the Coop Specifically

Standing water is the main mosquito breeding ground, and if you have chickens, you know water management is already something you’re thinking about. We switched to a nipple-style chicken waterer partly for cleanliness and partly because open water dishes were breeding mosquitoes like crazy in summer. That single change made a noticeable difference in the mosquito population right around the coop.

We also use diatomaceous earth in the run for general pest control — it doesn’t specifically target mosquitoes but it’s part of our overall non-toxic pest management approach out there. For more on keeping things non-toxic around the flock, check out Common Chicken Health Problems in Florida Humidity — and How We Actually Fix Them for context on why we keep the chemical load low around our birds.

The 1990s Kid Approach to Mosquito Season

Here’s the honest truth: growing up in the ’90s, we played outside all summer in Florida and got mosquito bites. Our moms would spray us down with OFF and send us back out. I’m not trying to raise kids in a bubble — I want them outside, dirty, free-ranging like our chickens. But I also have more information now than my mama had then, and I’d rather not spray neurotoxins on my kids every day of their childhood if I have a real alternative.

The goal isn’t perfect protection. It’s reasonable protection with ingredients I understand, so my kids can stay outside as long as they want. That’s the whole point of this intentional life we’re building — more outside time, not less.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• Non-Toxic Pest Control for Florida Homes: What’s Actually Safe for Kids, Chickens, and Pets
• Common Chicken Health Problems in Florida Humidity — and How We Actually Fix Them
• Charlotte Mason Nature Table Ideas by Season (What We Actually Keep on Ours)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the safest natural mosquito repellent for young kids in Florida?

For young children (under 3), stick to lavender and citronella-based sprays with a witch hazel carrier, like Wondercide. For kids 3 and up, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE) is CDC-approved and effective. For longer outdoor sessions in Florida heat, a low-concentration picaridin spray is a well-tolerated, low-toxicity option that performs better than most plant-only alternatives in high humidity.

Do natural mosquito repellents actually work in Florida’s heat and humidity?

Some do, but you have to be realistic about reapplication. Florida’s heat and humidity break down plant-based oils faster than in cooler climates. Most natural sprays last 45–90 minutes rather than several hours. Using a witch hazel or alcohol base (not water) helps them stay on skin longer. Products like Wondercide and Murphy’s Naturals hold up better than DIY water-based blends in Florida conditions.

Is DEET safe to use on kids every day during Florida summer?

The CDC and AAP say DEET is safe when used as directed, but both recommend using the lowest effective concentration on children and avoiding daily repeated use when possible. For families spending hours outside every single day — gardening, playing, doing outdoor school — many parents prefer lower-risk alternatives like picaridin or OLE for regular use, reserving DEET for high-exposure situations like hiking near wetlands.

What natural mosquito repellents are safe around backyard chickens?

Avoid permethrin around chickens — it’s commonly used in conventional repellents but can be toxic to birds. Wondercide’s plant-based sprays are generally considered safe around poultry and are what many backyard chicken keepers use. Also focus on eliminating standing water near your coop, since that’s where mosquitoes breed. Switching to a nipple-style waterer removes one of the biggest water sources in a chicken run.

How do I make my own natural mosquito repellent for kids?

A basic DIY recipe: combine 2 oz witch hazel, 2 oz distilled water, ½ tsp vegetable glycerin, and 20–30 drops of essential oils (citronella, lavender, and peppermint work well together). Shake before each use. This works for shorter outdoor sessions but needs reapplication every 30–45 minutes in Florida heat. It’s a great option for morning nature walks or quick backyard play, but for longer outdoor time you may want a commercial product with better staying power.

All About Reading Honest Review: The Real Pros and Cons After Using It With Our Kids

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

If you’ve been in homeschool circles for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard someone swear by All About Reading. And you’ve probably also heard someone say it felt too scripted, too slow, or too much. So which is it?

We’ve now used it with two of our kids at different levels, and I want to give you the real, unfiltered version — not a sales pitch, not a panic-pass either. Just what we actually saw happen at our kitchen table (and sometimes out on the back porch while the chickens free-ranged and our labradoodle did his best to steal the letter tiles).

What Is All About Reading, Exactly?

All About Reading (AAR) is a multi-level phonics and reading program based on the Orton-Gillingham method — which is the gold standard for structured literacy, especially for kids who struggle with reading or show signs of dyslexia. It’s systematic, sequential, and explicit. That means nothing is left to chance. Every phonics rule is introduced one at a time, practiced, reviewed, and built upon.

There are four levels (Pre-Reading through Level 4), and each one comes with a teacher’s manual, student activity book, and a set of letter tiles. The lesson plans are fully written out, which either sounds like a lifesaver or a straitjacket depending on where you are in your homeschool journey.

Who It’s Made For

AAR works beautifully for:

• Kids who are just starting to read (Pre-Reading or Level 1)
• Kids who are struggling or stuck and need a methodical reset
• Kids who may be dyslexic or have other learning differences
• Moms who want a done-for-you reading plan with zero guesswork

It’s worth knowing upfront that this isn’t a Charlotte Mason living-books-by-the-fireplace kind of curriculum. It’s structured. But that doesn’t make it wrong — it just means you go in with clear eyes.

What We Loved: The Honest Pros

It Actually Works

I’ll start here because it matters most. My daughter was stuck. We’d tried a more relaxed, CM-style approach to phonics — reading poems aloud, gentle copywork, letting things click naturally — and it just wasn’t clicking. At all. We started AAR Level 1 in the fall, and by spring she was reading simple readers on her own. That’s not nothing. That’s everything.

The Orton-Gillingham method works because it uses all the senses — hearing the sound, seeing the letter, touching the tile, saying it out loud. For kids who need that multi-sensory hook, AAR delivers.

The Lesson Plans Are Genuinely Easy to Use

I don’t have to think when I open this book. The script is right there. On mornings when I’ve already handled a chicken waterer leak and broken up a sibling argument before 8 a.m., having a curriculum that just tells me exactly what to say? Priceless.

Each lesson is also short — usually 20 minutes or less. That fits beautifully with a Charlotte Mason short-lesson philosophy, even if the approach itself is more structured.

The Letter Tiles Are Genuinely Fun

My kids treated those letter tiles like toys. They built words on the floor, sorted them by color, and yes, occasionally launched them across the room. But they worked. Hands-on, tactile, moveable — it beat worksheets every single time.

It Pairs Naturally With Nature Study

This one surprised me. The decodable readers that come with AAR have simple, sweet stories — and we started narrating them, CM-style, after each one. We’d read about a bug in the reader and then go outside with our bug collection kit to find a real one. Reading as a doorway to the living world — that felt very us.

What Was Hard: The Honest Cons

It’s a Lot of Teacher Time

This is a one-on-one program. You can’t hand it to your kid and walk away to start dinner. Every lesson requires you, sitting there, present and engaged. If you’re juggling multiple kids at different grade levels (hi, that’s us), scheduling that one-on-one time takes real intention.

The Cost Adds Up

Each level runs $90–$100+, and you need a new activity book for each child (the teacher’s manual is reusable, but the student workbook isn’t). If you have three kids who each go through four levels… you do the math. The good news is that if you’re on the Florida PEP Scholarship, All About Reading is an approved vendor — so that funding can help cover it.

It Can Feel Dry If You Let It

The curriculum itself is warm and encouraging, but it’s still phonics practice. There’s nothing inherently beautiful or inspiring about drilling the /sh/ blend for the fourth day in a row. We had to bring the life to it ourselves — outside lessons when possible, nature journals nearby, watercolor paints on the table so she could illustrate the word of the day.

It’s Slower Than You Might Hope

AAR doesn’t rush. And honestly, that’s a feature, not a bug — but if you’re hoping your kindergartner will be reading chapter books by Christmas, you might feel impatient. Trust the pace. It’s doing its job.

How We Made It Work in a Charlotte Mason Home

We don’t use AAR as our whole language arts approach. We use it for phonics instruction only, and then we layer everything else around it the CM way — living books, narration, copywork from beautiful passages, nature journaling, poetry teatime.

If you want to see how we structure our days around this kind of balance, our Charlotte Mason Daily Schedule for Elementary Ages walks through exactly what that looks like in real life.

We also pair it with Handwriting Without Tears for penmanship, which has a similar clear, structured feel that complements AAR well without adding complexity.

Is It Worth the Money?

For us? Yes — especially for the child who needed it. If I’d had a kid who picked up reading easily and naturally, I might have just kept it gentle and let it unfold. But when a child is struggling, you don’t need beautiful. You need effective. AAR was effective.

For a fuller picture of how we choose and mix curricula, you might also enjoy our Ambleside Online Curriculum Honest Review — because we absolutely do both, and they play nicer together than you’d think.

The Bottom Line

All About Reading isn’t the most Charlotte Mason-flavored program on the shelf. But it’s one of the most reliable. If your child is struggling to read, or if you just want a structured, foolproof phonics foundation before you let the living books do their magic — it’s absolutely worth looking into.

Just don’t forget to take your lesson outside sometimes. Spell words in the dirt. Find the bug from the reader in the backyard. Let the chickens wander nearby while you practice. That’s still school. That’s actually the best school.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• Florida PEP Scholarship vs Hope Scholarship: Which One Is Right for Your Homeschool Family?
• Charlotte Mason Morning Basket Ideas for Beginners (What Actually Works for Our Family)
• Dual Enrollment Florida Homeschool Options: What Families Need to Know Before High School

Frequently Asked Questions

Is All About Reading worth it for homeschoolers?

For most families, yes — especially if your child is struggling with reading or if you want a reliable, no-guesswork phonics foundation. It’s a more expensive and teacher-intensive program, but it consistently delivers results, particularly for kids who need a structured, multi-sensory approach.

Is All About Reading a Charlotte Mason curriculum?

Not exactly. All About Reading is an Orton-Gillingham-based structured literacy program, which is more systematic and scripted than traditional Charlotte Mason methods. However, many CM families use it just for phonics instruction and layer living books, narration, and nature study around it.

Can I use All About Reading with the Florida PEP Scholarship?

Yes! All About Reading is an approved vendor under the Florida PEP Scholarship program, so eligible families can use their scholarship funds to purchase it. Always verify the current approved vendor list at Step Up For Students before purchasing.

How long does each All About Reading lesson take?

Most AAR lessons take between 15 and 20 minutes, which fits nicely with the Charlotte Mason philosophy of short, focused lessons. Lessons are designed to be done one-on-one with a parent or teacher.

What’s the difference between All About Reading and All About Spelling?

All About Reading focuses on decoding — teaching kids to read phonetically. All About Spelling uses the same Orton-Gillingham method but teaches encoding — how to spell words correctly. They’re companion programs designed to work together, and many families use both.

How to Apply for the Florida PEP Scholarship Step by Step (From a Mama Who’s Done It)

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

When I first heard about the Florida PEP scholarship, I did what any overwhelmed homeschool mama does — I googled it at 10pm, ended up in three different Facebook groups, got four conflicting answers, and closed my laptop more confused than when I started.

Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing: the application process is actually pretty manageable once someone just walks you through it clearly. So that’s what I’m doing today. No jargon, no fluff — just the real steps, in order, from someone who has applied, been approved, and is actively using PEP funds for our Charlotte Mason homeschool right here in Northwest Florida.

Let’s get into it.

What Is the Florida PEP Scholarship, Really?

The Personal Education Pathway (PEP) scholarship is Florida’s education savings account program for homeschoolers. It’s funded through the state and administered by approved Scholarship Funding Organizations (SFOs). Once approved, you get a set amount of money loaded into an account that you can spend on approved educational expenses — curriculum, books, tutoring, therapies, certain classes, and more.

It is not a voucher for private school. It’s specifically designed for families who are directing their own child’s education at home. If you’re already homeschooling in Florida (or thinking about it seriously), this scholarship is worth your full attention.

We use PEP funds for things like our reading curriculum, math program, nature study supplies, and art materials. It’s genuinely changed what’s possible for our homeschool.

Step 1: Make Sure Your Child Is Eligible

Before you do anything else, confirm your child qualifies. To be eligible for the PEP scholarship, your child generally needs to meet one of these criteria:

• Currently enrolled in a Florida public school (or has been)
• A rising kindergartner who would otherwise be eligible to enroll in a Florida public school
• Previously received a Florida scholarship (like FES-UA or Gardiner)
• Meets certain household income thresholds (for priority consideration)

Income is not a hard barrier — PEP has expanded significantly and many families qualify regardless of income — but lower-income families may receive priority or higher funding amounts. Check the current guidelines on your SFO’s website because the rules do get updated.

Step 2: Choose a Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO)

This tripped me up at first. You don’t apply directly to the state of Florida — you apply through an approved SFO. As of now, the main SFOs handling PEP include:

• Step Up For Students (the most widely used)
• AAA Scholarship Foundation
• Family Empowerment Scholarship administrators

Most Florida homeschool families I know use Step Up For Students. Their website is pretty user-friendly and their support team is responsive. Go to their website, navigate to the PEP scholarship page, and that’s where you’ll start your application.

Step 3: Create Your Parent Account

Once you’re on the SFO’s site, you’ll create a parent account. Have this information ready:

• Your contact information
• Your child’s full legal name, birthdate, and Social Security Number
• Your child’s current or most recent school enrollment information (if applicable)
• Proof of Florida residency

The SSN requirement makes some parents nervous — I get it. But it’s standard for any state-funded scholarship program and it’s how they verify identity and eligibility.

Step 4: Complete and Submit the Application

Once your account is set up, you’ll fill out the actual scholarship application for each child you’re enrolling. The application asks about:

• Your child’s educational history
• Your homeschool setup (you’ll need to have an active Florida homeschool notice of intent on file with your county superintendent — if you haven’t done that yet, do it first)
• Your intended use of funds

Double-check everything before you submit. Errors or missing information slow the process down significantly, and approval windows can be competitive.

For more on keeping your homeschool documentation solid throughout the year, I wrote about how to document homeschool for the Florida PEP scholarship — it’s a system that’s saved me so much stress.

Step 5: Wait for Approval and Set Up Your Scholarship Account

After submitting, you’ll receive a notification about your application status. If approved, you’ll be given access to your scholarship spending account — this is where your funds live.

The money is disbursed in installments throughout the school year (not all at once), so plan accordingly. You’ll use the account to either:

• Purchase directly from approved vendors through the SFO’s marketplace
• Submit receipts for reimbursement from approved outside purchases

Not everything is reimbursable, so always check the approved expense list before you buy something and expect to be reimbursed for it. I learned that one the hard way.

Step 6: Know What You Can Spend PEP Funds On

This is where it gets fun, honestly. Approved expenses typically include:

• Curriculum and instructional materials — things like All About Reading, Math-U-See, and Handwriting Without Tears are exactly the kind of programs PEP funds are designed for
• Tutoring and specialized instruction
• Therapies (speech, OT, etc. for eligible kids)
• Educational technology (within guidelines)
• Classes and co-ops that are educational in nature
• Homeschool conventions — check out my post on the best homeschool conventions in Florida for 2026 if you’re planning ahead

For our Charlotte Mason approach, I’ve used funds on nature study supplies — including a pocket microscope that my kids use constantly — as well as Faber-Castell watercolors for nature journaling and our nature journals themselves. When purchases are tied to your documented educational plan, they tend to qualify.

Curriculum retailers like Rainbow Resource and Timberdoodle are popular among PEP families — Rainbow Resource especially has a huge selection and is familiar to many SFO reviewers.

Step 7: Keep Your Records Clean All Year

This is the part nobody talks about enough. Getting approved is only step one. Staying in good standing — and actually getting reimbursed without headaches — means keeping tidy records throughout the year.

I keep a simple folder (digital and paper) for every receipt, every curriculum purchase, and every educational activity I document. Having a clear system from day one makes renewal time so much smoother.

I go deep on this in my post about documenting your homeschool for the Florida PEP scholarship — highly recommend reading that alongside this one.

A Few Extra Tips From Our Experience

Apply as early as you possibly can. PEP funding has caps and priority windows. Families who apply early tend to get more funding and better placement in the approval queue.

File your Notice of Intent first. You cannot be a legitimate homeschooler in Florida without this. It’s filed with your county school superintendent and it’s a simple form — but it needs to be done before your PEP application is complete.

Connect with a local homeschool community. Other Pensacola-area PEP families have been my best resource for navigating quirks in the process. Facebook groups specific to Florida PEP scholarship families are genuinely helpful.

Don’t stress about perfection. This process feels overwhelming the first time and almost routine by year two. You’ve got this.

If you’re sitting on the fence about applying — wondering if it’s worth the paperwork, the account management, the documentation — I’ll just say this: our homeschool looks different because of PEP. My kids get better resources. I can say yes to more field trips, more hands-on materials, better curriculum. It funds the kind of slow, rich, 1990s-style childhood I’m trying to give them — more dirt, more books, more real learning — and I’m so glad I pushed through the confusion to figure it out.

You can do this, mama. And if you have questions, drop them in the comments. I answer every single one.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the Florida PEP scholarship?

You apply through an approved Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO) — most Florida homeschool families use Step Up For Students. You’ll create a parent account on their website, submit your child’s information and educational history, and wait for an approval notification. Make sure your Florida homeschool Notice of Intent is filed with your county superintendent before you apply.

Who is eligible for the Florida PEP scholarship?

Children who are currently enrolled in a Florida public school, rising kindergartners eligible for Florida public school enrollment, or children who have previously received a Florida education scholarship may be eligible. Income is not a hard cutoff, but lower-income families may receive priority consideration or higher funding amounts. Always check the current eligibility guidelines with your SFO since they are updated periodically.

What can Florida PEP scholarship funds be spent on?

PEP scholarship funds can be used for approved educational expenses including curriculum and instructional materials, tutoring, educational therapies (such as speech or occupational therapy for eligible children), educational technology, homeschool classes and co-ops, and certain homeschool conventions. Always verify a purchase is on the approved expense list before expecting reimbursement.

How much money does the Florida PEP scholarship give per child?

The funding amount varies by year and is influenced by the state’s education budget as well as your household income level. Amounts have ranged from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per child per year. Check the current amounts directly with Step Up For Students or your chosen SFO, as the numbers change with each legislative session.

Do I need to be already homeschooling to apply for the Florida PEP scholarship?

You do need to have an active homeschool set up in Florida — which means filing a Notice of Intent with your county school superintendent — before your PEP application can be complete. However, you can begin the application process while you are in the process of transitioning from public school to homeschool, especially if your child is currently enrolled in a Florida public school.

How to Teach Kids About Nutrition the Homestead Way (From the Backyard to the Table)

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Here’s something nobody tells you when you start homeschooling: the best nutrition lesson you’ll ever give your kids happens before breakfast.

It happens when your seven-year-old runs out to the coop in her rain boots, collects warm eggs with her own hands, and then cracks them into a cast iron pan twenty minutes later. She doesn’t need a worksheet telling her eggs have protein. She knows it — the way kids know things when they’ve lived it.

That’s the whole philosophy behind how we approach nutrition in our homeschool. We’re not sitting down with a food pyramid chart (does anyone even use those anymore?). We’re learning about food by growing it, raising it, cooking it, and eating it together. Very 1990s. Very Charlotte Mason. Very us.

If you’ve been wondering how to teach kids about nutrition in a way that actually sticks — especially with a homestead-leaning, nature-based homeschool — I hope this gives you some real, practical ideas you can start using this week.

Start Where the Food Starts: The Backyard

The single most powerful nutrition lesson we’ve ever given our kids costs nothing and requires no curriculum. It’s just this: let them see where food comes from.

When kids understand that a tomato grew from a tiny seed in the dirt, or that the egg in their lunchbox came from a hen they named and fed — food becomes real to them in a way no poster or documentary can replicate.

Chickens as Living Nutrition Teachers

Our little flock has been one of the best homeschool investments we’ve ever made — not just for eggs, but for everything that comes along with it. When the kids help care for the chickens, they naturally start asking questions: Why do the hens need oyster shell? What makes the yolk so orange? Why is our egg yolk darker than the ones at the grocery store?

Those are real science and nutrition conversations happening organically, sparked by curiosity rather than a lesson plan. We’ve loved using Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens as a family reference book — my older kids can actually flip through it on their own — and the Kid’s Guide to Keeping Chickens has been fantastic for my elementary-age ones who want something written just for them.

We’ve talked about how pasture-raised hens produce eggs with more omega-3s. We’ve compared our deep orange yolks to pale store-bought ones. We’ve talked about what the hens eat and how that affects what we eat. That’s nutrition education. And nobody groaned or asked when it would be over.

If you’re curious about getting more from your flock nutrition-wise, I also wrote about how to get chickens to lay more eggs naturally — some of it ties right into what the hens are eating and why it matters.

Gardening Together in a Florida Backyard

Now, I’ll be honest — gardening in Northwest Florida is humbling. The heat is real, the sandy soil is a challenge, and our growing season looks nothing like what you’d see in a northern homesteading book. But that’s actually a gift when it comes to teaching kids. We grow through the fall and winter, take stock in summer, and the kids learn real-world lessons about seasons, patience, and why certain foods grow where they grow.

Getting kids involved with a seed starting kit and their own pair of garden gloves makes such a difference. There’s something about ownership — this is MY row of beans — that makes a child actually want to eat what they grew. We’ve had kids who claimed to hate vegetables happily eat cherry tomatoes warm off the vine because they picked them themselves.

Bring It Into Your Homeschool Intentionally

Okay, so you’ve got the backyard piece. But how do you actually weave nutrition into your school day in a Charlotte Mason-friendly way?

Nature Journaling Food and Plants

One of my favorite overlaps between nutrition and nature study is having the kids sketch and journal what they’re growing and eating. My daughter has entire pages in her nature journal dedicated to our garden plants — labeled drawings of bean plants, notes on when we harvested, observations about what the hens ate versus what we ate. She used her Faber Castell watercolors to paint a beautiful cross-section of a sweet potato we dug up last fall.

This is living science. It’s real observation, real learning, and it builds a relationship with food that lasts.

Simple Kitchen Lessons That Teach Nutrition Naturally

We cook together. That sounds simple, but it’s probably the most underrated homeschool tool in existence. When kids are in the kitchen — measuring, stirring, tasting — they’re learning:

• Where nutrients come from and what they do (“Why do we add butter to the vegetables?” “Because fat helps your body absorb the vitamins in them, babe.”)
• How to read an ingredient label
• What whole food looks like versus processed food
• Why what we eat actually matters for how we feel

Our cast iron skillet sees more homeschool action than most of our curriculum materials, honestly.

For composting food scraps, which ties nutrition back to the garden cycle beautifully, check out how to teach kids about composting with a simple worm bin setup. My kids fully understand now that food waste feeds the soil that feeds our plants that feed us. That’s a complete nutrition ecosystem lesson right there.

Making It a Little More Formal When Needed

For families using the Florida PEP scholarship, nutrition can absolutely count toward your science documentation hours. We log it under life science — food systems, human biology, ecology of food. If you want to make sure you’re documenting it well, I have a whole post on how to document homeschool for the Florida PEP scholarship that breaks down how we keep it simple without losing our minds.

The 1990s Secret Ingredient: Less Overthinking

Here’s the thing I keep coming back to. Kids in the 80s and 90s weren’t given nutrition curricula. They weren’t tracked and optimized. They ate what was on the table, helped in the garden when told to, and went outside until the streetlights came on.

And most of them were fine.

I think we’ve overcomplicated this. The goal isn’t for your eight-year-old to be able to explain macronutrients on a quiz. The goal is for them to grow up with a healthy relationship with real food — to know that food comes from somewhere, that what we eat matters, that cooking is a skill worth having, and that eating together around a table is one of the best things a family can do.

That’s what the homestead approach gives you. Not a perfect diet. Not a nutrition expert at age nine. Just kids who know their food, respect where it comes from, and actually enjoy eating it.

We also try to keep what goes on our food as clean as what goes in it — which is why we use Grove Collaborative for our kitchen and household cleaners, and Wondercide around the yard and coop instead of conventional pesticides. All of it is connected.

A Few Practical Ideas to Start This Week

• Let your kids collect eggs and ask questions about what they notice
• Plant one thing — even in a pot — and watch it together
• Cook one meal a week with your kids fully involved in prep
• Start a food page in their nature journal
• Visit a local farmers market and let them ask the growers questions
• Talk at the dinner table about what’s on the plate and where it came from

None of this is fancy. All of it works.

Teaching kids about nutrition doesn’t need a curriculum box or a color-coded food chart on the refrigerator. It needs time, intention, and a willingness to let messy, real-life experiences be the teacher. Our backyard, our chickens, our garden, and our kitchen table have done more for our kids’ understanding of food than anything I could have purchased or planned. And honestly? That’s the most Charlotte Mason thing I can think of.

Start where you are. Grow what you can. Cook together. The rest follows naturally.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I teach kids about nutrition without making it a boring lesson?

The best way is to make food tangible — let kids grow something, collect eggs, or help cook a meal. When children are involved in where food comes from and how it’s prepared, nutrition becomes something they experience rather than memorize. Hands-on activities like gardening, raising chickens, and cooking together are far more effective than worksheets or lectures.

Can teaching nutrition count toward our homeschool science hours for the Florida PEP scholarship?

Yes! Nutrition fits naturally under life science — topics like food systems, human biology, plant biology, and ecology of food all qualify. Make sure you’re documenting activities like garden journaling, cooking projects, and animal care. Keep a simple log with dates and descriptions and you’re covered.

What age can kids start learning about nutrition in a homestead homeschool?

Honestly, from toddlerhood. Even very young children can help collect eggs, water plants, and stir ingredients in the kitchen. The concepts grow with the child — a five-year-old learns that eggs come from hens, while a ten-year-old can explore why pasture-raised eggs have more nutrients. You don’t need to wait until they’re ‘old enough’ for a formal lesson.

How do backyard chickens help teach kids about nutrition?

Chickens are incredible living classrooms. Kids naturally ask questions about what hens eat and how it affects the eggs they produce. Comparing the deep orange yolks of pasture-raised eggs to pale store-bought ones sparks real conversations about nutrients, diet, and food quality. Caring for chickens also builds responsibility and a deeper respect for where food comes from.

What are some simple homestead-style nutrition activities for elementary-age kids?

Try having kids sketch and watercolor the foods they grow in a nature journal, cook one meal together per week with full kid involvement in prep, start a small container garden and track growth, visit a local farmers market, or set up a simple compost bin to show the full food cycle. All of these are low-cost, high-impact, and work beautifully within a Charlotte Mason or nature-based homeschool approach.