How to Do Composer Study with Elementary Kids (The Simple, Beautiful Way)

If you’ve ever wondered how to do composer study with elementary kids without a music degree or a house full of instruments, you’re in good company. I felt the same way when I first started homeschooling. Classical music felt intimidating — something for fancy people in concert halls, not a mama in yoga pants trying to get through morning chores while the chickens squawk outside.

But here’s what I’ve learned: composer study is one of the simplest, most beautiful additions to your homeschool. And it requires almost nothing from you except a willingness to press play.

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What Is Composer Study, Anyway?

In the Charlotte Mason tradition, composer study is simply the practice of exposing your children to great music — regularly, gently, without worksheets or quizzes. The idea is that children absorb beauty the way they absorb language: through repeated, living exposure.

You’re not teaching music theory. You’re not drilling facts about time signatures. You’re inviting your kids into a relationship with beautiful music, one composer at a time.

And honestly? It’s become one of my favorite parts of our homeschool week.

Why Composer Study Belongs in Your Homeschool

We live in a world of constant noise — notifications, jingles, algorithmic playlists designed to keep us scrolling. Composer study is a quiet rebellion against all of that. It teaches our kids to slow down, to listen deeply, to recognize beauty when they hear it.

Charlotte Mason believed that music was a birthright, not a privilege. Every child deserves to know Beethoven and Handel and Vivaldi — not because it makes them smarter (though studies suggest it might), but because great music feeds the soul.

Plus, it’s the kind of education that sticks. My kids now recognize Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite when it plays in a store. They have opinions about whether Mozart or Bach is “better” (spirited debates, y’all). That’s the fruit of simple, consistent exposure.

How to Get Started: The Simple Method

Step 1: Pick One Composer Per Term

Don’t overcomplicate this. Choose one composer to focus on for 6-12 weeks. That’s it. We typically follow the school term rhythm, so we study three composers per year.

Some great starting points for elementary kids:

• Vivaldi (The Four Seasons is perfect for nature-loving families)
• Mozart (accessible and playful)
• Beethoven (dramatic and memorable)
• Handel (especially around Easter — Messiah is stunning)
• Tchaikovsky (ballet music captures little imaginations)

Step 2: Play Their Music Regularly

This is the heart of composer study: regular listening. We aim for 2-3 times per week, about 10-15 minutes each session.

When do we listen? During:

• Morning time (while we do memory work or poetry)
• Lunch
• Art time
• Quiet afternoon rest
• While the kids play outside (yes, I’ll put a speaker on the back porch)

You don’t need fancy equipment. A phone, a Bluetooth speaker, and a streaming service work just fine. I like to create a playlist at the beginning of each term so I’m not scrambling.

Step 3: Learn a Little About Their Life

Once a week or so, we read a short biography or picture book about our composer. We keep it simple — maybe 10 minutes of reading aloud.

For elementary kids, I love the “Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers” series by Mike Venezia. They’re funny, illustrated, and give just enough information without overwhelming. You can often find these at the library or through curriculum suppliers like Rainbow Resource.

We’ll also look up a portrait of the composer and maybe find their birthplace on a map. That’s it. No reports. No tests.

Step 4: Invite Response (But Don’t Force It)

Sometimes my kids want to draw while they listen. Sometimes they want to dance. Sometimes they just want to build LEGOs and let the music wash over them. All of those responses are valid.

If your child loves to draw, keep a nature journal or sketchbook handy during listening time. A set of Faber-Castell watercolor pencils can make this feel special — we sometimes do “musical watercolors” where the kids paint whatever the music makes them feel.

But honestly? Don’t stress about output. The goal is exposure and enjoyment, not production.

Making It Work in Real Life

Keep It Short

Fifteen minutes is plenty for elementary kids. Some days we do less. Charlotte Mason was big on short lessons, and this applies to music too. Better to leave them wanting more than to drag it out until everyone’s glazed over.

Use What You Have

You don’t need a curriculum (though some families love having one). You don’t need instruments. You don’t need to understand music yourself. You just need to press play and be present with your kids.

Let It Be Background Sometimes

Not every listening session needs to be focused. Sometimes Baroque music is just playing while we eat lunch or while I’m folding laundry. That still counts. Familiarity breeds affection.

Connect It to Nature Study When You Can

This might be my favorite part. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is basically a nature study soundtrack. We’ll listen to “Spring” while we’re outside observing the birds at our feeder (the Sibley Birds guide gets pulled out a lot during these sessions). Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony pairs beautifully with a morning in the backyard, watching the chickens scratch around and the dog chase lizards.

Music and nature study together? That’s the good stuff, y’all.

A Sample Composer Study Week

Here’s what a typical week might look like in our house:

Monday: Listen to two pieces during morning time. Brief narration — “What did you notice? How did it make you feel?”

Wednesday: Listen during art time. Kids draw or paint while the music plays.

Friday: Read a few pages from our composer biography. Look at a portrait. Listen to one more piece.

That’s maybe 45 minutes total for the whole week, spread across three days. Simple. Doable. Beautiful.

Resources We Love

For curriculum, Timberdoodle offers some wonderful music appreciation options if you want something more structured. But truly, you can do this with library books, YouTube, and Spotify.

The key is consistency over complexity. Show up week after week, press play, and trust that your kids are absorbing more than you realize.

The Long Game of Musical Education

Composer study isn’t about raising prodigies or checking boxes. It’s about giving our kids a rich inner life — a storehouse of beauty they can draw from for the rest of their days.

I think about this when we’re sitting on the back porch in the late afternoon, Florida humidity settling in, the kids sprawled out with books while Chopin plays softly from the speaker. The dog is dozing. The chickens are doing their thing. And my kids are absorbing something true and good and beautiful without even trying.

That’s the 1990s childhood I’m trying to give them, updated for today. Less noise. More substance. Space to just be with beautiful things.

You can do this, mama. Press play. It’s enough.

How to Keep a Family Nature Journal Together (Without It Feeling Like Another Chore)

If you’ve ever pinned a dozen gorgeous nature journal spreads on Pinterest and then felt guilty about your blank notebook collecting dust, friend — you’re in good company. I’ve been there. The watercolor mushrooms, the perfectly labeled bird sketches, the pressed wildflowers arranged just so. It’s beautiful, and it can feel completely unattainable when you’ve got elementary-age kids, a dog underfoot, and chickens who need feeding.

But here’s what I’ve learned after a few years of Charlotte Mason-style homeschooling in the Florida humidity: keeping a family nature journal together doesn’t have to look like those Pinterest spreads. It just has to be yours.

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Why a Family Nature Journal (Instead of Individual Ones)

When my kids were really little, I tried giving them each their own journal. You can probably guess how that went. One got lost under the couch. One became a “drawing book” full of Minecraft-inspired creatures. And mine? Pristine. Untouched. Because I was so busy helping everyone else that I never picked up a pencil myself.

That’s when we switched to a shared family nature journal, and everything changed.

A family nature journal becomes a collective memory book. It captures what we noticed together — the armadillo that wandered through the backyard last spring, the mockingbird nest in the crepe myrtle, the weird fuzzy caterpillar we still haven’t identified. Everyone contributes according to their ability, and nobody’s intimidated by blank pages because there’s always something already in there.

It’s also beautifully Charlotte Mason. She believed in training children to see — really see — the natural world around them. A shared journal invites that kind of slow attention without the pressure of performance.

Choosing the Right Journal

This matters more than you’d think. You want something sturdy enough to handle multiple hands, watercolors, pressed leaves, and the occasional smear of Florida mud. But not so precious that everyone’s afraid to mess it up.

We’ve had good luck with large sketch journals that have thick, mixed-media paper. A quality nature journal with heavier pages holds up to watercolors, colored pencils, and even glued-in specimens without bleeding through. I keep ours in a basket by the back door so it’s always ready to grab when we head outside.

Some families prefer a three-ring binder so pages can be added, rearranged, or removed if someone’s not happy with their work. There’s no wrong answer — just pick what you’ll actually use.

What to Put In Your Family Nature Journal

Here’s where things get fun. And I want you to release any perfectionism right now. A family nature journal is not an art portfolio. It’s a record of your family’s outdoor life.

Simple Things Anyone Can Add

• Quick sketches — They don’t have to be good. Truly. A wobbly drawing of a lizard with “anole – brown one” scribbled next to it is perfect.
• Observations in words — “Found three different kinds of mushrooms after the rain. One smelled bad.”
• Pressed leaves, flowers, or feathers — Tape them right in. Florida’s full of interesting specimens.
• Rubbings — Tree bark, textured leaves, even interesting sidewalk cracks.
• Lists — Birds spotted this month. Bugs found in the garden. What the chickens ate today.
• Questions — “Why do woodpeckers like the dead palm tree?” You can look it up later. Or not.

Tools That Make It Easier

We keep a small nature study kit that lives with our journal. Inside: Faber-Castell watercolor pencils (they work dry or wet, which is forgiving for kids), regular pencils, a small ruler, and a glue stick. That’s really it.

For identifying what we find, our Sibley bird guide gets the most use — we’re in a flyway here in Northwest Florida, so we get some interesting visitors, especially in spring and fall. I also keep a pocket microscope in my bag for looking at feathers, insect wings, and leaf structures up close. The kids fight over it, which I consider a win.

Making It a Habit (Without Making It a Chore)

This is the part where I tell you that we journal every single day like clockwork, right? Ha. No.

Here’s what actually works for us: we aim for once a week, and we give ourselves grace when it doesn’t happen. Friday mornings are usually our nature study time. We head outside — sometimes just to the backyard, sometimes to a local trail or the bay — and we notice things. Then we come back, and everyone adds something to the journal while it’s fresh.

Some weeks, that means elaborate watercolor spreads. Other weeks, it’s a quick pencil sketch and a note about the weather. Both count.

Tips for Different Ages

• Kindergarten and younger: They can draw (scribbles are fine!), point out what to write, or help press flowers. Don’t stress about handwriting.
• Early elementary: Let them write their own observations, even with misspellings. Invented spelling is part of learning.
• Upper elementary: They can take the lead sometimes — researching an animal, writing longer observations, or trying more detailed sketches.

The goal is participation, not perfection.

Our Favorite Nature Journal Moments

Some of my favorite pages in our family journal aren’t the prettiest ones. They’re the ones with stories attached.

There’s the page from last summer when we found a black racer snake skin draped over the fence — completely intact. We measured it (four feet!) and taped a small piece into the journal. There’s the spread about our chicken Ginger’s first egg, complete with a traced outline because my daughter insisted we document the “historic event.” There’s the one from the week we counted seventeen different birds at our feeder during a cold snap.

These pages aren’t Instagram-worthy. But when we flip through the journal together, the kids remember exactly where they were standing, what the air smelled like, how excited they felt. That’s the whole point.

Start Where You Are

If you’re reading this and thinking, “This sounds great, but I still don’t know where to begin,” I get it. So here’s your permission slip: start ugly. Start small. Start today.

Grab whatever blank notebook you have around the house. Take your kids outside for fifteen minutes. Notice one thing together — a cloud shape, a bug, a weed growing through a crack. Draw it badly. Write a sentence about it. Date the page.

Congratulations. You’ve started a family nature journal.

You can always upgrade to nicer supplies later. You can develop your own system and traditions over time. But the most important thing is to begin — to show your kids that the natural world is worth paying attention to, worth recording, worth remembering.

And honestly? In a world full of screens and schedules, sitting together with pencils and a shared journal, noticing the small wild things in your own backyard — that feels a little bit like the 1990s childhood I’m trying to give my kids. Unhurried. Curious. Real.

So grab that notebook, head outside, and see what you find. I’d love to hear what ends up on your first page.

Best Nature Journaling Prompts for Elementary Kids: Simple Ideas That Actually Work

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If you’ve ever handed your kid a blank nature journal and watched them stare at it like it was a pop quiz, you’re not alone. I’ve been there — standing in our Florida backyard, surrounded by live oaks and singing birds, wondering why my kids suddenly had nothing to say about any of it.

Here’s the thing: nature journaling doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t require perfect sketches or eloquent observations. It just requires a little nudge in the right direction. And that’s exactly what good prompts do — they open the door so your child can walk through it on their own terms.

Why Nature Journaling Matters (Especially Now)

In a world where screens are everywhere and attention spans are shrinking, nature journaling is one of the most powerful tools we have. It slows kids down. It teaches them to see — really see — the world around them. Charlotte Mason called this “the science of relations,” and I think she was onto something big.

When my kids sit on the back porch with their journals, watching the chickens scratch around or spotting a Gulf fritillary butterfly on the passionflower vine, they’re building connections. Not just to nature, but to patience, wonder, and the kind of deep attention that serves them in everything else.

This is 1990s childhood the way I remember it — dirty fingernails, caught bugs, and hours spent just being outside. Nature journaling is simply putting that experience on paper.

Getting Started: What You Actually Need

You don’t need much. That’s the beauty of it.

We use a simple nature journal with blank pages — nothing fancy, just sturdy enough to handle being dragged outside regularly. Some families prefer lined pages, but I find blank works better for elementary kids who want to draw, doodle, and paste things.

Add some quality watercolor pencils that can handle a little water brushing, and you’re set. We keep a small kit by the back door so it’s always ready to grab.

And if your kids are anything like mine, they’ll want a pocket microscope for examining beetle wings, flower petals, and whatever interesting things they find in the yard. It adds a whole new dimension to their observations.

The Best Nature Journaling Prompts for Elementary Kids

Here’s where the magic happens. These prompts work for kindergarteners through fifth graders — just adjust your expectations based on age. A five-year-old might draw three wobbly circles and call it a bird, while a ten-year-old might spend thirty minutes on feather details. Both are perfect.

Observation-Based Prompts

• Draw something smaller than your thumbnail. This forces them to look closely. An ant, a seed, a tiny flower.
• Find three different shades of green and color them in your journal. Living in Florida, this one never gets old — we have green all year round.
• Sketch a bird you see today. What is it doing? We keep Sibley’s bird guide nearby for identification. Even if the drawing is rough, naming what they see matters.
• Draw the same tree or plant once a month for a year. Seasonal changes are subtle here in Northwest Florida, but they exist — and tracking them teaches patience.
• What does the sky look like right now? Draw it and describe it in three words.

Sensory Prompts

• Close your eyes for one minute. What do you hear? List every sound.
• Find something that smells interesting. Draw it and describe the smell. Our chickens make this one… memorable.
• What does the air feel like today? Humid? Breezy? Heavy? Florida kids understand humidity on a molecular level.
• Touch three different textures outside. Draw what you touched and describe how it felt.

Curiosity and Question Prompts

• Draw something you’ve never noticed before.
• Find something you don’t know the name of. Sketch it and write three questions about it.
• What do you think this bug/plant/bird eats? Draw your guess.
• If you were this small creature, where would you hide? Why?

Creative and Imaginative Prompts

• Draw a map of your backyard from a bird’s-eye view.
• Create a “field guide page” for an animal you see regularly. My kids love doing this for our chickens — each hen gets her own page with personality notes.
• Write a tiny poem about something you observed today.
• Draw the same flower or leaf from three different angles.

Seasonal Florida Prompts

• It’s summer: Draw something that’s thriving in the heat.
• Find evidence of an animal (tracks, feathers, droppings). Sketch and investigate.
• Draw a cloud and try to identify what type it is.
• After a Florida afternoon rain, what changed in the yard? Sketch the difference.

Tips for Making Nature Journaling Stick

Keep It Short

Fifteen minutes is plenty for elementary kids. Some days we do five. The goal isn’t marathon sessions — it’s building the habit of paying attention.

Go Outside First, Prompt Second

Let them wander a bit. Poke at things. Watch the dog chase a lizard. Then, when they’ve settled, offer a prompt. Forcing journal time before they’ve had a chance to be in nature usually backfires.

Don’t Correct the Art

I know. I know. But nature journaling isn’t art class. If your child draws a chicken with three legs, let it be a three-legged chicken. The point is observation and connection, not accuracy.

Use Resources as Springboards

We love having a good chicken-keeping guide for kids on hand — it sparks so many journal entries about our hens. Same with our bird guide and any field guides specific to Florida wildlife.

Let Them Collect

A bug collection kit is wonderful for catching specimens to sketch before releasing them. Feathers, interesting leaves, even snail shells can be taped directly into the journal. It becomes a real record of their discoveries.

What If My Kid Resists?

Some kids take to nature journaling like ducks to water. Others… don’t. If your child is resistant, try these adjustments:

• Journal alongside them. Kids are more likely to engage when they see us doing it too.
• Make it part of a routine, not a random request. We do ours after morning chores and before the real heat sets in.
• Let them choose the medium. Some kids prefer colored pencils. Some want to paint. Some just want to write words. All of it counts.
• Start with their interests. If they’re obsessed with bugs, lean into bug prompts. Chickens? Let them document the flock.

A Little Encouragement for the Journey

Nature journaling isn’t about creating museum-worthy field guides. It’s about teaching our kids to slow down in a world that’s always rushing them forward. It’s about muddy boots and wondering why that flower only blooms in the morning. It’s about raising children who notice things.

Some of my favorite moments happen on our back porch — the kids sprawled on the deck, journals open, our mini labradoodle snoozing nearby, chickens doing their chicken things in the yard. It’s nothing fancy. But it’s real. And it’s ours.

If you’re just starting out, grab a simple journal, head outside, and try one prompt. Just one. See what happens. You might be surprised at what your kids see when they finally have the space to look.

Happy journaling, friend.

How to Teach Kids to Identify Backyard Birds in Florida: A Nature-Based Approach

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There’s something magical about watching your child’s face light up when they spot a bird and actually know what it is. Not because they Googled it or asked Alexa, but because they’ve spent time watching, listening, and learning the old-fashioned way. If you’re a Florida family looking to bring more nature into your days — whether you’re homeschooling or just trying to get everyone outside more — backyard bird identification is one of the easiest and most rewarding places to start.

Here in Northwest Florida, we’re blessed with an incredible variety of birds year-round. From the Northern Cardinals that hang out by our chicken coop to the Great Blue Herons that occasionally grace our neighborhood, there’s always something flying around worth noticing. And the best part? You don’t need to be an expert to teach this. You just need to be willing to slow down and look up.

Why Bird Identification Is Perfect for Kids

It’s Accessible and Free

You don’t need a nature preserve or a special field trip. Your backyard, your front porch, even your car window in a parking lot — birds are everywhere. Here in Florida, we have resident species all year and migratory visitors that pass through in spring and fall. That means there’s always something new to discover.

It Builds Observation Skills

Charlotte Mason called this “the art of seeing,” and bird watching is basically a masterclass in it. Kids learn to notice details: the flash of blue on a jay’s wing, the way a mockingbird tilts its head, the difference between a dove’s coo and a cardinal’s chirp. These are skills that transfer to everything — science, art, reading, even relationships.

It Gets Them Outside

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for ways to make outside time feel natural and purposeful. When my kids know there might be a Painted Bunting at the feeder or a woodpecker drumming on the oak tree, they want to go check. No convincing required.

Getting Started: What You Actually Need

Here’s the good news — you don’t need much. A few simple tools make bird study richer, but you can absolutely start with just your eyes and ears.

A Good Field Guide

We keep a copy of the Sibley Field Guide to Birds on our back porch. It’s comprehensive without being overwhelming, and the illustrations are gorgeous. My kids love flipping through it even when we’re not actively birding. For younger children, the pictures are clear enough that they can match what they see to the page with a little help.

A Nature Journal

If you’re doing any kind of Charlotte Mason-inspired learning, you probably already have nature journals going. If not, now’s a great time to start. A simple sketch journal works beautifully. We use ours to draw birds we’ve spotted, note the date and weather, and sometimes press a leaf or flower from wherever we were sitting.

Don’t worry about artistic perfection — this is about noticing and recording. My kindergartener’s bird drawings look like potatoes with beaks, and that’s absolutely fine.

Watercolors for Nature Journaling

Once kids get comfortable sketching, adding color makes it even more engaging. We love Faber-Castell watercolors because they’re high quality but still kid-friendly. There’s something special about trying to mix the exact orange of a Baltimore Oriole or the soft gray of a Tufted Titmouse.

How to Actually Teach Bird Identification

Start with the Common Ones

Don’t try to learn fifty birds at once. In Florida, start with the birds you’ll see almost daily:

• Northern Cardinal — hard to miss with that bright red
• Blue Jay — loud and bold
• Mourning Dove — that soft, sad cooing sound
• Northern Mockingbird — Florida’s state bird, and a show-off
• Carolina Wren — tiny but LOUD
• Red-bellied Woodpecker — look for the zebra-striped back

Once your kids know these reliably, they’ll start noticing when something different shows up.

Use Your Ears as Much as Your Eyes

Birds are often heard before they’re seen. We play a little game where everyone freezes and counts how many different bird sounds they can hear. Then we try to match sounds to birds. The Carolina Wren’s “teakettle teakettle teakettle” call is a favorite around here.

There are apps that can help with bird calls, but honestly, just spending time outside consistently is the best teacher.

Make It a Routine

We do “bird check” most mornings while the kids are eating breakfast. Someone looks out the window and reports what’s at the feeder. It takes two minutes and keeps birds on everyone’s radar. Over time, they start noticing patterns — which birds come early, which ones are bullies at the feeder, which ones only show up in winter.

Connect It to Your Chickens (If You Have Them)

Okay, this might be specific to us, but our backyard chickens have actually made our kids better bird watchers. They understand bird behavior in a way they wouldn’t otherwise — how birds communicate, establish pecking order, forage, and react to predators. When a hawk flies over and our hens freeze, the kids notice. When the rooster sounds an alarm call, they recognize it as similar to how wild birds warn each other. It’s all connected.

If you’re raising chickens and want to lean into bird science, A Kid’s Guide to Keeping Chickens is a wonderful resource that bridges backyard poultry and broader bird knowledge.

Florida-Specific Tips

Watch for Seasonal Changes

Winter brings us beautiful visitors like Yellow-rumped Warblers and American Robins (yes, they migrate to Florida — we’re the warm destination!). Spring and fall migration can bring surprises. Keep your eyes open during those transition months.

Check Near Water

Even if you don’t live on a lake, Florida’s humidity means birds congregate near any water source. Birdbaths, puddles, retention ponds — these are great spots to watch. We’ve seen everything from herons to kingfishers just by paying attention near water.

Don’t Forget the Beach

If you’re near the Gulf like we are, shorebirds are a whole other world to explore. Sandpipers, pelicans, terns, and gulls offer plenty of identification practice. Pack some non-toxic sunscreen, bring the field guide, and make a morning of it.

Making It Stick: Ideas for Ongoing Learning

• Keep a backyard bird list — tally every species you identify in your yard over a year
• Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count — it happens every February and kids love that their observations “count” for real science
• Set up a feeder station — different feeders attract different birds; experiment and observe
• Read living books about birds — Charlotte Mason style; look for real stories, not textbooks
• Visit a local Audubon center — here in Northwest Florida, we have some beautiful spots for guided bird walks

The Bigger Picture

Teaching kids to identify birds isn’t really about birds. It’s about teaching them to pay attention to the world around them. It’s about slowing down in a culture that wants to speed everything up. It’s about giving them the kind of childhood where they know the difference between a cardinal and a tanager, where they can sit quietly and watch something wild, where they feel connected to the place they live.

That’s the 1990s childhood I’m trying to recreate for my kids — not perfect, not Pinterest-worthy, but real and rooted and full of wonder.

So grab a field guide, pour yourself some coffee, and go sit outside with your people. See what flies by. You might be surprised how much there is to notice when you finally start looking.

Happy birding, friends.

Florida Spring Wildflowers Identification for Kids: A Simple Guide for Nature-Loving Families

If you’ve stepped outside in Northwest Florida anytime between March and May, you’ve probably noticed them — those cheerful pops of color along roadsides, in empty lots, and scattered through your own backyard. Florida spring wildflowers are absolutely everywhere right now, and honestly? They’re one of my favorite parts of homeschooling through this season.

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There’s something magical about watching your kids crouch down in the grass to examine a tiny bloom, ask “What’s this one called, Mama?”, and actually care about the answer. This is the kind of learning that sticks — not because there’s a test at the end, but because it’s real and beautiful and right in front of them.

Why Spring Wildflower Identification is Perfect for Florida Kids

Here in Florida, we don’t get the dramatic seasonal shifts that other parts of the country experience. But spring? Spring gives us wildflowers in abundance. And unlike studying plants from a textbook, wildflower identification gets kids outside, moving, observing, and wondering.

This is Charlotte Mason nature study at its finest — no curriculum required, just open eyes and a willing heart.

Plus, let’s be honest: Florida spring weather is chef’s kiss for outdoor learning. We’ve got maybe six more weeks before the humidity makes everyone miserable, so now is the time to get out there.

Common Florida Spring Wildflowers to Look For

You don’t need to be a botanist to help your kids identify wildflowers. Start with these common Florida species that are easy to spot and recognize:

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

These are everywhere in our area — bright red and yellow daisy-like flowers that look like little sunbursts. Kids love them because they’re bold and cheerful. You’ll find them along roadsides and in sandy areas. They’re also a Florida native, which makes them extra special to learn about.

Tickseed (Coreopsis)

Fun fact: Coreopsis is Florida’s state wildflower! The bright yellow blooms show up in masses this time of year. Point them out to your kids and suddenly they’ll start noticing them everywhere. It’s like a treasure hunt that never ends.

Blue-Eyed Grass

Despite the name, this isn’t actually grass — it’s a tiny purple-blue flower that grows low to the ground. My kids get so excited when they find these because you have to really look to spot them. Great for building observation skills.

Black-Eyed Susan

Another yellow beauty with a dark center. These are easy for little ones to identify because of that distinctive “eye” in the middle. We see tons of these on nature walks near our home in the Pensacola area.

Spiderwort

These purple three-petaled flowers are striking and hard to miss. They tend to grow in clusters and bloom in the morning, closing up by afternoon. A great lesson in how different flowers have different rhythms!

Phlox

Look for clusters of pink, purple, or white flowers with five petals. Wild phlox carpets roadsides and woodland edges in spring. The kids call these “the pretty pink ones,” which is a perfectly acceptable identification method in my book.

How to Make Wildflower Identification a Habit

The best nature study isn’t a one-time event — it’s woven into everyday life. Here’s how we make wildflower identification a natural part of our homeschool rhythm:

Keep a Nature Journal

A simple nature journal is one of our most-used homeschool tools. When we find a new wildflower, the kids sketch it, note the date and location, and add any observations. No artistic perfection required — the goal is attention and memory, not museum-quality art.

We keep a set of Faber-Castell watercolor pencils in our nature bag because they’re easy to use in the field and the colors blend beautifully for capturing flower details.

Use a Good Field Guide

While there are apps for flower identification (and they can be helpful!), I prefer starting with a physical field guide. There’s something about flipping pages and comparing pictures that builds deeper learning than tapping a screen.

The Sibley Guide to Birds is our go-to for bird identification, and we use similar quality guides for plants. Your local library likely has Florida-specific wildflower guides you can borrow to get started.

Slow Down and Really Look

This might be the hardest part for our modern, hurried brains. But wildflower identification teaches kids (and us!) to slow down, crouch low, and really see what’s in front of us. How many petals? What shape are the leaves? Is there a scent? Where is it growing — sun or shade?

These observation skills transfer to everything else in life. Science, writing, relationships — it all starts with paying attention.

Take It Further: Simple Wildflower Activities

Once your kids start recognizing common wildflowers, you can extend the learning with simple activities:

Wildflower Press and Preserve

Press flowers between heavy books and use them for art projects, bookmarks, or nature journal additions. This is a beautiful way to remember what you found in spring when August rolls around and everything outside is just… green and hot.

Pollinator Watch

Spend time near a patch of wildflowers and observe what visits. Bees? Butterflies? Our chickens love to free-range near the wildflower areas in our yard, and we’ve had great conversations about how different creatures interact with the same plants.

Magnified Exploration

A pocket microscope turns any wildflower into a science lesson. Let kids examine pollen, petal texture, and tiny details invisible to the naked eye. This is the kind of hands-on exploration that makes science come alive.

Create a Backyard Wildflower Map

Have your kids map where different wildflowers grow in your yard or a nearby park. This combines nature study with geography skills and gives them ownership over “their” discoveries.

A Note on Picking (and Not Picking)

We have a family rule: look first, pick thoughtfully. Many wildflowers are important food sources for pollinators, and some are protected. We photograph, sketch, and observe more than we pick. When we do collect a bloom for closer study, we take only one and leave the rest for the bees — and for the next family who walks by wanting to see something beautiful.

Making Time for Wonder

I know homeschool life is full. There’s always another math lesson, another read-aloud chapter, another load of laundry that somehow involves chicken poop (just me?). But spring wildflower walks don’t have to be a big production.

Throw on some rain boots if it’s been wet, grab your nature journals, and just… go outside. Walk slowly. Let your kids lead. When they stop to look at something, stop with them.

This is the 1990s childhood we’re trying to recreate — not perfectly curated, just present. Outside. Curious. Free.

And when your kindergartener proudly identifies a tickseed without any help? That’s the good stuff, friend. That’s what we’re doing this for.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go convince my kids that yes, we can look at wildflowers AND still do our math lesson today. Some things never change.

Happy exploring, y’all. 🌼

Best Audiobooks for Kids Road Trips: A Florida Family’s Tried-and-True Favorites

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If you’ve ever driven I-10 from Pensacola to Jacksonville with elementary-age kids in the backseat, you know exactly why I’m writing this post. That’s a solid six hours of “Are we there yet?” territory, and I refuse to solve it by handing over a tablet.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not judging anyone’s survival strategies. But after years of homeschooling with a Charlotte Mason approach, I’ve seen firsthand how stories told aloud shape my kids’ imaginations in ways screens just don’t. And honestly? A great audiobook makes the miles fly by for everyone, including this mama who’s done the drive to Disney, to Grandma’s house in Georgia, and down to the Springs more times than I can count.

So here’s our family’s running list of the best audiobooks for Florida road trips — the ones that have earned permanent spots in our car rotation.

Why We Choose Audiobooks Over Screens

I grew up in the ’90s, riding in the back of my parents’ station wagon with nothing but a stack of library books and my own imagination. No DVD players mounted to headrests. No iPads. And somehow, we survived those long drives to the beach.

I want my kids to have that same experience of letting their minds wander, looking out the window at the Florida pines or the weird roadside attractions (anyone else’s kids obsessed with the giant dinosaur off I-75?). Audiobooks give them rich stories without the eye-strain, the overstimulation, or the inevitable meltdown when the battery dies.

Plus, we all listen together. It becomes a shared experience — something we can talk about over gas station snacks or reference for weeks afterward. Charlotte Mason called this “living books,” and I’d argue a beautifully narrated audiobook counts.

Our Family’s Favorite Audiobooks for Road Trips

For the Younger Crew (Ages 4-7)

The Tales of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter — These are short, sweet, and perfect for little attention spans. The gentle British narration is soothing (great for those post-lunch sleepy stretches on the road), and the stories tie in beautifully if you’re already doing nature study at home.

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne — We listened to the full collection on our drive down to Weeki Wachee last spring, and even my oldest stayed engaged. The humor holds up, and there’s something about the Hundred Acre Wood that feels timeless.

The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne — These are our secret weapon. Short chapters, exciting adventures, and just enough educational content that I feel good about it. The audiobook versions are well-paced for younger listeners.

For the Middle Elementary Set (Ages 7-10)

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White — If you haven’t listened to this one as a family, put it on your list immediately. Fair warning: pack tissues. We finished it somewhere outside Tallahassee, and I may have needed a moment at the next rest stop.

My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett — A quick listen, perfect for a two-hour trip to the beach. It’s adventurous and imaginative without being scary.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis — This series has gotten us through multiple long hauls. We started with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and worked our way through. The Focus on the Family Radio Theatre versions are absolutely stunning — full cast, sound effects, the works.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater — Silly, sweet, and perfect for Florida kids who find penguins exotic and hilarious.

For the Whole Family

Hank the Cowdog series by John R. Erickson — Y’all, these are laugh-out-loud funny. The author narrates them himself, and there’s even original music. My kids beg for “just one more chapter.” We’ve listened to probably fifteen of these books at this point.

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson — If your family loves adventure, humor, and stories with real depth, this series is gold. We started it on our drive to St. Augustine and were completely hooked.

Tips for Road Trip Audiobook Success

Download Before You Go

Florida has some beautiful stretches of absolutely nothing — I’m looking at you, Alligator Alley — where cell service disappears completely. Always download your audiobooks to your phone or device before you leave. We use Libby through our local library (free!) and Audible for purchases.

Keep Hands Busy

Here’s a trick that makes audiobooks work even better: give kids something quiet to do with their hands while they listen. We pack a small bag with mess-free activities. Coloring books work great, and I love the Faber-Castell watercolor pencils because they’re high quality but don’t require water until you’re ready. A simple nature journal is another great option — my kids will sketch what they’re imagining from the story or draw things they see out the window.

Match the Mood

Start with something engaging right out of the driveway when energy is high. Save the gentler stories for the afternoon slump. And always have a backup ready — sometimes a book just doesn’t land, and that’s okay.

Take Breaks for Real Exploring

We try to stop at state parks or springs along the way whenever possible. Florida has so many hidden gems between Point A and Point B. Pack rain boots for the kids (because Florida, obviously), a bug catcher kit, and non-toxic sunscreen, and let them burn off some energy. Then they’ll be ready to settle back in for more story time.

Building a Love of Stories

What I love most about audiobooks is how they’ve made my kids better listeners. They can follow complex plots, remember character names, and visualize entire worlds — all skills that serve them well in our homeschool and beyond. It reminds me of the old-fashioned radio dramas, how families used to gather around and listen together.

We do the same thing at home sometimes, especially on rainy afternoons when I’m folding laundry and the kids are scattered around the living room with LEGOs. But there’s something special about the captive-audience magic of a car ride. No one’s wandering off to check on the chickens or chase the dog. We’re all just… there, together, lost in a story.

Our Current Road Trip Queue

Right now we’re working through The Green Ember series (another great family adventure), and I’ve got Understood Betsy queued up for our next trip. If you’re looking for audiobook recommendations organized by age and interest, Rainbow Resource and Timberdoodle both have great homeschool-friendly lists to browse.

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So there you have it, friend — our family’s best audiobooks for road trips, tested on the long highways of Florida and kid-approved. I’d love to hear your favorites too. What stories have gotten your family through the miles? Come find me on Instagram and share — I’m always adding to our list.

Happy travels, and may your gas station coffee be strong and your backseat peaceful. 🚗📚

How to Teach Kids to Cook on a Homestead: Simple Steps for Real Life Skills

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If you’ve ever watched your kids run in from the chicken coop with a basket of warm eggs and thought, “They should know what to do with these,” you’re not alone. Teaching kids to cook on a homestead isn’t just about future meal prep help (though, let’s be honest, that’s a nice perk). It’s about connecting them to the full circle of where food comes from—from garden to table, from hen to breakfast plate.

And here’s what I’ve learned after years of homeschooling in our little corner of Northwest Florida: cooking is one of the most naturally Charlotte Mason activities you can do. It’s hands-on. It involves math, science, patience, and attention to living things. It requires them to be present—no screens, just real work with real results they can taste.

Why Homestead Kids Should Learn to Cook Early

When I was growing up in the ’90s, I remember standing on a step stool helping my grandmother make biscuits. Nobody was worried about me touching flour or cracking eggs imperfectly. Kids just… helped. And somehow, by middle school, most of us could make basic meals without supervision.

Somewhere along the way, we started hovering more and involving kids less. But homestead life naturally pushes back against that. When you’re gathering eggs every morning and growing tomatoes on the porch, it only makes sense to close the loop and let kids transform those ingredients into something nourishing.

Here’s what cooking teaches our kids that no worksheet ever could:

• Practical math — measuring, doubling recipes, fractions in action
• Science — what heat does to eggs, why bread rises, how emulsions work
• Patience and sequencing — following steps in order, waiting for things to bake
• Confidence — the pride of feeding your family something you made yourself

We’ve found that the skills built in the kitchen carry over into so many other areas of our homeschool day, especially when we’re working through things like Math-U-See, where manipulatives and real-world application make all the difference.

Start With What You Already Have

Use Your Homestead Ingredients

The beautiful thing about teaching kids to cook on a homestead is that you don’t need fancy ingredients or complicated recipes. Start with what’s right outside your door.

Our chickens give us the perfect starting point. Fresh eggs are forgiving for beginners—scrambled eggs, fried eggs, simple egg salad. My kids learned early that an egg from our coop tastes different than one from the store, and that connection matters. If you’re still learning the ropes of backyard chickens yourself, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens has been my go-to reference for years.

For the littles who are obsessed with our hens, A Kid’s Guide to Keeping Chickens is a wonderful way to build that egg-to-table understanding before they even pick up a spatula.

Simple Recipes for Young Cooks

Here in Florida, we’re blessed with a long growing season, so there’s almost always something fresh to work with. Even if you’re just growing herbs in a windowsill, kids can learn to snip basil for pasta or muddle mint for sweet tea.

Some beginner-friendly recipes our family loves:

• Scrambled eggs — the ultimate first recipe
• Homemade butter — just heavy cream and a jar to shake
• Simple salads — tearing lettuce, slicing cucumbers with a kid-safe knife
• No-bake energy balls — measuring, mixing, rolling
• Pancakes from scratch — perfect for weekend mornings

The key is letting them do the work, even when it’s messy. Even when eggshells end up in the bowl. That’s how they learn.

Age-Appropriate Kitchen Tasks

Ages 3-5: The Little Helpers

Toddlers and preschoolers can do more than we often give them credit for. They can:

• Wash vegetables
• Tear lettuce and herbs
• Stir batters
• Pour pre-measured ingredients
• Push buttons on the blender (with supervision)
• Collect eggs from the coop with help

At this age, it’s less about the end result and more about building comfort in the kitchen. Let them stand on a sturdy stool and be part of things.

Ages 6-8: Building Independence

This is where it gets fun. Elementary-age kids can start handling real tools with guidance:

• Cracking eggs (finally, without fishing out shells every time)
• Measuring ingredients independently
• Using a kid-safe knife for soft foods
• Working at the stove with supervision—stirring, flipping
• Following simple recipe cards
• Reading recipes aloud as you work together

We’ve made cooking part of our homeschool rhythm. Some days, making lunch together IS the math lesson. Doubling a recipe? That’s fractions. Timing how long something bakes? That’s telling time with purpose.

Ages 9-12: Real Kitchen Confidence

By late elementary and middle school, kids can realistically prepare simple meals with minimal oversight. They should be able to:

• Plan a basic meal
• Use the stove and oven safely
• Follow a full recipe start to finish
• Clean up after themselves (this is non-negotiable in our house)
• Adapt recipes based on what’s available

Making It Part of Your Homestead Rhythm

We don’t treat cooking as a separate “lesson”—it’s woven into daily life. That’s the homestead way. Just like nature study isn’t a subject but a way of seeing the world, cooking becomes part of how our family lives.

Some ways we keep it natural:

• Daily involvement — Even five minutes helping with dinner counts
• Weekly special recipes — Pizza Friday, pancake Saturday, whatever works for your family
• Seasonal cooking — Strawberry season means jam-making; fall means soups and stews
• Cooking from the garden — If they grew it, they’re more excited to cook it

When we’re not in the kitchen, we’re usually outside anyway. The kids might be catching bugs with their bug catcher kit or sketching what they find in their nature journals. That same curiosity and hands-on learning translates perfectly to the kitchen.

Keep It Safe and Non-Toxic

Since we’re already intentional about what goes in and on our bodies, it only makes sense to extend that to how we cook. We use cast iron and stainless steel instead of non-stick coatings. We choose simple, whole ingredients over processed shortcuts.

For cleaning up, we stick with non-toxic options. I’ve been happy with what we’ve found through Grove Collaborative for dish soap and kitchen cleaners that I don’t worry about little hands touching.

The Bigger Picture

Teaching kids to cook on a homestead is really about something deeper than recipes. It’s about raising capable, confident humans who understand where their food comes from and aren’t intimidated by the work of daily life.

It’s giving them the gift of self-sufficiency. The same gift our grandparents had—knowing how to feed themselves and the people they love without depending on a drive-through or a delivery app.

Some evenings, when the Florida sun is setting and our mini labradoodle is underfoot hoping for scraps, and the kids are actually working together to get dinner on the table… those are the moments that make all the mess worth it.

So pull up a step stool, hand them a whisk, and let them in on the sacred, ordinary work of making a meal. They’re more ready than you think. And honestly? So are you.

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What recipes have your kids mastered? I’d love to hear what’s working in your homestead kitchen—drop a comment below or find me on Instagram!

Best Nature Apps for Kids: Florida Identification Made Simple and Fun

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You’re standing in your backyard (or maybe a state park, or that little patch of woods behind the soccer field) and your kid holds up a leaf, a feather, or points at a bird and asks, “Mama, what’s that?” And you have absolutely no idea.

Been there. Many times. I have a science background, but Florida’s biodiversity is genuinely humbling. We’ve got plants and creatures here that look like they belong in a fairy tale — or a nightmare, depending on the day. And our kids? They want to know everything.

Here’s the good news: there are some genuinely wonderful nature apps that can turn those “I don’t know” moments into discovery time for the whole family. And yes, I know — we’re a less-screens family. We homeschool Charlotte Mason style. We believe in real books, real dirt, real experiences. But I’ve made peace with using technology as a tool rather than a replacement for the real thing. These apps get us outside more, not less.

Why We Use Nature Apps (Even Though We Limit Screen Time)

Let me be clear: my kids aren’t wandering around with tablets in the backyard. That’s not how this works in our house.

Instead, we use nature apps the way we’d use a field guide — when we encounter something interesting and want to identify it. We take a photo, we look it up, and then the phone goes away. The learning happens in the conversation afterward, in the sketching in our nature journals, in the “let’s see if we find another one” moments.

Think of these apps as digital field guides that fit in your pocket. They’re especially helpful here in Florida, where we might see a dozen different species of dragonfly in a single afternoon and our kids actually want to know which one is which.

Our Favorite Nature Identification Apps for Florida Families

iNaturalist (Free)

This is the gold standard, y’all. iNaturalist uses photo recognition and community science to identify plants, animals, fungi, and insects. You snap a photo, the app suggests identifications, and then real naturalists from around the world can confirm or correct it.

What I love for Florida: The database is huge, and there are so many active users in our state that even obscure finds get identified quickly. We’ve used it for everything from mysterious backyard mushrooms to that weird caterpillar on our milkweed.

The kids feel like real scientists when they contribute observations. It’s also free, with no ads, which is rare and wonderful.

Merlin Bird ID (Free)

Merlin is made by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and it’s specifically for birds. You can identify by photo OR by sound — and the sound identification is almost magical. We use this one constantly.

For Florida families: Download the Florida bird pack and you’re set. Our state has incredible birding, from backyard cardinals to those prehistoric-looking anhingas drying their wings by the water. My kids can now identify at least a dozen birds by sound alone, which feels like a superpower.

We pair this app with our Sibley Birds field guide, which lives on our nature shelf. The app does the quick ID; the book lets us go deeper.

Seek by iNaturalist (Free)

Seek is made by the same folks as iNaturalist, but it’s designed specifically for kids and families. It gamifies nature identification with badges and challenges, and — this is important — it doesn’t require an account or collect data on kids.

My elementary-age crew loves the badge system. They’ll specifically go looking for things to “earn” a new badge, which means they’re outside, observing, paying attention. That’s a win.

The identification happens in real-time through the camera, which feels a bit like magic to little ones.

PlantNet (Free)

For plant identification specifically, PlantNet is simple and accurate. It’s great for wildflowers, trees, and — importantly for Florida — figuring out what that vine is before anyone touches it.

We’ve used this one to identify native plants for our yard and to learn which “weeds” are actually beneficial. Florida has so many amazing native plants that most people just mow over. PlantNet helps us see what’s actually growing around us.

Picture Insect (Free with Premium Option)

Florida is buggy. This is just fact. Picture Insect helps us identify what’s crawling, flying, and occasionally startling us. The free version works well for basic identification; premium gives more details.

The kids especially love identifying beetles and butterflies. We use this alongside our bug collection kit when we want to observe something more closely before releasing it.

How We Actually Use These Apps in Our Homeschool

During Nature Study Time

Charlotte Mason homeschoolers know that nature study is sacred time. We head outside — backyard, local trail, wherever — and we notice. When something catches our attention, we might pull out the phone for a quick ID, but then it goes away.

The real work happens in the nature journal. We sketch what we saw. We write down questions. Sometimes we look things up in real books later. The app is just the starting point.

On Family Adventures

We keep Merlin and iNaturalist downloaded and ready for state park visits, beach days, and even just walks around the neighborhood. Florida has so much to discover — different ecosystems just a short drive apart. These apps help us learn wherever we are.

Our pocket microscope comes along too, for looking closer at whatever we find.

For Backyard Chicken Keeping

Okay, this might sound like a stretch, but hear me out. Understanding the insects, plants, and birds in our backyard helps us be better chicken keepers. We know what bugs are beneficial versus harmful. We can identify predator birds that might be eyeing the flock. We learn which plants are safe if the chickens escape into the garden (again).

It’s all connected. If you’re raising backyard chickens and want to go deeper on that front, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens pairs nicely with this whole-backyard-ecosystem approach.

A Few Tips for Using Nature Apps with Kids

Make it a tool, not a crutch. We try to observe first, guess, and then check the app. This builds real observation skills.

Use the phone together. The adult holds the phone. We look at results together. Then it goes away.

Follow up with books and sketching. An app ID is just the beginning. Real learning happens when we go deeper — looking up the species in a field guide, sketching it with our watercolor pencils, or reading about its life cycle.

Celebrate the wondering. Not everything needs to be identified. Sometimes “I wonder what that is” is enough. We don’t want to turn every outdoor moment into a research project.

Bringing Back Wonder (With a Little Help)

I grew up in that golden era of “be home when the streetlights come on” childhood. We spent hours outside without knowing the names of anything. And that was beautiful, honestly.

But there’s something special about knowing. About being able to say, “That’s a great blue heron” or “Those are beautyberries — the birds love them.” It adds a layer of connection. It makes the world feel richer.

These apps help us name what we see so we can love it better. They’re not replacing real nature time — they’re enhancing it. And here in Florida, with all this wild beauty just outside our doors, I want my kids to know it deeply.

So we’ll keep our nature journals, our field guides, and yes, a few good apps. We’ll keep getting muddy and asking questions and chasing butterflies. That’s the life we’re building here — curious, rooted, and very much outside.

Happy exploring, friends. Florida’s got a lot to show us.

How to Make a Backyard Obstacle Course for Kids Free (Using What You Already Have)

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If your kids have been bouncing off the walls lately — or worse, glazing over in front of a screen — I want to share something that has saved our sanity more times than I can count. A backyard obstacle course costs absolutely nothing, takes maybe fifteen minutes to set up, and will buy you at least an hour of pure, joyful, sweaty outdoor play.

This is the kind of childhood I’m trying to give my kids. The 1990s kind. Where we went outside after breakfast and didn’t come back in until someone was bleeding or starving. Where we built things, climbed things, invented games, and came home absolutely filthy. That’s the good stuff, y’all.

And here in Northwest Florida, we have the gift of being able to play outside nearly year-round. Even in summer, if you set up early in the morning or wait until the late afternoon shade hits, you can squeeze in some serious outdoor time. Let me show you how we do it.

Why Obstacle Courses Are Perfect for Kids

Before I get into the how, let me tell you the why — because this isn’t just about burning energy (though yes, that too).

Obstacle courses build what occupational therapists call “gross motor skills” — balance, coordination, upper body strength, spatial awareness. They also develop something called proprioception, which is your body’s ability to know where it is in space. Kids who climb, jump, crawl, and balance are literally building their brains.

From a Charlotte Mason perspective, this is the kind of physical education that actually matters. Not worksheets about health, but real movement. Real challenge. Real play.

Plus, obstacle courses tap into that deep childhood need for adventure. Every kid wants to be the hero crossing the lava pit or the explorer navigating the jungle. This is imagination and exercise wrapped into one glorious package.

Gathering Your Free Supplies

Here’s the beautiful thing: you don’t need to buy a single item. Walk through your house, your garage, and your yard with fresh eyes. You’re looking for things to climb over, crawl under, balance on, jump between, and weave around.

Inside the House

• Couch cushions (if you’re brave enough to bring them outside)
• Pool noodles
• Laundry baskets
• Hula hoops
• Old sheets or blankets
• Brooms or mops (for limbo or hurdles)
• Buckets
• Cardboard boxes
• Pillows
• Jump ropes

From the Garage

• Lawn chairs
• Boards or planks
• Old tires
• Cones (or just use flower pots)
• PVC pipes
• Coolers
• Rope or twine
• Crates

From the Yard

• Logs or stumps
• Large rocks
• Sticks
• Trees (for touching as checkpoints)
• The swing set, if you have one

Once you start looking, you’ll realize you have more than enough. Our course usually includes at least one chicken feeder we have to work around — the girls don’t seem to mind sharing their space with the chaos.

How to Design Your Obstacle Course

You don’t need a plan. Truly. But if you want a framework, think about including these types of challenges:

Balance Challenges

Lay a board flat on the ground or prop it slightly on bricks. Use a garden hose stretched out in a line. Create a path of stepping stones using flat rocks, paper plates, or wood rounds. The kids have to walk the “bridge” without falling into the “alligator swamp” (very relevant here in Florida).

Crawling Sections

Set up two chairs with a blanket draped over them for a tunnel. Use pool noodles stuck in the ground in an arc. String rope between two trees at knee height so they have to army crawl underneath. This is where they’ll get dirty, and that’s the whole point.

Jumping Stations

Hula hoops laid flat for jumping between “lily pads.” A line of buckets turned upside down to leap over. Mark spots on the ground with chalk for long jumps or hop-scotch patterns.

Climbing or Over Elements

Stack hay bales if you have them. Use an upside-down laundry basket to step over. Create a “wall” with couch cushions to climb over. Prop a board against something sturdy for a low ramp.

Agility Challenges

Weave between sticks stuck in the ground or cones. Run around trees in a specific pattern. Do a spin at one station before continuing.

Ending with a Bang

Every good course needs a finale. Ours usually ends with a sprint to ring a bell (an old cowbell hanging from the oak tree), hit a target, or splash into the kiddie pool. Make it satisfying.

Tips for Making It Actually Fun

Let Them Help Build It

Honestly, the building is half the fun. My kids will spend just as long designing the course as they do running it. This is problem-solving, engineering, and cooperation all rolled into one. Very Charlotte Mason, if you ask me — the child as active participant in their own education.

Use a Timer

Nothing motivates like a stopwatch. “Can you beat your time?” will get them running that course over and over. Healthy competition with themselves builds persistence.

Change It Up

Run it forwards, then backwards. Do it while carrying a ball. Try it with a buddy holding hands. Have them invent new challenges to add. We’ve had everything from “stop and do five jumping jacks” stations to “pet the dog before continuing” checkpoints (our labradoodle is very patient).

Make It a Story

“You’re escaping the pirates!” or “You have to deliver this secret message to the castle!” Imagination transforms exercise into adventure. This is how children have always played — we’re just giving them the setting.

Adding to the Fun (Without Breaking the Bank)

Once you’ve mastered the free version, you might find a few inexpensive additions that level up the play. We’ve gotten great use out of kids’ rain boots for muddy course days and simple lawn games that can be incorporated into different stations.

For the nature-loving kids who want to add a scavenger hunt element, we bring along a bug catcher kit for a “find and release” station — catch a bug, observe it, let it go, then continue the course.

And if your kids are anything like mine, they’ll want to turn it into a team competition. A set of walkie talkies makes relay races and communication challenges even more exciting.

Florida-Specific Considerations

A few things we’ve learned the hard way living in the Pensacola area:

Check for fire ants before setting up your course. Do a walk-through first and avoid any mounds. Those things are no joke.

Time it right. Summer mornings before 10 AM or late afternoons after 5 PM are your best windows. Set up in the shade when possible.

Hydration stations. We always include a “water break” checkpoint halfway through. Sometimes it’s a squirt from the hose, which counts as cooling off and drinking.

Bug protection matters. We use Wondercide spray before heading out — it’s plant-based and actually works against Florida mosquitoes, which is saying something.

The Best Part? They’ll Remember This

I think about what my kids will remember from their childhood. It won’t be the TV shows they watched or the apps they played. It’ll be the backyard obstacle courses, the mud puddles, the freedom to run and climb and fall down and try again.

This is free, y’all. Completely free. And it’s the kind of parenting that actually matters — showing up, being present, letting them be wild and capable.

So grab whatever you’ve got, head outside, and let them build something wonderful. I’ll be out there too, probably timing runs and refilling the chickens’ water between heats. This is the good stuff.

Now go play.

Florida Native Plants to Grow with Kids: Easy Picks for Little Gardeners

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If you’ve ever watched your kids dig in the dirt with complete focus—the kind of attention they never seem to give to worksheets—you already know something important. There’s magic in getting your hands in the soil. And here in Florida, we’ve got a secret weapon that most families overlook: native plants that practically grow themselves, attract incredible wildlife, and give your kids a front-row seat to real-life science.

Our family started growing native plants a few years ago, partly because I was tired of fighting our sandy soil and humid summers, and partly because I wanted our little backyard ecosystem to actually work. Now our yard is full of butterflies, bees, and birds—and my kids have learned more about pollination, life cycles, and ecosystems from our garden than any textbook could teach. That’s the Charlotte Mason way, right? Living books, living experiences, living nature.

Let me share some of our favorite Florida native plants that are perfect for growing with elementary-age kids.

Why Native Plants Matter (And Why Kids Should Know)

Before we dig in, here’s the quick version of why native plants are worth your time: they’ve evolved right here in Florida, which means they’re adapted to our heat, humidity, and sandy soil. They need less water, less fuss, and no harsh chemicals to thrive. And because local wildlife evolved alongside them, native plants support way more butterflies, bees, and birds than non-native ornamentals.

For us homeschool families, that translates to endless nature study opportunities. When you plant a native, you’re not just growing a plant—you’re creating habitat. You’re inviting the whole food web into your backyard.

This is the kind of hands-on learning I want for my kids. Less screen time, more dirt time. More wonder.

Easy Florida Native Plants for Kids to Grow

Milkweed (Asclepias Species)

If you only plant one native with your kids, make it milkweed. Here in Florida, we can grow several species—butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) with its bright orange flowers is gorgeous, and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) does great in wetter areas.

Milkweed is THE host plant for monarch butterflies. That means monarchs lay their eggs on the leaves, and the caterpillars eat the foliage as they grow. My kids have watched the entire metamorphosis cycle happen right in our yard, from tiny egg to fat striped caterpillar to jade-green chrysalis to that breathtaking moment when a butterfly emerges.

We keep a nature journal on the back porch, and sketching milkweed in different stages has become one of our favorite rituals. Add some watercolor pencils and you’ve got art class and science rolled into one.

Coontie (Zamia integrifolia)

This one’s special—coontie is Florida’s only native cycad, and it’s the host plant for the atala butterfly, which was once thought to be extinct. These slow-growing plants look like small palms and are incredibly low-maintenance once established.

Kids love coontie because it looks prehistoric (because it basically is). It’s a living fossil, y’all. We planted a few near the chicken coop, and the kids love checking the undersides of leaves for bright red atala caterpillars.

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia pulchella)

For instant gratification—which let’s be honest, elementary-age kids need sometimes—blanket flower is perfect. These cheerful red and yellow blooms grow fast from seed, tolerate our sandy soil and salt air, and bloom for months. They’re also a pollinator magnet.

Let your kids direct-sow seeds in a sunny spot and water them in. Within weeks, they’ll have flowers they grew themselves. That pride? You can’t buy it.

Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

Beautyberry is one of those plants that makes people stop and ask, “What IS that?” In fall, it produces clusters of bright magenta-purple berries that look almost fake. Birds love them, and kids are mesmerized by the color.

This shrub is low-maintenance and grows well in partial shade—perfect for those spots under oak trees where nothing else wants to live. We planted ours near our bird feeding area, and it’s fun to watch the mockingbirds and cardinals feast. A good bird field guide helps the kids identify who’s visiting.

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)

Passionflower, or maypop, is a native vine with some of the most intricate, alien-looking flowers you’ll ever see. It’s also the host plant for gulf fritillary butterflies, so you’ll get caterpillars and blooms.

Fair warning: this vine is vigorous. Plant it where it has room to roam, or where you don’t mind pulling up runners. But the flowers are absolutely worth it for nature study. We’ve spent whole afternoons examining the complex structure with a pocket microscope—the kids are always amazed at what they can see up close.

Tickseed (Coreopsis species)

Coreopsis is Florida’s state wildflower, so you really can’t skip it. These sunny yellow flowers bloom prolifically, attract pollinators, and reseed themselves year after year. They’re forgiving of neglect and perfect for kids who want to see quick results.

We’ve scattered coreopsis seeds along our fence line, and every spring it looks like a little wildflower meadow back there. The chickens aren’t allowed in that area (they’d scratch it all up), but they seem to enjoy watching the butterflies from their run.

Tips for Gardening with Kids in Florida

Start Small

You don’t need a huge garden. A few containers on the porch or a small dedicated bed is plenty. The goal is connection, not perfection.

Embrace the Mess

Gardening with kids is muddy, slow, and sometimes chaotic. That’s the point. Put them in some sturdy rain boots and let them get dirty. Some of my favorite memories are of my kids absolutely covered in Florida sand, holding up a earthworm like it’s treasure.

Make It a Routine

In our homeschool, we try to spend time outside every morning before it gets too hot. A quick garden check—looking for new growth, caterpillars, or blooms—takes five minutes and grounds us before we start our book work.

Connect It to Your Studies

Native plant gardening ties into botany, ecology, entomology, art (nature journaling!), and even Florida history. If you’re using the Florida PEP scholarship, many of these supplies—field guides, art materials, seeds—can count toward your curriculum purchases.

A Note on Sourcing Native Plants

Not all plants labeled “native” at big box stores are actually native to Florida, and some may be treated with pesticides harmful to the very pollinators you’re trying to attract. Look for native plant nurseries in your area—here in Northwest Florida, we have some great ones. Many Florida native plant societies also hold sales in spring and fall.

Growing from seed is another budget-friendly option, and kids love the process of watching seeds sprout.

Growing Wonder, One Plant at a Time

When I think about the childhood I want for my kids—the kind I remember from the 90s, full of outside time and curiosity and real experiences—gardening native plants fits right in. It’s slow. It’s unplugged. It teaches patience and observation and care for living things.

And honestly? Watching my kids get excited about a caterpillar on the milkweed or a butterfly on the blanket flower never gets old. This is the good stuff, y’all. This is what we’re out here doing.

So grab some native seeds or plants, get your kids outside, and see what grows—both in your garden and in their hearts.

Happy planting, friends.