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“I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.” Walt Disney

I was blessed to be an employee at Disneyland decades ago when the price was right ($13.00 for a passport) while getting the enjoyment of storytelling on a boat in the canal of Storybookland.  Recently, we visited the park and were delighted to learn that there were educational opportunities everywhere while being entertained.  We particularly enjoyed the Agrifuture in Tomorrowland.  Every plant in that land is suppose to be edible.  While riding Autopia, we noticed wild strawberries, citrus trees of varying varieties, and sage growing along the track.  We also noticed rosemary near Tomorrowland Terrace and Swiss Chard across the way.  It would have been nice to be able to visit a farm to table restaurant in the area or some kind of attraction like that.  We do know that Disney in the past has had special events promoting that concept and has given garden tours around the park.  The foliage in all the lands was particularly amazing.  We really enjoyed the bamboo forest in Adventureland, but all of the living trees and plants were an enjoyable feature at the park.  While waiting in line at Autopia, we liked the Honda robot giving us a geography lesson of California using a map and showing us landmarks in the state on a computer screen.  An employee told us that the Honda cars are gasoline powered.  In the future, it would be nice to see cars that are powered with clean energy.  We learned that the Monorail is the fasted ride in the park at 30 m.p.h.  The engines on Disneyland Railroad are authenitic steam engines that run on biodiesel.  One engine is as old as 1895.  The conductor informed us that the engine powering our train was found on a corn field in Iowa in 1927.  While riding the train, our child learned that it snowed at the Grand Canyon.  We all enjoyed seeing the Indian village and lifestyle while chugging along the backside of the river in Adventureland.  He learned about the Caribbean and the pirates that attacked coastal towns.  We had a unique dining experience at Rose Tavern in Fantasyland where we enjoyed French faire, some rest and relaxation, and explained the history of taverns to our child.  We thoroughly enjoyed the beef poutine (slowed cooked beef in gravy over waffle fries covered in pickled red onions and cheese) and a lemon berry mousse dessert shaped into a rose with delicious filling and some type of crust on the bottom.  It was so tasty, we got a second one.  Our child enjoyed seeing stories like Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh come to life on the rides.   Our day at Disneyland was not only entertaining, but educational.

There is nothing more disappointing than going to the refrigerator, reaching into the vegetable bin, and pulling out a bag of rotten cilantro that was purchased not more than a week earlier.  A few weeks ago we visited an outstanding farmer’s market-the best we have ever been to.  At one of the stands we purchased, fresh, organic cilantro. (I should have taken a picture, but I will explain in detail how to preserve your herb.)  I must admit, I was a skeptic, but not anymore.  The friendly farmer, after I had paid for my purchase, put my cilantro into a clear plastic bag and put air in it like it was a balloon and tied it off at the end.  She cheerfully, with a big smile, told me it would make my cilantro last longer.  She was right.  I recently used the remainder for some salsa I made with tomatoes just harvested from our garden.  I was regretting going to the refrigerator thinking that it would surely be rotten since it had been 11 days since my purchase.  It was as fresh as the day I bought it.  Not one leaf was rotten.  I had opened the bag a few days after purchasing and used about half for another recipe and resealed the way the farmer told me at the market.  Air in the bag really helps keep cilantro fresh longer!

Using permaculture philosophies we are healing the soil. We used chicken manure and compost to fertilize.

Our garden began with two tomato plants in 15 gallon pots and a naval orange tree. Once established, the tomato plants in pots would become infested with tomato worms. We used many types of methods to rid the plants from worms. They were minimally effective. At the end of our work day, we would manually pull the worms off our plants. Finally, in frustration, we turned the hose on them and sprayed them off our plants. It literally rained worms. We did have amazing tomatoes, in fact, too many tomatoes. Each vine grew very tall to the top of its cage and beyond; producing hundreds of tomatoes. Over time, the raccoons destroyed our lawn in our backyard. In frustration, we tore the whole thing out and planted raised beds. We began composting, planted more trees, had backyard chickens, and the gardening adventure developed. We were known as “farmers” by our friends and neighbors. We learned about permaculture and “Back to Eden” gardening methods. We brought in wood chips, top soil, organic mulch, and used our own compost. We really did begin having our own “garden of Eden”. The birds come every day and eat the worms off our plants. They do not eat our fruit, the raccoons, opossums, and skunks do. There are a variety of insects and the whole yard smells great and is green all year. It smells earthy. The soil has changed over time- from black adobe clay to a spongy airy type. We began with raised beds, but pulled most out since our soil has changed. We have learned to grow certain foods in the micro climates of our yard. We tried crop rotation, but that did not work. There are certain plants that enjoy growing in particular locations of our yard. We perk up the soil every year when we begin our spring planting. We sprout seeds in the spring and fall according to what grows in those seasons. We enjoy tomatoes year round in the right location of our yard. We save seeds as much as possible and like to buy from Seed Savers and heirloom organic varieties. We have a small milkweed patch for the monarch butterflies. Lizards eat the insects too. We use companion gardening methods and have found onion and garlic work well to keep pests and critters out of beds. Our neighbors enjoy hanging out on their balcony and watching the life in our living garden.  The food we grow tastes much better and makes the work worth it.

Many parents ask me what to teach for home school science.  Well, the possibilities are really endless.  You are surrounded by science since all of creation is observable “Science”.  At an early age, plant seeds and study the life cycle of living organisms like butterflies, bees, insects, plants, animals like chickens, etc.  Plant seeds in pots or in a garden.  Document the entire cycle in pictures/and or writing.  If you are allowed to have chickens (I cannot see why not since chickens are very “green”, but this is another subject) hatch chicks and raise chickens.  If lifestyle does not permit this, visit a farm and draw pictures about the process.  At the farm, milk a cow or watch a cow being milked.  Make butter.  Plant milkweed or consider purchasing a butterfly hatching kit.  Visit an aquarium.  Visit an aeronautical museum.  Go to a used bookstore and buy used science books.  Visit the library and check out books about the solar system or watch You Tube videos about the solar system, human body systems like circulatory, nervous, respiratory, etc.  Build a robot.  Go rock digging at a specified site or visit a geologic museum.  Take a fishing trip.  Visit tide pools if you are able.  Check out Scholastic and buy science kits:  https://store.scholastic.com/search/search/Science?N=4502~4518

Consider edible science:

https://shop.nationalgeographic.com/product/books/kids-books/science-and-space/edible-science  Visit a craft store and paint a volcano onto a wooden canvas, make a collage, etc.  You may want to consider buying a microscope kit, etc.    These are a few considerations for you and your family as you enjoy the process of teaching science at home.

We want our snacks!

Our first female Monarch butterfly just hatched!

In 2008 and 2012 our family campaigned for Ron Paul’s presidential runs.  People would ask us about our stickers on our cars, “Who is Ron Paul?”  Everywhere we went people were curious about this man.  My students, after learning about “peace, prosperity, and liberty” would state that they would vote for the man if they could.  Sadly, our own orthodox Presbyterian church outright rejected his philosophy and voted for the mainstream conservative candidate.  Ron Paul is an American hero.  He believes the role of the U.S. government is to protect liberty, politicians should have integrity instead of power corruption, and promotes reason in our foreign policy.  Personally, our family studied what are just wars as taught by Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen.  We learned a lot about peace and prosperity, as well as, the incredible cost of war, not only monetarily, but in human life.  As Dr. Paul consistently states, that “wise consistency” is needed in our foreign policy and “justness” in our interventions.  You will be educated in peace, liberty, and prosperity after watching this 45 minute video.

Begin with a periodic table place mat.  While eating a meal, the learner may enjoy investigating the different colors on the table, the numbers, symbols, and weights.  We purchased these books to support what was taught on the table.

At a recent get-together we harvested fresh rhubarb and used store bought organic strawberries to make a strawberry rhubarb custard pie.  It was absolutely delicious because the rhubarb was picked the same day as we made the pie.  Our soil is healthy and alive as observed from our happy and healthy plant.  This was the recipe we used:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/223069/strawberry-rhubarb-custard-pie/

California has beautiful weather, amazing ocean seascapes and majestic mountains, and offers a fairly comfortable lifestyle.  This “comfort” enables people to become complacent in all levels of society.  They enjoy the “ease” of life.  While enjoying this ease, they do not pay attention to rulers who busily plan out an agenda for their lives.  Senator Dr. Pan is a ruler who has plans for you and your family.  He has already successfully removed parents’ rights to say “no” to government mandated vaccines by removing personal beliefs/religious exemptions for those desiring a public or private education for their children.  The “lion”, Dr. Pan, has continued his prowling around seeking to devour more freedom for families in California.  Based on Dr. Pan’s actions, we believe that he desires to have vaccinations administered from conception to the grave.  SB 18 (Bill of Rights for Children and Youth in California), at this point has been written vaguely and threatens parental authority, health freedom, home education, and the right to self defense.  Currently in California, the Constitution states that parents have the “fundamental legal right” to choose how to educate and raise their children.  SB 18 would change this by creating a “children’s rights” law.  This transfers the power from the family to the state.  The state would now decide what is “appropriate, quality health care”, “appropriate quality education”, and define what is best for the “social and emotional well-being” of your children.  Families would no longer be safe from state intrusion in their homes because who defines what is “appropriate”?  The Creator has given states, families, people, and churches standards to live by and boundaries to abide by.  When boundaries are over-run, liberty is lost.  Senator Pan desires to over extend his governmental reach into the God-given boundary of the family.  Parents in California be aware that your liberties are at risk with SB 18 written as it is today.

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.   All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:  You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.  The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.   Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.”  (Deuteronomy 28:1-5)     

Resources:

http://reason.com/blog/2016/12/29/california-bill-of-rights-for-children-i

HSLDA

Dr. Ron Paul answers a question about free market healthcare.  He addresses how Obamacare has made quality healthcare less available to Americans and how a free market system is far superior to any government health care program.  Watch the first 7 minutes to learn about a solution to our healthcare crisis.

My husband, an educator who believes food to be God’s gift to mankind for medicine, was teaching from a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) book recently.  This is what it said:

“Agriculture and the Farm:  Biotechnology companies are working on genetically-modified (GM) food that have genes from other species inserted into them.  The inserted genes help the plant do something the scientist wants.  It may help the plant fight disease or be unharmed by a chemical.  There is a GM corn that has a gene from a bacterium inserted into it.  The bacterium makes a natural pesticide.  When a pesky corn borer insect munches on the GM corn, the bug gets a hole in its gut and dies.“

If the students are thinking critically, they would become alarmed when they read that a “bug gets a hole in its gut and dies”.  What happens to kids and adults that eat that corn?  Why is there so much cancer today?  A neighbor stopped by the other day to tell me that two of his friends had fought cancer for many years and recently died.  Another friend, who recently had a fist sized tumor removed from his lung, told me that 1 out of two people will get cancer. This information is alarming.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288916.php

Who wants to eat foods that were not originally created to be eaten?  The body is extremely complex.  It is selective in its processes as a form of protection.  Food with altered genetics are not “natural”.  Their proteins have been altered.  They are also being sprayed with toxic chemicals.  The soil is being harmed, the air is being harmed, and the water run off is being harmed.  When genetically engineered food was first being put out on the market for human consumption around 1995, there was an ethical debate.  Do we provide food that we know is less nutritive, but feels good in the stomach to feed the hungry?  The debate went back and forth, but in the end the conclusion was that it was better to provide less nutritive food.  Here is an idea, why not teach people how to grow their own food with good soil, using companion gardening methods, and heirloom seeds?  As a back yard gardener for 15 years, it is amazing how much food comes from a tiny area if the soil is heatlthy.  All of the humanitarian groups and Christian groups out there should be teaching the impoverished how to grow healthy food.  The benefits are endless.  Everyone will be working, they will continue to learn a skill, they can market their goods, they will be healthier, and the whole community benefits.