5 Reasons Why a Homestead is an Excellent Place for a Child to Grow Up

Reader Contribution by Roxanne Ahern
Published on December 17, 2019
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We began homesteading because we had a desire to grow chemical free food and raise livestock in a humane way. In the process of reaching these goals, this lifestyle has provided my children with many unforeseen benefits that have grown their character in ways that I did not expect. 

Teaches Useful Skills

Through gardening and animal husbandry, our children have learned how to plant and nurture seedlings, harvest foods, prepare them, preserve them, save seed, hatch eggs, check eggs for viability, handle livestock, build basic animal shelters, the uses of medicinal herbs, and how to harvest, dry, and store herbs. 

There are also many other skills they have picked up that are not directly related to our original intentions. Here are some examples.

They have learned to identify and forage a range of local wild foods. Our property contains wild mushrooms, blackberries, multiflora rose, wild pears, sumac (the non-poisonous kind), and countless others. They have also been right alongside me as I was learning to make bread, as a result my older daughters (currently 10 and 7) know how to make a traditional sourdough and they understand the nutritional benefits of fermenting grains. They have learned how to sew, crochet, needle felt, ferment vegetables, make lotion, lip balms, candles, and more. There is always something new and interesting to learn about, or a skill that has already been gained but can be strengthened. 

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