By Holly Giles | Florida , florida vacations
De Leon Springs State Park A family vacation to Florida must include De Leon Springs State Park near Central Florida. There is something for all ages in the family, especially kids. Planning ahead will help you enjoy your day of beauty, history, and a natural Florida paradise. Located in Volusia County, not far from historic […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , florida vacations
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park Cross Creek is home to the historic homestead of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The homestead has been preserved just as it was when she was living there in the 1930s. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings lived at Cross Creek for 25 years and wrote many of her award-winning literature pieces while living […]
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By Holly Giles | Family , Florida , florida vacations
Summer Vacation How to save money Summer vacation savings. Planning Can Save You regardless of whether you travel or have a staycation. Summer vacations when the children are out of school can be very expensive if you don’t plan ahead and look for as many ways to save money as possible. Here are some suggestions. […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors , homeschooling , Nature Study
Nature Walk Having a natural curiosity to explore the world around us is what makes us human. Having the tools to explore makes it more interesting and easier to do. Create your own family nature kit. Fill it with items that will help you learn more about what interests you and your children on a […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors , Inspiration
Reviving Florida Heritage Outdoor Sports It was the fall of 1978. At 4 am the bells began ringing on my grandfather’s wind-up alarm clock. I had slept in my clothes so I would be ready for the fishing trip. It was so quiet and still in the darkness outside as we loaded the nets, buckets, […]
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By Holly Giles | Field Trips , Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors
Outdoor Adventures Living in Florida gives us a unique advantage to outdoor adventures all year long. City playgrounds to sportsman activities give families plenty of options to add adventure throughout all our homeschooling years. Toddler Years When my children were young, simple outdoor adventures were easy to find. Nature centers, museums, and many parks offer […]
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By Holly Giles | Family , Florida , florida vacations , Mama's Musings
Florida Milk Farm I met Shanna Rae Horstmeyer and her two young boys during a homeschool field trip last year. I heard she had her own Florida milk farm. She recognized my feed-sack purse and introduced herself. She said she had been saving feedbags to work with but had been too busy moving onto their […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , Florida field trips , florida vacations
Treasure the History of Florida It can be hard to treasure the history of Florida when you aren’t sure you like it very much. I am a native Floridian. Actually, I am a fourth-generation Floridian- a rarity these days. As a child, I did not think it was a special place but my grandparents did. […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors
Florida traditions Quail hunting was a staple in my grandparent’s generation in providing food for the family. However, I had not experienced a hunt myself, but I remember having quail for dinner. My grandfather cleaned and dressed them out behind the barn and my grandmother would coat them in flour and fry them up in […]
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By Holly Giles | Family , Florida , Florida Treasures , florida vacations , Great Outdoors
Florida quail hunting It was 4 a.m. when the dogs began barking from the kennel. They knew it was time to get up and head to Babcock Ranch for the Florida quail hunting youth hunt. It was not going to be an ordinary day. We wearily awoke to quite a chill in the air that made […]
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