By Holly Giles | handicrafts , Simple Living
Grapevine Wreath I remember making grapevine wreaths with my grandmother at their farm in Alabama in the summertime. It was a fun way to pass the time and make something useful. In my college days, I made several Christmas gifts, each with a different theme. Grapevine wreaths are simple for children to work with at […]
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By Holly Giles | DIY , handicrafts , Simple Living
Recycling tin cans into lanterns speaks pioneer to me! Our Prairie Life book club decided that the chapter on Christmas was their favorite. I can see Laura and Mary helping Ma make handmade ornaments and dressing up the ordinary into something beautiful. These recycling projects for tin cans can be done any time of the […]
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By Holly Giles | DIY , handicrafts , Simple Living
Pioneer Culture: Living off the land In our fourth post in this series, we talk about the idea of living off the land. What did that look like 100 years ago and can that be achieved today? After she got married, Laura partnered with Almanzo in everything they did, even in business. She could run […]
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By Holly Giles | handicrafts , homeschooling
Homeschool Science Experiment A family industry can take shape when you least expect it and produce an income along with valuable lessons for children. I want to share with you how a homeschool science experiment can sometimes yield viable products, even when you weren’t trying! Science and history are the two favorite subjects in our […]
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By Holly Giles | handicrafts , homeschooling
Ribbon books are an adorable handicraft for children of all ages. Reading the literature series, Little House on the Prairie is the perfect opportunity to learn a new skill. Reading aloud to my children is the best part of my day and this series tops our list of favorites. We spent a year reading the series […]
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By Holly Giles | Boy Crafting , Florida , handicrafts , homeschooling
Homemade camper Have you ever wanted to build a backyard camper? I have never had the thought myself, which is why I discouraged the idea with my youngest son Grant. He has had a fascination with campers and trailers since he was very young. Always pointing them out on a car ride and dreaming of […]
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By Holly Giles | handicrafts , homeschooling , Simple Living
Handicrafts are an abundant portion of our learning at home. The wooden pencil holder provides skills with measurement, drills, and a saw. Boys and girls alike will feel accomplished when the tools of carpentry can be learned. It can open up a whole new world of imagination for them. Smaller-sized drills are available that work […]
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By Holly Giles | Great Outdoors , handicrafts , homeschooling , Uncategorized
Pretending to be Robin Hood in the forest with a bow and quiver or Indians on the Plains, a bow and arrow can bring delight to every child. We have had our share of plastic suction cup arrows in our house and now the boys have real bows and backyard targets. Along the way, Grant […]
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By Holly Giles | handicrafts , homeschooling
Making jewelry as a handicraft goes well with a literature study. The Little House on the Prairie Series is one of my favorites and we are on our second go around reading them in our home.
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By Holly Giles | handicrafts , seasonal
Fall decorating can be extravagant if you have space and simple if you just have a shelf. These days simple is the way to go for us and I found an easy craft that looks cute anywhere. This is what I used to make my lighted jar. glass jar with a lid bag of faux […]
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