Meet My Son: His Honest Views on Homeschooling and Family Life

Today my son Ben joins me to share his memories of being homeschooled and growing up on traditional foods.

Homeschooling Our Son

If you’re considering homeschooling, new to it, or suddenly homeschooling this year, Ben’s perspective may be encouraging. He was homeschooled from first through eighth grade and later transitioned to a traditional high school before attending college. In the video he recalls childhood learning, how those early years shaped him, and what the transition felt like.

Homeschooling with Learning Differences

Ben’s experience may be especially helpful if your child has dyslexia or other learning differences. He has dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, and he shares practical tools that helped him succeed academically. He also emphasizes the importance of learning to self-advocate after leaving the homeschool environment.

Our Homeschool Program and Books

In our video conversation, Ben and I talk about using the Charlotte Mason approach. I use the term “curriculum” loosely because Charlotte Mason’s method relies heavily on Living Books rather than boxed curricula. These books bring subjects alive and make learning memorable.

Charlotte Mason, an educator from the late 1800s and early 1900s, recommended teaching with Living Books—engaging, well-written works that invite children into a subject. Many of the books we used are readily available at local libraries.

• Learn more about Living Books

Examples of Living Books we used:

• Aesop’s Fables (for copywork)
• Pagoo (for science)
• James Herriot’s Treasury (animal studies)
• Snowflake Bentley (science)
• Measuring Penny (math)
• Mapping Penny’s World (geography)
• A Child’s Garden of Verses (poetry and copywork)
• Shakespeare Tales (literature)
• Song of Sixpence (history)
• Boxcar Children (history)
• The Boy Who Drew Birds (science)
• The Friar Who Grew Peas (science)
• Beatrix Potter Tales (literature)
• Simply Grammar (grammar)

Many Living Books also come with companion cookbooks, which makes it easy to combine history, literature, and kitchen lessons.

• Little House on the Prairie
• Little House on the Prairie Cookbook
• Secret Garden
• Secret Garden Cookbook

If you’re curious about Charlotte Mason’s method, start with her primer, Home Education, and consider other helpful guides such as A Charlotte Mason Education, More Charlotte Mason Education, Mother Culture, Real Learning in the Heart of the Home, Honey for a Child’s Heart, and A Mother’s Rule of Life.

Favorite Free Homeschool Lesson Plans

A great benefit of Charlotte Mason’s method is that many resources are free or available through libraries. Two grade-specific lesson plan resources I recommend are Ambleside Online and Mater Amabilis.

• Ambleside Online
• Matar Amabilis

The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum

Traditional Foods and Homeschooling

For our family, homeschooling and traditional foods were closely connected. Ben discusses growing up on traditional foods such as kefir and raw milk and how food shaped family life and learning. If you’re shifting away from processed foods, Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions is a foundational resource on bone broths, ferments, cultured dairy, sourdough, and other nourishing practices.

More Family Videos

If you enjoyed meeting Ben, you might also like to meet my husband, Ted. In his video he shares our story, family memories, favorite games and movies, and his thoughts on traditional foods. (Spoiler: Ted and Ben have similar reactions to kefir.)

For a detailed look at our homeschool curriculum and how we applied Charlotte Mason’s ideas, watch my homeschooling journey video where I explain methods, schedules, and resources.

Ben also appears in a kitchen garden tour video where viewers met him for the first time.

I also have an earlier video about the joys of being a wife and mother that shares more personal memories.

Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List

If you want a complete list of traditional foods to make and store, download the free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. The eBook includes links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more resources to support a traditional foods kitchen.

If you prefer a printed cookbook with traditional recipes, consider ordering The Modern Pioneer Cookbook for step-by-step guidance on creating a nourishing, traditional foods kitchen.

Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy

If you want more traditional foods content, join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members gain access to exclusive videos, live streams, and members-only perks, including a special badge on YouTube comments.

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Shop for items used in this blog post or video

Favorite Kitchen Supplies

• Favorite Aprons
• Spice Grinder
• Countertop Burner (used on the kitchen island in many recipe videos)
• Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
• Vacuum Lids
• Whisk
• Silica Gel Packets (help keep moisture from building up in mixes)
• Cast Iron Dutch Oven
• 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
• Fat Separator (handy for decanting bone broth)
• Flour Sack Towels
• pH Strips (useful for checking vinegar acidity)

Recommended Reading

In addition to the homeschooling books mentioned above, these traditional foods books are helpful additions to any kitchen library:

• The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
• Nourishing Traditions