Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network
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The Secrets of Gardens– Episode 95Join FPEA Chairman Suzanne Nunn and Sharon Rice for this episode where we discuss the secrets of gardens. Looking back at childhood memories and what makes gardens special to us. We have some ideas on what you can do to introduce the magic of flower gardens to your kids.
Join Julie Polanco on this episode of Crunchy Christian Podcast as she shares how to get started with square foot gardening. This method is one of the most popular ways for beginning gardeners to grow food successfully. Square foot gardening can be customized to suit any size yard and any type of plant.
What is square foot gardening? How is it different from other types?
Instead of planting in rows, seeds are planted in square foot mini-plots. These one foot by one foot squares lie side by side, creating larger squares or a grid arrangement. Julie discusses some advantages of this arrangement in the show.
On the show, Julie discusses several reasons why she feels square foot gardening is superior to other methods. Overall, it is the most organized way to garden that reduces waste and takes less work to maintain. When you get started with square foot gardening, you set yourself up for an enjoyable gardening experience for years to come. And, if you couple this method with raised beds, it allows you to continue to garden even as you age.
Do you have eight square feet to work with or sixteen square feet? This method is for an outdoor garden only, but it doesn’t matter how small or large your yard is. Any size will work. And, you can split up the squares. Maybe you have a two foot by sixteen-foot space along the side of your house. But, you also have an eight foot by eight foot space next to your garage. You can use both spaces. As you get started with square foot gardening, you can get creative with your garden!
Once you’ve decided how much space you have, it’s time to start marking off your squares, getting the soil ready, and planting your seeds. On the show, Julie discusses a couple of ways to set up your squares. Once you have that done, get the download she mentions by clicking HERE. The printable you receive through this link will help you decide what to grow in your squares. Some vegetables need more space than others or will require a trellis.
Listen to Crunchy Christian Podcast to get the scoop on how get started with square foot gardening.
And, don’t forget to hop on over to Julie Naturally and get your Healthy Habits Tracker!
We are living in interesting times. Take a look a Victory Gardens with Suzanne. We talk about the history of the gardens and reasons your family should consider digging up your own garden!
Join Julie Polanco on this episode of Crunchy Christian Podcast as she shares how to start a garden in a small space. Growing food in a small space brings special challenges that owners of larger pieces of land don’t have to deal with. What if you live in an apartment, townhouse, or condo? What if you own a small city lot, like Julie does? How can you still enjoy the benefits of growing your own food?
And most of all, what if you’ve never grown anything in your life?
Now’s the time to get started!
The first thing to think about is where you will grow your food. Do you have space outdoors or will you grow food in pots on your apartment balcony? The amount of space you have will determine what you will grow and how much.
What vegetables does your family enjoy and which ones will you grow?
Julie offers a few ideas on how to decide which vegetables to grow.
Get the download she mentions by clicking HERE. The printable you receive through this link will help you decide what to grow in your small space. Some vegetables need more space than others or will require a trellis and others grow well in smaller spaces or in pots.
In this episode, Julie mentions a few different ways to get quality seeds for your garden. If you cannot get them from a local source, here are a few mail order sources:
Julie has no affiliation with any of these companies and does not endorse one over the other. These sites are provided for your convenience.
Offer your vegetables and herbs the best chance of sprouting by optimizing the soil in your plot or pot. You do not want to use tons of compost or fertilizer. But, you also don’t want to just throw some seeds on your unprepared backyard soil. Julie gives some simple tips for getting your area ready before you plant any seeds.
Some seeds need to be started indoors and some are direct seed. Some vegetables need lots of water in order to sprout and some need cold weather. When you receive your seed packets, pay special attention to this. Generally, delicate leafy vegetables do not do as well in direct, hot sun (think lettuce and spinach). Brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, and collards) like cooler weather also. However, tomatoes and peppers do best in the hot summer sun. Another example is carrots. Carrots need consistently moist soil to sprout, but other vegetable seeds drown with too much water. So, it’s important to check on the specific recommendations for the vegetables you’re growing.
Listen to Crunchy Christian Podcast to get the full scoop on how to start your garden in a small space.
And, don’t forget to hop on over to Julie Naturally and get your Healthy Habits Tracker!
Welcome to another installment of Life Lessons from Ancient History. In Life Began in a Garden with Meredith Curtis, she shares the creation story straight as it is written in the Bible. We can all learn many lessons from this first week. There are some patterns, habits, mandates, even laws which were started then. Join us to hear Meredith describe what they are and why it matter to you and me.
Have you heard of herbalism? What about Biblical Herbalism? If you’ve ever wondered whether herbs belong in a Christian home—or worried that “natural remedies” somehow tip into New Age territory—this conversation is for you. Felice Gerwitz sits down with Camila Johnson of The Eden Institute to talk about reclaiming plant knowledge for the glory of the Creator. Learn about the curriculum she built so moms can learn right alongside their children, one plant at a time.
I raised five kids across a wide age span. I’ve reached for simple kitchen remedies when medicine made me feel worse. And I’ve watched too many science videos that never once named the Designer. Camila’s approach puts the glory back where it belongs. It is important to teach our children that they are important to and the world they belong to has so much to offer.
Camila is a former middle-school English teacher, a mom of four (two still at home), and the creator of a K–12 biblical herbalism curriculum. She grew up with Brazilian grandmothers who reached for peppermint tea and honey-lemon without calling it anything fancy. Later, she spent years studying plants on her own because the formal courses she found either ignored spiritual health entirely or leaned heavily into Far Eastern mysticism.
She decided to build something different: a curriculum that names the Holy Spirit, honors the Designer, and treats plants as provision rather than objects of worship.
Most of us were never taught how our bodies actually work or how the plants growing nearby can support them. Schools aim at tests. Life requires stewardship. Camila’s curriculum starts with that gap.
Each week focuses on one plant. The history lesson shows who used it and how. Geography shows where it grows and why the climate shapes its “energetics.” Science is pure observation—smell it, draw it, label the parts. Bible opens the week (sometimes a short original story about the Eden family, sometimes straight Scripture). Character grows through waiting for longer preparations, such as glycerites and tinctures. Art, language arts, and even a little Latin show up naturally because everything circles the same plant.
Younger children (Sprouts, K–2) make same-day teas and cold infusions. Third through fifth (Seedlings) begin the slower medicines. Middle and high school levels go deeper into constitutions and matching plant patterns to people patterns. The whole thing is designed so mom learns too. You do not have to arrive as an expert.
Camila has turned her backyard into a food forest, but she is clear: you can source every herb in the curriculum from reputable suppliers. She partners with Mountain Rose Herbs. The lessons work whether the plant is growing in a pot on your windowsill or sitting in a mason jar on the pantry shelf.
Start with one plant. Smell it. Ask what the scent might tell you. Read the short history. Draw it. Make a simple tea together. By the end of the week the children (and you) know that plant well enough to recognize it again. That is how real knowledge sticks—not through five disconnected subjects, but through one living thing studied from every angle.
Camila’s online foundations course and her book Back to Eden: A Biblical Foundation for Herbal Healing (available on Kindle) lay out the same framework: five basic tenets of healing that Scripture already names—rest, nutrition, hydration, and so on. A fever is not the enemy; it is the body doing what the Creator designed it to do. A headache can be the body asking for salt and water. The curriculum teaches children to notice those signals and respond with wisdom rather than automatically suppressing them.
A free first week for both elementary bands and a simple body-pattern quiz are available at her site so families can try before they commit. Pre-orders for Sprouts (K–2) are open; Seedlings (3–5) follows closely. She is also an approved ClassWallet vendor for families who can use education dollars.
Visit edeninstitute.health and the homeschool page at edeninstitute.health/homeschool.
Eden’s Table is Camila’s Bible-rooted herbalism unit study for elementary students (Sprouts, K–2, and Seedlings, 3–5). Every subject runs through one plant a week. Start with the nine-week Starter Unit as an instant download, or get the full year in three printed books.
Try one week free first. Camila will send you the complete first week — five lessons on lavender for Sprouts (K–2) or elderberry for Seedlings (3–5). Print it, teach it, see how your children respond before you spend anything. Get Week 1 free →
Listener gift: use code EDEN13 for 10% off the $39 Starter Unit or the $249 printed set, either level, through October 31, 2026. Shop Eden’s Table at edeninstitute.health/homeschool.
The Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network turns 13 this October, and Eden’s Table is our presenting sponsor. We’re celebrating all month with more than $1,500 in prizes for homeschool families, including a CTCMath annual family membership and $250 to spend at Media Angels. Drawings happen on four Fridays, and your entries carry forward, so one sign-up keeps you in every drawing. Earn bonus entries by following a show, leaving a review, or sharing the birthday page with a friend.
Enter the Sweet 13 giveaway here
More at MediaAngels.com/store.
Have a happy homeschool week.
About the Guest
Camila Johnson is the Founder and Executive Director of The Eden Institute, where she develops Bible-rooted herbalism curriculum designed to help homeschooling mothers teach science alongside their children. With a passion for showing that the created world is evidence of a Designer, Camila creates resources that integrate history, character, and the natural sciences with rigor and reverence. She is a mother who believes that moms don’t need to be experts before they begin; they simply need to be willing to learn alongside their children.
🌿 This episode is proudly sponsored by Eden’s Table — a Christ-centered herbalism curriculum for K-5 homeschool families. One plant a week, woven through Bible, science, history, art, and Latin.
In “Happy Birthday, Route 66,” Episode #263, Meredith Curtis celebrates America’s favorite vacation road. First came the Model T, and then came road trips. Route 66 became the road to adventure and family togetherness in 1926. Decommissioned in 1985 due to the Interstate, it has been restored as a US Scenic Highway. From the big city of Chicago through the desert to the ocean, come along on America’s Iconic Road Trip.
Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!
It’s 1965. Betty and Joe load their sleeping kids in the family station wagon. Rover, the family dog, quietly gets in through the tailgate. It’s an hour to Chicago, where they’ll hop on Route 66, America’s favorite vacation road.
Fast forward to 2026, when Betty and Joe’s granddaughter Beth and her husband John, …
Cyrus Avery, businessman, oilman, rancher, and highway commissioner, is called the Father of Route 66. Route 66 was created by combining existing local and state roads into a continuous cross-country route. Fully paved by 1938. Motels, diners, and gas stations sprang along its path.
Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985, but today preserved as “Historic Route 66” and National Scenic Byway.
Chicago is the official starting point of Route 66.
Joliet, IL. The Joliet Area Historical Museum and Old Joliet State Prison.
Bloomington, IL. Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum, world’s largest Route 66 Sign Mural, Pontiac Oakland Auto Museum.
Granite City, IL. Mississippi River Chain of Rocks Bridge, themed cafes and gas stations, colorful murals, outdoor sculptures, gardens, and art galleries.
St. Louis, MO. Gateway Arch, the place pioneers began their westward treks.
Meramec Caverns is one stop in Missouri’s Cave Country.
Lebanon, MO. Ozark Mountains with nonstop scenic views and iconic diners and gas stations.
Springfield, MO, and nearby towns offer a candy factory, a replica of the Hubble Space Telescope, the Route 66 Car Museum, Crystal Cave, and museums.
Joplin, MO. Route 66 Mural Park.
Kansas is the shortest stretch on Route 66, about 12 miles.
Galena is an old mining town that boomed in the early 1900s. The Viaduct Bridge, 3 characters from the movie Cars – Luigi, Sheriff Police Car, and Tow Mater, large murals of Coke, Pepsi, and Mountain Dew, & “Greetings from Galena,” mining museum.
Tulsa, OK. Open-air museum, Route 66 Historic Village. Southwest Avery Plaza Route 66 Neon Sign Park, Mother Road Market, Route 66-themed miniature golf,. Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios, towering “Muffler Man,”
Pops 66 Soda Ranch greets you with a giant illuminated soda bottle sign in Arcadia.
Oklahoma City, OK. Cowboy museums, multisensory experiences, colorful murals, Cattleman’s Steakhouse, Stockyards City, guided canal cruise.
Amarillo, TX. Great western food at vintage eateries, historic buildings, and art. Cadillac Ranch: 10 Cadillacs are buried hood down into the ground. Grab a can of spray paint and add your artistic best.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park, TX. Second-largest canyon in the USA. Hike, explore, horseback ride, or mountain bike. Rustic cabins.
Tucumcari, NM’s famous Blue Swallow Motel has hosted travelers since 1939. New Mexico Route 66 Museum and Route 66 Monument.
Albuquerque, NM. 66 Diner, The KiMo Theatre.
Window Rock Navajo Tribal Park, Navajo Nation, AZ. Window Rock is not actually on Route 66. Memorial Park honors the Navajo Code Talkers and Navajo Marines. Breathtaking Monument Valley is also in the Navajo Window is actually 4 ½ hours away, close to Flagstaff.
Petrified Forest National Park, AZ. Trees that have fossilized with rings of reds, oranges, and purples.
Painted Desert, AZ, is a beautiful desert/mesa landscape that is absorbs light at sunrise and sunset to take on rich, vibrant colors. Painted Desert Inn and 1932 Studebaker abandoned in the desert.
Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, AZ. Crash site (55 ft deep, mile wide) where a meteor landed on Earth. NASA astronauts trained for the moon landing there.
Holbrook, AZ. Wigwam Motel.
Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, AZ.
Winslow, AZ. Old Trails Museum. Gigantic Route 66 sign stamped into the asphalt. World’s smallest church, 9/11 Remembrance Garden, La Posada, hotel.
Flagstaff, AZ. Route 66 sign stamped into the asphalt, giant Muffler Man, Galaxy Diner, San Francisco Mountains. Detour: Grand Canyon.
Needles, CA. Just inside the border. Wagon Wheel Restaurant.
Mojave National Preserve. Desert with volcanic cinder cones, sand dunes, desert tortoises, and Joshua trees. Kelso Depot, restored train station/museum on the LA-Las Vegas Union Pacific Railroad line.
San Bernardino, CA. First McDonald’s. First Original McDonald’s Museum, Wigwam motel, Bono’s Giant Orange.
Santa Monica, CA. Pacific Ocean, famous pier, brass plaque that marks the official end of Route 66. Congratulations! You made it!
I’ve barely scratched the surface, but there are plenty of websites and blogs devoted to Route 66. Be sure to browse and research. God bless you!
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Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!
This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: 10 Ways to Help Teens Develop Their Interests.
One of the joys of homeschooling high school is helping teens invest in their interests.
One of the most important gifts we can give our teens in their high school years is to lean into discovering their interests, to explore ideas that are important to them, or simply to find out that they have interests, and to try on hats and to see which ones are the best fits for them.
Out of these interests, teens may turn them into hobbies or avocations that will follow them for the rest of their lives, or just for the high school years.
However, often these interests will become the first steps towards a career.
We, parents, want to know that we have done our part in helping our teens be ready for the next phase of life. We want to invest in them, to know whether they really are interested in something enough to make it a career.
Whether an interest will become a hobby or a career, an important part of high school is investing in interests.
Remember, discovering and developing interests is an adventure, so try not to get stressed about it! Here are ten ways to have an interesting adventure!
If you find your teen has an interest they would like to explore, see if they’ve got some friends who have the same interests. Let them have get-togethers and participate in the activity together, or make a club.
One of Vicki’s sons and his friends were interested in doing film. The movie The Lord of the Rings was popular in those days. My son and his friends watched the extra material on the videos. This inspired them to make their own videos.
Soon, they wanted a Cinematography Club. The teens had so much fun. They made short movies from start to finish: scripting, filming, acting, and making props. We were able to include this as an extracurricular on their transcripts.
That son went to community college and got his AA degree in video production. By that time, he had said, “You know what? This is not what I want to do for a career, but it’s going to be a good tool.” He has used filmmaking throughout college to do his presentations.
He is a teacher now, and he has sponsored a Cinematography Club at his school.
Remember: You are never wasting time when investing in your teen’s interests.
In some areas, there are lots of opportunities for teens to explore different interests. For instance:
Your co-op, local homeschool support groups, or umbrella schools often have some kind of interest groups for teens. Our homeschool high schoolers have participated in public speaking groups, choirs, bands, service groups, and sports teams through our umbrella school or homeschool support group.
Teens who are ministry-oriented, mission-oriented, and/or enjoy church youth groups can join groups that help them explore these interests. A number of our teens have been in the church youth group and have joined missions trips overseas or here in the States.
Look for interesting opportunities in the community: ranger-led walks in state parks, organizations that do river cleanup days, birdwatching groups, etc.
There are endless opportunities for our teens:
If your teen wants to spend some time exploring a subject, let them do it. Have them log the hours. One of our top articles at 7SistersHomeschool is from the Freedom Homeschool mom. Her name is Sarah, and her teens have been exploring gardening. They have done gardening for an elective credit. They log those hours and get elective credit.
Some of our teens who have been into sciences have done extra sciences like marine biology or an extra chemistry course. If they are into it, let them explore.
We have had teens get a textbook on astronomy and take courses in that.
Teens can turn interests into electives! One of my teens was born a musician and has enjoyed singing, playing guitar, and being part of a church worship band. When he was in high school, he developed an interest in the history of church music. So, one year, he did a deep dive into this topic, writing a research paper on the topic. He spent enough time on the topic that he logged an elective credit in Church Music History.
(BTW- this is a true “sparkle credit” on the transcript!)
Teens can take dual enrollment courses at their local community college or online courses through a college. If these courses help them explore an interest, they earn a triple blessing: early college credit, high school credit, and another way to explore interests.
Finding an apprenticeship for your teen is a good idea. Years ago, one of our teens wanted to explore becoming a farrier. She found a local farrier and worked with them, and began learning those skills. This was a first step in a career that was meaningful to her.
Another one of our teens was interested in becoming a large animal vet. She did an apprenticeship for a vet. This was a valuable experience for her because she found that she did NOT like the on-call lifestyle of a veterinarian.
Is there something related to your interest that the teen can do to serve the community? For instance, in our area near the Chesapeake Bay, some organizations take families kayaking and participate in a river cleanup. This gives teens service hours, as well as understanding the local waterway, using a kayak, and enjoying nature.
Don’t forget to join the 7SistersHomeschool Facebook Group. It’s a great place to ask questions and share your own ideas with others.
For more on helping your teens explore interests, check out these:
Thank you to Seth Tillman for editing!
🌿 This episode is proudly sponsored by Eden’s Table — a Christ-centered herbalism curriculum for K-5 homeschool families. One plant a week, woven through Bible, science, history, art, and Latin.
In “Our Heritage of Freedom I,” Episode #255, Meredith Curtis takes you back in time to the very beginning and walks you through our heritage of Freedom. From the Garden of Eden and the Law of Moses through Greek, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and British influence, we can see the torch of freedom blazing.
Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!
Our heritage of liberty goes back many years. Like all Western nations, we have the tradition of biblical law from the OldTestament and New Testament of The Holy Bible. We are also blessed to have been influenced by Hebrew theocracy,Anglo-Saxon tribal rule, Greek democracy, and Roman republicanism, along with the British.
The Lord God Almighty gives us His holy and perfect Law in the Old Testament. Genesis. The Law of Moses
Jesus summed up The Law, making it simple and practical for us to understand. Jesus modeled for us obedience to TheLaw. He also raised the bar to include love, sacrifice, and redemption. Sometimes we can even extend mercy in our national justice system.
From the nation of Israel, we have a picture of power divided between national and tribal, as well as a call to righteousness throughout the nation.
Greece was not a united country, but rather a confederation of nations called city-states. Athens functioned as a democracy where decisions were made by popular vote or by officials who were elected by popular vote.
Our ideals of a republic are inspired by the ancient Roman Republic. Our Congress is made up of the Senate and theHouse of Representatives, similar to the Roman Senate.
Like the Israelites, the Anglo-Saxons governed through family and tribal leadership. Tribal leaders came together to make decisions, and leaders of tribes gathered to make decisions for the whole nation.
Before we were Americans, we were British colonists. Elected official, trial by jury, leaders accountable to the law, protection of private property, protect people from harm English Common Law is based on the Old and New Testaments,Jewish Law, Anglo-Saxon Law, Viking Law, Roman Law, and Ecclesiastical (Church) Law. Henry II.
Norman Invasion. Magna Charta. Parliament begins.
The Reformation.
English Petition of Rights & English Bill of Rights.
France – Edict of Nantes.
Individuals, Families, Churches.
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Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!
🌿 This episode is proudly sponsored by Eden’s Table — a Christ-centered herbalism curriculum for K-5 homeschool families. One plant a week, woven through Bible, science, history, art, and Latin.
In “US Habits Keeping Freedom Alive,” episode #253, Meredith Curtis continues celebrating America’s 250th Birthday by uncovering American habits that preserve individual and national freedom. Faith & Family; Hard Work; Community Service; Rule of Law; and Safety keep the lights of liberty burning brightly. Let’s unpack these traditions so you can build on them in your own life today and in the future. God bless the USA. 😊
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America is different from other nations – first to be governed by a written constitution, friendly people, a wealthy nation, values freedom, and is independent.
Faith and family work together to strengthen one another.
Faith gives our lives meaning and purpose. Salvation.
George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards. Great Awakening. Revival. Transformation & Unity.
Democracy in America: America is great because Americans are good. Author talked about their virtuous lifestyles, which included attending church, loving their neighbor, and having strong families.
Marriage and family, created by God in the Garden, provide love and security. Strong families mean a strong society. Weak, broken families lead to a broken-down society filled with crime and cruelty.
How can we revive this American tradition of faith and family?
Story: Paula
America’s heroes and heroines are hard workers.
Hard work is a virtue, respected in the USA. Giving free stuff to able-bodied men and women who can work brings harm to them and to our country. It entices lazy people to come here and get welfare. Hard work is not a punishment; it is a blessing.
How can we revive the American tradition of hard work?
Story: Bob
Philanthropy and charity are an American way of life.
How can we revive the American tradition of community service?
Story: Anna
When God set up the nation of Israel, he gave them laws—many give with punishments for breaking them.
In the US, we have are ruled by a Constitution, our overarching law.
Thanks to the Bible and British Common Law, we enjoy many rights and privileges in relation to law and justice–trial by jury, face our accusers, just cause and warrant for searching our person or property, defend ourselves in court, and punishment cannot be cruel or unusual; it must fit the crime.
Elected officials must take an oath to defend the Constitution and the people they serve. Elected officials are accountable under the law.
How do we revive the American tradition of the rule of law?
Story: Matt
For Americans to be safe, those who break the law must be punished, regardless of social status, wealth, or power. Peace and safety require vigilance and military readiness. Prepare for war with a strong defense in place, yet seek to avoid it through diplomatic channels.
Barbary Pirates
How do we revive the American tradition of safety?
Story: Brandon.
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Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!
