Today, my sweet son Ben joins me and shares his thoughts on homeschooling and being raised on traditional foods.
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Table of Contents
- Homeschooling Our Son
- Homeschooling with Learning Differences
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- Our Homeschool Program and Books
- Favorite Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum
- Traditional Foods and Homeschooling
- More Family Videos
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Homeschooling Our Son
In case you are contemplating homeschooling, new to homeschooling, or jumped in feet first to homeschooling—unexpectedly—this year, I thought you might enjoy hearing the perspective of my son Ben who is all grown up now but was homeschooled!
We homeschooled Ben from first through eighth grades. He shares his memories about those lower grades and his thoughts on making the transition to a “brick and mortar” high school and eventually going on to college.
Homeschooling with Learning Differences
Plus, for those of you who may have a child or children with dyslexia or other learning differences, you may find Ben’s homeschooling journey (and beyond) intriguing and helpful.
Ben has dyslexia, along with dyscalculia and dysgraphia, and he shares the tools he used to help him with his schoolwork in the video. He also talks about the importance of learning how to self-advocate once he left the homeschooling environment.
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The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
Our Homeschool Program and Books
As Ben and I discuss in our conversational video, we used the Charlotte Mason Method for our homeschooling “curriculum.” But I use the word curriculum very loosely because the Charlotte Mason Method does not require you to purchase any packaged curriculum. It is so much richer than that!
Charlotte Mason was an educator who lived in the 1800s and into the early 1900s. She recommended teaching children through the use of what she called “Living Books.” These books provide a unique way to learn and remember. In contrast, many people usually write regular textbooks.
Living Books bring a subject to life and make it unforgettable! This is best way to learn and remember. And the good news…your local library is filled with Living Books that include many of the ones that we used when homeschooling:
- Aesop’s Fables (for Copywork)
- Pagoo (for Science)
- James Herriot’s Treasury (for Animal Studies)
- Snowflake Bentley (for Science)
- Measuring Penny (for Math)
- Mapping Penny’s World (for Geography)
- A Child’s Garden of Verses (for Poetry and Copywork)
- Shakespeare Tales (for Literature)
- Song of Sixpence (for History)
- Boxcar Children (for History)
- The Boy Who Drew Birds (for Science)
- The Friar Who Grew Peas (for Science)
- Beatrix Potter Tales (for Literature)
- Simply Grammar (for Grammar)
The following Living Books are excellent for learning about history, geography, and so much more about life. They also have accompanying cookbooks, so your homeschoolers can learn about traditional foods in the kitchen too.
- Little House on the Prairie
- Little House on the Prairie Cookbook
- Secret Garden
- Secret Garden Cookbook
If you find this method of homeschooling intriguing, I highly recommend reading Miss Mason’s primer Home Education.
Along with Miss Mason’s book, I highly recommend these additional resources:
- A Charlotte Mason Education
- More Charlotte Mason Education
- Mother Culture
- Real Learning in the Heart of the Home
- Honey for a Child’s Heart
- A Mother’s Rule of Life
Favorite Free Homeschool Lesson Plans
The wonderful thing about using the Charlotte Mason Method of home education is that most of the books you need will be available at your local library or through an interlibrary loan. You’ll also find many resources online, including a bounty of free lesson plans.
Here are two of my favorite resources for grade-specific lesson plans:
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum is a free, comprehensive educational companion to The Modern Pioneer Cookbook. Each lesson features a different recipe from the cookbook, as well as discussion questions, engaging activities, and cross-curricular connections to math, science, history, and more.
- Learn more and download The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum (Free, no Email Required)
Traditional Foods and Homeschooling
For our family, traditional foods and homeschooling went hand in hand, so Ben also shares his thoughts on being raised on a diet of traditional foods, including kefir and raw milk.
If you are beginning a journey from a processed foods kitchen to a traditional foods kitchen in your home, be sure to check out the Nourishing Traditions book by Sally Fallon.
This book started the Traditional Foods Movement in the twentieth century. This essential reference is my go-to book for all things nutrient-dense, from bone broth to ferments, cultured dairy, sourdough, and more!
More Family Videos
Now that you know my sweet son better, you may also like to meet my sweet husband Ted. In the following video, Ted talks more about how we met, sweet remembrances about his dad and his extended family, and his favorite board games and movies. Plus, he has a few thoughts about traditional foods. (Spoiler alert: He and Ben share similar suspicions about kefir! 😉)
For more details on the specifics of our homeschooling curriculum, watch my homeschooling journey video, where I share all the ins and outs of how we used the Charlotte Mason Method.
My sweet friends on YouTube met Ben for the first time in the following video tour of our kitchen garden.
And if you would like to hear my memories of how Ted and I met, watch my earlier video about the joys of being a wife and mother.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
And if you’re looking for a printed book full of my traditional foods recipes that shows you how to create a traditional foods kitchen, be sure to order your copy of my new bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook.
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos, live streams, and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
Kitchen Academy Videos
How to Eat a Mediterranean Diet with a Keto Twist
Explore a Mediterranean-Keto twist with a full sample menu focused on healthy fats, quality proteins, and low-carb veggies.
Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy 2025 Member Update
I chat about what’s in store for my Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy in 2025.
Baking with Ancient Grains in the Traditional Foods Kitchen
Bake with Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt—nutritious ancient grains that bring rich flavor and tradition to your favorite recipes.
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
- Preorder The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Be one of the first to get Mary's hardcover book about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Spice Grinder
- Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
- Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
- Vacuum Lids
- Whisk
- Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
- Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
- Flour Sack Towels
- pH Strips (Helps you check on the acidity of your vinegar)
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Lehman's, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, Plan to Eat, and More!
Recommended Reading
In addition to the homeschooling books that I discuss in this blog post, the following traditional foods books make great additions to your kitchen library.
