Carnival of Homeschooling ~ Alasandra's Garden

Gardening and homeschooling have a lot in common. Most gardeners research what grows well in their area, have a plan for their garden, purchase plants, then water, fertilize and prune their plants as needed. Flower beds are weeded as needed.

Homeschoolers often research homeschooling, homeschooling methods and learning styles before embarking on their homeschooling journey. Plans are made for the school year, books and supplies are purchased, lessons are taught, school work is assigned and reviewed (graded) and plans revised as needed.



What's in a name? Well a lot of people consider Goldenrod (aka Solidago) to be a weed, I consider it to be a beautiful wildflower, and count myself lucky to have it growing in my yard. The great thing about wildflowers is they require little care on my part. Here is some Goldenrod mixed in with Statice (aka Sea Lavender and Marsh Rosemary). Statice symbolizes remembrance. C h r y s a l i s ღ presents Bible Names and Why They Matter and 3 Miracle Parenting Tools .

Columbine

Rational Jenn presents Peopleguy Tours posted at Rational Jenn.

Heliotrope

Cherish presents My beef with public education as well as Dial it in! posted at FCIWYPSC.

Columbine

Columbines are found in many parts of North America in different colors and shapes. Look for them beside rivers, in the woods, in the rough terrain of the Rocky Mountains and in many home gardens. They are extremely easy to grow and reproduce by scattering their own seeds. Amy @ Hope Is the Word presents Read Aloud Thursday?Snow! posted at Hope Is the Word.

Encore Azalea

Encore® Azaleas are the only patented brand of azaleas to bloom in spring,summer and fall. I expected them to do well as we live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast but they proved not to be as hardy as the regular Azaleas we have. We planted three and this is the only one that survived. It's beautiful blooms make it a joy to behold throughout the year.

Arby presents Mr. Arby, Meet Your Son posted at The Homeschool Apologist.

Bottlebrush (Callistemon)

Bottlebrush is native to Australia mostly growing in moist soil in open or woodland sites. Every country has something to offer, Successful Homeschooling describes methods traditional Chinese mothers use to create math whizzes and music prodigies in her post What Homeschoolers Can Learn from Chinese Mothers.

Cactus

Cristina presents Home Spun comic strip #565 posted at Home Spun Juggling.

Buttercup

The Buttercup is a terrific plant it reseeds itself every year and blooms all season.

Jessica presents Labels posted at Teachable Moments.

Many of you have snow where you live. We are having colder then average temperatures here in South Mississippi. So far the garden has survived but I will have some major pruning and weeding to do once the weather is warm enough. Sweet Diva offers her thoughts on Homeschooling While Fighting the Desire to Hibernate....

Butterfly with Lantana

Chris McGinn presents My new homeschooling friend--Google eBooks posted at Mothers of Boys.

And Speaking of books if you are interested in gardening or flowers I recommend these books:

1. Wildflowers of Mississippi by Stephen L. Timme
2. Complete Guide to Flower Gardening by Better Homes and Gardens
3. Alabama & Mississippi Gardener's Guide by By Felder Rushing and Jennifer Greer
4. The Complete Container Garden by David Joyce

Angel Trumpet

I have a purple and white Devil's Trumpet that I grew from seeds. The Angel Trumpets haven't produced seeds so far, but I have managed to root them from cuttings. I have both pink and yellow and hope to purchase a white one this year.

ChristineMM presents A Story About 1:1 Homeschool Teaching posted at The Thinking Mother.

Mexican Petunia

The Mexican Petunia's die back in the winter, but so far they have returned every year. I have the purple and am considering purchasing some pink this year.

Pamela presents Teasing posted at Blah, Blah, Blog.

Zinnia

I started the Zinnias from seeds. They were easy to cultivate. I'll probably get some more seeds in a different color this year. I am hoping the pink reseeded themselves.

Cindy presents Gifted Kids and Standardized Testing posted at love2learn2day.

Foxglove

The foxgloves reseeded themselves last year. I have my fingers crossed they do so again this year.

Katherine presents playing school? posted at No Fighting, No Biting!.

Stokes Aster (not a real Aster)

My Stokes Aster pretty much thrives all year, if we have a really hard frost it will die back but as soon as the temperatures warm up it will start to come out again. Produces lovely blooms from mid spring into the summer for me.

No snow here in South Mississippi but at Delightful Learning you can read all about Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.

Foxglove

Laura presents Labelling Our Children posted at Practical Homeschooling.

Carolina Yellow Jasmine

This is rather bizarre, my Carolina Yellow Jasmine is blooming in January. We are having really strange weather here, colder then average temperatures, less rain then usual and the plants are behaving oddly.

Bore Me to Tears points out that Scientists know more science.

Buttercup with Moth

Rebecca Zook presents Need to remember something important? Breaking news! posted at Triangle Suitcase - Rebecca Zook's Blog About Learning.

Does anyone know what this is? I grew it from a bulb.

Heather Laurie presents Teaching Silence posted at Special Needs Homeschooling.

Foxglove

Kelly Elmore presents My Worries and Balloon Animals posted at Reepicheep's Coracle.

Marigold

Annual Marigolds can be used anywhere to deter Mexican bean beetles, squash bugs, tomato hornworms, and whiteflies. They are also known to repel harmful root knot nematodes (soil dwelling microscopic white worms) that attack tomatoes, potatoes, roses, and strawberries. The root of the Marigold produces a chemical that kills nematodes as they enter the soil. If a whole area is infested, at the end of the season, turn the Marigolds under so the roots will decay in the soil. You can safely plant there again the following spring.

Deb @ Not Inadequate tells why she decided to teach Latin to her kids in the post Ut Docui necne ut Docui?

Gardenia

It’s quite an honor to have a plant named after you. It’s an even bigger honor when that plant sports a flower with the most intoxicating fragrance in the world.

Dr. Alexander Garden, a Scottish physician and naturalist, moved to Charleston in 1752. He corresponded with English merchant John Ellis, who just happened to be a good friend of Carolus Linnaeus, the famous Swedish botanist. Linnaeus had developed the genus-and-species system for scientifically naming and classifying plants.

In 1758, Ellis visited a garden outside London to inspect an evergreen shrub thought to be a jasmine and blessed with powerfully scented double white flowers. Ellis doubted it was a true jasmine, and Linnaeus agreed. Ellis convinced Linnaeus to name the new find for his pen pal in Charleston, Alexander Garden. Enter the gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides). Fittingly, in 1762, the New World’s first gardenia was planted in Dr. Garden’s garden.

A Brief History of the Gardenia

Why Homeschool presents a Great arguement for Unschooling: Ted Talk on Child-driven education.

Cactus

Majellamom (Lori) presents A Blast from the Past...with Blue posted at Waiting for Charlie....

Gladiolas

Check out the The Lemonade Geography Tour @ Farm School.

Roses

Nak presents A Living Book for St. Valentine's Day posted at Sage Parnassus.

Confederate Rose (a type of Hibiscus)

The Legend of the Confederate Rose

Once the Confederate Rose was pure white. During the Civil War, a soldier was fatally wounded in battle. He fell upon the rose as he lay dying. During the course of the two days he took to die, he bled more and more on the flower, till at last bloom was covered with his blood. When he died, the flower died with him. Thereafter, the Confederate Rose (or Cotton Rose), opens white, and over the course of the two days the bloom lasts, they turn gradually from white to pink to almost red, when the flower finally falls from the bush.

The Confederate Rose or hibiscus mutablis is actually a Chinese import. Brought into English gardens in the 1600's, it is said to have gained favor in the South due to its ease of cultivation during the hard financial times after the Civil War.

Barbara Frank Online presents Black Home Educators Embrace Their Cultural Heritage. This post seems particular timely as yesterday we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Day (Federal Holiday) as well as Robert E. Lee Day (State Holiday) in South Mississippi. By homeschooling I was able to embrace our Confederate Heritage which is pretty much ignored in the public schools. History buffs might be interested in reading Robert E. Lee's biography online as well as A Taste of Freedom by Tommie Thompson about the forgotten slave soldiers who fought in the Civil War for the South.

Zinnias with Butterfly

History is Elementary offers a history lesson on the Spanish American War in her post Be a Hero: Sink a U.S. Ship.

Red Rose

Shannon @ Mom Improvement post on Teaching Writing.

Rooster Violet

This trooper has been blooming all winter, it is actually a type of pansy. It really seems to enjoy the cold weather.

Denise presents Babymath: Story Problem Challenge III posted at Let's Play Math!.

Butterfly with Pineapple Sage

Susan Ryan presents Daytime Curfews Persist in Illinois posted at Corn and Oil.

Zinnia

Zinnias are another member of the large Aster family of plants and originate in Mexico and the Southwest United States. They come in a form suitable for every garden situation, including single, double, cactus, dahlia, ruffles, and pompon. Colors include every shade except blue, and many are multicolored. Most are prolific bloomers that add beautiful color to the landscape, and many have growth habits that make wonderful additions to container plantings. The uses for Zinnias in the home garden are almost endless. Use them as border plants, fillers for bare spots in perennial gardens, or massed in a garden all their own.

Mama Squirrel presents Once Upon a Company (review) posted at Dewey's Treehouse.

Candlebush

My neighbor gave me the seeds to this wonderful plant. And I completely agree with this statement by Lady Bird Johnson, "Where flowers bloom, so does hope".

Jimmie presents Book Report Notebooking Page posted at The Notebooking Fairy.

John Laugherton presents Top 50 Social Sites for Educators and Academics posted at Learn-O-Rama.

Rona Burstein presents 19 Educational Open Courseware Classes About Social Work posted at Online MSW Program.

Audrey Christopher presents 19 Educational Open Courseware Classes About Sociology posted at Master of Sociology.


Elizabeth Wright presents Educating Children with Mood Disorders posted at Education Degrees.

Princess Feather

For those of you interested in gardening or wildflowers I do a gardening post on Thursdays at Alasandra, The Cats & A Dog entitled Thursday in the Garden.

Thanks for visiting the Carnival of Homeschooling. Homeschool Bytes will be hosting the Carnival next week.