Making the Most of Being Home

At a time when things are so uncertain, we need community more than ever. I believe we need to hold tight to each other, not pull apart. But as we step into a season of physical distancing, we turn to the next best thing: an online community to support and encourage one another.

If you find yourselves homebound, whether you're already a homeschooler or a new one, we’ve created a kit of resources for you and your family to make the most of this concentrated time together.

If you’re new to our community, welcome! We believe that childhood is a time to foster wonder, creativity and discovery through play and exploration. Learning together is what we do, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. We lean on each other as a community to make it through our days, and we hope that you’ll lean on us as you enter this new frontier with your family.

The amazing thing about kids is that they are learning all the time. As parents, all we have to do is provide an environment that encourages the curiosity within them. 

Check out these resources to kick off your time together at home.

For this special activity kit, we’ve hand-picked some of the best content from our content bundles over the past six years. If you’ve been a subscriber for a while, you may recognize some of these pieces. However, we've put them all in one place for an easy-to-access collection.

Our Homebound Activity Kit includes 34 articles to inspire wonder, foster creativity, and make the most of your home and nature.

One of the best things we can do is get outside to connect with nature, move our bodies through exploration and play, and soak up some sunshine and Vitamin D. This is the perfect opportunity to make your home and the world your classroom. Get started here.


Free Resources

Here's just a taste of what's included in the Homebound Activity Kit. Download the four resources in this section:

  • Front yard Nature Study by Jennifer Dees
  • Mornings Without Measure by Elsie Iudicello
  • Bug Stones Tutorial by Tara Rondinelli
  • Family Game Play by Zane Kathryne Schwaiger

And we've included this week's podcast, where Elsie Iudicello talks about managing motherhood during the difficult days. By the way, there are 59 Wild + Free podcasts for you to enjoy on SoundCloud and iTunes.


What's Included in the Kit

This limited-time resource is on sale for $29 and includes some of the best downloadable articles, handcrafts, projects, recipes, interviews, and outdoor activities from the Wild + Free bundles over the past five years.

When you purchase this resource in our online shop, you'll receive two emails from us - one includes a receipt and the other provides instructions and a link for downloading the kit to your computer as a zip file.

If you don't receive an email, please email us, and we'll send you a direct link to download the goodies. All of the resources are downloadable.


  • Game-Schooling by Stephanie Beaty
  • Playful Learning Podcast with Stephanie Beaty
  • Creating a Bird Habitat by Jodi Mockabee
  • Nature Crafts by Raimie Harrison
  • Painting Wet on Wet by Jodi Mockabee
  • Dramatic Play by Jennifer Naraki
  • A Story Party by Raimie Harrison 
  • Five Ways to Ignite Imaginations by Suzi Kern 
  • Vanilla Extract Tutorial by Rachel Kovac 
  • Campfire Play Set by Raimie Harrison
  • Pasta Making by Katrien Van Deuren
  • The Gift of Gardening by Jennifer Dees
  • An Audio Story by Elsie Iudicello
  • Nature Journaling the Human Body by Kristin Rogers
  • Treasures of Teatime by Jennifer Dees
  • History Timeline Scroll by Betsy Jenkins
  • A Family Culture of Board Games by Nettie Gallagher
  • Healthy Cinnamon Cookies by Jillian Ragsdale
  • Naturalists of the Night by Winnie Hughes
  • Springtime Nature Hunt & Craft by Rachael Alsbury
  • Starting a Farmers Market by Jennifer Naraki 
  • Mud Painting by Jillian Ragsdale
  • How a Garden Grows by Kristin Rogers
  • Day Camping by Chloe Wickizer
  • Nature Fair by Winnie Hughes
  • Wandering Close to Home by Hannah Mayo
  • Wandering into Discovery by Suzi Kern
  • Savoring a Nature Walk by Kristin Rogers
  • Unstructured Art by Hannah Mayo
  • The Family Garden by Carol Ann Sartell
  • Homemade Tortillas by Erika Yung
  • Easter Grass by Erika Yung
  • Garden Markers Tutorial by Lea Wu
  • Gardening at Home Podcast with Jennifer Dees


Podcasts Included

We've included three podcasts in the Homebound Activity Kit: interviews with Stephanie Beaty, Jen Dees, and Elsie Iudicello.

 

Jennifer Dees on
Gardening at Home

Stephanie Beaty on
Playful Learning

A Personal Story
by Elsie Iudicello


Enjoy Your Time at Home

Change is hard. Our very nature reels at altered plans and disrupted schedules. It reminds us that we’re not in control, which  can feel annoying at best and scary at worst. But change can be a gift, as it forces us to accept that the only thing we can really control is how we respond to it.

Ainsley Arment
@ainsl3y