Using the Farmers Market as A Teaching Tool- Homeschool in the Wild

I love Farmers Markets! It is a great way to support local farmers and get delicious, fresh produce! Plus you can use your local farmer’s market for homeschool!

This summer, we have been attending local farmers markets, like the Youngstown Farmers Market, as a way to not only fill our fridge with fresh produce, but also to teach the kids a few lessons too!

 

Using the Farmer’s Market for Homeschool

While many of my friends grow their own produce, I do not. Part of it involves the fact that I hate gardening. Growing up, we had an enormous garden, and I spent so much of my summer tending to it and picking from it that I just never developed a love for it. Also, I have a brown thumb. Also, also, the deer eat everything here. They just recently ate most of my new hydrangea bushes. Deer are quite lovely creatures, but they can be jerks sometimes. Where was I? Oh yes, some people grow their own produce. It is wonderful, and I highly commend all of you that do it and will eat any and all goodies that come from your garden beds.

For those of us that don’t, we can go to the grocery and pick out what we need, or we can visit our local produce stores. However, the availability of Farmers Markets give us a variety in the summer of many local farmers and all the bounty they have to offer. Bringing our children with us when we go can give them a different perspective on food and our community.

Local Sources

By visiting Farmers Markets and local produce stands, we can show our children how important it is to support our local farmers. We can give them an up close view that food does not just magically appear at the supermarket. It comes from people who grow the food. Meeting the farmers that we procure our produce gives a personal touch to this. We can meet the people and families that are supported when we buy their produce. As someone who is very passionate about shopping locally, this also drives the point home of how when we shop local, we support our community, our neighbors, and our friends.

Learning about Small Business

The Farmers Markets are a great way to show littles about small business. You can show your children how hard small businesses work to get their name out there and to promote their goods. You can also show them how hard small businesses are in general. Small business owners work really hard to grow their businesses and get your business, rather than having you go to a big box store. This is the perfect opportunity to give your kids a visual on that!

 

Personally, I find going to Farmers Markets an enjoyable experience. I loved using the farmer’s market for homeschool. For those of you who homeschool, like we do, it is just another example of how you can turn anything into a homeschool experience.

What is your favorite part about Farmers Markets? What would you add to ways kids can learn from them? As always, I would love to hear from you in the comments below!