write a short note on preparation of soil.

We are a homeschooling family. I believe (more and more each day) that this is what is best for our family as a whole and for our kids as individuals. I also think that it allows me — as a mom — to do my job as a parent to the very best of my ability. We are only beginning our third year of this journey but I am more excited than ever to be walking this road with my kids.

I could write for pages (and pages) about our reasons for homeschooling and why I think more families should honestly consider it. However, I will attempt a short summary, for my sake as well as yours. By writing it, I am better able to articulate what is in my heart and mind.Homeschooling had always been on my radar, mostly because a woman I respected very much homeschooled her children. I liked what I saw in her and her family and I wanted the same for mine.

Because we have lived overseas and worked in international schools, I also saw the amazing experiences that these schools provide. The opportunity to learn and play with kids from all over the world was something I longed to give my children. I spent time hoping and praying that this would one day be our reality.

And then we moved to Indonesia and I was so thankful that my prayers had been answered. My kids had a great year at school – Alaina in kindergarten and Caleb in preschool. Their teachers were caring, the kids thrived, and my dream had come true.

As I prepare to begin our third year of homeschooling (this year with FOUR kids!), these are my reasons (apart from the initial “I just know in my heart that this is what is right.”) I want to note that we have access to a fantastic, free Christian education at a school with loving, believing teachers and some amazing administrators. I am thankful for that privilege and there may come a time when I want to take advantage of it. But for now, as I have young children, these things I know:

1. I am the best teacher for my children. This is not because I have the most educational credentials. Rather, this is fact simply because there is no one who knows my kids the way I do. There is no one who cares for them the way I do. There is no one who has their best interests in mind the way I do. A teacher can never love a child the way a parent does. Never. That deep love motivates all other educational decisions.
2. I don’t want to compartmentalize our lives. Instead of having “home/family life,” “school life,” and “church/discipleship life,” homeschooling allows us to braid these three together. Home is learning and school is discipleship and family is church.
3. I want my children to learn in their own time and in their own way. With no grade levels to worry about, I can let my children learn at their own pace in each subject. I can slow down where needed and speed up when appropriate. I don’t have to worry that they are being frustrated by work they are not ready for or being bored because they are doing work that they have already mastered. They are free to explore areas that interest them and to be exposed to books, ideas, and experiences that schools– due to their structure — cannot offer.
4. Children need time to play. I think that young children need lots of time to play. They need time to explore, dress up, imagine, jump, run, get messy, and be kids. This cannot be accomplished in 15 minute recess periods. Little boys, especially, don’t thrive sitting at a desk being “still and quiet.” It is a skill they need to learn , but not for seven hours a day.
5. I need the time. I feel the weight of the job I have to do as a mother. The stakes are high – very high. I have (give or take) about 18 years with my children at home. In those 18 years I need to raise them to be mature, thoughtful, responsible, compassionate, hard-working, humble, and educated adults, ready to make a difference in their world. This takes time…lots of time. If my children are gone for 7 or 8 hours a day (and then come home to homework and other responsibilities and activities) I will simply not have the time to do my job the way I feel called to. If they are away all day, not only do I miss those hours with them, but also I have to spend extra time working through and undoing some things they learned at school (through teachers, peers, and/or experiences).
6. I care about socialization. However, the kind of socialization that I want my children to have cannot be accomplished in a room full of same-aged peers. The definition of socialization is: “a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position.” Isn’t having a six-year-old learning “values, behavior, and social skills” from other six-year-olds a little like the blind leading the blind? So to answer the most often asked question, “Yes! I do care about socialization…so much so that I am choosing to not put my kids in school.”

We are a homeschooling family. I believe (more and more each day) that this is what is best for our family as a whole and for our kids as individuals. I also think that it allows me — as a mom — to do my job as a parent to the very best of my ability. We are only beginning our third year of this journey but I am more excited than ever to be walking this road with my kids.

I could write for pages (and pages) about our reasons for homeschooling and why I think more families should honestly consider it. However, I will attempt a short summary, for my sake as well as yours. By writing it, I am better able to articulate what is in my heart and mind.Homeschooling had always been on my radar, mostly because a woman I respected very much homeschooled her children. I liked what I saw in her and her family and I wanted the same for mine.

Because we have lived overseas and worked in international schools, I also saw the amazing experiences that these schools provide. The opportunity to learn and play with kids from all over the world was something I longed to give my children. I spent time hoping and praying that this would one day be our reality.

And then we moved to Indonesia and I was so thankful that my prayers had been answered. My kids had a great year at school – Alaina in kindergarten and Caleb in preschool. Their teachers were caring, the kids thrived, and my dream had come true.

As I prepare to begin our third year of homeschooling (this year with FOUR kids!), these are my reasons (apart from the initial “I just know in my heart that this is what is right.”) I want to note that we have access to a fantastic, free Christian education at a school with loving, believing teachers and some amazing administrators. I am thankful for that privilege and there may come a time when I want to take advantage of it. But for now, as I have young children, these things I know:

1. I am the best teacher for my children. This is not because I have the most educational credentials. Rather, this is fact simply because there is no one who knows my kids the way I do. There is no one who cares for them the way I do. There is no one who has their best interests in mind the way I do. A teacher can never love a child the way a parent does. Never. That deep love motivates all other educational decisions.
2. I don’t want to compartmentalize our lives. Instead of having “home/family life,” “school life,” and “church/discipleship life,” homeschooling allows us to braid these three together. Home is learning and school is discipleship and family is church.
3. I want my children to learn in their own time and in their own way. With no grade levels to worry about, I can let my children learn at their own pace in each subject. I can slow down where needed and speed up when appropriate. I don’t have to worry that they are being frustrated by work they are not ready for or being bored because they are doing work that they have already mastered. They are free to explore areas that interest them and to be exposed to books, ideas, and experiences that schools– due to their structure — cannot offer.
4. Children need time to play. I think that young children need lots of time to play. They need time to explore, dress up, imagine, jump, run, get messy, and be kids. This cannot be accomplished in 15 minute recess periods. Little boys, especially, don’t thrive sitting at a desk being “still and quiet.” It is a skill they need to learn , but not for seven hours a day.
5. I need the time. I feel the weight of the job I have to do as a mother. The stakes are high – very high. I have (give or take) about 18 years with my children at home. In those 18 years I need to raise them to be mature, thoughtful, responsible, compassionate, hard-working, humble, and educated adults, ready to make a difference in their world. This takes time…lots of time. If my children are gone for 7 or 8 hours a day (and then come home to homework and other responsibilities and activities) I will simply not have the time to do my job the way I feel called to. If they are away all day, not only do I miss those hours with them, but also I have to spend extra time working through and undoing some things they learned at school (through teachers, peers, and/or experiences).
6. I care about socialization. However, the kind of socialization that I want my children to have cannot be accomplished in a room full of same-aged peers. The definition of socialization is: “a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position.” Isn’t having a six-year-old learning “values, behavior, and social skills” from other six-year-olds a little like the blind leading the blind? So to answer the most often asked question, “Yes! I do care about socialization…so much so that I am choosing to not put my kids in school.”

Preparation of soil:

It is the first method to be followed before growing a crop. This method is usually employed for loosening the soil to allow the root to penetrate deep into it. The loosening of the soil helps in the growth of several soil microbes, earthworms etc., which enrich the soil with humus and other essential nutrients. Plants require nutrients for their proper growth and functioning. The process of loosening is called tilling or ploughing the soil. Tilling of soil brings the nutrient-rich soil to the top. This helps the plants to utilize the nutrients for their growth.

 Preparation of soil:

It is the first method to be followed before growing a crop. This method is usually employed for loosening the soil to allow the root to penetrate deep into it. The loosening of the soil helps in the growth of several soil microbes, earthworms etc., which enrich the soil with humus and other essential nutrients. Plants require nutrients for their proper growth and functioning. The process of loosening is called tilling or ploughing the soil. Tilling of soil brings the nutrient-rich soil to the top. This helps the plants to utilize the nutrients for their growth.

It is necessary to prepare soil before growing a crop. It involves tilling and loosening the soil. This allows the roots to penetrate deep into the soil. The loose soil allows the roots to breathe easily even when they are deep. The process of loosening and tilling of the soil is called tilling or ploughing. This is done by using a plough.

Soil preparation means loosening the soil or turning it. Earthworms decompose plant and animal waste, and thereby benefit the soil by increasing the humus and nutrient level in it. Ploughs have been in use since ancient times for tilling soil, adding manure and fertilisers, and for scraping of soil. Depending upon the animals available on a farm, ploughing is done using horses and camels to pull ploughs. A plank is used to break the crumbs into fine soil.

(a) Preparation of soil is the first step before growing of crop. It helps to turn the soil and loosen it to allow the roots to penetrate deep into it. The loosening of the soil helps in the growth of several soil microbes, earthworms etc., which enrich the soil with humus and other essential nutrients. The process of turning and loosening is called ploughing. This is done using a plough, hoe and cultivators.

(b) Sowing is the process of putting the seeds into the soil for growing crops. We need to use quality seeds for sowing. Sowing is done manually using mechanical equipment like Seed Drill. Seeds of few plants like rice are first grown in a separate area and then transplanted in the fields.

(c) In a field many other undesirable plants may grow along with the crop. These undesirable plants are called weeds. Farmers use many ways to remove weeds. Methods to control weeds are: tilling before sowing of crops, physical removal of weeds by uprooting or cutting them close to the ground, using certain chemicals called weedicides etc.

(d) Threshing is the process of separating grains or seeds from chaff. It is done after harvesting the crop. It is usually carried out with the help of a machine known as ‘Combine’. This machine is a combined harvester and thresher. It harvests plants as well as cleans grains.

Turn the soil over in the fall (about 20 cm deep), to even and lighten it and get rid of the rocks, roots and weeds. Then cover with a thin coat of well-decomposed manure or compost.

Hoe the top 3 or 4 centimetres of soil early in the spring to lighten the surface layer and to blend it with organic matter spread the previous fall. Remove harmful weeds as well. It is recommended not to work the soil when it is wet since the resulting compacting will harm soil quality. Adding biological-type fertilizers based on seaweed, bone meal or other organic products is recommended to produce good crops.