Simple Farmhouse Life – Episode 318

How Hands-On, Real-Life Learning Transformed Their Health and Home | Guest: Kody Hanner of Homestead Education
Date: December 2, 2025
Host: Lisa Bass

Episode Overview

In this episode, Lisa Bass welcomes Kody Hanner, homesteader, educator, and founder of Homestead Education, to share her family’s story of radical transformation through hands-on, real-life learning at home. The conversation explores how a life-threatening medical diagnosis led Kody’s family to overhaul their lifestyle, embrace natural living, and ultimately build a thriving commercial homestead. The discussion dives deep into the power of practical, integrated learning for children and families, the design and philosophy behind Kody’s agricultural curriculum, and the daily realities and lessons found in homeschooling, homesteading, and raising a large, blended family.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Medical Crisis as a Catalyst for Change

• Kody's husband’s diagnosis: At 35, Kody’s husband was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease and given a year to live. This was a huge shock, especially since he had abstained from alcohol for many years and the family lost other loved ones to the same illness. (03:32)
  • "They gave him about a year to live. They said, like, get your affairs in order... that just sent him into a spiral of depression... for me... I am gonna find an answer." – Kody (03:32)
• Tracing the cause: Belief that exposure during military service in Iraq could be related to his diagnosis.

2. The Home and Health Overhaul

• The family switched from a conventional diet with rural hunting roots to making and growing almost everything from scratch, evaluating every aspect: food, medicine, cleaning, and more. (05:09)
• Overwhelm and determination:
  • "The kids took a picture of me sitting in the middle of the kitchen... I had cookbooks laid out and I was sobbing, like, just okay." – Kody (06:53)
  • Husband was initially skeptical and withdrawn but supportive as the changes took root.
• Dietary evolution: From low-fat, processed foods to prioritizing whole foods, raw dairy, pastured meats, and traditional fats. Swapping out processed salts for mineral-rich Redmond's Salt reduced sodium but improved flavor.
  • "The flavor of Redmond's is so wonderful that we could use about a third to a half of the amount of sodium and really reduce his sodium load." – Kody (09:32)
• Result: Within a year, dramatic improvements in both health and medical labs. Husband now enjoys a clean bill of health. (11:12)

3. Building a New Lifestyle: Homesteading & Homeschooling

• The family moved to a 40-acre farm in North Idaho to grow their own food, homeschool, and spend time together, especially since time felt precious. (13:18)
• Realization that trying to "do all the things" is impossible—advice to delegate, prioritize, and sometimes just let things go.
  • "There is not like a Pinterest expect inspector that comes to your home... and make sure it's Pinterest worthy all the time." – Kody (14:19)

4. Discovering a Gap in Education – The Birth of Homestead Science Curriculum

• Kody wanted to integrate real life learning—agriculture, home skills, economics—into homeschooling her children. She found no suitable curriculum that bridged practical homesteading and science. (15:18)
  • "I really wanted something that met the kids on the farm doing what they were doing... not in a commercial aspect..." – Kody (15:35)
• Began designing level-appropriate lessons and projects for her kids, which eventually evolved into the Homestead Science curriculum.
• COVID pandemic underscored the need as more families sought to learn hands-on skills with their children.
  • "When COVID hit, I just saw so many families saying, 'How do I teach my kids to do all the things I don't know how to do?'" – Kody (16:59)

5. Curriculum Philosophy & Structure

• No homestead required: Designed for everyone, whether families live on a farm, in suburbia, or in the city.
  • "All the projects, it doesn't say like, go milk a cow. It tells you how to milk a cow. And then maybe the project is a little bit more how to... figure out how much you're supposed to feed that cow and how much you can make off the milk." – Kody (25:11)
• Multifaceted learning: Covers reading, writing, public speaking, budgeting, home economics, food safety, basic cooking, business, first aid, herbalism, and more—through hands-on projects and real-life scenarios.
  • "One of the projects is just making a hamburger... that's a skill that, like, a lot of even young boys aren't taught... they move out of the house... they're solid." – Kody (27:17)
• Adjusts by maturity and interest: Organized loosely by levels (lower elementary, upper elementary, junior high, high school); students build on skills as they mature. (29:38)

6. Homeschooling Philosophies & Family Dynamics

• Learning is not linear or uniform: Each child learns differently—some are academic, some vocational/hands-on, some self-driven.
• Real-life learning leads to authentic skill acquisition (e.g., using "strewing" to spark curiosity).
  • "Have you ever heard of strewing? So it's where you put out things that you hope the kids will pick up and want to learn about. But you don't force them to do it." – Kody (36:37)
• Encouraging entrepreneurial spirit and practical problem solving (building and selling trellises, managing farm tasks, starting small businesses).
• Teens can be surprisingly capable and self-sufficient:
  • "My daughter did Thanksgiving all by herself last year... She's like, I got it. Like, we're good." – Kody (48:06)
  • "Our 17 year old son is running the whole farm, which he usually actually does." – Kody (49:08)
• Valuable sibling dynamics & working as a blended family: Homeschooling and homesteading foster stronger sibling bonds and cooperation versus rivalry that sometimes intensifies in traditional school settings. (57:48)

7. Advice for Homeschooling Moms

• Don’t try to do it all: Prioritize what feels comfortable and sustainable for your family.
  • "Do your research... But do what feels good to you and what feels good to your kids because the most important thing is your relationship and everything else will fall into place." – Kody (51:38)
• Every family is different: ages, personalities, number of children, life circumstances—there is no single “right way.”
• Embrace help from children and let them contribute meaningfully to the home.

8. Modern Relevance & Kody's Broader Mission

• Advocating for the reintegration of practical skills in education—agriculture, home economics, DIY basics—through homeschooling, micro-schools, and charter partnerships.
• "I have found that there's a, like a systematic gap in the way we teach kids... as in teaching agriculture and home economics... part teach you how to like run a home." – Kody (20:04)
• Ongoing projects: Expanding curricula with history units; working with schools and legislators to make change at a systems level. (60:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Overcoming Overwhelm:
  • "I had cookbooks laid out and I was sobbing, like, just okay... I felt so overwhelmed and I'm never going to be able to do all of this." (06:53)
• On Practical Learning:
  • "Sometimes that's because my husband steps in, or sometimes it's because my older children step in. And sometimes it's just not done. And that's okay, too." (14:08)
• Reflections on Modern Education:
  • "High school should be vocationally focused anyways. Like I don't think we need to be going and taking all these advanced sciences and Englishes and stuff. Unless you're planning on being an English teacher." – Kody (34:04)
• Resilience in the Face of Adversity:
  • "If you've ever talked about baptism by fire, this was it." – Kody (12:40)
• About Sibling Relationships:
  • "Being home, they're each other's best friends. And within a year, I saw that shift." (57:48)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:32] – Husband’s medical diagnosis and initial family response
• [05:09] – The first lifestyle changes: from conventional to radical natural living
• [09:32] – Dietary innovations and measurable health improvements
• [13:18] – Moving to a farm and beginning homeschooling
• [16:59] – Need for hands-on agricultural education and curriculum innovation
• [20:04] – Designing Homestead Science for families everywhere
• [25:11] – Curriculum accessibility: works for all backgrounds and living situations
• [36:37] – Using “strewing” to encourage natural curiosity
• [51:38] – Kody’s single best piece of advice for new homeschooling moms
• [57:48] – The impact of homeschooling on sibling relationships
• [60:46] – Kody’s advocacy for systemic educational reform

Closing & Where to Find Kody

• Website & Curriculum: thehomesteadeducation.com
• Podcast: The Homestead Education Podcast
• Book: Raising Self Sufficient Kids: An Honest Mom’s Guide to Intentional Parenting
• Upcoming: Expanding into history curriculum, advocacy for education reform in practical life skills

This episode offers a heartfelt, practical, and inspiring look at what’s possible when families embrace learning that bridges home, health, and self-sufficiency. If you’re curious about practical homeschooling, natural living, or raising capable kids—Kody’s story and philosophy provide actionable hope and encouragement.