The Cloudy (but Awesome) Kaikohe A&P Show
Hey everyone! Gracie here, reporting live (well, sort of) from the Kiwi Connections corner of the Kaikohe A&P Show! This year, we did what we do best—jumped in last minute, entered all the things, and had a blast doing it. Despite the cloudy skies on January 18, 2025, the day was packed with laughs, lessons, and even a shiny trophy moment.Yep, that’s right—I won the Green Footed Kiwi Cup (again- but don't let Milly hear I said that!). Winning the most points prize for the second time w...
January 21, 2025Top 10 Educational Benefits of Publishing Your Own Books
Publishing a book is an exciting journey, but did you know it’s also an incredible educational experience? Whether you’re a kidpreneur diving into self-publishing for the first time or a parent guiding your children through this process, creating your own book offers endless opportunities to learn by doing. Let’s explore the top 10 educational benefits of publishing your own books and why it’s one of the most rewarding projects you can tackle....
January 17, 20255 Reasons Public Speaking Needs To Be Your New Superpower
Public speaking often gets a bad rap. For many, it’s a nerve-wracking, sweaty-palms experience that they’d rather avoid. But here’s the thing: public speaking is more than just a skill. It’s a superpower. The ability to stand up, speak out, and connect with an audience can transform your life in ways you may not expect. Here are five reasons why public speaking is a superpower worth mastering:...
January 17, 2025Gracie's Journey to The National Dahlia Show 2025
Hi! I’m Gracie, and I’m 12 years old. This February, something incredible is happening—I’m taking three of my dahlias to the National Dahlia Show in Hamilton!I can hardly believe it. These flowers started as tiny seeds in our homeschool family business, The Kiwi Connection. Now, after last three years developing our family’s breeding programme, and learning everything I could about dahlias, I’ve chosen three blooms I believe have what it takes to stand out at the show....
January 10, 20255 Reasons We Deadhead our Dahlias Every Day
Deadheading might sound like a chore, but trust me—your dahlias will thank you for it! This simple garden task can make all the difference between a few scattered blooms and a flowerbed bursting with vibrant color. If you’re not sold yet, here are five unbeatable reasons why deadheading dahlias is an absolute game-changer....
January 10, 2025Be Patient - We All Bloom in Our Own Time
Have you ever looked at a dahlia flower and thought, "Wow, this might be the most perfect flower ever"? and then wondered how on earth it does that, without trying? Well, this question led me down a rabbit hole....
December 31, 2024The Kiwi Connection – Preparing Dahlias for the National Dahlia Show
🌼A few days ago, I had an exciting video call with our mentor, Dennis Rodgers. The purpose? To discuss whether any of our dahlias were good enough to enter the prestigious National Dahlia Show in February.Dennis, a seasoned dahlia judge, has been an invaluable guide in teaching us what makes a bloom truly exhibition-worthy. Although I plan to dive deeper into this in a future post, the short version is this: form, size, and petal perfection are everything....
December 28, 2024The Kiwi Connection: Dahlia Growing, Book Publishing, and Unschooling Inspiration
Connections between the past and the present, between passion and purpose, and between the communities we love.Today, we’re thrilled to announce the beginning of a new journey: The Kiwi Connection.This isn’t just a name change or a rebranding—it’s the merging of two deeply rooted passions that have defined our lives....
December 28, 2024October on a Dahlia Farm
How does October make you feel? For me it makes me happy because I know some of our dahlias will start to flower soon. It's exciting seeing what new flowers we will get. But it is also our busiest time of the year! This time of the year everything seems to start growing and exciting things are all around. Our resident wild turkey has had 11 chicks with 3 of them having an unusual white colouring. Our chooks are back to their old tricks of hiding their eggs and pretending to nest, even though we ...
November 8, 2022Milly Chats with the Bumblebees
Hi! It’s me again, Milly! In my last blog, I talked about my life as a homeschooled kid. Now, in this one, I am going to talk about our Pick Your Owns days at our Green Footed Kiwi dahlia farm. When my sisters and I set up our dahlia farm in Kaikohe, NZ, it was really important to us to share our love of dahlias with others. At the time Covid was all around and everyone looked sad, so we thought it would be a good way to cheer people up. If you read my last blog post, you will remember I...
September 14, 2022Gracie's Instagram Challenge
The sun is shining, the chickens are finally laying their eggs and the peach trees have started to blossom. The only thing we are missing are dahlias! Spring must be here!...
August 31, 2022Lexi's Slug Kebab
Hi, my name is Lexi and today I want to talk to you about slugs. Squishy, slimy, smelly slugs! They need their bottoms wiped! Slugs are really bad for our garden because they eat our dahlias and leave their slug slime all over the place. If the plant is too small, they will eat so much it will die. We need to get rid of them before we plant our dahlias!...
August 30, 2022Gracie Grows Great Dahlia Seeds
Hi! My name is Gracie-Mae and I’m here to talk to you about dahlia seeds and how special they are to me. Watching a little bud crack open into life without knowing what is inside is so exciting. It could be something amazing no one else has ever seen before, or it could be a yellow single, ugly as. I’m not sure if the waiting part is good or bad, but if you grow enough seeds, the wait will always be worth it in the end!...
August 25, 2022Jen's Introduction
Hi!! My name is Jen and I am mum to Milly, Gracie-Mae and Lexi, aka The Dahlia kIds! What a journey we are on and how excited I am to have you all along for the ride! This blog is an opportunity for us to share our story and a way to not only encourage the girls to form a love of writing and storytelling, but to also gain inspiration and joy from those around us!...
August 23, 2022Milly's Homeschool Thoughts
Hi! My name is Milly and I am here to tell you all about my life as a home schooled kid. Lots of people think home schoolers are creepy or weird. Maybe that is true, or maybe my weird is just different from your weird. Either way, I’m fine with being called weird. After all, it is really just being different and I like having the opportunity to live life differently....
August 23, 2022 Posts 1-15 of 15 | Page