Online Self Sufficiency Course

Learn to provide yourself and your family with the basic goods and services required to live, and gain a perspective on the broad range of alternative lifestyles that you might lead.

Content

This course covers many aspects of self sufficiency, including the following:

• how to live with lower income
• identification of essential and non-essential services offered by society
• identification of services that one can be self sufficient with
• identification of self skills that can aid in self sufficiency
• skills that can be developed to assist in self sufficiency
• identify needs, wants and likes; and the purpose of prioritising needs
• identify items one can provide for oneself
• development of cost efficient meals
• identify purpose of fitness to self sufficiency
• plan a food garden
• identify crops plants most suited to a persons locality that assist in self sufficiency
• use of bees hives, poultry and other animals for self sufficiency
• estimating carrying capacity of a piece of land for animal stocking
• importance of pasture
• multipurpose animal stocking and their uses
• energy alternative techniques such as wind, solar, water fire, etc.
• reducing present energy usage
• candle making
• cloth and garment making processes
• food preservation techniques
• handicrafts techniques
• identifying criteria when planning to set up a self sufficient lifestyle in a new location
• identifying criteria on how to improve self sufficiency in present location

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Understanding the possibilities
   • Understanding Modern Society and the Scope and Nature of Self Sufficiency
   • What is Self Sufficiency
   • What is Needed to make a Change
   • How to Start
   • Getting the Right Attitude
   • Being Realistic
2. Health, Nutrition and Clothing
   • Introdyction to a Balanced Lifestyle
   • Health and Fitness
   • Understanding Anaerobic and Aerobic Exercise
   • Mental Health
   • Understanding Food and Human Nutritional Needs
   • Clothing Needs
   • Safety with Fabrics
   • Protective Clothing
   • General Care and Hygiene for Everyday Clothing
   • First Aid
3. Horticulture - Fruit and Vegetables
   • Scope and Nature of Horticultural Production
   • Selecting and Planning for a Vegetable Crop
   • No Dig Growing
   • Review of Different Vegetabl;es
   • Growing Fruit
   • Berry Fruit
   • Nuts
   • What to Do with Excess Produce: Preserves, etc
   • Resources for More Reliable Information
4. Horticulture - Herbs
   • Introduction
   • Cultivation of Herbs
   • Natural Pest Control and Companion Planting
   • Herbs for Different Situations
   • Harvesting Herbs
   • Handling Fresh Herbs, Drying Herbs
   • Cooking with Herbs
   • Herb baths
   • Propagating Herbs
5. Animal Husbandry
   • Short Cuts for Animal Rearing
   • Chickens : Feeding, Watering, Housing, Health
   • Turkeys
   • Geese
   • Ducks
   • Bee Keeping
   • Locating a Hive
   • Honey Production
6. Animal Husbandry ‑
   • Overview: Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Horses, and Pigs
   • Livestock Terminology
   • Feeding Animals on Pasture
   • Pasture Management
   • Housing, Shelter, Fencing
   • Animal Health and Disease Management
   • Breeding
   • Keeping Pigs
7. Building
   • Introduction to Earth Building
   • How to Make Mud Bricks
   • Building Foundations
   • Laying Bricks
   • Wall Finishes
   • Using Fasteners : Nails, Screws, Bolts
   • Building Tools
8. Energy
   • Scope and Nature of alternative energy sources
   • Comparing Renewable Energy Sources
   • Solar Energy
   • Wind Power
   • Solar House Design
   • Energy Conservation
   • Growing and Using Wood for Fuel
   • Choosing a Wood Burning Appliance
   • Environmental Aspects to Burning Wood
   • Care and Maintenance of Wood Stoves, Chimneys
9. Craft & Country Skills
   • Scope and Nature of Crafts
   • Marketing Home Crafts
   • Protecting Your Work
   • Painting
   • Candle Making
   • Other Crafts: Pot Pourri, etc
   • Rustic Timber Structures
   • How to Join Timbers
   • Tool Maintenance
   • Cleaning and Sharpening Tools
10. Making Decisions
    • Scope and Nature of Decision Making
    • Risk Management -Preparing for Emergencies
    • Preparing for Fire
    • Making Money - Small Scale Home Based Businesses
    • Growing things to Sell on a Small Property

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

For more information on this course, please request your free course information pack.