Gardens: school and food

I started a garden unit study today. I have no idea what I am doing but I am going to try. This will be our first real unit study, other than the month of December when we studied the birth of Christ. I am hoping it will help the girls learn but as of right now, it is the same ole' struggle. I am trying to change things up, so maybe I can get them excited to learn! I did get some encouragement this weekend, some of my homeschool friends reminded me that the goal is to instill a desire for learning, however that may be. If it is on the computer, in the yard, or with a pencil, it's just about learning. I envisioned desks and neatly kept workplaces, order and politeness, schedules and structure. What I am now seeing is kitchen tables and picnic tables, laptops and workbooks, adventure and investigation, and trying to see the world through their eyes. I so want to be the best teacher but some days it is nearly impossible. I want them to obey and I want them to learn, sometimes I feel I have to choose, but hopefully I will direct them in ways that make them want to learn then they will obey because it's easy to obey when it's something you want to do. I don't think I will ever have the homeschool thing down, but I am trying.
And while I am talking homeschool...Why is it so hard to get my children to pick up a pencil for goodness sake? If they only used the computer to learn, they would be fine. The problem comes in when I want them to do a little bit of copy work. I really want them to learn cursive so R is doing just that, she has gotten so much better since the start of the year. J on the other hand, I can't even get her to try any letters other than her name. You would think they grew up around all things convenient. How inconvenient to have to use a pencil and paper for goodness sake! Whew, I feel better, thanks for letting me vent....