Do you do nature study?

[Mrs. Lilac]

My DD is super into nature stuff.....that's not built into our curriculum right now. Does anyone do this as a stand-alone subject? We've done the Christian Nature Readers, and those were fantastic....looking for something to do going forward.

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback! :)

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

We have a weekly nature study that is planned by me. Usually consists of a time out in nature either on a trail or in the neighborhood/yard but with a goal (look for spider webs, look for different seed pods, how many different mushrooms do you see, things like this). After the goal is accomplished they can roam freely among nature. We will usually draw what we see, either one example of what we were looking for or all we spotted. Sometimes we actually collect specimens to add to our nature collection. Later we will look through our books to try and identify what we saw.

 

There are many occasions dd will do nature studies on her own. These are for her enjoyment and nothing is required.

[Ritsumei]

We have a weekly nature study that is planned by me. Usually consists of a time out in nature either on a trail or in the neighborhood/yard but with a goal (look for spider webs, look for different seed pods, how many different mushrooms do you see, things like this). After the goal is accomplished they can roam freely among nature. We will usually draw what we see, either one example of what we were looking for or all we spotted. Sometimes we actually collect specimens to add to our nature collection. Later we will look through our books to try and identify what we saw.

 

There are many occasions dd will do nature studies on her own. These are for her enjoyment and nothing is required.

 

 

We've been doing Nature Study as a stand-alone "subject." At the pre-K/K level, it was just going outside and looking for "interesting things." Now that he's getting older I'm thinking that something like the above would add structure, but not too much. I'd like to eventually do a nature sketch book/journal of some sort, but I'm not going to introduce that until the fine motor skills are better. Since we're doing the 1st grade animal study, this summer & fall science & nature study often informed & reinforced each other, which was fun, but we'll be starting the body soon, and I plan to keep NS around. We scale it waaaay back in the winter cuz it gets COLD around here. When the kids are bigger I want to change that, but not with a toddler. Weather permitting, I try to get us outside for official NS 1-2 times a week. It's a big time commitment - often takes up a good chunk of the morning when we do it, but it's so worth it. Even at the very laid-back level we do, I see the benefits in improved observation skills and I love it when he knows what we're looking at when we're outside. Plus, it's lovely together time. Very low stress. We often end at a playground.

 

ETA: FYI, I recently discovered that collecting almost anything bird-related is a misdemeanor and carries a hefty fine or some jail time in the US. Stupid. But good to know. I found out when I brought home some cool feathers to identify... fortunately they were just turkey feathers and were not covered by the Migratory Birds Treaty!

Edited November 11, 2011 by Ritsumei

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

We use The Nature Connection that was recommended to us on here.

 

More info here.

 

It's good for all ages, and has specific things for each month of the year. :001_smile:

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

ETA: FYI, I recently discovered that collecting almost anything bird-related is a misdemeanor and carries a hefty fine or some jail time in the US. Stupid. But good to know. I found out when I brought home some cool feathers to identify... fortunately they were just turkey feathers and were not covered by the Migratory Birds Treaty!

 

:blink::svengo: What?! I didn't know this. Any birds or just a few special birds? Boy, I had no idea I was a child law-breaker in the past....

[ABQmom]

http://www.handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com

 

My absolute, all-time favorite resource for nature study.

[Ritsumei]

:blink::svengo: What?! I didn't know this. Any birds or just a few special birds? Boy, I had no idea I was a child law-breaker in the past....

 

I know, right?! It's one of the more stupid laws that I've heard of. There's a list of birds that are "protected" by the law. Pretty much all of my feeder birds are on the list, which means that it's a "crime" to collect the dropped feathers or abandoned nests or anything like that. Even the stupid crows are on the list! Big Brother isn't so benevolent these days. You'd think they could find something better to do with their time and taxpayer money. :glare: Looking around, I think that the intent was to prevent over-hunting and killing birds for trophy feathers or disturbing active nests or whatever, but it seems to me that they went waaay overboard.

[2squared]

We "do" nature study, but in a very natural way. We live on acreage in the country, and the kids are always finding something to investigate and research.

 

We just started a 12 month journal project. Everyone picked a perennial plant on our acreage to track through the 12 months. We take pictures each month for the journal, and the kids are writing notes or drawing pictures of whatever attracks their interest. I expect we research these plants' life cycles, habitats, etc.

 

I have found BFSU to be a wonderful compliment to my children's discoveries in the natural world.

[harmonyartmom]

I write a free nature study newsletter each month. You need to subscribe to my blog to receive the link:

Handbook of Nature Study

You can sign up now and still receive November's newsletter with lots of suggestions, free notebook pages, links, and a giveaway. I also include articles submitted by other homeschooling families from around the world. I welcome new readers and participants to our nature study community.