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What are your favorite books for a nature study with young kids?


momsuz123
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We've enjoyed these:

 

One Small Square series

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=cathryn+sill&x=0&y=0#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=one+small+square&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Aone+small+square

 

Take Along Guide series

(Highly recommended! I also recommend that you purchase each title separately. We bought the "bundle bound" volumes, but they are a bit too bulky to carry on a long hike).

 

  • Berries, Nuts & Seeds
  • Birds, Nests & Eggs
  • Caterpillars, Bugs & Butterflies
  • Frogs, Toads & Turtles
  • Planets, Moons & Stars
  • Rabbits, Squirrels & Chipmunks
  • Rocks, Fossils & Arrowheads
  • Seashells, Crabs & Seastars
  • Snakes, Salamanders & Lizards
  • Tracks, Scats & Signs
  • Trees, Leaves & Bark
  • Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms

Clare Walker Leslie books (good to own)

 

  • The Nature Connection (I really like this one)
  • Keeping a Nature Journal (A good one to grow on)
  • Nature Drawing: A Tool for Learning

Cathryn & John Sill books (from your library)

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=cathryn+sill&x=0&y=0

 

Thornton Burgess books and websites

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=thornton+burgess&x=0&y=0

http://www.thorntonburgess.org/

 

Beatrix Potter books and websites

 

http://www.amazon.com/Beatrix-Potter-Complete-Tales/dp/072325804X/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1

http://www.peterrabbit.com/us/potters-world.asp

http://www.beatrixpottersociety.org.uk/

 

Christian Liberty Nature Readers

http://www.rainbowresource.com/searchspring.php?q=christian+liberty+nature+readers

 

Also, this website was what got us started on Nature Study :)

 

http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/

 

As for the Handbook of Nature Study, what worked for me was to download the free PDF and then print out whatever pages I need at the time. For example, I'll print out some pages about birds, then those pages are for ME (the teacher) to pre-read and bring to the outdoor explorations. I can fold the pages in half and fit them into a small hiking pack, along with a COLORFUL field guide. So we get the best of both worlds. HTH.

Edited by Sahamamama
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I second Keeping a Nature Journal. I also like the CLP readers and as resources local guides (we have a general FL guide, and Florida's Fabulous.. series. I also have Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study.

 

Other great nature study books (resources):

 

North American Wildlife (Readers Digest)

Pocketful of Pinecones

Nature Smart (LOVE this one - lots of great information and meaningful handicrafts)

Linnea's Almanac

Jim Arnosky's books

Sharing Nature with Children

 

Some people swear by Thornton Burgess' books, but we haven't been able to finish The Burgess Book of Birds. It was too much for us in first grade. Too chatty for reading aloud for me. Will have ds read it on his own.

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We've used and love many of the books listed.

 

A few maybe not mentioned yet:

We've been doing the monthly projects in Sow and Grow as part of our nature study this year.

http://www.amazon.com/Sow-Grow-Gardening-Book-Children/dp/1584796731/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330034753&sr=1-1

 

Crinkleroot books:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_6?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=crinkleroot&sprefix=crinkl%2Cstripbooks%2C194

 

Byrd Baylor books:

http://www.amazon.com/Byrd-Baylor/e/B001H6PL4G/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1330035193&sr=1-1

 

(Haven't had the chance to read, but looks good)

Girls Who Looked Under Rocks

http://www.amazon.com/Girls-Who-Looked-Under-Rocks/dp/1584690119/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330035342&sr=1-1

 

Thomas Locker books (especially the Images of Conservationists series):

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=images+of+conservationist&x=0&y=0

 

I'm getting ready to add Gardening Wizardry to nature studies in spring:

http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-Wizardry-Kids-Patricia-Kite/dp/0812083628/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330035587&sr=1-1

 

Next year I'm planning to use Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots:

http://www.amazon.com/Roots-Shoots-Buckets-Boots-Gardening/dp/0761110569/ref=pd_sim_b_1

 

Pet Bugs:

http://www.amazon.com/Pet-Bugs-Catching-Keeping-Touchable/dp/047131188X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330035899&sr=1-1

 

You might enjoy looking through the Acorn Naturalist website for book ideas:

http://www.acornnaturalists.com/

 

hth

:lurk5:

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I just put some of the One Small Square series books on hold at our library.

Normally, we just go outside everyday and they pick out something of interest and make a drawing and write some details about it. Last weekend we did the Great Backyard Bird Count (my hubby's a bird lover so he helped with all the names). When spring rolls around we get out our field guides and take pictures of butterflies and identify them and see which ones come by everyday. We do the same for the other insects and spiders that come our way. In the summer we participate in a junior naturalist nature study with the Audubon Society.

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