stm4him Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 We're just doing CC and CLP Nature Readers for science right now though I'm hoping to do Apologia in the summer. Someone mentioned Nature Friend being great for drawing lessons and motivation to draw and I just looked at the online samples and I can see why. Does anyone use this as their main science in their home? Both CC and VP (our main programs) encourage nature study for science so I'm wondering if this might be a better way to do science (and drawing) combined instead of the Nature Readers. We'd still do Apologia in the summer. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 My kids looked at it today and thought it looked great. They said they don't want to do both the Nature Readers (CLP) and the magazine and they'd prefer the magazine. Is there any reason why I should stick with the nature readers instead? I'll probably just get a subscription anyway. Can't hurt. Then if we don't really use it we can go back to the other. We already have Ranger Rick and they like that too. I just figure that it would be motivating to them to draw and take photos and write poems about nature if they might get it published. Also, if we're all doing the magazine then we're all studying the same things about nature instead of everyone reading different things which doesn't promote as much discussion...... Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 You can subscribe to an expanded Nature Friend with a study guide. We don't, do to the fact we are in the UK and my mom actually receives the magazine and mails the parts on that we want. I know we could get a foreign subscription but she loves being involved. She had a sample of the expanded one and loved it (I did see it eventually,nice) but I don't want her to have to mail that much. We used the first to CLP readers then grew tired of them. The beautiful photography and hands on activities are more fun. As an added idea back when we lived in the US we subscribed to Zoobooks too. We combined the magazines with some library books and did the GALLOPING. THE GLOBE unit study. Part of the suggested activites are animals from each region. Worked great. Lots of activites. I think we used our draw write now books with that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thank you so much for replying. It didn't seem like anyone was going to. I actually don't want a lot of activities that I have to direct or buy supplies for but my thinking was that I can read the articles to them (or they can read them independently) and we can discuss them. I can buy them the study guides to do on their own. I can put a nice camera in their hands and a sketch notebook and colored pencils and let them go to work producing things to send in. I'm hoping to inspire them to continue to search for things worthy of a close up photograph or sketch. I'm hoping to fill their mind with inspiration for poems or songs. I'm hoping to create a love for nature and more than that an awe at our Creator. And I'm hoping for it to be a unifying, low pressure way of doing science together during the parts of the year when we have so much going on that a formal curriculum is just too much. They get a good grounding in the scientific method at CC and they have a home library full of science books if they want to read about something, but inspiring them to examine nature is what I'm hoping for. And knowing my daughter she'll do (or lead them all into doing) as many of the activities as she has time for. Think this will fit the bill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 It sounds lovely. Only rarely have we needed to buy something to go with these activities. The people who publish the magazine really want to help children to love and appreciate the wonders of God's world. I want to make sure you know that I am the one who mentioned this magazine on the art thread. I do love it but I seem to be the only one here using it! I hope you enjoy it as much as we have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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