Ultimate Guide to Nature Study - Our Journey Westward. This post contains affiliate links and links to my business website, Shining Dawn Books.
To read more about my disclosure policy, click here. As an eclectic Charlotte Mason homeschooler, nature study is near and dear to my heart – and the hearts of my children. We have learned SO much about our Creator and the sciences through our weekly nature walks, all while touching on bits and pieces of almost every other subject under the sun, too. You don’t have to be a Charlotte Mason homeschooler to enjoy the benefits of nature study, though. Heck, you don’t even have to be a homeschooler! In an effort to help you get started (or keep going) with nature study, I’ve pulled together a post of THE most wonderful resources I’ve found over the course of the last few years. Why Study Nature? The reason are more significant than you might think!
Snow. Nature Study Ideas for Winter - Simply Charlotte Mason. In the midst of yet another cold front and winter weather advisory, I wondered what nature lovers during Charlotte Mason’s day did for winter nature study.
So I turned to The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady to see what Edith Holden observed during the winter months in 1906. Here is one of her entries, February 9, chock full of ideas for winter nature study. “Snow-storm in the night; this morning we looked out on a white landscape, this is the first deep snow we have had this winter.
I swept a space free on the lawn and strewed it with bread and rice: crowds of birds came. I counted eight Tits at one time on the cocoa-nut and the tripod of sticks supporting it. Winter Nature Study {A Collection of Ideas for Your Homeschool} Winter Nature study is not impossible it simply requires a little bit of foresight planning and a thermos of something warm to drink.
Taking children out to experience the variation of temperature, the winter birds who flit about here and there seeking some shelter and food, or simply visiting the park to sit a while and appreciate the tree architecture in all it’s perfect glory are all a wonderful part of creating memories of Nature Study during any time of the year. Knowledge in one “subject” helps us to understand another. All the information your children are gathering in their nature study lessons, and the habits of observation they are acquiring, will form an excellent foundation for their future education. (CMC Page 259 Karen Andreola) Things to observe in winter Rebecca @ Raventhreads shares a few of the resources she has gathered for a Hibernation Mini Unit Study for elementary aged children. Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses explores the question: Winter Nature Study is it Possible ?
Winter Nature Study « Homeschool Share blog. Sometimes getting back into the school groove after Christmas break can seem daunting.
But, instead of dreading it, try adding some FUN to your school schedule!! The easiest way I know to do this is to GET OUTSIDE and study nature!! God has given us a whole world to study and when the books become dry, head outside and let God be the master Teacher! Study snowflakes and Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley together! Read the book.Look at the unit study on HSS.Look at his pictures.make paper snowflakes! Memorize winter poetry such as Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Here is a sweet video of my girls from a few years ago reciting this poem. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening from Candace Crabtree on Vimeo.
Winter Nature Study Ideas. Charlotte Mason expected her students to engage in nature study throughout their lives, not just as preparation for the study of other sciences.
She said, “The study of natural history and botany with bird lists and plant lists continues throughout school life, while other branches are taken term by term.” She herself set the example for her students by spending many hours several times a week out of doors, studying God’s creation, keeping a nature journal, and learning about the animals and plants of her own environment. Irregardless of the field of study or career path chosen, the invaluable skills of observation Children first should be learning about the world as it is- no matter how brilliant and academically gifted children are, they should all have plenty of opportunities to climb trees, play in mud puddles, go for long walks, run in meadows, wade in streams, sort rocks, shells, and acorns, collect bugs, watch butterflies emerge from a cocoon, run, skip, ride, swim, and more.
Wind. Winter Nature Study Ideas. Winter Wednesday: The World of Winter; An Introduction to Winter Nature Study. "The bareness of the trees and the appearance of a white snowy landscape help to sharpen the other colors of winter.
Find a few minutes this week to notice the colors you can observe in your own backyard, even if it is from your window. " -Handbook of Nature Study blog We brought some clippings inside to sketch in our nature journals. I am always surprised at how much sketching encourages close observation. And here are some pictures taken this year.