Nature Study

[happyhomeschooling]

Like a lot of you I am a fan of Charlotte Mason. I have read "Charlotte Mason companion" by Karen Andreola, and there are a
lot of great ideas about how to impliment the CM methed. Though I am the kind of person that needs more of a guidline or
outline rather that I can be flexible with, (which is why I love HOD so much )

I am the kind of person that looks at a recipe, gets an idea of what to do then I do it my own way, but I don't have
the creativity to invent my own recipe, I need a basic starting point.

I would love to start a nature study with my dd 5.5yrs but am having a hard time jumping in to that head first.
Does anyone know of a "Nature Study curriculum" or guideline so to speak? I would love to know if there is anything
like that. I also have the "Handbook of Nature Study" but just dont know where to start with it.
Appriciate any info anyone has, Thanks in advance for your time!
Blessings, Lesley

[water2wine]

I'm glad you asked this. I don't have a lot to offer. We are just drawing things that we see different places then looking them up in a book. Keeping track of the birds we see. I made a book from notebooking.com for each child. We plan on looking at some things under our microscope. Doing some labeling of parts of bugs, flowers things that grow. I hope you get some great ideas. I am interested as well.

[Samuel'sMommy]

I don't have any advice, but will definitely be watching for everyone else's idea. I was just thinking today that DS and I need to get out and explore more, but am not really sure where to start. We live in an apartment right now, so we have to actually go somewhere to be outside and I haven't been as dilligent about getting us out as I should be.

[mansmom]

I don't know if this will help or not...mainly bc I have never actually looked at this inside of this book....but Queen's Homeschool....carries a book called My Nature Journal which sounds like it kinds of "walks" you through a nature study.

HTH...again I have never seen this...just a thought that is in the back of my baby brained head!!

[GingerN]

Nature study is such a valuable activity, and I am trying to 'remember' to fit in time for it in our days. Fall is the perfect time! You might check out the nature study suggestions at Ambleside Online http://www.amblesideonline.org/NatureSch.shtml . They use the Handbook of Nature Study and other things, too. At their site you will find helpful articles on the subject and a basic outline for the topics they cover each school term. Happy nature studying
Ginger

[inHistiming]

http://www.donnayoung.org has some free pages for nature journals and science notebooking activities. You might look there to see if the site has something you could use. I also agree that Ambleside is a good resource for a 'how-to' on nature study!

[happyhomeschooling]

I have been doing some research and found this great site that gives instructions on nature study
including how to use the "Handbook of Nature Study" for anyone who is interestied here is the link
http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.c ... arted.html

[Dorla]

Yes! this last link given by happyhomeschooling is awesome. This blog http://www.heartsandtrees.blogspot.com/ belongs to her daughter and she also has handicrafts and free nature study activities.

Right now it has been hard for us to walk on our property because there is a lot of noise from trucks and equipment working on gas pipelines, plus the wildlife has dissapeared - so when our Beyond unit has anything to do with animals or nature we have been documenting it, coloring a page and saving it in our binder (mammals, amphibians, dinosaurs, migration, etc.)

Keep the ideas coming!
Dorla

[my3sons]

HI Lesley! Here's a past post that you might find something helpful in:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1733&p=13618&hilit=+nature#p13618

We've done Nature Journals for the past 4 years. We've done them in very different ways - but no matter how we've done them, they've furthered our dc's appreciation for and awareness of God's Creation.

In Christ,
Julie

[anointedhsmom]

I am reading this post with great interest. I have the book My Nature Journal that mansmom referenced. We really like the book alot. I looked it up at Rainbow Resource and there is a good description and review of the book there.
http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/ ... 92-1407836

Like the reviewer says it's geared a bit to the older child but can be adapted to the younger child as well. I highly recommend this book.

I am also going to check out the other links in this thread and see what I can come up with. I am really wanting to do things MUCH differently with my 2 year old than I did with my 9 year old when he was that age. I keep staring at the book My Nature Journal on my shelf and thinking that I really need to make an effort to use it and get outside into nature much much more.

Thanks for the ideas,
Paige

[Carrie]

Ladies,

I'm late to this thread, but I love to do nature journals as well! Here is a link to a previous post that may be of some help in nature journaling" viewtopic.php?f=6&t=527

On a sidenote, we are looking at various ways to incorporate nature study with our poetry for the new ancients guide. We will definitely be planning a nature journal into that area!

Blessings,
Carrie

[Mom2Monkeys]

We are doing nature studies right now. After a couple formal nature walks, my dc made every outing, every visit to gr'ma and gr'pa's house, every walk through the grass to get mail,... a nature walk. Their curiousity and attention to nature skyrocketed. I ask them questions about their finds...Why do you think God made it like that? What do you think He made it at all? Does it serve a purpose or did God give it to us for our enjoyment? What might eat that? What might that eat? What does it need to grow? What does it do in the winter? etc. I try to teach them to look and observe instead of catching and disturbing...this gives them a chance to see how God made the creature to act, instead of seeing how it fearfully reacts to a kid trying to catch it!

One dc is too young to write and gets upset that his pictures never look like what he wanted to draw. You can only do so many leaf rubbings too. LOL The other is able to write, just doesn't like to much and she does draw a lot. But, to help them keep a good visual of their finds, we created an online nature journal. Here's the link: http://www.kitketkids.blogspot.com

It's been A LOT of fun! You have so much freedom in nature notebooking. ) Do what fits your family.