This post contains affiliate links to a book I highly recommend and have in my own library.
This month I am really encouraging you to look for ways to use literature in your nature study. I want to share a new favorite book, Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadowby Joyce Sidman. This outstanding book is a treat for the eyes and an inspiration for your pens and crayons!
I love it when a book can engage young readers and Butterfly Eyes uses lovely poetry and clever riddles to draw the reader in. The riddles help the children use their imaginations and their knowledge of meadow inhabitants in way that makes learning fun.
So many meadow creatures are featured in this book. I know lots of you may not live near a meadow so this book will introduce many of the animals, insects, and plants you will find there, creating enthusiasm for a future meadow visit with the narratives and illustrations.
The format is poetry riddles that your child will guess to identify the meadow creatures found on the following pages. The poems are on the over-sized pages…sometimes you even have to turn the book sideways to view the whole scene!
The end pages of the book are complete pictures of many of the subjects found in the book and are a great way to review once you are doing with the last page.
The style of the artwork is another great aspect of this book. Done with scratch art techniques, your children may want to imitate this style to create a beautiful scene for their nature journal or to display on your art wall.
Use the ideas in the November 2013 newsletter in the article I wrote on library books to help you get started reading this amazing piece of nature literature to your children.
Follow Up Ideas:
Identify the creatures on the dust jacket of the book.
Readers of my blog know how much I value healthy living and family relationships that are built around being active. Eating healthy foods, working at living a more green lifestyle, and being organized are also aspects of my life that I share on a regular basis. If you share these values, I have an opportunity for you to purchase a huge library of resource ebooks to supplement and encourage your chosen lifestyle.
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You will find my Winter Nature Study with Art and Music Appreciation ebook included in this bundle in the Healthy Kids and Babies section.
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Disclosure: I am an affiliate for this ebook bundle and will make a commission for every bundle I sell. I have not read and cannot endorse every single book in this bundle.
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Want to know my picks?
Meals ePlanner from List Plan It (plus their bonus offer for 3 month free trial membership!)
UnWired Mom by Sarah Mae
Green Your Life by Emily
One Bite at a Time by Tsh
21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal (Moneysaving Mom)
Fresh Nourishing Salads for All Seasons by Kimberly
This edition of the newsletter is going to be a fabulous resource for you family. There are so many wonderful suggestions for literature that you can find at your library or add to your personal collection. Filled with practical advice and personal recommendations, the November 2013 Nature Literature Newsletter is going to encourage your family to try some new things as part of your nature study and the Outdoor Hour Challenge.
Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:
6 featured articles sharing varying aspects of using literature in your family’s nature study
November Study Grid and Printables
My Nature Book Report – printable notebook page
Coloring Page
Recommended study links and suggested activities
I have attached the newsletter download link to the bottom of my blog feed so if you are a subscriber you will receive the link to the latest newsletter at the bottom of every post for the month of November. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can still subscribe and receive the newsletter link in the next post that comes to your email box. You can subscribe to my blog by filling in your email address in the subscription box on my sidebar.
Note: You can download your newsletter from the link in two ways:
If your link is clickable, right click the link and then “save link as” to save the file on your computer.
If the link is not clickable, cut and paste the link to your browser, open, and then save your newsletter to your computer.
October has been the most mild and inviting time to be outdoors! The mornings have been cool, the sunshine abundant, and the afternoons were just perfect to take a walk crunching the leaves under foot. I can’t remember an October like this one! I hope your month has been full of sunshine and nature walks too.
Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful entries with this edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Readers are in for a treat and hopefully they will be inspired to take a few minutes during November to create their own nature study memories as well.
October Grid Study – Colors and Textures
Michelle from Following Footprints shares their OHC – Fun With Fall Colors and Textures entry with this edition of the carnival. I told her that this made my heart sing and I know it will inspire you too!
Lisa from Pilgrims at Tinker Creek has submitted their entry: Autumn Nature Walk. We get to glimpse into their colors and textures…so many to enjoy!
Carla from Inside Outside Michiana put together a lovely entry: Leaf Art. This is part of the grid study this month. She is going to be having a 30 Days of Nature Art series on her blog in November 2013. That sounds awesome!
Oak Tree
Carla from Inside Outside Michiana has submitted their entry: Nurturing Acorns – Trees.There are so many wonderful ideas incorporated into this entry that you don’t want to miss it if you have little ones.
Pumpkin
Shirley Ann from Under An English Sky has submitted their OHC Pumkins entry for you to read. They grew their own pumpkins, completed a study, and then did some pumpkin art. Don’t miss this encouraging post!
Michelle from Following Footprints shares their Pumpkin Patch Fieldtrip. So much pumpkiny goodness! They then did a Pumpkin Study and would love for you to take a peek!
Squirrels
Heidi from Home Schoolroom shares their Squirrel Nature Study entry with carnival readers.You are in for a treat..getting to read about and see their squirrel friend, Nutty.
Shirley Ann submits her Autumn Mushroom Study entry for you to enjoy. The images and nature journal examples are worth the time to click over and read. Thanks Shirley Ann!
Barbara from The Schoolhouse on the Prairie has put together their The Best of Autumn (Autumn Nature Study) entry for you to enjoy. They are completing their nature study with a baby along this year…adorable!
Dorina from Outside Blue would love for you to read her entry: Monday Bike Ride and a Goldenrod Nature Study. Take a look at their goldenrod study in NYC. It is the tallest goldenrod I have ever seen!
Kathy from Kathy’s Cluttered Mind shares her entry: Arachnid Nature Club Hike. Don’t miss her free printable notebook page.
Cristy from Crafty Cristy has written up their Insects in Our Yard entry and you are going to really be thrilled to see all her amazing butterfly images. She has a great idea for stepping stones too…don’t miss it!
Carla from Inside Outside Michiana shares a wonderful entry with the carnival: Nature Study – Soccer Mom Style. This is a wonderful example to all of us to make nature study fit in where we can and see the value of it. Thank you for sharing this Carla.
Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in November are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 11/29/13 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com or submit them at the blog carnival site (link on the sidebar of my blog).
Taking a nature walk can bring refreshment to your whole family. Maybe you are having a tough day and the children are a little restless or perhaps the weather is just too nice to stay inside all day…these are perfect opportunities to drop everything else, put on your shoes and take a walk in your own neighborhood or a park close by.
Stepping outside can make a world of difference if you are feeling cooped up inside your house.
Fresh air can blow the grumpy attitudes away.
There is always something new to see outside…let your children show you.
Allowing time for children to explore, run, climb, and jump is a healthy way to burn up some built up energy.
Moms need a few minutes outside to look up at the sky and remember that each day has something to be thankful for.
I created a simple nature journal with some of the highlights of our Quiet Nature Walk.
We took a hike this week and I made sure to include a few minutes to walk quietly, using all our senses. This idea was included in this month’s newsletter along with three other ideas to use during your outdoor time.
You can find all four ideas in the October 2013 Newsletter on page 3:
Color Walk
Seasonal Walk
Quiet Walk
Follow the Leader
You can still receive this edition of the newsletter until 11/1/13. If you subscribe today, you will get it in the 10/31/13 entry (Blog Carnival) that comes tomorrow. Hurry…don’t miss it before it is gone.
Our our recent camping trip to Yosemite National Park, we made a special effort to really observe the milkweed. This was made lots easier by the fact that there was lots of milkweed in the meadow near the campground.
The real story of the Showy milkweed in the autumn is the way the pods burst open to expose all of the seeds with their silky white hairs. The brown part is the seed and the white part helps the seeds fly away from the plant.
They remind me of dandelions because when you blow on the seeds they scatter to the wind. There are lots and lots of seeds in each pod. The information I read online said that the seeds are very viable and will grow in dry habitats including fields and road sides.
I think the milkweed silky haired seeds are very beautiful…look at them shimmer in the sunshine.
We have one more season to observe before we have seen the complete cycle of this wonderful butterfly attractive plant. I am looking forward to seeing what winter brings.
Autumn Watercolor – Leaves, Clouds, Acorns, or Anything Else
Bring out your watercolors (or watercolor pencils or watercolor crayons) and create a page for your nature journal as part of your Autumn Weather Challenge.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #1.If you haven’t tried any of the Getting Started suggestions yet this season, give Challenge #1 a try…super easy for every family to just take a walk together and then have a follow-up discussion and offer time for a nature journal page. Keep it light and easy.
You are welcome to submit any of you blog Outdoor Hour Challenge blog entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Entries for the current month are due on 10/30/13.
My fellow authors over at The Curriculum Choice have all contributed to make a huge and valuable resource for nature and science study. I hope you will pop over and take a look for loads of ideas to use in your homeschool.
You may also be interested in following my Nature Study Ideas Pinterest Board. I pin lots of great ideas…more than anyone could ever use in a lifetime.
I have the privilege of hosting the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival for this week’s science edition.
Charlotte Mason was an educator during the late 1800’s and was adamant about science being about real things…things that the children could relate to and have a connection with. She also was a huge advocate of nature study, regular outings that started when the children were young and curious. These ideas have heavily influenced how science and nature study were offered in our homeschool.
I am eternally grateful for Charlotte Mason and her emphasis on keeping things real. I am sure you will be interested in reading this edition’s entries from all around the world.
Here are several of our science related entries, showing our family’s application of the CM Method for our science studies: Living Books for High School Science “I was determined to include living books as part of our weekly plans as well. I didn’t want to abandon our Charlotte Mason feel to our homeschool even in high school. Looking back, I think it was one of the most important decisions we made”
Making Apologia Science Texts Work in Our (Charlotte Mason) Family “Any text is a tool and you can make it work to fit your child. Just because a text has a certain plan for its study, don’t forget that you can adapt the plan so your children get the most out of that text.”
Nature Study for High Students- Reflections
“When we crossed the gap from elementary science to upper level science, I was grateful for our outdoor studies and the solid ground laid for high school biology…the study of life. All those years of personal face to face contact with nature, making observations and asking questions, has given us something to digest and to reason on as we work through the upper level sciences.”
More Science Related Entries from Other Charlotte Mason Homeschoolers
Elisabeth from Treasuring the Moments shares her entry: Science-Are We Equipping Our Kids for Life?
“So how did our friend Brian Jones captivate us? By stories. He told us so many stories about “his animals”. Stories of mischief, danger, protection. We were captivated and enthralled and learned more about those animals than we had ever known before.”
Nancy from Sage Parnassus has submitted her entry: Science-Each New Thing is a Delight.
“Mason assures us that we can make science that wide place where each new thing is a delight. I don’t think the answer is in dry textbooks but in living books with plenty of time and space to explore and discover.”
Nebby from Letters from Nebby has written and shared her entry: How to Study Science in a CM Way. “But how do we study science in a CM way? I put that little question mark in parentheses in the title of this post because I am as much asking as telling. I have a few thoughts but I would love more input, especially as we enter the dreaded high school years.”
Nicole from A Sabbath Mood Homeschool would love to share her entry with you: Science-The Last Hold Out.
“Science seems to be a last hold out – that one subject we don’t want to hand over to Miss. Mason. We reason that she lived in a different time and place than we do now, and that she couldn’t have understood then how important a science education is now for our students in this technology driven world.”
Tammy from Aut-2B Home in Carolina submits her entry: Science for Students in the Autism Spectrum.
“Some autistic students develop the habit of frustration for a variety of reasons. It takes time to help them find joy in learning what is beyond their pet interests. Every person is different, so what works for one autie may not inspire another.”
Megan from The Winding Ascent has submitted her entry: Knowledge of the Universe.
“As many of you know, Science is not my forte. Neither is math. These are the joy of left brain, administrative people, not right brain creatives like me, right? Well, that’s not completely true.”
Additional Charlotte Mason Themed Entries
Annie Kate from Tea Time with Annie Kate share her entry: Review-Mathematics: Is God Silent?
“This is a beautiful book for moms about the history and philosophy of mathematics and it explains a way to teach math that’s consistent with the way the universe functions. I think I finally am starting to understand the idea of ‘living math’.”
Brandy from Afterthoughts submits her 31 Days of Charlotte Mason post for you to enjoy.
“I’m hosting 31 Days of CM and thought I’d submit the link to Day 1, which includes the directory for the month (which I add to each day)…..I think total there will be something like 17 guest posts from about 15 different authors.”
Cindy from Our Journey Westward would love to share her entry: How I Teach Active Kids Using the Charlotte Mason Method.
“Just how does a CM education mesh with the busyness of boys – or inquisitive gifted kids – or minds that jump from one thing to another in a matter of seconds?”
Amy from Fisher Academy International would love for you to view her entry: A Nature Study.
Celeste from Joyous Lessons would love for you to read her entry: The Case for a Non-Fiction Home Library.
“I don’t know about you, but non-fiction books used to be the first kind of books I would pass over at a book sale, thinking, “Oh, I can just Google it,” or “We can get books on that topic from the library when they’re interested.” But once my kids really started reading independently, I had a change of heart.”
Join the carnival for its next edition:
October 29 – Knowledge of the Universe: Geography (Ch10, pt3a)
You can send your entries to this email address: charlottemasonblogs@gmail.com.
I use the edition with the copyright date of 1967 (paperback edition ISBN 0-8014-9384-6) for page numbers and lesson numbers. (Shown above in my affiliate link.) If you have a different version of the Handbook of Nature Study, you can easily find the corresponding pages by using the following suggestions.
1. Topic – almost every Outdoor Hour Challenge is a focused on a specific topic found in the Handbook of Nature Study. Use the Table of Contents to find that topic by looking for the appropriate category.
2. Lesson Number- almost every Outdoor Hour Challenge points you to a lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study. In the older editions those lessons are given in Roman Numerals. Many of the lesson numbers are the same but unfortunately not all…your best bet is to use the Table of Contents.
Special instructions 1. If you are using digital copies that came in a number of downloads, you will need to print the table of contents from the first download and use it as a guide to which pdf to use for your Outdoor Hour Challenge. (Homeschool Freebie of the Day offers the Handbook of Nature Study as a free download from time to time.) 2. For the challenges that give you a few pages to read in the introduction of the Handbook of Nature Study, I have given you the section names so you can find them in your edition of the book. (I edited the first ten Outdoor Hour Challenges to include section names.)
I hope that helps you use whatever edition of the Handbook of Nature Study you have on your shelf.
by Joyce Sidman. This outstanding book is a treat for the eyes and an inspiration for your pens and crayons!
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