Grab your pumpkin chocolate chip bread and enjoy this Pumpkin Nature Study and Fun Facts! Pumpkins are gourds, a crop plant with a fleshy large fruit, hard skin, and tendril growing vines.
Pumpkin Homeschool Study Fun Facts
Did you know …
The word “pumpkin” is from the Greek word “Pepon”, which means “large melon”.
The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
Each pumpkin contains around 500 seeds.
Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine, and flattened strips of pumpkin to make mats.
Pumpkins are very healthy to incorporate into your diet. They are high in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B, potassium, protein, and iron. Pumpkins contain no cholesterol or saturated fat.
Most pumpkin crops are processed into canned pumpkin or canned pie mix.
Atlantic Giants are the largest overall species of pumpkin. They can grow as much as 50 pounds per day!
The first Jack-of-the-Lantern was not made from a pumpkin but an Irish Turnip.
Pumpkin Patch Tips
Pumpkins are in season from mid September through November. Typically planted in June, pumpkins are harvested before the first frost. Looking for the perfect pumpkin? Here are a few tips that have helped us get a great gourd.
A good pumpkin should be firm and solid, without any soft spots or sunken areas. A dry, shriveled stem indicates that the pumpkin has been stored for a long time. A dull or discolored area on the top of the pumpkin indicates frost damage. A pumpkin that feels heavy for its size probably has a thick skin.
Parts of a Pumpkin Activity Sheet
Younger students will enjoy the Parts of a Pumpkin Activity Sheet. Homeschool Nature Study Members can find this free worksheet in their Member Dashboard.
Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Then she started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.
When fall rolls around we usually celebrate all things apple and pumpkin, but what about pears?! Autumn Pear Study is one of the Outdoor Hour Challenges that does not specifically have a lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. Therefore, we’re happy to share fun fruity facts!
Pears: Fruit or Vegetable ?
Pears are a sweet buttery fruit. Generally shaped like a bell, or oval, pears have greenish colored skin some varieties are red. Pears are high in dietary fiber and can be eaten raw or baked. In the states, we are most familiar with the Bartlett Pear. This image from USA Pears with harvest times is helpful.
Fruit or Vegetable Sorting Worksheet
The characteristics of all fruits include: developing from a flower, most fruits contain seeds, and fruits are typically sweet while vegetables are savory. Homeschool Nature Study Members can download the Fruits and Vegetables Sorting Worksheet for younger learners.
Autumn Pear Study Fun Facts
Did you know pears date back to Ancient Greece? Homer described them as “gifts from the gods“.
Romans planted pears throughout Europe developing 50 different varieties.
Pears in the United States are grown in Washington and Oregon.
Pears are part of the rose family. The Rose family is called Rosaceae.
Pear wood is a hard, reddish, fine-grained hardwood that’s often used for making musical instruments, like the lute and guitar.
In Chinese tradition, a common remedy for chronic coughs and asthma involves steaming an Asian pear with a tablespoon of sugar.
“And a partridge in a pear tree”, We all know the first line from The Twelve Days of Christmas. The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge, a bird that will die to protect its young.
More Fall Studies
Looking for more Fall Studies to include in your Nature Study time? Click an image below.
Homeschool Nature Study Membership
Undeniably, now is a great time to join Homeschool Nature Study! We offer a multitude of science activities, hands-on learning ideas, seasonal nature studies, crafts, free resources for all ages – join the #outdoorhourchallenge community and enhance your homeschool science lessons!
Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Then she started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.
A trip to the beach can be a fun family time experience. When you add a few purposeful seashore observations, the trip can transform into beautiful long lasting memories. One summer we headed to the beach in Naples Florida. It wasn’t long snorkeling before many starfish suddenly started to make themselves known to us. A few of these creatures even swimming right into my husband’s gloved-hand. The boys were absolutely thrilled and it’s a memory they still bring up almost 10 years later.
That evening we discovered there are over 2,000 different species of starfish! All because we were on the look to discover something unique and different. I’m not against building sand castles and even taking a nap in the shade. I am pro-nap! But when we went on these excursions with purpose, eyes open, ready to observe the world around us – it made such a difference!
Seashore Observations for Nature Study Activities
Here are a few helpful tips to turn a beach trip into a Nature Study.
Go with an intention. Are you looking for shells? Animals? Crab hunting? Trash pick up? Have a purpose, but also be flexible. There were days when the boys only wanted to find a sand dollar. That’s a big ask on the east coast of Florida. Maybe instead of a specific shell, decide on a size or color. Maybe something living inside the shells.
Set Perimeters. The beach is a big place. Square off an area to observe. You can even assign each student a square area (usually drawn by my big toe), to dig, notice, and report any findings.
Use Back Up Help (curriculum!). It’s always helpful to have some back-up help with curriculum, field guides, books, etc. When we were using Apologia’s Swimming Creatures – there was always a purpose to go to the seashore.
Observe with Eyes Only. As pretty as some things are at the seashore, not everything should be touched. We learned this the hard way one trip when my youngest decided to step on a “squishy” jellyfish. As for that old myth, it’s a myth. Only rubbing alcohol got the sting out of those poor piggies.
Visit the Aquarium. Your local Aquarium offers vast amounts of seashore information! From plants, bugs, and animals you might not even notice at first glance. It’s great to see them at the aquarium and then be on the hunt for them in the wild!
Visit Different Seashores! We lived in Florida for 30 years, the east coast is much different than the west coast. I can also say upon our travels: Florida beaches are different from Cape Cod beaches. Florida beaches are much different from Costa Rica beaches. And Florida beaches definitely do not offer the monkey business like a Thailand beach!
Please pick up your trash – whichever beach you visit! The monkeys in Phuket are now becoming aggressive. We watched a group steal a woman’s bag off her back and rip open a can of Pringles.
Nature Study Member Worksheets: Ocean Study
We love to offer helpful free downloads to add to your nature studies. Here are a few new resources for your Seashore and Ocean Study.
Members can head over to their dashboard to print the SeaShells Coloring Page, Ocean Animals Matching Page, and older students can use the Ocean FoodChain Worksheet.
Ocean and Shell Nature Craft Activities
We are loving this cute Ocean Nature Craft. A great craft when learning about the Ocean Biome.
Ocean Biome Nature Craft
Seashell Nature Craft
Hot, summer weather means the bugs are all out busy pollinating, so let’s create some seashell watering stands to help cool them down. This craft only needs a few supplies and a little supervision for the little ones but overall it is an unbelievably simple craft to make. So head down to the beach and hunt for mussels and other pretty shells and let’s get crafting!
Perfect to go with the Seashells Coloring Page! Members, log in and head to your Nature Crafts course!
Homeschool Nature Study Membership
It’s a great time to join Homeschool Nature Study! We offer a multitude of science activities, hands-on learning ideas, seasonal nature studies, crafts, free resources for all ages – join the #outdoorhourchallenge community and enhance your homeschool science lessons!
Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Stef started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.
There is something magical about a full moon that catches everyone’s attention. Although the moon is technically always “full”, it’s how we see it as to what name we give it. If we were to fly into space, the moon would be full. Yet on earth, it might appear as a lovely sliver, and so we call it a crescent. It’s not really the moon that changes shape but our view of it.
Moon Gazing Activities for Your Homeschool Nature Study
Moon gazing can be a fun activity for all ages. Students can track what time the moon rises, where it is spotted in the sky (north, south, east, or west), how full it looks (phases), and even what color it first shines.
Not sure of each moon phase? It’s easy to confuse a waxing gibbous from a waning gibbous. NASA’s website offers a detailed explanation of the moon’s phases, plus great photos of the moon!
Homeschool Nature Study Members can print the Oreo Moon Phases Worksheet from your dashboard and the new Moon Gazing Activity Sheet.
Ways to Observe the Moon
Some nights the moon feels like it’s about to crash into the front yard, unwilling to be missed. Other nights, it’s not as easy to spot. Here are a few ways to observe the moon, other than looking up. * Binoculars. As much as I love the kid-friendly unbreakable binoculars, they’re not really great at magnifying. Look for something with at least 7x magnification. * Telescope. Be sure to use this on any other night besides the full moon. The brightness of the full moon washes everything out and is just too bright for the telescope. * Apps – try SkySafari or Night Sky. Look for the free trial versions! * NASA. Go to the source of the original info. Both their website as well as their app. * Observatory & Planetariums. Google “observatory near me”. Take a field trip to learn about the moon.
Learn The Full Moon Names
The Farmer’s Almanac created this image and their website shares the “why” behind each name. Plus alternative names for each month. Many of the names are the English translation of the Native American names.
Study The Night Sky Ideas + Journal Page
Take some time this next week to get outside at night and enjoy a beautiful night sky homeschool nature study. Allow plenty of time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness and just enjoy gazing up at the heavens. Use some of these suggestions to get started with some simple night sky observations.
It’s a great time to join Homeschool Nature Study! We offer a multitude of science activities, hands-on learning ideas, seasonal nature studies, crafts, free resources for all ages – join the #outdoorhourchallenge community and enhance your homeschool science lessons!
Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Stef started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.
These fun owl nature study ideas include live owl cams, owl pellet dissection, bird field guides and more to help you learn more about these fascinating and beautiful birds!
Who Cooks For You? A favorite unit study for my boys, Owls! I believe it was the fun of getting to stay up late to listen for owls and call out into the backyard, Who Cooks For You, the Barred Owl “hoot”. I’ve compiled a few Fun Owl Nature Study Ideas if you do not have owls in your neck of the woods.
Fun Owl Nature Study Ideas
Owl Live Cams
For many of us, we rarely have the opportunity to watch owls. Primarily because owls are nocturnal. So I greatly appreciate Owl Live Cams, hosted by the Owl Research Institute. These cams offer many different species of owls to watch from the comfort of your home. They offer at least 5 live cams, some areas are not active year round.
Owl Pellet Dissection
We have dissected owl pellets more times than I’d like to remember the smell of them. But this is such a fun science experiment. We have done this as a group project through our science co-op, a field trip activity at our local Nature Center, and an at-home purchase. Using the Scientific Method you can guess what you will find in each pellet and then carefully pull them apart discovering bones and fur. Don’t forget to discuss new words with younger students like: carnivore, digestion and regurgitation, etc.
Homeschool Nature Study Members can print both Herbivore or Carnivore Worksheet for younger students and the Owl Pellet Dissection worksheet (following the Scientific Method) for older students.
Bird Field Guides for Owl Nature Study
Did you know, there are about 250 owl species? We enjoyed taking a day to flip through owl books and Birds of Prey Field Guides. You can take a moment to read our Top Picks for Field Guides. Field Guides are usually available at your library if you’re not ready to invest in one just yet.
Watch Famous Owls
Hedwig, Errol, Pidgwidgeon … my boys were Harry Potter fans and this series loved to show off many different types of owls. We would pause the screen and then try to identify which type of owl we were seeing. The Owl Research Institute offers a page on their website for Owl Identification. This was quite fun, however not something I would recommend during a busy homeschool day! If you’re not a Harry Potter fan, kid-friendly owl movies: Legend of the Guardians, The Owls of Ga’Hoole, Winnie the Pooh, Sword in the Stone, Sleeping Beauty, etc.
Owl Art
What fun to paint a Little Owl In A Tree, with Nana? These owl masterpieces make for such fun decorations, especially around Halloween. If your children do not like to start from scratch – you can print the bird themed scripture verses – and color in the owl coloring page from Your Best Homeschool. Chat about wisdom.
Did you know owls and wisdom go back to Greek Mythology? Athena, the goddess of wisdom, was often represented with an owl.
Other Bird Nature Study Ideas
We have enjoyed studying birds throughout the seasons thanks to Homeschool Nature Study! Here are a few more posts about different types of birds and great resources to use in your homeschool.
Homeschool Nature Study Membership
It’s a great time to join Homeschool Nature Study! We offer a multitude of science activities, hands-on learning ideas, seasonal nature studies, crafts, free resources for all ages – join the #outdoorhourchallenge community and enhance your homeschool science lessons!
Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Stef started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.
My boys love to skip rocks. No matter if we’re by a lake, stream, or river – some stone is getting tossed into the water. It’s a contagious activity really. Who can make the most bounces. It truly comes down to finding the perfect rock. Our last day in the Grand Tetons, skipping rocks, one child decided to fill up his pockets with treasures rather than toss them away. The tactile child immediately noticed the rocks were much different than the rocks in Florida. I knew as soon as we arrived back home we’d be starting a Rocks and Minerals Unit Study.
Rocks and Minerals Study For Homeschool Science
Regardless of topic, always hit up your local library when creating a unit study! The library is a homeschool mom’s best friend(before we count up the late fines). Each child is assigned a job of finding one book to contribute to the current unit study topic. My boys are highly competitive so we always end up with more than one book each. We gathered many books, everyone carrying an arm load of information. Be sure to find more than one rock, mineral, gemstone, etc. identification guide and maybe a biography on a famous geologist, James Hutton is the “Father of Modern Geology”.
Start a Rock Collection
You can take a Nature Walk and find rocks in your backyard, but I decided to buy a rock set online. Veteran Homeschool Mom Tip: ask your homeschool friends if they have a rock collection or gem set. Once our set arrived I shared with a friend I purchased a box and of course she had three different sets on a shelf somewhere in her homeschool room. Don’t forget to ask your crystal loving friends too! I’m sure they have some quartz, tiger’s eye, and amethyst ready to be examined.
We were very pleased with the variety in our set and spent several days sorting them and trying to identify them. Some sets include a color sheet with names. I created my own sheets for identification and quizzes. Little learners can start by sorting rocks by color, shape, and size.
Free Rock Worksheets
Homeschool Nature Study Members can print My Rock Journal and Rock Types we created just for you. For older students who may have already studied rocks, print the Earth’s Layers Worksheet. You can download all these from your dashboard in your Rocks Course.
Rock Field Trip
After you’ve hit the library and loaded up on your own collection of rocks, be sure to plan a Rock Field Trip! We were visiting Minnesota and noticed a few great waterfalls to hike around. Read: Waterfalls & Creeks before you go. The family wanted to head north on a pretty drive up to Canada. We found an Amethyst Mine where we were able to hammer, chisel, and keep our own bucket of amethyst! Years later when we moved to Colorado we toured an active gold mine in the Rockies. It was such a great experience wearing hard hats and working the mine. You can find these interesting places with just a quick search online.
Keep an eye out on your next vacation. Veteran Homeschool Mom Tip: vacation is never truly just a vacation. We’re always learning! Check out the local things you can do for homeschool interests and build on what you learned at home. When we visited DC we spent days hitting the Smithsonian.
If you cannot visit a real or active mine – visit the museum! Geology became really exciting for us once we moved from sea level Florida to mile high Colorado.
Science Centers, Natural Museums, and Learning Centers are full of these wonderful stones. Google “rock exhibits near me“. You will be surprised how many traveling exhibits bring in such interesting gems.
We are incredibly lucky to be near the Denver Science & Nature Museum. They have a huge permanent display of rocks and gems. Plus the History Colorado Center, a museum in downtown Denver, shares the History of mining and tools (who doesn’t love learning about “The Widow Maker”), and offers fun hands-on explosive exhibits.
Rock Art
We believe all lessons should have some type of art component. We wrapped up our rock unit study by painting rocks and leaving them on trails for others to find. You might not be able to mine amethyst, but you can paint a rock purple! Or even yellow with a giant smile. Leave a rainbow behind for a special keepsake. We’ve noticed in our travels some small towns hide rocks along their main street shopping area. We really enjoyed swapping rocks in Winter Garden, Florida.
We hope you create a fun time learning with your students with these rocks and minerals unit study ideas. Are you a Homeschool Nature Study Member? If not join the community for tips, ideas, unit studies, and #outdoorhourchallenges.
Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Stef started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.
As the warm weather brings flowers you might find more insects flying around. It’s a great time to plan a summer insect nature study. There’s such a wealth of knowledge about insects in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. Using the lessons along with the Outdoor Hour Challenge will make you confident to tackle an insect nature study this summer. You won’t need to travel far to find an insect to learn about with your children!
Homeschool Nature Study: New Member Resources
Homeschool Nature Study Members can print a few new resources added to your dashboard to go along with your insect studies! Print: My Spider Journal, Bug Scavenger Hunt, and My Bee Journal – these are perfect for younger learners.
Insect Observation Tips
It’s fun to observe the 6 & 8 legged creatures, but can feel scary for children. When studying insects be careful ! A few helpful tips:
Wear garden gloves.
Do not touch stinging or biting insects.
Use a net or container to observe insects and be sure to release them.
Turn on a light at night and observe the bugs that stop by.
Never catch a butterfly in a jar – they can damage their wings.
Find fireflies in meadows, yards, edges of forests, and around streams.
Ladybugs like forests, gardens, and weed patches.
Bees dislike the smell of peppermint and eucalyptus.
Always bring a sketch pad and draw what you find!
More Bug Activities And Resources
We have shared the buzz of these great resources! Be sure to read these posts for more ideas!
Become a Member!
Not yet a Member?! Spring has sprung and it’s the perfect time to incorporate Nature Study into your homeschool. We offer many tips, ideas, nature studies, worksheets & helpful downloads, plus encouragement along the way! Homeschool Nature Study is perfect for preschoolers, elementary, middle schoolers, and high schoolers! Yes – we believe Homeschool Nature Study works for ALL AGES. Join the community!
Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Stef started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.
On one particularly cold, dreary, winter day I decided we needed to get out of the house! We piled in the car and headed to the pet store for an impromptu field trip. Your local pet store is such a great place to learn about fish with preschoolers! No one is getting dirty, wet, and there are so many different types of fish to observe.
Usually I can walk into that store and not come home with anything. This day, however, I couldn’t resist. The kids were so interested in all the fish. We left that day with a table-top tank and fish supplies but no fish. When I got home, I started planning our preschool fish theme.
The first day we set up the tank and talked about what our fish would need in their home. My kids added the gravel, real plants, and water. We waited a day in order to prepare the tank environment. We added water conditioner to the water to help stabilize the environment (get rid of rid of any chlorine, ammonia, or chloramine) which hopefully would allow the fish to acclimate to their new home easier. Then we let the water sit in our table-top tank for 24 hours before going back to the pet store to get our fish. We decided to get guppies!
Fish Vocabulary & Journal
I like to introduce vocabulary while observing items. So while we sit and watch the fish, I try to bring up the following terms naturally.
“Do you see the fish’s tail?”
“Look at the fish. Does it have skin like we do?”
“How do you think fish breathe under water?”
“Do you see those ‘slits’ on the side of the fish? Those are gills– and they help fish breathe.”
gills
fins
scales
mouth
eyes
tail (actually a caudal fin)
Fish Journal
Homeschool Nature Study Members can download My Fish Journal in their dashboard.
If your preschooler enjoys sorting games, be sure to print the Water or Land worksheet from the dashboard as well. This is a cute sorting craft & game. All that’s required is to cut out different animals from the worksheet and sort them into which habitat they live ~ water or land. Be sure to ask your kiddos questions using the Fish Vocabulary words above. Does this bear have gills? Is the fox fury or does it have scales?
Fish Pretend Play Activities
We had some left-over gravel from setting up our own aquarium so we poured that into the bottom of a plastic shoe box. Then the girls decorated their own pretend aquarium using toys from around the house. Though I did this activity more for my toddler and preschooler, my kindergartener loved it too!
Older children can make their own cardboard box fish diorama. By using craft supplies around the house they can create their own fun underwater world. Either glue felt fish to the box or make hanging “puppets”.
My kids played with this for quite a while–using their imaginations. It ended up looking like a scene from Finding Nemo. Which is also a fun movie to watch during lunch or afternoon snack time.
Fish Books
We read and looked at many different fish-related books. After reading Fish Eye, each child made their own foam fish design. Here were some other books that we used:
Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert, My Visit to the Aquarium by Aliki, What’s It Like to Be a Fish? by Wendy Pfeffer, Under the Sea by Anna Milbourne, Goldfish: Watch It Grow Series.
We are enjoying our guppies very much! And much to our delight, we also found a snail in our tank! It must have hitched a ride on the plants we put in the aquarium.
Homeschool Nature Study Membership
Not yet a Member? Join today to access Nature Studies all year long, free Worksheets and Downloads, plus more fun Ideas!
Most children love to chase, catch, and watch frogs. Frogs and toads make cool noises and have such unique markings. Spend some time outside and learn about frogs and toads in your area.
Frogs and Toads: Learning Activities For Kids
Frog or Toad ?
Do you know the difference between frogs and toads? Frogs have long legs, longer than their head and body, which are made for hopping. Toads, on the other hand, have much shorter legs and prefer to crawl around rather than hop. Frogs have smooth, somewhat slimy skin. Toads have dry, warty skin.
Find Tadpoles
Frogs start off as tadpoles in the water. So the best place to observe tadpoles is near the water, stream, pond, etc. However you don’t always have to go so far.
We once drained our pool to seal a crack. It rained and rained for weeks. The bottom of the pool collected water and before we could have the repair team out … we heard them. We had no idea most frogs are nocturnal animals. And it wasn’t long until we started to see tadpoles in our pool. Of course my boys were thrilled to catch the adult frogs hiding out around the bushes and scoop up cups of tadpoles.
It was fun to learn about frogs and toads as we watched our tadpoles slowly grow legs. Tadpoles usually need 14 weeks to turn into frogs. We also learned it’s impossible to recognize one tadpole from another so they might have been renamed a dozen different times.
Members can print the Homeschool Nature Study’s Frog Life Cycle Worksheet, no babysitting tadpoles required. If you are going to scoop up some tadpoles please make sure you never put them in tap water. Always keep them in pond-water or rain water. House tap water is not the right temperature and it contains chemicals that will kill the tadpoles.
Visit the Herpertarium
If you are unsuccessful finding frogs or toads around your yard, neighborhood pond, etc. visit a Herpertarium to learn about frogs and toads. A herpetarium is a zoological exhibition space for reptiles and amphibians, most commonly a dedicated area of a larger zoo or science center. This is where you’ll find the largest toad, poison dart frogs, and other really interesting amphibians safely behind glass. Bring a sketch book to draw the wonderful animals you see.
Create a Frog Friendly Environment
Frogs do not live full time in water, after they lay their eggs in water they return to dry ground. You can create your own frog friendly environment by providing a damp, rocky, plant happy area in your yard. If you do catch a frog or toad give them some soil, rocks, and plants. Be sure to return them to the wild after observation. We sorta forgot about a lid, so every frog we caught eventually jumped out, rather easily, and went on its merry way.
A side note about our frog-filled pool. Unfortunately it attracted snakes. Which of course steered us next to a snake nature study and getting repairs finished quickly!
Share your beautiful frog nature studies with us on social media! Tag @OutdoorHourChallenge. We love to see your wonderful discoveries.
Join the fun and become a Nature Study Member!
It’s easy to sign up and enjoy pre-planned lessons, nature study ideas, free worksheets, crafts, a homeschool nature loving community, and more!
Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Stef started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.
It’s a great time to learn about birds! Are you participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count? This national event is held every February and is a great opportunity to spend time with your young children to learn about birds in your backyard.
My younger children were always interested in learning about birds, so I found bird activities to stretch out the fun throughout the month. First we created a bird friendly environment in our yard. This Heart Shaped Bird Feeder craft from Your Best Homeschool is a fun craft but also a great way to attract birds to your yard! Be sure to watch outside every morning and every afternoon to see “who” stops by.
Homeschool Nature Study Members can download the Bird of the Day Notebooking Page and our Bird Life Cycle worksheet from your dashboard to document and track the birds while learning about the different stages of a bird’s life.
Children will enjoy the Bird Scripture Verses coloring pages at Your Best Homeschool! Be sure to head over and download those for morning bible time.
Learn About Birds With a Bird Nature Walk
A bird nature walk is a wonderful opportunity to observe birds with your younger children. You can see bigger birds that might never come to your backyard bird feeder. Head out around the playground, lake, neighborhood walking trails, etc.
Though my younger children sometimes have difficulty using binoculars, they love having them! So we bring them on our nature walks and find a quiet place to sit (usually near a pond or meadow) and see how many birds we can spot.
Many young children do not know the names of birds so be sure to start with simple identification markings. Color, size, crown, and other markings. This Bird Scavenger Hunt worksheet is a great bring-along sheet to mark off all the birds you see that day.
Nature Study Booklets for Your Nature Walk
You can help your preschooler make his or her own bird paper bag booklet. My children loved it because they felt like a big kid and were proud of their creation. The pages in the book reinforce basic bird facts and allow your child to customize the pages as he’d like.
The inside pages have a place where to draw what you have observed on our nature walk. This is a perfect nature craft for kids!
Paper bag journals are so easy to make and are a great size for little children to handle. Watch the video (linked below) for the simple directions.
My kids love to observe birds from the comfort of our own home! We set up a bird feeder where we could watch the birds from our front room. An easy way to learn about birds!
Learn About Birds with More Bird Resources
Boost your bird study with more resources from Homeschool Nature Study. Click an image below to add more bird learning fun to your fowl studies.
Bird-Themed Nature Writing Center
You can easily set up a bird-themed writing station at home using your printer and supplies you have on hand. A series on writing centers on the WriteShop blog inspired me to create our first-ever writing center.
I tried to provide materials for all age-levels in my home— 1yr to 13yrs. old. I have the station set up by a window so that they will hopefully be inspired by any winged creatures they see outside too.
You might include some of the following in your writing center:
Feathers for Lunch is a perfect book to introduce nature to little ones. Lois Ehlert has a wonderful way of crafting the illustrations, and she pairs the real name of 12 birds along with their pictures in this book. After reading it, my girls and I went to our window to see if we could find any of the birds that were listed in the book. Then we made our own feathered-friend craft. This craft is easy and requires just a few items you might already have on hand in your homeschool supplies. What is fun about this craft is that you can make many different feathered friends just by changing colored paper and feathers.
Feathers for Lunch: Bird Craft Supplies
Craft foam or construction paper, glue, feathers, wiggly-eyes, and a pencil.
First: Trace your child’s hand onto craft foam or construction paper and cut out the hand print.
Next: Add glue to the hand print – cover as much space as you can.
Then: Place feathers on top of the glue covering the hand.
Cut a circle out of a coordinating color of fun foam or construction paper. Adhere the circle on top of the feathers.
Lastly: Glue wiggly-eyes and a triangle beak.
Be sure to have your child sign the back and add the date or their age. This is also a nice little gift to send along to grandma, an aunt, or someone special. A child’s hand-print is a special keep-sake. You can create red ones for Valentine’s Day, green feathers for St. Patrick’s, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Homeschool Nature Study Membership
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Not yet a Homeschool Nature Study Member? We’d love for you to join us and take advantage of the numerous studies – already planned out for you, craft ideas, free worksheets, and #outdoorhourchallenge fun! Become a member and bring the love of learning nature and science easily into your home.
