Enjoy these first day of winter nature walk ideas for your homeschool! Getting outside for a walk on the first day of winter may be one of the most refreshing activities you could do with your children.
The temperatures drop and we huddle inside more and more, especially on the shortest day of the year! Make plans to get outside for a brisk nature walk and then to follow up with a nature journal page recording all of the interesting things you found while outside on winter solstice.
First Day of Winter Nature Walk Ideas for Your Homeschool
Encourage everyone to use all of their senses on this walk. Here are some winter nature walk ideas:
Did they see something colorful or unusual?
How does the air feel on your skin?
Is there a particular fragrance to the air?
Can you listen carefully for a minute or two to distinguish any particular sounds?
Another idea is to ask your children to find differences in the landscape, comparing your neighborhood habitat on this winter solstice day to what they remember about the first day of summer. This is a little harder and you may need to help them get started with a few of your own observations.
More Winter Homeschool and Winter Solstice Nature Study Resources
Here are even more winter nature studies for you to enjoy together:
Taking your winter nature studies indoors when the weather outdoors is proving to be a challenge may be just the thing you need every once in a while. We have a lovely post from the archives to inspire your homeschool nature studies indoors for those days that you can’t face getting outdoors.
Make Memories Together This Winter
Most importantly, take along a good attitude and leave yourself open to whatever the experience brings. Allow your children to direct you to things they find interesting and then share in their excitement. A good nature walk is pleasurable for everyone and allows you and your children to develop a relationship with our Creator.
The best times I can remember with my children are the times we just took it slow and easy, looking for the little things that most people pass by. Turn over a rock and see what’s underneath. Look up in the branches of the trees and see if you can find any birds or other critters. Sit quietly by the edge of a pond or stream and see what comes along. Breathe the air and enjoy the day.
There’s a printable in Homeschool Nature Study Membership for the First Day of Winter Nature Walk for you to use as part of this activity. A simple list and a sketch will make a perfect follow up to your outdoor time.
Nature study crafts for kids are a hands on way to learn. What beautiful and easy activities for learning and FUN! Let us show you how.
Nature Study For Kids
There is such value in adding nature study! Getting outside for a walk may be one of the most refreshing activities you could do with your children. Not only will you be learning about the beautiful creation in your very own backyard but you will be building lasting memories together.
And, gathering supplies from your yard makes doing a nature craft together even more fun! Spend a little bit of time outdoors then come inside and create. You could even stay outdoors and be crafty on a nice day.
Nature Study Craft Activities For Learning and Fun
Using our nature craft activities makes nature study easy on mom because our craft artist, Victoria, leads you and your students, step by step. Victoria grew up participating in the Outdoor Hour Challenges with her family. Nature has always inspired her work, right from when she was young. She, along with her sister, would go on weekly nature walks following lessons from the Handbook of Nature Study to learn about the beauty of our natural world. She has found through years of nature study that the slow and simple process of painting and being surrounded by nature has become her form of escapism from such a fast paced and material world.
Each craft activity is seasonal and matches what you are already studying in your homeschool. Plus, nature crafts are just so much fun!
Ice art incorporating foraged berries, leaves, cones or whatever else you find in nature makes for a beautiful garden decoration…even of it only lasts a few hours.
How to Make Forage Fairies
This homeschool nature craft makes it so much fun to get outdoors and forage for your supplies.
How to Make a Leaf Mask
You will love making a nature craft with leaves! We will be making these gorgeous leaf masks with only a handful of supplies. Let your creativity go wild with these masks!
More Resources For Nature Study In Your Homeschool
We love the nature crafts Victoria shares! And, did you know that Victoria’s mother, Shirley Vels, is your Outdoor Hour Challenge hostess? Not only does Shirley share your new, weekly Outdoor Hour Challenge, she also encourages fellow homeschool moms with her monthly Outdoor Mom lessons in membership as well!
If you are not a Homeschool Nature Study membership yet, please consider joining to gain the benefit of having a nature study library at your fingertips. There are numerous resources available for you to help create the habit of nature study within your family.
Members also enjoy access to:
NEW, weekly Outdoor Hour Challenges to bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!
the annual nature study plans
matching courses with materials and journaling pages
interactive calendar with daily nature study prompts
Nature Journaling course
and MUCH more!
Members of Homeschool Nature Study enjoy access to both the Nature Crafts course AND Outdoor Mom plus more exclusive courses and content.
There are so many simple ways to study nature in your homeschool this winter! From nature walks to indoor studies, use this guide as a starting point for making memories together.
Simple Ways to Study Nature in Your Homeschool This Winter
Getting outside for a walk on the first day of winter may be one of the most refreshing activities you could do with your children. The temperatures drop and we huddle inside more and more, especially on the shortest day of the year!
“The most obvious work of nature has been the preparation for winter. A wide range of observation should be used to impress the truth: the trees and shrubs have lost their leaves, and stored the provisions for spring in the buds and branches; many softer plants die down to the ground, storing the food in roots, others in bulbs, and still others in tubers. The question may be asked for each plant that comes up for observation – How did it get ready for winter?”
1. Take a walk this week and spend a few minutes looking at the plants in your yard and neighborhood. Look for bushes and trees without leaves, stopping to note that these plants are many times not dead but just waiting for spring to begin a new growth cycle. Don’t go into too much detail but allow time for quiet observation.
2. After your outdoor time, spend a few minutes discussing how plants get ready for winter. You can bring out the following points:
Some plants (Annuals) have seeds that survive the winter even when the plant does not.
Other plants (Perennials) have roots that survive the winter and start to grow again in the spring.
Deciduous trees shed their leaves, conserve food, and have buds that are waiting until spring to open and grow.
3. Make a nature journal entry recording anything of interest from your outdoor time.
Alternately, make plans to get outside for a brisk nature walk and then to follow up with a nature journal page recording all of the interesting things you found while outside.
Animals in Winter Homeschool Nature Study
“The same thought should be applied to the animals. Most of the birds have gone south because of the cold, and also because their food is gone; the frogs, turtles, and toads are going to sleep all winter down in the mud or earth below the frost; the caterpillars are waiting in their cocoons for the warm spring sunshine; most of the other insects have laid their eggs for the next season, while a few of them have crawled into warm places to wait; the squirrels have gathered a store of nuts, and will soon be asleep in the old tree-trunks; the cats dogs, horses, and cows have grown a fresh coat of hair and fur. Nothing is forgotten; each is ready in its own best way.”
This will be another easy week of nature study that will blend easily with other Outdoor Hour Challenges. Take the opportunity to spend some time outdoors noticing the way that animals prepare for winter. Make this one an investigation!
You might prepare with a little discussion about the various animals and birds that live in your local area. Some ideas to get you started:
migrating or visiting birds
squirrels gathering nuts
insects in cocoons
changes in color of various animals as they prepare for the white of the snow time
Bundle up and spend fifteen minutes outdoors enjoying the December world. A good nature walk is pleasurable for everyone and allows you and your children to appreciate God’s beautiful creation. The best times I can remember with my children are the times we just took it slow and easy, looking for the little things that most people pass by.
Look for signs of animals and think about ways they prepare for winter. You can also make bird and animal observations, noting their behavior. How are they staying warm? finding food? sheltering from the weather?
Encourage everyone to use all of their senses on this walk:
Did they see something colorful or unusual?
How does the air feel on your skin?
Is there a particular fragrance to the air?
Can you listen carefully for a minute or two to distinguish any particular sounds?
Another idea is to ask your children to find differences in the landscape, comparing your neighborhood habitat on this winter day to what they remember about the first day of summer. This is a little harder and you may need to help them get started with a few of your own observations.
More Outdoor Hour Challenge Ideas:
Turn over a rock and see what’s underneath.
Look up in the branches of the trees and see if you can find any birds or other critters.
Sit quietly by the edge of a pond or stream and see what comes along.
Breathe the air and enjoy the day.
Follow Up Indoor Winter Nature Study Activities:
After your outdoor time allow time for a nature journal entry. Use the notebook page or the journal idea from the December Newsletter to record your observations of anything that your child finds interesting. I also have a December World Notebook Page included Homechool Nature Study Membership or you can use one of the journaling pages included in the free membership sample, below.
Maybe this week you could use a different art medium in your journal…many of us get stuck in a rut. Offer colored pencils, thin markers, watercolors, or pastels.
You could also try offering modeling clay as an alternative to drawing the subject this week and then take a photo of the finished product to include in the nature journal.
In Homeschool Nature Study membership, each challenge gives you step by step instructions to get started with simple weekly nature study ideas…even in the middle of winter! This may just be what your homeschool week needs to get you through the cold winter days of January, February, and March.
Each challenge is written for you to complete in your own neighborhood or backyard and you can adapt each challenge to fit your local area with suggestions I offer with each topic. Don’t be discouraged if you look at the list of topics and think you don’t have that particular subject close at hand. I will guide you through finding a replacement to still offer you a weekly dose of nature study.
The winter homeschool nature study challenges were written for families with children of all ages. In addition to the regular challenge, I have bumped up the nature study for older or more experienced children, complete with their own set of notebooking pages. You will be able to use these studies with your whole family and pull it out from year to year and have a nature study resource for all levels.
Outdoor Hour Challenges for Winter – Bring the Handbook of Nature Study to Life in Your Homeschool!
Membership includes all you need for using the Handbook of Nature Study and enjoying learning together as a family. See a sample membership Winter Homeschool Nature Study by signing up with the form, below.
Membership includes all of this plus MORE!
notebook pages and coloring pages
Upper Level notebook pages for advanced or experienced students
Charlotte Mason style exam questions
Complete list of supplies needed
Detailed instructions for each challenge, including links and printables
Nature journal suggestions
Alternate ideas to adapt the challenges to your local area
Members also enjoy:
Bird in Snow video art lesson
First Day of Winter Walk and Observations Page
December World Notebook Page
Winter Weather Observations Journal Page
Window Observations Journal Page
December Words and Poem Journal Page
Special Outdoor Hour Challenges
Snow Study!
Red and Green Outdoor Hour Challenge
Moon and Moon Names
Study on Magnets and the Compass
And more challenges from all of the courses pictured above!
Get Your Free Sample Of Membership: Winter Homeschool Nature Study Download
Most importantly, when you get outside for your winter homeschool nature study, take along a good attitude and leave yourself open to whatever the experience brings. Allow your children to direct you to things they find interesting and then share in their excitement.
“The gobbler is the most vainglorious bird known to us; when he struts to show his flock of admiring hens how beautiful he is, he lowers his wings and spreads the stiff primary quills until their tips scrape the ground, lifting meanwhile into a semi-circular fan his beautiful tail feathers, he protrudes his chest, and raises the iridescent plumage of his neck like a ruff to make a background against which he throws back his red, white, and blue decorated head.”
Handbook of Nature Study
Fun Turkey Homeschool Nature Study Ideas
Wild turkeys are a funny bunch of birds. Homeschool Nature Study founder Barb McCoy says, “we lived in California, many times we saw turkeys in the woods and sometimes trotting down the back roads. They make a funny sound as they move through the trees and poke around on the ground for tidbits to eat. Then, if you get lucky, you’ll see the male turkey strutting his stuff and displaying his beautiful tail feathers!
Homeschool Bird Study – Turkeys
If you have a wild turkey or even a domestic turkey to observe, you’ll enjoy the suggestions in the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study. Another suggestion is to watch the videos in the original challenge to get a taste of what turkeys are all about and then read the Handbook of Nature Study lesson and finish with a nature journal page with your children.”
The full turkey homeschool nature study and a turkey notebooking page is included in membership – along with all the fun, fall favorite topics and a member calendar filled with daily nature study prompts!
Before the whole month of November slips away, let’s make time to observe what nature is doing at this time of year. Start off by completing the reading of pages 1 and 2 in the Handbook of Nature Study as a refresher.
Take a few minutes to think about how keeping a regular nature study period each week has benefited your family. Ask your children what they have learned so far this autumn season about the birds, insects, and plants in your neighborhood.
Victoria says, “As autumn gets into full swing, what better way to mark the change of seasons than with these super simple leaf prints. We are heading into that period of autumn where the leaves are on the cusp of igniting into rich shades of red and orange. Here in the UK, we usually have about a week of vibrancy before one strong wind comes along and blows all the colour to the ground. So it is best to capture its beauty while we can.”
Use the ideas in this challenge to get outside and find something of interest to note about your November World. Complete the notebook page in the Autumn Course included in membership or create a page in your own blank journal.
More Fall Homeschool Nature Study and Homeschool Ideas
Here are even more ideas for your November homeschool:
November is such a month of change and transition…don’t miss getting outside to view it for yourselves! Be sure to share your outdoor time on social media and tag @outdoorhourchallenge on Instagram or Outdoor Hour Challenges too!
To celebrate the first day of fall or autumnal equinox, we invite you on a fall leaf study in your homeschool! There are leaf nature studies to fill an entire week!
Celebrate The First Day of Fall
Here is a fun idea for the first day of fall and your fall leaf tour!
Homeschool Fall Leaf Study And Activities
This study is designed to be completed with what you have around you. As the leaves turn, head outside, notice fall colors and collect some different colored leaves.
Compare Leaves from Two Different Trees
Leaf shape and leaf margins.
Leaf arrangement on the stem.
Leaf color, texture, and size. (You can measure if you wish.)
Come back in from your walk and follow up with a journal page.
Take a Fall Color Walk For Your Nature Study
To continue your fall leaf tour, take a fall color walk! We also start to take more hikes now that the afternoons are a bit cooler. We have our favorite trails and try to get outside every day to see what we can find of interest.
Read in the Handbook of Nature Study page 14, “The Field Excursion”. The reason I want you to read this section is so you have a better understanding of how to prepare you children for a short outdoor excursion with a purpose. Let them know ahead of time the reason you are going outdoors, have them gather their supplies, and then make the excursion outside to look for fall colors.
With our Printable Autumn Series Field Notebook included in membership, you can enjoy these studies and journal pages:
Seasonal tree study
Goldenrod
Oaks & acorns
Fall bird study
Squirrels
Mushrooms
Pumpkins
Field Notebook List
Fall Color Challenge Activity: Match Leaf Color to Your Art Supplies
A more detailed advanced study for upper level students is included in membership. Here is a peek at what you can enjoy as you continue your fall leaf tour.
Outdoor Hour Challenge founder, Barbara McCoy shared this from her family’s Color Walk one year: “I decided to make color chart in my journal with the official names from the Prismacolor pencils noted just for fun. My favorite leaves were the pistache leaves with their bright orange, red, and yellow…..dare I say vermillion, crimson, and chrome yellow to be more exact?”
Collect a variety of colorful leaves and bring them inside. Have fun matching the colors of the leaves to your colored pencils, chalk pastels, crayons or other art supplies. You might want to sketch your leaves in your nature journal.
Watercolor pencils on the left and regular colored pencils on the right.
Fall Nature Study Crafts for All Ages
With leaf printings, a fall garland, a pumpkin house, a fern nature journal activity and more, there is something for everyone in our Nature Crafts course.
Fall Homeschool Nature Study Ideas
Track Weather in Your Homeschool
Autumn seems to be a season that many of us look forward to and in my part of the world we welcome the cooler temperatures and the crisp morning air. We begin to see a few days of wet weather and one activity that seems to make its way into my nature journal is to keep track of that cooler wet weather.
Simple Fall Homeschool Nature Study Ideas with Apples, Pumpkins and Pears
When the calendar flips to September you might be ready for an autumn or fall homeschool nature study in your own backyard. How about your part of the world? Are you feeling like autumn or is it lingering summer? Whatever your world looks like you can take a fall walk and discover some fall color…maybe not your leaves but look for berries, nuts, and weeds that are changing color.
The Benefits of Nature Study in the Fall
The benefits of fall nature study seem to be endless! The most important of all is making memories together as a family. The crisp, cooler air and the brilliant blue sky (on sunny days) highlight all of the fall leaf color for us. Being outside does wonders for moods. And having an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery is as simple as swinging open your backdoor.
The fall Outdoor Hour Challenges are among our very favorites. My children and I have wonderful memories of looking for not only different leaf color but leaf shapes. With the cooler weather, we tend to take nature walks even more.
Plus, a fall homeschool nature study gives an opportunity for all ages to learn as little or as much as they would like to.
Fall Nature Study Lesson Plans
We have Outdoor Hour Challenge Homeschool Nature Study Curriculum filled with weeks of fall nature study plans! You can also take a look at this sampling of the resources we have for you to enjoy simple, fall homeschool nature study in your own backyard.
Seasonal Tree Observations Outdoor Hour Challenge
Fall Color Walk with Printable Color Cards in membership (great for your youngest adventurers)
Access to a Fall Leaf Nature Study Grid for printing (you can place in your journal and ‘check off’ scavenger hunt style. Includes a bookmark for coloring in the colors of the fall leaves near you)
Autumn nature study journal pages for each Outdoor Hour Challenge
Autumn coloring pages
Under the Fallen Leaves notebooking page
Autumn Changes in Your Own Backyard
Learning About Leaves – with journal page
Autumn Weather Tracking chart printable
Signs of Autumn Notebook Page
Printable Fall Series Field Notebook
And SO much more! (with more topics coming!)
Fall Forest Biome Nature Craft Activity
Our resident illustrator, Victoria Vels, shares, “Autumn is on the horizon with the yellowing of leaves signalling chilly weather to come, so lets create this forest floor biome to celebrate. In this tutorial I will show you how to layer watercolours to create depth as well as texture using a stippling technique. So grab your paints, download the free printable I have created and let’s get crafting!”
Fall Garland Craft Activity
Autumn is in full swing with rusty leaves and seeds galore, so let us bring in some of the season’s beauty with this Autumn garland.
We’ve heard from families that they were reluctant to start a nature study plan, stating that they thought it would restrict their freedom to focus on one topic. But, they found that having a focus each week actually helped them to stay regular at getting outside and it helped them be better at taking a few minutes to learn about an object they encountered, even if it wasn’t the original aim for getting outdoors.
We make it easy with resources you can use at your own pace and on your own schedule. Or, you may choose to follow our annual nature study plans closely and have everything at your fingertips.
Creating a homeschool nature study atmosphere does not need to be difficult, dirty, or uncomfortable. In fact, the best nature study is done without much effort and is guided by your child’s interest in topics that come along.
The nature study we talk about here is meant to be simple, a constant vigilance for something to be interested in right in your own neighborhood.
Creating a Homeschool Nature Study Atmosphere – It Starts With You
Nature Study- You can do this and your children will thank you. That really is my main message for this post and this Homeschool Nature Study website.
Nature Study Close to Home
Traveling to national parks can be a goal for everyone and I feel so very blessed to live in a part of the county where they are at my fingertips. But your own backyard can produce meaningful nature study if you are aware of things that come along…you need to be watching and listening.
No Need for Homeschool Group Learning
Participating in nature clubs can be a wonderful experience for a nature study atmosphere but having a few minutes with just your own kids outside each week can be just as wonderful.
Be Flexible With Your Time
Focusing on one nature study topic gives your family a full picture of that aspect of nature but don’t miss out on other subjects that come around because they are not on topic. Take a detour if needed and remember that nature study should be a life-long endeavor.
I have observed that families that make nature study a consistent part of their everyday life are the ones that feel the most satisfaction. Honestly, it warms my heart to see and hear about the times where families have an opportunity arise and they drop everything to pursue the learning more. A spider in a web, a bird’s song, the weather, rocks in pockets….take a few minutes to share it with your children.
You may be surprised how your attitude changes with knowledge.
In the end, what matters most is the way you view nature. Children are very keen observers and they will know when you are not excited about something. I can’t say I am always excited about every nature study topic…snakes and fish come to mind…but I do try to share my passion for learning new things and encourage my children to learn more about topics of interest. Funny thing is that once you start learning about things like snakes, the more interesting they become. The closer you look at a fish, the more beautiful it is.
Join us in Homeschool Nature Study Membership for a NEW Outdoor Hour Challenge each Friday!
You will find encouragement and resources to get your nature study atmosphere started. It is all done for you. Bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!
The idea of taking a nature walk is nothing new. However, the need for nature walks has never been more evident in our increasingly indoor, sedentary lives. Childhood used to be times of exploring outdoors for hours at a time, but in today’s world few children have the circumstances or incentive to get outside on their own. This is where involved parents can be of such value.
“Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health (and also, by the way, in our own).”
Taking anature 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 and take a walk in your own neighborhood or a park close by.
I’ve observed that families that take nature walks on a consistent basis, as part of their weekly routine, benefit greatly from the efforts they spend in making them happen. They feel more relaxed in nature, they see their children get excited about things they discover, and they feel a closer bond as a family because of shared nature experiences.
Whether you use the Outdoor Hour Challenges as part of your nature studies or not, the fundamental idea of taking a short walk outside with your child is the basis of building a happier childhood.
“Nature is often overlooked as a healing balm for the emotional hardships in a child’s life.”
Getting the Habit of Walks Startedwith The Outdoor Hour Challenge
Talking nature walks can be as simple as putting on your shoes and jacket and heading out the door, letting nature inspire what you do and what you study. Or, you can have a few ideas in mind before you head out the door.
Sometimes it’s nice to head out the door and see what comes your way, no assignments. Start with nothing more than pointing out the beauty in the flowers, trees, animals, and birds that you encounter during your everyday life. Speak to the heart at first by just enjoying the amazing living things in front of you and then eventually you will be able to focus on naming your subjects and knowing a few facts.
Parents do not need to be worried that they don’t know everything about their nature study subjects. You can become learners right alongside your children. Remember that there are many things about nature that nobody knows the answers to so when our children ask us questions that are deep and thought-provoking, acknowledge the question and look for the answer together. We are all students of God’s creation, and we will never know everything there is to know.
Consider nature study an adventure, a lifelong achievement. Keep your eyes wide open for opportunities to discover new things that come into your everyday life.
It doesn’t have to be an elaborate affair or take very much time for you to see a difference in your attitude and that of your children.
“It is a mistake to think that a half day is necessary for a field lesson (nature walk), since a very efficient field trip may be made during the ten or fifteen minutes at recess, if it is well planned.”
Handbook of Nature Study
Creative Nature Walks: Pick a FocusFor Your Study
Pick a theme for your walk such as insects, birds, trees, flowers, etc. Then have everyone make observations within that theme.
In my experience, having a focus during a walk makes it much more enjoyable for everyone. Each person can use their eyes and senses to look for items within the theme and then share them with the group. One person can be the designated photographer and take photos of things of interest. Or take along your nature journal and make a record of your sightings as you go along.
If you have older children, this is where you could use the Outdoor Hour Challenge and the Handbook of Nature Study to pick a focus for your walk. Pick a topic for the many challenges available and be on the lookout for the subject of interest.
How Long Should Outdoor Time Be and How Frequently?
Short regular walks are much better than the occasional walk. The trick is to find a balance that works in your family. When my boys were homeschooling, we aimed for a once a week walk or hike with a little follow up once we got home. In high school, our walks became less frequent, but we aimed to take a “nature day” once a month where we would take the time to get outside together and explore as part of our more formal nature study program.
Help Getting Started with the Nature Walk Habit in Homeschool Nature Study Membership
Below you will find links and resources for Homeschool Nature Study members to use as part of your nature walk time and usually a follow up idea for your nature journal. Please pick those ideas that get you excited to give regular nature walks a place in your family’s weekly routines.
Homeschool Nature Study Members:
Read “The Field Excursion” on page 14 of the Handbook of Nature Study.
Nature study using the Outdoor Hour Challenge aims to introduce you to your own backyard and neighborhood, seeking out the things that interest your children. I invite you to get to know your child’s special area of interest and to build from there a foundation of knowledge and experience outdoors. Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges, my own family has been enriched with a love of nature, a bond with each other, and lots of wonderful memories of seasons past.
If you’re not a member here on Homeschool Nature Study yet, please consider joining to gain the benefit of having a nature study library at your fingertips. There are numerous resources available for you to help create the habit of nature study within your family.
Just how do you enjoy a Charlotte Mason nature study for your homeschool? Let’s look at some advice from Charlotte Mason herself and apply it in a simple way to our own outdoor times.
“One afternoon a week, the students in our ‘Practicing School’ [taught by the student teachers at Charlotte Mason’s teacher’s college] go for a ‘nature walk’ with their teacher. They notice things by themselves, and the teacher tells them the name or gives other information only if they ask for it.”
“The teachers are careful not to turn these nature walks into an opportunity to give science lessons, because they want the children’s attention to be focused on their own observations.”
“They’re allowed to notice things with very little direction from the teacher. By doing this, children accumulate a good collection of ‘common knowledge.’ ”
-Charlotte Mason
“Even more important, students learn to know and take pleasure in objects from nature like they do in the familiar faces of friends.”
-Charlotte Mason
Nature Study in Your Own Backyard
I have certainly given my share of “science lessons” during our nature walks and nature time. I am getting better about letting the children direct me to what they are curious about. I see the wisdom in allowing them to explore and learn in a way that makes sense to them, but I can be available to assist them with questions they might have. I am pretty comfortable with telling them that I don’t know the answer to their question and then find someone or some resource that does have the answer.
“The nature walk shouldn’t be used as a chance to dispense miscellaneous tidbits of scientific facts.”
-Charlotte Mason
These principles are the same whether your nature study takes place in your backyard, on the trail, or during some other nature study outing. As the parent, you set the mood. If you quietly observe your children, you will see what they are drawn to learn more about without much effort.
Try it the next time you are having your outdoor time.
Charlotte Mason Style Exam Questions for Homeschool High School
Several of the courses included in Homeschool Nature Study membership include Charlotte Mason style exam questions for advanced students. Author Barb McCoy says, “This series has proved to be a huge success in our family, helping to bring nature study up to a level for my teens. Also, I saw families with large age ranges of children completing the challenges together, each on their own level and enjoying it.”
You can feel free to pick and choose which questions you will give your homeschool high school student according to their interest and abilities.
You can successfully continue nature study with your teenagers. They may need some encouragement to make the study their own by adjusting your subjects, your methods of follow-up, and your attitude towards what nature study should look like.
More Resources for Charlotte Mason Nature Study Time
Join The Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support
You will find hundreds of Charlotte Mason style homeschool nature studies plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!
This week we are going to ease back into our nature study routine with an easy activity from the January 2012 newsletter. If you have any level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can access that newsletter in your library. You will need to log into your account, scroll down to the newsletter section, then look for January 2012.
Open the newsletter and look at page 9. You can print a copy of this page for each of your children. Cut out the study grid and adhere it into your nature journal. Use the prompts to make observations about your January habitat and other simple nature-related activities.
You can learn more about how to creatively use the study grid in this entry:
If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 24 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, includes access to all of the archived newsletters!
Click the button above to see a complete list of newsletters available and their contents.
