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December Nature Study Activities for the Christmas Season

These December nature study activities for the Christmas season will help you to slow down and enjoy this month with your children!

As Outdoor Hour Challenge hostess, Shirley Vels, shares, “December can be such a busy time. We are often rushed from pillar to post in an effort to fit in every festive activity under the sun so as to make the season ‘magical’ and can come away feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and exhausted. All Christmas cheer well and truly drained out of us.” – December Outdoor Mom

These December nature study activities for the Christmas season will help you to slow down and enjoy this month with your children!

Christmas Nature Studies

Enjoy these Christmas nature studies! May you and your loved ones experience an abundance of God’s peace and joy this festive season.

December Outdoor Mom

Here at the Outdoor Mom we are all about refocusing, slowing down, embracing simplicity and intentionally making choices that reflect the true meaning of the season – a celebration of Jesus, a Savior for mankind. The December Outdoor Mom.

These December nature study activities for the Christmas season will help you to slow down and enjoy this month with your children!

Red and Green Nature Hunt

Finding green and red in our homeschool nature study was a wonderful way to blend learning with a celebration of the holiday season! Red and Green Nature Study: The Colors of Winter.

Nativity Nature Craft

coming December 2024!!

Evergreen Clay Plant Print Ornaments

It’s time to bring a little of the outside indoors with these beautiful evergreen clay plant print ornaments!

Twig Tree Ornament Craft

Advent has finally begun, so it’s time to get the Christmas decorations out! Learn how to make these adorable twig tree decorations in our Nature Crafts course. 🎄✨️

Christmas Tree for the Animals

Join us in making these adorable edible Christmas tree decorations to adorn your outdoor trees as well as feed the birds and squirrels this festive season 🎅

Reindeer Nature Study

You can learn about deer in our cattle and deer nature study. Plus, Stef has a fun reindeer printable notebook page for our members to enjoy!

Winter Nature Study Ideas

These December nature study activities for the Christmas season will help you to slow down and enjoy this month with your children!

First Day of Winter Nature Walk

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.

Snow Study

In this homeschool snow study there is so much to discover! Included is a field guide to snow, experiments like filtering, guidance from the Handbook of Nature Study and more!

Snowman Bird Feeder

Here is how to make a snowman bird feeder in your own backyard. This is a fun winter idea for your homeschool nature study.

December Outdoor Hour Challenges in Homeschool Nature Study Membership

With four courses, you can have your pick of beautiful outdoor studies to enjoy! Members also get access to special notebooking pages for December:

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Tree Silhouettes
These December nature study activities for the Christmas season will help you to slow down and enjoy this month with your children!

More Winter Homeschool Nature Study Resources

Here are even more winter nature studies for you to enjoy together:

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership with Access to ALL Studies and Crafts!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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America’s Prairies and Grasslands Resource for Your Nature Study

America’s Prairies and Grasslands Resource is a great book for your Nature Study. Learn about the Great Plains, animals, and free worksheets.

America's Prairies and Grasslands Resource is a great book for your Nature Study. Learn about the Great Plains, animals, and free worksheets.

If you live in the prairies of North America or are interested in learning more about this rich and valuable habitat, you can read all about them in America’s Prairies and Grasslands-A Guide to Plants and Animals by Marianne D. Wallace. This book describes the unique habitat with words and beautiful pictures.

Where are America’s prairies and grasslands?

In the United States you will find prairies and grasslands in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. And the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan make up the Great Plains. 

Using America’s Prairies and Grasslands in Your Nature Study Activities

I love the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock but she wrote the book featuring plants and animals of her local habitat in upstate New York. Many of us live in very different habitats and to supplement our nature study we draw on other resources that discuss plants and animals we see in our neighborhoods.

America’s Prairies and Grasslands will appeal to many families because it helps us look deeper into things we see every day and maybe don’t appreciate.

Prairies and Grasslands study and printables page 1
Prairies and Grasslands study and printables page 2

America’s Prairies and Grasslands Overview

This book uses maps to show where different prairies and grasslands are located in the United States. Visual spatial learners will benefit by looking at the maps or even recreating them in their nature journals. When I was homeschooling my boys, I always appreciated the opportunities to draw connections between different academic subjects and using geography alongside your nature study will make it more meaningful.

A great way to use this book is to go through each of the six major grasslands one at a time: tallgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, shortgrass prairie, Palous prairie, California Valley grassland, and semi-desert grassland.

For each of the six grasslands, you can do the following steps.

  1. Read the narrative.
  2. Look at the map.
  3. Look at the two page colored illustration.
  4. Pick a plant or animal to learn more about using information in the back of the book, your own nature library, or online resources.
  5. Wrap up your study with a nature journal page.

Take a week for each grassland or if you live in a particular grassland, why not stretch it to an entire school year by taking a plant or animal each week? Use the index in the back of the book to see just how many topics you find of interest to your family. Check the Homeschool Nature Study website using the tabs at the top to find any Outdoor Hour Challenges for selected topics to use alongside the America’s Prairies and Grasslands book.

America's Prairies and Grasslands Resource is a great book for your Nature Study. Learn about the Great Plains, animals, and free worksheets.

Learning About The Animals of the Great Plains

The Great Plains is home to numerous interesting animals including: bison, black-footed ferrets, pronghorn, grouse, prairie dogs, elk, big horn sheep, bears, turkeys, and mountain lions – just to name a few!

Learn About Other Habitats and Biomes

Use these resources to learn about the various habitats and biomes!

Homeschool Nature Study Members have unlimited access to the printable library. You can download the Habitats and Comparing Habitats worksheets to learn about other habitats around the world.

 

comparing habitats

Seashore Activities and Worksheets – 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.

How to Make Your Backyard a Natural Habitat for Wildlife – You will love having the opportunity to have nature come to you in your very own backyard. Involve your whole family in the project and spend some time outdoors!

Our High Desert course is included in membership and gives you a deep dive into the animals, plants and the vast variety of this habitat. It also includes advanced studies options for high school students. Here are some topics included:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage
  • Grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled ground squirrel
  • River Otter

Join the Homeschool Nature Study Membership

There are so many benefits to joining. You will access our full range of curriculum, our interactive learning calendar as well as a homeschool nature study challenge for each week!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

Original post written by Barb 2018, updated by Stef Layton 2024.

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Grizzly Bears Nature Study

Go wild with a Grizzly Bears Nature Study! Fun facts and Barb’s grizzly encounter at the Grand Tetons National Park.

Go wild with a Grizzly Bears Nature Study! Fun facts and Barb's grizzly encounter at the Grand Tetons National Park.

Grizzly bears were once abundant across the United States. They are currently listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the lower 48 states. There are eight different species of bears. Learn more about this north western creature with your own Grizzle Bear Nature Study.

Grizzly Bears: Nature Study and Fun Facts

Grizzly Bears have a distinctive hump on their shoulders that’s actually a powerful muscle used for digging and running.

Grizzly Bears can weigh over 800 pounds and measure 5 to 8 feet long. Adult males can stand nearly 10 feet tall when upright. This is still considered smaller compared to a polar bear!

Grizzly Bears have short round ears while other bears tend to have pointy ears.

Grizzly Bears have long claws while other bears have shorter claws.

Grizzly Bears can be many colors, including: light tan, blonde, reddish, dark brown, and almost black.

Grizzly Bears live in a variety of habitats, including prairies, mountains, meadows, forests, and tundra.

Grizzly Bears live about 20-25 years.

Female Grizzly Bears can give birth to 2-4 cubs in late January or February. Cubs stay with their mother for 2-5 years.

Grizzly bears enter a state similar to hibernation, called torpor, during the winter.

Where do grizzly bears live?

Grizzly bears are found today in Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington as well as British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and northern part of Manitoba in Canada.

Barb’s Grizzly Encounter in Grand Teton National Park

Outdoor Hour Challenge founder, Barb McCoy, encountered a grizzly bear while traveling with her family. She shares, here: “In July 2011 we were driving through the Teton National Park at sunset and we thought at first that we saw a bison. At second glance we realized it was a bear!

Grizzly Bear Grand Teton July 2011

Grizzly Bear Mama and Two Cubs Grand Teton 7 11

You can see in this photo that other people were not using good judgement and they were way too close to the bears. These are really big bears and I know that there is nothing like a mama bear protecting her cubs….

It was a wonderful experience to see these creatures in their natural environment. The cubs were sort of playing with each other as they romped through the meadow. The mama was walking with that bear sort of swagger that is so distinctive. Amazing to see just how big they are in real life.

Just another Wyoming experience.”

Go wild with a Grizzly Bears Nature Study! Fun facts and Barb's grizzly encounter at the Grand Tetons National Park.

Grizzly Bear Notes Printable for Members

Grizzly Bear Nature Study

Homeschool Nature Study Members can head over to their dashboard to print the new Grizzly Bears Notes worksheet. This is a fun worksheet to fill in after visiting the zoo, a bear sanctuary, reading a book about bears, and/or watching a documentary on grizzly bears. Or spend a few minutes watching the Katmai National Park Bear Cam (this is a highlight reel from the year).

We’re starting with a favorite topic, black bears! Enjoy a bear nature study in your homeschool with this Outdoor Hour Challenge and bring the Handbook of Nature Study to Life in your homeschool.

More Bear and Mammal Nature Studies for Your Homeschool

You might have a different type of bear in your part of the world, or you might like to learn about other mammals. Here are more resources to explore:

Black Bear Study for Your Homeschool – You can enjoy some forest fun nature studies in your homeschool and do a bear nature study Outdoor Hour Challenge. Includes hands on art and links for further bear studies.

You can enjoy a Homeschool Nature Study with Winnie the Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood as well. Paint a map of the Hundred Acre Wood, have a Teddy Bear Picnic and more.

In our Animal Tracks Nature Hunt, you can use these nature study lesson plans, suggestions, ideas and resources for identifying animal tracks!

Join the Homeschool Nature Study Membership

You’ll find a detailed bear nature study challenge in the Forest Fun course that’s available with Homeschool Nature Study Membership. This study also includes advanced studies for high school students with notebooking pages and suggestions for learning about bear communication.

There are so many benefits to joining. You will access our full range of curriculum, our interactive learning calendar as well as homeschool nature study challenges for each week!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

Original post written by Barb 2020, updated by Stef Layton 2024.

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Ambleside Online Homeschool Nature Study Resources: Term 2

Are you homeschooling using the Charlotte Mason method? If you use Ambleside Online as your Charlotte Mason curriculum, you may have wondered if The Handbook of Nature Study here at Homeschool Nature Study fits within the yearly rotations for nature study.

Yes, Homeschool Nature Study and Ambleside Online (AO) can work together! There are years and years worth of nature study ideas that cover so much from the Handbook of Nature Study, on which those who use AO often rely. A search through the archives brings up a multitude of helpful resources. Instead of you having to take the time to dig, though; we’ve done the work for you! This post contains lessons that will go with Term 2 of the Ambleside Online school year, which is weather/climate.

Yes, Homeschool Nature Study and Ambleside Online (AO) can work together! The Handbook of Nature Study is at the center of both.

What is Ambleside Online Homeschool Curriculum?

Ambleside Online homeschool is an incredible Charlotte Mason curriculum. Spanning all the grades with a few extra options for lighter years and catch up years, it covers all that Miss Mason would have covered in her schools.  Complete with booklists, free ebooks, weekly schedules, online discussion groups, and a huge number of supportive articles, this curriculum is so good and thorough that one would expect it to be very expensive.  However, it is free..

Read the full review of Ambleside Online curriculum at The Curriculum Choice!

Homeschool Nature Study With Ambleside Online

Ambleside Online progresses through each school year in three terms:

  • Term 1: September – November
  • Term 2: January – March
  • Term 3: April – June

Families are encouraged to explore Artists, Composers, Plutarch, Shakespeare, Folk Songs, Hymns, and Nature Study together as a group throughout each term.

Ambleside Online Nature Study Resources: Term 2

An important component of nature study and exploration in AO’s current Term 2 is a focus on weather.

Weather and Climate Nature Study Resources

Five Ways to Teach Preschoolers about Weather can be found here.

This lesson has ideas for keeping track of the weather.

How about an Autumn Weather study? Here is a blog post with a whole list of activities and ideas for autumn weather study.

Here and here are winter weather nature study lessons.

Some ideas for different winter weather walks are listed here.

Weather Chart notebook page.

Winter Weather notebook page.

Is the weather too bad to be outside? Here are some ideas for indoor nature study.

By studying weather late fall through winter, there will be so many different patterns in weather to observe! Studying weather can be as simple as laying outside and observing to clouds from your own backyard. . .to keeping elaborate weather records. Keeping weather records can be easily made more simple for younger kids, and more complicated for older kids. Younger students could check and write in the nature notebook daily the date, temperature, and whether it’s sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, etc. Older students could keep a more elaborate weather chart and include, date, temperature, conditions, barometric pressure, sunrise and sunset, etc.

Beyond that, here are some other simple weather topics you could study/observe: rain, water cycle, fog, freezing fog, snow, ice, clouds and their shapes and names, how temperature fluctuates, and the seasons compared. There is so much that is interesting about weather!

I hope these ideas get you excited to explore the wonders of our ever-changing weather!

More Charlotte Mason Resources for Your Homeschool

Here are more Charlotte Mason homeschool resources to encourage you!

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Tree Silhouettes

Winter Nature Studies with the Outdoor Hour Challenges

Our Homeschool Nature Study members have access to endless year round nature studies, including these courses with Handbook of Nature Study references, follow up nature journaling activities, notebook pages and resources to inspire and guide you.

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Amy Law is wife to Jeremy, and mom to three. They homeschool using Charlotte Mason’s principles, and love to spend lots of time in nature! You can often find them hiking the beautiful trails of their beloved Tennessee hills, while Amy attempts to capture the beauty of it all with her camera lens.

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Autumn Willow Tree Nature Study and Printable

Autumn is a wonderful time of year for discovery, picnics, and tree studies! We created an Autumn Willow Tree Printable for you to enjoy before winter settles.

Enjoy the Autumn Willow Nature Study and printables for sketching, sharing, and learning about trees this fall.

What is a Willow Tree?

Did you know there are more than 200 different species of willow trees? But all willows have a few things in common: abundant watery bark sap, which is heavily charged with salicylic acid, soft, usually pliant tough wood, slender branches, and large fibrous often stoloniferous roots – which means they grow along the ground.

Willow wood is used to make baskets, furniture, toys, and fishing nets. The wood is too soft for lumber, but it is popular for wickerwork. In ancient times, people chewed willow bark to treat fevers and rheumatic pains. The bark contains salicylic acid, which is the basis for modern aspirin.

Enjoy the Autumn Willow Nature Study and free printables for sketching, sharing, and learning about trees this fall.

Autumn Willow Nature Study and Printable for Members

If you do not live near Willow Trees, print the Under the Fallen Leaves worksheet.

Autumn Willow Tree notebooking page: Use this page to record your autumn willow observations. This can be the start of a year long/four seasons study of willows for your family. I will be reminding you each season to make some notes about your willow tree.

Under the Fallen Leaves notebooking page: Take a few minutes to look under the leaves in your yard or a near-by park. What do you see there? Create a sketch and describe what you saw, felt, and smelled during your outdoor time.

Pine Trees and Pine Cones Nature Study

More pine trees in your neck of the woods? Enjoy this Pine Trees & Pine Cones Nature Study.

More Fall Homeschool Nature Study Fun!

Keep the apple and pumpkin nature study fun going with these resources for all ages:

Join the Homeschool Nature Study Membership

There are so many benefits to joining. You will access our full range of curriculum, our interactive learning calendar as well as a brand new homeschool nature study challenge post each week!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

Original post written by Barb 2018, updated by Stef Layton 2024.

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Autumn Cattails Nature Study and Printable

Kids and cattails are a great combination for a fun autumn nature study and your autumn search for cattails can begin this week! When the original autumn cattail Outdoor Hour Challenge was posted years ago, I asked my boys if they knew where any cattails were growing. Amazingly, they knew a couple places around town where they were growing so we were off on a cattail adventure.

Kids and cattails are a great combination for a fun autumn nature study. This could be the start of a year-long study of cattails.

Cattails Year-Long Nature Study

This could be the start of a year-long study of cattails in which you observe a designated patch of cattails once each season to watch the changes. As the year progresses, the complete life cycle story of not only the cattails but the rest of the critters that live around them begins to emerge. Such a valuable nature study lesson!

Autumn Cattails Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 131

Archive Outdoor Hour Challenge – Click the link above to take you to the original challenge and a free printable notebook page for your family to use each season for your cattail study.

“The cattail is adapted for living in swamps where the soil is wet but not under water all the time….They usually occur in marshy zones along lakes or streams; and such a zone is always sharply defined by dry land on one side and water on the other.”

Handbook of Nature Study, Page 502

Make sure to click the link below to read the entire Outdoor Hour Challenge with helpful links, nature study ideas, printable notebooking pages, and suggested follow-up activities.

Autumn Cattails Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 131

Cattails Nature Study

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!

 

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Leaf Art Nature Walk Activity

This is a super fun leaf art nature walk activity that you can do today! After a nature walk, create these fun shapes with the treasures you find.

Here is an example of leaf art the children created with Nana a few years back. It’s time to do it again!

Here is a super fun leaf art nature walk activity that you can do today! After a nature walk, create these fun shapes with the treasures you find.

Leaf Art Nature Walk Activity

Start by enjoying a simple nature walk in your yard on a beautiful fall day, encouraging the children to collect a variety of leaves, seeds and nature items.

Bring your discoveries inside and spread them out on the table. Or keep it all outdoors if you prefer – on a patio, back deck or blanket spread out in a shady spot.

Allow the children to create pictures with their items. You might encourage them by starting some artwork yourself, giving them an example.

Leaf Art Supplies Needed

You’ll need:

  • construction paper or printer paper
  • glue
  • markers or crayons
  • your nature items

With markers, crayons, or whatever you have on hand, let the children complete their pictures, then glue down their nature items. Making whatever they would like to make.

There’s no right or wrong way to make leaf art. Just have fun!

More Fall Leaf Activities for Your Homeschool

Keep going with these ideas!

Nature Study Crafts for Kids: Easy Activities for Learning and Fun! isn’t that leaf mask fun?

The Ultimate Guide to Fall Leaf Activities – Fall is the perfect time to take advantage of seasonal learning and to make memories together!

Fall Leaf Activities for Kids – These fall leaf activities for kids are a perfect way to study nature throughout the season. Easy to implement and enjoyable for the entire family, this study has options for all ages.

This is a super fun leaf art nature walk activity that you can do today! After a nature walk, create these fun shapes with the treasures you find.

More Fall Homeschool Nature Study Fun!

Keep the apple and pumpkin nature study fun going with these resources for all ages:

Join Us in Homeschool Nature Study Membership for a Library Full of Nature Crafts and Outdoor Hour Challenges!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Mushroom Nature Study: Autumn Homeschooling Resources

Our family loves going on a good mushroom hunt! You can read in the Handbook of Nature Study about this fascinating nature study topic and then set off on your own fungi hunt. Remember to create a sense of adventure as you set out to look for mushrooms, building anticipation for finding even just one mushroom to observe.

Did you know, mushrooms are grown in all 50 states? The majority of commercial mushroom growers are located in Pennsylvania. 63% of all white mushrooms are grown in Pennsylvania. Mushrooms require less water than other crops which makes them “energy efficient”.

Tip for Finding Mushrooms

My original mushroom challenge suggested that you let your friends and family know that you are looking for mushrooms and they can let you know if they come across any in their travels. Some of our best mushroom studies came from tips I got from my dad who found several interesting species of mushrooms on his property.

Autumn Mushroom Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 198, pages 714-719

Archive Outdoor Hour Challenge – Click the link above to see the mushroom study suggestions in the original challenge.

“Fungi, as a whole, are a great boon to the world. Without them our forests would be choked out with dead wood. Decay is simply the process by which fungi and other organisms break down dead material, so that the major part of it returns to the air in gaseous form, and the remainder, now mostly humus, mingles with the soil.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 715

More Facts About Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a good source of Vitamin E as well as protein.

Most children recognize the red cap mushroom with white spots in Super Mario, the Fly agaric. However this mushroom is not safe to eat. It is highly toxic.

Cook with Mushrooms

Bring the Autumn Mushroom Nature Study into your kitchen for a fun night of cooking! Try out different mushrooms from your farmer’s market or local grocery store. Mushrooms are great in spaghetti sauce, soups, scrambled eggs, and stir fry. Try adding them on hamburgers and pizza! This Whole Foods graphic is helpful if you’re not familiar with cooking mushrooms.

Watercolor Mushrooms

“Since mushrooms are especially good subjects for watercolor and pencil studies, it would add much to the interest of the work if each pupil, or the school as a whole, should make a portfolio of sketches of all the species found. With each drawing there should be made on a supplementary sheet a spore print of the species.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 718

mushroom nature study

Homeschool Nature Study Members can print the Mushroom Coloring Page from their dashboard.

mushroom nature craft at Homeschool Nature Study

Mushroom Nature Craft

Victoria shares, “It is time to brighten up our spirits as well as our gardens with these brightly coloured plant pot mushrooms. With only a handful of supplies you can create something to beautify either your outside or inside plant pots. So get outside, hunt down the perfect twigs and lets get crafting.”

Join the Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

-First published by Barb September 2020. Updated September 2024 by Stef.

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Pumpkin Homeschool Activities and Fun Facts

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.

facts about pumpkins

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.

pumpkin activity sheet

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 Layton Bio

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.

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The Complete Guide To Apple and Pumpkin Nature Study Ideas for Your Homeschool

When the air turns cooler and the leaves start to change color, it is always fun to learn more about apples and pumpkins! Enjoy this ultimate guide of fun apple and pumpkin nature study ideas for your homeschool.

When the air turns cooler and the leaves start to change color, it is always fun to learn more about apples and pumpkins! Enjoy this ultimate guide of fun apple and pumpkin nature study ideas for your homeschool.

5 Apple Homeschool Nature Study Ideas

All things apple – what a fun, fall topic to learn about!

“The apple is a nutritious fruit, wholesome and easily digested. The varieties of apple differ in shape, size, color, texture, and flavor. A perfect apple has no bruise upon it and no wormholes in it. “

Handbook of Nature Study, page 669
  • Compare the outside of the apples: color, size, stems, blemishes.
  • Compare the skins: thickness, texture.
  • Compare cut apples: core size, seeds, shape, flavor, crispness
  • Visit an apple farm and view apples on trees (and sample doughnuts and apple pies!)
  • Have a picnic under an apple tree!
Members: Log In To Enjoy Your Printable Apple Taste Test in Your Autumn Course!
visit an apple orchard for your homeschool nature study

For even more ideas plus a FULL Outdoor Hour Challenge on apples, join Homeschool Nature Study membership!

More Apple Nature Study Fun

Here are a few more fun apple study ideas!

Members: Enjoy a Preschool Apple Observations Booklet in Your Preschool Course When Logged In
visit a pumpkin farm for your homeschool nature study!

5 Pumpkin Homeschool Nature Study Ideas

Get started with your pumpkin nature study with these simple ideas:

  • Sketch or describe the pumpkin leaf.
  • Thump your pumpkin and describe the sound.
  • Observe the creases on the outside of the pumpkin.
  • Can you tell which way your pumpkin sat on the ground when it was growing?
  • Cut your pumpkin open and view the seeds. Sketch the arrangement in your journal.
Enjoy this ultimate guide of fun apple and pumpkin nature study ideas for your homeschool. Perfect for all ages.

More Pumpkin Nature Studies Perfect for Homeschool

For 10 more ideas plus a FULL Outdoor Hour Challenge on Pumpkins, a Pumpkin Farm Notebook page and more, join Homeschool Nature Study membership!

Enjoy this ultimate guide of fun apple and pumpkin nature study ideas for your homeschool. Perfect for all ages.

Favorite Pumpkin Recipes to Enjoy

Handbook of Nature Study website founder Barb McCoy shares these favorites!

Tricia’s Easy Pumpkin Recipes:

When the air turns cooler and the leaves start to change color, it is always fun to learn more about apples and pumpkins! Enjoy this ultimate guide of fun apple and pumpkin nature study ideas for your homeschool.

More Fall Homeschool Nature Study Fun!

Keep the apple and pumpkin nature study fun going with these resources for all ages:

Join Us in Homeschool Nature Study Membership for a New Outdoor Hour Challenge Each Week!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.