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 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:
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.
What if I told you that your child could contribute to real scientific research while developing observation skills, learning about nature, and participating in something much bigger than themselves all as part of your homeschool? Welcome to the world of citizen science!
My youngest has been fascinated with insects since before he could speak in full sentences. In fact, one of my favorite stories is about his first little league t-ball game. When the coach told him to play outfield for the next inning, he happily ran out, and then promptly laid down on his stomach and began hunting for ladybugs. The ball went right passed him. He was blissfully unaware, as he stood up smiling, a lady bug in his sweet little palm.
What Are Citizen Science Projects?
Later, this fascination turned into our first citizen science project with The Lost Ladybug Project. He grabbed our camera, carefully photographed the insects from multiple angles, and spent the next hour learning about native versus invasive ladybug species.
This simple science project sparked months of bug hunting, photography sessions, and data submissions that made my both of my children feel like real scientists.
Citizen science projects allow everyday people to contribute valuable data to scientific research. These projects can transform your backyard, local park, or even a simple walk around the block into a living laboratory.
Why Citizen Science is Perfect for Homeschoolers
Citizen science aligns beautifully with homeschool life and learning styles. It offers hands-on, experiential learning that engages multiple senses and learning modalities. Learners develop critical thinking skills, learn to make careful observations, and practice data collection and analysis. Perhaps most importantly, they gain a sense of purpose knowing their work matters to real scientists studying important environmental and biological questions.
These projects also offer flexibility so you can participate when it works for your schedule and choose your level of involvement based on your children’s ages and attention spans.
7 Outstanding Citizen Science Projects for Your Family
1. The Great Backyard Bird Count
What it is: This annual four-day event in February invites people worldwide to spend at least 15 minutes counting birds in their area and submitting their observations online.
Why it’s great for homeschoolers: Perfect for beginners, requires minimal time commitment, and introduces basic ornithology concepts. Children learn bird identification, counting skills, and data recording while contributing to a massive global dataset that helps scientists understand bird population trends and distributions.
Getting started: Download the free eBird app, grab some binoculars (even toy ones work for younger children), and head to your backyard or a local park. Count every bird you see during your 15-minute observation period.
Why it’s great for homeschoolers: Combines photography, insect identification, and conservation science. It’s especially appealing to younger children who are naturally drawn to these colorful insects. The project helps students understand biodiversity, invasive species, and ecosystem changes.
Getting started: When you spot ladybugs, photograph them from multiple angles, note the location and habitat, then submit your findings through their website. The project provides excellent identification guides to help distinguish between species.
What it is: A year-round citizen science project that monitors bird nesting to understand how environmental changes affect bird reproduction and survival.
Why it’s great for homeschoolers: Offers extended engagement opportunities as families can monitor nests throughout the breeding season. Teaches patience, careful observation, and respect for wildlife while contributing to important reproductive ecology research.
Getting started: Complete the free online certification course, then locate and monitor bird nests in your area. Record nesting attempts, number of eggs, hatching success, and fledgling outcomes. The project provides detailed protocols to ensure data quality while keeping both observers and birds safe.
What it is:NASA’s citizen science app that allows users to contribute environmental observations including cloud cover, land surface conditions, and mosquito habitat data.
Why it’s great for homeschoolers: It connects earth science learning with space science, encourages regular outdoor observation, and provides immediate connection to NASA research. Multiple observation categories mean families can choose focuses that interest them most.
Getting started:Download the Globe Observer app and start with cloud observations—simply photograph clouds and answer questions about their appearance and coverage. The app guides you through each type of observation with clear instructions.
What it is: The world’s largest biodiversity citizen science project, where birdwatchers submit checklists of species they observe, creating a real-time picture of bird populations and distributions globally.
Why it’s great for homeschoolers: Can be done anywhere at any time, scales from quick backyard observations to extended birding expeditions. Develops geographic awareness, seasonal understanding, and data literacy skills while building a lifelong hobby.
Getting started:Create a free eBird account, download the mobile app, and start submitting lists of birds you observe. Even if you can only identify common species like robins and cardinals, your data contributes valuable information about bird abundance and distribution.
Why it’s great for homeschoolers: Combines outdoor exploration with photography and species identification. Butterflies’ obvious beauty and interesting life cycles naturally engage children while teaching concepts about metamorphosis, pollination, and habitat requirements.
Getting started: Visit butterfly-friendly locations like gardens, parks, or meadows. Photograph butterflies you encounter and submit observations through the eButterfly website. The platform includes identification guides and seasonal activity information.
Why it’s great for homeschoolers: Introduces acoustic identification skills, connects families with wetland ecosystems, and can be done during evening hours when many homeschool families have flexibility. Frogs and toads are excellent indicators of environmental health.
Getting started:Complete the online training to learn frog and toad calls, then conduct regular monitoring sessions at nearby wetlands during breeding season (typically spring through summer). Submit data about which species you hear and their calling intensity.
Making the Most of Citizen Science in Your Homeschool
When your family participates in citizen science, you’re joining a global community of curious individuals contributing to our understanding of the natural world. Your observations might help scientists track the effects of climate change, understand species distributions, or identify conservation priorities.
These projects transform routine outdoor time into purposeful scientific investigation, helping your children see themselves as capable scientists whose observations and questions matter.
You’re not just teaching science. You are showing your children that they have something to contribute, that their voices matter, and that paying attention to the world around us is important.
Shawna Wingert is a special education teacher turned writer, speaker and consultant. She is also a homeschooling mom of two brilliant boys with differences and special needs. Shawna has written four books for parents – Everyday Autism, Special Education at Home, Parenting Chaos and her latest, Homeschooling Your Child With Special Needs. She helps parents of children with learning differences, behavioral challenges and special needs every day at DifferentByDesignLearning.com.
In my eyes, my autumn weed bouquet is as pretty as any flower shop bunch of roses. Invite your children to gather some of your autumn weeds to be indoors as part of your nature display.
Sitting on my desk is a small vase of flowers I collected a few weeks ago. Although they’re all dried up now, they are a fond reminder of an afternoon spent walking and collecting a few blooming things with my daughter.
This inspires me to share an idea with you readers. Why not go out on a crisp autumn day and collect a few flowers, weeds, and grasses from your neighborhood to enjoy in a vase?
A Beautiful Fall Homeschool Activity
My husband and I debate about the definition of a weed, an on-going discussion in our family. I say a weed is something growing where you don’t want it to grow, like in a flower or vegetable garden or in the middle of your manicured lawn. But, if the plant is growing, like most of those in our yard, in a natural landscape, I try to leave it as part of the habitat.
How To Make a Weed Bouquet
Take the opportunity to cut some of the fall weeds for a bouquet to have indoors. You and your children can create a bouquet that makes you happy. Once again, it is a matter of perspective in determining whether a plant is a weed or something amazing to look at as part of your fall homeschool nature studies in a vase.
Please feel free to use this idea as an alternate study to any of the autumn wildflower studies.
Autumn is finally upon us with all its rust, orange and golden glory, so it’s the best time to make these pumpkin pixie houses. With yellowing leaves, ripening apples and pumpkins galore, what better way to celebrate the new season than with an adorable new nature craft. Enjoy this fabulous new craft for our members – led by Victoria Vels! Join Homeschool Nature Study membership today!
Homeschool Nature Study Membership
Join us for even more homeschool nature studies for all the seasons! With a nature study each week, you will have joyful learning leading all the way through the homeschool year for all your ages!
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.
I am learning about bird migration with Project Feederwatch. I am fascinated by birds that migrate. It makes me feel an awe for such creatures and the way they travel up to thousands of miles as the seasons change. When I lived in California, I was aware of birds and the way they would come and go at my feeders season by season. I could anticipate their arrival and then have a fairly good idea of who would be leaving at the turn of the weather.
Learning About Bird Migration with Project Feederwatch
Project Feederwatch each year made me keenly aware that the birds at my feeders were not the same year round. Check out the details at their website, here.
I am getting ready to participate in my first year of Project Feederwatch here in my new home. I have updated my account and created a new description of the feeders and their locations and types. Watching birds is an everyday affair here from my kitchen and family room windows so Project Feederwatch is a perfect match for our lifestyle.
Citizen Science Projects In Your Homeschool
I enjoy participating in a citizen science project that helps gather data for those involved in various bird science projects and studies. Plus, it is something that refreshes me and brings a lot of joy to my life. It is something that I can participate in that doesn’t take a huge commitment of time and I can do it right from my own home, even if I am wearing my pajamas.
This is our first autumn and winter here in our new home so we are still experimenting with various feeder types and the placement within the yard. I had an idea to add a brush pile just outside our back fence after we trimmed some tree limbs. So far I have observed birds and squirrels investigating the jumble of limbs with their needles and cones still intact. It isn’t too far from my cluster of feeders so it will provide some shelter for birds once the snow arrives.
I started right after we moved in creating a list of bird visitors to our yard. I will be keeping that habit going right on through the next few seasons. This should give us a pretty good idea of the migrant visitors as they pass through or stay for awhile. This is a simple way to get your family started with a more in-depth bird study and I encourage you to keep track of the birds that come to your feeders. It may just make you more aware of bird migration!
We recently had the experience of hearing and then seeing a group of sandhill cranes fly over our yard. It was about sunset when my son and I were out doing yardwork. I heard in the distance what at first I thought were geese coming overhead. But, it was a strange and unfamiliar sound and not geese at all. (Click over to AllAboutBirds to hear what it sounded like.)
My son spoke up when he realized it was the sound of sandhill cranes. He had heard them before when we lived in California and immediately recognized the rattling loud commotion of a group of cranes flying south over our house. It was exciting to experience this for the first time and I have since done some research into the migration habits of the sandhill crane. Knowing how far they fly has given me such an awe for these large birds. I followed up that time and created a page in my nature journal with this information.
The opportunity to study birds can present itself when you least expect it…look for those opportunities!
Make sure to learn about the Feederwatch program and decide if it is a good fit for your family!
More Resources for Learning About Birds
There is a wealth of birding information on the internet but I have not found a more homeschool-friendly site than the ones sponsored by Cornell University. I would love to encourage you all to subscribe to their homeschool blog (click the logo above to pop over there now).
You can also follow them on Facebook . You can download homeschooling resources here. Of course, my favorite resource is their AllAboutBirds website which is a great tool for identifying and learning more about birds in your own neighborhood.
Birdcast gives you live updates on bird migration! Fascinating to follow! Thanks to Carol for sending this resource.
Join us for even more homeschool nature studies for all the seasons! With a nature study each week, you will have joyful learning leading all the way through the homeschool year for all your ages!
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.
October can often be the most mild and inviting time to be outdoors! The mornings are cool, the sunshine abundant, and the afternoons offer the perfect invitation to take a walk crunching the leaves under the foot. I hope your month is full of sunshine and outdoor walks too with these engaging October nature studies.
Swallows and swifts and learning about bird migration
Goose
Turkeys
Horses
Salmon and trout
Seasonal tree study
Apples and how they grow
How to start a field notebook
Autumn weather and changes in your own backyard
The October Outdoor Mom
Anne reveled in the world of color about her. What is this? “Oh Marilla”, she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it”?
Anne of Green Gables
Your Outdoor Hour Challenge hostess, Shirley Vels, shares lovely prompts just for mom in The Outdoor Mom course for annual members: I’m sure most of us resonate with Anne and her love for October. There is no doubt in my mind that October is my favourite time of the year!
The smell of woodsmoke in the air, the gentle mists that gather each morning as the sun pops its face over the horizon, the chill that makes soft clouds form as you speak, the splendour of the autumnal trees and the golden light that seems unique to this time of the year filtering through the golden tree tops and painting beautiful dappled shadows on the ground is all simply quite heavenly!
Nature Journaling Video on Ferns: Nature Crafts
Your nature illustrator, Victoria Vels, shares a beautiful fern nature journal entry. Follow along as she shares her process in a step-by-step video in the Nature Crafts course for annual Homeschool Nature Study members. Autumn is here with all its vibrant colour changes, so it’s time to document the beauty with this fern themed autumn nature journal entry. Follow along with me as I create this autumnal spread, experimenting with colours and painting techniques. Gather up your specimens, literature and facts and lets get started!
Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenges for Pumpkins and Apples
A really great thing about fall is that it is a great time to get outdoors with the kids and explore nature. With that being said, here are some great fall nature study ideas for toddlers and preschoolers that I hope you (and your little ones) will enjoy.
The Outdoor Hour Challenges Bring The Handbook of Nature Study to Life in Your Homeschool!
For even more homeschool nature study ideas for all seasons, join us in Homeschool Nature Study membership! You’ll receive new ideas each and every week that require little or no prep – all bringing the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!
When we think of fall we often picture pumpkins, hay rides, apples, and changing leaves. But it is also the perfect time of year to go on a I Spy Fungi: Preschool Nature Hike.
We didn’t set out to have a fungi nature hunt but it turned into that once we noticed how many different types of mushrooms we were seeing on our walk.
I Spy Fungi: Preschool Nature Hike
There’s something about fungi that is gross and cool at the same time! While we were walking through the woods, we came across several different types of fungi. With my preschool children, we observed the different colors, shapes, and locations of fungi.
We even found a slug on fungi. That got us thinking– why would a slug want to be on fungi? (Moisture was our guess.)
Slime and mushrooms– what was the connection? Was it part of the mushroom or was it left from an animal? Those were some of the “I Wonders” that we came up with while on our hike.
We also talked about how some mushrooms are safe to eat but others are not — and we just observe mushrooms with our eyes not our hands.
We observed a variety of fungi on our nature walk and had some great discussions about what we saw.
So head out on your own I Spy Fungi hunt! Bring a camera or sketchbook and capture what you find. I’d love to see your photos! Be sure to tag us on Instagram or Facebook.
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!
Join us for even more homeschool nature studies for all the seasons! With a new nature study each week, you will have joyful learning leading all the way through the homeschool year for all your ages!
Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!
By Maureen Spell, a long-time contributor to the Outdoor Hour Challenges.Maureen helps Christian mompreneurs operate their business from a place of joy, purpose, and excellence because they are clear on how their business is serving their family and others. As a homeschool mom, she believes success at home AND business without the mom-guilt, stress and burn-out is possible! Outside of work, she loves having good conversations over a hot chai or GT Gingerberry kombucha and spending time with her husband and seven children. Visit her at MaureenSpell.com
Are you looking for ideas for some simple fall nature study ideas? Enjoy these ideas and pick those that get you excited to be outdoors this season with your children.
You may wish to make a note in your planner to accomplish several of these ideas for the next few months.
Some fall signs to look for:
Dry grass and weeds
Seeds
Wildflowers-thistles, goldenrod
Birds eating at feeders or flying overhead to migrate
Chilly morning temperatures or dew on the grass
Fruit ripe on trees
Insects or webs
Nuts, acorns, or berries
Clouds and wind
“The free open air is the best background for all work in nature study. The conventionalities of the schoolroom fall away. The artificial distance between teacher and pupil disappears, and as friend to friend the group talks. It is this that makes work in nature study at its best so delightful.
The wealth of material is very great, and the suggestions that come from things in their proper places are much more abounding than those that arise in the artificial conditions of the school room.”
Swallows and swifts and learning about bird migration
Goose
Apples and how they grow
How to start a field notebook
Autumn weather and changes in your own backyard
Pumpkin farm notebook page
Bat study
The hawk
Autumn night sky studies
Pigs
Bracket fungi and stinkhorns
Squirrels
Horses
Turkey
Maple, ash, hemlock, staghorn sumac and oak trees
Belted Kingfisher bird study
Lizards, anoles and geckos
Autumn flowers
and SO much more!
Fall Nature Crafts for Homeschool Families
Autumn is finally upon us with all its rust, orange and golden glory, so it’s the best time to make these pumpkin pixie houses. With yellowing leaves, ripening apples and pumpkins galore, what better way to celebrate the new season than with an adorable new nature craft.
For families that are completing yearlong studies as part of their nature study plan, you’ll find ideas for subjects in out Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum as well. You can start now in fall and make observations over the next year of your chosen topic. Our family has greatly benefited from following a subject over the course of a complete year, making seasonal observations as we go.
Here are some ideas from year-long nature study topics we’ve done in the past:
Year-Long Big Dipper Study
Seasonal Cattail Study
Seasonal Milkweed Study
Year-Long Pond Study
Year-Long Queen Anne’s Lace Study
Seasonal Autumn Tree Study
Year-Long Tree Study – something different
Year-Long Thistle Study
Teasel Study – start a year-long teasel study
Autumn Weather Study – printable notebook page in membership
Year-Long Burdock Study
The Joys of Fall Homeschool Nature Study Activities
Fall in love with nature study in your homeschool! Here are more ideas for you and your family to enjoy this season.
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)
The Outdoor Hour Challenges Bring The Handbook of Nature Study to Life in Your Homeschool!
For even more homeschool nature study ideas for all seasons, join us in Homeschool Nature Study membership! You’ll receive new ideas each and every week that require little or no prep – all bringing the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!
Nature study for teens can be just as engaging and educational, but it does require an age appropriate approach to learning. Here’s what has worked for us.
“Some children are born naturalists, but even those who aren’t were born with natural curiosity about the world and should be encouraged to observe nature.” Charlotte Mason, vol 2 page 58
“They get so used to reading about marvels of nature and never seeing it for themselves that nothing interests them. The way to cure this is to let them alone for awhile and then start something totally different. It’s not the children’s fault that nature bores them; they are naturally curious and eager to explore the world and everything in it. There’s a poem that says that the person who can best appreciate God is the one who is familiar with the natural world He made.” Charlotte Mason, vol 2 page 6
Nature Study and Teens
Sometimes, despite all my efforts, my boys just are not as interested in nature study as I am. I can take them to the most fascinating places to explore and they just want to sit and talk or take a walk by themselves. The setting is perfect and the subjects abound but they are more interested in throwing rocks or digging a hole.
I can’t force them to be interested when this happens.
What To Do If Your Teens Are Bored in Nature
How have we learned to handle this? I allow them the space and time to experience nature on their own terms.
It may look like they are not taking much interest but later on when we are driving in the car or talking at the dinner table, they relate things that they noticed as they had a little freedom.
They learned a lot about the properties of bullwhip seaweed as they tried to use it to tie the driftwood together for this beach structure.
They experienced the redwood forest on their own terms as they searched out Big Foot beyond every bend in the trail.
On every beach they made circles in the sand. It became a tradition.
Nature study does not always go according to my plan. I have learned to keep my options open and let things happen as the day unfolds. Honestly, I learn more as well because they most likely will find something that I wouldn’t because they have their own eyes. My eyes see one thing and they see something completely different if I allow them the space and time to find what interests them in our nature study.
Here you will find some practical ideas for homeschool nature study in the city or in a small backyard. You will see just how much you can enjoy with your family!
I have been pondering over a question that someone asked about Outdoor Hour Challenge #10 from our free Getting Started in Homeschool Nature Study Guide. The commenter asked how I would suggest that they complete the challenges since they live in the middle of the city. I think you may have to be a little more diligent about your nature study but if you are up to the challenge I think it is well worth the effort.
Homeschool Nature Study in the City or in a Small Backyard
I live in an urban area. Can I still do this?
Whether your backyard is a rural patch, suburban yard, or a small city lot, you can participate in Green Hour activities and discoveries with your child. And if you don’t have a backyard, there most likely will be a nearby public park, community garden, nature center, or other green space accessible to you and your family. – Green Hour website
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How to Handle City Noise and Congestion During Nature Study
If you have trouble with noise, dogs, or traffic, try taking your walks at different times of day to see if it is any better. I know we live within earshot of a very busy highway. Sometimes I can hear the traffic clearly but at other times of day it is not even noticeable. We also live across the street from a school so during the weekday mornings and then during afternoon dismissal time, there is a lot more traffic and noise. We enjoy early mornings and early evenings relatively noise free.
How To Be Alert To Homeschool Nature Study Opportunities
Take advantage of any aspects of nature that you have on hand. The original commenter made reference to the wind blowing their napkins during their picnic. The wind could be a whole field of study during your nature time. Measure the speed, the direction, and the effects of the wind. Build on that for a study of the weather in your local area. Everyone has sky up above and you can watch the clouds and the sky each day as you go outside. I make it a habit to look up each time I go outside.
Make The Best of The Nature Surroundings You Have
Bugs were also mentioned in the question. Take a few minutes and observe the pesky little insects that disrupt your picnic. Each time you go out try to identify one insect and then record it in your nature journal. We focused on a study of insects last fall and I was surprised at how my attitude changed about them as the term went along. I was actually looking for insects by the time the nine weeks were up. If you have boys, insects may be just the ticket to their buying into a study of nature.
Adopt a Tree for Your City Nature Study
Adopt a tree in your neighborhood or a near-by park or near somewhere you go regularly like the library or the grocery store. Observe the tree each time you go by for changes and differences. You could start a year long tree study with the Outdoor Hour Challenge and this would be a great way to participate.
Set Up a Nature Study Habitat in the City
I know several city dwelling families that are able to put up a bird feeder outside a window in their apartment. You might be surprised at what you attract right to your own window.
Most big cities that I have been to have some sort of central park area that could provide a way to have a study of nature. Ducks, geese, or pigeons can usually be found in urban areas and are covered thoroughly in the Handbook of Nature Study. If there is a pond, look for tadpoles, turtles, or minnows. Study the plant life around the pond or the algae if there is any.
Notice the Trees
How about a collection of leaves? Leaves are something easy to collect and then press or make rubbings of when you get home. Collect leaves on your nature walk, while running errands, or anywhere else you visit during your regular travels.
Collect Seeds
You could do a study of seeds by saving seeds from your meals. Oranges, apples, tomatoes, grapes, watermelon, or any other seeds you come across can be examined and drawn into a nature notebook.
Here is an important quote from the book Last Child in the Woodsthat I think may be helpful. Read the entire quote and then think about somewhere you might have close at hand that can provide you and your family with a place to get to know even if at first it seems like an “empty” lot or a “weed patch” along the sidewalk of a city street.
” Your job isn’t to hit them with another Fine Educational Opportunity, but to turn them on to what a neat world we live in,” writes Deborah Churchman in the journal American Forests, published by the nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization. She recommends re-creating all the dopey, fun things you did as a kid: “Take them down to the creek to skip rocks-and then show them what was hiding under those rocks. Take a walk after the rain and count worms…Turn on the porch light and watch the insects gather…..Go to a field (with shoes on) and watch the bees diving into the flowers.” Find a ravine, woods, a windbreak row of trees, a swamp, a pond, a vacant and overgrown lot-and go there, regularly. Churchman repeats an old Indian saying:“It’s better to know one mountain than to climb many.”
I love that saying. The Outdoor Hour Challengeswere started to do just that very thing: Get to know what you have close at hand, right outside your doorstep. I admit that for some this is more of a challenge but I know you can do it.
Maybe this will help those that are finding that the real challenge is to just find some sort of “green” to spend some time in. Keep me posted on how it is going for your family.
Join Our Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support
You will find a continuing series of Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. Plus 25+ continuing courses with matching 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!
Keeping a Nature Journal is a great homeschool nature study resource and contains a wealth of ideas that you can pick and choose to use as inspiration. This book is a tool like so many other tools we use in our family’s nature study.
Thisis a book that many of us own and is sitting on our shelf. It may also be a book that you have looked at online, have seen others using, or actually paged through at a bookstore. It is a familiar book that I have a love/hate relationship because of the perceived expectation that it creates for journalers.
Many of us struggle with perfection. We think that a nature journal should be a place of beauty and value…which I agree with wholeheartedly. But, it also can be a place that we experiment and mess up from time to time. A smear here or a misspelled word or funky drawing we don’t like can also appear on a nature journal page. Those “mess ups” shouldn’t keep us from striving to create pages on a regular basis.
Don’t let the great page examples overwhelm or discourage but allow them to create a reservoir of ideas to use over the years as you fill your journal.
Quick Thoughts About the Book
Note: page numbers are from the first edition
This is a book for all ages to use as they learn to keep a nature journal.
You will find ideas for using a nature journal in all curriculum areas on page 165 (A Curriculum Web for Nature Journaling).
The “Getting Started with Drawing” section (pages 139-153) would be a wonderful basis for an art course using nature as your subject.
I found the section titled, “Subjects to Observe, Draw, Record throughout the Seasons“, to be a wonderful inspiration and I intend to refer to it for my own use. Each season is listed in the chart along with ideas for drawing birds, animals, plants and trees, weather and sky, and seasonal celebrations.
***I see the second edition of this book has an expanded section showing more of Claire’s actual journal pages.
Keeping a Nature Journal by Claire Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth gives this long term nature journal mom some fresh ideas that I can’t wait to use in the upcoming summer season.
Nature Study in Your Own Backyard and Nature Journaling with Outdoor Hour Challenges
To get each Friday’s homeschool nature study Outdoor Hour Challenge and for access to a continuing series of new nature studies, join us in Homeschool Nature Study Membership. With homeschool nature study membership, you will have everything you need to bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool.
