This summer my children and I joined a creeks and waterfalls nature study group. It was a win-win for me because it got us outside, it got us exploring our state and my friend Julie planned all the road trips! This was a great way to have scheduled, outdoor learning time during the summer. Here’s a few tips and resources that we utilized during our various creeks and waterfalls Nature Study.

How to Plan a Creeks and Waterfalls Nature Study

Check with local nature centers and museums for hands-on activities and nature talks. If you have a group, many of these agencies will provide a resource person to give an hour presentation or even lead your group on a nature walk.

Check with state parks and federal parks in your area.

Check online reviews. It’s great people share what the area is like so you know for sure what to pack, if there are restrooms (a must), picnic tables, admission charge, swimming areas, etc.

Helpful Hiking Supplies

I have four children. I did not want to be the Momma pack mule, so I got nylon travel backpacks for each of my kids. In their back packs they are in charge of carrying their water bottle, water shoes and a towel. This has worked out great because it gives them all ownership and helps them know what they are in charge of getting ready before each trip.

Other items to consider bringing along would be a walking stick, a net, a hat and a pen. We also did a little geocaching while on our nature hikes.

I usually carry a backpack and in addition to my water shoes and water bottle, I have a few other supplies too:

• Insect repellent and mineral sunscreen that is plant-based, natural and safe for my children and the environment. (I put some of the insect repellent in a spray bottle and a roller bottle for quick applications.)
• Seedling baby wipes. I put these in a small baggie and carry with us. These have come in very handy!
• Arnica: great for any bumps or bruises
• Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier: I love this because there is no yucky stuff in it! This is a key item– it comes in handy when the kids pick up crawdads, frogs or dead fish
• Lipbalm: I don’t like to travel without it!
• Flashlight: one of our adventures had a cave. You never know when you need a flashlight!
• Waterproof band-aids – because, kids!

Have a Purpose

Often when I’m trying to get the kids outside – we walk around aimlessly hoping something magical will pop out of the trees and “wow” us. But most often, nothing exciting happens. Then the children get bored. Too quickly. When you have a purpose – you’re on the hunt to discover something. If it’s counting how many different wild flowers you see, a bird scavenger hunt, catching frogs and toads, noticing butterflies, discovering different rocks, tree rubbing interesting bark, watching out for fish, or just “climbing cool rocks” … they have a purpose and are more invested in the nature study. Successful learning opportunities are key. If anything else pops up, like the biggest daddy long legs they’ve ever seen – then it’s a bonus!

Homeschool Nature Study Resources

Looking for more resources to add to your Creek and Waterfall Nature Study? Check out a few more posts & downloads before you go!

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Written by Maureen Spell. Updated by Stef Layton.

 It usually starts with one of those questions. Why do we need worms? It’s much easier to understand and even appreciate worms when you get little hands dirty. Enjoy these hands-on activities when you observe worms with preschoolers!

Create a Wormery

I came across a wormery craft from Karrie McAllister and knew this is what we needed to make. Don’t worry, these worms are contained and quite easy to take care of. You probably already own all the materials needed to make this worm house.

Worm House Supplies:

1 clean 2 liter plastic bottle
1 plastic water bottle filled with room temperature water
scissors
tape
dark construction paper
soil
sand
dried leaves or hay
oatmeal

First remove the top of the bottle. Use tape to cover the edges as they might be sharp. We don’t want any fingers or worms to get hurt.

Place a water bottle in the middle of the pop bottle.  This is to force the worms to move to the outside of the bottle, instead of hiding in the middle. Make sure the bottle is filled with room temperature water. Next go outside and fill the container. Start with a layer of sand, then a layer of soil. You can also add a layer of dry leaves or hay. Alternate layers until the bottle is 3/4ths filled.

Now the hunt begins. Ask your child where they think the best place to find worms would be.  Let them explore and see how many they can find. My 3yr. old found a couple worms in the garden, but found even more under rocks and planters. We gathered our handful of worms and placed them in our homemade worm home.

Make sure the soil is damp, but not wet. Add some dry leaves or hay along with oatmeal crumbs.

Wrap a piece of black construction paper around the bottle. Let it sit for a day or two before removing the paper. While you are waiting, take some time to read a couple books on worms!

We started our worm study all because of a question my child asked.

Observe Worms with Preschoolers

This is what we saw the first time we removed the black paper from our worm house (wormery.) It was like a big I Spy worm bottle! We were able to see the worm burrows and how some of the layers of dirt and sand were mixed together. It was hard to get a good view of the worms though since they were covered in dirt, so we went back outside to find a couple more worms for up-close observation.

We needed to find a couple bigger worms. My 3yr. old and I went on another worm hunt. I asked if she remembered where we found the worms last time (under rocks and in the garden.) We talked about how those places were dark and damp–just how worms like their environment to be. It was a challenge, but we finally found a couple of big worms. (You could purchase them at a bait store too.)

Now we could really see the worm. I encouraged my daughters to touch the worm. How did it feel? What else is special about a worm? Do you see the lines on the worm? Those ringed parts are called segments. Which end do you think is the worm’s head?

Next I placed a gummy worm next to the real worm. I asked my daughters the same questions. Touch the gummy worm. How does it feel? Are these worms different? My point with this observation activity was to notice similarities and differences, and talk about living and non-living things.

After observing the worms, we did a  worm experiment. We wanted to find out which type of environment the worm preferred— the dry paper towel or the wet paper towel. Position the worm so that it is across both halves of the towel. Sit and watch! Record the results. Try it again. Did you get the same result? What happens if you flip the worm around? Do you get the same results?

We recorded our worm observations on the Worm Observations Worksheet. Homeschool Nature Study Members can print this from your dashboard.

Vertebrates vs Invertebrates

Another great conversation to have with young children when observing animals is to ask the simple question, “Do you think they have a back bone? What would it look like if we didn’t have a back bone? Do they have a skull? Do they have bones?”.

Homeschool Nature Study Members can print the Vertebrates vs Invertebrates Worksheet. Cut out the animals and glue them under the correct category. Then act out how a worm moves without leg bones.

Worm Chalk Art

Head over to You Are An Artist & find this great Farm Art & worms chalk masterpiece. Enjoy the time together and get your hands dirty – soil or chalk – observe worms with preschoolers!

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.

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Written by Maureen Spell. Updated and new resources created by Stef Layton.

Most children love to chase, catch, and watch frogs. Frogs and toads make cool noises and have such unique markings. Spend some time outside and learn about frogs and toads in your area.

Frogs and Toads: Learning Activities For Kids

Frog or Toad ?

Do you know the difference between frogs and toads? Frogs have long legs, longer than their head and body, which are made for hopping. Toads, on the other hand, have much shorter legs and prefer to crawl around rather than hop. Frogs have smooth, somewhat slimy skin. Toads have dry, warty skin.

Find Tadpoles

Frogs start off as tadpoles in the water. So the best place to observe tadpoles is near the water, stream, pond, etc. However you don’t always have to go so far.

We once drained our pool to seal a crack. It rained and rained for weeks. The bottom of the pool collected water and before we could have the repair team out … we heard them. We had no idea most frogs are nocturnal animals. And it wasn’t long until we started to see tadpoles in our pool. Of course my boys were thrilled to catch the adult frogs hiding out around the bushes and scoop up cups of tadpoles.

It was fun to learn about frogs and toads as we watched our tadpoles slowly grow legs. Tadpoles usually need 14 weeks to turn into frogs. We also learned it’s impossible to recognize one tadpole from another so they might have been renamed a dozen different times.

We absolutely loved Chalk Pastel Art’s Pond Nature Study and chalk art Frog Life Cycle!

Members can print the Homeschool Nature Study’s Frog Life Cycle Worksheet, no babysitting tadpoles required. If you are going to scoop up some tadpoles please make sure you never put them in tap water. Always keep them in pond-water or rain water. House tap water is not the right temperature and it contains chemicals that will kill the tadpoles.

Visit the Herpertarium

If you are unsuccessful finding frogs or toads around your yard, neighborhood pond, etc. visit a Herpertarium to learn about frogs and toads. A herpetarium is a zoological exhibition space for reptiles and amphibians, most commonly a dedicated area of a larger zoo or science center. This is where you’ll find the largest toad, poison dart frogs, and other really interesting amphibians safely behind glass. Bring a sketch book to draw the wonderful animals you see.

Create a Frog Friendly Environment

Frogs do not live full time in water, after they lay their eggs in water they return to dry ground. You can create your own frog friendly environment by providing a damp, rocky, plant happy area in your yard. If you do catch a frog or toad give them some soil, rocks, and plants. Be sure to return them to the wild after observation. We sorta forgot about a lid, so every frog we caught eventually jumped out, rather easily, and went on its merry way.

A side note about our frog-filled pool. Unfortunately it attracted snakes. Which of course steered us next to a snake nature study and getting repairs finished quickly!

Share your beautiful frog nature studies with us on social media! Tag @OutdoorHourChallenge. We love to see your wonderful discoveries.

Join the fun and become a Nature Study Member!

It’s easy to sign up and enjoy pre-planned lessons, nature study ideas, free worksheets, crafts, a homeschool nature loving community, and more!

Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Stef started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.

It’s a great time to learn about birds! Are you participating in the  Great Backyard Bird Count?  This national event is held every February and is a great opportunity to spend time with your young children to learn about birds in your backyard.

My younger children were always interested in learning about birds, so I found bird activities to stretch out the fun throughout the month. First we created a bird friendly environment in our yard. This Heart Shaped Bird Feeder craft from Your Best Homeschool is a fun craft but also a great way to attract birds to your yard! Be sure to watch outside every morning and every afternoon to see “who” stops by.

Homeschool Nature Study Members can download the Bird of the Day Notebooking Page and our Bird Life Cycle worksheet from your dashboard to document and track the birds while learning about the different stages of a bird’s life.

Children will enjoy the Bird Scripture Verses coloring pages at Your Best Homeschool! Be sure to head over and download those for morning bible time.

Learn About Birds With a Bird Nature Walk

A bird nature walk is a wonderful opportunity to observe birds with your younger children. You can see bigger birds that might never come to your backyard bird feeder. Head out around the playground, lake, neighborhood walking trails, etc.

Though my younger children sometimes have difficulty using binoculars, they love having them! So we bring them on our nature walks and find a quiet place to sit (usually near a pond or meadow) and see how many birds we can spot.

Many young children do not know the names of birds so be sure to start with simple identification markings. Color, size, crown, and other markings. This Bird Scavenger Hunt worksheet is a great bring-along sheet to mark off all the birds you see that day.

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Nature Study Booklets for Your Nature Walk

You can help your preschooler make his or her own bird paper bag booklet. My children loved it because they felt like a big kid and were proud of their creation. The pages in the book reinforce basic bird facts and allow your child to customize the pages as he’d like.

The inside pages have a place where to draw what you have observed on our nature walk. This is a perfect nature craft for kids!

Paper bag journals are so easy to make and are a great size for little children to handle. Watch the video (linked below) for the simple directions.

Get your FREE paper bag journal pages and watch a video on how to make them: Easy Preschool Science Nature Journals.

Set up a Bird Feeder

My kids love to observe birds from the comfort of our own home! We set up a bird feeder where we could watch the birds from our front room. An easy way to learn about birds!

Learn About Birds with More Bird Resources

Boost your bird study with more resources from Homeschool Nature Study. Click an image below to add more bird learning fun to your fowl studies.

Bird-Themed Nature Writing Center

You can easily set up a bird-themed writing station at home using your printer and supplies you have on hand. A series on writing centers on the WriteShop blog inspired me to create our first-ever writing center.

I tried to provide materials for all age-levels in my home— 1yr to 13yrs. old. I have the station set up by a window so that they will hopefully be inspired by any winged creatures they see outside too.

You might include some of the following in your writing center:

• Bird of the Day printable
• Field guides
• Nature journal
• various bird-theme lined paper for writing (available in Preschool Curriculum)
• bird fact cards from I Spy Nature Printables and Preschool Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum

Bird Book Recommendation

Feathers for Lunch is a perfect book to introduce nature to little ones. Lois Ehlert has a wonderful way of crafting the illustrations, and she pairs the real name of 12 birds along with their pictures in this book. After reading it, my girls and I went to our window to see if we could find any of the birds that were listed in the book. Then we made our own feathered-friend craft. This craft is easy and requires just a few items you might already have on hand in your homeschool supplies. What is fun about this craft is that you can make many different feathered friends just by changing colored paper and feathers.

Feathers for Lunch: Bird Craft Supplies

Craft foam or construction paper, glue, feathers, wiggly-eyes, and a pencil.

First: Trace your child’s hand onto craft foam or construction paper and cut out the hand print.

Next: Add glue to the hand print – cover as much space as you can.

Then: Place feathers on top of the glue covering the hand.

Cut a circle out of a coordinating color of fun foam or construction paper. Adhere the circle on top of the feathers.

Lastly: Glue wiggly-eyes and a triangle beak.

Be sure to have your child sign the back and add the date or their age. This is also a nice little gift to send along to grandma, an aunt, or someone special. A child’s hand-print is a special keep-sake. You can create red ones for Valentine’s Day, green feathers for St. Patrick’s, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Homeschool Nature Study Membership

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.

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Written by Maureen Spell. Updated and new resources created by Stef Layton.