Winter Nature Study with Amanda

Amanda from Homegrown and Beeyoutiful has written a lovely guest post encouraging us all to get outdoors this winter!

Amanda her husband Matt have been married for 12 years. They have three children ages 6, 3 and the third one is due this June. They live in Southwest Virginia on an acre of land, where they homeschool their children and cling tightly to Charlotte Mason’s style of education. Amanda enjoys nature, gardening, photography and getting back to the simple things of life with her family.

It’s amazing what can be found in nature in the winter.

Some of our most exciting nature studies have taken place during the cold winter months. Just when you think that all of life is put on hold for winter, all it takes is one little sign to spark a child’s interest in the study of nature in winter.

One of our favorite things to explore in winter is animal tracks, scat and markings. You see, at a time when you think all animals are set for hibernation, many of them still must scout out for food. We don’t get much snow here in Virginia, but when we do we always take that opportunity to explore in it.

With two young children under the age of six, most of our nature studies consist of simply taking a walk out in our woods and keeping our eyes open for anything that we find exciting. We had a light snowfall this past week of only ½ inch or so. The next morning we headed out to explore. The first thing the children noticed of course was freshly made little tracks in the snow. These tracks led right to an old barn that is the home of a little groundhog family during the warmer months. With excitement my son says; “ Mama, they must be groundhog tracks!” Allowing children the freedom to answer their own questions about nature by exploring it makes the best way of learning.

It’s very important that you spend time visiting the same park, woods or even your own back yard. When your children become familiar with the surroundings where you live, they can witness clearly what’s going on around them. They will become excited about nature study regardless if it’s spring, summer, fall… or even winter.

Thank you, Amanda! Please be sure to visit her at Homegrown and Beeyoutiful!