Posted by Cindy on February 6, 2012
Some of my blogging friends and I would like to make sure the winter hum-drums don’t have you down for the count! One of the best ways to perk up the school year during February (the month known for the onset of homeschooling blues) is to get outside. Yes, you heard right – get outside! I know it’s cold, but I also know what “going stir crazy” feels like and how {even cold weather} nature walks can rejuvenate the spirit. Not to mention, there’s a world of nature waiting to be studied during the winter!
To get you started in your nature explorations, I’ve created THREE fun notebooking pages that will guide you on walks from Valentine’s Day through those first sweet signs of spring. To download them, simply click on the graphics. (Please forgive the thumbnail images – they look MUCH better in the download. I’m not the most techie blogger you’ve ever met and I can never seem to figure out how to successfully create a jpg of docs that include tables.)
Freebie #1: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so how about taking a LOVEly Winter Walk where you spend some purposeful time in thankfulness for God’s winter creation?
Freebie #2: Conifers are popular trees to study during the winter since most of them continue to hold on to leaves and cones through the cold months. Print off one Conifer Observation Sheet per tree you intend to study to make comparisons from tree to tree.
Freebie #3: Spring will come soon – really it will! This Early Spring Beauty notebooking page will help you catch the very first signs of spring to let you know that God’s promises to renew never fail.
Remember how I told you my blogging friends and I were on a mission to keep your family from the winter hum-drums? Well, that means the wonderful ladies below have also created nature notebooking freebies for you!!
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Did you know I’m the author of the
NaturExplorers series of nature studies? Whether you simply need some creative nature walk ideas or would like to teach an entire unit study based on a nature topic (or anything in between), NaturExplorers titles will work for you!
More than 20 nature topics are available which provide you with nature walk ideas, hands-on experiments and activities, writing and research project ideas, Bible lessons, artist and composer study tie-ins, living literature lists, non-fiction and field guide suggestions, background information about the topic and several full-color notebooking pages! NaturExplorers studies were written for 1st-8th graders, but several suggestions are provided to include your preschoolers & high school students.
Popular winter studies include:
I recently released the first of a series of seasonal nature studies for preschoolers and kindergarteners, too!
To turn your thoughts toward warmer days, I’d like to offer you the
Beautiful Birds NaturExplorers study for only $6.00. (It’s regularly $8.95 – a savings of more than 30%!)
Simply use the code SpringIsComing upon checkout. Hurry, the offer expires at midnight, Feb. 29, 2012!
Be sure to join me on Facebook, too. I’ve been known to offer crazy deals and giveaways over there!__________________________________________________________________________
Enjoy winter!
Extol the LORD, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion….He spreads the snow like wooland scatters the frost like ashes.He hurls down his hail like pebbles.Who can withstand his icy blast?He sends his word and melts them;he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.Psalm 147:12, 16-18
Posted by Cindy on February 3, 2012
Brrrr – it’s cold outside!
Winter is in full swing. This might seem like a silly time to suggest taking a nature walk, but creation doesn’t stop singing just because the temperatures are cold! In fact, winter is an awesome time for viewing things that we might miss other times of the year.
Besides studying the obvious topics of snow, ice and frost, an entire world of nature excitement awaits this season. Bird’s nests, burrows, rocks, animal prints, and the intricacies of a tree or bush are all things that are much easier to observe during winter when leaves have fallen and plants have died. During a winter walk, challenge your children to find at least ten things that would be much harder to see or find during the summer months.
Notice how landscapes and views from the top of a hill are different this time of year. Discuss with your children how colors, shadows and animal activity have changed from only a few short months ago. Views from this vantage point are perfect for sketching in a nature journal, too.
Winter is also the perfect time to observe conifers (evergreens) and compare them to deciduous trees which have lost their leaves. Your child can create comparison charts and drawings, or complete mini-dissections on conifer needles and cones.
Believe it or not, the ideas above only scratch the surface of exciting nature study opportunities during the winter! If you’re hoping for loads of more ideas for both outdoor and indoor nature (aka science) studies for this season, you might consider one or more of the following NaturExplorers studies: Snow and Ice, Coping with the Cold, Constant Conifers, Animal Signs, Beautiful Birds or Hard as a Rock. NaturExplorers studies were written with the 1st-8th grader in m ind, but include extensions for high school students, as well as fun ideas for preschoolers. Since so many customers asked, I recently released a winter study called Nature by the Season written specifically for preschoolers and kindergarteners.
But, why study nature?
So many homeschoolers are interested in the idea of nature study, but never take the time to actually incorporate it into their homeschool. Many of them feel like nature study is one of the “extras” that’s all too difficult to fit into the schedule of “important” lessons. Or, worse, some feel like nature study isn’t even worthy of being an “extra”.
From my experiences, nature study has actually opened the doors to many of our “important ” lessons! Science takes on a fresh perspective as we learn outdoors and becomes invigorating in the naturally hands-on atmosphere. Nature study covers biology, botany, earth and space sciences in great detail – and more times than you might imagine physical science and chemistry.
Think of nature study as a wonderful science lab – free of charge! Instead of reading in a boring textbook about the life cycle of a flower, for instance, children actually observe life cycles time and time again. These real-life experiences are powerful, yet gentle lessons that help children internalize a great wealth of knowledge.
Besides the subject of science, it’s super-easy to integrate art, writing, geography, and even history and math into nature study lessons. As children paint a tree in a nature journal, write a spontaneous poem about blue jays, sketch a quick map of a trail, or calculate measurements, other subjects seamlessly “happen”. In fact, one joyful afternoon of nature study has often allowed me to check off several completed subjects in my lesson plan book! (The NaturExplorers studies give you many creative ideas for integrating several subjects into nature walks.)
As icing on the cake, nature study allows for time spent together as a family, fresh air and exercise. And, above all for my family, taking time to enjoy God’s creation is a super way to draw us closer to the One who made it!
So, what are you waiting for? Go take a hike today!
Posted by Cindy on January 9, 2012
I just sent out the quarterly Shining Dawn Books newsletter. I thought some of you who aren’t on my contact list might like to see the latest news and specials, too.
What’s Up at Shining Dawn Books?
NEW!
Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners
My first book with Prufrock Press was released Nov 2011!! Anyone who hopes to homeschool creatively will find the book full of useful and encouraging information – it’s not just for those who know they have gifted or talented kids! Check out reviews written by Jimmie of Jimmies Collage and Tricia of The Curriculum Choice.
NEW!
Nature By the Season for Preschool and Kindergarten: Winter
For only $5.95, keep your little ones engaged in winter nature studies that are just their size! Watch for Nature By the Season: Spring to be released in March!
Winter Nature Studies
Which NaturExplorers studies are best to use during the winter? More than you might think! Try:
Animal Signs
Beautiful Birds
Captivating Clouds
Constant Conifers
Coping with the Cold
Delightful Deciduous Trees
Everchanging Erosion
Hard as a Rock
Snow and Ice
Winter Bundle
I’ve bundled three of our most popular winter NaturExplorers studies for only $21.00!
Quarterly Special
The new quarterly NaturExplorers special (from now through March) is Everchanging Erosion. For only $6.00 you can enjoy learning about erosion – a less likely, but fascinating nature topic good to use any season of the year.
Loving Living Math
Loving Living Math was our top seller in 2011 as many parents were ready to learn how to “do” living math. It’s already been a great seller this year, too! If you’ve been on the fence about purchasing it, would it change your mind to know you can get it for 25% off between now and Jan 31st?? Use the code WinterMath upon checkout and pay only $6.71!
Affiliate Program
Shining Dawn Books launched an affiliate program in 2011! It’s super easy to sign up and begin earning 20% commission on all sales referred by you!
Facebook and Pinterest
Join Shining Dawn Books on Facebook to find out about special offers and take part in occasional giveaways. And, visit me on Pinterest to see all the wonderful supplementary ideas I’m pinning to go along with the NaturExplorers series, Loving Living Math and more.
Happy New Year and Enjoy Your Winter Nature Studies!
Posted by Cindy on December 30, 2011
Winter is a great time for finding nature treasures that are hidden other seasons of the year. Bird’s nests are one example. Can you see how some sweet little bird found spare bailing twine to add to his cozy home?
Spend some crafty time this winter creating nesting material to attract more birds to your yard this coming spring! Loosely fill a suet container or recycled mesh bag with various scraps of any or all of the following:
- yarn
- straw
- shredded paper
- cotton balls stretched out a bit
- thin fabric scraps
- twigs
As birds begin nesting this spring, hang your container on a tree branch. Be sure to take some opportunities to observe the busy birds who visit your nesting material. If you’re lucky, next winter you’ll find a bird’s nest that was built using some of your materials!
I’ve pinned a couple of fun nesting material posts over at Pinterest. Go see!
Enjoy an entire study of birds this winter (and beyond) using NaturExplorers Beautiful Birds!
Posted by Cindy on November 5, 2011
What is this?? A bowl of wonderful, living pond water!
Even though you can’t see anything living with the naked eye, there’s a world of life waiting to see under a microscope!
Mahayla has been studying about the Kingdoms Monera and Protista in her biology. And, as you know, Caleb has been studying all sorts of plants, including pond plants. We were amazed at all the life we found in that small bowl of pond water! If you have a microscope, create a few slides with “fresh” pond water and see for yourself!
When studying pond water, you might also enjoy the other activities suggested in the NaturExplorers study, Peaceful Ponds!
![](http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o241/cindykwest/vday9.gif "Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival: "Love"liness Edition")
