One of the best things about nature study is that it works WONDERFULLY when teaching multiple ages at once. For years, my friend, Lynna, thought that nature study might be a tad overwhelming for her large family. I asked her to give NaturExplorers a try and she agreed. I think you'll love this little peek into her experiences doing nature study with multiple ages... I have a confession ... Read More
Search Results for: nature studies
Early Fall Nature Studies
Early Fall Nature Studies are FUN! Early autumn is such a wonderful time of the year for nature studies! The crispness in the air keeps walks comfortable, while the scenery abounds with exciting treasures to find. Believe it or not, the photos in all of the collages were taken during only one short woodland walk! We normally tend to focus our nature walks on one particular topic (like ... Read More
How To Fit Nature Study Into Your Homeschool Schedule
It's so easy to start your homeschool journey as an idealist. Beautifully-lit Instagram photos and Pinterest-worthy homeschool rooms are exciting to look at, and passionate, seasoned speakers have hundreds of podcasts for you to excitedly devour. Before you know it, you've ordered vintage chalkboards, antique schoolroom desks, and picked up a natural wood abacus. Visions of nature studies ... Read More
No Sweat Nature Study Live Membership
Nature study is important because it provides real-life foundations for all the sciences. Yes, all of them. It encourages higher order thinking skills through observation, investigation, research, comparison, classification, experimentation, and so much more. I'm here to help you make nature study a reality in your homeschool...and you won't have to do anything more than turn on the computer ... Read More
Nature Study During Morning Time
Morning Time. Morning Basket Time. Circle Time. In our home we call it Brain Training Time. Whatever you might call it, I have some great ideas to help you include nature study during the time you gather for family learning before jumping into the rest of your homeschool day. I bet you think I'm going to tell you that circle time should begin with a quick nature ... Read More
24 Wonderful Picture Books for Nature Study
There is not one teaching resource I treasure more than picture books. The good ones have such a masterful knack for laying out factual information in the midst of wonderful storylines. The illustrations, of course, help our children put pictures to names and places and ideas. When my children were younger, one of the best things I did was use picture books for nature study. There are so many ... Read More
How To Identify Rocks and Minerals During Nature Study
Why would you want to identify rocks and minerals during nature study? Heck, why would you even care to observe rocks when there are so many other things to see in nature. Rocks are boring. They're dull and colorless. Once you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all. Be honest. You've thought some of those thoughts before, haven't you? When we first began nature study in our ... Read More
Why Nature Study Is Powerful For Children With Special Needs
Have you ever considered the idea that special needs children may thrive through regular time spent in nature? Nature study has so many benefits beyond the obvious academics. It's hands-on, active, and loud - as much as it's detail-oriented, calm, and peaceful. It allows for fresh air, sunshine, and exercise to break into the school week. And, it can bring joy to even the worst homeschool ... Read More
Discovering Pond Habitats: How To Do Nature Study in Real Life
Have you ever been to the same nature study destination so many times that you almost forget there are always new things to discover? My friend, Tracy, and her children had visited the same ponds many times over. They never really got tired of exploring, but she found a way to refocus their attention in a simple way that led to new observations and new learning. Please welcome Tracy as she ... Read More
A Day in the Life: Hands-On Nature Study at the Creek
Boy, am I excited to introduce you to Kristina Garner in this post! She and her girls enjoyed some exciting, hands-on nature study in their backyard creek recently and Kristina is sharing the experiences with all of us. I think you'll especially love to see how much they learned about creeks (and how much fun they had) in just one day of exploration per week over a 5-week period. If you'll ... Read More
Enjoy Animal Signs Nature Study Wherever You Are in the World
I'm asked all the time if families should live in certain places or certain climates to get use from the NaturExplorers curriculum. The answer is no way. As long as you have specimens for any particular topic, you can most assuredly use NaturExplorers! I'm so excited to welcome Ashley Fox to share a perfect example. Her family lives in Southern Florida. While she may not ever be able to use the ... Read More
3 Simple Steps for Planning Quick Unit Studies
One thing that has really helped over the years with homeschooling multiple ages is unit studies. Yes, even in this Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschool. A unit study can be as elaborate or simple as you need it to be. I have written plenty of posts about our unit studies over the years (complete with literature lists) and even created 19 NaturExplorers guides which can easily be used as unit ... Read More
