Frequently Asked Questions
About No Sweat Nature Study
It’s a science program for the entire family! Mrs. Cindy West, a veteran homeschooler with a master’s degree in elementary education, teaches twice monthly classes through the lens of nature study. Each class is recorded and placed in an ever-growing library that members can access 24/7. Students create stunning nature journal pages during each class, keeping them engaged while building scientific understanding.
Twice-monthly live classes, an ever-growing library of previously recorded classes with 24/7 access, and plenty of optional resources for additional learning. The extra resources include a podcast episode introducing each topic, booklists, scientific vocabulary activities, hands-on and kid-friendly research activities, and a nature walk prompt.
How long do the classes last? Each class lasts 40-60 minutes.
When do the classes meet? Lessons take place on Tuesdays at 2 pm ET on the 1st and 3rd weeks of each month.
Where do the classes meet? Classes are taught on the Zoom platform. You will preregister for each class (it’s easy) and receive a private access link via email.
What happens if I can’t attend a live class? You can watch all recorded classes from the video library for the duration of your membership. It’s not necessary to attend live.
Will you teach classes during the summer? Yes. Many schools and homeschools follow a year-round schedule, so lessons continue through the summer. If you take a break from school during the summer, you can use the classes as fun boredom busters or simply catch up on the missed classes using the video library once your school is back in session.
What supplies will we need? Most of the time, each student will need a nature journal (or plain, white paper) and colored pencils. Occasionally, other supplies like watercolors, a tape measure, or a magnifying glass are suggested – none of which will be mandatory. Supplies are listed in the registration and email reminders.
Where should we sit to view the class? Your student(s) will need a sturdy surface to complete the nature journaling activities. Gathering around a table is probably best.
Can I download the recorded videos to my device? The videos cannot be downloaded to your device. They must be streamed.
Do I get access to any videos or other membership materials once my membership ends? No, your access to the live classes, video library, and printable resources ends when the membership ends. However, any downloads you have saved to your computer over the course of your membership are yours to keep.
Do you have a sample lesson we can view? Yes! Click here to enjoy a full sample lesson.
What class topics are already in the video library? Click here to see the list of previously taught classes. This list is updated every quarter or so.
What supplies will we need? Most of the time, each student will need a nature journal (or plain, white paper) and colored pencils. Occasionally, other supplies like watercolors, a tape measure, or a magnifying glass are suggested – none of which will be mandatory. Supplies are listed in the registration and email reminders.
Where should we sit to view the class? Your student(s) will need a sturdy surface to complete the nature journaling activities. Gathering around a table is probably best.
Only the video classes with Mrs. Cindy are necessary for the membership. Yet, you can still choose when and how to use them.
The extra resources (podcast, booklists, vocabulary, hands-on and research activities, and nature walk prompts) are available to you as optional learning activities.
How will No Sweat Nature Study lessons fit into my current science schedule? You have a few options:
- Use the lessons as a supplement to your regular science curriculum.
- Use the lessons instead of your regular science lessons for the day (or week if you plan to complete the follow-up activities).
- Forego the live lessons and choose topics from the video library that fit with your planned science or seasonal path.
- Use No Sweat Nature Study as your entire curriculum for a season. This is done successfully by utilizing the extra resources provided with each class.
Is there a scope and sequence to the lessons? No. The lessons cover various topics within all the sciences, particularly botany, animal science, earth science, weather science, and space science. They are frequently connected to geography, history, language arts, and math topics.
Do students need prior knowledge about a topic to get the most from a class? No. Cindy teaches everything necessary to understand the topic of the day.
What if we don’t live in the same area as you? Will the lessons be pertinent to us? Yes, the lessons will be pertinent to everyone, no matter where you are in the world or your current season. None of the lessons require you to have certain specimens to complete the activities.
It’s always suggested that you begin your membership at the monthly level so you can be sure it will work for your family before making quarterly or yearly commitments. We are not able to process partial period refunds. You will have member access until your period expires.
No. I’m sorry. Each family needs to purchase their own membership.
I’m sorry, but we do not offer group rates.
Yes. Please contact cindy@ourjourneywestward.com to learn about a group rate and receive a specialized invoice. The fee is determined based on the number of students and the period you need access to the membership. In general, you can expect the price of a regular membership per 5 students.
This licensing is only available to teachers who meet in person with their students and use the membership while they meet in person with their students. No virtual co-ops or classrooms are allowed under any circumstances. You may not share the membership, video streaming, or supplementary materials with your co-op families or other teachers. Physical copies of printable resources can be reproduced for each child in the class, but no digital files are to be shared with the students or their families. To reiterate, this special group license is available for one teacher to use in her in-person classroom.
They can purchase a gift code that can be applied to a new or existing membership. Please send charter schools here and grandparents, aunts and uncles, or friends here.
Please note that the membership is a subscription. You must place a credit card on file even when using a gift code. You can cancel the membership anytime to avoid additional charges at the renewal date.
If your charter school requires a more detailed receipt than the one provided, please email me at cindy@ourjourneywestward.com.
We are unable to process full or partial refunds at any membership level. It’s always suggested that you begin your membership at the monthly level so you can be sure it will work for your family before making quarterly or yearly commitments. You can upgrade or cancel at any time. Upon cancellation, you will have member access until your period expires.
Your membership will automatically renew. You should receive an email notification a few days before renewal.
You may cancel the membership anytime from your account dashboard. Upon cancellation, you will have member access until your period expires. We cannot process full or partial refunds at any membership level.
Memberships cannot be paused.
About PDF Curriculum and Freebies
In regards to the downloadable curriculum and freebies on Our Journey Westward:
When purchasing a downloadable product, you are purchasing a license to use the product, not the product itself. The license is not transferable.
Each download is meant for single family use. You may keep a copy of the e-file on personal devices and print the file for personal use.
Please Don’t:
Share or link to the e-file directly; link to the blog post or product page instead.
Alter the e-files in any way.
Sell, distribute, or give away the e-files in any way.
Host an e-file on your website or upload it to a shared website.
A teacher of a co-op or classroom may use an e-file with her students. She may keep a copy of the e-file on personal devices and print it in its entirety for her use. She may make multiple copies of student pages as necessary.
She may not share the e-file with other teachers, even if they are team teachers. Each teacher needs to purchase her own copy of the curriculum file.
Please Don’t:
Share or link to the e-file directly; link to the blog post or product page instead.
Alter the e-files in any way.
Sell, distribute, or give away the e-files in any way.
Host an e-file on your website or upload it to a shared website.
Some folks enjoy creating additional notebook pages, worksheets, charts, etc., to accompany the NaturExplorers studies and other Our Journey Westward publications. The pages you create must only be used with your children and may NOT be sold for profit or shared with others (online or otherwise) as free enhancements, go-alongs, or otherwise.
While Our Journey Westward is pleased you enjoy our products and wish to create derivative materials, doing so without authorization violates copyright law. In other words, it is considered theft of intellectual property rights. We trust that you will understand the importance of this and thank you for your cooperation.
If you wish to create derivative materials for sale or as freebies, please contact us to discuss possible permission.
If unsatisfied with a PDF product, your entire purchase price will gladly be refunded. We only ask that you please request a refund within two weeks of purchase and delete the file from your computer. Thank you for respecting these terms. Please contact us for a refund that meets these criteria.
The following curricula meet the requirements of charter schools to remain neutral on religion.
- Nature Study Made Easy series
- Famous Artists of the Renaissance
- 50 States Notebooking Pages
- Presidents of the United States Notebooking Pages
- Living Literature Grammar Packs
The following professional development materials remain neutral on religion.
About NaturExplorers
- Inspirational literature suggestions
- Background information for the parent or teacher concerning the main focus of the nature topic
- An abundance of creative nature walks
- Follow-up hands-on activity ideas
- Writing and research ideas that encompass several subject areas
- References for Bible study, artist study, composer study and poetry tie-ins
- Child-friendly internet links and book lists for further study
- Ideas for adapting the material for younger and older children, as well as ideas for groups of children
- Several colorful, prepared notebooking pages
- General nature study suggestions
The NaturExplorers series was written with 1st-8th graders in mind. The curriculum activities are adaptable for all ages, though; specific ideas are included for incorporating your older and younger students. We have personally used NaturExplorers with children from three to fifteen, with all ages (even adults) drawn in almost magically.
Yes! Most of the ideas can easily be used with groups of children—traditional classrooms, homeschool co-ops, summer camps, after-school programs, 4-H programs, and more. Additionally, there is a small section of ideas written specifically for groups.
Any homeschooler using any homeschooling style will find NaturExplorers guides useful. Charlotte Mason homeschoolers will love the ideas for tying in poetry, artist and composer studies, and the living literature lists to enhance learning. Those who use unit studies will be excited that most of what they need for a full unit study is already here. Unschoolers will appreciate the ability to implement ideas at just the right time easily. Project-based homeschoolers will be excited at many project ideas that meet many learning styles. Traditional and Classical homeschoolers can pull as little or as much from the ideas as they desire.
New homeschoolers and teachers will appreciate the thoroughly laid-out ideas, while veteran homeschoolers and teachers will be thankful that the ideas are already pulled together and ready to use.
It depends entirely on how you decide to use the curriculum. Since the guides are extremely flexible, you might spend a week, two weeks, a month, or more immersing your family in one topic – much like a unit study. If you need nature walk ideas, you might spend one month or one year on a single topic. Either way, you’ll have plenty of ideas to keep you busy!
The beauty of each study is its adaptability. You can pick one nature walk and put the book down, or take nature walks repeatedly focusing on the same nature topic and not run out of new ideas for a long time. The nature topic can be used as a full-fledged, science-based unit study if desired. Besides math and phonics, you will find ideas for virtually every other subject. Some of the guides even include a hands-on math idea or two!
No need to worry! The NaturExplorers curriculum is not dependent on the literature suggestions. You are free to find other books on the same topic or leave extra reading out completely.
This answer varies depending on the part of the world in which you live. A sample list provided below is most appropriate for those who enjoy each of the four seasons in their fullness. Keep an eye open in your area; you’ll soon see which topics are most appropriate during a particular season.
Spring
- Animal Signs
- Beautiful Birds
- Captivating Clouds
- Constant Conifers
- Delightful Deciduous Trees
- Everchanging Erosion
- Frogs and Toads
- A Fungus Among Us
- Hard as a Rock
- Incredible Creeks
- Peaceful Ponds
- Remarkable Rain
- Wonderful Wildflowers
- Nature Study Through the Holidays: Easter
Summer
- Animal Signs
- Beautiful Birds
- Butterflies Flutter By
- Captivating Clouds
- Constant Conifers
- Delightful Deciduous Trees
- Everchanging Erosion
- Flying Creatures of the Night
- Frogs and Toads
- Fruits and Nuts
- Hard as a Rock
- Incredible Creeks
- Peaceful Ponds
- Remarkable Rain
- Spectacular Spiders
- Wonderful Wildflowers
Autumn
- Animal Signs
- Beautiful Birds
- Butterflies Flutter By
- Captivating Clouds
- Constant Conifers
- Coping with the Cold
- Delightful Deciduous Tres
- Everchanging Erosion
- Fruits and Nuts
- A Fungus Among Us
- Hard as a Rock
- Incredible Creeks
- Peaceful Ponds
- Remarkable Rain
- Spectacular Spiders
- Wonderful Wildflowers
- Nature Study Through the Holidays: Advent
Winter
- Animal Signs
- Beautiful Birds
- Captivating Clouds
- Constant Conifers
- Coping with the Cold
- Delightful Deciduous Trees
- Everchanging Erosion
- Hard as a Rock
- Snow and Ice
No way! While each NaturExplorers guide focuses on a particular topic, the lessons are not dependent on any particular things within that topic. For instance, if you can access any flower anywhere in the world, you can use the Wonderful Wildflower guide. Or, if you have access to any deciduous tree, you can use the Delightful Deciduous Trees guide.
You’ll find plenty of indoor learning suggestions, including hands-on activities, kid-friendly research projects, booklists, and more. However, much of the curriculum relies heavily on experiencing nature through creative nature walks. While you could still use the guides without taking the nature walks, you may want to consider the Nature Study Made Easy series instead.
No, the NaturExplorers series looks at nature through the lens of creation-based science and includes some Bible lessons.
You can always email a picture or story to me at cindy@ourjourneywestward.com. Better yet, share pictures of your adventures on social media and tag me @ourjourneywestward!
About Nature Study Made Easy
Each Nature Study Made Easy guide contains eight meaty lessons. Each lesson includes introductory material to read with the children. Follow-up learning for each lesson is based on the five “E”s – Extract, Explain, Engage, Elaborate, and Explore.
Extract – Books and YouTube videos are suggested for learning more.
Explain – This is a nature journaling activity.
Engage – This is a hands-on activity.
Elaborate – This is a kid-friendly research project.
Explore – This is a nature walk prompt.
It’s easy to pick and choose from the five “E”s to make the study as in-depth as you wish.
They are written with 1st-8th graders in mind and can be used with multiple ages together.
They can be! The unique thing about these guides is the amount of learning that can occur indoors—even though children are focused on nature study topics. Many of the activity ideas are also conducive to group work.
No, they work well for all types of homeschoolers. Because they are so flexible yet provide plenty of learning options, they can be used for almost any homeschooling situation. For example, some families may want to spend a week’s worth of morning time working on one small part of a lesson. Others may decide to use the lesson material as a full science curriculum. While others may decide to use the curriculum for a full day of nature club learning. The options are endless, but sample scheduling ideas come with each guide.
It’s entirely up to you and how you use it. One guide can last an entire semester if you open it once a week and work through most of the suggested material and activities. If you do a small portion of one lesson daily each week, a guide will last eight weeks. If you choose to cover one lesson per day (that would be really hard), a guide will last you eight days.
No. Because they rely heavily on indoor learning, they can be used worldwide. If you use the nature walk prompts, most can still be used wherever you live.
No worries! You can use 95% of the curriculum without leaving the house. The only exception is the nature walk prompt provided with each lesson. Otherwise, the rest of the learning is indoors.
Yes! They are religion-neutral and don’t discuss creation or evolution.
You can always email a picture or story to me at cindy@ourjourneywestward.com. Better yet, share pictures of your adventures on social media and tag me @ourjourneywestward!
About Other Products
It’s best to follow a one-week on/one-week off approach when using the curriculum. During the packet week, keep notes of any concepts your children struggle with. The following week, use freebies from the internet to help with the problem areas. Additionally, the week following a lesson can be used for writing creative stories, research, etc.
Loving Living Math is a book for parents that teaches them how to incorporate living math into their homeschool. While it offers plenty of practical ideas and sample activities, it’s not geared toward any grade level. That being said, parents of children younger than 13 will likely use it most.
If you have questions that haven’t been answered here, please feel free to fill out the contact form below.