We have an unwritten tradition of starting our school year off with a field trip or two. Sometimes the field trips are more like vacations – like when we went to Virginia. Other times, it’s an overnight stay somewhere or a few simple day trips. This year, we had so much fun kicking off the…
(This post contains links to my business website, Shining Dawn Books.) August Nature Study Anytime is the perfect time for nature study, but late summer is especially wonderful! All the photos above were taken during nature walks over the last two weeks. So, just what topics do I recommend studying right about now? Animal…
While school supply shopping at Walmart the other day, I ran across some clipboard storage boxes in several fun colors. I remembered Maureen from Spell Out Loud mentioning using these nature walk clipboards with her family, so I put three in my cart. Wow – they have been a wonderful addition to our nature walks!…
This fun, hands-on activity pairs perfectly with any study of early American history. Enjoy living math and mapping with Lewis and Clark. This post contains affiliate links. Lewis and Clark: A Quick Bio In 1803, President Jefferson wanted to find out if the Missouri or Columbia Rivers made for easy traveling (and potential trading)…
(This post contains affiliate links.) Better lesson organization is one of my main goals for the upcoming school year. Having a high school student, middle school student and a kindergartener, I have no choice but to be more organized – or feel flustered and fall behind too often like I did last year when I…
Art and Literature Connection Have You Seen Birds? by Barbara Reid is a fantastic book from which to pull an art lesson. Full of lovely clay collage illustrations created by Joanne Oppenheim, children can dabble in an art medium (and style) often neglected – clay collage. The illustrations in the book are detailed,…
Looking for a simple way to engage your children in some fun learning this summer? Why not try a few learning centers! What is a learning center? Quite simply, a few goodies based on a certain theme that you put together for your children to explore. Yep, that’s it. Easy and intriguing. Here’s the latest…
Welcome to my 10 Days Series on the topic of nature study! Each of the ten days brings you a creative nature walk idea and a fun follow-up activity to spark your enthusiasm for nature study today! Why study nature? The answer is more serious than you might think. Today’s nature study: Erosion This post…
Welcome to my 10 Days Series on the topic of nature study! Each of the ten days brings you a creative nature walk idea and a fun follow-up activity to spark your enthusiasm for nature study today! Why study nature? The answer is more serious than you might think. Today’s nature study: Creeks This post…
Welcome to my 10 Days Series on the topic of nature study! Each of the ten days brings you a creative nature walk idea and a fun follow-up activity to spark your enthusiasm for nature study today! Why study nature? The answer is more serious than you might think. Today’s nature study: Deciduous Trees This…
Welcome to my 10 Days Series on the topic of nature study! Each of the ten days brings you a creative nature walk idea and a fun follow-up activity to spark your enthusiasm for nature study today! Why study nature? The answer is more serious than you might think. Today’s nature study: Clouds This post…
Welcome to my 10 Days Series on the topic of nature study! Each of the ten days brings you a creative nature walk idea and a fun follow-up activity to spark your enthusiasm for nature study today! Why study nature? The answer is more serious than you might think. Today’s nature study: Fungi This post…