Children of the 21st century simply must be knowledgeable about and capable with computers. Besides typing programs and internet research, I like to assign occasional projects that are computer-based. I thought you might like to see the most recent projects… Writing is something that Caleb does NOT like. But, when the writing is (at least…
The Study of a Twig: Botany Nature Study My middle school son has been enjoying a fabulous study of botany. Today’s topic was the twig of a deciduous tree: What is a twig? Where are twigs located on trees? What grows on twigs? How do twigs grow? We first learned about the terminal bud, which…
There’s very little better than a field trip to make learning come to life! Eli (our preschooler) has been begging to go to the zoo for months. Lucky for him, we won two free tickets to the Cincinnati Zoo not too long ago and last week was the perfect weather for an outdoor field trip. …
I’ve wanted to attend the Ohio Renaissance Festival for years. Since this is our last medieval history cycle with Mahayla (boo hoo), visiting the festival was now or never. What a fun experience! (A little gypsy-like at times, but fun nonetheless.) We attended on their special school/homeschool day. While I didn’t like dealing with the…
While Mahayla takes a formal, high school biology class this year, Caleb (6th grade) and I (along with the interested 4-year-old) are studying biology using a variety of resources like Considering God’s Creation, Lyrical Life Science, Vol. 1 and, of course, NaturExplorers studies. Botany has been first on our list and we’ve been having so…
Fruits and nuts nature study is full of goodness when you add creative nature walks, fun activities, and a few good living books. This post contains affiliate links. Our weekly nature walks so far in September have been so exciting as we’ve been on the hunt for fruits and nuts. This is the perfect time…
Does the thought of a spider nature walk give you chills? It shouldn’t! Spiders are pretty incredible, and you don’t have to get all that close to observe them in nature. This post contains affiliate links. Autumn is a great time to find spiders and spider webs. Here, there…spiders everywhere! Are you afraid? The garden…
Not every nature walk has to be serious! Let your children take the lead during nature study often. It might not be just the thing you would’ve planned, but it will be exciting and worthy nonetheless.
I love to incorporate more than one subject at a time when possible. It not only saves time, but makes connections that are so important for children to understand. Last week, we were blessed with a dry snow that led to lots of snow drifts. I sent the kids on their merry way with a…
Some of the NaturExplorers guides suggest the completion of a diorama to go along with a research project. Dioramas are such a fun and creative way to model entire habitats or ecosystems. Even better, they can prove to be an informal assessment of your child’s understanding when you ask him or her to create a diorama…
In our neck of the woods, July is wild blackberry month. Over time, we’ve located several wild brambles growing along fence lines around our farm. I have to admit that harvesting is a tad difficult because of all the thorns, but well worth the effort. I wanted to share just a few pictures from our…
(This post contains links to my products.) It’s caterpillar and butterfly season, but those fast and furious butterflies won’t sit still long enough for me to snap a picture! Caterpillars love cameras. On a recent walk with my hubby – alone (do you know how precious a nature walk alone with my husband is?? )…