We veered off the “typical homeschool path” this year to teach out-of-the-box homeschool high school chemistry instead. This isn’t the first time we’ve chosen a different path for our son, who is a smart kid but doesn’t thrive in the textbook world of science. Do you remember how we chose an out-of-the-box biology course last year? Because…
Homeschooling works. It just doesn’t always look the same from one child to the next. Sometimes even the best intended plans fail and adjustments need to be made. Our latest major adjustments were made in the subject of science and I’ve shared our success story here in hopes that you will be encouraged not to give…
Whether you currently enjoy nature study time with your children or not, being part of a nature club is a great motivator and provides hours of fun learning time! 1. What is a nature study club? Quite simply, it’s a small or large group of homeschoolers who meet together for the purpose of studying nature…
Wait. If nature study is science, does that mean we could do nature study instead of science textbooks? Does that mean I could (and maybe should) view nature study as more than just an extra in our homeschool schedule? Are you sure our time spent outdoors in nature can really count towards real science instruction?…
Most of you know by now that I’m the author of the NaturExplorers series of science curriculum. That means, yes, we do much of our science in the field – literally. While we can cover A LOT of science through nature study, there are some topics that are just learned better through indoor experimentation and text…
My little horse lover is all grown up. This year she will graduate our homeschool and head off to college where she will major in equine science. Before her passion for horses blossomed, we knew her heart held a soft spot for animals in general – and all the jobs that come with those animals. …
Boy, I hope your neck of the woods contains as many fossils as mine. In Central KY, we can find fossils hidden just about everywhere – and that makes our rock and fossil walks so much fun! We get to be scientists (petrologists, paleontologists, archaeologists or rockhounds – you decide) and detectives, which are pretty…
(This post contains affiliate links and links to my business website.) Rocks: Nature Study Indoors or Out One of the cool things about studying rocks is that you don’t necessarily have to be outside to do it. Of course, you’ll want to take a rock collecting nature walk at some point, but once you have…
These Tale of Three Trees activities combines an amazing book with a meaningful nature walks! This post contains affiliate links. The Book Tale of Three Trees is one of my very favorite picture books ever. I know, I know – I have a lot of favorites. In my defense, there are some REALLY great…
(This post contains links to my products.) Oh my goodness, I love boys. Learning is such an active adventure with them! I remember taking early elementary nature walks with my teen daughter and they were, oh, so very different. She and I would quietly admire the intricacies of a flower or sit peacefully in a…
Since I’m known as “the nature lady,” I’ve written about nature study plenty of times. I’ve decided to round up all the vital nature learning posts in one handy spot. It’s all here! Nature Study: Start Here This post thoroughly explains the why’s and how’s of studying nature – whether you’re a Charlotte Mason homeschooler or not….
When most of us think about living literature, we think about historical books. There are tons of scientific books that are written well enough to be considered living, too, though! In fact, I could probably list 100’s of living books to teach science for you. To get your library started with some of the best,…