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Nature Study Books for Christmas

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Since the Christmas season can bring along busy days and sometimes cold weather, it can be difficult to incorporate nature study into your homeschooling routine. I’ve created a list of Christmas nature study books that will help you bring new and inviting ideas to the table without tons of effort.

Each book description gives you an idea of how to use these books as living literature resources. Hopefully, they will spark curiosity and a hunger for learning. How could they not! Especially when the first story on the list includes a yummy cookie recipe!

You'll love this list of Christmas nature study books! #Christmas #naturestudy

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Christmas Nature Study Books

Cranberry Christmas

This classic story comes with an incredible recipe for cranberry cookies and an even better story about friendship. Use the book as a jumping off point to take a nature walk to hunt for some berries. Several plants in the wild still have berries in December! After you have read and explored, whip up a batch of cookies and deliver to someone to brighten their day.

An Orange for Frankie

Every year, Frankie’s dad brings oranges to the children for Christmas, but when there is a bad storm with a ton of snow, it looks like his dad won’t make it in time. This is a wonderful story that reflects on the meaning of Christmas and simple gifts that come with a meaning. If you live in an area that gets snow, use this book to show how powerful the weather can be. It’s also a cornerstone to the introduction of the life of an orange.

Legend of the Christmas Tree

The Legend of the Christmas Tree is a story that tells the history of Christmas trees through various eras and how it was used to teach people about God. I love to use this book as a kick-off resource to learn about conifers.

Night Tree

The critters in the forest are hungry during the winter months. With little food available to eat, a family decorates a tree with apples, popcorn, sunflower-seed balls and more. This story of a yummy gift to the creatures in the forest can be used as a resource to start the discussion of how animals cope in the winter. You might take a nature walk to notice the food that is available to the animals. Of course, you can follow the example from the book and create your own Christmas gift of food for the animals, too.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer

Follow the story of Bramble, Heather, Windswept, Lichen, Snowball, Crag, Twilight, and Tundra, who just so happen to be Santa’s reindeer. Teeka is given the task of rounding up the reindeer by Christmas after their year long stay on the tundra. She starts off by yelling demands at the reindeer, but soon finds that her tactics are not working. This book can be used to jumpstart a study of wild reindeer or to discover wild animals in your area.

The Scallop Christmas

This is a wonderful story that demonstrates hard work, patience, and working together as a family. It’s also a great book to use as living literature resource to discover the abundance of creatures that live in the sea. While scallops are the focus of this story, if you have a chance to visit the ocean for a nature walk, you will see that there is a lot more to discover. If you don’t have access to the beach, a quick internet study of scallops can “count” for nature study.

The Legend of the Poinsettia

When Lucinda only has handfuls of weeds to give baby Jesus, she feels discouraged. But, only until she is met with a gift that is known as the miraculous blooming of the first poinsettias. Of course, this is a great time of year to bring a poinsettia into your home for observation. You can also take a walk to find winter plants growing in your area, or even the remains of bygone plants.

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree

According to their Christmas tradition, a family is in charge of finding and cutting down the town’s Christmas tree. When the father doesn’t return in time, the daughter and mother are responsible for providing the tree without his help. If your family cuts a tree down for Christmas, this is the perfect family read before you head out. Otherwise, it’s another great book to kick off a study of conifers.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

Jonathan Toomey is a wonderful woodcarver who also happens to be very gruff. That is, until his heart melts little by little through the unlikely friendship of a young boy and his mother. It’s a slight stretch to go from woodcarving to nature study, but you could certainly use the book as inspiration before a walk to observe tree trunks, limbs, and other interesting features of deciduous trees in late autumn and winter.

Grandfather’s Christmas Camp

Lizzie and her grandfather spend an enchanting Christmas Eve camping on a snowy mountaintop as part of a worrisome search for grandfather’s beloved, missing dog. The book touches on several varied nature topics – snow, hiking, dogs, deer, woodland scenes, and even an aurora. I like to use this book as a kickoff to a winter woodland trail hike during which we make as many new-to-us observations as possible.

Silver Packages

This is a sweet story about a train that heads into needy Appalachian Mountain communities each Christmas season to bless the children with gifts. It’s a beautiful example of the difference Christmas giving can make in the lives of less fortunate children. I typically use the book just before we go shopping for our Angel Tree child. But, it can certainly be used just before a snowy walk since the scenes definitely depict just how cold the winter can be.

Cranberry Christmas (Cranberryport)Cranberry Christmas (Cranberryport)An Orange for FrankieAn Orange for FrankieLegend of the Christmas Tree, TheLegend of the Christmas Tree, TheNight TreeNight TreeThe Wild Christmas ReindeerThe Wild Christmas ReindeerThe Scallop ChristmasThe Scallop ChristmasThe Legend of the PoinsettiaThe Legend of the PoinsettiaThe Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story (Picture Puffin Books)The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story (Picture Puffin Books)The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan ToomeyThe Christmas Miracle of Jonathan ToomeySilver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas StorySilver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas StoryGrandfather's Christmas CampGrandfather’s Christmas Camp

Christmas nature study books are a great way to incorporate the great outdoors during the winter. And lucky for us, they also come with a Christmas twist! A perfect way to celebrate the holiday.

Do you have any favorite Christmas nature study books to add to the list? Share them in the comments!

Nature Study Through the Holidays

Looking for a unique Christmas study this December? You'll love Nature Study Through the Holidays: Advent!

If it’s not entirely too cold in your area to get outdoors a little this Advent season, I think you might enjoy this unique science curriculum that uses nature to help teach the story of Christmas. Nature Study Through the Holidays: Advent is an inexpensive way to settle into meaningful learning that points your children gently to the One whom Christmas is all about.

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Last Updated: November 12, 2020 Filed Under: Creative Homeschooling, Elementary, Holidays, Language Arts, Nature Study, Science & Nature Tagged With: Christmas, living books, living literature

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When my boys were little, I loved reading these “letters from God” to them as blessings to start the day.
As I was sorting bookshelves earlier this month, I stumbled across this sweet book again. I decided the blessings are still as pertinent today for my bigger boy as they were years ago. So, we’re starting our day yet again with a quick, but powerful “letter from God” before jumping into our daily Bible studies.
Do you do anything special to start your day off on the right foot? I’d love to hear about it!
Click the link in my bio for a link to the book.
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Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. It’s cold, the days are dark, and everyone’s cooped up together 24/7. That’s a recipe for the winter blahs to march right into your house and wreak havoc on attitudes and motivation.⠀
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This year’s winter is unlike any other and those blahs may have actually settled in long before now. If you or your children are feeling down, anxious, or bored with school, are “at” each other constantly, bouncing off the walls, or tears and fighting are the norm…the blahs are there.⠀
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Let’s get you, your children, and your homeschool back on track. I’ll be teaching a Homeschool Masterclass on Thursday afternoon to help you kick the blahs to the curb. If you can attend live, come! If you can’t attend live, catch the replay!⠀
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We’ll tackle all sorts of problems the blahs bring with them with very practical  ideas that are easy to implement! ⠀
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Click the link in my bio to join me. There is no shame in admitting that the blahs have arrived and you need a little boost from a friend. ❤️ ⠀
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Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’ Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’s true, you know. I’ve told my children for years that it only takes a nature walk to see God through His handiwork and to know that His promises are true.⠀
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When the world seems to be falling apart around you, the sun never stops shining. The seasons never stop moving. Without a single, solitary effort of human hands, the woodlands still buzz with life.⠀
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A student of nature can see the consistency in cycles and notice the incredible and creative intricacy of even the smallest specimen and be in awe that we truly serve a God who isn’t unaware of even one tiny detail in our world right now. ⠀
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Life kind of seems overwhelming, though, I know. Remember when I said my motto lately has been to just put one foot in front of the other to do the next right thing? Nature walks (even when it’s cold) never fail me as a right thing. ⠀
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Breathe, friend. Take a nature walk today and let God speak to your soul.⠀
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It might seem trite to post a winter picture book It might seem trite to post a winter picture book list right now, but I’m a big believer in keeping things as normal as possible in my home when things aren’t so normal otherwise.⠀
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It’s the principle of putting one foot in front of the other as you simply do the next right thing. Good books almost always can be a “next right thing” choice.⠀
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Even though I’m not homeschooling younger children anymore, I’ll probably never stop sharing wonderful picture book ideas with you. 🤓 I’ve spent way too many hours reading and collecting to ever stop loving them!⠀
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Eli and I may not be using these books right now, but they are still some of my favorites for winter reading. Whatever may be going on around you, the winter months are always a good time of year to get in lots of extra reading. Snuggling and hot chocolate are optional, but encouraged.⠀
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Click the link in my bio to find a blog post about these books + some of our favorite winter chapter books, too!⠀
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We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break! 🎉🎁🎂🏀🥰
I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍 I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍
Merry Christmas from the Wests! 🎄 Merry Christmas from the Wests! 🎄
Christmas picture books are some of my very favori Christmas picture books are some of my very favorite books of all time. I’ve spent years collecting new ones here and there (and will probably continue collecting for years to come because there are at least a few favorites I still don’t own).🤗🤫⠀
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When the kiddos were younger, I would sometimes wrap each of the books and place them in a basket near the Christmas tree. 🎁 Each morning during December, one of my children would choose a book to unwrap and that was the one we would read for the day. Oh, such precious memories!⠀
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This year, even though my youngest is in 8th grade, the books are not hidden away! I’ve found a creative way to read them with Eli. We’re using them as mentor texts for his own stories during language arts. #sneakysmart (He’s writing some pretty great stories, too!)⠀
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Click the link in my bio if you’d like to see my entire list of picture book favorites for the Christmas season!🎄If you’d like to know more about using picture books to teach writing to older kids, search “writing with picture books masterclass”on my website.⠀
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