Can you imagine using pumpkins to teach math, science, geography, history, AND language arts? You can do just that while enjoying a super-fun day of pumpkin school! Skip the textbooks for a few days and enjoy fall-themed fun with your elementary and middle school students. They will love the playful activities, and you’ll be thankful…
Boy, am I excited to introduce you to Kristina Garner in this post! She and her girls recently enjoyed some exciting, hands-on nature study in their backyard creek, and Kristina is sharing the experiences with all of us. I think you’ll especially love to see how much they learned about creeks (and how much fun…
It’s time for another peek into the real-life study of nature! In this post, you’ll see how easily Amber Oliver and her children could explore and discover wildflowers through an interest-based nature study. I believe in occasionally letting our children have a say in their schooling. It’s highly motivating for them to make decisions and…
Eli and I have just begun our history studies for the year and I’m very glad to report that I might have another history lover on my hands! This ancient history art project is a motivating one for sure. This post contains affiliate links. Oh, how I have missed Story of the World. It’s just such…
Salamanders are elusive creatures that can make salamander nature study both difficult and exciting. The two times I’ve come upon them in the wild were certainly exciting and quite memorable for me. In this podcast episode, you’ll hear about those two experiences! Salamanders are amphibians, which puts them in the same class as frogs and…
Enjoy a hands-on pollinator nature study and homeschool nature walk challenge with the whole family! Today, we’re learning about one of the most important groups of animals. It’s not your typical group like dogs or horses. It’s not even one of the big groups of animals like mammals or reptiles. This special group is made…
It’s so easy to start your homeschool journey as an idealist. Beautifully-lit Instagram photos and Pinterest-worthy homeschool rooms are exciting to look at, and passionate, seasoned speakers have hundreds of podcasts for you to excitedly devour. Before you know it, you’ve ordered vintage chalkboards, antique schoolroom desks, and picked up a natural wood abacus. Visions…
Nature study is certainly a big deal in the homeschool community at large – even outside of Charlotte Mason circles. For that, I am very excited! But, I still get the impression that many view nature study as a fun extra to their regular homeschooling. “Yes, it might bring a little more goodness into the…
We’re a Charlotte Mason homeschooling family, yet we enjoy learning history and science through unit studies. Can those two things go together? If you’re a Charlotte Mason purist, the answer is no. Remember, though, I’ve said for years that we are “eclectic Charlotte Mason homeschoolers with a dash of Classical education and unit studies thrown…
Studying the Middle Ages is so much fun! And, it really keeps the attention of my children with all the excitement of knights and castles and such. To keep our unit to six weeks, I pulled the best-of-the best hands-on ideas from the two reference books below. After adding in some living literature and a…
(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…
It’s finally here! You’ve been asking for this resource for quite some time, but you don’t have to wait any more! Nature by the Season: Spring for Preschool and Kindergarten is ready! 47 pages, ebook $5.95 Why Early Nature Study? Preschoolers and kindergarteners are naturally inclined to love nature because of their inquisitiveness, active bodies…