One of the best ways to perk up the school year during the winter is to get outside. Yes, you heard right - get outside! I know it's cold, but I also know what "going stir crazy" feels like and how {even cold weather} nature walks can rejuvenate the spirit. Not to mention, there's a world of nature waiting to be studied during the winter! Nature in Your Notebook To get you started in your nature explorations, I've created THREE fun notebooking pages that will guide you on walks from Valentine's Day through those first sweet signs of spring. To download them, simply click on the graphics. Lovely Winter Walk: Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so how about ... Read More
Winter Homeschooling
Winter: long days, anxious kids, homeschool monotony? No way! At least it doesn't have to be that way. There's lots to do to keep your homeschool vibrant in the winter! This post rounds-up the the best of my winter learning ideas for you. You really can enjoy the cold, gray days! Nature Study Fresh air, sunshine and exercise are just as important during the winter months as they are the rest of the year. Why not enjoy some nature study? There's more to study than you might think! Literature What better time to snuggle up with some living literature than winter? Of course, you don't have to read only winter-themed books, but I've compiled a list of some ... Read More
20 Must Read Winter Books for Kids
Winter is the perfect time for snuggling up with books - and lots of them! Over the years, we've gone back to certain books time after time during the winter season. I thought I'd share our winter book list with you and give you an idea of some of the book extension activities we've done to turn the books into great lessons. We don't always do extension lessons when reading, but the long days of winter often call for a little extra. This post contains affiliate links. Our Winter Book List Picture Books Snowflake Bentley is a great book to kick off a study of snow. I've included more ideas than you can shake a stick at for snow study in NaturExplorer's Snow and Ice. Stopping By ... Read More
Squirrels Coping with the Cold
Hungry Squirrels! We found evidence of a sweet little squirrel's busyness this winter! He or she is careful to keep a tidy home by setting all the garbage outside. We've seen plenty of piles like this around the farm in the past, but I don't think I've taken the time to notice how squirrels go about eating their stored nuts. Check out the cute little holes in each acorn. With a garbage pile this big, I'm thinking the squirrel must be just as ready for spring as me. Need ideas for studying animal signs or animals in the winter? Check out either of these! These books were written by me. Read my entire disclosure policy here. ... Read More
Owl Moon Activities
This post contains affiliate links. Read my entire disclosure policy here. Owl Moon with FIAR I'm so excited to be back in the swing of Five in a Row with my littlest man! My oldest two made so many good memories during learning time using this curriculum. I likely won't post about all our studies, but I took the time to take some pictures of the "extras" during our latest "row" of Owl Moon. From the Five in a Row Blog Roll and Link-Up, I found several fun add-ons. Most of them came from Delightful Learning and School Time Snippets. 1. A quickly drawn grid, some directional note cards and a little foam owl made for a fun game to learn N, S, E & W. After several ... Read More
Nature Study: Taking Advantage of Nice Days in Winter
(This post contains links to my business website, Shining Dawn Books.) Winter Nature Study We took advantage of an unusually nice winter afternoon to catch up on some winter nature walking. You won't believe how many wonderful nature treasures you can find in the winter! At our local cemetery we found tons... Leftover bird nests Evidence of moles and/or voles Evidence of woodpeckers Winter berries Buds prepared for warmer days ahead Conifers and cones Interesting conifer bark Moss Scat Lichen Evidence of insects Ooey, gooey sap dripping from conifers Of course, not every part of a nature walk has to be about nature study! We spent some much ... Read More
Charlotte Mason Carnival
Welcome to the Charlotte Mason Carnival! An Atmosphere of Learning is our theme - and don't you just LOVE the atmosphere a Charlotte Mason education provides?? Me, too! I wouldn't trade for the world our times of snuggling up with living books, basking in the sunshine of nature study, or enjoyment of handicrafts and artist study. I bet you wouldn't either. All the contributors this week are sharing, in one way or another, a glimpse into their wonderful Charlotte Mason homeschools. Enjoy! Barb shares precious homeschooling wisdom in her post Ingredients to Building a Lifelong Learner. Lanaya shows us how her family enjoys poetry in Appreciating Poetry. Naomi reminds us to ... Read More
Nature In Your Notebook Printables
One of the best ways to perk up the school year during the winter is to get outside. Yes, you heard right - get outside! I know it's cold, but I also know what "going stir crazy" feels like and how {even cold weather} nature walks can rejuvenate the spirit. Not to mention, there's a world of nature waiting to be studied during the winter! Nature in Your Notebook To get you started in your nature explorations, I've created THREE fun notebooking pages that will guide you on walks from Valentine's Day through those first sweet signs of spring. To download them, simply click on the graphics. Lovely Winter Walk: Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so how about ... Read More
Nature Study in the Winter
Brrrr – it’s cold outside! Winter is in full swing. This might seem like a silly time to suggest taking a nature walk, but creation doesn’t stop singing just because the temperatures are cold! In fact, winter is an awesome time for viewing things that we might miss other times of the year. Nature Study in the Winter Besides studying the obvious topics of snow, ice and frost, an entire world of nature excitement awaits this season. Bird’s nests, burrows, rocks, animal prints, and the intricacies of a tree or bush are all things that are much easier to observe during winter when leaves have fallen and plants have died. During a winter walk, challenge your children to find at least ten ... Read More
Nest of Seasons Past
Winter is a great time for finding nature treasures that are hidden other seasons of the year. Bird's nests are one example. Can you see how some sweet little bird found spare bailing twine to add to his cozy home? Spend some crafty time this winter creating nesting material to attract more birds to your yard this coming spring! Loosely fill a suet container or recycled mesh bag with various scraps of any or all of the following: yarn straw shredded paper cotton balls stretched out a bit thin fabric scraps twigs As birds begin nesting this spring, hang your container on a tree branch. Be sure to take some opportunities to observe the busy birds who visit your nesting ... Read More