Spring Nature Study

The following is a post from contributing writer Colleen Kessler.

Spring is finally showing its face around here in the form of daffodils and crocuses. Is it getting warmer where you are yet?

After being cooped up for so long, we’re ready to hit the yard, trails, and fields and immerse ourselves in nature. I’ll admit that, though I’d like to get the kids out more during the winter, I just hate bundling them all up and going outside. I’m THAT mom.

So, we make up for it when the sun begins to shine brighter and longer. We spend more time outside learning and playing, and less cooped up in the house.

While I do plan some formal nature studies with my kids using unit studies from Shining Dawn Publications {one of my all-time favorite inexpensive, but incredibly comprehensive, resources}, oftentimes you’ll see me throw a kid in the backpack carrier, grab the others, and just get outside.

Each of my children has a small backpack filled with a few nature study essentials:

• Simple field guides like: Backyard Birds, Peterson First Guide to Insects, or A Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals.
• Shatterproof magnifying glass
• Binoculars
• Nature journal/sketchbook
• Watercolor pencils
• Pocket microscope
• Tape measure
• Digital camera {my oldest is ten and he has one that he shares with his sisters}
• Bug and creature boxes of all sizes

Trying to involve varying ages in a subject can be a challenge, but with nature study it’s as simple as giving them the right tools and letting them explore. I hand my three year old a pair of child binoculars and she runs around looking up into the trees to spot birds and squirrels. My five year old uses the same pair of binoculars and plops herself onto the ground, observes, then sketches in her journal. My ten year old snaps pictures of interesting shapes and textures, then prints them out to tape into his journal.

Just the simple act of being outdoors immersed in the beauty of God’s creation is enough to shake off the winter blahs, and reignite a passion for learning in your day. What kinds of things do you do to get your kids out and into nature in the spring?

Colleen is a Catholic wife, homeschooling mama of four, blogger, and author. She is passionate about family and education, and loves to learn alongside her children as they experiment, explore, and play in their world each day. Visit her at Raising Lifelong Learners where she chronicles the adventures {and messes} involved when homeschooling gifted children with sensory difficulties. You can learn more about her books, including her latest Free Resources for Elementary Teachers, on her website.