{"id":10204,"date":"2011-07-22T00:00:24","date_gmt":"2011-07-22T04:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simplehomeschl.wpengine.com\/?p=10204"},"modified":"2026-02-12T09:53:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T14:53:06","slug":"5-tips-for-nature-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/5-tips-for-nature-study\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for Nature Study"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by contributor Kris of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

T<\/span>hough we’re not always consistent with including it, nature study is one of our favorite ways to spend some of our homeschool day.<\/p>\n

It’s fun, relaxing, interest-led learning in a real-world, hands-on environment.<\/p>\n

Following are five tips for making nature study an anticipated part of your family’s <\/strong>education<\/strong> (because you’ll be learning, too, Mom):<\/strong>
\n<\/p>\n

1. Utilize The Handbook of Nature Study<\/em> – The Book and the Blog<\/h3>\n

The Handbook of Nature Study<\/em><\/a>, by Anna Comstock is the <\/em>comprehensive nature study book. Written by the late founder of the Department of Nature Study at Cornell University, this detailed reference guide was originally written for elementary school teachers.<\/p>\n

The first few chapters explain the how’s and why’s of nature study. After that, the volume is broken down into sections on animals, plants, earth and sky. The sub-sections and the index make it easy to find information on nearly any nature-related subject imaginable.<\/p>\n

The Handbook of Nature Study blog<\/a> offers fantastic direction for getting started, from the Outdoor Hour Challenges, which encourage you to get out and study nature as a family, to notebooking and journaling pages. It was the blog’s author, Barb, whose passion for nature study ignited the interest in our family.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo by Kris<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

2. Keep a Nature Journal<\/h3>\n

Yes, this means you, too, Mom. When your kids see you getting excited about nature study, they’ll get excited, too.\u00a0 I modeled my nature journal after a picture of one I saw in The Handbook of Nature Study<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

I did not put any expectations on my kids’ journals.<\/strong> I wanted it to be something they wanted to do, not something they had to do. I encouraged them to draw pictures, make rubbings of leaves, tape leaves to the pages, or even include quotes or poetry, like I enjoyed doing, but I didn’t require it.<\/p>\n

A good resource for getting started with a nature journal is Keeping a Nature Journal<\/em><\/a> by Clare Walker Leslie and Charles Roth.<\/p>\n

3. Give Everyone a Camera<\/h3>\n

This may not be feasible in every family, but at this point in our family’s lives, each of my kids has their own digital camera – either a hand-me-down or one they’ve received as a gift. We all see the world differently as evidenced by the variety of photos we take.<\/p>\n

My kids seem to enjoy nature study more when they are encouraged to photo journal<\/strong> our outings with pictures of the things that catch their<\/em> interest. We rarely go on a nature walk with a detailed agenda. I may encourage the kids to look for things like different types of tree bark or a variety of mushrooms, but generally I like to just let them look for things that catch their attention.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo by Kris<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

4. Pack a Nature Backpack<\/h3>\n

We keep a nature backpack in our van so that we don’t have to worry about forgetting something and so that we’re prepared for impromptu nature walks. Included in our backpack are:<\/p>\n