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For our nature study, we are now starting our bird study, and it’s already been so much fun. I love how the Lord blesses with unique opportunities to observe His creation up close.
The kids found this abandoned nest fallen from a tree. The little innocents brought me the nest and a branch, asking me to glue the branch to a tree so that the nest would have a place to go.
We examined the nest and talked about what the bird had used to build the nest. Both the kids got a big kick out of the fact that the nest was made mostly from our dog’s hair! Then Middlest put it in her bicycle basket and rode around with it the rest of the day.
Another fun aspect to our bird study has been the Feeder Bird DVD from Your Backyard. I was actually sent the DVD as part of a giveaway that I won and have really enjoyed it. Kid-friendly and informative, the DVD helps the viewer to identify common feeder birds by sight and sound. Each day, we’ve watched a short segment of the DVD on a particular bird then looked and listened for that particular bird. I’m sure we’ll watch this several times until we get our bird IDs down.
It’s been a fun, relaxed introduction to bird-watching. Regardless of the kids, I can’t wait to learn more!
My husband went trout fishing recently and brought home a nice catch of fish. The kids were ecstatic about the whole thing, and the oldest couldn’t wait for Daddy to clean them so that he could see a backbone.
(I was relieved that Daddy got to tackle this dissection since the oldest’s last obsession was to see the backbone of a dead frog he found. I got to do the honors with the frog.)
Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on your stomach for such things—I did not get pictures of the event, but both of the big kids were very involved in the process and had a blast poking around with the fish waiting to be cleaned. So, after this major family affair, it seemed most natural to read about fish as part of our science lesson the next day. We read about fins and gills and swim bladders. Then we read about cartilage vs. bone, sharks, rays, and lampreys. My son absolutely couldn’t wait to notebook a page about sharks. And the kids have been going around ever since wiggling the tips of their noses and giggling about cartilage.
my son's lego fishing pole, in honor of the occasion
While working for A Beka Book, I met a science teacher who was helping us with some science texts: she wrote, and I edited. And, of course, being women and mothers and all, we chatted. A comment she made during one of our chats stuck with me for years. It was an insignificant remark really, one of those comments that slips into a conversation virtually unnoticed but then never leaves you. She just happened to mention that she taught her five year old son the correct animal classifications. He knew, for instance, that a whale was a mammal, not a fish.
“How much harder is it to teach him the right information?” she stated very simply.
My son was barely two at the time, but I was left in awe at the fact that a five year old could learn about mammals vs. fish. I put her theory to the test this last year, and both my kids learned about mammals, fish, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and arthropods as we ventured through our geography study and learned of animals from other countries.
This summer, I wanted to extend those lessons to our backyard and expand on our information just a bit. Nothing too intense—a read-aloud and nature study format rather than a formal study. A friend loaned me her copy of Answers in Genesis’ World of Animalstextbook, which we are using as a read-aloud. And I tried it out the other day on our first day of summer science.
Lesson 1: vertebrates and invertebrates.
I read the page and a half of text while waiting for my breakfast to finish toasting (the kids had eaten earlier while I was feeding the baby). As I slathered home-made apple butter on my toast, we discussed vertebrates and invertebrates. I had them feel each other’s backbones, and we talked about which creatures had backbones and which didn’t. Then, I named different creatures while they shouted out either vertebrate or invertebrate. We did this a number of times; then, I called out vertebrate or invertebrate, and they shouted out a creature.
Finally, I sent them on their assignment: go outside and find one vertebrate and one invertebrate, then come back in and tell me about it. I ate my breakfast in silence while they roamed the yard. A few minutes later, they burst into the house with their answers—a squirrel and a bee.
The nature study books were thrown open and the coloring pencils busily sketched their lesson. I even pulled out my UsborneI Can Draw Animals for a quick lesson on how to draw a bee.
A fun first summer science lesson, and all before I’d eaten breakfast!
Disclaimer: I am a consultant for Usborne books because they are a mainstay for our homeschool. Find out how you can get free/discounted Usborne books for your home library.
I have a confession to make: nature study absolutely terrifies me. I love the idea of having my children explore the outdoors and learn about science as they observe and ask questions. But truthfully, it also makes me a little uncomfortable because I often don’t know the answers.
Last summer, our nature study consisted of using our senses. I was okay with that. All I was really doing was moderating their experiences of taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell. But this summer, as we tip-toe toward REAL nature study, I feel a little hesitant. So as I relate our summer to all of you, I’ll really be sharing how I am overcoming my nature study insecurities. Hopefully, some of you will chime in with your own experiences and cheer me on a little.
(That was my disclaimer. Now for your first installment of my rather insecure start to this summer’s nature study.)
The other day, my oldest asked me if he could do a craft outside. Inside, I panicked. I saw scissors on my sidewalk, melted crayons in the grass, and tiny bits of paper floating on the breeze. Then, I snapped out of my nightmare and offered my son a more mom-friendly alternative: nature study. I pulled out his nature journal from last year and his box of colored pencils. He happily trotted off to sketch the great outdoors. He came back in a few minutes later with this.
This, folks, is a picture of a mushroom; and, of course, he wanted to know the name of this creation so that he could write it in his journal. I could feel the anxiety surfacing, but instead, I led him to the computer where I typed into google the name of our state and the word “mushrooms.” A university website came up in the search, and we scrolled down through the photos until we found the one that matched his picture: purple-spored puffball.
He copied the name onto his page and went back outside. A few minutes later, he dashed back inside with a new sketch and a new question. Once again, we headed to the internet and discovered the white clover flower. (Sad, friends, isn’t it? that I didn’t know the name of that flower without the aid of the internet? I am ashamed. But I’m hoping my honest confession will inspire someone else who feels totally inadequate when it comes to nature study.)
My first day of nature study, and it was all that I feared it would be: lots of questions that I didn’t have answers for. But I realized that through my ignorance, I’m teaching my children a lesson even more valuable than mushroom and flower identification. I’m showing them how to learn and how to find the answers they are seeking. And, Praise the Lord! Google is coming through for me.
I love to have desk tags for the kids, not only as a fun school decoration but also as a learning tool. The kids have both learned to write their names by tracing on their laminated desk tags. I also have them place their pencils on their desk tag when they are not using them.
Since insects will be a key part of our nature study this summer, I decided to have insects as the theme for our new desk tags. And when I couldn’t find what I wanted, I attempted to make one using public domain clip art off the internet. I’m really pleased with my first attempt!
Take a look or download it for your use.
Desk Tag Tutorial
Want to make your own? It really was not hard at all. I used an Open Office text document and created a table of three rows x one column. Then, I adjusted the size of each row. Next, I added a dashed line in the center of the second row. I did need to be sure that my borders for the table were selected and set at 1 point.
That’s it! Just add your stock photos or google for public domain clip art to find exactly what you want. It turned out to be much faster than searching the internet for pre-made desk tags. Have fun!
One of my goals for this summer is to embrace learning in the moment, particularly with nature study; and I had my first opportunity to do that the other morning during our school time.
We’ve been doing a lot of our school out of the school room lately—at the kitchen table, in the living room, on the couch—since I’m usually feeding the baby and since it’s so much more comfortable to do that on the couch than in the school room.
My oldest was at the table completing a worksheet, the little one was doing her Reading Eggs lesson, and the baby was getting his fill when a couple of birds flew back and forth across our porch several times. The kids immediately ran to the window to watch them, and fortunately, the lively pair paused for a breather right in front of the window. We studied them quickly. I pointed out the coloring of the birds and the unique forked tail. Then, they flew off once again.
Of course, the kids wanted to know what kind of bird they were, so I opened up my laptop. It was my first time to try to identify a bird using the internet, but I knew that it was bound to be possible. I googled birds in our state and found a site that provided pictures of a number of birds that could be found in our area. We talked through several similar birds until we found one that matched our porch friends—barn swallows.
Next, I visited AllAboutBirds.org and looked up barn swallow. We read about the bird and listened to it’s call. Then, I printed off some notebooking pages (that I’d actually just downloaded that morning). The kids were thrilled, and I felt exuberant. Not only was it the perfect opportunity to instill the wonder of God’s creation, but it was an opportunity to embrace learning that wasn’t on the lesson plan.
I insisted that the little one color her birds as we saw them, but as a compromise I let her color the rest of the page as she wanted. Thus, the pink barns!
I’ve got it. I’ve got it bad—the summer itch. The weather has been so beautiful lately that I can hardly contain myself. I absolutely can’t wait for summer and summer school!
Call me a glutton for punishment, but I’ve loved our year-round school. And after last summer’s frolicks, the kids can’t wait either.
fishing
Now for the record, my idea of summer school is not to maintain the same schedule. Oh, no. Instead, I use the summer to tackle all of the fun we couldn’t cram into the year: nature study, drawing, art, and music. For instance, last summer we did a nature study and learned about our five senses, studied Van Gogh’s art and Handel’s Water Music, and continued our phonics lessons.
Why do summer school at all?
For one, I honestly can’t stand spending the first six weeks of a school year re-learning everything we covered the year before.
Two, I love the structure that school brings to our day. We all miss it. The kids can’t stand taking Saturdays off (I draw the line there). Though we definitely enjoy our breaks, after a little vacation we’re all starving for that structure once more.
And then, we honestly just have fun. I’m not saying that we don’t have any struggles or that every day is a walk in the park; but overall, we have fun learning together. If it’s been awhile since we’ve enjoyed school, I re-evaluate everything.
funny face portraits
What’s up for this summer’s fun?
Monet and Mendelssohn, more nature study (continuing our study of the animal classifications in our own backyard), and we’ll finish up our geography study with a summer of U.S. geography (learning the 50 states and some history facts). Cuisenaire rods for math, maybe some drawing. My son will continue his phonics and reading, and we may experiment with some cursive writing since he’s been curious about it lately.
How do we plan to tackle all of that and still have time to play?
Van Gogh sunflowers
I recently ran across a brilliant scheduling concept dubbed “one more thing.” This homeschool mom tackles the electives after lunch, only one per day—a day for art, a day for music, a day for experiments, a day for whatever! I immediately saw the potential of this concept, allowing me to fit in all of the fun that appeals to me.
I plan on having a schedule to follow (which I’ll post a little later) but no daily lesson plans necessarily. I have an overall curriculum, but I don’t want to be regimented by a daily list of items to check off. We’ll tackle phonics, math, and nature study every day; the other subjects will fall into our “one more thing” routine (i.e. U.S. geo-1 day/wk; art/music or drawing/music-2 days/wk; cursive-2 days/wk).
Phonics and math will take about an hour altogether; nature study will take as long as we want it to (nature study = explore the outdoors). Then our “one more thing” will take about 1/2 hour max. Really, it’s not much school time at all, but it makes for a lot of fun memories.
What am I using? (In other words, how do I budget summer school?)
That’s a great question, and honestly summer plans could easily push the budget a little bit. But when planning last year and this year, I asked two questions: What do I want to teach? and What do I have to teach with? Sometimes, what I want to teach changes after I look at what I have (or what I can pick up for cheap). So here’s what I’m using and how much it will cost.
