The summer heat can be a shock to your body if you are used to a cool air conditioned house. Listen in to learn how to build your endurance to get outside more this summer.
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15 Easy Summer Learning Ideas with Minimal Planning
Summer is a great time for informal learning. We will all enjoy a few weeks of no scheduled lessons and fewer extracurricular activities. And then it will hit…boredom. I’m all in favor of kids being bored. Boredom is an excellent opportunity to spark creativity, learn a new skill, or simply learn to entertain yourself. However, a couple of months of boredom can also lead to mischief and bad habits. To combat this, I try to have a few tricks up my sleeve to mix things up during the summer months. Here are some of the ways I encourage learning during our summer break with minimal planning on my part.
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Bird Nature Study {free printable}
I enjoy watching birds. Their beautiful colors are pleasing to watch. Their melodious songs are a delight for the ears. Previously, I thought you needed a wooded yard or a park to observe birds, but God has shown me wonderful bird nature study in so many different environments. Some examples of bird nature study I have observed are: ducks and geese at the neighborhood pond or local park brilliant red
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Snowflake Symmetry
Learn about snowflakes and snow crystals while also exploring symmetry.
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Calendar of Firsts
“It’s the first snow of the year!” “I saw the first robin today.” “Did you see the rose bud in the front yard?” Nourishing an atmosphere of wonder by keeping a Calendar of Firsts creates a sense of excitement and awe about God’s creation. Charlotte Mason said: It is a capital plan for children to keep a calendar—the first oak-leaf, the first tadpole, the first cow-slip, the first catkin, the first
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Bark Rubbing and Leaf Rubbing
On a recent nature walk with our co-op, I asked the kids to find a tree with which they were not familiar and explore it by touching and feeling it. I suggested they could do leaf rubbings or bark rubbings. They had all heard of leaf rubbings and most had done them; but they were not familiar with bark rubbings so they were quite anxious to try it. We broke
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Using All of Your Senses for Nature Study
When I think of observations on a nature walk, I think of what I see. I am learning that nature study is so much more than just what we see. If we take the time to intentionally use all of our senses, we will experience so much more in nature. Our nature study co-op met at a local park for our weekly nature walk. Before the walk, I talked with the
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Use words to describe nature
Up to now we have approached nature study as a visual experience. During and after a nature walk, we talked about what we saw but their nature journal entries were still visual. I asked the girls to each choose something they found interesting and draw a picture. I now realize we were missing a wonderful opportunity to build on their language skills. This week I asked them to use words to describe
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Nature Study Resources
Nature study provides a wonderful opportunity to learn more about God while we appreciate the beauty and complexity of his creation. It also provides an opportunity to develop observation skills. If you are not knowledgable about nature, you can learn alongside your children as I am. Don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know the answer. Make a note to look it up when you return home. Begin by
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