Never be within doors when you can rightly be without. We are all meant to be naturalists, each in his own degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.”
Charlotte Mason
“Get out of that dirt!” “Ew don’t touch that!”
Believe it or not, that used to be me, a young Eaman who didn’t like to go out in nature.
Nature study was something I discovered that I truly love and can you guess who brought out that discovery for me? My kids.
My eldest became so intrigued with the outside world that I had no choice but to jump right in. And..I’m glad I did. Alhemdulilah.
You see, nature helps us appreciate Allah’s Creation and that’s what keeps me going…even when it’s rainy or cold out.
What is Nature Study?
Nature study can be described as “conceiving of the movement as a loose coalition of communities composed of individuals, societies, and institutions able to find some common ground in the study and appreciation of the natural world. The purpose of nature study is to educate the child in terms of his environment, to the end that his life may be fuller and richer.
Wikipedia
In other words, allow your child to explore his world, and start off when he is young and eager.
Below are 7 ways to conduct nature studies in your homeschool.
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Watch the video on Nature Studies in Your Muslim Homeschool
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#1 Get Outdoors
Introducing the simplest nature study activity of all time!…
Take a walk!
And yes, it’s that simple, as it should be.
Every walk is an opportunity for your child to learn about the natural world. Don’t underestimate the power of going for a walk around the block.
Going on a nature walk is free, easy, and fun. What more could you ask for? Alhemdulilah!
We as mothers often make things more complicated than what they need to be. If all you do is take a walk, you’ve done a lot, sis.
You see, by taking a walk, you’ve given your child access to the world, which is their playground.
#2 Literature Based Nature Study
If you’ve been following along, it’s obvious that we’re big fans of learning through literature as much as possible. It’s only natural that we use literature for nature study as well.
There are plenty of books about nature, but it would take me forever to go through all of them in this post, therefore I’m just going to mention a few that we love.
Perhaps I’ll share a post soon with more nature books. What are your favorite nature themed books (fiction or non-fiction)? Comment below as I’m always on the lookout for new books.
Description of the image above –
My son is a wild child and loves The My Side of the Mountain Trilogy by Jean Craighead George. Therefore, I decided to purchase the Pocket Guide to the Outdoors, also by Jean Craighead George. She is one of our favorite authors.
- Above you can see that everything has a fall theme. It was Autumn Leaf Week in Exploring Nature with Children. Our art study is on the clipboard to the left.
- The cursive notebooking page was a sentence from The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger.
- We usually have nature treasures everywhere in the house, but if you find acorns in the couch, pantry, and in your shoe, you can guarantee that that the season is fall, and that we’ve turned into squirrels.
- The book at the bottom of the table is called The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Bottsford Comstock.
Purchase the My Side of the Mountain Trilogy by Jean Craighead George here or by clicking on the link below.
Purchase The Pocket Guide to the Outdoors by Jean Craighead George here or by clicking on the image below.
Purchase The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger here or click on the image below.
Non-fiction Nature Themed Books
Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman
Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman is beautifully illustrated. I love how she combines art and science. I also appreciate the author’s candid explanations and observations.
The entire series of Anatomy books by Julia Rothman is wonderful!
You can Purchase the Anatomy books from Amazon here or by clicking on the image below.
Curiositree – Natural World by Amanda Wood and Mike Jolley
Curiositree – Natural World: A Visual Compendium of Wonders by Amanda Wood and Mike Jolley is packed with short, informative paragraphs and gorgeous illustrations.
You can Purchase Curiositree – Natural World here or by clicking on the image below.
Botanicum by Katie Scott and Kathy Willis
Botanicum by Katie Scott and Kathy Willis is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.
This book is huge! (Keep in mind that it won’t fit on an average shelf.)
You can Purchase Botanicum here or by clicking on the image below.
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
The description, from the back of the book –
A matchless handbook for decades, this classic has been the natural history bible for countless teachers and others who seek information about their natural environment. …
Older children can use this book independently to look up information about the natural environment. I don’t prefer to read this book aloud because it can be information overload for some kids.
You may purchase the Handbook of Nature Study here, or by clicking on the image below.
#3 Nature Study Curriculum
You don’t need a curriculum to study nature. As I’ve stated above, going outside and observing nature around you is more than enough.
Read on to find out about why we decided to use a nature study curriculum.
Exploring Nature with Children by Lynn Seddon
Exploring Nature with Children by Lynn Seddon is a year-long curriculum that allows you to study nature in your own backyard.
Many activities easily adjust for different age levels, and you can select from among others, those most suitable for each child, all of which make it easy to keep the entire family involved.
Most importantly E.N.W.C. frees up my mind from the question, “What should we study next?”
My children are wild children and wanted more, therefore that is we why we do more. Don’t feel the need to purchase or do anything that doesn’t support your child’s interests.
Purchase Exploring Nature with Children here.
The Peaceful Press Nature Guides
The Nourishing Nature Kindergarten is a literature and project-based digital download curriculum for preschool through kindergarten. Each of the four-week units includes activities centered around nature themes to gift your child with a greater appreciation for the outdoors as they learn.
The Peaceful Press Website
I love the Peaceful Press guides. The Peaceful Press has various nature guides and you can choose to purchase them as a bundle or you can buy them individually.
Below are the nature guides that we’ve used. Although they are geared for young children, older children will appreciate and enjoy the projects in the guides.
The Sky Guide by The Peaceful Press
The Peaceful Press: The Sky Guide is an awesome literature and project based four week guide for 3-5 year old children that focuses on the solar system. Purchase the The Sky Guide here.
Our favorite activity in this guide was exploring the night sky and learning about the phases of the moon. This is especially fun as a Ramadan activity.
Tree Guide by The Peaceful Press
The Peaceful Press: The Tree Guide is an awesome literature and project based four week guide for 3-5 year old children that focuses on trees, obviously. This is definitely one of my favorite guides from The Peaceful Press.
Our favorite activity in this guide was making acorn shaped cookies which has become a yearly fall tradition for us.
Farm Guide by The Peaceful Press
The Peaceful Press: The Farm Guide is an awesome literature and project based four week guide for 3-5 year old children that focuses on farm life. We enjoyed all of the activities in this guide, but we especially enjoyed going to the farm and using our Autumn Scavenger Hunt printables.
#4 Using resources, curriculum, or guides that integrate nature studies
I appreciate curriculum that combines character growth, connections around your table, a deeper appreciation for well written words, and nature exploration. You and your child will gain more than knowledge, but also find a joy in learning together.
A Year of Tales by Lisa Wilkinson
Description from the Wilkinson’s Nest website:
A Year of Tales is a gentle curriculum for young learners, from Kindergarten through 3rd grade, focusing on literature and nature as a base, blending together the rich and imaginative tales from Beatrix Potter, and encouraging character and exploration.
Lisa Wilkinson
What really drew me to A Year of Tales is the person behind it. Lisa Wilkinson is a homeschooling mom of nine children and a grandmother as well.
I see this curriculum as a very full and rich menu.
AYOT has so much to offer that you can pick and choose what works for each individual child.
Purchase A Year of Tales by Lisa Wilkinson here.
Purchase the beautiful Beatrix Potter tales here or by clicking on the image below.
#5 Create a Nature Cabinet or Nature Nook
A nature cabinet or nook is the perfect way to display the treasures that your children collect on their nature walk. Read on at Sarah’s blog – The Sylvan Reverie.
#6 Craft with nature or do nature inspired crafts
So you’ve gathered all of the nature things and now you have yourself some free craft supplies. We like to handcraft with leaves, pine cones, sticks, and of course acorns.
You can also conduct crafts that are nature inspired. We’re currently working on hand stitching acorn shaped banner.
#7 Bringing it all together – Project Based Learning
As you can see, regardless of what resource we use, project based learning helps young children bring concepts together.
FAQs about nature study in your homeschool
Why is nature study important?
Nature study provides the foundation for formal science studies. Your children will find it much easier to learn science in formal lessons with books if they have already made a personal connection with the plant or animal or weather or whatever they are studying.
Is nature study enough science?
I believe it is enough science when they are young. When they’re older you can choose between an online science class, curriculum, or science subscription boxes.
Can you recommend any nature study online resources?
While I don’t have experience with online resources, this membership for homeschoolers seems interesting.
The last thing you need to know about Nature Study in your Muslim homeschool
Taking a walk is enough. No need to go all out unless your child is interested.
Let me know in the comment section below if you’d like to see the contents of our nature bag, or our favorite nature books!
Let them once get in touch with nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.
Charlotte Mason
Helpful Links
This is the first video in the series Nature Study in Your Homeschool. Watch the next video about What is in our Nature Bag!
Want help with your morning time? Read this.
Want to teach your child about Hajj? Grab this.
Are you a beginner to homeschooling? Read this. + Watch Muslim Homeschooling videos on my YouTube Channel.