If you’ve been intrigued to find ways to incorporate nature studies into your homeschooling plan, you aren’t alone in this feeling. So many times, finding a path to stick with and follow during your homeschooling journey can sometimes be a little daunting. Finding a great nature studies curriculum that your kids love is the first step, but then using outside resources to compliment that curriculum is key.
The next time you find yourself struggling with how to extend your homeschool curriculum outside of your classroom setting, think about all the wonderful ways to include nature studies in your homeschool. It may take a bit of intentionality on your part, but combining the beautiful scenery of nature and homeschooling is absolutely possible.
Here are 5 Simple & Fun Ways to Start Nature Studies in your Homeschool
1 – Start Nature Studies in your Homeschool with Nature Walks
Go on nature walks to compliment your nature studies and write in a nature journal. Take your learning out the door and head to explore everything that nature has to offer. Nature journals are a great tool to use to help your children observe, and write about everything that they view when outdoors. Once they will their journals full of amazing and interesting animals and facts, you can then take those nature journals indoors and expand lesson plans off them. Plan study units based on groups of animals or other things you viewed in nature and let them really dig in to learn all that they can.
2 -Start Nature Studies in your Homeschool Having Fun Picnics
Pack a healthy picnic and learn about the importance of healthy eating while observing trees, birds, plants, etc. Your children may know that there are 5 different food groups that they are supposed to eat each and every day, but isn’t it way more fun to take those 5 food groups out in nature and enjoy a picnic together while learning about them? This is a great opportunity to talk about the characteristics of living things, animals food chains, trees and plants life cycle and what nutrients they need to grow. Pack up that color and hit the trail to find the perfect spot to enjoy a healthy and fun lunch together.
3 -Start Nature Studies in your Homeschool Doing Nature Scavenger Hunts
Watch a nature video online and then go outdoors and have a nature studies scavenger hunt. Kids love to find “things”, right? If you have the ability to pop in an educational video about nature and then have your little ones head out the door to explore, why wouldn’t you? It’s the perfect way for them to understand how things can be found in nature when you may not even realize that you were looking for them.
4 -Start Nature Studies in your Homeschool with Exciting Field Trips
Plan field trips outdoors depending on what season it is. From visiting parks and gardens to aquariums and botanical gardens, there are so many options for awesome nature studies field trips! During the summer months, or the very start of school, plan a field trip to a local garden area to view how the planting of the garden has progressed over the summer months. When it’s cold, bundle up and see if there are ways to find animals prints and tracks outdoors to learn about them. Fall is always a great time of the year to see the leaves changing and to learn a lot about the life cycle of trees. With how often everything in nature changes, it truly is possible to find something new and different to explore each and every day.
There are so many ways to get out and about and enjoy nature, but sometimes we all need a little help in making it happen. If you are on the lookout for additional ways increase your nature studies to get started with nature studies, check out this amazing online nature studies membership by Cindy West, packed full of fun and exciting things to help you and your family to learn together, find ways to get out and about together to explore everything that nature has to offer.
If you have the ability to start incorporating more nature studies into your homeschool plan, why wouldn’t you?
Nature Journals & Nature Study Resources On Amazon