Category: Nature Study

Journey North: Nature Study via Migration Patterns

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For those of you with children that are naturalists at heart, this might be the foundation of a great season-long unit study.   Since it is based on Spring migration patterns, NOW  would be a good time to examine the materials carefully to see if  they will work for your family.

Program Description:

“Journey North engages citizen scientists in a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. K-12 students share their own field observations with classmates across North America. They track the coming of spring through the migration patterns of monarch butterflies, robins, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, gray whales, bald eagles— and other birds and mammals; the budding of plants; changing sunlight; and other natural events. Find migration maps, images, standards-based lesson plans, activities and information to help students make local observations and fit them into a global context. Widely considered a best-practices model for education, Journey North is the nation’s premiere citizen science project for children. The general public is welcome to participate.”

Source: learner.org via Ann on Pinterest

The Great Backyard Bird Count – February 13-18, 2013

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GbbcThe Great Backyard Bird Count is coming soon – now is a great time to add this to your lesson plans and enjoy a great bird study.  In the past, the GBBC was limited to just the US and Canada.  Starting this year, the GBBC is accepting bird reports from anywhere in the world!  Click on the image above to learn more.

It is not difficult to turn The Great Backyard Bird Count into a full unit study.   Here are some great resources that will help you begin to create lessons of interest your family.

**A compilation of bird unit study ideas from AHE families.
https://ahefamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/bird-unit-study-july-7-20111.pdf

**The Adventurer bird award  and the Pathfinder bird honors make great ready-to-go unit studies.
Adventurer
http://www.adventurer-club.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30:feathered-friends&catid=6:grade-2&Itemid=16

Pathfinder
http://www.pathfindersonline.org/pdf/ayhonors/birds_a.pdf

Cornell Lab of Ornithology is one of the best online resources. An online bird guide, printable games/activities and a 50 page coloring book are just a few of the benefits of exploring their website.
http://allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=1189

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/education2/kids/edgames

Bird Lapbooking Pages

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/backyard_birds_lap_n_note.php

Free via CurrClick – http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=16222&affiliate_id=145730

 

 

 

Motivation Monday

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“Teach the children to see Christ in nature. Take them out into the open air, under the noble trees, into the garden; and in all the wonderful works of creation teach them to see an expression of His love.”

Child Guidance, pg 534

Fun Freebie ~ Squirrel Grid Game

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Source: prekinders.com via Ann on Pinterest

This Squirrel Grid printable was a hit at my house last Fall! Grab a few acorns and nuts and you have the foundation for lots of fun math activities.  Click on the image above or the link to find this squirrel grid and other fun themed math grids.

Great Resource ~ Acorn Math Ideas

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Young children love  to collect acorns when playing outdoors and while on nature walks.   Here are some ideas on how to use those ‘treasures’ as  a fun seasonal math manipulative.

Click on the image or the links above to read the ideas.

Pond Life Play Scene Idea

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I love this play scene idea, it has so many educational possibilities!   Creating a play scene like this and slowly building upon it as you learn more about pond life would make a great unit study.   It would also make a fun way to use items found on nature walks and during nature study.   As children manipulate and play with the various parts of the play scene,  scientific learning can  be easily reinforced.  This is something that would be both easy to make and store.

 

The source links above will take you to the original blog where you can learn more about this fun idea!

Nature Study Week ~ Great Ways to Get Started

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For some families, nature study is a natural part of their lives and seems to flow easily and creatively.   Others may find that they need some help getting started.  There are some great free resources available for those  who need a bit of a nature study road map.

The Handbook of Nature Study blog is hands-down one of the best nature study blogs on the internet.  It is chock full of great resources, printables, ideas and nature challenges.   Plan to spend lots of time being inspired once you click over!

Pathfinder honors make great nature study mini-units.  There is an entire section of nature-themed honors, so you are sure to find something to fit your child’s interests and abilities.   There’s even a Wikibooks page featuring information to help you complete the honors properly.    Looking for something for a child younger than 5th grade?  Don’t forget that Adventurer club awards are great for the younger set.

 

The National Wildlife Federation’s  Get Outside promotion features some great search tools for finding nature trails and activities near your home as well as fun outdoor projects as close as your own backyard.

As you visit the resources we have shared this week, it is our hope that you have found ideas for making nature study a treasured part of your homeschool life.   Let’s not take the wonder of nature for granted and spend some time enjoying God’s glorious gift to us.