We have been homeschooling, for what seems like forever.... when in actuality, we just started our 6th year. I am in a constant state of change with them as each year brings new challenges, new demands, new attitudes (HA!) and new opportunities to learn different things.
One of the things that we added this year was Nature Study. Nature Study, I have found, can be done in a million different ways; each unique for each family, situation or area.
I didn't tell the kids what we were doing today. I just told them to make sure that they had good walking shoes on and that was it - gave them some instructions as to what we would need to take with us and jumped in the truck.
This was what I brought with me....
I won't carry that big ole' book, Handbook of Nature Study, every time we go out - I just hadn't gotten around to buying the different field guides that are smaller and more compact. (Hey, this was our first round out!)
Just an FYI- that Handbook has a great beginning chapter that is a MUST! read...."The Teaching of Nature-Study". I found it to be very insightful and encouraging.
In our bags, we all had a sketchbook, pencils, colored pencils and a snack. I loved that even Mem was all over doing a sketchbook.
I didn't tell them where we were going and decided that we would go to the Lafayette Reservoir. We hadn't been there for a couple of years - gosh, time flies! and after our house being invaded by the stomach flu yesterday - I needed to get out.
It was a beautiful fall day. The water was still but full of life underneath and on top of it.
We headed down to a "barge" that had a couple of picnic tables on it and pulled out our sketchbook. I didn't even have to tell the kids what to do - they just started to draw whatever they saw. Ducks and Canadian Geese surrounded us...along with gorgeous dragonflies dancing atop the water.
It was so quiet and peaceful...beside the loud yelling that my children were doing as they raced around the tables and along the waters edge...screaming out every little thing that they saw! I wonder what it is like to be one of those soft-spoken families that you hear about in fairytale books.....hmmmm...just wondering....
As we watched the geese, I read from the Nature Study book about Canadian geese. I shared with the kids different little factoids, as they drew their pictures or watched the fish beneath the barge.
We watched a gaggle of geese come in for a landing...
(They are the little specks towards the right of the picture)
It was so graceful...
They land so beautifully...
Breath-taking display of God's grace.
My kids like to get up-close and personal with nature, as you can tell from this picture. Mem was making bird-like noises (sounds) and this coon(?) kept coming over to her. If was quite cute.
Once the sketchbooks were worked in ... it was time for a little homemade fishing...
Sis was just trying to stab the fish with a stick she found...
Pook was trying to use his snack bar as bait (which I had told him "NO!" earlier)...
and Mem was trying to scoop them up with the end of a reed....
Doesn't this picture make you want to grab the back of her pants and hold on to her???
This is what Mem drew...
This is what Sis started with...
Please note, that she started with a HUGE landscape picture - this is what she was looking at -
she shoots for the stars right out the gate! I love that about her - not intimidated by anything!
Then she attempted something smaller...
Pook started with a Canadian Goose flying in...
then decided to draw a profile shot of one.
Today was a pretty darn fun day!
