I decided to try a new method of doing nature study with the kids this week. I got the idea from my sweet friends at the Living Books Library, and it was an instant hit!
First, I must confess that I know that the kids should be doing nature study daily, but we have never managed much more than once a week.
“…there is no part of a child’s education more important than that he should lay, by his own observation, a wide basis of facts towards scientific knowledge in the future. He must live hours daily in the open air and, as far as possible, in the country; must look and touch and listen; must be quick to note, consciously, every peculiarity of habit or structure, in beast, bird, or insect; the manner of growth and fructification of every plant.” Mason Vol 1, page 264
My children play outside for hours daily, and because of the nature study we have done, they do notice a lot of things. However, I forgot how important it is for them to daily ask themselves the why questions – to daily organize their thoughts on what they noticed – to daily narrate. If I’ve learned nothing else about a CM education, I have at least learned this: what is not narrated, may be a waste of everyone’s time.
So, this week, we tried something new. They were directed to go outside for a nature walk around our yard, and when they were done, I typed up their narration to paste into their nature study notebook.
They were so excited! They had found something great, “the Tennessee flower” as they identified it, and even though they had verbally narrated on it, they just couldn’t be done with it! They wanted to draw it. Unfortunately, it had begun to rain outside, so I suggested they go take a picture of it. I loaded it to the computer and they drew it based on the picture they had taken.
It was a great experience, and they begged to do it again the next day. As they get older, I foresee them narrating in their own nature study notebook on a daily basis without my needing to type it for them, but for now I’m trying to establish a habit while it is still hard for them to print large quantities.
I can see so many ways I will be able to use this technique “to direct [their] observations” as Mason suggests.
- Having them notice the same thing each day – like the weather, a certain flowing shrub (before, during and after the bloom),
- Having them walk the same route once a week
- Focusing on certain things on each different day of the week (garden plants on Monday, trees on Tuesday, etc.)
I’ll keep you updated as we continue, but I can already tell you that I recommend you implement this idea!
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