Thinking Ahead About Nature Study

This next year (2012-2013) we plan to study about birds and insects.  So I have been looking around to see what is available out there online that I can use that will inform us about these two topics. I want to use living book in a narrative form that will inspire observation and nature study. And I want to implement a nature journal. As I was out looking for resources, I was so impressed by the variety and volume of FREE resources of all kinds on the web, I thought you might be interested to know about some of the ones which ended up in my files for further investigation. I also made a few things of my own to enhance the Insect Folk e-book by Margaret Morely. So without further ado, take a look at these amazing resources for birds and insects:

BIRDS

The Handbook of Nature Study Part Two: Birds and Fish
Burgess Bird Book by Thornton T. Burgess Kindle or PDF or in AUDIO
The Burgess Bird book coompanion
Montessorri Cards of the birds in the Burgess Bird book
Birds of the Air by Arabella B. Buckley ONLINE or AUDIO
Bird Coloring Book by Cornell Labs
How to Draw Birds by Raymond Sheppard
A Year with Birds by Alice E. Ball
Birds Every Child Should Know by Neltj Blanchan
Every Day Birds by Bradford Torry
The First Book of Birds
How to Attract Birds
Travel of Birds by Frank M. Chapman
The Bird Study Book KINDLE, HTML or PDF or AUDIO
Stories of Birds by Lenore Elizabeth Mulets
Citizen Bird by Mabel Osgood Wright
The Curious Book of Birds by Abbie Brown
The Boy who Knew what Birds Say by Padriac Colum
The Nest in the Honeys and other stories
The Tale of Solomn Owl by Aurhter Scott Bailey
The Tale of Jolly Robin by Arthur Scott Bailey
The Tale of Turkey Proudfoot by Arthur Scott Bailey
The Tale of Rusty Wren by Arthur Scott Bailey
The Tale of Old Mr. Crow by Arthur Scott Bailey
The Tale of Bobby-bo-bo-link by Arthur Scott Bailey
Online Bird Guide by Cronell Labs
Bird Sleuth 4 homeschools
Outdoor Hour Challenges birds

INSECTS


The Handbook of Nature Study: Part Four insects and invertebrates
Insect Folk by Margaret Morely KINDLE, HTML or AUDIO
Insect Folk vol. 2: Butterflies and Bees by Margaret Morley
Insect Folk PDF ($1.50)
Insect Folk Copywork (50 cents)
Insect Folk Notebooking Pages (50 cents)
Insect Folk Montesorri Cards (50 cents)
The Bee People by Margaret Morley
Grasshopper Land by Margaret Morley
The American Boys Bug Book
The First Book of Bugs
Life of the Spider by Jean Henri Fabre or AUDIO
Little Busy Bodies By Jennette Marks
Insect Life by Arabella Buckley ONLINE
Among the Meadow People By Clara Dillingham Peirson
Among the Pond People By Clara Dillingham Peirson
The Tale of Chirpy the Cricket by Arthur Scott Bailey
The Tale of Daddy-Long-Legs by Arthur Scott Bailey or AUDIO
The Tale of Kiddie Katydid by Arthur Scott Bailey
The Tale of Misses Lady Bug by Arthur Scott Bailey
Notebooking pages for bees,butterflies, and wasps
Outdoor Hour Challenges on Insects

Next year will be the first year that we will be implementing nature journals and a more CM approach to science in our lessons. I read this post about keeping nature study living and it got me to thinking, what things make a nature study living? Carol smith writes:

"Education, including Nature Study, as Mason told the young lady whom she interviewed to attend her college, is about living. I have thought about it and I have asked myself the question, “Are these (mentioned above) ways of teaching Nature Study more about “doing” Nature Study weekly or are they about “living” Nature Study. We are to develop the habit of living fully and part of that living is relating to nature and knowing the places where we live, not just doing activities, even Mason inspired ones!"

From the article I found at least four things to implement to keep the nature study living (maybe there will be more later)

1. The nature journal will be theirs. Their take on nature and their expression of their observations. So what if there are not to many things they have done to show they are learning. Let them learn without having to produce something to prove it.
2. We will be outside instead of inside. We will be looking at real things instead of only reading about them in books alone.
3. The books I am choosing will be living books.
4. Have tools availble to the boys so making an entry into the journal isn't a chore. This would include, finding rhythms of working that are adaptable to our discovery habits.

I have been giving my boys many hours of outdoor time a day since we began schooling a few years ago. We also routinely take nature hikes. I have been materly inactive in this area allowing them freedom to make a connection with the natural world around them. But this next year we will do it with more of  a purpose. To develope skills of observation, attention to detail, drawing skills, writing skills, learning the scientific method and much more. The trick is to assign the work so that it is theirs and at the same time the must of the CM methods is accomplished. I think I'll be needing to learn that balance more next year. I can't wait!

Yeah! They Are Reading!

Today, Zak and I had a giggle over the name of the fox in his story, “foxy woxy.” Every time he read it he jabbed me in the side with his elbow and giggled. I giggled too. Mostly I am giggling because Zak is reading, all my boys are reading and I am thrilled. I am also relieved. I have struggled with this subject since we began working on it two years ago. It is so nice to finally be over the hump. Now we are giggling and enjoying stories together. They don’t read perfectly, but that is part of the charm of it. There is something so precious in hearing the emerging reader sounding out words and getting a funny sort of rhythm to the telling. One of my boys shouts. Why, I don’t know, but it seems to help him keep on task. I am not complaining only reminding him he doesn’t have to shout when he reads.

My plan this year was to saturate them with little language lessons through out the time we ‘do school’ in the mornings. I had four different things I did on top of narration, and copywork. We did a lot of language arts each day. As we have been doing these I noticed that some of the lessons were really working, and some were not. So I have adjusted the plan.

Here is the old plan:

• Read a story from the Elson reader each day. Narrate the story they read.

• Write down and review on phonic rule each day.

• Two times a week do a lesson from Reading Reflex at the reading level.

• Two times a week do a reading lesson from Reading Made Easy, with worksheets from the activity book.

• Do copy work at least once each day in other subjects like history, music, or astronomy.

Here is the new plan:

• Read a story from the Elson reader each day. Narrate the story they read.

• Write down and review one phonic rule each day.

• Do one lessons worth of worksheets from the reading Made Easy activity book each day. That is about three to four simple worksheets.

• Do copy work at least once each day in other subjects like history, music, or astronomy.

If you look at the new plan you will have noticed we dropped the formal reading lessons from RME and RR. Those were the things I added because I was nervous they would have a few gaps in their learning if I did not do them. The things I kept the boys all WANTED to do and are using them to teach themselves what they need to know to read.

My oldest son wanted to do the phonics rules, so last year when he told me this I created the way we would do this, and it is working great. I posted two sheets one for the steps to do to complete the review sheet, and another sheet with the steps to write down the phonics rule for that day. They can do this lesson by themselves. Once they are finished the rule card and the review sheet, I check their work and they redo it if it did not meet the standard I have prescribed. It took only a few sloppy endeavors for them to realize it was more work to do it hastily than to do it right. :)

They all adored the worksheets so we kept those and copywork, well it is required by mom still.

My twins wanted to read through the Elson readers, so all three boys are doing just that. I was reluctant to do this at first because I thought they would not have enough words to be able to read it, and then they would be discouraged. But, they were determined and away they went. I had planned to do JUST the primary book this year, reading two or three times a week. And I had planned to use a few of the teacher’s guide activities on the days we did not read, but I soon saw that they needed to read every day and not to bother them with the teacher’s book stuff at all. They read every day and made quick time through the primary book and went on to book one. The stories are still simple but longer. They are just about to finish it, we begin book two next week. I am so proud of them!

I am beginning to see my boys owning their learning process. What fun that is! To see them chose materials for their reading lesson last year which will to get them to the goal of learning to read and then to watch them using those materials to do it is wonderful. It is a pleasure to see them succeeding and to know I had very little to do with it. Truly, I have been more like the parent steadying the bike as the child is learning to ride it. They are doing the work to ride, I am simply keeping them up until they do it. Now I watch as they are riding on down the block under the large elm trees soaring away into a whole new world.

Drawing in Latin Class

Max's drawing of elephantus, avis, etc

In our latin lesson once a week we have been drilling the vocabulary using these Montessori cards. We play concentration and go fish with them. and we have been drawing.....

Zak's circus

Detail from Tj's circus

Another detail form TJ's circus.

Animals by Max

Animals by Max

Cat by Zak

The cat with the other animals by Zak.