Monday, March 30, 2009

A Few Spring Nature Study Ideas



"A girl who knows something about wildflowers, for example, will
be a popular walking companion with all kinds of people in various
circumstances."
This Charlotte Mason quote perfectly describes how I felt this past weekend. I went for a nice hike with some friends at Table Mountain near Oroville, CA on Saturday. (The photos in this post are from my hike.) Wildflowers are my favorite part of spring and summer. I love all the varieties and colors. As we were hiking I was able to identify some of the wildflowers for my friends. When we came across ones I didn't know, I wished my mom had been there. Knowing the name of a flower can be a very powerful thing. Spring is the perfect time to get outside for some nature study, and wildflowers can be a fun and interesting place to start.

If you are looking to add a little nature study to your homeschool this spring, here are a few ideas to get you started.
  • Go on a spring nature walk scavenger hunt using my free PDF download.
  • Go on a photo nature walk and take pictures of all of the different wildflowers you see.
  • Go on a nature walk looking for flowering trees.
  • Go on a nature walk looking for trees with new growth.
  • Identify one wildflower growing near your house.
  • Make a press and press some wildflowers.
  • Sketch a wildflower that grows near where you live.
  • Or see if you can find coloring pages for the wildflowers you have in your area.
  • As you are driving around town, see if you can spot any wildflowers growing alongside the road.
  • Look for migrating birds- I saw a whole flock of Canadian geese the other day flying in formation.
  • If you just get outside, I am sure you will find something worth observing.


And just a note: I am aiming to have my Hearts and Trees spring kit up for sale this week. Things are taking much longer than I expected with this kit. I will have more information about it later this week, so be sure to check in for that.

6 comments:

Barb said...

Boy you can tell you are my daughter...look at those wildflowers! I am going to link to this entry from my blog so others can read your great ideas.

Lovely, lovely post and I would go with you next time if you invite me...hint, hint. :)

Love,
Mom or better known as Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Anonymous said...

Loved the coloring pages for now... our wildflowers will not be in bloom for a bit. All the better to identify them later!
Thanks for all the work,
Krista ;-)

Marya said...

We don't have many wildflowers here but it is good to just get outside and watch the seasonal changes!

Kris said...

Nice, simple ideas. I love it!

Marie said...

Thanks for the tips and pictures. I will check out your kits now. I also love your moms comments and her "hint".

Jamie {See Jamie blog} said...

Love the wildflowers! ♥