"The same thought should be applied to the animals. Most of the birds have gone south because of the cold, and also because their food is gone; the frogs, turtles, and toads are going to sleep all winter down in the mud or earth below the frost; the caterpillars are waiting in their cocoons for the warm spring sunshine; most of the other insects have laid their eggs for the next season, while a few of them have crawled into warm places to wait; the squirrels have gathered a store of nuts, and will soon be asleep in the old tree-trunks; the cats dogs, horses, and cows have grown a fresh coat of hair and fur. Nothing is forgotten; each is ready in its own best way."Prepare: This will be another easy week of nature study that will blend easily with last week's challenge. Take the opportunity to spend some time outdoors noticing the way that animals prepare for winter. Make this one an investigation! You might prepare with a little discussion about the various animals and birds that live in your local area. Some ideas to get you started: migrating or visiting birds, squirrels gathering nuts, insects in cocoons, changes in color of various animals as they prepare for the white of the snow time. You can also read this article: Animals in Winter.
Nature Study by Months
Get Outside! Bundle up and spend fifteen minutes outdoors enjoying the December world. Look for signs of animals and think about ways they prepare for winter. You can also make bird and animal observations, noting their behavior. How are they staying warm? finding food? sheltering from the weather?
Follow Up:
- After your outdoor time allow time for a nature journal entry. Use the notebook page or the journal idea from the December Newsletter to record your observations of anything that your child finds interesting. I also have a December World Notebook Page from last year that you can download.
- Maybe this week you could use a different art medium in your journal...many of us get stuck in a rut. Offer colored pencils, thin markers, watercolors, or pastels (messy but fun).
- You could also try offering modeling clay as an alternative to drawing the subject this week and then take a photo of the finished product to include in the nature journal.
- Additional Link: Animals in Winter lapbook - free printable
Scheduled Publish Date: 12/28/11
Did you read my guest post over on Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers about nature study and high school age children? I describe how we use nature study as a supplement to our more formal science courses. I answer these questions and more:
"Is science meaningful in your family? Can you think of a way to spend time outdoors with your children that will enhance their appreciation of nature? Can you balance their text work with some active learning by giving them the opportunity to explore an area of nature study they enjoy?"Click over and read the entire entry and feel free to bookmark and share. :)
