We mentioned last time how helpful it is to have some resources to assist you in making new acquaintances and getting to know them better in nature study.

Today we’re happy to announce two new resources designed to do just that: The Pond and Stream Companion and Learning about Birds with Thornton Burgess.

Both companion guides expand on classic living science books to help you feel more at home with specific plants and animals in nature, so you will find it easier to recognize them when you’re outside.

The Pond and Stream Companion

Some of you may be familiar with Arthur Ransome’s delightful book, Swallows and Amazons. But did you know that he also wrote some sweet nature stories for young children? He described his book, Pond and Stream, as

“a book about the things that are jolly and wet: streams, and ponds, and ditches, and all the things that swim and wriggle in them. I wonder if you like them as much as they are liked by the Imp and the Elf? You know all about the Imp and the Elf, do you not? Those two small jolly children, who live in a little grey house in a green garden, and know the country and all the things in it, almost as well as they know each other? The Imp and the Elf love everything that is wet.”

Your young children will love learning about nature through the Imp and the Elf’s narrative in Pond and Stream, available free online. And our new Pond and Stream Companion will gently guide you and your children through that wonderful book with even more helpful nature introductions.

The Pond and Stream Companion is designed like our popular Outdoor Secrets Companion. You will find nature study ideas, great poetry, additional non-twaddle books from your library, and simple project ideas that correspond to the plants and animals you meet in Pond and Stream.

Your students will love the gentle nature stories and the playful family relationships that are woven throughout Arthur Ransome’s wonderful living science book. And now you can easily expand on his story with the simple science ideas suggested in this companion handbook, The Pond and Stream Companion, recommended for grades 1–3.

Learning about Birds with Thornton Burgess

The Burgess Bird Book for Children and Blacky the Crow (also available free online) have long been favorite books among students interested in birds. Put our new companion guide, Learning about Birds with Thornton Burgess, alongside both Thornton Burgess classics to help your students, grades 1–6, explore the delightful world of common birds and their habitats.

You will find

Day-by-day lesson plans with a leisurely reading schedule,
Nature study ideas to encourage your students to apply what they are learning,
Master bird lists for you to record the birds you see in your own backyard,
Bird habitat templates for an added challenge for older students,
Cross references to The Handbook of Nature Study for further optional study.

You and your children will enjoy getting to know birds with a beloved author of nature stories for children and Learning about Birds with Thornton Burgess!

Download the free samples and get started making a new acquaintance or two in the wonderful world of nature with The Pond and Stream Companion and Learning about Birds with Thornton Burgess!