Do {YOU} Do nature Study w the Children?

Short answer – yes.

The longer answer is that if I want my girls to find value in this activity, I must be willing to show that it is also worth my while. I only have my youngest two girls at home now aged 17 and 13. Because we switched from dabbling here and there with CM-ish things to full out CM methods across the board, the whole nature journal thing was hard a few of my girls to wrap their brain around. They really didn’t see the total value in it. It was only after I purchased my own journal that the girls found value – that and after they realized that the more they drew the better they would draw.

We have since moved to the dry brush painting which has taken their nature entries to a whole new level. The two at home have become so very proficient at it that some of their paintings look to be professional quality. I am stunned and excited to see this change – though it has taken a few years to get here. 🙂

If you are able, bundle your wee one up, place in a stroller or a sling, and take your own walk with your kiddos and nature journals. You may find that you’ve been missing out this whole time.

Blessings,

~jacqleene

I do nature study with my daughter as well. I probably wouldn’t be very diligent about keeping a nature journal if it weren’t for the fact that my daughter wants me to make an entry every time she does. I’m always surprised by how much I enjoy it once I get started.

Kelly, 

This may help answer your questions:

http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2012/07/first-stage-of-nature-journaling.html

Charlotte Mason used dry brushing technique with her first graders for handwriting practice. See this post I started: 

https://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/learning-and-living-dvd-11-question

Just do what is fun for your family. Try not to get hung up on “rules”. I tend to catch myself doing that all the time. LOL 🙂 Nature study is so much fun when you spend time observing, not just focusing on the end product of a perfectly executed drawing. It’s the process that matters. 

Stay away from Crayola colored pencils as the pigment is weak IMO. Prismacolor pencils from Office Depot are what we use. Maybe Rainbow Resource has a cheaper price? Try local arts and craft stores. Search “colored pencil” and “Simply Charlotte Mason Discussion Forum” from your Google search engine and see if you get some other recommendations.

Also, 

Can you help us understand your reason for the baby keeping you from being outside?

***Please don’t take that as a rude question. It’s hard to convey the kindness in my question through text alone.

We have all had small babies at one time or another and we all know how hard mothers work to care for their smallest children all the while keeping the older ones focused on lessons. I know it is inconvenient to bring the baby but how about letting us help suggest ways to overcome your obstacles? How about a stroller for the baby? Or baby wearing? Or feed the baby outside on a little blanket, distracting baby away from big brother/sister’s drawing supplies? What about loading up the wagon with the pack and play? Maybe others will chime in with helpful tips. I just really hate that you are missing so much fun and enjoyment.

I’m trying to but, I feel like a ship lost at sea. My daughter has a journal. So far she drew a squirrel that was hanging out in our front yard and wrote a brief description of what it was doing. She collected a couple of leafs & did leaf rubbings. And last week we walked down to the small bridge on a trail and she wrote about everything she observed there in the fall & I figured she could do the same each season. We collected a few nice leaves that day but I didn’t have time to preserve them so we will have to try again. She sometimes catches bugs like grasshoppers and rolly-Pollies but, she has not journaled about them. (She is 7).