Handbook of Nature study question

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  • February 8, 2016 at 5:18 pm
    2Corin57
    Participant

    How do you use this? Do you consider it a worthwhile investment? Do you use your copy often, or is it a dust collector?

    February 9, 2016 at 1:03 am
    MrsB
    Participant

    I used it a lot last year. The trick was to have it handy, do I could grab it and read when something came up. I did like it and enjoy it, and consider it a good investment. But it’s not something I would use everyday or would use comprehensively or systematically. I’d use it as a topic came up in our studies or in regular life.

    February 9, 2016 at 7:47 am
    HollyS
    Participant

    I recommended that book on the other thread.  The funny thing is that it’s been a dust collector here for many years!  In fact, I debating selling it off a few times.  It is in the public domain, so you can look at it before buying.  You would eventually want a physical copy since it’s several hundred pages long, but maybe you’d want to try a few lessons with a digital copy first.

    I know many moms like to grab notebooks & supplies then head out the door, but that hasn’t worked for us.  For starters, I have no clue about what’s outside or what to bring to their attention.  😉  Reading ahead of time gives me much more confidence about nature study, which makes it more enjoyable for them.  We usually finish our nature lesson with time for them to look around the yard themselves.

    I try to keep an eye on what is growing in the yard, or what we’re likely to come across.  Generally I prepare for teaching about one object, then study a bit from the HNS.  I only share a small portion of what I’ve read about the topic and keep it short.  After that, we go through the questions at the end of the lesson.  There are quite a few questions, and I tend to skip some of them, but most of them are designed to the get them looking closely at the object of study and think about why it was created that way.

    Sometimes we collect a small animal or insect (in a small plastic “critter keeper”) ahead of time.  Then I read through the questions and skim the material quickly for an impromptu lesson.  After a few minutes of observation, we let it go.  The critter keeper is great for getting a close look of all sides of the creature.

    February 10, 2016 at 9:38 pm
    Melissa
    Participant

    I use ours a couple times a week. We have a calendar from our state conservation department that tells what is going on in nature that day. I will often refer to the Handbook of Nature Study for a quick bit of additional information. It is meant to be for the teacher, but it is engaging writing and my kids enjoy hearing excerpts. We usually wrap it up with a YouTube video or online photo of what we read about. All very relaxed and unplanned, usually over breakfast.

    February 10, 2016 at 10:16 pm
    Mamatoto
    Participant

    Melissa, that calendar sounds really neat!  What state are you in?  I wonder if all states have a department with such a calendar…

    February 11, 2016 at 9:01 am
    Melissa
    Participant

    We are in Missouri, and they are available at conservation department offices or on their website for $7 each year. They also offer a free poster on backyard birding we have found helpful for identifying birds at our feeders. Our local office also has themed nature tubs that can be checked out by teachers and home schoolers.

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