Nature Study with Little Ones – Ideas?

I think at this age, 5 and under, just being outside and observant is the most important thing.  If you really want to start journaling, a low pressure way might be to just enter one line, even on a calendar maybe, “Today, I saw …”  every time you go out for a walk.

There is a blog called Hearts and Trees that has a free download of some nature study scavenger hunt sheets – even though they are seasonal, there is a lot about them that isn’t – find something wet, find something rough, etc.  I have used these with my own kids, visiting kids, and my girl scout troop and have yet to find any kid who didn’t respond to the fun of a “treasure hunt”

Good luck – and just keep enjoying the out of doors with your kids.

I agree with Lamasahm … my guys are also little (3 and 1 1/2), and they just like noticing things: “Look! A fly!” (Whooohooo, right?!) My oldest is always bringing me pebbles, which he dubs “little baby rocks” 🙂

Yesterday at the park, we saw a feather (from a crow, maybe?) and looked for acorns. That was just at a regular park with a playground … at the big county park with nature trails we visited earlier this week, we talked about some of the wildflowers we saw, played drums on a stump (that was the 3yo’s idea), looked for fish in the river, and talked about the water skimmers we saw.

If you’re not really familiar with some of the bugs, birds, flowers, trees, etc. that you guys see in your area, it might be worth it to get some nature guides so you guys can look up some of the things you find.

Given the young age of your children, I would simply focus on being outside with them, modeling how to be observant, avoid a lot of “teaching” and let the kids make a connection to whatever interest them. Now ,it might be that at first what interests them is to run past everything and play around. That’s fine for playtime, but you want to get them into the habit of noticing life around them. The best way to do this is to model it yourself. Stop and point out an interesting plant or bug or rock whatever. You don’t need to know everything (or anything) about your findings. Simply observing, noticing, wondering is good enough. You can look up plants and animals in a guidebook or website, or ask other people who have the knowledge. It’s okay to learn slowly, and be confident that  observational skills and sense of wonder are good goals.

I wouldn’t have your kids start nature journals just yet, unless they are asking to. But this is a perfect time to start one yourself, or start one as a group. Again, modeling nature studies in these early years and getting into the habit of observation will pay off later. Also, young kids love to make collections, so let them gather what they can and continue your enjoyment of your nature walks at home.

A Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson is a great book to encourage parents with young kids to bring them into nature….without doing much more than being there.

Nanci, I couldn’t download it either and I’ve emailed Amanda, the site owner, about it. I can see the whole form, but not print or download it. If I hear back from her, I’ll post here.

Christie

Here’s what worked for me to download the scavenger hunt sheets: I have the Click 2 Zap bookmark. (goggle it and then follow the instructions for downloading). I was able to get rid of the junk and print only the worksheets. Oh, and I emailed them to myself first.

HTH,

Karen

Some of the ideas we’ve posted on the links and tips page for Hours in the Out-of-Doors might apply to little ones. Here’s the link: http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/hours-in-the-out-of-doors/links-tips/