Outdoor Play

Did you see our new chicken coop reveal? Check out this post for part one of the coop tour! Now that you've seen the basics, let us show you around a bit! Amadeus (Ah-mee) is happy you're here! Come on in and take a look around! Here's the opening to the ramp downstairs. Our cozy nesting box and ladder perch for … [Read more...] about Chicken Coop Tour: Surprise Inside!

I admit it, our hens are pretty spoiled! After raising them from eggs, they have become two of the best pets we've ever had, and they are the only pets that actually earn their keep with their delicious contributions to our breakfast burritos. (See how they got started here!) My talented husband set out to build an upgrade to our chicken coop … [Read more...] about Back Porch Chicken Coop Tour

The boys were swimming and diving in the pool over the weekend, when a surprise came swimming by. We got an up-close look at this bullfrog, who was enjoying the pool as much as the boys were. It was really huge, and filled up both of my 16-year-old's hands! Being homeschoolers, of course we had to take pictures and then find out more about the … [Read more...] about Nature Journal: Bullfrog Surprise!

It's so easy to incorporate nature study into your homeschool schedule, and many times, it just happens spontaneously. Our nature studies take many forms, from drawing in our nature journals to simply observing. How to make the most of spontaneous nature study: Ask your child questions about what he sees. Look closer and observe the details. … [Read more...] about Nature Journal: Random Acts of Nature Study

Groundbreaking Food Gardens by Niki Jabbour is a collection of food garden plans from inspiring gardeners from across North America, including formal gardens, front yard gardens, and even patio gardens. There is something for everyone of all ability-levels in this book, and there's even a school garden for kids. Along with advice and tips from … [Read more...] about Garden Party: Groundbreaking Food Gardens

It's gardening time!! One of my favorite times of the year. My youngest son is my farmer in training, and he and I have already been cultivating our seedlings as we anxiously await putting them in the ground. Our raised bed is all prepared, and our little plants are coming along nicely. My mom was born with a green thumb, but I didn't … [Read more...] about Garden Party: Down & Dirty

My kids attend homeschool art classes throughout the school year, but they go on hiatus for the summer months. This gives us an even greater opportunity to pull out our drawing supplies and head outside and practice the art skills they've learned as we await fall classes to begin again. We love to spend time observing all the wonderful … [Read more...] about Nature Journal Resources

So, you've been to the feed store, or your local Tractor Supply, and you couldn't resist bringing home a couple of cute baby chicks. They are outgrowing their little chickie nursery -- now what? A couple of years ago, my boys incubated three chicken eggs, and we are now the caretakers of these beautiful girls: We started off keeping them … [Read more...] about Chicken Coop Basics

We have so much to discover all around us. We're fortunate to have a creekside nature trail in our neighborhood that leads to a lake, and we have some forest around us too, so we get to see wildlife regularly. We had to come to a complete stop in the road on the way home from the grocery store the other day as a wild turkey took her time … [Read more...] about Nature Study in Our Own Backyard

Some changes to our backyard landscape have inspired me to think about ways to spruce things up in this spring. We had woods behind our house for years, but the lot was cleared and a house built on it, so now we have a really sparse area in full sun to contend with. I don't have much of a green thumb or much knowledge of what to plant when and … [Read more...] about Garden Party: Five-Plant Gardens

Raising chickens is a wonderful learning opportunity for kids, as well as for the entire family, for that matter! My boys started with three eggs almost two years ago and witnessed the entire process of hatching and growth as our babies thrived. We brought home three eggs from a field trip to a farm and bought an incubator on a whim to see if … [Read more...] about Chick Days

Things to Make and Do: A blast from the past! Do you remember McCall's Magazine? First lady Eleanor Roosevelt once had a regular column in it, and authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ray Bradbury were published in it. McCall's was a staple in my grandmama's house, and I looked forward to flipping through her copy when we visited. She saved me … [Read more...] about Gardening With Kids: Potatoes & Carrots & Knives, Oh My!

We've covered a lot of nature study in our homeschool, and going outside to see what we can see is always the highlight of our day. We take advantage of spontaneous moments, often setting the books aside to spend some time observing and studying marvels of nature. We keep our nature journals and supplies at the ready in our "take out" bag, so we … [Read more...] about Top 10 Nature Study Posts

One of my homeschool mom friends hosted a fall leaves nature study for the kids, and we took advantage of the weather and seasonal changes to create a fall leaves discovery day. These activities were fun for all ages, as we had an age range from 9 to 16 participating. The kids enjoyed being outside most of all, but adding a little educational value … [Read more...] about Nature Study: Fall Leaves

A spontaneous nature discovery sidetracked us for a few minutes when we noticed a butterfly as it was emerging from its chrysalis. It was hanging on the door stoop at a house where my son has a dog walking job. On his way in the door, he looked down and saw what looked like a leaf or dried flower petals stuck in some spider web pieces. An … [Read more...] about Nature Discovery: Surprises

Just an example of "embracing the light bulb moments of discovery"-- We walked outside with the camera in hand to photograph a full rainbow that was stretched across our neighborhood. While we were out there, a mama mockingbird kept flying back and forth between the holly tree and the top of the basketball goal, fussing up a storm! Nature … [Read more...] about Nature Discovery: Stop, Look, & Listen

Fall beckons us to go outside and enjoy the beautiful cool weather and the changes in nature all around us. When we take a moment or two to observe and experience the wonder of it all, inspiration always appears. Fall Nature Journal Keeping a fall nature journal can be as simple as a pre-made notebook or sketchbook and a pack of colored … [Read more...] about Autumn Inspiration: Fall Nature Journal

The girls are so happy that daylight is hanging around a little longer nowadays, and they would like to invite you to see their happy hangout space. They can't hardly wait to come out of the coop in the morning and go in their day pen. Bucky "Bock-BOCK's" really loudly most days if we don't get her out early enough. She is a really talkative bird, … [Read more...] about Tour de Coop

The day after our very rainy day, the sky looked like this. Only one little cotton-ball cloud in a deep blue sky. The sky seemed bigger and more open without the blanket of rain clouds. We saw our shadows, which were not there the day before. The water had dried, and the ground felt smooth and cold. We noted that it was quieter … [Read more...] about Sunny Day Nature Study

Even a Rainy Day Calls for Nature Study We looked out the window at the fog covering the mountains, and the blanket of clouds covering the earth. It's raining cats and dogs today, and even the dog won't go out without his raincoat. J-man put a jar out on the steps this morning to see how much rain he can catch. We noted how it feels … [Read more...] about Rainy Day Nature Study