Outdoor Play

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

My husband found an unusual caterpillar outside our back door, so of course he brought it inside for all of us to see (homeschool dads are the best, aren’t they?) After everyone had a chance to gently touch it and watch it scoot quickly along, we put it back where Daddy found it, and decided to try […]

A Change in Perspective Our Maypop (passion flower) vine is loaded with fruit. When the boys and I check on it, we notice the leaves are all chewed up, and we take a closer look. Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar The vine is covered with caterpillars, who seem very hungry indeed.They are all actively eating and exploring […]