Nature Study in Our Own Backyard

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 walking across the road in front of us (and stepped right into the creek). We pulled over, rolled the window down, and listened to her warbling and splashing her feet in the water. This spontaneous nature study experience was a moment that my kids will always remember. We giggled as we watched her enjoying the creek.

The kids all drew in their nature journals that night, and they reminded me to start keeping my camera in the car. We frequently see groundhogs, beavers, hawks, and other critters. And during certain times of the year, we see deer near our yard. It is so fun to walk right out into the backyard with nature journals in hand and easily find something interesting to study.

Here are a couple of easy nature study resources we use in our homeschool.

A good, kid-friendly book on backyard nature called One Small Square: Backyard has some easy ideas to get started with backyard nature study, and it is a nice introduction to field guide use for young kids. It has facts and activities about things you would commonly find in your yard, even if you don’t live out in the boonies. For a small picture book-style book, it is really a thorough backyard field guide, covering everything from fungi and bacteria to seeds and plants, rocks, insects, and birds and mammals.

The Handbook of Nature Study blog is also a useful resource for easy (free) nature study ideas. They have a fantastic free monthly newsletter and tons of free printables to get you started.

Now we are ready to see what else we can find when we step outside.