Posted in Homeschooling

One of the "school subjects" my children and I have found great delight in over our years of homeschooling is Nature Study.  There is so much to explore and learn about, I have never needed a seperate science textbook.  The wealth of knowledge my children have about many of the wonders of God's creation was not accumulated sitting at a desk with their noses in a textbook.  Rather, much of what they know about science and nature, they have learned through their own observations and by pursuing interests in certain areas through independent study of living books on related topics.  In other words, by watching the world around them and reading about what they are watching, they have learned so much more than they could ever find in some dry textbook.  Science, after all, is really about observation.  What better way to teach children scientific observation than to watch a spider build a web (and then read about different types of spiders, how each spider has different kinds of silk used for different purposes, and the ways in which spiders are useful and helpful to humans and other animals)?  Isn't it more interesting to actually observe and record different types of clouds than to simply read about them and perhaps look at some pictures?  Doesn't is capture the attention more to look closely at a real flower and notice the different parts than to look at a drawing of one?

Summertime provides ample opportunities for homeschooling families to practice nature study.  The world outside is teeming with activity for us to explore.  I find that my children are naturally drawn to observing and learning about different creatures and plants.  They love to find out more about the birds that visit our feeder or the frog they caught this morning or the beavers building the dam in the pond down the road from our house.  The best part of it is, they don't even realize that while they are learning and observing and recording, they are "doing school"!  Better yet, all this delight in nature gives the Christian parent an opportunity to point to the Creator God and praise Him for His mighty works.  Real life, hands on learning is best as it applies not only to science, but especially to learning about the God who made all things.