Nature Studies
The study of nature is appealing to people of all ages. It is easy to incorporate nature studies into your homeschooling approach. Some homeschooling methods focus very strongly on nature studies, including the Charlotte Mason method. Learn why it is so important and some great approaches to learning from nature.
Things to See & Do in Delaware
Coverdale Farm
Coverdale Farm is a 19th century operating farm that serves as an educational resource. The farm complex includes a stone bank barn built in the late 1700s, farm equipment, a house, several outbuildings, acres of corn, soybean and hay; and an area for livestock. School students and participants in seasonal programs learn about the farm cycle of life, the origin of food and natural fibers, the significance of living soil, and our dependence upon soil, water, plants and animals for survival. Close-up, hands-on experiences will be provided with the use of livestock including a cow, goat, pig, sheep and others. Demonstration plots will emphasize organic and no-till farming practices while other lands will be left undisturbed and managed for the benefit of wildlife. Surrounding land features old-growth forest and Burrows Run, one of Delaware's cleanest waterways, runs through the tract.
Brandywine Zoo
The Brandywine Zoo is located in beautiful Brandywine Park in Wilmington, Delaware. The Zoo grounds cover 13 landscaped acres on high ground above the Brandywine River. The Zoo hosts 150 animals, from tigers to snakes, and is open all year round.
Delaware Museum of Natural History
The Delaware Museum of Natural History has exhibits featuring mollusks (shells) and birds, dinosaurs, mammals, and special exhibits. Located outside of Wilmington.
White Clay Creek National Wild & Scenic River
The White Clay Creek is renowned for its scenery, opportunities for birding and trout fishing and historic features. The watershed is also an important source of drinking water for residents of both Pennsylvania and Delaware. The proximity of the Philadelphia and Wilmington-Newark metropolitan areas, however, is having an adverse impact on the watershed. In 1991 citizens requested that the creek and its tributaries be considered for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,180-mile footpath along the ridgecrests and across the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in northern Georgia. It traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, it was built by private citizens and completed in 1937. The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.
Resources
Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird-watching, Shore Walking
With Jim Arnosky as your guide, an ordinary hike becomes an eye-opening experience. He'll help you spot a hawk soaring far overhead and note the details of a dragonfly up close. Study the black-and-white drawings -- based on his own field research -- and you'll discover if those tracks in the brush were made by a deer or a fox.
In his celebrated style, this author, artist, and naturalist enthusiastically shares a wealth of tips. Jim Arnosky wants you to enjoy watching wildlife. He carefully explains how field marks, shapes, and location give clues for identifying certain plants and animals wherever you are. He gives hints for sharpening observational skills. And he encourages you to draw and record birds, insects, shells, animal tracks, and other finds from a busy day's watch.
Nature Studies Homeschool Curriculum
Considering God's Creation
Life science truly comes alive with this 270-page lap-book style notebook for 2nd-7th graders. A Charlotte Mason type discovery approach is easily implemented with creative activities, music and topical Bible studies, making this program a perfect choice for a homeschool family or a classroom. It may be used as a stand-alone science course or as an invaluable supplemental resource for any other program.
Nature Studies Activities & Experiments
How I Teach a Large Family in a Relaxed, Classical Way: Science
Family style learning is a great way to tackle lots of different subjects, including science.
Arbor Day National Poster Contest
Join over 74,000 fifth grade classrooms and home schools across America in the Arbor Day National Poster Contest. The theme chosen will increase your students’ knowledge of how trees produce and conserve energy. The free Activity Guide includes activities to use with fifth grade students to teach the importance of trees in producing and conserving energy. These activities correlate with National Science and Social Study Standards. The Guide also includes all of the information you need for poster contest participation.
Handbook of Nature Study
Based on Charlotte Mason's method of education, this website offers ideas and resources for incorporation nature study into your homeschool.
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Featured Resources
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America's National Parks for Dummies, Second Edition
What makes a trip to a national park so wonderful? For starters, America's national park system is more diverse than any park system in the world. You can stroll the seashore at Olympic National Park in Washington or Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts, climb craggy mountains in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, or go underground into the world's largest cave system at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. You can marvel at the largest canyon on Earth (Grand Canyon National Park), ...
100+ New Jersey Drivers Licensing Exam Facts That You Need To Know: Quick Review for the Written Test
Prepare for the New Jersey's Driver's Written Exam. Know the 100+ important facts for the test. Be prepared to ace the exam!
Safe Young Drivers: A Guide for Parents and Teens
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Montessori Reading
Montessori Reading is a beginning reading and writing program for elementary aged children. This series of books introduce phonetic letter sounds, phonogram combinations, reading simple sentences, and reading and writing words that name everyday objects, animals, etc. A teaching guide and a child's journal are included.
Discovery of the Child
Maria Montessori went beyond the conventions of the day to seek a new way of knowing and loving a child. In THE DISCOVERY OF THE CHILD, she describes the nature of the child and her method of working more fully with the child's urge to learn. With 16 pages of photographs.