Signs of spring are in the air!  You don’t believe me?  Go look.  Many of our bird friends are just beginning to find their way back to their familiar homes here in KY.  The tiniest of crocuses are pushing through the cold soil, and in some places snow, to bring us the first bits of hope that more flowers will soon follow.  Trees are preparing their early buds and new growth can be found on the ends of several branches.

March is a great time of the year for woodland nature walks.  You can easily see new growth and new life since the foliage is not around yet to block out the sun or cover up wonderful treasures.  Look for early flowers, ferns, mosses, fungi, lichen, birds, nests and burrows.  Since most animals are now waking from their winter slumber, animal tracks will be easy to find, especially in a dusting of snow or wet soil.

Most of the list above can be found in a short walk around your yard or neighborhood, too.  But I encourage you to take the time to find a nature trail in your area to strengthen your spirit with new scenery and fresh, brisk air.

In your own backyard, take the time to prepare a large or small garden.  March isn’t too early for planting such crops as peas, potatoes, greens and radishes.  A garden is a wonderful tool for nature study and reaps very yummy rewards to boot!

For those of you who enjoy notebooking or keeping a nature journal, I’ve made a notebooking page called “Early Spring Beauty” that you can use on a nature walk this month.  You can find it at our HS Launch page.

May God bless your nature walks with more beauty than you can imagine!

Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights above.  Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.  Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars.  Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.  Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. He set them in place for ever and ever; He gave a decree that will never pass away.  Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do His bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children.  Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.  He has raised up for His people a horn, the praise of all His saints, of Israel, the people close to His heart.  Praise the Lord. Psalm 148

During February, love is in the air. (Even if that air is very cold!) February also tends to find many of us with a bad case of cabin fever. What better way to cure cabin fever and celebrate God’s love for us than getting outside as much as possible to see and praise Him for the beauty of His creation?

When we praise Him, as encouraged in Psalm 148, we show God that we notice and appreciate Him, the things He does, the ways He provides. It’s easy for us to sit inside during colder months and stop noticing His bountiful creation. But, His creation is still full of splendor! Noticing this splendor and being thankful for the somewhat hidden beauties will encourage your winterized soul to sing again!

I’ve created a notebooking page to help you express your love for God as you note things you love about His February creation during a nature hike. Bundle up and bring along a thermos of hot chocolate as you and your children find wonderful reasons to praise God in the midst of a long winter!

P.S. Another wonderful winter activity is taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

The large black dot in the button above is actually a sun, for some reason it’s not showing up. But it downloads fine!

I’ve also made up a free notebooking page to go along with this lesson that you can download by clicking the link below.

Comparing Human and Frog Respiration Notebooking Page