I just happen to lead a nature club myself and I use our units each and every week for the information I present and any activities we do.  This coming Friday’s nature club is on the topic of wildflowers and we will be using a  scavenger hunt notebooking page from the Wonderful Wildflowers unit.  Even though each of our meetings have a specific area of focus for that week, we often branch off and end up exploring many other topics as well.  For example this past club meeting we started out talking about and observing erosion and ended up also learning about wildflowers, fungi and snakes!

Here are a some pictures from our meeting of things we saw.

Many varieties of vetch are in bloom right now, including this beautiful Crown Vetch.

And also this Cow Vetch, which is the most beautiful purple color.

Then, we noticed the most beautiful fungi (yes, fungi can be beautiful) that I have ever seen!

The color was a rich salmon and it flowed like waves.

And last, but not least was when Bobby caught us a water snake! Very cool!

If you would like to know more about starting a nature club, I’ve written a post about it!  In the meantime, don’t forget that our units are a fabulous tool for helping you lead your group!

“It would be well if we, all persons in authority, parents and all who act for parents, could make up our minds that there is no sort of knowledge to be got in these early years so valuable to children as that which they get for themselves of the world they live in. Let them once get touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.” –Charlotte Mason, Vol.1, p. 61

Up until about five years ago my children rarely really got out into nature. If they did it usually wasn’t with Mom or Dad, it was with neighborhood kids to play.  But as soon as the Creator “lit my fire” for His creation, being in nature has become our second home.  At that time my oldest daughter was about eight years old, my son was about six years old and my youngest daughter wasn’t on the scene quite yet. We embarked upon a journey, a journey into falling in love with the beautiful things that God has gifted us with on this earth by His hands.

What surprised me more than anything, was not only did we find enjoyment amongst nature, we began learning and growing in character from it.  My two older children, even though they didn’t start from a really young age in nature, clung right to it naturally, and a joy that we all didn’t have before in our lives emerged. Charlotte Mason says in her quote above that once they get in touch with nature a lifelong habit is formed, and I couldn’t agree with this more. We have lived that quote. She says we were all meant to be naturalists, each in their own unique way, God put a love for His creation into our hearts when He created us.

Even though my oldest daughter is now a teenager, her love for God’s creation continues. Sometimes in her “teenage awkwardness” she becomes embarrassed with how much she LOVES and knows about nature, but she recognizes it’s importance in her life and continues to thrive in it.

As a family we thrive on nature observation and walks. Each day I get up, check the weather, and determine if it’s possible to get outside in nature that day. Whether it’s for a grand adventure or just a quick stop at a park between errands, I’m glad to make time for it. I see the “fruits” from the time we spend out there. At first it took a lot of effort to get out there, I didn’t like to be uncomfortable and sometimes in nature you might sweat or be a bit chilly.  But soon I learned that the desire and the outcome was far worth a little uncomfortableness!!

I challenge you to become in touch with nature, make the effort to find beautiful spots in His creation to visit and explore. Bring your children, sometimes go alone, just get out there and give Him the opportunity to touch your soul with what He created for YOU.

Wildlife sanctuaries are set up to protect and preserve the natural plant and animal life in a particular area.  They offer you historical and scientific education as you learn the importance of native flora and fauna.  And they offer wonderful nature study opportunities!

In KY, the state’s Fish and Wildlife Department has a wonderful wildlife education sanctuary called the Salato Center.  In a museum and zoo-like atmosphere, you can see animals that are native to all areas of KY’s land and waterways.  Trails are provided that detail native plant-life, too.

In one stop, you can focus of many varieties of nature study:

• mammals
• fish
• reptiles
• amphibians
• birds
• insects
• native plants
• wetlands
• ponds
• woodlands

Best of all, many wildlife sanctuaries offer free admission!  Spice up your nature study time this spring and summer and visit a nearby wildlife center!

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!

Off on the Hunt!

Our prized find - a beautiful Snowdrop!

Upon closer inspection, we found a Honeybee! Can you see his little rearend sticking out? Now that's a sure sign of Spring!

My Youngest Explorer - she even looks like Spring to me!

My Oldest Explorer - Feeling the Fresh Spring Breeze!

A "St. Patrick's Green" Mossy Area

Gabby loved the way the moss felt.

Bulging Buds...

and more Bulging Buds!

And what's this creature...yes the dreaded fly. Yet, I must say, it's a sign of Spring!

While we were there, we collected some seeds from conifer tree cones. Do you see the winged tip of the seed? Perfect for flying away on a Spring breeze!

And lastly, I'll share a photo of the VERY full wetland area. It is full from the 9 inches of snow melting down into it. I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but across the wetlands we saw a turtle out sunning itself!

Well, that was our early signs of spring hunt. It was so refreshing and we are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for giving us these refreshing days of hope. I hope you are taking time on the warm spring-like days to get out and breathe it in and enjoy it!

Don’t forget about our SPRING BUNDLE package on sale right now! And take your spring nature study to a new level this year.

“Several moms in our homeschool group want to start a nature club but we have no idea where to begin with forming a club. Can you tell me a little about yours? Thanks for the help!”

Thank you for your question Lecia and since this is a popular one I decided to write up a blog post entry about it.

This spring and summer will be my second time leading a nature club for our homeschool co-op, and I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am. Our nature club was a huge success last year and I truly loved leading it. As you probably know from my blog, I am very passionate about God’s creation and especially about sharing my love of it with others, and a nature club is an excellent way to do just that!

Here is my list of steps and recommendations for getting a club started:

Determine the interest level in your group. – Poll your group to see if you have a high enough interest level to make it worth officially forming a group. In my opinion, two or more families is great! These things have a tendency to grow quickly anyways once word gets out.

Determine a vision for how you want your nature club to be ran. – Would you like a more structured time including an appointed “leader/teacher” for each meeting and a focus topic for each meeting such as birds, wildflowers, etc? Or would you prefer a more relaxed club where you just meet and freely enjoy nature together? Again, you could poll your group to determine what the majority is looking for in the club. Determine if you want parental involvement to be mandatory at each meeting. I recommend this for a couple of reasons: parents will be responsible for their children and not the leader(s), and I highly believe in parents being involved with and connecting with their children in nature study.

If a more structured time is desired, appoint a leader or leaders who will steer the meetings, being sure the meetings stay on task to what is desired of them. – Perhaps all the members would be willing to take turns leading a meeting; however most often there are a small group of people who are “natural leaders” and/or are more knowledgeable on the subject of nature and will gladly do this. Or perhaps you will determine that having just one leader/teacher works fine too.

Determine the frequency of your meetings and the topics and locations. How many times a month will you meet? Will you meet year round or only in the warmer months? Where are the places you could meet? Make a list of local parks or other locations that your club could meet. After doing all of the previous, make a list of the dates you will be meeting and locations where you will be meeting. Decide what you will do in the case of inclement weather. Will you reschedule?

After determining this, and if you chose to make your meetings a little more structured, make a list of topics your group would like to see covered throughout these meetings. When you are picking topics, match appropriate locations that would work well. For instance, a particular park may have huge wildflower fields that would make it perfect for a wildflower focused meeting. Or another park may have a beautiful creek which would make it perfect for a creek focused meeting. When determining what to teach on the focus subjects that you will be covering keep in mind the NaturExplorers unit studies at Shining Dawn Books each have a section dedicated to giving you ideas of things to do with Nature Clubs and Co-ops. I use these for each of our nature club meetings.

After you have all these details, put the information together coming up with a calendar of dates, meeting topics and locations for your club.

Now you are ready to start implementing your meetings! It is helpful to send out weekly reminders to the group, perhaps via email or another online means. In the reminders it’s helpful to list all the basics (where, what when, etc.) and also any helpful information such as if the children should bring anything special (nets, containers, etc.) or wear anything special (mud boots, long pants, old clothes, etc.).

I have tried to be very thorough in these recommendations for starting a nature club, hopefully I have not left anything out. And hopefully I have not left you feeling overwhelmed. If done correctly a nature club will NOT be overwhelming and tedious to run. It will be well worth the minimal effort! Do not make it too structured and “textbook educational”, keep structured teaching time minimal and hands-on exploring maximal.

Lastly, here is how our nature club looks:

We meet only in the spring and summer, starting in April and going through July. We meet every other Friday morning from 10:00am to 12:00pm, having a total of eight meetings. Some of the families stay after the meetings to have a picnic lunch together. Parental participation is mandatory. We start our meetings with a 10-15 minute teaching session on the chosen focus. Then the remainder of the time is spent exploring and doing fun hands-on activities. I send out reminders at least 5 days in advance giving all the details and recommendations for the meetings.

I will be happy to answer any other questions that you may have. And may God bless you in the study of His creation!

Many times in the Bible we find mention of God’s miraculous and powerful creation in nature. God clearly wanted us to notice what He made (Job 38). Not only should we notice it, but give credit to Him, the Creator, and use it to learn from. Even amidst the sin of this world, His works are plainly evident in what He made. Not just simply by observing the visual beauty of His work, but also “seeing” the lesson in it. The more I have appreciated His works in creation, the more I’ve been able to “see” His lessons and learn about Him.

One of the ways I have found to express and foster my appreciation of God’s creation is through photography. In those frequent moments on nature walks when my children and I observe something that makes us stop and give awe to the Creator, out comes the camera because I simply must capture what I see to share with others. Is this to “show off” my amateur photography skills? Well, maybe a teensy bit :), but mostly it’s to share my excitement for the beauty I observe and give the Creator the credit for making it. Even in the midst of dreary weather, there is always something to find to appreciate and find beauty in.

And as the seasons pass by I love looking back on photographs that I have taken in different seasons to remember and appreciate them for the beauty I find during that particular time of year.

I have particularly become fond of macro photography. Macro photography, to me, is simply taking very close-up pictures with the “macro” setting on your camera. It allows you to see detail, that sometimes, even the human eye cannot see easily.

Do you have to be an excellent photographer or own a very expensive camera? Absolutely not! Not every photo I take is of high quality (my camera is not a professional camera). In fact I just snapped a couple of pictures this morning of our friendly neighborhood Pileated Woodpecker and since I have to zoom so far in to take the picture, my photos aren’t the best. But I love them just the same as they are a memory to me of how excited my children and I were to observe this beautiful bird.

My children also enjoy looking back over our nature photos from previous years. It brings back many fond memories and continues to foster an appreciation of God’s creation in them too. This is a photo of my daughter from several years ago (she’s 13 years old now!) nursing a House Finch back to health that had flown into our glass sliding door. And the one below that is Grandpa holding my son (who’s 11 years old now!) up to see a bird’s nest with babies in it.

In many of our units we suggest nature photography as part of the lessons and notebooking pages for nature notebooks. We hope that you are able to make nature photography part of your nature walks and nature appreciation!

]]> http://shiningdawnbooks.com/2010/02/08/appreciating-nature-through-photography/feed/ 0 http://shiningdawnbooks.com/2009/11/16/late-fall-fun/ http://shiningdawnbooks.com/2009/11/16/late-fall-fun/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:14:06 +0000 Cindy http://shiningdawnbooks.com/?p=813 Not every nature walk has to be serious!

Just hangin' around!

Building a bridge over a small creek.

Jumping from hay bale to hay bale.

Let your children take the lead during nature study often.  It might not be just the thing you would’ve planned, but it will be exciting and worthy nonetheless.

~Cindy

As the children have grown, we haven’t stopped marking our field guides with stickers.  It’s proven to be a great tool for all of us in remembering what we’ve already identified and in learning names of plants or animals more quickly.   I keep a small sheet of stickers tucked into every one of our field guides for quick and easy marking as we walk.

Can you see the three stickers?

We try to place the sticker so that it doesn't block any of the image.

~Cindy