Shining Dawn Books » Including Preschoolers

Drip, Drop, Plop

Cindy — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:30:37 +0000

It’s been a very rainy spring in Kentucky, making for lots of rain related nature study. One morning soon after breakfast, and soon after the passing of a storm, my littlest guy and I headed out to find raindrops on plants. (His idea.)

Here are some of the simple (preschool) lessons we learned on our walk…

Large, flat leaves hold pools of water.

Long, skinny leaves hold dainty droplets in rows.

Leaves shaped like a bowl hold lots of water.

Mud is a great place to find animal prints.

Puddles are fun to play in - even in your pajamas.

A Spring Craft

Cindy — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:05:10 +0000

One of the top questions we’re asked is how to include preschoolers in nature study. Last fall, each of us wrote a post about how we include our own little ones during nature walks. Cindy’s was titled Nature Study with a Toddler or Preschooler and Melissa’s was titled Studying Trees with Preschoolers or Toddlers.

As we’re always on the lookout for great guest posts, you can imagine our excitement when we came across a wonderful hands-on nature study activity just perfect for preschoolers!

Diane from Mackville Road enjoyed this fun activity with her little one, Bea.

Grab yourself some waxed paper, a pile of leaves and flowers and grasses. You should also peel up some crayon bits or tear up colored bits of paper. Arrange them on one piece of waxed paper prettily, leaving a margin around the edges. Then lay the same size waxed paper over top — don’t fuss, you can always trim the edges when you’re done. Lay a towel carefully over the top so as not to move anything around underneath, and gently press with a hot iron. Voila!

Poor woman’s stained glass.

Isn’t it cute? I’ve done crayon melts in waxed paper before, but never imagined adding fresh nature collections. I just love the effect of the colors along with the greenery! And I venture to say that more than the preschooler could have fun with this nature project!

Thank you, Diane, for letting us share this idea!

Diane lives in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont with her family and blogs on Mackville Road.

Studying Trees with Preschoolers or Toddlers

Melissa — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:38:05 +0000

Yes, nature study is possible with little ones! In fact not only is it possible, it’s a lot of fun! For me, I’ve had to understand that my preschooler’s limitations may be a bit more restricted. Such as taking my young one out on a three hour or more trek is not such a great idea, nor is taking her out right before nap time. I’ve learned both these lessons the hard way! However if you respect young childrens minor limitations and if you are prepared properly nature study is a wonderful thing for them and you! Besides, it’s especially important for those little ones to connect up early with God’s creation. It will instill a love for nature they are likely to never lose.

This is my preschooler walking along a wooded trail at a local park.

This past few weeks we have been busily studying deciduous trees in our homeschool. Here are some of the things, specifically, that I have been doing with my preschooler:

We looked up high to see what we could see and found this bird's nest. We talked about whether there would be any birds in it right now.

We also talked about any fruits that we saw and what size and color they were.

We looked down low to see what we could find and found things like this fallen hickory nut and mushrooms.

We collected many leaves on our walks to take back home and press in books.

We noted all the different colors, such as orange, green, red, yellow and purple!

We also talked about the different shapes leaves, such as these star-shaped ones.

We talked about the different colors and textures of bark.

On our walks we always stop to notice a little fuzzy critter or two!

Keep in mind that older siblings are also a great help on nature walks with little ones. Sometimes they even love to get in on the teaching!

Anytime of year is a great time for nature study with preschoolers and toddlers. Each season has it’s wonder in it; such as the Autumn is so full of vibrant colors! Do not miss out on this priceless opportunity to connect up with your young children amongst God’s beautiful creation!

All of the above ideas and lots more can be found in our Delightful Deciduous Trees unit study.

Nature Study with a Toddler or Preschooler

Cindy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:30:20 +0000

One theme Melissa and I have noticed several times in questions is whether or not our units are appropriate for the younger crowd five and under. While 1st through 8th graders were our target audience, we didn’t leave out the little ones! (Or the bigger ones for that matter.)

In each unit, there’s a section written specifically for little ones with ideas for sensory skills, motor skills, broadening vocabulary skills and several hands-on explorations. There are also fun crafts, cooking and dramatic play ideas for little hands.

At the same time, most of the outdoor activities in the main section of the units can be used with young children, too!

Here are a few examples of how my two-year-old son has tagged along during our recent nature studies. And maybe I shouldn’t even use the words “tagged along” because he was learning just as much as us on his own level!

He's probably more serious about finding things in nature than his big brother and sister!

Throwing and hitting help him learn about the world around him.

We touch a lot of things and I use descriptive words.

I never force nature on him, I let him make his own discoveries - and his finds are often better than mine!

I always let him take part in what the big kids are doing if he wants.

God reveals Himself through nature to our little ones as well as us! Don’t leave little guys and gals out!

~Cindy