Shining Dawn Books

NaturExplorers units can be used in so many ways. We want to strongly encourage you to use them however they best meet the needs of your family. However, some people have asked what suggestions we might make if you plan to use these themes as full unit studies. In response to this we’ve come up with an example of what a basic lesson plan ”may” look like for a week. This lesson planner is provided simply to be a very basic outline.

First, it’s important to note that when we wrote these units we wanted to give plenty of ideas to last for a month or more; that way if you would like to focus on each theme for a full month, you will likely not run out of ideas. For the lesson planner example we’ve provided, we are focusing on just one week because it is all that is necessary to show you how you could administer each week throughout the month. Also, we’ve based the weekly lesson planner on a four day week because of the fact that many families are involved in co-ops or venture out for field trips one day a week. We’ve also provided blank weekly and monthly planners for you to use in aiding you in planning your studies.

Of course, when planning ahead for outside nature activities we recommend checking the weather forecast ahead of time and planning your days accordingly. As always, things can be modified as you go along, by simply switching days when necessary. At a base, we recommend at least 3 days a week with outside nature study time, as we believe this is the driving force behind the excitement for children to further their studies.

One final note….lesson planning should never get in the way of, or discourage nature study. This example is provided strictly as a tool for you to use, not as something that rules your week and overwhelms you. One of the wonderful things about nature study is the inspiration it provides to learn new things as you discover them; this doesn’t always follow a “plan” very well. Some of the best learning opportunities are found on “rabbit trails” where learning happens completely naturally.

So, bottom line, we encourage the use of these planning tools within the above mentioned parameters.

You can view the lesson planner and planning sheets by clicking the links below:

NaturExplorers Blank Monthly Lesson Planner

NaturExplorers Blank Weekly Lesson Planner

NaturExplorers Sample Week-at-a-Glance Lesson Planner

Now it’s your turn. We want to hear how YOU use the units! Whether you just pull them out for a weekly nature walk or use them everyday, tell us how you’ve incorporated the ideas into your school by leaving us a comment below. This will also give others opportunities to see different ways these units can be used.  Feel free to leave a link to a post on your blog.  THANK YOU!