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JSchaaf
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| Posted: March 08 2006 at 2:19pm | IP Logged
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I REALLY REALLY want to start doing some nature study with the girls...do you schedule nature walks/study into your weekly schedule? How often do you do it? Where do you go? I live in a subdivision with real place to walk around, I had thought about doing a weekly trip to a zoo or botanical garden but that would take up an entire afternoon. Or is that ok to take up a whole afternoon doing nature study?
Jennifer
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: March 08 2006 at 10:23pm | IP Logged
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We take a whole DAY every week 
Every monday (used to be thursday, but we decided to kick off the week right!)is totally devoted to science/nature study. We try to go out, but if the weather is nasty we will do something indoors like study an animal, do an experiment, look at stuff under the microscope, draw something from our collections, etc.
Every week is different for us, depending on what mood strikes us. Sometimes we go to our favorite park (Great Smoky Mtns National Park) and sometimes we just walk around here.
This past monday was a little odd. We went down to our creek and collected some algae we had spotted the previous day, then brought it back to the house and looked at it under the scope. Lots of cool stuff was seen! This led to a great discussion on algae's pivotal role in the ecosystem and ended up with us drawing out an aquatic food web. Then because we are currently studying dogs (in conjunction with the Iditarod) we learned the parts of a dog, took pictures of our dogs, printed them up and labeled the parts, then went out and practiced on our dogs (who, btw, loved the attention!).
Anyway, I would say schedule it. I found that when we didn't schedule it, we didn't do it. And that, for us, was very sad.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Erin
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| Posted: March 08 2006 at 11:21pm | IP Logged
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Theresa,
I was so thrilled to read what you do. We also do this. We only do it once a fortnight though with a friend and her two children. We call it Our Nature Adventure, because we sure have had some exciting times. I agree it has to be scheduled or it won't happen.
I can't say we do much nature in the formal part as we still struggle to find good resources and we are both rather ignorant on this topic. We have ditched the notebooks also as the children are so busy having fun that they never happen. But I believe the most important thing is we get out in God's creation and enjoy ourselves. I am sure the children are absorbing more than we imagine and they certainly remember where we have been.
Jennifer you ask where to go, well we live in a country town of 30,000 and there are no formal walks around here. All the national parks are an hour from here and the beaches are 40 minutes. My friend and I try to keep within a 20 minute radius. We are on a River here in town and there are many rivers out of town however. We seem to gravitate to the water. (spare clothes are always packed and swimmers.) We bought a topographical map of the area that shows what is around.
We just hop in the car and head in different directions every week trying to find public access to the rivers or some bushland we can walk in. We are running out to new places now though.  Although we are starting to re-visit old favourites.
Last week we travelled downriver and the children went swimming while my friend and I stayed with the babies. Next thing I knew our older ones swam across the River! Very wide there. Dh was not happy as the sharks come up there, I forgot.  Still it was an accomplishment and the children discussed at tea what to do if a shark had come along. 
Occasionally just the children and I walk around our block with our notebooks and sit down outside somebody's garden and draw. I am waiting for someone to ask what we are doing.  Also this is frustrating as I don't know the names of the flowers and can't seem to find good references.
Your set up sounds great, very lucky, it is certainly fine to take the whole afternoon. Although their seat work needs to be done, it will be those afternoons they remember with pleasure. Btw where did you end up relocating too?
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
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mary
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| Posted: March 09 2006 at 6:11am | IP Logged
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we head to the nature center every tuesday afternoon. we walk the same trail and stop at 5 checkpoints and take a picture. then the kids compare the pictures to see what's changed during the year. the trail ends in the nature center and so the kids always end up stopping by the naturalist's desk and asking about what they have seen for the day.
do you have a nature center? to help us get started, we met another family there. that way, it would be harder to miss.
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alicegunther
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| Posted: March 09 2006 at 6:37am | IP Logged
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JSchaaf wrote:
| but that would take up an entire afternoon. Or is that ok to take up a whole afternoon doing nature study?Jennifer |
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Absolutely! Those days spent doing Nature Study are often our most profitable. In fact, the freedom to get out and explore with frequency is one of the key benefits of home education. Besides, rigorous Nature Study covers so many important fields of study--science, math, literature, research, art, writing, geography, physics, and of course physical education! I find it helps to return to the same place often so that the children form a relationship with their surroundings and begin to notice the changes as the seasons progress.
When Spring kicks in, we'll be out several afternoons a week and some mornings too! Even with snow still on the ground, we could smell it in the air yesterday--I love this time of year!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
    
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Dawn
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| Posted: March 09 2006 at 7:03am | IP Logged
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alicegunther wrote:
| Even with snow still on the ground, we could smell it in the air yesterday--I love this time of year! |
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Me too, Alice! Standing on the front steps this morning, waving as his daddy left for work, my 6 yo said, "Mum! I can *smell* spring out there!"
I think scheduling nature walks is a great idea. Every schedule I have made up for us has always included a day for nature study. Unfortunately this has not always translated into us actually getting out there and doing it!
What we did the year before last, and I am hoping to revive it this spring (starting this weekend!), is pack us all up (dh included) early Saturday mornings and head over to a nearby park. We go pretty early so we bring coffee and breakfast. The park is on a river and has paths to bike or walk. By going every week we are able to notice the changes through the seasons. We stay an hour or two, draw or take pictures, let the kids run and then pack up and head for home.
Through the week we follow up on the experience with narrations, assembling nature book pages, reading books, and we also tie in any backyard nature we observe. When we are feeling adventurous, we trek out through our woods and find the river back there – it’s the same one that we visit at the park each week!
I’m currently re-reading Real Learning, and specifically, the chapter on science and nature study to help me gear up … I think the spring-ish weather here will also help …
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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Leonie
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| Posted: March 09 2006 at 5:12pm | IP Logged
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Right now we do nature study on Sundays - it is a family outing. Everyone gets into the act. We tend to choose the same place to explore each week for awhile - we get to see how the area changes with the seasons and we get exercise as well as science and family fun.
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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momwise
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| Posted: March 09 2006 at 11:00pm | IP Logged
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Erin wrote:
| Dh was not happy as the sharks come up there, I forgot. Still it was an accomplishment and the children discussed at tea what to do if a shark had come along |
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Now that's what I call a nature study
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: Scheduling nature walks
