This week we are beginning to participate in the
Outdoor Hour Nature Study weekly challenge.
This week's challenge is simple. Read the appropriate pages of text in Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study, choose and set up a Nature Study Journal for each of the participants, and then to spend fifteen minutes outside observing nature and drawing something you see.
This first week was not too hard, since we already had links to the Handbook of Nature Study available to us. I added a link to the book on my sidebar, for convenience's sake. We also already have nature journals for each of the children from previous dabblings in doing a nature study. We have enjoyed using the Primary Composition Books from Mead. They have a blank area on the top half of the page for illustrations, and primary lines on the bottom half. Even my middle schooled student doesn't mind the primary lines, though he has been toying with getting a more "mature" sort of journal. Maybe we will find him one by next week.
For our fifteen minutes outside, we sat around and enjoyed the beautiful day, noticing many things, and enjoying listening to a faint breeze rustling through the branches of our birch trees. Mainly, the kids observed how the corn is ready to be harvested and that the leaves on some of the trees are already turning their autumn colors (in spite of the recent eighty plus degree temperatures).
The kids dabbled in their journals a bit, then ran off to play. A good start, I suppose.
Since we have done Nature Journaling before, I am not going to worry too much about what they put on paper today. They are having too much fun playing and I want to let them just enjoy the weather while it lasts.
Later, when we get back inside, I will have them draw pictures of the turtle we found a few days ago (check out the turtle post for a much more detailed nature study), and post those as our study for the week.
This was done by Tex a few days later...
If you have never seen the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock, there is an embedded copy from the Project Guttenberg site at the bottom of this post. The print is kind of small, but you will get the idea of the scope of the material.
I hope you will consider joining us in this study of natural science. I can't wait to see what next week brings.
Blessings,
Heather
1 comment:
Welcome to the Autumn Series of OHC. I think a lot of us are still experiencing warmer weather so it doesn't feel much like fall yet but it still is nice to start a regular weekly time outdoors. I love the turtle sketch in the journal.
Thank you for sharing your link and I look forward to your next entry.
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