Nature Week at The Thinking Mother

I am doing my first ever themed blog post week. The reason is I have so many things I want to write and blog about. I have blog posts in draft that need editing. I have projects underway in addition to parenting and homeschooling my kids. To give myself a mental break from that feeling of wanting to blog about so much but not having time, I decided to pick a theme and blog some photos I have taken and the related story if there is one. I wonder if I can get through a week without reverting to my usual blog content and letting other thoughts spill out onto the keyboard and into this blog! We'll have to see.

Nature study as a part of a child's education is something that was introduced to me through the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling. I was drawn to nature study for that reason. I have always had an interest in nature and appreciated the beauty of nature but honestly was not noticing it much. I recall reading that Miss Mason said children should take nature walks in the same places through the year so as to notice the changes over time due to the seasons. I'd never thought of that before, having somehow thought it was superior to always go to new places and see new things.

I began noticing more about nature right in my backyard and everywhere I went. I started observing more as I drove places. I saw wildflowers on the side of the highway that I'd never noticed before. I noticed the look of certain trees with foliage on, how the colors turned then how the bare tree looked in winter. I noticed how the forest looked different after a rainstorm and realized it was due to all the trunks being darkened due to being wet. I noticed the difference in how the same things looked in morning, midday, evening light, or the difference between an overcast sky's light and sunlight.

I will confess my children never were interested in nature journaling to keep it up over time. It was not vital enough in my eyes for me to make this an issue to battle over either.

What happened was in this process I became more observant. I then show my kids things and talk about what I see. I often see something, get curious about it, and then research it to find an answer. This is how I use "The Handbook of Nature Study" by Comstock. I also use the Internet (so fast and easy, I can't resist). After I learn something I often tell my kids about it. Other times I file away that fact then when I see it again I show them and talk about it. My kids are learning in that way.



Here is one example of what I learned through closer observation. I have lived in New England all my life and am used to seeing beautiful fall foliage. I never realized that certain trees usually will turn certain colors but not others. Oaks usually go from green to brown, so not all deciduous trees turn yellow, orange, or red (something I'd previously assumed). Some turn all yellow. I noticed a burgundy shade too, which somehow I'd never noticed before. I started noticing that the green leaves often fade a bit before turning to a color other than green. I noticed certain trees that turned first and lost their leaves before other even began turning. As I watched the same trees year to year, I remembered which were the first to turn, which were the last, which large specimens were absolutely gorgeous and which sections of a road had a lovely display of a collection of trees that were lovely viewed as a group.


My fast and easy research is done for my own enjoyment. I observe nature and learn about it out of my own sheer curiosity and for my own pleasure. In this case something I started off doing as part of a homeschool education for my kids wound up being something I pursue, learn and enjoy.

Now that I have a DSLR camera I am able to capture better photos than my old point and shoot digital camera. I can take better close-up photos as well as fast action shots and sometimes try my hand at the long zoom lens. I still am on a learning curve with photographing fast flying birds, especially against bright or overcast skies. I'm working on it...