One of my very favorite aspects of homeschooling is the flexibility it provides for spending time outdoors. My little ones (ages 3 & 1) absolutely love going for nature walks. My daughter grabs her wagon, and we go wandering around the trails and sidewalks near our home. My daughter collects items to bring home and examine, while my son scans the sky for birds and butterflies. We stop along the way to stomp in the puddles, notice the shapes of the clouds, and watch animals going about their business.
My daughter has become fascinated with collecting little souvenirs from our walks. She has a box at home bursting with acorns, leaves, and fallen flowers. I love that she has this little box of samples from God’s creation that she lovingly pours over from day to day. We often sit on the couch after our walks, flipping through Julia Rothman’s “Nature Anatomy.” We find her illustrations fascinating and we always learn something new!
I know as my children get older, these nature walks will only grow and develop. These slow walks are building our awareness of God’s wonderful creation. It is beautiful to see how nature study teaches my children to cherish the beauty in the world around them.
I’ve put together a very simple “Autumn Nature Journal” that can be used by children of all ages. The pages are open-ended, so that children can color or paint, draw or glue the things they are noticing and noting in the world around them. The pages can be used to talk about the different varieties of leaves, pumpkins, and apples. The images (pumpkins, apples, leaves) can be colored to look varied, or you can compare real ones together. I hope you will enjoy using them after going for a family fall nature walk!
