Winter Nature Study Planning Tips
As the winter season approaches, many homeschooling families begin to plan their nature studies. Nature studies are a great way to get kids outside and learn about the world around them, even in the coldest months. Here are a few tips to help you with your winter nature study planning tips.
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Winter Nature Study Planning Tips
Sometimes it’s nice to put aside a formal curriculum in favor of a more relaxed, and interest-led learning approach. Here are some ways that you can easily create a little winter nature study for your kids.
Choose A Focus
What are you and your children interested in learning about this winter? Make a list of possible topics and then narrow it down to one or two that you’ll focus on.
Some suggested winter nature study topics:
- Study Animal Tracks
- Start Birdwatching
- Study Evergreen Trees
- Learning About Ice
- Learn About Snow
- Indoor Nature Study
Find Resources
Once you know what you want to study, look for books, websites, and other resources that will help you. The library is a great place to start, but there are also many online resources available.
Find a novel to go along with your topic. You can do read-aloud or audiobook to listen to together at home or in the car on the go.
TeachersPayTeachers is a great place to find resources at affordable prices to go along with your lessons. If there is something you are interested in, there is most likely a printable on there that you can use.
Make A Plan
Decide how often you’ll go on nature studies and what activities you’ll do. Will you go for a walk once a week and look for signs of winter? Or will you spend an afternoon tracking animals?
Do you NEED to do worksheets? Nope.
Do you NEED to do a read-aloud? Nope.
The best learning is just going to happen. I think carrying my phone around (and having data with it) has helped us learn more than any curriculum. And we I say us, I’m including myself as well. Nature is full of lessons.
