Outdoor Hour Challenge: Week #3
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Our nature study this week basically went the way of everything else…blah! I really think a lot of it was me, though. I envision the kids and I walking out into woods filled with frolicking woodland creatures (yes, I’m exaggerating…a little) or into meadows full of wildflowers and butterflies to quietly, dutifully and artfully capture it all in beautiful sketches in our nature journals.
I’m constantly reminding four kids who want to do nothing more than crunch through fallen leaves – loudly – to be quiet and look for nature, for crying out loud!
It didn’t help that I already felt off schedule and that, once we began our tromp through the wooded area that I mentioned last week, I realized that the pathway past the steep drop-off into a rather large ravine was a little more treacherous-looking than I wanted to try with my four-year-old niece.
So, I hope to go check out a little walking path in our subdivision. If it looks more promising, I’m going to take the kids there next week. There really is just nothing to hold anyone’s interest in our yard or on our street. I’m fighting back the urge to start over on week one once I find a place that will be more suitable for our weekly nature study because we are finding things of interest, even if it doesn’t all look like my mental picture.
This week, we came across a snail, which was pretty interesting and we picked up a nut, which I surprised myself by correctly identifying as a hickory nut. Maybe there’s hope for me yet. It’s a given that I’ll be learning as much as the kids during our nature study time.
We brought in a few leaf samples and added some leaf rubbings to our nature journals. The kids enjoyed that, so it wasn’t a total wash this week. Hopefully, things will improve and, if nothing else, we’ll continue to find a few interesting tidbits each week.
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
if all else fails, head over to the battlefield. We rode bikes through the other day around lunch and I nearly was killed when a squirrel ran out in front of me. Then a deer ran in front of us. Luke was amazed and amused. I admit that I thought it was cool too!
I know that I always encourage some quiet time in your nature study but I have to admit that crunching leaves is a favorite activity around here too. Let them crunch. Soon it will be quiet with the leaves all fallen and the ground wet and there will be time for quiet.
Enjoy your time outside and keep up the really great work that you are putting into your nature study. I am very proud of your efforts. How about a scavenger hunt the next time? That always focuses interest. Check out my daughter’s blog for scavenger hunt printables. heartsandtrees.blogspot.com
Thanks for the link,
Barb
You got out and did it, and I bet the kids enjoyed it. Keep it up–you’re doing great!
A really fun and educational thing to do would be to,ummmm…you know…kinda’ go tent camping 🙂