Category Archives: Nature

Living books

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Kerry

In a recent post, Laura lists some of the books and resources they’ve been using this year. She mentions that they have been reading My Side of the Mountain and some other books this year. Check out her post here; … Continue reading →

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Even to the least of these

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Kerry

Watch this 2-minute video on Dung Beetles: https://youtu.be/4vp0ayLeifM Then read “Blessed are the Dung Beetles” by John Halford: https://archive.gci.org/articles/blessed-are-the-dung-beetles/ “God must be extraordinarily fond of beetles.” (Charles Darwin) 
 Sometimes God shows his divine nature, with great eloquence, through the … Continue reading →

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Onward into light

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Kerry

Rachel, thank you for sharing your wonderment at nature, with a daily stream of beautiful nature photos! Here’s the story behind the lion hug:

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Pond Life

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Kerry

What are these insects doing? This is a lesson plan for Unit 3: Pond Life (2 weeks). Mix and match: rearrange the days around as much as you please; they don’t need to be done in the order listed below, … Continue reading →

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Paper airplanes, bird wings

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Kerry

Compare different paper airplane designs with the wings and flight of birds. What similarities in wing shape and flight pattern do you see? What features make a paper airplane more like a duck or goose than a falcon, or more … Continue reading →

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Classification

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Kerry

Animals and plants are classified in hierarchical groups, similar to nesting Matryoshka dolls placed within each other. The biggest Matryoshka doll we’ll consider for now is “Kingdom.” Plants, animals and protists comprise different biological kingdoms. The smallest Matryoshka doll we’ll … Continue reading →

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Synergy and life

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Kerry

One of the reasons I love birds is because they prove, for anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear, the limitations of mechanistic philosophy and the impoverishment of reductionist perspectives in science. Paul Klee, “The Twittering Machine”(Die … Continue reading →

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Getting started with bird identification

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Kerry

Use your copy of Peterson’s Field Guide to Birds (see previous introduction) to identify the bird described in each numbered question below. This exercise will help you become more familiar with the contents and layout of Peterson’s Guide. Tip: Look … Continue reading →

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Anna Comstock

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Kerry

Unit 1: Getting our bearings. Length: 3 days (not necessarily in a row). Anna Botsford Comstock played a prominent role in the nature study movement to reform science education in the early 20th century, particularly through her book, Handbook of … Continue reading →

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Roger Tory Peterson

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Kerry

Unit 1: Getting our bearings. Length: 3-4 days (not necessarily in a row). One of the best entrées into the living world around us is watching birds. Birds are so very much alive, and their presence is a vital part … Continue reading →

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Charlotte Mason

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Kerry

Unit 1: Getting our bearings. Length: 1 day. “Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.” – Charlotte Mason To learn a little about Charlotte Mason (1841-1923), an English educational reformer whose ideas encouraged a nature study approach … Continue reading →

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Last Child in the Woods

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Kerry

Unit 1: Getting our bearings. Length: 1 day. Watch two videos about Richard Louv, learn about his book and the impact of his ideas on science education. Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit … Continue reading →

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