Archives for July 2015

Nature Study in the Garden

July 7, 2015 By: amyswanderingcomment

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Planting a garden is another way to explore nature and attract wildlife to your yard. Start small with a container garden, or go big and take up half the backyard. Have fun with it ad add a touch of whimsy.

Nature Study in the Garden - topics to study, free printable garden journals, & free ebooks

To document your nature discoveries, fill out a few notebooking pages or keep a garden journal. Don’t forget to take pictures!

Topics to Study

plants – Botany
fruits/vegetables/berries
flowers
seeds
weeds
soil
worms
insects – beneficial & harmful
pollination
mushrooms
seasons
weather
water cycle

[Read more…]

Attracting Nature to Your Yard

July 6, 2015 By: amyswanderingcomment

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Attracting Nature to Your Yard - These tips will have your yard looking like a nature preserve in no time!

Aren’t those baby ducks precious? Our previous home was down the street from a park with a pond. The momma duck would bring her babies to our front porch each morning to be fed. One of our favorite memories! [Read more…]

What Do You Put in a Nature Notebook?

July 5, 2015 By: amyswanderingcomment

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Everyone has different ideas about notebooking. Some only use traditional notebooking pages. My definition? If it fits in a notebook, it is a notebooking page!

What Do You Put in a Nature Notebook? Ideas and links to free nature notebooking pages

I do not have a formal plan for nature study. I play it by ear according to the season, the weather, and what kind of week we’ve had. We pick a topic, choose some printables to go with it, grab our nature bag, and head out the door. [Read more…]

Creating a Nature Journal

July 4, 2015 By: amyswandering1 Comment

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I will admit that I am writing this post for me. 🙂 We have always done nature notebooks instead of nature journals. Nature journaling seemed too intimidating for this overwhelmed momma, but now that the kids are older I want to give it a go!

Creating a Nature Journal - book suggestions, sketching & watercolor lessons, and journal inspiration

I’ve done some searching for helpful info on types of nature journals, sketching lessons, and watercolor techniques. There are also links to books on nature journaling, and some nice examples. I’m always inspired by seeing someone else’s idea. [Read more…]

Nature Exploration Supplies

July 3, 2015 By: amyswandering1 Comment

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Very little is actually needed for nature study. A pencil & paper to record your findings, perhaps some field guides from the library or thrift store. All the little gadgets and doodads sure make it fun, though!

I usually choose a couple of new items at the beginning of each school year to add to our collection. We keep the items that we use on our nature walks in a backpack, and store the rest of it in a drawer.

Our Nature Exploration Supplies

We add to our nature stuff a little bit at a time. This is a list of what we’ve accumulated over the years.

sling bag backpack
drawstring backpack
clipboards
field guides
flower press – we just use wax paper and two heavy dictionaries
binoculars
pocket microscope
magnifying glass – from Dollar Tree
pocket magnifying glass
watercolor pencils
colored pencils – I buy these from Michaels w/a 40% off coupon
watercolor compact set
sketchpad
tweezers
flashlight
butterfly garden
Backyard Safari bug vac
mini pop up habitat
first aid kit
watch-a-bug
butterfly nets – Dollar Tree
critter cage – Dollar Tree
bead organizer – to hold collections
stainless steel water bottles
garden clippers
small spade
hatchet/knife multi tool
camera
baggies

On My Supply Wish List

Fandex Family Guides

These little field guide fans are compact enough to toss in your nature bag, and easier to use out on the trail than a book.

Nature Field Kit Ideas

NaturExplorers

NaturExplorer studies by Shining Dawn Books are a great addition to your nature exploration toolkit. These info-packed nature unit studies include experiments, project ideas, writing prompts, and notebooking pages. Perfect to throw on a clipboard and go!