It's Spring! Time for Nature Studies!
By Cindy Rushton
http://tinyurl.com/2dkck2r

Spring is here!

Anybody else having Spring Fever? Ready to get outside to soak up the beauty and fresh air? Oh! This is the perfect time to make up any excuse to get outside. But, what if we call it "school" as we enjoy this gorgeous Spring?

Yep! It is Spring and and time for Spring themed Nature Studies. Yep! Time for that weekly Nature Walk! Time to pull out those Nature Notebooks and begin a fresh new study. NO pressure. Just with atmosphere of fun and delight! Want some ideas that are EASY? How about some of our favorites? Let's dig in...


Trees…
• Hunt for new leaves (buds!). Mark the date for each tree.
• Look for blossoms on your tree. Describe and draw.
• Mark the date that your tree is in full foliage.
• Measure the height of your tree.
• Determine the age of the tree. Measure 5 feet from the ground around the tree trunk. Divide this measurement by 1 inch to get the approximate age in years.
• Collect and press leaves. Mount some in your nature notebook.
• Sketch your tree in watercolor or crayon for your nature notebook.
• Hunt for spring poetry about trees! Copy into your nature notebook.
• Look up Scripture verses about trees. Copy into your nature notebook.



Flowers…
• Each week take a walk to collect new wildflowers around your neighborhood. Press into a scrapbook/nature notebook.
• Sketch and label flower parts.
• Hunt for poetry about the flowers that are blooming each week.
• Find Scripture verses to copy into your nature notebook about all flowers.
• Plant some flowers outside in your yard.



Birds…
• Set out a bird feeder for birds around your home. Put one right outside of a big window so the children can watch the birds up close.
• Listen for early birds…they should be coming soon.
• Set out nesting materials for birds common to your area.
• Try building your own nest.
• Learn birdcalls and songs.
• Watch the birds as they gather materials for their nests…maybe you can see where they are building their nests and watch them as they feed their young.
• Hunt for nature poetry about the birds native to your yard. Copy into nature notebooks.
• Hunt for Scripture verses about the birds native to your yard. Copy into nature notebooks.



Insects…
• Start an ant farm.
• Begin your bug collection.



Animals…
• Hunt for animal tracks.
• Go on a night hunt for salamanders. You may want to make a home for one as a pet.
• Set up an aquarium for a frog home. Go to a local pond to collect some frog eggs—watch their life cycle! Be sure to document in your nature notebook!
• Make a chart of animal characteristics. Study how animals are classified.



Plants…
• Hunt for woodland flowers.
• Choose seeds or plants for spring planting. Start seeds now to have an early bloom.
• Grow plants from pits. (see Ideas Section)
• Gather samples from the woods of plants without flowers. (Good resource is Plants That Never Ever Bloom)
• Go on a hike through the woods. Look for tree seedlings.
• Hunt for spring mushrooms.



Astronomy…
• Keep a chart of the moon phases for a month—try March.
• Take an evening to spend stargazing.



Weather…
• Keep weather chart for the first two weeks of the season—begin March.
• Find out how rain is formed.
• Find any poems about rain for nature notebook.
• Find out about lightning. Add information to nature notebook.
• Hunt for rainbows.


Collections…
• Take a day for each of your collections to maintain. (Rocks… shells… feathers… so on.)


Seasonal Table Ideas…
• Budding branches
• Tulips
• Bird’s nest
• Fresh flowers
• Potted Wild Violets
• Dyed eggs
• Tissue Paper Butterflies
• Colors…pastels and jewel tones

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Need MORE Help?

How about the ULTIMATE mom-time? Yep! Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2010! Cindy Rushton is the hostess of the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, the very first online homeschool convention. She is recording Preview Chats for the 2010 Ultimate Homeschool Convention RIGHT NOW! Join her wonderful guests FREE as they count down to the Ultimate Homeschool Expo (May 3-7, 2010--BUT! NEVER ENDING because it is an ONLINE Convention!). Check out all of the details here:
http://tinyurl.com/2dkck2r

Cooking Class - Home Ec Opportunity!

Hello,

The cooking classes are back again!!

I wanted to share a great opportunity with everyone. We are currently enrolled in the Back to Basics Cooking Class which is an online cooking classes. We are using them as a Home Ec class and my children love them. They really look forward to the classes. I have always enjoyed cooking, and have even taught my children to cook, but this class makes it very easy for a homeschool family. No lesson planning, just watch and follow along.

Shelley over at One Roast Vegetable has created an amazing 14-week Back to Basics Cooking Class. Registration for this class begins Tuesday, April 28th ... and the last time she offered this class it sold out in 4.5 hours! So you should really go right now and sign up to get more information on the Back to Basics Cooking Class. I just made it into the last session!!

It's an online class that takes place in your own home (no traveling!), and you can work at your own pace, so very low stress :) Each week you receive a new lesson, and you can follow along with her step-by-step instructions and videos. You'll learn the basics, like how to make a perfect hard boiled egg, how to roast a chicken (and what to do with the leftovers). And I know for a fact that in this class she's going to share her 4-ingredient recipe for cinnamon ice cream that's a real show-stopper!

If you're a home schooling mom who is looking for a great Home Economics lessons ... then the Back to Basics Cooking Class class is for you.

If you're worried about how much take-out and prepared food you're eating and you want to learn how to make more things 'homemade' ... this class is for you.

If you're the world's worst cook, or you never learned to cook properly... maybe you don't know where to start... this class is for you.

You can even check out some of the preview lessons Shelley has created for the Back to Basics Cooking Class click the link or paste the following into your browser, http://www.oneroastvegetable.com/members/go.php?r=592&i=l2 and sign up for more information and then you can check out the sample lessons.

You will be pretty surprised when you see what this class costs!! Less than $40 for 14 weeks of video lessons delivered right to your email inbox, all for less than what you'd probably pay for one take-out dinner ... Back to Basics Cooking Class. I was truly shocked at the price and did not pass it up, it is 14 weeks of lessons!

Please let me know if you have any questions about this class. If you will be using this for homeschooling then I would like to share the notebooking pages that I put together for this class. Just let me know that you would like them and I will send you the file.

Blessings and peace ~
Tina