Nature Study for High School Students - Reflections

Lots of Outdoor Time Even With Teens

Much has been written about Charlotte Mason’s vision of nature study…including volumes of my own writing on my Handbook of Nature Study blog. It is a topic near and dear to my heart, a life-long passion nurtured through reading Charlotte Mason’s words and trying to apply them to my own family. I’m not sure I would be the person I am today without the encouragement of Miss Mason and another kindred-spirit, Anna Botsford Comstock.

Anna Botsford Comstock wrote the Handbook of Nature Study in 1911. In the Preface to this book she wrote, “The author feels apologetic that the book is so large. However, it does not contain more than any intelligent country child of twelve should know of his environment; things that he should know naturally and without effort, although it might take him half his life-time to learn so much if he should not begin before the age of twenty.” HNS Preface xiii

This forty-nine year old woman is still learning from the lessons in the Handbook of Nature Study after many years of completing the suggested observations along with my children. I have one teenage son left homeschooling and we are still working through the pages of this timeless text.

“But, more than all, nature-study gives the child a sense of companionship with life out-of-doors and an abiding love of nature. Let this latter be the teacher’s criterion for judging his or her work. If nature-study as taught does not make the child love nature and the out-of-doors, then it should cease….However, if the love of nature is in the teacher’s heart, there is no danger; such a teacher no matter by what means takes the child gently by the hand and walks with him in paths that lead to the seeing and comprehending of what he may find beneath his feet or above his head.” HNS page 2

When we crossed the gap from elementary science to upper level science, I was grateful for our outdoor studies and the solid ground laid for high school biology…the study of life. All those years of personal face to face contact with nature, making observations and asking questions, has given us something to digest and to reason on as we work through the upper level sciences. Their interest was aroused. Now we can get on with the business of classifying life by making comparisons and investigating structures using more advanced tools like the microscope and field guides.

What we learned with pleasure we have not forgotten.

The Three Stages of Nature Study 

• Observation – face to face through personal experiences 
• Investigation – asking questions, comparing, relating, and classifying 
• Expression – after personal observation and investigation there is plenty to narrate (oral or written) 

If you would like to learn more about these ideas, read my blog post on the Handbook of Nature Study blog on Monday, February 6, 2012. I will have a free downloadable printable explaining these steps along with tips and ideas for more advanced nature study. The printable is part of a link-up with five other bloggers who will also each be offering a free nature study related printable.

The Handbook of Nature Study and the Outdoor Hour Challenges are suggested resources for nature study on the Ambleside Online curriculum site. The new More Nature Study ebook series has Advanced Study Suggestions and custom notebook pages just for older or advanced students. I invite you to view the samples and give nature study a try this week.


Additional references of interest:
The Comstock Couple Established Cornell University Press
Nature Journals and Tips 
High School Biology - my tips

Sketch Tuesday: The Old West

Last week's assignment was to sketch something associated with a Super Hero. Thank you to all sketchers for making this another successful slideshow. 

Here is your slideshow: 
Something to do with Super Heroes!

Next assignment due Monday, February 6, 2012: 
Sketch something from the Wild West (or pioneer times).

Please remember that I do not include violent sketches- no blood, no guts.

All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Send in your sketches in jpg format and mail them to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com by Monday, February 6, 2012 and I will include them in Tuesday's slideshow. Complete instructions are found by clicking the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.




You are in for a treat! My daughter over at Hearts and Trees has started a digital magazine! There are all kinds of ideas included in this issue and my daughter even includes links to her very own "how to" videos for several of the projects. This is great stuff! Click over to read about her very first issue with a introductory price of $3.

Notebooking on the Fly - Planning Procrastination

We use notebook pages for just about every subject.

I appear to be quite organized as far as offering notebooking pages for my high school age son. Do not be deceived! I many times am operating just ahead of my son when it comes to printing and filing his notebook pages in his assignment binder.

Oh I have all the tables of contents printed (just like a suggest in my organizing posts) but I don't always take time to print the needed pages ahead of time. My little secret: This is what has led to a better notebooking experience. Shhh..don't tell my son but it is because he does a much better job at choosing pages than I do.

He will come to me and ask where his pages are for his history study for the week and because I didn't get around to printing them I ask him to check the list of pages available and pick a few on his own. He's done the reading so he has an idea of what he wants to write about so picking them is easy. Or if he sees a topic listed that he is intrigued by he will print those off and do a little research.

So for once, my procrastination actually works in my favor. I do have a stash of generic pages printed that he can grab and go with if he wants to start from scratch but many times he is much more passionate about researching a topic that sparks an interest that is related to his reading for the week.

High school is a glorious time to be a procrastinator.

Now, if I had been able to read Jimmie's new ebook, Notebooking Success when I first started using notebooking pages as a regular part of our homeschooling week...maybe I would have been a much smarter notebooking mom, certainly a much more confident notebooking mom.

So, do you know what the word realia means? You will after you read Jimmie's ebook.

Seriously, this is a great resource for all notebooking families to define or refine your notebooking style. It is full of practical tips for beginners as well as experienced notebookers. You will use this as a reference and as a great tool to remind you of all the possibilities for notebooks for any homeschool style.She also has a bunch of free bonus items that come with your purchase so click over and read about those too.

I am happy to recommend this ebook with a whole-hearted thumbs up and I get to give a copy away to one of my readers! Check the Rafflecopter gadget in this entry (you may need to click to the blog if you are reading in a reader or by email) for the details of this giveaway. Ready set....go enter! I will be picking a winner on Sunday, January 29, 2012 and I will announce the winner on Monday, January 30, 2012.


If you want to purchase your copy right now, click over and do so and if you end up winning my giveaway, Jimmie will refund your money! It is reasonably priced right now at $5.50 and you also get some wonderful freebies, including some bonus notebooking pages.
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Just so you know: I did receive a free copy of this ebook to review for Jimmie but as always, I only give my honest opinion and in this case I will be using the information in my own homeschool planning. I also receive a small affiliate commission when you purchase the ebook by clicking the links in my blog post.