“Consider, too, what an unequalled mental training the child-naturalist is getting for any study or calling under the sun — the powers of attention, of
Encourage kids to explore and discover the world around them with these free printable Vintage Inspired Science and Nature Flash Cards.
Want to Get to Know WinterPromise? Try This Free Study! Have you been introduced to WinterPromise? WinterPromise is a Charlotte-Mason inspired curriculum that brings together the best of ALL your favorite homeschooling approaches! WP’s “Experience Approach” with and rich learning fulfills Charlotte’s vision! Here’s How: The Learning Methodology, Nature Journaling, & Joy of Learning of Charlotte Mason The Living …
Nature journals are a great way to explore nature as a family! Here's an easy, cheap method of setting up journals for your classroom, homeschool or summer adventures with low-mess, portable art supplies.
The more observant one is, the more one can find in the natural world to inspire awe. Cultivating your child's powers of observation ...
Click to Download MOSS + LICHEN Nature Journaling Pack Hello, friends! I’ve been working on something super exciting (and a little nerve-wracking, truth be told) over the past few months and …
Charlotte's Web might technically be a book for kids, but E.B. White's classic 1952 novel is just as entertaining for adults as it is for children — which is why we have absolutely no problem reading it for our kids every single time they ask. And it's a classic for a reason — the heartwarming tale of unlikely friendship has a message that will never get old. Charlotte (spoiler alert!) might have died right after sparing Wilbur's life by saving him from slaughter, but her spirit will live on in the book forever. We've gathered our absolute favorite quotes from the story...
This is my eighth (and final!) post about implementing reading workshop in the primary classroom. In my last post, click HERE to read, I explained how I use English Language Arts checklists (for the Common Core State Standards) as the main way that I assess my students during reading workshop. Today, I will specifically talk […]
The nature notebook is an important part of nature study. Learn about different types of nature notebooks and how you can use them in your homeschool!
With a weekly nature journal page, you include a whole week of nature observations on one page. Here are some ideas to get you started.
I love this free printable explorer journal! It's perfect for a kids'outdoor activity and an easy DIY to assemble.
Wondering how to start a nature journal with your children? This ultimate guide to nature journals for children is full of ideas you can use to make your own nature journal, start a nature study, and explore the natural world. The ultimate guide to nature journals for children Use these links to dive into […]
Are you a Charlotte Mason fan? Do you love nature? Then today’s printable is designed JUST for you. This one is just too incredible to even describe. It’s 120 pages of nature collection pages that are adaptable all the way through high school! Now, what more can we ask for? Check this one out below! […]
Help your students learn interesting facts about 35 amazing insects with this set of Charlotte-Mason style FREE Insect Nature Cards
A great tutoral for a DIY Nature Journal - choose from more than 70 free printable outdoor activities to include in yours!
**The Winter Night Sky Mini Pack is included in the WINTER Journal** A Charlotte Mason-inspired, guided nature pack for your little one to explore and experience the winter night sky. - Night sky poster - Illustrated flashcards - How to find The Winter Circle - Winter Moons - Night sky mapping page with discussion questions **THIS IS A DIGITAL PRODUCT - NO PHYSICAL PRODUCT WILL BE SHIPPED TO YOU. You will receive emailed links to the digital downloads immediately upon purchasing.
Come take a look at today's video where I walk you through each of my planning pages in my homeschool planner and the strategy behind it!
As the girls study about each of the states in the United States for their multi-year, multi-disciplinary unit study, a component that we all enjoy is studying about nature. The Handbook of Nature Study blog has many Outdoor Hour Challenges for homeschooling families including one for pine trees. We've been learning about Maine this month and its state symbols (e.g., bird, tree, flower, rock/gem). Today, we took a look at Maine's state tree and flower which is the Eastern white pine cone and tassel. The girls listened to some facts about white pine trees from in The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. The following facts are paraphrased from the book: ----->> The white pine can grow 100-200 feet and live to be 200-300 years old. The girls by one of the white pines in the backyard. Notice how some of the pine needs are changing colors. The yellow/brown ones will drop and the green ones will remain during the winter. ----->> All cone-bearing trees have a central stem from which the branches come off in whorls. ----->> The white pine has five branches in each whorl. White pine needles in the autumn. ----->> The very tip of the central stem is called "the leader" which leads the growth of the tree. ----->> The bark on young white pines is smooth. On older trees the bark has ridges that are broad, flat, and scaly. The bark near the base of the white pine tree looked like this. Further up the tree, the bark was smooth. ----->> The needles on the white pine tree are soft and pliable. ----->> Pine cones require 2-4 years to mature. ----->> The seeds are winged and are developed in cones. ----->> The foliage is evergreen, but is shed gradually. Raindrops on pine needles. It was raining when we went on our nature walk. - The girls colored a picture of the white pine cone and tassel in their book called State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book by Annika Bernhard. Sophia's picture of the white pine cone and tassel as well as Maine's state bird (the black-capped chickadee). The description below said the flowers (without petals, as in all confiers) are yellow (male) and pink (female); and appear in the spring. The female flower turns into the cone. Pine blossom in the spring. This was on one of the white pine trees in the backyard. The "tassels" are the delicate-looking clusters of needles which emerge in groups of five. - The girls colored pages in their book United States Coloring Book by Rod and Staff Publishers. Each two-page spread shows the state they are studying about as well as some highlights and facts about the state. The state bird is included with each illustration. Sophia's colored picture of Maine. Each two-page spread about a state includes a picture of the state tree, flower, and bird. - Since we had studied white pine trees in February 2011, we did not do another nature journal entry. Sophia's journal entry about white pine trees from February 2011. - Since they didn't do journal entries, they did fact sheets about white pine trees instead. This is from Considering God's Creation which came with the "Cantering the Country" curriculum bundle. Olivia's fact sheet about the white pine tree. Olivia's sheet with pressed pine needles. Sophia's tactile page about white pine trees. She included green and yellow/brown pine needles as well as pieces of a pinecone. The next tree that we'll be studying is the white birch which is New Hampshire's state tree.
This journal is set up for your students to answer an essential question after reading each chapter. You can use this whole group or individually. Each page states the questions and gives students plenty of room to write their answers in complete sentences with details. Charlotte's Web, reading,...
Beautiful drawings and paintings are a hallmark of a Charlotte Mason education. But what if you're not an artist? You can still teach your child to draw with Charlotte Mason drawing lessons.
This post is all about the mother’s notebooks that I keep as part of our Charlotte Mason homeschool & my mother culture.
Welcome to Day 2 of my weeklong series of Summer "Unschooling!" Yesterday, I shared a few brief thoughts on why this unit study-Charlotte Mason-living literature-Thomas Jeffersonanion-Montessouri-notebooking-slightly textbooky-ECLECTIC momma somehow morphs into an UNSCHOOLER for the summer. I also presented a handful of ideas for encouraging creative writing while on a school-time hiatus. Today, let's take a look at Un-schooling Science. Science, especially anything related to nature and the great outdoors, gets a little tricky during the school year in my neck of the woods. Unless we plan to study hibernation and/or dormancy, our nature study is limited to whatever happens to be able to withstand several feet of frozen "white." Four years ago while chatting with some homeschool veterans, I decided that although I would continue to teach science throughout the school year, I would focus much of our science efforts during the summertime. Throughout the year, I make a mental note of what natural interests my kids develop as we read books together. If possible, we revisit those themes when the snow melts...or June starts...whichever comes first! These summer-long units are very organic. I don't really do any planning. We simply read a lot of books, observe, make theories and test them, and do some notebooking to document our discoveries. I thought I'd share a few of our past adventures in hopes that it might spark an idea or topic of interest for your summertime learning. Summer-long Units Butterfly Study The Deputy's Wife is my go-to science gal. A few years ago, she was gracious enough to scour her property for milkweed and the little caterpillar critters that take residence on them every summer. She helped us nab a few to keep in a homemade observatory (a large pickle jar with netting over the top). We were able to watch the fascinating life cycle several times before summer's end. After releasing quite a handful of monarchs into the wild (One even accompanied us on a vacation up-state and was set free at the crest of a large hill), the children made some Eric Carl-esque paintings and set their findings down in the form of a hand-made book. Bird Watching Come spring/summer, our area becomes an Audubon birder's paradise. With a few field guides and a homemade birdwatching notebook at her side, a then first-grade Sweetie Pea, set about to document every bird she saw. She even stopped in the middle of a Community Ed. soccer game to run over to the sidelines and tell me she saw an osprey's nest above the light pole. In her book, she documented the bird's name, date of her findings, the bird's gender (based on the coloring), where she found the bird, the bird's diet, how that species builds its nests, and any other interesting facts she learned from her field guides. She completed the entry with a handmade drawing of each. (It helped that her dad is a professional artist and gave her a few tips on drawing bird forms.) I wish I still had the files for this bird book printable to be able to share it with you, but alas... Instead, check out these other bird watching notebooking pages: Think Crafts' Bird Watching Book KidsCanHaveFun's Bird Watching Explorer sheet Frogs/Toads For years, we have had a family...and eventually a LARGE community...of frogs and toads living in our basement window wells. One summer, I had a plan to do a nature study on ants. I had prepared a notebook filled with observation activities, checked out several books from the library, and had bookmarked several scripture verses about ants in order to incorporate a character study using ants as a natural example. But, after only a few days of our study, it was quite clear that the frogs were much more intriguing to my little learners. In the true nature of "unschooling," I scrapped all my PLANS and enlisted the Hubs to help the kids round up some little leapers. Since this truly was a "plan B," our learning took place mostly through observation and care/keeping of the little critters. My boys especially loved discovering the eating likes/dislikes of our "house guests." TOPS Science Units Now, before you write the "unschooling authorities", I realize that a pre-planned unit does not necessarily qualify as organic learning. That being said, I do think that TOPS Learning System books are excellent resources to jumpstart the natural learning process. They encourage exploration of a topic by presenting NUMEROUS projects that follow the steps of the scientific process. We completed the Tops Radish kit this past fall and are spending the summer working through their Corn and Beans biology unit. A couple of things to remember when embarking upon a TOPS series: The units are written for a five-day-classroom situation. In order to complete the projects correctly, a pre-planned timeline has to be strictly followed. Our Corn and Beans unit takes 5 weeks to complete. Missing even ONE day in those five weeks makes a few of our experiments a moot point. The books include lab instructions and journaling pages that can be photocopied for each child. I put all of these into pronged folders for my kids to fill out. Most of the TOPS units have suggested age-ranges. Be sure to choose the right range for your household and read all teacher notes before beginning. Other suggestions Lord willing, we will have many summertimes in our future to be able to use these same patterns of natural learning to explore these other topics. trees flowers other insects fish spiders stars Short-term units Not wanting to commit to an entire summer of scientific discovery? No worries. Many topics can be explored in a few days or even a few minutes. Egg Carton Nature Hunt For my littlest learners, an egg carton nature hunt is always an annual summertime staple. Before heading out on a walk through the woods or a state park, we each paint the insides of an empty egg carton. Each cup is painted a different color. As we walk, the kids attempt to find a natural element that is similar in color to each of the painted egg cups. When we get back home, we share our findings, try to determine the name of each, and do some nature drawings of our favorites in a nature notebook. This has proven to be a great way to encourage thoughtful observation as we "commune with nature." Nature Collections Super Boy, especially, gets a spark every few weeks to search out a new topic. This often comes in the form of gathering a collection of similar items. Rocks, shells, leaves, and feathers have all made their way into a treasure box or dresser drawer for safe keeping. Even though his reading level does not enable him to actually read all the words in it, I provide Super Boy with a simple field guide, to encourage investigation. He looks through the pictures and finds an item with similar characteristics to the one in his collection. Discovery Baskets During the summer, our discovery quiet time basket becomes a hub of organic learning. It has been a great way to introduce numerous new topics in order that my kids can develop new interests. I fill much of the basket with nature and nature-study resources. I realize that science and science projects can make many mothers shudder, myself included. Just the THOUGHT of cleaning up a mess can be exhausting. Saving science for summer can be a great, less-busy time to encourage the disorder/clutter that comes with exploratory learning.
Ensuring students know the value and power of their courage is crucial for upper elementary students’ social-emotional learning and growth. Get easy-to-implement ideas, courage activities, suggested titles for books on bravery, and courage lesson plans to help you create a classroom community where
When I began my business, my goal for Charlotte Mason Mama has always been to enrich home life and inspire mothers in their homes. I also didn't want a website full of "busy work" or junk. I will never offer printables to you that I wouldn't use myself or deemed poor quality. Everything I make
“Consider, too, what an unequalled mental training the child-naturalist is getting for any study or calling under the sun — the powers of attention, of
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Spore Prints, Nature Journals, Life Cycle of a Mushroom, Label the Parts of a Mushroom, Recipe Ideas and so much more in this free mushroom unit study for kids.
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Charlotte Mason was an amazing educator! Perhaps my favorite quote from Charlotte Mason reveals her understanding that a personal knowledge of and intimacy with God is the highest form of education. This is where we must
Charlotte Mason journaling has so many applications and benefits. Here are 8 ways to use these notebooks for your homeschool.
*This journaling pack is included in The Forest Journal* https://www.etsy.com/listing/741303537/the-forest-nature-journal-charlotte?ref=shop_home_active_3&bes=1&crt=1 Your little one can explore and record conifer trees with this Forest Ferns Nature Journaling Pack. Included is a 8.5x11 poster, flashcards, a coloring page and nature journaling prompt. Illustrations were done by hand in watercolor on watercolor paper. **Please Note: this is a digital file ONLY**
We enjoy getting outdoors with the kids. In fact, this week I said something about being excited to find trails near our new home, and my ten-year-old said "Because you love hiking, Momma." And I
Beautiful drawings and paintings are a hallmark of a Charlotte Mason education. But what if you're not an artist? You can still teach your child to draw with Charlotte Mason drawing lessons.
