"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature." ~Anne Frank
The kids and I spent time last week (prior to the Tarzan accident :) at the local arboretum where we do most of our weekly nature study. We have been going to the arboretum for the past eight years. It is neat to get to know a place intimately, in all four seasons. Coming back week after week allows us to really grow accustomed to the wildlife, plants and terrain of this diverse place. We spend most of our time around the pond and in the woods when we visit. While we are big fans of the arboretum, I'll admit to avoiding nature study in the depths of February when our temperatures hover right around 10 degrees. I like to study my fireplace and my knitting at that time of year. :)
We started doing nature study when Benjamin was a preschooler. He and I would come to the arboretum with Christopher in the baby sling or backpack. I began bringing along a sketchbook and camera after reading the books Wild Days by Karen Rackliffe and Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie.
Last week, many of the wildflowers were in bloom in the butterfly garden and in the meadows. I like to draw plants and flowers because they do not move around, making it easy for a person like me, who has only a public school art education, to sketch them. I like to add the Latin names as well. I don't know why but it seems so romantic. Lest you think I am a student of Latin, I copy the Latin names from our field guides. :)
I wanted to share a tip I use for those of you who are afraid to buy yourself a nature notebook and start sketching. I am not very adept at drawing three dimensional objects or creatures so I like to sketch things (copy them actually) from photographs or books. For example, if the children and I are out in the wilderness and we see a turtle crawling along, we try to identify it from our field guides. Rather than trying to sketch it there on the spot, I will come home and copy it from a book, again usually a field guide. While we were out recently, we saw a small snapping turtle and several snails. I knew that I could not sketch the turtle accurately while it crawled along so when we got home, I took out the Minn of the Mississippi book and copied a snapping turtle drawing from its pages. Maybe some folks would think that was cheating but it is the only way I know how to draw.
When we study nature, the kids and I each bring along a small field bag. Inside the bag is a small spiral bound sketchbook, a pencil and perhaps a small pair of field glasses. I carry the field guides in my own bag which is a big larger than the childrens'.
We have used these embroidered field bags for the past few years. They are made from a women's cooperative in Costa Rica. Really any old purse sized bag will do but we have gotten these as gifts and really enjoy them. There is a pocket for a pencil on the side and ample room within for a field guide, sketch book and small pair of binoculars.
I am very fond of the Golden Guide's St. Martin's Press field guides. They are relatively inexpensive, pocket sized, lightweight and fit nicely into the field bags. All of the pictures are illustrations rather than photos. For some reason, this appeals to me. We use them all quite often but the Pond Life field guide is by far our favorite.
We spend a lot of time just sitting around the pond, observing and listening to the sounds. Sometimes the kids try to catch frogs, sometimes they gather pond water specimens to identify water bugs, nymphs, mudpuppies and tadpoles. Rarely do we go away from pond study without finding something interesting to learn about.
(Here is a child who apparently likes bright, unmatching clothing. :)
Now that all of the leaves are fully grown on our local trees, summer is a nice time to identify various leaves. We spread out a blanket and the kids bring back some leaves. Everyone lays them out and we take out our field guides to identify them. I usually bring along several peeled crayons with which they can do rubbings and to label their leaves in their nature notebooks. Even the youngest children in our family can do this exercise and really seem to enjoy themselves. We have been using the book Stikky Trees which uses picture words and brief bits of text on each page to help botany students (of all ages) identify 15 of the most common trees in one hour. We love this book.
In addition to trees, there are so many other plants to study in the summer. We love to identify the different types of water lilies at the pond as well as other aquatic plants like duckweed.
This has been a very long post, hopefully none of you are terribly bored. :)
I hope to read some of your suggestions and posts about how you enjoy nature study, how you interest your children to join in and how you go about keeping record of your journey/studies.
"To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug." ~Helen Keller
