It’s Spring! Time for Nature Studies!
It’s Spring! Time for Nature Studies!
By Cindy Rushton
Homeschool Expo 2009
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! Cindy Rushton is the hostess of the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, the very first online homeschool convention. She is recording Preview Chats for the Ultimate Homeschool Convention RIGHT NOW! Join her wonderful guests FREE as they count down to the Ultimate Homeschool Expo (June 1-5, 2009–BUT! NEVER ENDING because it is an ONLINE Convention!). Check out all of the details here:
teach me please Jesus
Exodus 4:15
You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
homeschool record keeping
Easy Record-Keeping for the Reluctant Homeschool Mom!
By Cindy Rushton
Record-keeping! Does your hair stand up when you think of record-keeping? Do you begin to grind your teeth? Did you feel like skipping this article just because it seems impossible for “EASY” and “Record-keeping” to ever go together??
Relax. I know that there is not a “one size fits all.” I know that in spite of how hard we may search, there is not a perfect system for every mom! That is OK! My prayer is that if you are in need of some ideas to make a couple areas a little easier or if you have no idea of where to begin, that you will find a few ideas as you come home with us to see how simple record-keeping CAN be. Ready for some quick tips??? Here we go…
–> Find what is mandatory. Every state and school district has differing requirements. Find other homeschool families in your area and see how each of them manages their homeschool records. Find the easiest way possible to meet the requirements. Make it as DOABLE as possible!
–> Choose what works for YOU. Every mom has her favorite method that works JUST for them whether a planner with reproducible pages… a ready to use planner… a simple spiral notebook… binders… a filing cabinet… computer… etc, etc, etc! Before you consider anything else, look at who you are. What makes you feel more comfortable? What helps you to feel more accomplishment? Whether formal or informal… detailed or not even written down… YOUR way is the best way! Decide what works best for you!
–> Document daily! Don’t let it build up. Jot it down throughout the day. When my children were little, I kept one journal for everything. I kept it out on my desk so I could just jot down what we were doing as we did it. It was amazing how much easier that was than even waiting till the end of the day. As they got older, I transferred this process to them. I had always made it easy. So, transferring it to them did not overwhelm them. I began this process by letting them keep up with their reading log. The rest was easy after that. They now keep their records just like I used to. At the end of the month and again at the end of the semester I go through making sure that everything is on target and also look to see how well they are keeping up with my overall schedule. Without good records, this would be impossible.
–> Keep all of their work in Notebooks. We keep ALL of our written work in a binder of some sort. Then, we take it further… we keep ANYTHING that can be pressed in binders. Anything left?? Yes! Then, we take pictures and keep THEM in the binders! (Hehe!) ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that can be studied can also be kept in Notebooks in some way. We keep anything that would expand a study and build a great collection of information on topics we study… great quotes, definitions about a subject being studied, diagrams, character sketches, pictures, coloring sheets, art prints, poems, Bible verses, narrations, Bible word studies, on and on! Our main reason for Notebooking in this way is that if our children are going to spend their time DOING something, it ought to be worthwhile enough for us to KEEP IT. This teaches them to value their work, do a great job on all they do, and that ALL areas of life are truly educational.
–> Scrapbook events, activities, fun studies, and projects! Scrapbooks/Yearbooks for what are REALLY doing throughout our school year is not only fun, but it helps to preserve the memories of ALL that we are doing in our family. There are just some things that our children are learning that are impossible to document without scrapbooking! Get out of the old “school” box and really document your family’s education. You won’t be sorry!
–> Use planning sheets designed JUST for homeschooling. Don’t let commercial record-keepers keep you from homeschooling with a lifestyle of learning! Look for printable pages that are designed just for the homeschool mom. You can find great options everywhere!
–> Buy resources that are designed just for you. We have an entire line of resources that we now have available through our bookstore. Check out our Make Your Own Brain-in-a-Binder Printables. It is designed specifically for the homeschool mom who wants pages designed for every area that must be balanced in the busy homeschool family. Also, check out other great resources by homeschool writers and even pages that are included in many homeschool books (we always try to include pages that we use in our books). Now, you may be like me. You may prefer to make your own planning pages. That is perfectly fine! You can tailor your pages to fit exactly with your family needs. Just be sure to use what works for you!
–> At the end of the school year, file all records together. This may seem to be a mute point, however this will save your brain! At the end of our school year, I gather everything together and add them into one big binder. I date the binder and store it away for my children’s permanent file. Be sure to pull all of your records together into a set and safe place. When you get discouraged along the way, just look back and see how far you have come—it will be a HUGE blessing!
Ok…So, Are You Ready?
So, what about you? Still scared about Record-keeping? Why not think through YOUR OWN way? Try your spin. Use what is easy, simple, and will give you more time with your little ones while helping to keep things in place for you. Most of all, find a way that can capture all of these precious memories of these days for you so you will have them to look back upon tomorrow! Have fun! EVEN with Record-keeping!
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Need MORE Help?
Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo! When you purchase your set you get MORE help with record-keeping–you can immediately download three Bonus Gifts that will help you today:
Let’s Get Ready for the New School Year
Easy Record-Keeping
Get Organized
Yep! Complimentary! Get your set here:
teach me please Jesus
Exodus 18:20
Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.
Creatively Simple – How to Make Homemade Donuts
My daughters are some of the most creative people I know. We have 5 daughters, 1 married and 4 still in our home. They love to create beautiful things and they are incredible cooks. They are also masters at “making do” with what is at hand. We live very simply and do not have the resources to just run to the store for every new gadget or appliance that comes out. Not to mention that we live out in the country and running to the store on a whim is not an option anyway. We also love to make things homemade., and find it a challenge to make things better than what most folks spend lots of money on. When one or more of my daughters approaches me with a recipe or creative idea, they have usually already thought it out. I will ask , “do you have this and do you have that” and then tell them to go ahead. When they first started making donuts they amazed me because I didn’t think we had what it took, but they came up with everything, put together a couple recipes to make their own and started a family tradition. I pray that their creativeness blesses you as much as it has me. This is just one of a series of Creatively Simple “How to” ebooks
23 pages with lots of pictures ebook download
$7.95 regular price AND MY First Things First ebook I send to you with every purchase!
NEW Release special for a limited time only $4.95
teach me please Jesus
Exodus 33:13
If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.
Creatively Simple – How to Grow Sprouts in a Jar
When it is cold outside and you are craving something fresh from the garden there is no need to run to the store and purchase something that looks fresh but really isn’t. Even in the middle of winter with snow on the ground you can have fresh green sprouts from your own kitchen. Sprouts are packed with vitamins and all kinds of nutritional good stuff. They are wonderful in soups, salads, on sandwiches and in smoothies. They are also incredibly easy to grow using items you probably have or can easily obtain. Our favorites are alfalfa and Mung bean sprouts but there are many more to choose from. This is just one of a series of Creatively Simple “How to” ebooks
20 pages with lots of pictures ebook download
$7.95 regular price AND MY First Things First ebook I send to you with every purchase!
NEW Release special for a limited time only $4.95
teach me please Jesus
Deuteronomy 5:31
But you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.
Creatively Simple- How to Make the Best Cowboy Cookies in the West
approx 20 pages with lots of pictures ebook download
$7.95 regular price AND MY First Things First ebook I send to you with every purchase! NEW Release special for a limited time only $4.95
It is Spring! Why Not Begin a Science Notebook?
It is Spring! Why Not Begin a Science Notebook?
by Cindy Rushton
Today being inside just tortures me! It is STUNNING outside! Even the little birds are begging us to go outside.
Are you like me, dying from "cabin fever" and ready for spring? This is the perfect time to begin Nature Notebooks! Not only will you have an abundance of treasures awaiting your exploration, but these are perfect days to try something fresh. Ready? Let me help…
Chances are you already have many things that could be included in a Science Notebook around your home. Look for those "goodies" that do not have their own special place and add them to your Science Notebooks. This is the perfect opportunity to develop "a place" for those "goodies" while developing a nice product for displaying all the growing knowledge of nature all while your children are keeping special memorabilia! One of the things that I like about using supplies intended for scrapbooking is that there are so many products that enable us to keep bulky materials safely inside of our notebooks. Not to mention, scrapbooking makes EVERY notebook so much cuter! J And…to imagine that we call this "school!"
Want some ideas of things to include in your notebooks???
· Sketches…Don’t forget to include date, time, place, Latin name, and common name. Oh! Don’t forget to document where you found it.
· Snapshots…Don’t forget to journal about your snapshot!
· Pressed flowers, leaves, feathers, butterflies, etc.
· Glossary of terms studied…
· Artwork… (Nature art, original drawings, coloring pages…)
· Diagrams…
· Poetry…
· Information about discoveries…
· Lists of new findings…
· Handouts from trips…
· Narrations from trips, outings, hikes, nature walks, books read about nature or scientists/naturalists…
· Timeline…Mark your excursions, inventions, famous men and women, so on!
· Instruction Sheets on "How to Care for…" or "How to Collect…" etc.
· Booklets…
· Project data…
· Bible verses…
· Journal entries…
· Details from outings…
· Favorite quotes about nature…
· Reading list…
· Research…
· Reports…
· Essays…
· Science experiment logs…
· Notes from any Science study…
You can add a lot of life to your Science Notebooks with special supplies you find along the way! I have found that the little touches have made our notebooks so much more fun and in the process hooked my children.
Encourage your children to use die-cuts, frames, stencils, shapes, and edgings galore to make their notebooks fun and beautiful! My children now beg each weekend to work on our binders/scrapbooks. We have taken these simple skills into other projects for our Science studies such as creating books or booklets…making cards with pressed flowers, sketches, poetry and Scripture verses…and displaying our collections. The key is to just have fun and enjoy making your notebooks all yours!
Happy Notebooking!
Cindy
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Need MORE Help?
How about the ULTIMATE mom-time? Yep! Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo! Cindy Rushton is the hostess of the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, the very first online homeschool convention. She is recording Preview Chats for the Ultimate Homeschool Convention RIGHT NOW! Join her wonderful guests FREE as they count down to the Ultimate Homeschool Expo (June 1-5, 2009–BUT! NEVER ENDING because it is an ONLINE Convention!). Check out all of the details here:
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