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There are two weeks left in the Spring Scavenger Hunt at SchoolhouseTeachers.com and it got me to thinking... what do you do the most of in your homeschool? Do you have one subject you cover every day like maybe reading or math? Or is there one topic your children keep asking you to go back to?
For us the recurring theme was and still is Nature Study. Next month Arlene will turn 18. In this last year of her homeschooling journey we are still finding ways to add nature learning into our daily learning. Just yesterday afternoon after church we took a short trip to see some birds. What kind of birds? White Pelicans! Yes, truly, we saw pelicans in Indiana! They are known for their migratory stopover in southern Indiana, but Kurt and I saw a flock of about 2 dozen of them here in Central Indiana Thursday evening and we drove the girls by to see them this afternoon. Likely by the end of the week they will have moved on, but in the interim, we got to enjoy them!
On Saturday Arlene, Emily, (17 & 19) and I stopped at Conner Prairie to see some of the new spring babies in the animal encounters area. Emily used to volunteer in this area a lot, and I could tell she was feeling a little blue. So we stopped for some baby animal (therapy) fun. Lots and lots of baby goats and lambs. By the time we left everyone was smiling.
Do you like to regularly take your kids out in nature, or is it a struggle for you? You do not have to live in the country to enjoy nature. We started by taking the girls out into the yard and letting them crawl around when they were less than a year old. I have an infamous picture of Arlene on the wall that shows her eating dirt just before her first birthday. Did it hurt her? No. Is it a funny memory for me? Absolutely! Does she love the outdoors? Yes!
If you are struggling with finding ways to incorporate nature study or biology into your home education routine then why not check out the offerings on SchoolhouseTeachers.com? There is a Nature Journal PDF suitable for any age to use to record their finds. Your 3rd-6th grader might enjoy the Wildlife Adventures course. Your older students could probably learn a lot from the Biology or Botany courses. Or maybe you just want to get better at taking pictures of what you find while you are outdoors? Then check out the 30 week course in photography and learn the skills to work with your camera instead of against it!
Whatever your child's interest, there is probably a course on SchoolhouseTeachers.com that can fill a need. With over 370 to choose from, why not take another look around? Remember, the scavenger hunt is only through April 30th and someone will win a laptop. Others will win a Kindle Fire or a year's membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com.
It could be you! But only if you go play and enter!
Remember that next week is the Spring Blog Hop where we will be talking about homeschooling victories! Have a great week - and get outdoors!
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