How does a homeschooling mom use living books to teach fact-heavy science? Answer—science isn’t fact-heavy; it’s a body of truths systematically arranged. Charlotte Mason called it the study of “the great scheme of the unity of life” (School Education, p. 156).

What is the best way to teach science? A picture-packed, glitzy book filled with facts cannot teach “the great scheme of unity of life” because it is too fragmented. Books that express these truths in a literate way and are followed by hands-on experimentation can.

Charlotte Mason put it this way:

The only sound method of teaching science is to afford a due combination of field or laboratory work, with such literary comments and amplifications as the subject affords. For example, from Ethics of the Dust children derive a certain enthusiasm for crystals as such that their own unaided observation would be slow to afford. As a matter of fact the teaching of science in our schools has lost much of its educative value through a fatal and quite unnecessary divorce between science and the ‘humanities. (Philosophy of Education, p.223)

Ms. Mason was not opposed to textbooks, only to their exclusive use and that they are too often “dry and dumbed down.” 

Charlotte Mason recommended Fairy-Land of Science* by Arabella Buckley (1840 -1929) in several of her books. Buckley was a science editor and writer. Ms. Mason felt her works of a high literary quality and used them often in her schools. In Buckley’s preface to Fairy-Land of Science she wrote:

I have promised to introduce you today to the fairy-land of science –a somewhat bold promise, seeing that most of you probably look upon science as a bundle of dry facts, while fairy- land is all that is beautiful, and full of poetry and imagination.  But I thoroughly believe myself, and hope to prove to you, that science is full of beautiful pictures, of real poetry, and of wonder-working fairies; and what is more, I promise you they shall be true fairies, whom you will love just as much when you are old and grey-headed as when you are young; for you will be able to call them up wherever you wander by land or by sea, through meadow or through wood, through water or through air; and though they themselves will always remain invisible, yet you will see their wonderful poetry at work everywhere around you. 

 Here is a sample from Fairy-Land of Science for you:-)

The Life of the Primrose

Of the thirteen areas of study in a Charlotte Mason curriculum, the one parents tell me they have the most difficulty with is Nature Study and scheduling outdoor time.  

Nature is good for children….

This seems fundamental and hardly necessary to point out. Why if it is good for them, is it so hard to get them and ourselves outside? It’s no surprise that life in the twenty-first century is becoming more and more electronically driven. But, there is more at work preventing outdoor time.  Many parents have little by little eliminated unstructured outdoor time for their children. They opt instead to carpool to team sports, martial arts classes or other pastimes that do not involve direct experience with nature. It gets worse, most of us have become so insulated from the outdoors that nature appears alien and even unsafe.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, says that children spend approximately 15 minutes outdoors each week. Louv points to the rise in attention-deficit disorders and suggests that corresponding decrease in outdoor time may be part of the problem. Children spend an average of 6.5 hours a day with television, computers and video games. Of course, many homeschooling families do not even own a television.  But, what about those video games? Louv says, a child is 6 times more likely to play a video game than ride a bike.

Is time outdoors the same as Nature Study?

Time outdoors and Nature Study are related but not the same. In a Charlotte Mason curriculum a child thrives by spending many hours outdoors exploring, playing, imagining. However, Nature Study is a time for focused looking, directed by the parent.

Living Books Curriculum recommends scheduling a Nature Study once or twice a week for no longer than 30 minutes. This includes the time of observation and an entry into your child’s nature journal. Of course, if there is interest, your child can be encouraged to do more than this.

Through the study of nature the child learns appreciation and understanding of natural processes and, most especially, keen observational skills. To stand quietly and observe an animal or plant and then to draw (as best one can) its likeness or describe its parts to an adult, develops clear thought, communication and assessment. And yet, as valuable as keen skills of observation are, nature is no mere tool for education. There is something more than skill to be gained outdoors. There is inspiration, refreshment, and joyous delight. These are no small things for a child to experience. Such times sow strength for the future into their young hearts.

Other articles to watch for….. 

• Alternatives to the outdoors
• Getting the most out of Handbook of Nature Study
• The art and science of Nature Study
• Suggestions are welcome!

We had a wonderful webinar last night on Nature Study for the Whole Family. If you couldn’t make it and still want to learn, contact me at lbcinfo@livingbookscurriculum.com .

Dara, a mom of  two, wrote the following this morning after the webinar:

You’ll be proud to know that today I took my two children to the “mog” as my husband calls it. It’s a stream/ small river that flows through town. We went to the portion just on the outskirts of town, which is surrounded by plenty of prairie grasses that we collected and compared to each other. I had never paid attention to the many different kinds of grass seeds there are. We saw baby ducks, a snake, red-wing black birds and a turtle. It was a very successful first visit. I promised the kids that we would visit again soon and bring some paper and paint brushes to better record our visit. Thank you for the inspiration.

Here are a few tips for a nature study lesson from our webinar:

Begin with what your child is already familiar.
Give abundant observations, few inferences ( if you have to talk, make observations, don’t give explanations).
Study a subject under natural conditions (reading about a natural topic is okay but no substitute for the real thing).
Discovery of a principles at work in nature is strengthened by oral expression (let your child talk about what he sees, rather than have you explain what you see.).

Five kinds of nature walks
Inside your house 
Yard
Nearby woods or other natural place
Park, Nature Center, botanical gardens, any organized display
Family vacations or outings to special areas 

Each summer between vegetable gardening and our annual Upper Peninsula trip, I have prayed this prayer: “Lord, show me the best way to meet my daughter’s needs and homeschool her in a way that honors You.”

Then, with my journal nearby I go about my work or play, pausing to write down what I sense He is saying. God has never failed to give me direction and the rights words to explain it to others.

Why is homeschool planning so important?
Charlotte Mason said in Home Education (p. 8), that a parent who does not follow a fully thought out plan of education will fail to fulfill the claims his children have upon him for growing to adulthood in full possesion of his abilities. Wow, this only underscores the need for careful planning. It’s not just about getting the right books and putting them in order. It is a heart process first.

Do you have questions about how to move forward in your homeschool? I encourage you to wait before the Lord and ask Him, “which way and how for my homeschool, Lord?”.

Read Jeremiah 6:16:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.”

The Scripture refers to “crossroads” and tells us we are to stand there. Crossroads are the points of decision in your life. Surely this time of year you have decisions? Stand in the midst of them. Make your crossroads as clear as possible, then ask for God’s best–the good way. When you see it, walk in it. You will find rest there and joyful learning.