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.