Nature Walks/Bird & Tree Identification

[mamanlait]

I've been trying to do a little Charlotte Mason reading and keep revisiting the daunting task of Nature Walks for my kids (something I would like to implement this summer). I am unsure of how to implement something that seems as simple as a walk around the block...when I, myself, can't identify much more than "red bird", "blue bird". Any suggestions?
Amy

[KristinBeth]

I let my kids each choose their own bird/nature field guide for our area and when we observe birds/plants/bugs in our yard or on walks, we go look them up in the guide to learn their names. My kids are little and both enjoy figuring out the names of things, and "finding a match" in their guides. Notebooking and drawing what the kids saw is also fun. We also listen to birds and identify the ones we can (the ones we can't, that's okay, at least we're noticing them). Looking at clouds and weather is also fun and good for journaling. Simply observing and appreciating God's creation is a great start. The Handbook of Nature Study is a great resource, or go to handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com and follow along with the outdoor challenges to get you motivated. I didn't want to deal with nature study in the desert where we live now, but forced myself and the kids love it.

[holyhart]

I'm not sure where you live to be more specific, but what I did was did an Amazon search for "birds of New England" and found lots of titles to choose from (not to mention reviews to help before making a purchase!). You could do a similar search for your region. My daughter and I have had so much fun bird watching this year and we do most of it from our living room just watching the bird feeders we put out.

We have seen some really neat birds, including my favorite the yellow-bellied sapsucker. Here are some pictures of one I took in my back yard.

[MelInKansas]

I don't have a lot of advice because I feel the same way you do. I don't know the names of many birds or trees, I'm learning, but I have a long way to go. I try to keep it simple and talk about the things I do know about. I have to say I have found these little walks to be SO interesting and encouraging and I feel like my children enjoy it and learn a lot from it. Just a couple of little examples. On one walk around our (small town) block we found the shell of a robin egg. I did know that robin eggs are blue. So I told them about how the baby chick grew inside the egg and then broke out and that's why the shell was down on the ground. My 2 year old, of all people, was telling her father and everyone else who would listen "chicky break egg, chicky come out of egg." I know my other two thought it was great too but she was very excited. We went to the zoo the other day and the best parts were the mulberry tree and the snail we found making its way across the sidewalk. They watched that snail for several minutes (I had to keep them from smooshing it). The cheetah chewing on a cardboard box was pretty cool too.

So I hope that's encouraging to you. I felt like I couldn't do it, or I didn't know much, but they learn so much just by the little things they see and I'm going to keep trying to help them gain knowledge of different species and things, but also let us all enjoy just watching the way God has made different creatures so unique.

A robin built a nest in the tree right outside our dining room window, so I'm hoping there might be baby chicks in there to talk about!

Blessings on you!

[holyhart]

I thought of a book that I found useful! "A Pocketful of Pinecones" by Karen Andreola. It is about a homeschooling mom doing nature study set during the depression era. It is sort of a combination of a "how to" nature study book and fictional story all in one (written that way purposefully by the woman who wrote a Charlotte Mason Companion...very living book-ish, for moms). I've gotten lots of neat ideas out of it like when we found a dead bumble bee, we put it in a mason jar and studied it/drew it. At first the kids thought it was too icky to want to look at, but eventually they came around and thought it was really neat. Now they are CONSTANTLY putting bugs dead or alive in mason jars (with cheese cloth if it's still alive) and studying it. This is been a huge hit in our home. I am almost always asked "Mama, can I have a canning jar?". Not what I had planned when I bought the jars!!! However, they are learning even in their playtime, they are becoming more observant of the world around them.

[pjdobro]

I second A Pocketful of Pinecones. That book always inspires me. Kelly I love your pictures. They are awesome!

[kellys4boys]

I have found that the more field guides we have, the better (one for birds, ones for wildflowers, one for insects, the night sky, etc.) You are learning right along with your kids! When you look up the name of a wildflower or a bird in your guide, this inspires your child! Modeling an interest in nature is such a powerful teaching tool for kids. I am positive that this habit in our family has fed their love of nature more than anything else, along with reading living nature books such as those by Burgess (all kids are innately in love with the beautiful things God made, but if the child lacks the presence of an inspiring adult model, that interest can become dormant and overshadowed by other "busy" things.) I remember one time several years ago when we were driving on a busy highway and kept seeing these beautiful fields of yellow flowers along the roadside. I pulled out the guide and tried to identify them as we were whizzing past. Not easy, so finally my husband, who by this time was just as interested to know what they were, abruptly pulled off the busy road and I got out to pick a flower (strange sight to those passing by, I'm sure. ) Golden ragwort! Not exactly an exotic flower, but the kids will know that flowers are worth stopping for! At certain times along our journey, I really had the feeling that God allowed us to see a particular animal or plant at just the perfect time in our studies to awe us with His creation. It is wonderful to have a store of beautiful nature memories you've made with your kids through the years. We have a treasure trove already, and I will pray that your family will, too!

Kelly

[psreit]

Beautiful pictures, Kelly!

I'm getting so excited about 'getting out' with dd to do some of these things. We see much wildlife in our own back yard. We are going camping in July at a state park. We enjoy hiking around the lake and looking for any types of wildlife. There are even beavers at the one end of the lake. We like to watch for them. One year we had deer walk into our campsite and the woods next to it. We've had skunks in our campsite, raccoons and squirrels trying to get into our food cabinet we set on the picnic table. As far as identification, I don't know many names, either. There are a lot of books on identification out there. As a pp mentioned, you can search for books for your area. Even if you can't identify them, get out and enjoy!

I appreciate the books/links. I'm keeping them for future reference.