Nature Study is a VERY important component of our eclectic homeschool. We enjoy spending time outside, walking, observing plants, bugs, trees, leaves, etc.  God’s Creation is so beautiful and intrinsic; there is always something new to learn about outside.

Charlotte Mason hit the nail on the head when she coined that children should spend time outside playing, in nature, observing, LEARNING from nature. 

Since even before we officially began to homeschool, we had spent time outside just in nature. Sometimes walking a trail, other times even in the backyard observing the plants that are in our home. 

My advice to you is to become familiar with the flora and fauna you have in your area. Visit natural museums or look up books about your state’s nature. Palm trees are local to Florida whereas Michigan has willow trees and pine trees everywhere. Take advantage of those geographical differences to discover and learn about nature right where you are.  

So many times when going on nature walks, we stop to observe tiny caterpillars or worms. The kids wish we could take them home to continue observing them. This Bug Catcher and Viewer helps us transport the bug to our garden to continue our observations. This set comes with an Insect Magnifier, a Catcher, and 2 tweezers to pick up bugs without actually touching them.

We have found that using a Bug-Catching Net is really useful for catching butterflies, look at, and release. Sometimes we snap a quick picture of it, or another insect, to read about in the book Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies: Take-Along Guide (Take Along Guides) . 

This Outdoor Set for Kids – Binoculars, Flashlight, Compass & Magnifying Glass is actually in my wish list. It is a very complete set that would be great to use when going on a hike, so the kids could bird watch from a distance through the binoculars. They could also use the compass for finding the direction we are walking while looking at a map.  

Books for the Nature Loving Child and Books for Nature Study

1. The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families, and Classrooms

2. Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World (Julia Rothman)

3. Trees, Leaves & Bark (Take Along Guides)

4. The Burgess Bird Book For Children 

5. The Burgess Animal Book for Children

6. The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature (Dover Children’s Science Books) 

Games for Nature Study

1. Outdoor nature scavenger hunt card game for families

2. Bug Bingo 

Nature study is a natural way of learning and appreciating the world around us. It also raises consciousness in caring for everything around us like animals and plants.

Go ahead and go to your backyard to enjoy, discover, and learn about what surrounds you!

This post contains affiliate links. The Bilingual Homeschooler might receive compensation upon a purchase through one of the links in this post at not extra cost to you. Thank you! Gracias! 

From a very young age, children learn about their emotions. They understand they feel something and may very well act on it. As they grow, they will be learning how to identify their emotions as well as learning how to process them.  If you are a bilingual teacher or if you are teaching Spanish to young children, I recommend the following books to teach the emotions in Spanish. 

El Monstruo de Colores

This book will give clues in colorful pictures for children to be able to learn and identify their emotions. This book does really well with young children. A must have in a Spanish library.

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El monstruo de colores (Spanish Edition)

The English version of this book illustrates common emotions as happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and calmness. This book gently encourages young children to open up with parents, teachers, and daycare providers about their feelings. Kids will LOVE the bright illustrations and amazing 3-D pop-ups on every page!

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The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of

Asi Me Siento Yo

Picture book filled with illustrations on a variety of feelings.

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Así me siento yo (Spanish Edition)

Alexander y el Dia Terrible, Horrible, Espantoso, Horroroso: Spanish Edition

This book is FAVORITE in English and I am so glad to have found a Spanish edition. The best part of this story is that it puts the names of emotions into context making it easier for Spanish Language Learners to really learn the names of the emotions and know how to use them in context. Great book to have in your Spanish library!

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Alexander Y El Día Terrible, Horrible, Espantoso,

What books would you add to this list? 

Other Book Lists in Spanish that might interest you: 

There is great comfort in having a curriculum. It tells you exactly what you need to teach, how to teach it, it gives you a thorough scope and sequence; it basically helps you stay on track. How very much needed is to have that peace of mind that we are teaching exactly what needs to be covered for their grade level! 

Part of what I love about homeschooling is the flexibility to draw on different curricula and teaching methodologies. Back in college, I learned that to teach Math, especially the younger years, students should engage in using manipulatives (very much like Ms. Mason said). Also, I learned that it is best to help students make connections between what their learning in their books and apply it to real life. Moreover, they need to see how simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division help them solve everyday problems. 

I believe that you can really use any curriculum to fit the methodology you are looking for. The curriculum is to be your guide, your compass…it’s what keeps you on track that you are teaching exactly what children should be learning at that level. 

Once you come to terms with that, you can use the curriculum in any way you wish. I choose to use our Abeka curriculum to fit into what is my preferred method of teaching.

Best Features about Abeka’s Arithmetic Curriculum:

1. Colorful, simple-straightforward lessons.
2. Lessons are short (just like Mason said they should be) – 3 to 5 min. Some things might take just a bit more, depends on the child. 
3. Seatwork is only one page, or 2 pages from 2nd grade and up. 
4. It uses a Spiral Curriculum – “A spiral curriculum can be defined as a course of study in which students will see the same topics throughout their school career, with each encounter increasing in complexity and reinforcing previous learning.” (Google)
5. There are story problems that need to be done orally (just like Charlotte Mason said there should be)
6. Learning facts (there is drill, but it is so quick! and fun! builds confidency)
7. Very easy to follow.

For example: How many chairs do we need to sit everyone? How many people will want to each cake? How many slices of pizza will everyone need to eat?

The past three years I have only used Abeka’s Arithmetic curriculum to teach Math grades: Kindergarten, First, and Second. As we are approaching Third, I have already ordered Abeka. We are sticking to it.

When you give it a quick glance or when you ask around, it may seem like it is far from being Charlotte Mason-friendly. Yes, it does use worksheets. Yes, it has speed drills. Yes, it has tests.

Yet, it is so much more than that.

Why use Math Manipulatives with ANY Math curriculum: 

From a young age, children need to visualize the concepts they are learning. It helps make the connection to learn to think abstractically. They need to see it first for it to make sense.  We all have to start somewhere.

Manipulatives help you present the material (concepts) in a concrete manner. 

Recommended Math Manipulatives to use with ANY Math curriculum: 

As you prepare to teach a Math lesson (regardless of the curriculum), I encourage you to keep a box with manipulatives. These are my preferred ones:

1. 1. Popular Playthings Playstix (150 pieces)
   2. Mathlink Cubes – Set of 100 Cubes
   3. Fraction Tower Activity Set
   4. Base Ten Blocks Set
   5. Gear Clock
   6. Teacher Created Resources Foam Fraction Circles (20611)
   7. Manipulative Kit (Saxon Math – very complete)

Additionally, you can use items available at home such as buttons (I get some at Joann’s and Dollar Tree), counters, rulers, beans, etc. Anything you can get your hands on and use for counting. 

What about Living Books?

Let children enjoy math outside of math. How about reading picture books that teach math indirectly? There are MANY picture books that are fun and help expand the understanding of these new concepts. Take advantage of them. Set them in a basket or leave them on the table and your little ones will come to them. Let the books help you teach. 🙂 

We have read through many living books to learn math. It has been fascinating. A living book is NOT a textbook. A living book is one that makes the story or concept come to life. It is engaging and it works! 

This post has the names of some of the math living books we have read the past few years. I do need to update it, though. Hope you find it helpful. 

Another series of books recommended in many homeschooling groups is Life of Fred. It is Math told in a story format. There are sales for it all the time in sites like Educents,

Another series of books recommended in many homeschooling groups is Life of Fred. It is a stand-alone curriculum for math, but I want to give it 

So you see, Math should be expected to go beyond what is presented in a book. This is why I believe that you could make any Math curriculum fit into the approach you desire. In my case, we align our Abeka Math to Charlotte Mason’s approach as closely as possible. 

Keep a Journal – Math Notebooking 

We keep a notebook for writing down our thought process for solving problems, strategies learned, math questions, ideas, etc. Pretty much anything they can think of that they want to record, draw about,  about Math.

Sometimes they write a food menu with prices and then add those up. Or write down about company coming over and figuring out a grocery list, how many chairs will be needed.

As long as it pertains to Math, it goes in the Math notebook.  

What Math curriculum do you use? How do you expand your Math curriculum?