Term 1 - Insects in the Backyard and House

It isn't always easy to get out to do nature study with younger children, so encourage your child to notice and appreciate what nature they can see around them (yes, even those daddy-long-legs spiders at home!). You are trying to foster their observation skills and start to teach them about many different aspects of nature, but start simply to make it do-able.

Direct your Kindergartener to observe what he sees in your own home and backyard first of all.  The focus of nature study is to carefully look and notice details in what is around them.  For a Kindergartener this is best done through what they can see themselves in familiar spaces. Starting at this simple level also assists mums who may need to brush up on their natural science content.

Nature Study is a key aspect of science in the Charlotte Mason method because, as Charlotte wrote:

out-of-door nature study lays the foundation for science.

What to Look For

It is helpful to have a goal about what to examine each week during Nature Study time. While your children may find numerous specimens during their week, use this time to focus their attention on a particular aspect of nature that you can easily find. Charlotte incorporated "Special Studies" into her programs to allow the children to better understand aspects of nature in depth and this approach reflects that.

Week 1 : Bees

The resource from CSIRO What Bug is That? is a great place to learn about the different insect families we have in Australia. 

For information on the waggle dance of bees this resource may interest your Kindergartener (2:30 mins):

 
 
Last modified: Saturday, 18 November 2023, 8:30 AM