June, the heat of summer has set in! Not that periodically we cannot get a cool day, but most days are hopping in the pool to cool off days around here.  Much of God’s creation loves the warmer weather as well, and many things are bursting forth in full, lush green life.

Throughout this post I’m going to share with you some photos that I’ve taken this last couple of weeks.

• A few butterflies have been coming out for a while now, but finally most varieties are showing themselves quite frequently. This is a great time to get out in a field of clover on a hot, sunny day and sit quietly with a camera. Butterflies cannot resist the sweet nectar of wildflowers and if you sit still long enough they’ll give you a great view of them.

This is a lovely Pearl Crescent butterfly. They are very friendly.

• Speaking of wildflowers , summer varieties are blooming, Vetch being one of them. Don’t forget to keep looking because this time of year different species of wildflowers are popping up every week.

I still find beauty in all the varieties of Clover.

• If you are having any significant rainfall, along with hot, sticky days, fungi are all over the place! Keep your eyes out for some amazing varieties that you might not see other times of the year.

A super neat fungi found down by a large creek.

• Frogs and toads are ALL over the place! Toads are probably hoping around under your feet, and visit a small creek area to find lots of frogs. You can still find tadpoles/eggs to hatch raise.

I posted about this previously; my son's largest Bullfrog catch, ever!

• It’s a wonderful time to visit a pond! Visit a pond to see dragonflies, amphibians of all sorts, turtles, water birds, etc. Have a pond-side picnic! 

• Around our area birds are very abundant this year. Lots of varieties have visited us. Just yesterday I saw one that I had never seen with my own eyes before…the Prairie Warbler. They are only in Kentucky in the summer time! Take a bird watching trip. Go to an area that has different habitats such as water, woods and open prairie to see the largest variety.

• June can still drop a monster thunderstorm, as was evidenced in our city recently. It rained so hard the lower area of our yard (by the creek) flooded! That’s never happened before. The stormy season is a wonderful time to study about weather and complications of weather such as severe lightning and floods.

I've never seen our creek flood like this! Good thing our house is up on the hill!

• After a June thunderstorm you can view some pretty fantastic sunsets with the clouds! We saw this one after the storm that caused our lower yard to flood.

The kids thought this was so cool! Looks like a dragon!

• Here are some applicable NaturExplorers units for summer:  Butterflies Flutter By, Wonderful Wildflowers, Remarkable Rain, Frogs and Toads, Beautiful Birds, Animal Signs,, Peaceful Ponds, A Fungus Among Us. Visit the Shining Dawn Books website to find out more information about these units and see samples of each!

Enjoy the gorgeous summertime!

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.  ~e.e. cummings

Ah, May, beautiful May. Rain showers are periodically falling to give way to colorful wildflowers, spring green leaves, and bright blue skies. The green is greener and the blue is bluer than any other time of year I think. Perhaps this is the most beautiful month of the year. Nature is simply alive everywhere and ready for you to enjoy it. There are countless opportunities almost every day to observe and learn something new. Don’t let the month slip away without taking time to enjoy it.

Here are some May nature noteables:

• Wildflowers are popping up everywhere! Take frequent walks in the same places and different places to be sure to observe as many as you can. Make note of the ones that are here for short amounts of time and the ones that stay with us all spring and summer.

• Creeks and rivers continue to be on the move. Now is an excellent time to take a walk along the creekside to observe signs of life. As the temperatures continue to warm, look for frogs jumping off the sides, frogs/toad eggs, crayfish and salamanders swimming about, and water striders all over the creek’s surface.

• Deciduous trees are almost fully bloomed out with leaves. The young leaves are a gorgeous, almost neon, green color. Now would be a great time to study about leaves and choose a tree to keep track of the leaves progression into fall.

• Conifer (evergreen) trees are a wonderful sight to behold right now too. Check out my post about this at Shining Dawn Books.

• Babies are being born. Especially look for baby birds in nests. Be careful not to disturb them. We have a Robin’s nest built in the rafters beneath our deck; we’ve been able to watch the blue eggs and now the cute babies that have hatched out this week.

• The “dawn chorus” of bird songs is still going strong. Take time, especially early in the morning to sit and listen to the orchestra.

• May can still pack a strong thunderstorm. Use this opportunity to not only study about the science of a thunderstorm but you could also talk about safety during a thunderstorm.

• May 4th is National Weather Observers Day. Spend this day tracking weather in your area.

• May 9th is Mother’s Day. Take one day that week to take a nature walk by yourself! Enjoy the peace offered by God in nature.

• May 12th is Kite Day…go fly a kite! That is if it’s windy enough. Use this opportunity to discuss what causes wind.

• Keep looking for the fungi! Look on trees, fallen logs, around creeks and even in your yard to find all sorts of fungi! As the temperatures grown warmer and still stay wet, you’ll find more and more.

• May is often muddy which means it’s an excellent time for finding animal tracks. Especially look around areas where there is water.

• Rainy days and warm muggy mornings make for excellent fog. Be sure to be up in time to catch the view of the sun breaking through the fog, then talk about the fact that fog is just stratus clouds on the ground!

• Pond life is bursting forth too. Make a visit to a pond to observe new animal and plant life emerging. Watch for frogs and toads, ducks, green plants pushing out from the water and dragonflies zipping around.

• Here are some applicable NaturExplorers units for spring:  Wonderful Wildflowers, Frogs and Toads, Constant Conifers, Beautiful Birds, Animal Signs, Delightful Deciduous Trees, Peaceful Ponds, A Fungus Among Us. Visit the Shining Dawn Books website to find out more information about these units and see samples of each!

Enjoy the beautiful month of May in nature!

Where man sees but withered leaves, God sees sweet flowers growing.
~Albert Laighton

Yet another month has past! And we have officially welcomed in springtime here in my area. April, to me, speaks of everything new! There are so many things springing up new in nature in April, at least where I live, and that is reason to celebrate AND get outside! Our family has been taking almost daily nature walks to observe some of the wonderful happenings in nature. Several early wildflowers have begun to bloom, the magnolia trees are in bloom and even the frogs and toads have began to sing. Lest I forget that I should remember an Easter not too many years ago when it snowed! But, we’ll enjoy those gorgeous days in between anyway.

Magnolia Tree in Bloom at Park

Here are some April nature noteables:

• April is a time of new growth of new beginnings. And also since Easter is in April, this is a great time to talk about Jesus’ resurrection and how God uses the springtime to parallel and show this new beginning.

• Early spring wildflowers are well into bloom! This is an excellent time to start a wildflower notebook or just start taking walks to observe all the amazing varieties. During the spring there will be different types popping up almost every day! So be on the lookout!

• Creeks and rivers are on the move. The spring rains almost always assure that! Now may be a great time to take a walk along the creekside to observe signs of life. Look for frogs jumping off the sides, crayfish beginning to emerge and water striders all over the creek’s surface. Also notice the erosion from the winter time and the rains. Creeks are an excellent place to observe erosion.

• Take time for peace. The springtime, with it’s warm and gentle breezes and beautiful birds singing, is a great time to teach your children the art of listening and appreciation in nature. Depending on their age have them sit for a few moments or more and just listen quietly. Talk about the five senses and what they are experiencing through each of those at that moment. Talk about how grateful we are to such an awesome God to give us such beautiful moments.

• Not only are wildflowers blooming but trees are blooming too! If you are fortunate enough to live near an Arboretum be sure to take weekly visits to see all the trees budding and blooming. Or just visit a park with a wooded area, you a re bound to see a variety there too.

• April 8th is International Bird Day. Use this day to focus in on birds!

• April 22nd is Earth Day. Learn about the importance of nature in our world and best of all plant a tree!

• April 28th is National Poetry Reading Day. Pick some of your favorite nature poems to read aloud and try your hand at writing some too!

• April is National Gardening Month.  Put on your gardening gloves and don’t be afraid to get muddy, your kids will love you for it! Whether you have small container gardens or several acres of gardens there is much to learn from the planting of a seed.

• Frogs and toads are starting to come out of hibernation and are singing for a mate. Keep on the lookout for eggs beginning to appear. Frogs lay eggs in jelly like masses, toads lay eggs in long strings that look like black pearls. I have lots of experience with raising tadpoles. Visit THIS link and THIS one. Raising tadpole is a bit of work, BUT oh so worth it!

• Frogs and toads aren’t the only ones looking for a mate right now, in fact most animals in nature are! Keep on the lookout for baby animals, especially noticeable are baby birds, baby squirrels and baby deer.

• It’s still thunderstorm season in April! Be sure to take this opportunity to study all about thunderstorms and lightning. Visit the book of Job in the Bible to find out what God thinks of thunder and lightning!

• April is full of colors! It might be fun to keep a nature color journal, making note of all the different colors you find in nature in springtime.

• April is usually wet and temperatures are warming which usually brings on lots of fungus! Look on trees, fallen logs, around creeks and even in your yard to find all sorts of fungi!

• April is often muddy which means it’s an excellent time for finding animal tracks. Especially look around areas where there is water.

• Here are some applicable NaturExplorers units for spring:  Wonderful Wildflowers, Frogs and Toads, Everchanging Erosion, Beautiful Birds, Animal Signs, Delightful Deciduous Trees, A Fungus Among Us. Visit the Shining Dawn Books website to find out more information about these units and see samples of each!

I’ll be back very soon to share some of  the wonderful photos I’ve been taking of our adventures outside!

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. – Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Ah, March is here! Don’t you know that March is the month that springtime comes? Well, officially spring comes on March 21st, but unfortunately I’m sure that there are many more cold winter days left. However, one thing is for sure, March means that spring is well on it’s way! And before long we will start getting those glimpses of warmer days. You know, the days where the bright sun is shining and a warm breeze is flowing, rejuvenating a winter weary soul.

And to jump start your spring, here are some March Nature Notables:

• The Big Thaw is on! Winter time is on it’s way out. What evidence do you see of this? Keep a daily nature diary through the month of all the signs of winter leaving and spring beginning to arrive. This might be a great time to start taking photos of the changes to include in your diary as well.  And don’t forget to learn about the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring) on March 21st!

• March, a time of new beginnings and of new birth, is a great time for Bible lessons on Jesus’ resurrection.

• The Iditarod begins on March the 6th. Use this opportunity to learn about this interesting dog sled race and learn more about nature in Alaska while you’re at it.

• At the end of winter is a great time to study erosion. Ice and snow have a way of creating lots of erosion whether is be on the banks of a creek or the potholes your car hits in the road.

• March is the time of the Full Worm Moon. As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. This moon is also known as the Full Crow Moon, Full Crust Moon and the Full Sap Moon.

• Speaking of sap, March is usually the month of tapping maple trees for their yummy sap. Read about it or check your area to see if there is a place you can visit to witness this cool process of turning sap into syrup. Celebrate by bringing a bottle home and having pancakes or waffles for dinner!

• St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th. Go out hunting for four-leaf clovers!

• “In like a lion, out like a lamb”, this is the way March’s weather is supposed to be. Keep watch to see if that’s true. Keep a weather diary. Investigate where this saying came from and why it tends to be true. While your at it investigate other weather-lore and decide if the sayings are true or not. Here is an article I wrote about using March to teach weather: Hear Me Roar: Using Weather in March to Teach.

• March is typically known as a great month for flying kites! Why is this? Of course it’s because it tends to be a windy month. Make sure to spend a day outside flying kites! And learn a bit more about the wind while you’re at it.

• Speaking of wind, the season of spring is famous for bringing what meteorologists refer to as “whiplash weather“. What is whiplash weather and why is it prevalent in spring?

• For many areas March marks the beginning of tornado season. Use this opportunity to study tornadoes. Map out “tornado alley”. Investigate why tornadoes are more frequent this time of year and more prevalent in certain areas.

• If your fortunate you may not experience tornadoes in your area. But at the very least you may have thunderstorms in the spring. Use this opportunity to study about thunder and lighting and what makes a thunderstorm. On a stormy day read the book Storm in the Night by Mary Stolz.

• March is the month you are likely to notice an increase in the birds singing. Therefore, this may be a great month to study the birds! Learn their calls and songs and why they sing more this time of year. Also, many migrating birds are beginning to return to their summer homes this month. Which birds are returning to your area that have been gone?

• Watch for buds on plants and trees and new growth starting to push through the soil! Those few warmer days may bring on the beginning of all these things in your area. Keep an eye out! Maybe bring in a branch with buds to force open by putting it in a vase of water.

• In our area, mid to late March usually brings on the emergence of the first wildflowers. Often these early bloomers can be found on the woods floor. Now would be an excellent time to begin studying flowers! Check to see what wildflowers bloom in March in your area and be on the lookout for them. Begin to keep a wildflower journal of your discoveries throughout the spring, summer and fall.

• Not only is March the month some wildflowers start returning but also some early garden bulb flowers will begin to push their way through the soil. One of the earliest in our area is the Crocus. The crocus is a wonderful sign of spring, even blooming sometimes through the late winter snow. Use this opportunity to study the Crocus or any other early bloomer bulb flower of your choice. The Handbook of Nature Study has a wonderful section on the Crocus.

• March is the month we start seeds indoors. Plan a simple garden or flower bed. Map it out, get the seeds, and watch them begin to grow!

• Pertinent Shining Dawn Books unit studies: Beautiful Birds, Everchanging Erosion, Wonderful Wildflowers

Happy nature study in March!

Oh dear, I’m almost late in getting this post out! Can you believe that tomorrow is February? Where has January gone? Well anyways, I hope that you were able to get some good nature study time in during January, even if the temperatures were a bit (or a lot) chilly! The sun did finally break through the clouds and the blue skies returned after days and days of gray, that was an instant mood lifter.

So, onward to February nature. If you hibernated last month (like I did somewhat) there’s no time like the present to get back outside and enjoy God’s creation. Usually by February everyone’s starting to look forward to springtime (getting cabin fever), so I would encourage getting outside as much as possible and observing the details to find beauty and encouragement.

Here is my list of February Nature Notables to get you started. Some of these things may be repeated from last month, but many are new.

• Did you start a nature calendar in January? Be sure to keep it up through this month. Even if you didn’t start one in January, it’s always a good time to start any time of year.
• Whenever possible study and observe snowflakes, ice and frost.
• Hunt for animal signs and tracks in mud and/or snow.
• Chart the sun on the horizon throughout the month at the same time each day. Note how the position is changing (keep the Observing the Sun’s Position notebooking page if you’d like).
• Watch for sun or moon halos (this time of year is a great time to observe this).
• Spend time cloud gazing. Humidity levels are low in the sky giving a very clear view on certain days.
• Spend time at night star gazing for the same reason listed above.
• Search for beauty in winter, even on gray, drabby days look for details and give God the glory.
• If possible, put out bird feeders. This time of year they will greatly appreciate it and you will immensely enjoy watching them. Plan to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count coming February 12th – 15th!
• Observe wooded areas. While the brush is gone and leaves are off the trees you can get a great view of wildlife such as deer, squirrels and birds.
• Study and observe evergreens and conifers.
• We all know that February is all about LOVE! You could play this into nature by taking a hike and making a list of things that you find that you love in February’s nature; this would also help with the cabin fever and lack of appreciation. And/or find ways to “love” and take care of nature by feeding the birds and other wildlife, providing water, etc.
• Another way to help with cabin fever: planning/mapping a garden for spring, buying seeds, etc. Yep, we can officially say we can start looking forward to spring!!!
• Also now is a great time to have a Indoor Root Vegetable Tabletop Garden!
• Join the Journey North Mystery Class (starting February 1st!).
• Applicable Shining Dawn Books topics: Snow and Ice, Constant Conifers, Animal Signs, Captivating Clouds, Beautiful Birds.

Editing to add a couple more things:

Don’t forget February 2nd is Groundhog Day. A great time to study about groundhogs and hibernation.

On February the 28th there will be a Full Snow Moon – Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February’s full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult. – Might be a great time to study full moon names and their origins and moon phases.

Happy February Nature study!!

In the meantime here is a website where you can get more information:

National Bird Day

I’m doing this to not only inspire you but also to keep our family’s nature study on proper course. It is true that if you spend a lot of time outdoors like we do, sometimes a little direction is needed to keep nature observation focused. We spend plenty of unfocused time outside too, that’s good, however I believe it is also good to sometimes have a list of ideas and a plan. There’s a balance between having a plan but knowing when to chase down “rabbit trails” when desired too.

With that all said, here is our list of January nature notables:

• The beginning of the year is a great time to start a Nature Calendar.
• Whenever possible study and observe snowflakes, ice and frost.
• Hunt for animal signs and tracks in mud and/or snow.
• Watch for ways that animals are surviving the cooler temperatures.
• Chart the sun on the horizon throughout the month at the same time each day. Note how the position is changing (study the winter solstice).
• Watch for sun or moon halos (this time of year is a great time to observe this).
• Spend time cloud gazing. Humidity levels are low in the sky giving a very clear view on certain days.
• Spend time at night star gazing for the same reason listed above.
• Adopt a tree to watch and journal monthly about throughout the year.
• Search for beauty in winter, even on gray, drabby days look for details and give God the glory.
• If possible, put out bird feeders. This time of year they will greatly appreciate it and you will immensely enjoy watching them. Plan to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count coming in February! AND January 5th is National Bird Day!
• Observe wooded areas. While the brush is gone and leaves are off the trees you can get a great view of wildlife such as deer, squirrels and birds.
• Study and observe evergreens and conifers.
• Applicable Shining Dawn Books topics: Snow and Ice, Constant Conifers, Animal Signs, Captivating Clouds, Coping with the Cold, Beautiful Birds.

Need more inspiration and ideas on how to prepare for winter nature study?  Read Winter Nature Study.