As a homeschooling mother, summer is the greatest of seasons. While winter and spring see us fill up with math, science experiments and tons of reading, summer is where we take all that we have learned in the months past, and put it into application.
I consider the outdoors to be my children’s summer classroom, and the herbs under their feet, the trees that surround them, and the stars and planets above them their teachers. Nature is by far every child’s greatest educator. We can learn almost everything outdoors, from poetry to biology, physics to English, and with the biggest of laboratories always at their fingertips.
Every summer I try and plan a theme for each month of our studies. This year June is focused on herbal education, July trees and plants, and August birds, bees and insects. The three subjects tie together well, and are easy to study almost anywhere we might be. The planning is done a few weeks in advance, with books checked out, games gathered, field trips planned, and craft projects picked out.
There are so many farmers, bee keepers, bird specialists, wildlife experts and garden enthusiasts who are willing to stop and spend time talking with us, and it is great for the kids to have hands-on experiences. While it takes a bit of time to research everyone in our area who may be involved in the subjects we are learning about, it is always worth it to seek those individuals out.
There are no real rules of creating an outdoor classroom, but there are helpful tips for getting out and studying nature.
:: Let your children guide the subjects that they are most interested in.
:: Try and combine your themes for the summer together so that the learning is continuous and not choppy.
:: Find local aviaries, apiaries, farms, herbal walks, park talks, etc. to plan field trips around.
:: Volunteer at your local farm and let your children work the land right along side you.
:: Call your local garden centers and see if they offer workshops or garden classes for children. There are a lot of children’s gardens that offer free workshops once or twice a month on subjects you might be studying.
:: Create an outdoor classroom kit that consists of small jars and bags for collecting specimens, a magnifying glass, nature journals, pens and paints.
:: Give your children a small digital camera and play such games as “take a picture of everything alive in our backyard” or “how many bugs can you capture.” Create albums of their best shots, and see how delighted they are at their very own portfolio.
:: Do as much of your reading time as you can under a big tree, next to a creek, or in your garden.
:: Encourage your children to collect and study the bugs around them. If the bugs are alive, have them observe for no more than ten minutes before they release them.
:: Paint, draw and sketch outside every day. Ask your children to find a different part of your yard, park, local creek, etc. to sketch and see how it changes through the season.
:: Create a nature journal, track the movement of the sun, the changes in your garden, the temperature everyday.
There are thousands of ideas for bringing your child’s education out of doors, and I hope that this is only the beginning of your exploration. There is no place that children like to be more than out in the sunshine (or playing in puddles, sledding down snow…..) and allowing them a summer filled with nature guarantees that their love of learning will only continue to thrive.
Heather Fontenot, co-editor and publisher of Rhythm of The Home, lives with her family on the Front Range of NorthernColorado. She has a passion for natural and creative living, and spends as much of her time outdoors as possible. She loves to knit, sew, garden, photograph, read and homeschool her three sweet little ones. She writes the blog Shivaya Naturals, where she chronicles her life as a mother, artist, and gluten-free baker.