Nature Study in Elementary Schools by Lucy Langdon Williams Wilson is an excellent teacher’s guide for instructing children in nature study at home. This free eBook is designed for the teacher who asks the questions:
“Can I teach this subject without scientific training?”
“Where can I gather material on the asphalt pavements and within the brick walls of a city?”
The course here presented does not presuppose special training on the part of the teacher, nor special facilities for the collection of material. It does, however, take for granted a strong desire on her part to do this work, a lively belief in its efficacy, and an earnest effort to become better acquainted with the familiar, yet to most of us unknown face of nature.
In other words, it is a perfect fit for the homeschool tutor!
Using the book as a foundational source, the homeschool mentor educates herself, then guides her children using their senses of observation to impart not only the facts of nature, but also its truths, encouraging her children to think and learn on their own.
To this end, the book lists the general topics covered by month:
Resources are recommended to further the mentor’s knowledge. With this background in hand, we start in September. Each month includes the following:
- Related poems.
- Topics to be covered.
- Stories that can be used.
- Facts that can be established through outdoor excursions.
- Literature that can be included.
- Activities that can be performed.
- Methods that can be used.
- Diagrams that can be copied.
- Charts that can be kept.
- Ways the lessons can be broken out by the age (or ability) of the child.
The appendix contains even more resources that can be sprinkled in throughout the year. Truly a complete nature study teacher’s guide!
No book is a perfect fit for every family. You’ll want to preview for suitability.