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Nature Study

Between global warming, holes in the ozone, and the pollution of our seas and rivers, maybe it is best to keep kids indoors and pacified in front of the television....but probably not. If these aren't real threats then there's nothing to protect our children (or ourselves) from, and if they are real threats—all the more reason to instill a love of nature in the younger generations.

Kids have an inclination toward exploration and learning. Allowing them to do so encourages not only active bodies and active minds, it fosters a healthy imagination and love of beauty. Charlotte Mason understood this over a century ago, and developed a system of education in which nature study played a prominent role. It is in nature, more than in the classroom or the rec room or even the library, that children best learn by observation, and this habit once formed will never disappear.

The often-referenced "childlike wonder" inherent in all of us from a young age (though modern society seems to be stamping it out quicker and more efficiently) isn't just some esoteric feeling of awe. It's literal wonder—kids wonder how birds fly, why their pet dog's fur falls out in summer, where ants go in the winter, why it gets colder and harder to breathe the higher you get. The less contact they have with the natural world, the less wonder they'll have; but the reverse is also true, and kids allowed to roam and explore the outdoors will develop a sense of inquisitiveness that can only help them in the so-called "real world."

Preparation for the Real World of modern myth often takes on peculiar guises. Children are snatched from the fields and streams and placed in front of computer screens or television sets. They are crowded into classrooms and made to feel good about the fact that they are learning nothing at the same rate as everyone around them. They are given plastic toys with supposed educational properties and made to "play" with them under close adult supervision.

Meanwhile, the real real world waits outside the walls and doors and windows with its fresh smells, its colors brighter and more unique than anything on HDTV or Blu-Ray, its real wind, and its endless mysteries. If you don't like answering questions, don't want your kids to grow or exercise, prefer fat and lazy to fit and intelligent offspring, by all means somberly prepare them for a life without questions, and consequently without answers. If you want children who will grown into thoughtful adults with a sense of the loveliness of Earth and their place in it, keeping them inside is possibly the most dangerous choice you can make on their behalf.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Parent Categories
Nature Study
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76 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Science Picture Books, Kindergarten (Ages 5-6)
Almost Gone
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Steve Jenkins
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
Ancient Ones
by Barbara Bash
from Sierra Club Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Animal School: What Class are You?
by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Michael Garland
from Holiday House
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Animals Born Alive and Well
by Ruth Heller
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Animals in Winter
by Henrietta Bancroft
Revised from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Ant Cities
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Arthur Dorros
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$5.99
Attack and Defense
by Robert Coupe
from Mason Crest Publishers
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Baby's Book of Animals
by Roger Priddy
from DK Publishing
for Nursery-1st grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beak Book
by Robin Page
from Beach Lane Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$18.99
Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature
by Stan & Jan Berenstain
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$15.99
Big Book
by Kathleen Ruckman
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Biography of a Rhino
by Alice L. Hopf; illustrated by Kiyo Komoda
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$44.00 (1 in stock)
Bugs, Beetles, and Butterflies
Puffin Science Easy-to-Read Level 1
by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Lisa Flather
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Butterfly Is Patient
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Butterfly Is Patient
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$7.99
Coral Reefs
by Jason Chin
from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Creepy, Crawly Caterpillars
by Margery Facklam
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Digging Up Dinosaurs
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
by Barbara Kerley
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
2002 Caldecott Honor Book, NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$19.99
Egg Is Quiet
by Dianna Hutts Aston
Library Binding from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Egg Is Quiet
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$7.99
Fall Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Arthur Dorros
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Water Cycle (Location: SCI-EARTH)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Forest
Our Changing World
by David Bellamy, illustrated by Jill Dow
from Clarkson Potter Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science Stage 1
by Deborah Heiligman
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science Stage 1
by Deborah Heiligman
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$6.99
From Tadpole to Frog
by Wendy Pfeffer
from HarperTrophy
for Preschool-1st grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Giraffe: A Living Tower
by Christine and Michel Denis-Huot
from Reader's Digest Young Families
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Great Kapok Tree
by Lynne Cherry
from Harcourt Children's Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
How a Seed Grows
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 1
by Helene J. Jordan
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Hurry and the Monarch
by Antoine O Flatharta, illustrated by Meilo So
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
I Love Guinea Pigs
by Dick King-Smith
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Insect Detective
by Steve Voake, illustrated by Charlotte Voake
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$7.99
Katya's Book of Mushrooms
from Living Book Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$12.99
Life and Times of the Honeybee
by Charles Micucci
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$8.99
Lifesize
from Kane Miller
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Living Fossils
by Caroline Arnold, illustrated by Andrew Plant
from Charlesbridge
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lizards for Lunch
by Conrad J. Storad
from Bobolink Media Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Look to the North
by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Lucia Washburn
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Look to the North
by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Lucia Washburn
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Dog Books (Location: SCI-MAMDOG)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Lucky Porcupine
by Miriam Schlein, illustrated by Martha Weston
from Four Winds Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
My Visit to the Aquarium
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
Nest Full of Eggs
by Priscilla Belz Jenkins
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Nest Is Noisy
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Nest Is Noisy
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$7.99
Noah's Ark and the Ararat Adventure
by John D. Morris
from Master Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
Now I Know All About Seeds
by Susan Kuchalla, illustrated by Jane McBee
from Troll Associates
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Oil Spill!
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by written by Melvin Berger; illustrated by Paul Mirocha
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Environment & Conservation (Location: SCI-ENV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Prairie Dog Town
Smithsonian Wild Heritage Collection
by Bettye Rogers, illustrated by Deborah Howland
from Trudy Corporation
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Quick as a Wink
by Dorothy Aldis, illustrated by Peggy Westphal
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Raccoons and Ripe Corn
by Jim Arnosky
from Mulberry Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf
by Lois Ehlert
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Redwoods
by Jason Chin
from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$9.99
River Ran Wild
by Lynne Cherry
from Harcourt
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in River, Pond & Swamp (Location: SCI-ECO)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Shine-A-Light: Secrets of Animal Camouflage
Shine-A-Light
by Carron Brown and Illustrated by Wesley Robins
from Kane Miller
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Shine-A-Light: Secrets of the Apple Tree
Shine-A-Light
by Carron Brown and Illustrated by Alyssa Nassner
from Kane Miller
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Shine-A-Light: Secrets of the Apple Tree
Shine-A-Light
by Carron Brown and Illustrated by Alyssa Nassner
from Quarto Knows
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Shine-A-Light: Secrets of the Seashore
Shine-A-Light
by Carron Brown & Alyssa Nassner
from Kane Miller
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Seashore & Tidepools (Location: SCI-ECO)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems
by Joyce Sidman
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
2006 Caldecott Honor Book
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Spring Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Summer Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Teddy Roosevelt's Elk
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
The Egg
by Shelley Gill, illustrated by Jo-Ellen Bosson
from Charlesbridge
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Toad Overload
by Patricia Seibert, illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Ecology (Location: SCI-ECO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tree Is a Plant
Let's- Read - and -Find- Out Science
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
Tree Is a Plant
Let's- Read - and -Find- Out Science
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.50 (3 in stock)
Web in the Grass
by Berniece Freschet, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Welcome to the Green House
by Jane Yolen
from Puffin Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs?
by John Morris & Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
What's It Like to be a Fish?
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 1
by Wendy Pfeffer, Illustrated by Holly Keller
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Who Eats What?
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Patricia Lauber
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
Why is the Sky Blue?
by Geraldine Taylor, illustrated by Amy Schimler
from Ladybird Books Ltd
for Nursery-1st grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Winter Sleep
by Sean Taylor & Alex Morss, illustrated by Cinyee Chiu
from Happy Yak
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$10.99
Winter Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
Woolly Sheep and Hungry Goats
Rookie Read-About Science
by Allan Fowler
from Children's Press
for Preschool-1st grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Zoo for You
by Winifred and Cecil Lubell
from Parents Magazine Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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