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Nature Study & Journaling

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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Nature Study & Journaling
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52 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Science Picture Books, 4th grade (Ages 9-10)
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)
$8.99
Baby Animals
Extraordinary Animals
by Andrew Brown
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Baby Whale Sharp Ears
by John Y. Beaty, illustrated by Helene Carter
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Beetle Is Shy
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Birds: Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines
by Caroline Arnold
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$7.95
Birds: Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines
by Caroline Arnold, illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
Bumblebee at Apple Tree Lane
Smithsonian's Backyard
by Laura Gates Galvin, illustrated by Kristin Kest
Paperback Book from Soundprints
for 1st-4th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
Butterflies and Moths
Golden Library of Knowledge
by Richard A. Martin
from Golden Press
for 1st-5th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Butterfly Is Patient
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Butterfly Is Patient
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$8.99
Coral Reef Hideaway
Smithsonian Oceanic Collection
by Doe Boyle
1st edition from Soundprints
for 1st-4th grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Birds
by Jim Arnosky
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-6th grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees
by Jim Arnosky
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-6th grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
Dinosaurs by Design
by Duane Gish
from Master Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$14.39
Dinosaurs for Kids
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$13.59
Dinosaurs of Eden
by Ken Ham
2nd edition from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$13.59
Disguises and Surprises
Supersmarts
by Claire Llewellyn
from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Dolphin's First Day
Smithsonian Oceanic Collection
by Wendy Baker
from Scholastic Reference
for 2nd-5th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
Dragons
by Bill Looney
from Master Books
for 4th-6th grades
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$15.99
Dry Bones and Other Fossils
by Gary & Mary Parker
2nd edition from Master Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$11.19 $6.50 (3 in stock)
Egg Is Quiet
by Dianna Hutts Aston
Library Binding from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
Egg Is Quiet
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$9.99
Elf Owl and His Ecosystem
by Megan Noel, illustrated by Tanya Glebova
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 3rd-5th grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
Exotic Invaders
by Jeanne M. Lesinski
from Walker Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Extraordinary Life
by Laurence Pringle, illustrated by Bob Marstall
from Orchard Books
for 2nd-6th grade
1998 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
First Book of Mammals
by Margaret Williamson
from Franklin Watts
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
First Book of Sea Shells
by Betty Cavanna, Illustrated by Marguerite Scott
from Franklin Watts
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Forest in the Trees
by Connie McLennan
from Arbordale Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$10.95
Great Animal Search
by Caroline Young
from Usborne
for 3rd-7th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Groundhog at Evergreen Road
Smithsonian's Backyard
by Susan Korman
1st edition from Smithsonian Books
for 1st-6th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
Humongous Fungus
by Lynne Boddy, illustrated by Wenjia Tang
from DK Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
Into the Forest
by Christiane Dorion, illustrated by Jane McGuinness
from Bloomsbury Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Introduction to Wild Flowers
by John Kieran, illustrated by Tabea Hofmann
1st edition from Doubleday & Company
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Life and Times of the Ant
by Charles Micucci
1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 1st-4th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
Little Walrus Warning
Smithsonian Oceanic Collection
by Carol Young
First Edition from Soundprints
for 2nd-5th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
Look Up!
by Annette LeBlanc Cate
2nd edition from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-6th grade
2014 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$8.99
Nature All Around: Plants
by Pamela Hickman, illustrated by Carolyn Gavin
from Kids Can Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
Otter On His Own
Smithsonian's Backyard
by Doe Boyle
from Scholastic Reference
for 2nd-5th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
Penguin Chick
Lets-Read-and-Find-Out Science
by Betty Tatham
from HarperCollins
for 1st-4th grade
in Arctic & Tundra (Location: SCI-ECO)
Puzzle of the Dinosaur-Bird
by Miriam Schlein, illustrated by Mark Hallett
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Rabbits, Rabbits, & MORE Rabbits!
by Gail Gibbons
from Holiday House
for 1st-4th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Rock is Lively OSI
by Dianna Hutts Aston
First Edition from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
Sea Turtle Journey
Smithsonian Oceanic Collection
by Lorraine A. Jay
1st edition from Soundprints
for 1st-4th grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
Seed Is Sleepy
by Dianna Hutts Aston, Sylvia Long
1st edition from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Seed Is Sleepy
by Dianna Hutts Aston, Sylvia Long
from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$7.99
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 Our Earth
Shine-A-Light
by Carron Brown and Illustrated by Wesley Robins
from Kane Miller
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Earth Science (Location: SCI-EARTH)
$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)
Under One Rock
by Anthony D. Fredericks
from Dawn Publications
for Preschool-5th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$2.50 (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)
Wild America Habitats: Deserts
by Melissa Cole
from Blackbirch Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Deserts & Grasslands (Location: SCI-ECO)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Wild and Swampy
by Jim Arnosky
from HarperCollins
for 1st-5th grade
2001 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in River, Pond & Swamp (Location: SCI-ECO)
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