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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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57 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Field Guides & Nature Handbooks, 5th grade (Ages 10-11)
Animal Tracks
from Waterford Press
for 3rd-Adult
in Field Guides: Animals (general) (Location: NAT-FG03)
Another Field Guide to Little Known and Seldom-Seen Birds of North America
by Ben, Cathryn, and John Sill
from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bird Watching Answer Book
by Laura Erickson, Illustrated by Pedro Fernandes
from Storey Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
Birds of the Pacific Northwest
by John Shewey & Tim Blount, edited by Hendrik Herlyn
from Timber Press, Inc.
for 5th-Adult
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$29.99 $18.00 (1 in stock)
Birds of the Pacific Northwest Coast
by Nancy Baron & John Acorn
from Lone Pine Publishing
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Birds of the Puget Sound Region
by Dennis Paulson
from R. W. Morse Company
for 3rd-Adult
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Bumper Book of Nature
by Stephen Moss
1st edition from Crown Trade Paperbacks
for 1st-Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
Can You Track It? Mammals
by Maggie Felsch and Shannen Yauger, illustrated by Tanya Glebova and Abram Felsch
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 3rd-6th grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
DK Handbooks: Insects, Spiders and Other Terrestrial Arthropods
by Randall Jarrell
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-Adult
1966 Newbery Honor Book
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Familiar Animals of America
by Will Barker, illustrated by Carl Burger
from Harper & Brothers
for 4th-12th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Familiar Seashore Creatures: North America
Audubon Society Pocket Guides
by Stephen H. Amos
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 3rd-8th grade
in Field Guides: Fish & Water Life (Location: NAT-FG02)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Guide: Geology
by Frank H.T. Rhodes, illustrated by Raymond Perlman
from Golden Books
for 2nd-7th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Guide: Pond Life
by George K. Reid
from Golden Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Field Guides: Animals (general) (Location: NAT-FG03)
$8.99
Golden Guide: Seashore Life
by Herbert S. Zim and Lester Ingle, illustrated by Dorothea and Sy Barlowe
from St. Martin's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Golden Guide: Skyguide
Golden Guides
by Mark Chartrand
from Golden Books
for 2nd-7th grade
in Field Guides: Weather & Astronomy (Location: NAT-FG10)
Golden Guide: Stars
by Herbert S. Zim, Robert H. Baker
1st edition from St. Martin's Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Stars & Constellations (Location: SCI-AST)
Golden Guide: Trees
by Herbert S. Zim and Alexander C. Martin, illustrated by Dorothea and Sy Barlowe
from Golden Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Guide: Weather
by Herbert S. Zim, Paul E. Lehr, R. Will Burnett
1st edition
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides: Weather & Astronomy (Location: NAT-FG10)
Into the Field Guide: A Walk in the Woods
by Emily Laber-Warren
from Downtown Bookworks
for 1st-5th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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
National Audubon Society Birdfeeder Handbook
by Robert Burton
from Covent Garden Books
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Mammals
by John O. Whitaker
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 5th-10th grade
in Field Guides: Mammals (Location: NAT-FG05)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales & Dolphins
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Fish & Water Life (Location: NAT-FG02)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals (old)
by John O. Whitaker
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 5th-10th grade
in Field Guides: Mammals (Location: NAT-FG05)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
by Gary H. Lincoff
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$26.00 $14.00 (1 in stock)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians OSI
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: NAT-FG06)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals OSI
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Rocks & Minerals (Location: NAT-FG09)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Seashore Creatures
by Norman A Meinkoth
First Edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Fish & Water Life (Location: NAT-FG02)
$27.00
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Shells
Reprint from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Fish & Water Life (Location: NAT-FG02)
$24.95
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Trees: Eastern Region
Chanticleer Press Ed from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$23.95
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Trees: Western Region OSI
by Elbert L. Little
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Amphibians
by Brian Cassie
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides: Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: NAT-FG06)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Shells
by Brian Cassie
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides: Fish & Water Life (Location: NAT-FG02)
National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Trees
by Brian Cassie
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Weather
by Jonathan D. W. Kahl
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides: Weather & Astronomy (Location: NAT-FG10)
Night Sky
Usborne Spotter's Guides
from Usborne
for 3rd-12th grade
in Field Guides: Weather & Astronomy (Location: NAT-FG10)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
North American Wildlife
by Jay Ellis Ransom
from Reader's Digest
for 4th-10th grade
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Peterson Field Guide Coloring Book: Forests
Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books
by John C. Kricher, Sara Bennett
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Peterson Field Guide: Mammals - Coloring Book
Peterson Field Guide Color-In Books
by Peter C. Alden & Fiona Reid
from Mariner Books
for 3rd-Adult
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$10.99 $7.00 (1 in stock)
Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America
by Roger Tory Peterson
2nd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$14.99
Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths
by Paul A. Opler
2nd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-12th grade
in Field Guides: Insects & Arachnids (Location: NAT-FG04)
$9.99
Peterson First Guide to Insects
Peterson First Guide
by Christopher Leahy
2nd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Field Guides: Insects & Arachnids (Location: NAT-FG04)
$10.99
Peterson First Guide to Mammals of North America
by Peter Alden
3rd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides: Mammals (Location: NAT-FG05)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Peterson First Guide to Rocks and Minerals
by Frederick H. Pough
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-8th grade
in Field Guides: Rocks & Minerals (Location: NAT-FG09)
$7.95
Planets, Moons and Stars
Take-Along Guide
by Laura Evert, Illustrated by Linda Garrow
from Northword Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides: Weather & Astronomy (Location: NAT-FG10)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Pocket Guide to the Outdoors based on My Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George with Twig C. George
from Dutton Children's Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Rocks & Minerals
by Nancy Honovich
from National Geographic
for 4th-6th grade
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads
Take-Along Guide
by Laura Evert, Illustrated by Linda Garrow
from Northword Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Squirrels of the West
Lone Pine Field Guide
by Tamara Hartson
from Lone Pine Publishing
for 3rd-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Tracks, Scats and Signs
Take-Along Guide
by Leslie Dendy
from Northword Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Field Guides: Animals (general) (Location: NAT-FG03)
$7.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-Ups
by Gina Ingoglia
from Brooklyn Botanic Garden
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
Trees and Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest
Timber Press Field Guides
by Ellen Kuhlmann, Mark Turner
from Timber Press, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$29.99
What's That Bird?
by Joseph Choiniere & Claire Mowbray Golding
from Storey Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$14.95
Wild Flowers of the Pacific Coast
by Leslie L. Haskin
from Binford & Mort Publishing
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest
Timber Press Field Guides
by Mark Turner, Phyllis Gustafson
from Timber Press, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$29.99
Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest
Timber Press Field Guides
by David Moskowitz
from Timber Press, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides: Animals (general) (Location: NAT-FG03)
$29.99
World of Fish
by Franco de Carli, translated by Jean Richardson
from Gallery Books
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
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