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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127 Items found Print
Active Filters: Preschool (Ages 4-5), Used Books & Materials
95 Animals of the Bible
by Nancy P. Johnson
from Master Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
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 Babies in Grasslands
from Kingfisher
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Homes
National Geographic Kids Pre-reader
by Shira Evans
from National Geographic
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in National Geographic Early Readers (Location: EAR-NGR)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Animal-Go-Round
by Johnny Morris
from DK Publishing
for Nursery-1st grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (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 (2 in stock)
Animals in Winter
by Henrietta Bancroft
Revised from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Bambi's Forest
by Joanne Ryder, illustrated by David Pacheco and Jesse Clay
1st edition from Disney Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Beluga Passage
Smithsonian's Oceanic collection
by Linda Lingemann, illustrated by Jon Weiman
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Whales & Dolphins (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature
by Stan & Jan Berenstain
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$15.99 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Berry Book
by Gail Gibbons
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Big Red Kangaroo
by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Graham Byrne
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Bird's Eye View: The Natural World
by John Farndon and Paul Boston
from Words & Pictures
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Birds Do the Strangest Things
by Leonora and Arthur Hornblow, illustrated by Michael K. Frith
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Birds In Your Backyard
by Barbara Herkert
from Dawn Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Black Bear Cub at Sweet Berry Trail
Smithsonian's Backyard collection
by Laura Gates Galvin, illustrated by Will Nelson
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Box Turtle at Silver Pond Lane
Smithsonian's Backyard collection
by Susan Korman, illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Bugs for Lunch
by Margery Facklam, illustrated by Sylvia Long
from Charlesbridge
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Bugs!
National Geographic Kids Pre-reader
by Shira Evans
from National Geographic
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in National Geographic Early Readers (Location: EAR-NGR)
$2.50 (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)
Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle
Smithsonian's Backyard Collection
by Deborah Dennard, illustrated by Kristin Kest
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Butterfly! A Story of Magic
Whitman Tell-A-Tale #2559
by Eileen Daly, illustrated by Florence Sarah Winship
from Western Publishing
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.38 (1 in stock)
Buzz, Bee!
National Geographic Kids Pre-reader
by Jennifer Szymanski
from National Geographic
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in National Geographic Early Readers (Location: EAR-NGR)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Cactus Hotel
by Brenda Z. Guiberson
1st edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Deserts & Grasslands (Location: SCI-ECO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Caterpillars and Butterflies
Usborne Beginners
by Stephanie Turnbull
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Cottontail at Clover Crescent
Smithsonian's Backyard collection
by C. Drew Lamm, illustrated by Allen Davis
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Daylight Starlight Wildlife
by Wendell Minor
from Nancy Paulsen Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Daytime Nighttime All Through the Year
by Diane Lang, illustrated by Andrea Gabriel
from Dawn Publications
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Deer Mouse at Old Farm Road
Smithsonian's Backyard collection
by Laura Gates Galvin, illustrated by Katy Bratun
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Diary of a Wombat
by Jackie French
1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Digging Up Dinosaurs
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Dinosaur Activity Book
by Earl & Bonita Snellenberger
2015 Printing from Master Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$7.99 $5.50 (1 in stock)
Dinosaurs
by Jane Werner Watson
1975 Printing from Golden Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.75 (1 in stock)
Dinosaurs for Little Kids
by Ken Ham, Illustrated by Bill Looney
from Master Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$11.19 $7.50 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness Explorers: Insects
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
DK Readers: Diving Dolphin
DK Readers Level 1
by Karen Wallace
from DK Children
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in DK Readers (Location: EAR-DK)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Dolphin's Rescue
Smithsonian's Oceanic collection
by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Steven James Petruccio
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Whales & Dolphins (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Earthworm
by Andrienne Soutter-Perrot, illustrated by Etienne Delessert
from Creative Education
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Elephants of Africa
by Gail Gibbons
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
EyeLike Letters
from Play Bac
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Feathers: Not Just for Flying
by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen
from Charlesbridge
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Field Full of Horses
by Peter Hansard
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Horses & Ponies (Location: SCI-MAMHOR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
First Encyclopedia of Animals
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Paul Dowswell
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Flowers are Calling
by Rita Gray, illustrated by Kenard Pak
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Flutter, Butterfly!
National Geographic Kids Pre-reader
by Shelby Alinsky
from National Geographic
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in National Geographic Early Readers (Location: EAR-NGR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Frog Alphabet Book
by Jerry Pallotta
from Charlesbridge
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
From Seed to Plant
by Gail Gibbons
from Holiday House
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
From Seed to Pumpkin
Lets-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 1
by Wendy Pfeffer, Illustrated by James Graham Hale
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$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)
Grady the Goose
by Denise Brennan-Nelson, illustrated by Michael Glenn Monroe
from Sleeping Bear Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Hello, Penguin!
National Geographic Kids Pre-reader
by Kathryn Williams
from National Geographic
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in National Geographic Early Readers (Location: EAR-NGR)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Hermit Crab's Home
Smithsonian's Oceanic collection
by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Bob Dacey & Debra Bandelin
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Seashore & Tidepools (Location: SCI-ECO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Honeybee
by Kirsten Hall, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
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)
How Flowers Grow
Usborne Beginners
by Emma Helbrough
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$4.99 $3.00 (3 in stock)
How Grace Got Her Name
by Alice Elshoff, illustrated by Jennifer Curtis
from Moonglade Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
How to Hide a Butterfly
by Ruth Heller
from Grosset & Dunlap
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$5.99 $2.00 (1 in stock)
How to Hide a Gray Treefrog
by Ruth Heller
from Grosset & Dunlap
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
I Wonder What a Rainforest Is
by Annabelle Donati, Sharron O'Neil
from Golden Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Icky Bug Shapes
by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Shennen Bersani
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
If I Were a Bird
by Gladys Conklin; illustrated by Artur Marokvia
from Holiday House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$10.50 (1 in stock)
Life Cycle of a Bird
by Bobbie Kalman and Kathryn Smithyman
from Crabtree Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Life Cycle of a Frog
by Bobbie Kalman and Kathryn Smithyman
from Crabtree Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Turtle and the Song of the Sea
by Sheridan Cain, illustrated by Norma Burgin
from Crocodile Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Little Wood Duck
by Brian Wildsmith
from Franklin Watts
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.50 (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)
Lobster's Secret
Smithsonian's Oceanic collection
by Kathleen M. Hollenbeck, illustrated by Jon Weiman
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Look to the North
by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Lucia Washburn
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Dog Books (Location: SCI-MAMDOG)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Loon at Northwood Lake
Smithsonian's Backyard collection
by Elizabeth Ring, illustrated by Taylor Oughton
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Mallard Duck at Meadow View Pond
Smithsonian's Backyard collection
by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by Taylor Oughton
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Manatee Winter
Smithsonian Oceanic Collection
by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
from Soundprints
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Mixed-Up Chameleon
by Eric Carle
from HarperTrophy
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
My Mother is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World / I Saw the Sea Come In
by Becky Reyher, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett; Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
1946 Caldecott Honor Book
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.75 (1 in stock)
My Nature Journal
for Preschool-5th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
My, Oh My—a Butterfly!
by Tish Rabe
from Random House
for Preschool-1st grade
in Cat in the Hat's Learning Library (Location: EAR-CAT)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Narwhal
Smithsonian's Oceanic collection
by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Steven James Petruccio
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Whales & Dolphins (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Nature Notebook
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Preschool-8th grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Nest Full of Eggs
by Priscilla Belz Jenkins
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Orca Song
Smithsonian's Oceanic collection
by Michael C. Armour, Illustrated Katie Lee
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Whales & Dolphins (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Over and Under the Canyon
by Kate Messner
from Chronicle Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Over and Under the Rainforest
by Kate Messner
from Chronicle Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Over and Under the Snow
by Kate Messner
from Chronicle Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Owl Moon
by Jane Yolen & John Schoenherr
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Patrick's Dinosaurs
by Carol Carrick, illustrated by Donald Carrick
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Pigs
by Gail Gibbons
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Plenty of Penguins
Hello Reader! Level 1
by Sonia Black
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Scholastic / Hello Reader! (Location: EAR-SCH)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Puffer's Surprise
Smithsonian's Oceanic collection
by Barbara Gaines Winkelman, illustrated by Steven James Petruccio
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Rare Treasure
by Don Brown
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Red Bat at Sleepy Hollow Lane
Smithsonian's Backyard collection
by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Thomas Buchs
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Red-Eyed Tree Frog
by Joy Cowley, Photographs by Nic Bishop
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Reptiles at Your Fingertips
by Judy Nayer, illustrated by Grace Goldberg
from McClanahan Book Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
River Ran Wild
by Lynne Cherry
from Harcourt
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in River, Pond & Swamp (Location: SCI-ECO)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Science Adventures
by Elizabeth A. Sherwood, Robert A. Williams, Robert E. Rockwell
from Gryphon House
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Preschool Science (Location: PRE-SCI)
$13.00 (1 in stock)
Snakes
by Gail Gibbons
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Swing, Sloth!
National Geographic Kids Pre-reader
by Susan B. Neuman
from National Geographic
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in National Geographic Early Readers (Location: EAR-NGR)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Swordfish Returns
Smithsonian Oceanic Collection
by Susan Korman, illustrated by Daniel J. Stegos
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
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)
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