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.
Did you find this review helpful?
193 Items found Print
Active Filters: 8th grade (Ages 13-14), In-Stock Books & Materials
Africa's Vanishing Wildlife
by Chris & Tilde Stuart
1st edition from Smithsonian Books
for 5th-10th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
American Eagle: A Photographic Portrait
by John Pezzenti
from Viking Studio Books
for 6th-12th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, Illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 3rd-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, illustrated by Katie Scott
UK Edition from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Arboretum
Welcome to the Museum
by Tony Kirkham, illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Birds and their Nests
by Olive L. Earle
from Purple House Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$9.99
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 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)
Birdwatching Notebook - Grades 3-8
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 3rd-8th grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Trees
by Sean Brooks
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Memoria Press Science (Location: SCICUR-MP)
$17.90
Book of Trees - Curriculum Package
from Memoria Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Memoria Press Science (Location: SCICUR-MP)
$69.53
Book of Trees - Student Guide
by Sean Brooks
from Memoria Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Memoria Press Science (Location: SCICUR-MP)
$17.90
Book of Trees - Teacher Guide
by Sean Brooks
from Memoria Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Memoria Press Science (Location: SCICUR-MP)
$20.05
Botanicum
Welcome to the Museum
by Kathy Willis; illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 3rd-12th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Botany Coloring Book
by Paul Young
1st edition from Harper Perennial
for 5th-9th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Careless Animal
by Ada & Frank Graham Jr.
from Doubleday & Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Ecology (Location: SCI-ECO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Classical Acts and Facts Science Cards: Ecology, Astronomy, and Physics
from Classical Conversations
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Classical Acts & Facts Cards (Location: HISCUR-CC)
$28.20 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Climate Change for Kids
by Ken Ham & Jessica DeFord, edited by Avery Foley
from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Environment & Conservation (Location: SCI-ENV)
$17.59
Compact Guide to Wildflowers of the Rockies
by C. Dana Bush
from Lone Pine Publishing
for 6th-Adult
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study - Complete Set with Introductions Book
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$117.37
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Birds
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$16.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Earth and Sky
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$15.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians, Invertebrates
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$16.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Insects
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$18.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Introduction
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$11.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Mammals, Flowerless Plants
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$17.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Trees, Garden Flowers
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$17.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Wildflowers, Weeds, Crops
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$17.99
Coral Reefs
by Laurence Pringle
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-8th grade
in Seashore & Tidepools (Location: SCI-ECO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Countryside Rambles
by W.S. Furneaux
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-12th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$14.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Curious World of Calpurnia Tate
by Jacqueline Kelly
Reprint from Square Fish Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
2010 Newbery Honor
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.34
Danger in the Desert
by Roger Cohen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-9th grade
in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Arctic & Antarctic
by Barbara Taylor
from DK Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Arctic & Tundra (Location: SCI-ECO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Mammal
DK Eyewitness Series
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Seashore
DK Eyewitness Books
by Steve Parker
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Sience Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Seashore & Tidepools (Location: SCI-ECO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Dragons of the Deep
by Carl Wieland
from Master Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$13.59
Draw 50 Baby Animals
by Lee J. Ames, Murray Zak
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Draw 50 Birds
by Lee Ames & Tony D'Adamo
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Draw 50 Cats
by Lee Ames
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Draw 50 Dinosaurs
by Lee J. Ames
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Draw 50 Dogs
by Lee Ames
from Broadway Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Draw 50 Sea Creatures
by Lee J. Ames, with Erin Harvey
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Draw 50 Sharks, Whales, and Other Sea Creatures
by Lee Ames
from Broadway Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Dust or Destiny DVD
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Moody Science DVDs (Location: SCI-MOODY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Earth for Sam
by W. Maxwell Reed, revised by Paul F. Brandwein
Revised edition from Harcourt, Brace & Company
for 6th-12th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Ecology Book
by Jean Lightner, Tom Hennigan
from Master Books
for 5th-10th grade
in Ecology (Location: SCI-ECO)
$15.19
Ecology Book - Study Guide & Workbook
from New Leaf Press
for 5th-10th grade
in Ecology (Location: SCI-ECO)
$3.99
Encyclopedia of Animals
from Fog City Press
for 8th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Mammals
by Professor David Macdonald, editor
from Barnes & Noble
for 8th-Adult
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
by Jacqueline Kelly
Reprint from Square Fish Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
2010 Newbery Honor
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49
Experience with an Eel DVD
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Moody Science DVDs (Location: SCI-MOODY)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Exploring the World Around You
by Gary Parker
from Master Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Miscellaneous Science Curriculum (Location: SCICUR-MISC)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
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)
Familiar Trees of North America - West
National Audobon Society Pocket Guide
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 7th-12th grade
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Farm Anatomy
by Julia Rothman
1st edition from Storey Publishing
for 6th-Adult
in Self-Sufficiency (Location: SS-Self)
$18.99
Field and Hedgerow
by Richard Jefferies
from Living Book Press
for 6th-Adult
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$11.99
Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals
Peterson Field Guide Series
by Frederick H. Pough
3rd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 7th-12th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
First Studies of Plant Life
by George F. Atkinson
from Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-9th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$16.95
First Studies of Plant Life
by George Francis Atkinson
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$11.99
Flowers Flashcards (old)
from A Beka Books
for 4th-10th grades
in A Beka Science (Old Versions only) (Location: OABK-SCI)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
FOSS: Populations and Ecosystems Resources
from Delta Education
for 6th-8th grade
in Ecology (Location: SCI-ECO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Fossil Book
Wonders of Creation Series
by Gary & Mary Parker
from Master Books
for 4th-10th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$15.19 $11.00 (1 in stock)
Fungarium
Welcome to the Museum
by Esther Gaya (and other contributors), illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon
by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
from Dutton Juvenile
for 4th-9th grade
1928 Newbery Medal winner
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$11.20 (2 in stock)
General Science 2 Curriculum Set
from Master Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Master Books Science (Location: SCICUR-MB)
$82.36
God's Design for Chemistry & Ecology - Student Book
by Debbie & Richard Lawrence
Master Books Edition from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Master Books God's Design (Location: SCICUR-MB)
$43.19 $35.00 (1 in stock)
God's Design for Chemistry & Ecology - Teacher Guide
by Debbie & Richard Lawrence
Master Books Edition from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Master Books God's Design (Location: SCICUR-MB)
$34.39 $28.00 (1 in stock)
God's Design for Life - Student Book
by Debbie & Richard Lawrence
Master Books Edition from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Master Books God's Design (Location: SCICUR-MB)
$43.19 $35.00 (2 in stock)
God's Design for Life - Teacher Guide
by Debbie & Richard Lawrence
Master Books Edition from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Master Books God's Design (Location: SCICUR-MB)
$34.39 $28.00 (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: 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: Yosemite
Golden Guides
by Douglass H. Hubbard, Herbert Spencer Zim (series editor), illustrated by Rebecca Merrilees and George Sandstrom
from Golden Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Great Discoveries and Amazing Adventures
by Claire Llewellyn
from Kingfisher
for 4th-8th grade
in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Hand That Paints the Sky
from New Leaf Press
for 3rd-Adult
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Handbook of Nature Study
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Comstock Publishing
for 6th-9th grade
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Hermit Crabs
by Sue Fox
from Barron's
for 3rd-Adult
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Hidden Treasures DVD
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Moody Science DVDs (Location: SCI-MOODY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Horse Anatomy Coloring Book
from Anatomy Academy
for 6th-Adult
in Horses & Ponies (Location: SCI-MAMHOR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
How Bodies Work: Animal Physiology
Come Learn With Me
by Bridget Anderson
from Charlesbridge
for 4th-8th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
How to be an Explorer of the World
by Keri Smith
from Perigee Books
for 6th-12th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Hunters
by Dr. Philip Whitfield, illustrated by Richard Orr
from Simon and Schuster
for 8th-Adult
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Illustrated Book About Reptiles and Amphibians of the World
by Hans Hvass (original Dutch), English text by Robert Bly, illustrated by Wilhelm Eigener
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 5th-9th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Insectarium
by Emily Carter and Dave Goulson
from Big Picture Press
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Journaling A Year in Nature
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-12th grade
in Simply Charlotte Mason (Location: CUR-SCM)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Journey of Life DVD
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Moody Science DVDs (Location: SCI-MOODY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
by Eric R. Eaton & Kenn Kaufman
from Houghton Mifflin
for 8th-Adult
in Field Guides: Insects & Arachnids (Location: NAT-FG04)
$25.00
Kingfisher Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animals
by Michael Chinery, ed.
from Kingfisher
for 4th-8th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Land of Little Rain
by Mary Austin
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$8.99
Laws Guide to Nature Drawing & Journaling
by John Muir Laws
from Heyday Books
for 6th-Adult
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$35.00
Lay of the Land
by Dallas Lore Sharp
from Living Book Press
for 6th-10th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$8.99
Life Nature Library: The Desert
by A. Starker Leopold
from Time Inc.
for 8th-Adult
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life of the Fields
by Richard Jefferies
from Living Book Press
for 6th-Adult
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$9.99
Life of the Spider
by J. H. Fabre
from Purple House Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$12.99
Living Amphibians of the World
by Doris M. Cochran
from Doubleday & Company
for 6th-Adult
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Madam How and Lady Why
by Charles Kingsley
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$14.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Madam How and Lady Why
by Charles Kingsley
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$10.99
Mammals of Grand Canyon
by Donald F. Hoffmeister, illustrated by James Gordon Irving
from University of Illinois Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Marine Biology Coloring Book
2nd edition from Collins
for 4th-9th grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$24.99 $13.00 (1 in stock)
12