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?
206 Items found Print
Active Filters: Kindergarten (Ages 5-6), In-Stock Books & Materials
44 Animals of the Bible
by Nancy Johnson
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$9.59
After the Sun Goes Down
Nature Study Library
by Glenn O. Blough, illustrated by Jeanne Bendick
from Purple House Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$12.99
Amazing Birds
by Dorling Kindersley Ltd
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$3.50 (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-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 (2 in stock)
Answers Book for Kids Volume 2
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$6.39
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
Antarctica
by Helen Cowcher
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Arctic & Tundra (Location: SCI-ECO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Antarctica
by Helen Cowcher
from Square Fish Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Arctic & Tundra (Location: SCI-ECO)
$8.99
Attack and Defense
by Robert Coupe
from Mason Crest Publishers
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Bats
by Lily Wood
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Beak Book
by Robin Page
from Beach Lane Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$18.99
Bed for the Winter
DK Readers Level 1
by Karen Wallace
1st edition from DK Children
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in DK Readers (Location: EAR-DK)
$4.24
Beetle Book
by Steve Jenkins
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$16.99
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
Big Book
by Kathleen Ruckman
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$2.50 (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)
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)
Biome Explorers: Destination Desert
by Laura Perdew, illustrated by Lex Cornell
from Nomad Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Deserts & Grasslands (Location: SCI-ECO)
$5.00 (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
The Good and the Beautiful Board Books
by Maggie Taylor, illustrated by Robin Fight
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$4.40 (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)
Bombus Finds a Friend
by Elsie Larson, illustrated by Elizabeth Haidle
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (2 in stock)
Bugs Big & Small God Made Them All
by William Zinke
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$13.59
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)
$2.00 (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)
$2.80 (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 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
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)
$3.60 (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)
$2.00 (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)
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book K
by Florence Lindstrom
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in CLP Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-CLP)
$8.90
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book K (old)
by Florence Lindstrom
from Christian Liberty Press
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Old Edition Reading (Location: OREAD)
$3.00 (2 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)
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 Crawlies and the Scientific Method
by Sally Kneidel
from Fulcrum Resources
Science Curriculum for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Curious Garden
by Peter Brown
from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
E.B. White Read Aloud Award
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Danny and the Dinosaur
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Syd Hoff
from Sandy Creek
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (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)
Dedan Saves the Day
Take A Walk on the Wild Side
by Thea Feldman
from Meredith Corporation
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$3.00 (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)
$8.49 $3.60 (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
Dinosaurs
by Jane Werner Watson
1975 Printing from Golden Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.00 (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
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)
$16.99
DK Eye Wonder: Rain Forest
by Helen Sharman
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Jungles & Rainforests (Location: SCI-ECO)
$5.00 (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 Eyewitness Juniors: Amazing Frogs & Toads
by Barry Clarke, photography by Jerry Young
from DK Publishing
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewonder: Sharks
DK Eyewonder
by Fleur Star
from DK Publishing
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
DK First Animal Encyclopedia
Revised from DK Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$17.99
DK Readers: Diving Dolphin
DK Readers Level 1
by Karen Wallace
from DK Children
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in DK Readers (Location: EAR-DK)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Duck for President
by Doreen Cronin
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (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)
Egg Is Quiet
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$9.99
Eggs of Things
by Maxine W. Kumin and Anne Sexton, illustrated by Leonard Shortall
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$25.00 (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)
Emperor Penguins
by Roberta Edwards
from Grosset & Dunlap
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
$2.00 (1 in stock)
EyeLike Letters
from Play Bac
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Fall Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$7.64
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)
First Book of Bees
by Albert B. Tibbets, illustrated by Helene Carter
from Living Book Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in First Book series (LBP reprints) (Location: SCI-CM1ST)
$10.99
First Book of Bugs
First Book Series
by Margaret Williamson
from Living Book Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in First Book series (LBP reprints) (Location: SCI-CM1ST)
$8.99
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)
Flower Grows
by Ken Robbins
from Dial Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$4.00 (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)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Forest
The Good and the Beautiful Board Books
by Maggie Taylor, illustrated by Robin Fight
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$4.40 (1 in stock)
Frog Alphabet Book
by Jerry Pallotta
from Charlesbridge
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$2.40 (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
Fungus is Among Us!
by Joy Keller, illustrated by Erica Salcedo
from The Innovation Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$7.00 (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)
Grasshopper on the Road
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.09
Great Kapok Tree
by Lynne Cherry
1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Jungles & Rainforests (Location: SCI-ECO)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Growing Frogs
by Vivian French, illustrated by Alison Bartlett
from Candlewick Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$4.50 (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)
$2.00 (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 Do Bats See in the Dark?
by Melvin, Berger
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$2.50 (1 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 (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
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)
$6.79
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)
I Worked Hard on That!
by Robyn Wall; illustrated by A. N. Kang
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Icky Bug Shapes
by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Shennen Bersani
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
In a Lick of a Flick of a Tongue
by Linda Hirschmann, illustrated by Jeni Bassett
from Dodd, Mead & Co.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Insects
by Daniel J. Bickel
from National Geographic
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Insects
The Good and the Beautiful Board Books
by Maggie Taylor, illustrated by Robin Fight
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$4.40 (1 in stock)
Is a Camel a Mammal?
Cat in the Hat's Learning Library
by Tish Rabe
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cat in the Hat's Learning Library (Location: EAR-CAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Jackrabbit and the Prairie Fire
Smithsonian Wild Heritage
by Susan Saunders, illustrated by Jo-Ellen Bosson
from Soundprints
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider
by Jessica Lanan
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$19.99
Katya's Book of Mushrooms
from Living Book Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$12.99
Keeper of Wild Words
by Brooke Smith, illustrated by Madeline Kloepper
from Chronicle Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
123