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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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59 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Trade Paperback, 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)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
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)
Animals in Winter
by Henrietta Bancroft
Revised from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Balto and the Great Race
Totally True Adventures
by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
1st Printing from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.94 $2.80 (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)
Berries, Nuts and Seeds
Take-Along Guide
by Diane Burns
from Northword Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book
by Kathleen Ruckman
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Birds, Nests and Eggs
Take-Along Guide
by Mel Boring
from Northword Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$7.95 $5.00 (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)
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 3
by Julie McNair Wright
3rd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 3rd grade
in CLP Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-CLP)
$13.35 $7.50 (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)
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)
$2.00 (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)
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)
Forever Forest
by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini, Rachel Crandell
from Dawn Publications
for 1st-3rd grade
in Jungles & Rainforests (Location: SCI-ECO)
$3.60 (4 in stock)
Fossils Tell of Long Ago
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
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)
How a Seed Grows
by Helene J. Jordan
Revised from HarperCollins
for 1st-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
How Do Birds Find Their Way?
by Roma Gans
from HarperCollins
for 1st-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$3.00 (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)
Life Cycles of Butterflies
by Judy Burris, Wayne Richards
from Storey Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$16.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Little Glass Lake: Turtles
Book 2, Level 2B
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 1st-3rd grade
in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA)
$5.00 (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)
Mammals of Small Pond
Level 4
by Phoebe Erickson
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 3rd-6th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Milk from Cow to Carton
by Aliki
Revised from HarperCollins
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Food & Farming Around the World (Location: HISMC-FOOD)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Mystery On Everest
by Audrey Salkeld
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
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)
Nature for Fun Projects
by Sally Hewitt
from Copper Beech Books
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Nature Study Idea Book
by Mary E. Woodis
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$7.00 (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)
One Small Square: Backyard
One Small Square
by Donald Silver, Patricia Wynne
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$15.00 $7.50 (1 in stock)
One Small Square: Cave
One Small Square
by Donald Silver & Patricia Wynne
from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$13.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
One Small Square: Coral Reef
One Small Square
by Donald Silver
from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$15.00 $7.50 (1 in stock)
One Small Square: Woods
One Small Square
by Donald Silver, Patricia Wynne
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$15.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
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)
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)
Real Thief
by William Steig
from Houghton Mifflin
for 3rd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.00 (1 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)
Sassafras Science Adventures Volume 1
Sassafras Science
by Johnny Congo & Paige Hudson
from Elemental Science
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Sassafras Science (Location: SCICUR-SAS)
$11.00 (2 in stock)
Science with Plants
Usborne Science Activities
by Helen Edom
from Usborne
for 2nd-5th grade
in Usborne Science Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$5.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
ScienceWorks: Animals Without Backbones Grades 1-3
by Jo Ellen Moore
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Evan-Moor Science (Location: ZCLE-EM)
$5.25 (2 in stock)
Talk, Talk, Squawk!
by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Neal Layton
from Walker Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Tikta'Liktak
by James Houston
from Harcourt
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$4.80 (2 in stock)
Tree Is a Plant
Let's- Read - and -Find- Out Science
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Trees, Leaves and Bark
Take-Along Guide
by Diane Burns
from Northword Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Tundra Discoveries
by Ginger Wadsworth
from Charlesbridge
for 1st-3rd grade
in Arctic & Tundra (Location: SCI-ECO)
$3.50 (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)
Usborne Animal World
Usborne Internet-Linked Library of Science
by Henderson Corinne
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Living World Encyclopedia
by Leslie Colvin & Emma Speare
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Usborne Mysteries & Marvels of Insect Life
by Jennifer Owen
from Usborne
for 3rd-5th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
What Is the Animal Kingdom? (Science of Living Things)
Science of Living Things
by Bobbie Kalman, Greg Nickles
from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$9.95 $5.50 (2 in stock)
Where Are the Night Animals?
by Mary Ann Fraser
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Why Do Tigers Have Stripes?
from Usborne
for 1st-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
World of Plants
from Usborne
for 3rd-8th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
World of Turtles - Coloring Book
by Claude Thivierge
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Reptile Coloring Books (Location: COL-REP)
$3.39 $2.00 (1 in stock)
Young Child as Scientist
by Christine Chaille, Lory Britain
2nd edition from Allyn and Bacon
for Preschool-4th grade
in Preschool Science (Location: PRE-SCI)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats
by Ann Earle
from HarperCollins
for 1st-3rd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
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