My Account Wish List Shopping Cart Log In
Store Location

Nature Study

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?
Parent Categories
Nature Study
Subcategories
63 Items found Print
Filter
Active Filters: Sharks & Fishes
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
Album of Sharks
by Tom McGowen, illustrated by Rod Ruth
3rd Printing from Rand McNally
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
All About Fish
All About Books #34
by Carl Burger
from Random House
for 4th-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
Aquarium Guide
from Answers in Genesis
for 4th-6th grade
in Old Edition Science (Location: OSCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Atlantic Fish - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$3.95
Buzztail and Leaper
by Robert M. McClung
from Purple House Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$12.99
Complete Aquarium Adventure
Complete Adventure Series
by Merilee & Bill Clifton
from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$18.39
Coral Reef - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ruth Soffer
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$4.99
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)
Deep-Sea Fish - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$3.95
Dragons of the Deep
by Carl Wieland
from Master Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$13.59
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
Experience with an Eel DVD
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Moody Science DVDs (Location: SCI-MOODY)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Exploring Creation With Zoology 2
Young Explorer Series
by Jeannie Fulbright
from Apologia Educational Ministries
for 3rd-6th grade
in Apologia Young Explorer (Location: SCICUR-AEM)
$39.20 $18.00 (2 in stock)
Exploring Creation With Zoology 2 (April 2024)
Young Explorer Series
by Jeannie Fulbright
2nd edition from Apologia Educational Ministries
for 3rd-6th grade
in Apologia Young Explorer (Location: SCICUR-AEM)
Fish - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$3.95
Fish Do the Strangest Things
by Arthur Hornblow, Leonora Hornblow
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
Fish Do the Strangest Things
by Arthur Hornblow, Leonora Hornblow
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-2nd grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
Fresh & Salt Water Fishes of the World
by Edward C. Migdalski and George S. Fichter, illustrated by Norman Weaver
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Adult
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Freshwater Life
Science Nature Guides
by Susan McKeever
from Silver Dolphin
for 4th-6th grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Freshwater Pond - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Annika Bernhard
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$4.99
Great Barrier Reef - Coloring Book
by Ruth Soffer
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$3.99
Hawaiian Coral Reef Coloring Book
by Katherine Orr
from Stemmer House Publishers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
How and Why Wonder Book of Fish
by Geoffrey Coe, illustrated by Cynthia IlIff Koehler and Alvin Koehler
1972 Printing from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in How and Why Wonder Books (Location: VIN-H&W)
Hungry, Hungry Sharks
A Step into Reading Book Level 3
by Joanna Cole
from Random House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99 $2.50 (2 in stock)
I Am a Shark
Discovery All-Star Readers Level 2
by Lori C. Froeb
from Silver Dolphin
for 1st-2nd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Journey with Jonah
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Made By God: Sea Creatures
I Can Read Level 2
by Mary Hassinger
from Zonderkidz
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
Marine Biology - Coloring Book
by Thomas M. Niesen
from Harper Perennial
for 4th-6th grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$10.00 (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)
Meadows in the Sea
by Alida Sims Malkus, illustrated by Margaret Cosgrove
from World Publishing Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
My Visit to the Aquarium
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fishes
2nd ed. from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FIELD)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales & Dolphins
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FIELD)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Octopus
by Olive L. Earle
from William Morrow & Company
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Octopus is Amazing
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Patricia Lauber
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Octopus' Den
Smithsonian Oceanic Collection
by Deirdre Langeland
from Scholastic Reference
for 2nd-5th grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Of Skies and Seas
My Father's World
by Joanne E. De Jonge
from Eerdmans
for 7th-9th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$3.50 (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)
$13.00
Pacific Fish - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$3.95
Pagoo
by Holling C. Holling
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic fiction for 3rd-8th grade
in BFB Holling Geography (Location: HISCUR-BFG)
$12.99
Peterson First Guide to Fishes of North America
Peterson First Guide
by Michael Filisky
2nd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-4th grade
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FIELD)
$8.99
Rain Forest River Life - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$3.95
Salmon Creek
by Annette LeBox
Reprint from Groundwood Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Seashore Life - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Anthony D'Attilio
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$3.99
Seashore Plants and Animals - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Dot Barelowe
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$4.99
Sensational Sea Creatures
Marvels of Creation
by Buddy & Kay Davis
from Master Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$11.19
Shark Lady
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Sharks
Usborne Beginners
by Catriona Clarke
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Sharks
by Herbert S. Zim, illustrated by Stephen Howe
from William Morrow & Company
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Sharks - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
Sharks of the World - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Llyn Hunter
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$4.99
Sign of the Seahorse
by Graeme Base
First Edition from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Strange Creatures of the Sea - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Llyn Hunter
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
Submarines and Underwater Exploration - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of the World Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISW)
Tropical Fish - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Stefen Bernath
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$3.99
Usborne Discovery: Sharks
by Jonathan Sheikh-Miller
from Usborne
for 3rd-4th grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
Usborne Discovery: Sharks
by Jonathan Sheikh-Miller
from Usborne
for 3rd-4th grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
Voice of the Deep DVD
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Moody Science DVDs (Location: SCI-MOODY)
What's It Like to be a Fish?
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 1
by Wendy Pfeffer, Illustrated by Holly Keller
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
What's Under the Sea?
by Sophie Tahta
from Usborne
for 1st-3rd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$2.25 (1 in stock)
Who Lives at the Seashore? (2024)
by Glenn O. Blough, illustrated by Jeanne Bendick
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
Who Lives in This Meadow?
by Glenn O. Blough, illustrated by Jeanne Bendick
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$12.99
Sign Up!

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Learn more about our store location and hours

Connect

503.655.1951

hello@exodusbooks.com

19146 Molalla Ave,
Oregon City, OR 97045