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
66 Items found Print
Filter
Active Filters: Birds, 2nd grade (Ages 7-8)
Adventure with Olivia Owl
from Silver Dolphin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
Adventures of Bob White
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #23
by Thornton W. Burgess
Illustrated from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.00
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
Arctic and Antarctic Life - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ruth Soffer
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$5.99
Audubon's Birds of America
by John James Audubon
from Macmillan
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
Audubon's Birds of America - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Paul Kennedy
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$4.99
Backyard Nature - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Dot Barlowe
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$4.99
Barn Owls
by Wolfgang Epple, photographs by Manfred Rogl
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Beak Book
by Robin Page
from Beach Lane Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$18.99
Bird Watchers and Bird Feeders
by Glenn O. Blough, illustrated by Jeanne Bendick
2022nd edition from Purple House Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$12.99
Birds - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
Birds Do the Strangest Things
by Leonora and Arthur Hornblow
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
Birds of Prey - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$4.99
Birds of the Air
Eyes and No Eyes #4
by Arabella B. Buckley
from Yesterday's Classics
for 2nd-5th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$15.95
Birds of the Air
Eyes and No Eyes #4
by Arabella B. Buckley
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$8.99
Birds, Nests and Eggs
Take-Along Guide
by Mel Boring
from Northword Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
Boy Who Drew Birds
by Jacqueline Davies
New title from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.99
Breathtaking Birds
Marvels of Creation
by Buddy & Kay Davis
from Master Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$10.39
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$12.95
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Yesterday's Classics
for 1st-4th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$15.95
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
Color Edition from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$19.99
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$18.99
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$28.99
Ducks Don't Get Wet
by Augusta Goldin, illustrated by Leonard Kessler
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 1st-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Eagles - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$3.95
Elf Owl
by Mary & Conrad Buff
3rd Printing from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Endangered Birds - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$3.95
Fifty Favorite Birds - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Lisa Bonforte
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$5.99
First Book of Birds
by Margaret Williamson
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$10.99
First Look at Owls, Eagles, and Other Hunters of the Sky
by Millicent E. Selsam, illustrated by Joyce Hunt
from Walker Publishing, Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Forest Animals - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Diane Gaspas-Ettl
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$5.99
Harry's Mad
by Dick King-Smith
from Yearling
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
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)
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)
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)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Kiya the Gull
by Fen H. Lasell
from Addison Wesley
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Learning About Birds with Thornton Burgess
by Sonya Shafer
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
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)
Look Up!
by Annette LeBlanc Cate
2nd edition from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-6th grade
2014 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$8.99
Mother's Journey
by Sandra Markle
Reprint from Charlesbridge
for 1st-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
Nest Full of Eggs
by Priscilla Belz Jenkins
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
New True Book of Bald Eagles
by Emilie U. Lepthien
from Children's Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
North American Ducks, Geese and Swans - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ruth Soffer
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$4.99
Oliver Pete is a Bird
by Carroll Lane Fenton and Dorothy Constance Pallas
from The John Day Company
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
On the Wing
by David Elliott, Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.99
Original Water-Color Paintings by John James Audubon for Birds of America
by John James Audubon
1985 edition from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$35.00 (1 in stock)
Ostriches
by Herbert S. Zim, illustrated by Russell Francis Peterson.
from Purple House Press
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$7.99
Owl Babies
by Martin Waddell
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Penguin Chick
Lets-Read-and-Find-Out Science
by Betty Tatham
from HarperCollins
for 1st-4th grade
in Arctic & Tundra (Location: SCI-ECO)
Penguin Pup for Pinkerton
by Steven Kellogg
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for 1st-2nd grade
in Clearance: Picture Books (Location: ZCLE-PIC)
Penguins
by Emily Bone
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Penguins - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$3.95
Peregrine's Sky
by Consie Powell
from Western National Parks Assoc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Rain Forest Birds - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
Rain Forest Tree Life - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$3.95
Sea and Shore Birds - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ruth Soffer
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$5.99
State Birds - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
State Birds and Flowers - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Annika Bernhard
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$5.99
Tony's Birds
by Millicent E. Selsam
from Unknown Publisher
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Tropical Birds - Coloring Book
by Lucia de Leiris
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$4.99
True Book: Birds
A True Book
by Melissa Stewart
from Children's Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
Vulcan
by Robert M. McClung
from William Morrow & Company
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
What Bird is It?
by Anna Pistorius
from Follett
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
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
Whose Little Bird Am I?
by Leonard Weisgard
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
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