Mammals
We’ll be using the Ambleside Online nature study rotation
for simplicity, but I’ll include Sabbath Mood’s links for nature study as well,
since Nicole has wonderful book recommendations. I’m also trying to model the club after
Marcia Mattern’s, but I’m going to start out much simpler!
Parent’s Reference:
The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock will be the go-to reference for parents. It is possible to use some or all as a read
aloud as well. You decide what works for your family. She also has a wonderful introduction on
studying nature. If we keep on this, we'll be through the whole book in five years!
Home Education by
Charlotte Mason section “Outdoor-of-Door Life” p. 42-95. Foundational for all of nature study in a CM philosophy.
Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws
Any basic field guides related to topic at hand (Peterson, Audubon,
etc.)
For parents and children:
Nature Anatomy by
Julia Rothman
Readers Digest North American Wildlife has been a favorite in our home and is common to find
used.
We’ve also enjoyed Jim Arnosky books, which the library has
many of.
Through Minnesota’s
Seasons with Jim Gilbert has also been a favorite.
Sabbath Mood’s
suggestions:
Supplies to keep on hand:
Art supplies, sketch books, pencils, watercolors. Binoculars, magnifying glasses, etc.
We’ve enjoyed purchasing things from Nature’s Workshop Plus!
and Home Science Tools. The
birding store in town has a great selection of binoculars. Feel free to start simple and purchase things
as time permits.
Instruction/ Scaffolding:
“Read (as the mom) the HONS pages ahead of time (this is not
necessarily meant to be read aloud to children). Spend a maximum of
15 minutes discussing and reading short excerpts from books about the subject
for the week. I find that children already know very much. By
asking wondering questions such as “what do we already know about fur?” we
begin the session with loads of shared knowledge.
Get outside everyday for at least 30
minutes of nature study. Have one day be a longer “romp” in
nature-perhaps 1-2 hours. In a Charlotte Mason approach, we want
children to be in contact with the subject. Books should support the
learning they are already doing by observing or hands on.
This scaffolding is coming at mammal
study three ways: 1. Observation, 2. Supporting books read aloud and
silently, and 3. Narration done orally and in your nature journal. The
more you do these, the greater your learning. Each week will be a specific
focus on mammals. You should also be specifically studying a mammal and
it’s specific characteristics. Pick six mammals over the 12 weeks to
get to know personally very well.
Daily record something in your nature journal. Spend
time writing scientific data, sketches, dry brush entries and notations after
you have considered the curiosity framework. http://johnmuirlaws.com/stewardship/a-curiosity-framework (This
is mom and children!)
I ask my children to complete at
least one page in their nature journal a week. One day might
be a sketch. The next day they add their questions “I notice…”, “I
wonder…”, “It reminds me of…” Another day they
might copy all the information they have read about a specific mammal from a
nature guide. One day might include a list of what they saw. Don’t
let a day go by without being in nature. (Last page includes these
prompts. You can print this out on card stock and cut for your
children to use as a book mark in nature journals.)
For the non-readers/writers (Form 1),
I let them draw the pictures and then dictate to me what they want to write
down. For Form 2, I encourage them to write and not worry about
grammar or spelling. Sometimes, if they struggle, I might write a
word out or find it in a study guide for them to do copywork into their nature
journal.
Make a commitment as a mother to keep
a nature journal. Make a commitment to get outside everyday and
increase your own observations skills. Be prepared to share at the
Natural History Club! We can learn a lot from each other and from
the positive peer pressure!”
Breaking up the Handbook of Nature Study mammals section into 12 weeks.
Week 1: Rabbits
Week 2: Muskrats
Week 3: Mouse
Week 4: Woodchuck
Week 5: Red Squirrel and Chipmunks
Week 6: Bats
Week 7: Skunks and Raccoons
Week 8: Wolves and Fox
Week 9: Goats, Sheep, and Horses
Week 10: Cows and Pigs
Week 11: Dogs
Week 12: Cats
Notes:
We will tentatively meet at Oxbow
Nature Center, as long as we can meet inside for drawing free of charge. Plan on meeting for 2 hours 1-3. The first 20 min or so we can let the kids
catch up and play and then hopefully a good 40 minutes of hiking and observing
and the rest of the time indoors drawing our specimens, making notes in our
journals, and sharing what we've found. We’ll see how the first
meet-up goes and adjust. In the warmer
months we will stay outdoors the entire time.
Planned dates:
January 16th
February 20th
March 20th
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