Life is full, but full of wonderful things. I'm thankful that Charlotte Mason really laid out a way of life. A full and beautiful life.
Now that I've rambled a little....to the main point. Nature Study! This is a great time of year to study crops. Harvest time! For us in the midwest we might think, corn, soybeans, oats. Those are important to study, because those are what the majority of farmers around us are growing. This could lead to many discussions with older kids. Why exactly are we growing so much corn and soybeans? Who is buying them? Etc. Developing a "sense of place" should include them, BUT please expand beyond! A walk through the local farmers market might be inspiring, as we have many local farmers cultivating wonderful things for the community. If you keep a garden, you have much to experience and talk about already. Perhaps your child has their own plot to cultivate? If not, maybe plan to next year? Seed catalogs are so fun to look through in the wintertime. Gardens can be plotted out and planned (mapped!). Save your fall seeds to plant again. Lots of fun to be had. :)
We are continuing with AO's nature study rotation and they have nice resources on the subject if you'd like to refresh your understanding of the subject. We've always used pencils for nature journaling, since my focus has been the habit of observation and journalling, but after taking a workshop with Richele Baburina on brush drawing, I'm encouraged to give it a shot! Maybe you'd like to experiment with the method? She has a new course that looks really good. I was amazed at how nice my drawings looked in the short amount of time I had in her class.
We use The Handbook of Nature Study as our spine in this endeavor. It's a good resource to have if you haven't purchased it yet, but it is also in the public domain if you'd rather read online. There is a section on clover, corn, cotton, strawberries, and pumpkins. To get the most out of the study, read though the sections. The book may seem daunting at first, but the more you read it, the easier it becomes! Reading the section will give you ideas about what to focus on and the kinds of questions you could ask your children. The HONS is not meant to be a read aloud, but a teacher resource. You could go by the book, and choose a subject to focus on every couple of weeks, or substitute other crops to study. Cotton for instance, isn't readily available here and strawberries are out of season. Do what is fun and makes sense for your family. In our family we will study some particular crops and we will also be reading Luther Burbank, Plant Magician. Just a little each week. Reading and plant study.
I like to peak at Sabbath Mood's book list to get some inspiration for good books to accompany our studies. Basic botany books are applicable as well as crop-related books. Maybe something that highlights the role of pollinators?
Some events that correlate with the study:
September 6th Turkey Hill Orchard Pine Island, MN
September 22th Heritage Wheat Demonstration Kenyon, MN
October 5th Seed Savers Fall Harvest Festival Decorah, IA
or Grape Harvest Celebration Rochester, MN
Have fun!
