I’m continuing on in the book study on Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv hosted by Nicole of Journey to Excellence.  Be sure to click over and read her thoughts on Chapters 12, 13 and 14.  We’re getting to the part of the book with ideas on reuniting your child with nature.

The main thought to hit me during Chapter 12 came when the author stated that we should strive to make the experience in nature as unorganized as possible while still meaningful.  I am a list-making lesson-planning micro-manager, so I have to fight my personality here.  The message came again in a quote from E.O. Wilson: “Hands-on experience at the critical time, not systematic knowledge, is what counts in the making of a naturalist.”  Ouch.  Then in two different posts Barb (from Harmony Art Mom) used these quotes from Charlotte Mason:

Children are quick. In fifteen minutes, they will have finished with their sight-seeing exercise or imaginary picture painting. Other than that, an occasional discovery that the mother shows them with a name and maybe a dozen words about it at just the right time are all that’s needed; the children will have formed an interest in something they can continue on their own. Just one or two of these discoveries should happen in any given day.”  Charlotte Mason, volume 6 page 78

They must be left to themselves for a good part of the day to take in their own impressions of nature’s beauty. There’s nothing worse than children being deprived of every moment to wonder and dream within their own minds because teachers and adults are constantly talking at them, not leaving them a moment’s peace. Yet, the mother must not miss this opportunity of being outdoors to train the children to have seeing eyes, hearing ears and seeds of truth deposited into their minds to grow and blossom on their own in the secret chambers of their imaginations.”  Charlotte Mason, volume 1 page 44

I adore nature study and it is a highlight of for all of us, but I need to beware of making every moment in nature an official study and thereby not giving my children a moment’s peace to enjoy and experience nature for themselves.  I like the description:  a dozen words at just the right time.

Chapter 13 reiterates the message:  don’t make time in nature a chore or another “Fine Educational Opportunity” (love the terms!).  There are many ideas in this chapter to connect your kids with nature, beginning with connecting yourself with nature and letting your enjoyment be contagious.  Among the many ideas for great activities to do with your kids (the with is important) he talks about making walks a mutual adventure, not a forced march.  Here I’m guilty again, at least at times.  Believe it or not, I may have been better about some of this before I was homeschooling.  When I wasn’t trying to teach them everything under the sun all the while having a way to show that they learned it I was a little (okay, a lot) more relaxed with our time.  The good news for me: after reading this book we have been getting outside more already, and through homeschooling and nature study I’m reconnecting with nature.  Nature study has rekindled my interest and excitement about the natural world.  As I enjoy learning all I can, I need to remember my children’s ages and Charlotte Mason’s edict:  just a dozen words to them, not unloading all the fascinating information I’ve read.  I have a lot more work to do on my approach, but I am happy for the curiosity and excitement I see in my kids.  As we sat at a lake this week my son kept bringing things to me that he thought were exciting (water lily flowers and seed pods, various dead insects) and he knew I’d be excited to see them, too.

Chapter 14, entitled “Scared Smart” dealt with parents’ fears about kids being out in nature.  As I’ve mentioned, I am a worrier so this is a difficult area for me.  The author suggests that time in nature can foster “hyperawareness,” accentuating their senses and teaching them to pay more attention to their surroundings while also increasing their self confidence, leading to kids who are safer all around.  The worrier in me did feel better when he talked about having them be with friends and have cell phones when going beyond our eyesight.  My kids are too young for cell phones, but I am trying to tweak things a bit.   I’ve had the opportunity a couple times to use the method he calls controlled risk:  giving some physical distance, so even though I keep them within eyesight they get a little more of a solitary feeling.  That’s me in the photo below, they’re walking along the beach ahead of me.  Baby steps, right?

So my take-home message this week, in short, is to take a step back:  don’t hover and don’t talk at them the whole time.  Come back next week for Chapters 15, 16 and 17.  The next chapters have more information on connecting your child with nature, both in daily life and in their education.

I’m chiming in again in Nicole’s book study on Last Child in the Woods from Richard Louv.  Be sure to visit her post to read her thoughts and those of others participating in this book study.  This post covers chapters 9-11, which are in the section of the book dealing with why kids don’t play outside.

Chapter 9 had me nodding my head all over again with its discussion of over-scheduled kids.  This topic had already come to my mind while reading this book, as I mentioned in my post on chapters 5-8.  Not only is there less time for recess during school, but homework, lessons and other organized activities take up much of the time left after school.  Like I said, I’m happy for the chance to homeschool.  I can prioritize my child’s time to allow for the things that are important.  Nicole mentioned the suggestion on page 121 in her post, and that was just what I needed, too:  take time in nature out of the leisure column and put it in the health column.  I love to make lists and check things off, and often have a hard time relaxing and not feeling like I’m accomplishing something.  After reading all the chapters on the benefits to time in nature, I am hopeful I can view unstructured time outside as just as necessary for the kids as working on math and not let it fall by the wayside if we’re busy.

Chapter 10 is a little harder for me.  I agree with much of it.  I know the chances are very low that someone will abduct my child as they ride their bike down the street.  But I am a worrier and don’t see myself being able to relax a lot in this department.  As I discussed in my last post I hope to add more natural elements to our yard, along with giving my kids more time outside without me orchestrating activities. I can’t see myself letting them roam the neighborhood out of our yard, or head into the woods without me, but I can try to take them there more myself and maybe hang back a bit.  Baby steps, right?

Chapter 11 was an interesting one.  I had mentioned in my first post of this book study that I’d been incorporating nature study quite a bit, and hoped to do so even more.  This chapter really cemented that plan for me.  The discussion of how abstract many children’s nature education is rang true with me:  in school it’s “Go Green!” and recycle, and learning about rainforest destruction or endangered animals, but “nature” is still a concept they are just seeing in a book or show.  They aren’t out in it experiencing it and falling in love with it.  This is how you really improve environmental issues, not by teaching them about things far away that they can’t see, touch and smell for themselves.  I liked the quote from biologist Elaine Brooks on p. 141: “Humans seldom value what they cannot name.”  So if kids can identify Pokemon characters better than native plants, what do you think they value the most?   I wanted to incorporate more science education in our homeschool, and I realized after reading this chapter that the nature study that we already enjoy can be a big piece of their science education, not something separate that I fit in only if we have time.  I just have to mention Barb at the Handbook of Nature Study blog while I’m on this topic because ideas from her blog are the how of nature study for us.

I’m really enjoying this book.  Now that I’ve been persuaded of the importance of time in nature I am excited to delve into the parts of the book with ideas for implementation of a nature-child reunion!

We had tremendous opportunities for nature study while camping at our favorite spot on the Maine coast this week.  Learning while camping…that’s what I love about homeschooling!

A beloved uncle was along for the trip and dazzled the kids with his ability to find creatures to observe.  Even my usually squeamish daughter was holding and touching everything.  I stood by with my camera attempting to capture all the amazing creatures and the wonder the kids had holding and touching them.  We had done a Homeschool Share unit study on oceans last year and learned about some of these same creatures, but there is nothing like a hands-on experience!  Barb talked in her newsletter about children being able to remember their experiences at the ocean beach years later, and I am confident this morning of exploring with all their senses will stick with them for a long time.

There were lots of crabs.  It was interesting to feel the differences in their shells–some were quite soft from molting recently.

They found many different sizes.

The sea stars may have been my favorite.  Seeing their tube feet move around up close was amazing.

This was really exciting:  a sea star missing a ray.  I was able to remind the kids about their ability to regenerate that we learned about last year.

For the record, I did NOT hold this guy.  Eels would be a good subject for future study because we didn’t know much about him.

While Daddy grilled lunch back at the camper the kids worked on their journal pages using a free page included in Barb’s Handbook of Nature Study June Newsletter.

Using ideas from Barb’s Outdoor Hour Challenge: Sand and Soil we brought home some sand to study.  I took a sample from higher up the beach and then, at my daughter’s suggestion, another sample very close to the low tide mark.   We spread some of each sample out and enjoyed inspecting them on white and black paper using a magnifying glass.

They were impressed when we looked at a piece of quartz under a little hand-held microscope.

My son was completely amazed that some rocks were attracted to his magnet!  He spent time when we were done just moving the magnet around over the sand and making rocks move.

I grabbed some soil from our garden and we performed the soil experiment from Barb’s links.  I didn’t get too technical with the kids, but we did talk about how quickly the sand settled, the sizes of particles in the different layers, and as a gardener I talked a bit about the difference soil types can make when you’re planting.  I was intrigued by the idea Barb showed of keeping sand samples from different beaches you visit, so this will be our sample #1!

What a terrific week: camping at our favorite spot, time spent with a crazy-fun uncle, and a lot of nature study thrown into the mix.  I love summer school!

I’m back with more thoughts on Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv.  Nicole from Journey to Excellence is hosting an informal book study, and you can read her thoughts on Chapter 5, 6, and 7 and Chapter 8.  Be sure to head over to her blog to read her thoughts and those of others participating in this interesting book discussion.  I was a little behind so I’m here to share my thoughts on Chapters 5-8, which are all in a section of the book explaining why we need nature.

I’d commented at the end of my thoughts on Chapters 1-4 that I thought reading this book would make time in nature move higher up my priority list–and this section of the book has definitely done that!  Chapter 5 discussed how nature develops the senses.  I was especially intrigued by his thoughts on “primary experience” and how most of what children get these days is dual-sensory information from television and computers, with fewer direct experiences doing and building with all their senses.  The section on “packaged nature” reminded me of the difference in listening to a thunderstorm CD versus watching the flashes of lightning and feeling the power of an actual thunderstorm outside your window.  I agree with Nicole’s feelings of videos online being far less engaging for my children than a hands-on experience.  We had read loads of books and watched shows about the Pilgrims, but nothing cemented it for my kids like our trip to Plimouth Plantation to be immersed with all our senses in what life was like for the Pilgrims.

Chapter 6 delved into the theory of multiple intelligences developed by Howard Gardner, and the relatively recent addition of an 8th intelligence termed “nature smart.”  I love the description on page 78: “Perhaps the eighth intelligence is the intelligence within nature, the lessons waiting to be delivered if anyone shows up.”  The discussion with a landscape architect talking about designing more natural outdoor spaces had me really brainstorming ideas for my yard.  What can I incorporate in my small suburban yard to make it more wild and natural, and thus more stimulating to the senses and imagination?

Chapter 7 talked about “loose-parts” toys that are open-ended, allowing children to use them in multiple ways.  This is one of the sections in the book where I found myself generalizing and applying the ideas to not just time in nature, but childhood in general.  I have often bemoaned the trend in children’s toys having a single way to play with them.  It’s why I’ve always leaned towards things like building blocks and dolls that require imagination and creativity.  Coming back to nature, I want to incorporate more “loose parts” for outdoor play and make sure as  I garden and landscape around our small yard I am thinking of stimulating my children’s outdoor play.

Nicole was right when she said Chapter 8 was a meaty chapter, and I found myself taking copious notes.  Even in the early grades I was struck by how little recess my daughter had at school, and I know it is even worse in other areas.  (I had to laugh at the quote: “Lifers at Leavenworth get more time in the exercise yard.”)  What I think makes it especially hard for children these days is that when they get home they have homework at a far younger age, and then if you try to add enrichment like music lessons they have even less free time and exercise.  I am thankful for the ability to homeschool…if my children were in public school it would be harder to dramatically increase their contact with nature.  The reiteration of time in nature as restorative, allowing you to come back with better ability to focus, really hits home for me.  My son is a very active boy, and even in preschool the teachers raised questions about his ability to pay attention.  Like Nicole mentioned with her son, I am confident he doesn’t have ADHD because he can focus for long periods of time if something is interesting to him.  I do notice his attention waning sometimes at home, and up until now I would try to push through and finish our schoolwork so he could then have his free time.  My new plan after reading this is going to be to take a break to head outside, and finish the schoolwork with better focus after we’re all refreshed.

There were two other things I took away from chapter 8.  One, like Nicole mentioned, was about where we do our schoolwork.  The study on the benefits of even a view of nature on focus and concentration was interesting.  In a happy coincidence I recently rearranged our schoolroom so both kids have a better view out the windows, but I am going to focus more on what they see out the window.  I’m thinking of adding another bird feeder there, or maybe a birdbath.  Another piece of information from this chapter requires a little rearranging for me.  A work-in-progress study seems to show that a walk in a natural setting is more beneficial than a walk in a manicured residential area.  As I said in my earlier post, we get outside nearly every day but usually for a walk around our neighborhood.  I am going to make it a goal to head to more natural areas for our walks more often.  Like Nicole says, as parents we just need to make the effort.

I had requested the book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv from interlibrary loan, and then I saw that Nicole from Journey to Excellence was going to host a book study.  How perfect!  Today I’ll be sharing my thoughts while reading the first four chapters.  Be sure to click over and visit Nicole to read her comments.

While reading the beginning of the book I was flooded with my childhood memories growing up in a very rural area on old potato farmland.  In warm weather I was running around exploring in the woods, rolling down grassy hills, and visiting the frog pond.  In winter I was sledding and building forts until my hands were blue.  I remember very little of toys I had, but I can replay the sights and smells of the fields and woods in my mind.

After reminiscing my thoughts turned to the way my children are experiencing nature, and I am struck with a difference between my experiences and those of my children.  I agree wholeheartedly with much of the author’s discussion of these generational differences, and how much less children are experiencing nature directly now.  We are fortunate not to struggle as much with some of the impediments: homeschooling does give us more unstructured time, and we live in Maine with lots of access to natural areas.  In Chapter 3 when the author quoted a British study that kids could identify Pokemon characters better than native plant species I gave myself a little pat on the back for incorporating nature study into our homeschool fairly regularly over the last year, and determined to work it in even more in the coming years.

After the pat on the back I felt not so proud in one area:  free play in nature.  With homeschooling I looked forward to giving my children more time to enjoy time outside, but truthfully free play has not happened as much as I would like.  We do walk or ride bikes most days (thanks to our dog), but free play in nature is not as big a part of their lives as it should be.  Often I’m with them and tend to be still directing things.  I was especially interested the discussions in Chapter 4 on the type of outside environment, and how there does seem to be a difference between outdoor play on a structured playground versus a more unstructured natural setting.  This is one area that is difficult because we live on a small lot in a relatively new subdivision with mostly lawns and gardens and no wooded areas.  I’m afraid there isn’t as much nature to fuel the imagination in our backyard as there is in a less manicured area.  I have to take them to more natural places, and when I do our time is limited by me wanting to get back home to my lengthy to-do list.  I don’t want my responsibilities as an adult to shorten their time to be kids and experience the same play time I had as a child, but it really is difficult.

Other than my feeling the need to be home to get things done, the other barriers to unstructured time in nature for my children is my fear.  I have a hard time if they’re playing where I can’t see them.  I fear they’ll get hurt and I won’t be there to either prevent it or help when it happens.  Add to that a fear I am especially struggling with this summer: ticks.  I have had ticks on me recently, and I have a friend recently diagnosed with Lyme disease.  I hate to douse ourselves with chemicals in order to spend a little time in the woods, but reading the many benefits in this book may push me to try getting out in the woods more, even if a hefty dose of DEET has to go with us.

As I read Chapter 4 about nature’s healing properties, I remembered during my teen years taking walks in an old farm field across the road.  Once I walked out into it and over the hill, I couldn’t see a single house.  It was just me and the wind and the wildflowers.  It was so calming and a great time to think.  I have seen days in our homeschool that just are not going well and time outside (especially in the woods) has saved the day.  I am determined to use nature more to benefit both myself and my children.

I’m very excited to continue reading this book.  It reminds me a bit of my feelings when reading The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.  I already read a lot to my children, but that book reinforced for me the many benefits of it and assures that time for read-aloud will not be the first thing we cut if we’re low on time.  I have a feeling time in nature will also be higher on my priority scale after finishing this book.

Nature study is one of my favorite parts of the Charlotte Mason philosophy.  We try to incorporate it as much as we can, with many of my ideas coming from Barb at the Handbook of Nature Study blog.  One of the most common ways we fit in nature study, however, takes no pre-planning at all.  You could call it interest-led or on-demand or lucky coincidence…

When we see something in nature that we’re curious about we spend time researching it.  I know, amazing thought, right?  And it really is that simple.  The more complicated side is putting aside my plan or list and being willing to detour and slow down.  It means when we are at our small town’s garden store for what is supposed to be a twenty minute shopping trip being willing to stay an hour and a half so my daughter could hold a chicken egg in her hand while it hatched.  It means dropping the load of laundry to run to the window and see the bird at the feeder.  It means crouching down on our neighborhood street (when I’m really just trying to get our dog some exercise) to watch a snail.  It means stopping the lawnmower, grabbing the bug box and finding a way to get a huge green beetle inside it.   (And yes, I did let out a squeal when he touched me.)

There is a great benefit to this method even aside from the easiness of it.  Not only do we learn a lot about the natural world without tons of planning on my part, but it fosters my children’s curiosity.  It has encouraged them to call out to me:  “Hey Mom!  Look at this!  What is it?”  I always try to go and see it.  If we can we bring it home to study (like the garden snails I carried in a dog waste bag), otherwise we take a picture (great use for the camera on my phone).

At home we follow through and find out what we can about our topic.  I love having field guides and reference books on trees, insects, and birds around the house so we can grab those and start thumbing through to track down our item of interest.  (As a side note: building a reference library doesn’t have to be expensive: most of our books I’ve picked up on clearance or at used book sales.)  This can help with beginning identification on things like the big green beetle where I don’t know what to type in for an internet search.  If we’re not positive of the identification based on the drawing or picture in our field guide, I’ll often do a Google Images search and compare the images with what we found to help us be sure.  For birds you can’t beat Cornell’s All About Birds website to identify and then learn everything you wanted to know, and even watch a video or listen to audio recordings.  If it’s just a feather you find, then check out the Feather Atlas from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service.  The Discover Life site has ID nature guides that cover just about every living thing.  This site is so detailed it can be a little harder to navigate, but many of the guides have photos to make it easier.  For instance, under insects you can choose caterpillars, then using the photos select the main body color, pattern, and other features to arrive at an identification.

My favorite nature reference book that we own is The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock, an amazing book originally written in 1911.  It doesn’t have color photos like most field guides, but it’s loaded with interesting information.   That’s where we pick up fascinating in-depth knowledge, like how the bleeding heart flower has a hinge to expose the pollen while bees are drinking the nectar.  Barb’s Handbook of Nature Study site is a great place to find educational links and study activities if you want to dig deeper.  It was through links on her site that we learned a garden snail can have over 400 babies in a year (and why the garden snails we brought home were returned to their previous area!)  And if it’s something my kids are still showing a lot of interest in, we’ll grab books on it at the library and read until their curiosity is satisfied.

At least until the next time I hear: “Hey Mom!  You’ve gotta come see this!”