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NATURE KIDS WINTER: STUDYING THE BEAUTY OF COLD WEATHER

Doing a winter nature study can be tricky. Studying nature is one of my favorite things to do with my kids in our homeschool. We love to watch the birds on our feeders outside and the leaves changing colors out our windows. But as the temperatures drop it becomes harder and harder to become inspired in our nature study. But there are so many amazing things happening in nature during the wintertime.

There’s one big problem with nature study in winter: IT’S FREEZING out there!!!

Don’t you worry though. I’ve got some great solutions.

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Winter Nature Study without Freezing to Death!

I’ve found that studying nature in winter doesn’t mean you have to be out there for hours and hours. A quick walk with some really good observations can be just as good as an hour-long walk in the spring. Things are quieter in winter. Everything seems a little more still. A shorter walk will suffice. Nature is resting, and so can we.

After our walks, I love to bring the nature in with us and create something with our hands with a nod of the head to the nature we’ve just enjoyed.

Get the 6 Secrets to a Simpler Mom Life

I created a course to help those who really want to enjoy nature with their kids, but need the ideas and inspiration to get out there. Nature Kids: Winter Edition is a course for…

  •  families that love nature
  •  families that want to love nature more
  • those that love creating and projects
  • children ages Kindergarten-6th grade (approximately)

    Garland making for the birds–a project in the course.

The Beauty of Winter Nature Study

Since moving to Minnesota from North Carolina a few years ago, my biggest fear was winter. I grew up in South Dakota and winter was so difficult. The grey days all ran together and the negative temperatures kept us indoors for months.

When we moved here to MN, I made a conscientious decision to change my attitude about winter. It’s much too long of a season to spend it pining for warmer days. I chose to embrace the cozy months with books, puzzles, great clothes made for sub-zero temps where we can actually go outside for walks and sledding and skating. After three winters here, I actually look forward to the winter months now. And luckily, I made this change of heart because we would have all missed out on so. much. gorgeous winter nature study!

Here’s a few wonderful things happening outside during winter:

  • Animals scurrying around looking for food or burying deep below the surface of the ground to sleep the winter away.
  • Birds adapting to the colder months, showing their vivid colors against the stark, white background.
  • Snowflakes falling with their intricate designs.
  • The trees resting for the winter, getting ready to share their goods when the weather warms again.

    Mixing up some natural play-dough–a project in the course.

 

A Winter Nature Course all Planned Out for You

With a full day of homeschool ahead of you already, the last thing you want to do is plan a fun nature study too. Hey, it’s all done already!

I created this video-based course for you and your kiddos, Nature Kids: Winter Edition. And I think you’re going to love it!

No matter where you live, winter visits in one way or another. In this course, you’ll receive one lesson per week on

  1. Winter Birds
  2. Weather during wintertime
  3. Trees in Winter
  4. Animal Hibernation and Winter Survival
  5. Maple Sugaring

In each lesson, we’ll cover different aspects of each topic, a project or creative art, books to read, poems to recite and copy, and nature journal prompts. We’ll create our own nature journal where we’ll log our nature walks, draw pictures, and record our findings. And copy beautiful poems into our nature journals.

Bird seed ornaments–a project in the course.

We’ll also create things with our hands from things found in nature. Each nature walk will take on new meaning when we starting seeing nature in a more artful way. While on nature walks, we’ll talk about taking photos of what we find in nature and what we can do with our photos later.

THIS COURSE COVERS:

  • Birds in the winter
  • Winter weather
  • Snow and ice
  • Animal Hibernation
  • Maple Sugaring
  • Nature poetry
  • Art projects from nature
  • Tips on nature journaling
  • Making a photography book of your own nature photos
  • How to study nature when you can’t go outdoors
  • Creating a winter nature table

 

Winter doesn’t necessarily mean hibernation–for people. I have found so much beauty during this season and I’m so thankful for it. I hope you’ll brave the cold with your kids this season and enjoy what winter holds for you. Check out Nature Kids: Winter Edition for wonderful ideas.

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