I hope that this June Nature Note finds you & your loved ones well during these extremely challenging times.
If you are new to Exploring Nature with Children, and are joining us for the first time this month, please jump right in. You can begin ENWC at any point in the year, and there’s no better time to get started than the present!
If you began back in 2019, my hope is that you and your child are enjoying your studies, and learning about the natural world around you.
A quote to carry with you this June:
As you are here, reading this page on a website all about studying nature, I think that we can assume that you are vested in encouraging your child’s natural interest in living things!
Please don’t beat yourself up over how much time that your children are not out of doors, or some such thing. Focus on the small tangible ways that you can make a difference. Exploring Nature With Children will surely hold your hand as you study nature with your child, but make nature study a part of family life:
- Bring home the wee nature treasures that your child collects out on walks, and display them on a shelf or table where your child can see them. (Obviously keeping them out of the hands of tiny children who may put them into their mouths.)
- Talk about the living things that you see as you look out of the window, or take your daily walks, or play outside. Can you name them? Describe them? Do they make a sound? If so, what does it remind you of? If you can (safely & reasonably) touch them, what do they feel like?
- With wee ones (& even not so wee ones!) Say goodnight to the moon each evening. Notice it’s shape & position in the sky.
- Read nature stories.
- Enjoy poems about nature.
- Press wildflowers & make cards to send to friends and family.
- Encourage nature play & free exploration whenever possible.
For those of you who are using Exploring Nature With Children, the weeks for June fall as follows:
1st ~ 7th Week 1: Museum Visit Week Many museums have facilities to take a virtual tour during the pandemic, such as the Natural History Museum in London
8th ~ 14th Week 2: Honey Bee Week
15th ~ 21st Week 3 Summer Solstice Week The Solstice falls on Saturday the 20th.
22nd ~ 26th Week 4: Blossom Week
There’s a free ENWC calendar for the year to download here.
As always, please work the weeks to suit your own circumstances best; these are just my own suggestions!
Please keep in mind social distancing, and your own government’s guidelines during these difficult times.
If you’re over on Instagram, do pop over and say hello! The Instagram page is very much about community; think of it as your virtual home school co op! Our community uses the #exploringnaturewithchildren hashtag, & also specific weekly hashtags to enable you to connect with other families working through ENWC this year.
Seasonal notes:
For those of is in the Northern Hemisphere, we tend to think of June as the first month of summer. The daylight hours are at their longest, and nature is in full bloom. If you grow strawberries in your garden, or are able to find them locally, here is a delicious recipe for strawberry jam.
Special days this May:
- 5th Full Moon
- 20th Summer Solstice
- 21st Father’s Day
- 24th Midsummer / St. John’s Tide
{ You may wish to take a look at my resource for celebrating this day: Celebrating The Seasons With Children }
Happy exploring!
