August Nature Note

I hope that this August Nature Note finds you & your loved ones well.

So many of you are new to Exploring Nature with Children, and will be joining us for the first time in September. If you subscribe to the blog posts on the website, You’ll receive the monthly Nature Note, which will give you an overview of the month ahead, and also the weekly Exploring Nature with Children theme posts, which I hope are helpful to you.

If you began back in 2019, and are coming toward the end of your studies, I am truly honoured that ENWC has been a part of your home education, and my hope is that you and your child have enjoyed your studies, and learned about the natural world around you. ENWC is written to be used year upon year for layered learning, so I do hope that you will consider joining us again during the next year!

A quote to carry with you this August:

As you explore nature with your child this year, I would encourage you to keep this quote close to your heart. What a wonderful balm for the soul is a delight in nature, but not only that; Miss Charlotte Mason speaks to us as parents about the importance of encouraging our child’s interest in the natural world , lest the ‘book of Nature’ be closed to them:

“Some children are born naturalists, with a bent inherited, perhaps, from an unknown ancestor; but every child has a natural interest in the living things about him which it is the business of his parents to encourage; for, but few children are equal to holding their own in the face of public opinion; and if they see that the things which interest them are indifferent or disgusting to you, their pleasure in them vanishes, and that chapter in the book of Nature is closed to them.”

Vol 1 pg 58

For those of you who are using Exploring Nature With Children, the weeks for August fall as follows:

3rd ~ 9th Week 1: Night Time Sky Week  

10th ~ 16th Week 2: A Senses Walk Week

17th ~ 23rd Week 3 Summer Pond Study Week 

24th ~ 30nd Week 4: Discussion 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:

August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the Harvest home is borne.

~ The Months by Sara Coleridge

You may be starting to see seed heads forming, and early fruits (such as crab apples, Rowan berries, and blackberries) are beginning to ripen. You may like to gather herbs to make your own tea blends, or to add to a soothing bath at the end of a long day. If you would like to do some foraging, here’s a link to find out more about finding Rowan berries, and making the jelly:

Rowan Jelly : : How to find and make it.

As the season of bounty is upon us, you may enjoy using Celebrating the Seasons with Children : : The Harvest Festival

A handbook written to guide you, step by step, in creating a meaningful and authentic celebration of the Harvest Festival for your own family. Find out more by clicking on the above link.

Special days this May:

• 3rd: Full moon
• 9th Perseids Meteor Shower begins to peak

Happy exploring!