I hope that this September Nature Note finds you & your loved ones well.
So many of you are new to Exploring Nature with Children, and are joining us for the first time. I’m thrilled that you’re joining us! 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 will be helpful to you in your studies.
Many of you have written to let me know that you’re joining us again this year (for some families, it will be their fifth year!) ENWC is written to be used year upon year for layered learning, so I am glad that you will be building your knowledge and experience of the natural world again this year. I am truly honoured that ENWC has been a part of your home education.
A quote to carry with you this September:
As you begin to explore nature with your child this year, I would encourage you to keep this quote close to your heart. Children often jump right into nature walks and nature study wholeheartedly. They’re able to move their bodies, explore, ask questions, and make discoveries. Some children are more hesitant, and the parent feels despondent, and sometimes, even as if they have failed their child. May I offer this quote from Miss Mason as a gentle reminder that your child may need time to develop the joy of the natural world, and studying nature. Consider what you would do if your child was resistant to their maths lessons, or learning their times tables. You would encourage, be kind, but nonetheless press firmly on…
For those of you who are using Exploring Nature With Children, the weeks for September fall as follows:
7th ~ 13th Week 1: Seed Week #ENWCseedweek
14th ~ 20th Week 2: Minibeast Hunt Week #ENWCminibeastweek
21st ~ 27th Week 4 The Autumnal Equinox Week { The equinox itself falls on the 22nd } #ENWCautumnequinox
28th ~ 4th Week 3: Harvest Moon Week { The full moon falling on the 1st }. #ENWCharvestmoonweek
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 { see above } to enable you to connect with other families working through the ENWC curriculum.
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!
Seasonal notes:
Warm September brings the fruit,
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.
~ The Months by Sara Coleridge
Autumn is now very much in the air! Fruits and seeds are ripening all around us, the nuts and apples are beginning to fall, and the blackberries will soon be past their best. You may enjoy the snippet of British folklore that tells us never to gather blackberries after Michaelmas, { 29th September } as on this day the devil fell from heaven, & in his anger, he spat upon them. Small mammals are busy collecting from the abundance to either eat now to keep them going through their time of hibernation, or to store away for the long winter months. Michaelmas daisies grow abundantly in many regions at this time of year, and make for make a beautiful subject for your nature studies.
Special days this September:
- 2nd Full Moon
- 7th: Labour Day (CAN) Labor Day (USA)
- 20th / 27th Harvest Festival: the traditional dates that churches hold their services. See below for the RLS resource to help your own family celebrate this special season of the natural & Christian year.
- 22nd The Autumnal Equinox
- 29th Michaelmas
- { 1st Oct: the full Harvest Moon }
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.
Happy exploring!
