Year: 2024

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

If you are new here, and to Exploring Nature with Children, 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.

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

2nd ~ 8th Week 1 Christmas Plants Week #ENWCchristmasplantsweek 

9th ~ 15th Week 2: Winter Bird Study Week #ENWCwinterbirdweek 

16th ~ 22nd Week 3: Winter Solstice Week #ENWCwintersolsticeweek  

(The Solstice itself falls on Saturday the 21st)

23rd ~ 29th Week 4: The Twelve Days of Christmas Week  #ENWC12daysofchristmasweek 

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! 

As we approach the New Year, are you looking for a meaningful goal for 2025? 

Introducing my new Nature Study Primer: 21 Days to the Habit of Nature Study. 
Guided by the principles of Charlotte Mason, this 90-page workbook is designed to help you:

Connect deeply with your child and the natural world
Cultivate curiosity and a sense of wonder
Understand nature study & keeping a nature journal from the perspective of a Charlotte Mason inspired education.

You can find out more, and download the sample here: Nature Study Primer: 21 Days to the Habit of Nature Study

Seasonal notes:

Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire and Christmas treat.

~ The Months by Sara Coleridge

Special days this December:

• 1st: The first Sunday in Advent 
• 6th: Saint Nicholas’ Day
• 8th: The second Sunday in Advent
• 15th: The third Sunday in Advent
• 21st: The Winter Solstice
• 24th Christmas Eve
• 25th Christmas Day
• 26th Saint Stephen’s Day / Boxing Day
• 31st New Year’s Eve / Hogmanay

Happy exploring!

Next week in Exploring Nature With Children is ‘Christmas Plants Week’.

Here are some helpful links to help with your studies:

• Holly, Ivy, and Christmas Plants
• How to Draw Plants Video series: John Muir Laws
• How to Choose a Christmas Tree
• The Holly and the Ivy. Christmas carol video
• Making Your Own Christmas Wreath: Video
• Christmas wreath printable: Twinkl

Exploring Nature With Children is an open and go curriculum. To make it even easier, I have created a free calendar for you to download. There’s a direct link in my profile.

If you’re following along with the community over on Instagram, do pop over and say hello! Think of it as your virtual home school co op! 

To enable you to connect with other families working through the ENWC curriculum, this week’s hashtag will be: #ENWCchristmasplantsweek 

Happy exploring!

Sunday is the 1st of December and the RLS Nature Advent Calendar begins!

USE CODE ADVENT20 FOR A 20% DISCOUNT!

A simple, open and go format with a gentle rhythm to support you during what can quickly become quite a hectic time of year.

Keeping an Advent Journal is an important part of this curriculum. I would heartily recommend this practice, both for the parent as well as the child. These journals become real treasures, capturing moments in time, and are an utter pleasure to revisit.

You will be guided through Advent with the following daily structure:

• Create an Atmosphere of Reverence, Wonder, and Devotion

• Scripture reading

• Moment of Silence and Prayerful Response

• An Outdoor Activity and an Indoor Activity

• The Advent Journal

My hope is that you will return to this resource year upon year, for layered learning. That it will ‘grow’ with your family as you establish your own traditions, and that you will experience the season in a deep, connected, and authentic way.

Pop over to the website to find out more, & download the sample:

Celebrating the Seasons with Children: A Nature Advent Calendar 

Happy Advent!

I am beyond thrilled to share with you my latest resource:  A Nature Study Primer – 21 Days to the Habit of Nature Study

This book has been two years in the making, and I hope will be an engaging and interactive workbook for parents, supporting you as you transform your family’s connection to nature in just 21 days.

Guided by the principles of Charlotte Mason, this resource is designed to nurture the habit of curiosity, observation, and wonder in your family’s daily life.

What’s Included in This 90-Page Workbook:

Daily Format: Each day features:

• An inspiring quote to spark your enthusiasm.
• A lesson for the parent to deepen your understanding of nature study.
• A clear focus to keep you grounded.
• A meaningful goal to help you integrate nature study into your routine.

Step-by-Step Learning: Develop confidence as you explore nature study habits one step at a time.

Parent-Centred Guidance: Build your skills and learn alongside your child.

Interactive and Reflective Activities: Journaling prompts, practical exercises, and tips to make nature study approachable and joyful.

This unique workbook is more than a guide—it’s a 21-day journey toward a sustainable habit of nature study, tailored for busy parents who wish to connect more deeply with their child, and the natural world.

The 90-page downloadable resource offers tools to enrich your home education and inspire a lifelong love for nature.

Download the sample to find out more. Purchase here for $12

Happy exploring!

Next week in Exploring Nature With Children is ‘Weather Week’.

Here are some helpful links to support your studies:

• Snowflake Anatomy
• Storms: Bill Nye the Science Guy (Video)
• How to Draw Cloud Shapes: John Muir Laws
• How to Draw Clouds in perspective: John Muir Laws
• How to Paint Skies in Watercolour I: John Muir Laws
• How to Paint Skies in Watercolour II: John Muir Laws
• Painting Shadows on Snow: John Muir Laws
• Come Outside : A Windy Day
• Come Outside : A Rainy Day

Exploring Nature With Children is an open and go curriculum. To make it even easier, I have created a free calendar for you to download. There’s a direct link in my profile.

If you’re following along with the community over on Instagram, do pop over and say hello! Think of it as your virtual home school co op! 

To enable you to connect with other families working through the ENWC curriculum, this week’s hashtag will be:  #ENWCweatherweek 

Happy exploring!

Sunday the 24th is Stir Up Sunday!

Are you joining us for this old British tradition? You can find out more in the Nature Advent Calendar

Use code: ADVENT20 for a 20% discount!

Happy Advent to you!

Next week in Exploring Nature With Children is ‘Lichen Week’.

Here are some helpful links to help with your studies:

What is lichen?

Bill Oddie Goes Wild: Lovely Lichens (BBC video)

Beautiful Lichen sketches, by Claire Kathleen Ward

Getting Started With Lichen Dyes by Alissa Allen

Foraging in Winter

Exploring Nature With Children is an open and go curriculum. To make it even easier, I have created a free calendar for you to download.

If you’re following along with the community over on Instagram, do pop over and say hello! Think of it as your virtual home school co op! 

To enable you to connect with other families working through the ENWC curriculum, this week’s hashtag will be: #ENWClichenweek 

Please note that lichens are very delicate structures and should always be collected responsibly.

Happy exploring!

USE CODE: ADVENT20 for 20% OFF YOUR PURCHASE

This Advent season, I do hope that you will join me on a seasonal journey: “A Nature Advent Calendar” 

Follow nature’s rhythms and create your own cherished traditions with Celebrating the Seasons with Children: A Nature Advent Calendar. 

A simple, open-and-go format will guide you through this season of the year, both the natural rhythm, and also the season that we celebrate as a church. 

The Nature Advent Calendar is multi-age, allowing families to enjoy spending time together both in nature and at home this Advent season. A child that is old enough to keep a nature journal will get the most out of the Nature Advent Calendar, but it can be used by families with much younger children too.

My hope is that you will return to this resource year upon year, for layered learning. That it will ‘grow’ with your family as you establish your own traditions, and that you will experience the season in a deeply connected, and authentic way. Find out more here:

Celebrating the Seasons with Children: A Nature Advent Calendar. 

Here’s to a blessed, peaceful, and nature-filled Advent, where each day unfolds as a chapter of connection and reflection. Available now for a joy-filled Advent season of shared celebration and discovery.

Next week in Exploring Nature With Children is ‘Moss Week’.

Here are some helpful links to help with your studies:

• Mosses life cycle (video)
• Moss life cycle under the microscope (video) 
• A general introduction to mosses and how to identify them (video)
• How to create realistic textures (video) This is helpful for not only moss, but all areas of keeping a nature journal.
• How to preserve moss.

Exploring Nature With Children is an open and go curriculum. To make it even easier, I have created a free calendar for you to download.

If you’re following along with the community over on Instagram, do pop over and say hello! Think of it as your virtual home school co op! 

To enable you to connect with other families working through the ENWC curriculum, this week’s hashtag will be: #ENWCmossweek

Happy exploring!

Next week in Exploring Nature With Children is ‘Fungus Study Week’.

Here are some helpful links to help with your studies:

• How to draw mushrooms (John Muir Laws video workshop)
• Exploring fungi
• The Magic of Mushrooms – BBC documentary
• Foraging in Autumn
• Mould Time Lapse
• Fungus Study Week resources from Twinkl

Exploring Nature With Children is an open and go curriculum. To make it even easier, I have created a free calendar for you to download.

If you’re following along with the community over on Instagram, do pop over and say hello! Think of it as your virtual home school co op! 

To enable you to connect with other families working through the ENWC curriculum, this week’s hashtag will be: #ENWCfungusweek 

Happy exploring!