{"id":325,"date":"2009-10-31T22:03:52","date_gmt":"2009-11-01T03:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/materamabilis.org\/ma\/?page_id=325"},"modified":"2021-05-12T15:44:59","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T19:44:59","slug":"nature-study","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/materamabilis.org\/ma\/subjects\/science\/nature-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes on Nature Study"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Charlotte Mason’s Cure for Tired Text-taught Tots)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

by MacBeth Derham<\/em><\/p>\n

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Trip admires a waterfall<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cLet [children] once get touch (sic) with nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through his life.\u201d –Home Education, pg. 61<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must assist the child to educate himself on Nature\u2019s lines, and we must take care not to supplant and crowd out Nature and her methods with that which we call education. Object-lessons should be incidental; and this is where the family enjoys a great advantage over the school. The child who finds that wonderful and beautiful object, a \u201cpaper\u201d wasp\u2019s nest\u2026has his lesson on the spot from father or mother.\u201d \u2013Parents and Children, pg. 182<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026It is unnecessary in the family to give an exhaustive examination to every object\u2026\u201d –Parents and Children, pg. 183<\/p>\n

\u201cThe unobservant person states that an object is light, and considers that he has stated an ultimate fact. The observant person makes the same statement, but has in his mind a relative scale, and his judgment is of more value be-cause he compares, silently, with a series of substances to which this is relatively light.\u201d — Parents and Children, pg. 183<\/p>\n

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Charlotte Mason’s Observations<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) was a British educator and an observant woman. As a teacher, she spent much of her life watching children learn, and drawing, from her observations, many of the same conclusions we home educators draw today as we watch our own children learn. Nature study was a \u201cmust\u201d for Charlotte\u2019s students, and for those she influenced in their homes. She believed that children should be outside with a parent for 4-6 hours per day when they are young, and that older children (12 and up) should have at least one full afternoon a week devoted to outside activities. Meals should be taken out of doors, when possible. \u201cNever,\u201d she writes, \u201cbe within doors when you can rightly be without.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, at Charlotte Mason College (now part of\u00a0St. Martin’s College<\/a>), the study of \u2018outdoor education\u2019 can earn you a master\u2019s degree. Indeed, outdoor education centers such as Frost Valley<\/a>\u00a0in NY, and\u00a0PEEC<\/a>\u00a0in Pennsylvania,\u00a0Hemlock Overlook<\/a>\u00a0in Virginia,\u00a0Eagle Bluff<\/a> in Minnesota, and many others, are popular ways that public schools bring a taste of the outdoors to their pupils. As home-schooling families, we can make everyday an outdoor educational experience\u2026<\/p>\n

Charlotte\u2019s image of the nature walk included the mother sitting on a large blanket and sending the kids off to find what they can find. They would return with their finds, or describe what they had seen to their waiting mother. This might work well for you. Others may use a blanket as a \u201chome base.\u201d Some mothers cannot help but walk with<\/em> children and find things – not wanting to miss anything on the nature outing. That enthusiasm is contagious. Either approach is fine.<\/p>\n

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Kids doing a quadrat study<\/em><\/span><\/center><\/p><\/div>\n

Children love to find natural objects and learn from them what they can. They keep notebooks, recording their interesting discoveries. They make connections when they read about something they have seen on a nature walk. They develop a strong, respectful relationship with life and its Creator. Nature study becomes the basis for the study of all other sciences\u2014geology, biology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy can all be observed in nature.<\/p>\n

The Outdoor Life: Getting Started<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Mountain Day<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Mount Holyoke College\u00a0<\/a>has a lovely tradition: On a crisp October morning at 7am, the morning bells continue to ring past 7, signaling that classes are cancelled. Because many students choose to climb the local mountains on their day off, the day is called \u201cMountain Day.\u201d I have carried this tradition home, though we try to have our \u201cMountain Day\u201d once a month, as a special addition to our usual time spent out of doors. Our \u201cmountain\u201d is a local preserve with several different environments\u2014fields, forests, pond, seashore, and even old ruins. Best of all, it is free!<\/p>\n

Mountain day is not a substitute for getting out daily! The mountain day location is a special place, away from home, where we can observe the seasonal changes, wild life, plants, and weather. Mountain day is a treat, wildly anticipated by the whole family. Nevertheless, we still go out as much as possible, on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

When you plan your \u201cmountain day\u201d getaway, try to find a place that fits this checklist:
\nFree, or low fee–perhaps there is a \u201cfamily membership\u201d
\nNearby
\nSuitable for children
\nNaturalist available
\nNight access, if safe
\nVariety of environments:<\/p>\n