Nature in Winter OR Indoor Nature Studies

This page is devoted to those who live in cold northern climes that aren't always conducive to weekly nature walks.  I also wanted to include some indoor nature studies for those who live within cities who don't have as many naturally occurring specimens to study regularly.  Below are some ideas from some ladies from the Charlotte Mason E-group.

Although I live in the country, I find that sometimes (particularly in winter) nature studies become challenging when the birds no longer come to the feeders, the plants are all covered up with snow, the raccoons are hibernating, it's below zero and no one really wants to go for a nature walk.

During these times we tend to look to the heavens.  We study the phases of the moon, constellations, the Milky Way,  look for meteor showers, and measure the noon-time shadows each day.

We also will study our domestic animals and plants during times when nature seems sleeping.  If you have pets, don't neglect to do a nature study on them.  We used The Handbook of Nature Studies and did the observations on the cat, the dog, the horse, and the cow.  Don't forget to look at the study on the goldfish within this book.  It's so amazing!  Even if you don't have a goldfish, you can buy them cheaply at Walmart and teach your children to care for their pet, observe it, sketch it, write about it, and grow to know it.

Domestic plants are also a form of nature study.  Plant an amaryllis bulb and observe its progress.  Measure its growth day by day, draw it as it grows and as it blooms and even as it fades away.  Fascinating!  You could do the same with tulip bulbs, paper whites and even bean seeds.  Children love to plant things and watching them grow.

You can also study fruits.  Did you know that apple varieties are really differently formed inside?  Cut a Delicious apple and a Fiji apple across the middle (crossways) as it stands on end.  Notice the way the seeds are arranged in the middle.  Notice the color, size, shape, and taste of the various apples.  These are fun to draw and watercolor.

These are just a few ideas that may be of help to city dwellers.  There are days that I wish I were closer to things like botanical gardens and parks where very different plants are growing than are growing on my prairie.

Jody C in MT

Today we are going to do some indoor planting.  My girls are very
curious to see if the seeds from all the grapefruit we've been eating will
grow.  We're also setting up a terrarium . . . each girl picked out a
tiny African Violet and I selected a low foliage plant.  Iif the
terrarium works the way it's supposed to it can be a study in the water
cycle in addition to the plants.

Both of these projects were inspired by a trip to a local green house last week on a very chilly day.  It was wonderful to roam around the hot moist greenhouses on such a cccold day . . . and to see and smell   all the plants growing.  A nursery probably has lots of nature study projects if we're creative in looking around.  An added bonus was that the place was practically empty and the girls got to run down the lengths of the aisles and get out some energy on a day much to cold to be outside!!

Donna in PA

Another great nature study in the winter is to take your kids to a pet store and they usually have some sort of creepy crawly things that the kids can ask questions about or even draw or photograph and draw later.

Kathy

One `nature study' book that I especially love is called Growing Up
Green, by Alice Skelsey and Gloria Huckaby. It's sort of hippy-flavored in parts, not too strongly (it was written in the 70's, I
believe). I used this when my 19 and 18 year olds. were 2 and 1.  I used a copy from my library all those years ago.  In 1999 I found it again at the local used bookstore and grabbed it for old time's sake. It is a nice book, with lots of fun things to do with your children to
share the love of growing things, even in winter.

You can grow a potato.  It's very easy, and very pretty. You just
stick a potato or a sweet potato (they're prettier) in a jar of water
so that just the bottom touches the water. If the potato is too even in shape to stay up on the rim, then stick three toothpicks up around the side, and they will prop the tater up so it doesn't submerge.

It makes a beautiful vine and you can keep it going for several
months. Once it starts to turn a bit yellow, it's time to repot it (I
use a large coffee can), and then it will keep for another month or
two. Then you need to either dump it or plant it outside and start
another one.  It would work well to sketch the growth of the potato each week, measuring roots and leaves, that sort of thing.

Another indoor nature project is growing beans. You take a clear jar
and roll a paper towel up and line the jar with it. Get the towel
damp, and stick some dried beans (navy beans, lima, that sort, but
*not* split peas;-D) between the paper and the jar. Keep the toweling
damp and you can watch how the seed splits open and how the roots
grow. You could sketch this (with dates and measurements) in the
sketchbook as well.

Keep in mind, these are fun things to do, and worthwhile, but they are
not replacements for study and observation of nature in the wild. They
are good substitutions when for whatever reason you can't go outside.

Another neat thing to do is to sketch the moon each week, on the same night, to let the child discover for herself the cycles of the moon. 
Do you know that I never realized that the moon does not always rise
from the same direction until I did this with my children?
Oh, and along those lines, make sure your child notices which
direction the sun rises and sets.

I can't *tell* you what a thrill it was for me a few years ago when
my 12 year old, and then 7 year old. revealed that she understood this concept.  The children and I were at a local park, just sitting quietly at a picnic table, looking around at the trees. My 7 year old. looked up at the sky, and told me that the sun was over on that side, it was after
lunch, so it was setting, so that way must be West, and the opposite
direction must be East.  Oh, it was cool! (quite literally, we had to leave shortly afterwards because it was so chilly).

 Other ideas for winter nature study:  Evergreens are always good. 
Learn the pattern their needles grow in, look at pine cones, study
what wildlife, if any, hangs out at the evergreen tree in winter.   You can also bring in a rock, a bit of wood or small log with lichen on it and sketch it from the dining room table. You can sketch a leafless twig, noting the placing of the leaf scars, the color of the wood, the shape, and etc.

I have read a suggestion somewhere of tying a string around a twig or
tree branch you can see from a window, then sketch it once a month,
observing seasonal changes.
You could sketch clouds.
Set up a bird feeder and try sketching a bird at the feeder.
We have a root garden growing right now, two pie pans full of parsnip
and carrot tops. You could sketch those.  We have two turnips, hollowed out and hanging upside down, filled with
water. The idea was that they were supposed to sprout leaves, the
leaves would grow up, making a leafy looking basket. They sprouted
leaves, but they aren't growing very well.  You could look for old seed pods and sketch them, or animal tracks in the snow.

We meet with a few other families for Ambleside Day.  We've divided
the children into teams.  Each team has picked a tree to adopt. 
Every week they go out to look at their tree to see what, if any,
changes they observe.  It's amazing, but even though the trees are
bare, every week the children notice something new.  Sometimes it was always there; they just didn't notice. 
Get a houseplant; force a bulb; get a fish; hatch an egg; do some
indoor vermiculture- we have two bins, shoebox sized, of earthworms
in our dining room (too cold for them to be outside).

You can also branch out and include some chemistry, physics, or other
sciences in your science study.  Get a book of experiments or a kit,
or hunt around online for some fun indoor things to do.  Read a few
good books.

Wendi

I would not suggest going outside when the weather is way below freezing!! :)  Those are the days to watch birds at the window-attached birdfeeder, to collect a bucketful of snow and bring it inside to examine snowflakes on a piece of black construction paper (or black velvet works well) with a handy-dandy hand magnifier. It's also a great time to read books, watch nature videos and do nature crafts.  We have
a little table that my kids use as a "nature table."  Whenever they find
some little piece of nature they bung it down there - often we accumulate an odd assortment: feathers, pinecones, acorns, sticks, dead bugs, etc. These can be studied and drawn during inclement weather.

The frigid days with ice-covered sidewalks are the days to stay in!!!! 
However, I noticed over the years that when I take the opportunity to go out on all those *other* days - days when the weather is not dangerous - the "outdoor days" do add up.  I haven't had a car in 14 years of marriage and don't anticipate being able to get one anytime soon, so we do have to get creative or else go stir crazy. :) Particularly my youngest, who is 4 1/2 and really loves being outdoors.   Perhaps soon your husband will allow you to check out some other apartments or small rental houses with more play
possibilities. 
Lauri B.

Where I live, a usual winter is one with seven months of snow. The joke here
is...
"There are four seasons:
Winter (hockey/ice skating),
Winter (downhill & x-country skiing),
Winter (snowmobiling/snowshoeing)
and Construction (mosquito/black fly season, too)!"
<bwg>

My 6-1/2 year old daughter and I frequently go outside to look for and listen for winter creatures. For example on our latest excursions outside...

~ We found a Two-Spot Ladybug hibernating in the bark crannies of a Paper Birch.
~ We found six different kinds of lichen on fallen tree branches.
~ We closely examined the inside and outside of Birch paper-bark (pulled off by wind).
~ We heard Ravens and Crows calling and scolding us from high tree branches.
~ We watched snow fall and examined snowflakes with a hand-held magnifier.
~ We drew pictures of the Balsam Fir wearing a heavy blanket of snow.

This week the temperatures have been -25°C (wind chill of -35°C)

Currently it is -15°C (5°F ) with a wind chill of -26°C. We are in the midst of a snowfall... and my daughter and I will go outside to play. Yea!

As long as you are dressed for the weather it is fine to go outside. Wear *layers* of warm, dry clothing and remove or add as you require. Be sure to have a waterproof hat, gloves and boots to protect the extremities.

Yes, it can be a bit of a hassle sometimes to get little ones ready. (Make sure they use the bathroom *before* they put on their snowsuits!) However, it is so much fun watching them explore and play outside. It is nice to go back in, to warm up with hot chocolate and listen as they enthusiastically talk about their discoveries.

Miss Mason herself went out *daily* in inclement weather, despite her
chronic health problems. She encouraged the parents, teachers and students to do so, too.

I hope this inspires you to go out and explore the great outdoors, no matter the season or weather!

Kelly in north-central BC Canada

Winter Nature Study

I have a book to recommend on winter nature studies.  It's called Discover Nature In Winter--Things to Know and Things to Do  by Elizabeth P. Lawlor.  This book will include winter wildlife, birds, empty bird nests, insects (ever heard of snow fleas?), squirrels, deer, snow pack, weather, animals tracks, seeds and fruits, winter weeds, cedars, birch trees, the zodiac, constellations, and more.  Many black and white illustrations and good ideas to study by.

It's -12 degrees here right now and my children tend to want to go outside for a little bit each day, even when it's cold.  They have some snow tunnels and forts dug into snow banks (look up quinzi in a yahoo search) which offer them lots o' fun!

Tracking animals is also lots of fun.  My son tracked a jackrabbit (in fresh snow) and found him huddled next to a water tank this morning.

Happy Winter Nature Studying!
Jody C in MT

I have also lived in Alaska, and like Kelly in Canada; I
agree that you can indeed get some great nature study in when the temperatures are well below freezing.  You just have to dress right.

There is nothing like finding moose tracks in the snow, or being able to trace how a fox chased a rabbit, or the sweep of an owl's wings in across the snow as it dived for a field mouse.  It is waaaay cool to step outside with a cup of hot coffee at 30 below zero, toss that coffee in the air and hear the sssssss as it turns to cold vapor before it hits the ground.  Of course, I think it's mighty nice to remember all these experiences from one of the lower 48 states where the sun actually SHINES!  I am not a morning person, but the 8 months
we spent near Fairbanks, Alaska, I got to see sunrise every day because it happened about 11:00!!

One of our favorite books when we lived there was Alaska Science Nuggets by Neil Davis.  I would think that much of the information within would apply to any northern climes, though some is probably Alaska specific.

Here's one of his articles
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF10/1033.html

Wendy

One of our favorite winter books is Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin ; illustrated by Mary Azarian.

"A biography of a self-taught scientist who photographed thousands of
individual snowflakes in order to study their unique formations."

~Melissa
In cold but not so snowy Minneapolis.

Robin, I'm a hybrid ;-) That means I live about 18 miles from New York
City, there's a mini-farm around the corner and wildlife in abundance
since we're on the edge (literally next door) of a woods/wetlands, yet
we're technically in the suburbs in a sense (a neighborhood, though no
sidewalks - but a main road is just up the street, with highways near us,
and we're at the edge of a *very* populated area). I grew up in a
large town about 9 miles from the city, that is suburban/urban. So -
I've had experiences with all! :-)

My children are taught to do many things for nature. They are taught to
look for signs (of spring, winter, summer, etc.). They are taught to
look for "how the world looks after rain," etc. IOW, we have a focus
when we walk. In general, we have a theme for that particular "term" of
the school year. Lately, it's been birds - and before each walk, I read
them something about birds - either about birds in general (their
beaks/bills, their nesting habits, migration) or about a specific type of
bird. Then, on our walk, we may look for that, but we're also observing
what we see.

There can be bleak times for nature study (though this time of year isn't
one of them! Wildflowers appear in cities, suburbs, and rural spots, and that's a favorite, along with birds - which also love cities!) - and so I try to come up with new focuses (though once we're outside, we usually find *something*!). I'll see if I can remember a few...

1. Signs of the season
2. Results of the weather (wind, rain, snow)
3. Tracks of birds, squirrels, etc. (especially after snow, or in muddy
weather)
4. Evergreens - especially good to study in winter, seeing 'what's still
green' and IDing it
5. Star study - studying constellations ahead of time, then packing up a
thermos of hot chocolate and driving to a spot with few city lights to
observe the night sky
6. Small mammals - squirrels and chipmunks are in city areas
7. Sound walks (what birds do you hear, do you know what sound a
chipmunk makes, etc.)
8. Walks with a visual instrument: binoculars, magnifying glass - which
makes the familiar rather new
9. Rock/stone study
10. Leaf study/ Tree study (easily done in the city as well - to chart a
tree once a week in spring, periodically through the summer, then weekly
in the fall....observing how it changes, what animals/birds frequent it,
what its bark looks like)
11. How many birds you see in 15 minutes, half hour, etc. (This is the
idea used in the Great American Backyard Bird Count - in which you keep a
count of how many birds of a certain kind you see at a time. IOW, if you
see two robins and then three robins, you write down three, not five, as
the most you saw at a time, since if you wrote five, you could be
counting the same ones twice)
12. Bug study (for want of a better term) - turning over a rock, or
observing ants, or finding a (safe!) spider, etc.
13. Cultivated plants - whatever flowers or vegetables you may have
planted in a little spot, as well as what weeds are growing around them
14. Weather study - watching clouds, and learning how we can begin to
predict weather patterns, etc.
15. Making observations in a nearby park (all cities have them!)
16. Learning about poisonous plants (hunting for poison ivy, and hoping
you don't find it! :-) - and even studying dangerous/problem-causing
insects (dangerous spiders, what deer ticks look like, etc.)

Hope these ideas are a bit helpful!
Love in Him,
Donna-Jean Breckenridge

We live in a small city (Lincoln, NE), but we are blessed to live nearly across the street from the agricultural campus of the University, which also is part of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.  There is a wealth of opportunity there for nature walks.  Lilacs in the spring, verbenum, azaleas, tons of perennials, seven different kinds of oaks, many other kinds of trees, a one-acre prairie, cactus, most of the plants labeled, a creek where we sometimes see ducks.  We've seen possum there and of course lots of birds, rabbits and squirrels. We have great fun trying to guess the trees and then seeing if we are correct.  It was there that all the lights came on as far as how to identify trees, and now we are all experts.  (If anyone wants help in tree ID, I would recommend you contact your local 4-H or extension office.)  There is also a wonderful dairy store where you can watch them make cheese (and buy yummy ice cream), and also the international quilt study center, a dental museum, tractor museum, greenhouses, etc. 

It's also a great spot for history exploration.  I'll never forget the time we were walking along by the creek and we noticed telephone poles in the middle of the field.  Then we looked down and saw what looked like an old railroad tie.  "I think there used to be a train track here," I said.  "Can we find any other clues?"  Then, as if on cue, my daughter picked up a rusty iron spike and said, "Is this a clue?" 

Marcia

Nature studies in the city is very do-able.  Here's a quick
list to give you some ideas.

Birds - what are the local birds?  Habits, breeding, etc
Insects - Plenty even in the city.  Draw and label.  Find books that show the lifecycles.
Plants - Check out the weeds, garden plants,  vegetables, and  moulds.  Draw and label.  Press flowers.  Grow in pots.  How do the seeds disperse?
Trees - What are the local trees?  Do bark rubbings.  Study a tree for a year.  Start a leaf collection.
Magnets
Skies - the lunar cycle, constellations, cloud forms, local weather patterns
Geology - soil, rocks, landforms (In Vol. 1 CM talks about using small things to teach bigger things in geography.  For instance using the sandpit to build landforms.)
Animals - cats, dogs, fish.  What are their habits?  How do they communicate?

Hope this is enough to keep you going for quite a while.  Have fun!
Warmly,
Kathleen in New Zealand
http://www.members.tripod.com/kathskorner/

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