For those of us who didn't grow up with the love of nature, the idea of nature study sounds like a wonderful thing, something we want to give our children.

But we might find ourselves at a loss once we step outside that front door.

Or, well, we might have all those nature journals in tow with us, but when our children's faces just turn expectantly toward us, what do we say?

What do we do?

Well, let's get specific.

Welcome to the Simply Charlotte Mason podcast.

I'm Sonia Schaefer.

Joining me today is my friend Amber O'Neill Johnston, who is a self-avowed lover of air conditioning when she grew up, right?

Yes, that is totally me. I would say this is one of the most intimidating parts of a Charlotte Mason education for me was this idea of intentionally going outside and staying there.

I grew up in the country and we spent a lot of time outside, but it wasn't studying nature.

It wasn't like, I mean, I could recognize the Red Wing Blackbird because they were all over the place,

but it wasn't like I knew all of the birds and all of the flowers and all of the weeds. And, yeah, we didn't look at it that way. It was just we were out there playing. Yeah. Well, for me, it wasn't even that, right? So my time outside was spent from the car to the building, from the building to the car. And outside was kind of in my family culture. It was something to be avoided. And so this idea

that I would spend time outside, that's layer one. And then actually study the things that I see

out there was a whole other layer. And I wanted that desperately for my kids, but I think a lot of times in this community,

we can tend to assume that people are starting from a certain place.

And I think it's great for someone to acknowledge, and I'll be the first that I started

from zero, not knowing anything.

And I remember someone suggesting, why don't you guys just go on a short

hike? And I was like, where do you do that? And she was like, just go to the trailhead and walk,

and then you guys can meander. I was like, where is a trailhead? I'm looking for a sign.

Yes. Trailhead turn here. So I was like, I need you to talk to me as if you can't even imagine that I don't know anything. I know how to go to the playground and the park. It was boring. My kids weren't after they were two or three. They were tired of that looking for expansion. And one of the best things I did was join a nature group. And I did that because I had no idea what else to do.

But the mom that was in charge of that, she was the Charlotte Mason mom, and she led us so well.

...