RAR #224: Cozy Couch Nature Study
Read-Aloud Revival ®
Sarah Mackenzie
4.9 • 3.3K Ratings
🗓️ 30 March 2023
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Order your copy of A Little More Beautiful: The Story of a Garden at alittlemorebeautiful.com
Today, I’m sharing a conversation with my friend and colleague, Cindy West.
Cindy teaches at No Sweat Nature Study, a homeschool nature study program that takes the guesswork out of nature study by teaching your kids directly. Cindy is also the host of the No Sweat Nature Study podcast, which features short episodes about nature. (My kids absolutely love it!)
Cindy and I recently had a conversation for her community about how to use picture books to teach nature study and today, I wanted to share it with you.
Because nature study kind of has a name for itself in the homeschooling world. We've sort of built it up as the supreme science activity and it can be wonderful - getting out in nature, observing and learning about the world around us …
But we also tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves about it. There are just times in life when getting out in nature is harder than others – maybe you have a new baby, maybe someone has allergies, maybe the weather is just plain terrible.
There are plenty of reasons why you might need or want to do some of your nature study from the couch or the kitchen table.
And that’s why on today’s episode of the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast, Cindy and I are talking about teaching nature study through books.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- How “living literature” helps you kids make connections between books and the world around them
- How making connections through picture books can relieve some of the pressure around nature study
- Why picture book biographies are great launching points for all ages
Learn more about Cindy West:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Mentioned in This Episode:
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I am so excited. |
| 0:02.9 | We are starting to see pictures of a little more beautiful landing in your mailboxes. |
| 0:08.5 | You reading it with your kids. |
| 0:10.2 | I cannot tell you how delighted I am. |
| 0:12.3 | I have been staring at this book in all of its various iterations as we've been making |
| 0:17.0 | it for years. |
| 0:19.4 | But to see it in its final form in your lap while you're reading it with your kids or |
| 0:23.9 | unwrapping it. |
| 0:24.9 | Oh my gosh, I just can't tell you. |
| 0:26.7 | I'm so excited. |
| 0:28.2 | Thank you so much to everyone who backed the project on Kickstarter or who pre-ordered |
| 0:32.4 | the book. |
| 0:33.4 | If you have not received yours yet, it will be there any day now. |
| 0:37.4 | And if you have not ordered a copy of a little more beautiful, the story of a garden, go |
| 0:41.3 | do that a little more beautiful.com. |
| 0:44.4 | Hello, hello, Sarah McKenzie here. |
| 0:52.6 | You've got episode 224 of The Read-A-Loud Revival. |
| 0:57.1 | This is the show that helps your kids fall in love with books and helps you fall in |
| 1:01.5 | love with homeschooling. |
| 1:02.5 | And today, we're going to talk about books and homeschooling. |
| 1:06.4 | Specifically, I want to share a conversation I had with my friend, colleague, Cindy West. |
| 1:13.3 | Many of you know Cindy. |
... |
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