What’s the Point of Nature Study?

Simply Charlotte Mason Homeschooling

Sonya Shafer

Education, Self-improvement, Kids & Family, Parenting, How To

4.8 • 552 Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2025

⏱️ 4 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What benefits can you and your children gain from regularly spending time outdoors studying nature? // MENTIONED Journaling a Year https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/journaling-a-year-in-nature/ Hours in the Out-of-Doors https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/hours-in-the-out-of-doors/ Nature study episodes https://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/category/nature-study/ // FOLLOW Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplycharlottemason/ Facebook News: https://www.facebook.com/SimplyCM SCM Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1445273695729787/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/simplycm/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimplyCM SCM Forum: https://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/ Subscribe Listen to the audio version of the podcast https://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/point-of-nature-study/#audio Read the blog post version of the podcast https://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/point-of-nature-study/ Upcoming Events https://simplycharlottemason.com/events-speaking/ Contact Us https://simplycharlottemason.com/contact/ Tags: #CharlotteMason #homeschool

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today, where I live, is a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining, the sky is blue,
0:06.0	the temperatures are in the mid-70s, and the birds are singing. Today would be an easy day
0:12.0	to do nature study. Go outside, observe God's creation, watch the birds busily flying here and there,
0:20.0	maybe spot a little anolee lizard,
0:22.6	perfectly camouflaged on the brown bricks of the house, or on the bright green leaves of the daisies in the front garden.
0:30.6	But these picture-perfect days are rare, aren't they?
0:34.6	It seems much more common to battle gray skies and pouring rain, or high heat and humidity,
0:42.5	or plunging temperatures and bone-chilling winds.
0:46.4	Weather doesn't always cooperate with our good intentions.
0:50.5	And on those less than picture-perfect days, it might be helpful to remind ourselves why we
0:56.8	include nature study in our homeschool schedules.
1:01.1	Especially if you didn't grow up spending much time in nature, you might be asking,
1:05.6	what's the point of nature study?
1:08.0	I'm glad you ask. Welcome to the Simply Charlotte Mason podcast. I'm Sonia Schaefer.
1:20.0	Charlotte Mason arranged her school schedules to include one half day per week for her students
1:26.3	in the open fields.
1:28.3	They would observe what they could and record their observations in their personal nature
1:33.5	notebooks.
1:35.2	Why?
1:37.0	Well, nature study encourages a child's natural curiosity and cultivates a love of investigation.
1:45.0	What is that? Why is that happening? Why isn't this happening? Why here and not there?
1:53.0	Why now? Those self-led questions urge your student to develop the good habits of observation and sensory
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