Nature study can be as simple as a short walk in the neighborhood or as elaborate as a week in Yellowstone National Park. Don’t make it hard. Just go outside. This month, we suggest you spend some time outside every day that the weather is reasonable, and keep an eye out for Evergreen Trees. We’ll post some questions to ponder. You don’t have to know all the answers to your kids’ questions because you can look up the answers later. You might want to draw pictures into your nature journal too, and pictures make a great model.
Here are some questions to consider with your kids:
- What does the ______ look like?
- What shape is it?
- What color is it?
- What parts does it have?
- What does it hide?
- How does it smell?
- How does it feel?
Mistletoe is not a tree, but it is green. You’ll probably find it in the tops of the bare trees in your neighborhood! Likewise, holly is a bush that you’ll find in front of many houses in your neighborhood.
Have you heard of Anna Botsford Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study? It’s a fantastic book that covers all kinds of creatures, plants, and habitats. Since it has all sorts of resources in it, you should download it for free at https://www.google.com/books/edition/Handbook_of_Nature_study_for_Teachers_an/CjPbAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Anna Botsford Comstock talks about Evergreens on pages 670-680. Take a few minutes to read those pages, and then keep those ideas in mind as you and your kids watch for evergreens this month. That way, you may remember the answers to some of their questions, and you have another handy resource to check when you can’t.
