Children are born naturalists. They turn over every rock, collect every feather, and ask a hundred questions on a single walk. Nature study simply gives that curiosity a little shape: time outside, a place to record what they find, and grown-ups who wonder alongside them.
A homestead is the perfect classroom. Every season brings something new to notice, and every observation connects to the work of the land: the frost that ends the garden, the bees in the orchard, the birds that return each spring.
- 1Make nature study a simple, regular part of family life.
- 2Keep a nature journal using three powerful prompts.
- 3Track the seasons year after year.
- 4Join real science projects as a family.
- 5Stay safe outdoors.
A long tradition
More than a century ago, Cornell professor Anna Botsford Comstock was one of the first teachers to take students outdoors to study nature. Her Handbook of Nature Study, published in 1911, became a standard guide for teachers and families, and it's still in print. Its message was simple: children learn best by looking closely at real living things, with their own eyes.
A little, often
A weekly nature walk or a daily sit spot does more than a big field trip once a year.
The same places
Visiting the same tree, pond or meadow through the seasons lets children see change.
Adults wonder too
You don't need to know the answers. "I don't know, let's find out" is the best thing a parent can say.
How much time outside?
Enter about how many minutes your children spent outdoors each day this past week.
Eye doctors encourage at least one to two hours outdoors a day; studies link outdoor time with lower rates of nearsightedness in children. Many families also try the popular "1000 Hours Outside" goal, about 2¾ hours a day.
The nature journal
A nature journal is a notebook where children record what they see with drawings, words and numbers. Naturalist and educator John Muir Laws teaches three prompts that work for every age:
I notice…
Say and write everything you observe: colors, shapes, sizes, sounds, behavior.
I wonder…
Ask questions. Lots of them. They don't need answers right away.
It reminds me of…
Connect it to something you already know. That's how new memories stick.
- Always start with the date, place and weather. Over years, these headers become a record of your land.
- Draw to see, not to make art. Drawing forces you to look closely. A quick, lopsided sketch is perfect.
- Add numbers. Measure, count and time things: leaf length, birds at the feeder, minutes until the rain stopped.
- Parents journal too. Children copy what adults do. Sit beside them with your own book.
Watching the seasons
The study of when things happen in nature, like the first blossom, the first frost or the first swallow of spring, is called phenology. It's one of the most useful kinds of nature study for a homestead family, because it tells you when to plant, harvest and prepare.
| Watch for | Why it matters on the land |
|---|---|
| First and last frost | Sets your garden calendar (Permaculture Lesson 5) |
| First blossoms on each fruit tree | Tells you when frost is most dangerous (Agroforestry Lesson 3) |
| Return of migrating birds | A sign of spring, and a family celebration |
| Rainfall from your own rain gauge | Real numbers for your water plans (Permaculture Lesson 4) |
| When the creek runs and dries | Shows how your land holds water |
Keep a simple "firsts" page at the back of the journal each year. In five years, your children will be able to predict the seasons on your land better than any almanac.
Real science, together
Families can send their observations to scientists through citizen science projects. Children love knowing their notes help real research.
| Project | What you do |
|---|---|
| iNaturalist | Photograph any plant, animal or fungus; the community helps identify it |
| eBird and the Great Backyard Bird Count | Count the birds you see and report them |
| Project FeederWatch | Count birds at your feeder through the winter |
| Nature's Notebook (USA National Phenology Network) | Record when your plants leaf, bloom and fruit, year after year |
| CoCoRaHS | Measure rain and snow with a simple gauge and report it daily |
A shelf of nature journals, one for each year, becomes a family treasure: a record of the land and of the children growing up on it. Children who keep them often become adults who notice, care for and protect the natural world.
Staying safe outdoors
- Never eat any wild plant, berry or mushroom unless an adult who truly knows it says it's safe
- Look, don't touch, for snakes, spiders and unknown plants
- Learn to recognize poison oak or poison ivy where you live
- Stay where you can see a grown-up, and know what to do if you get lost: stay put and call out
- Leave wild animals and nests alone
- Check everyone for ticks, especially along the hairline, behind ears and at the waist
- Wash hands, especially after handling soil, animals or plants
- Drink water and put on sunscreen and hats in summer
- Dress in layers; children get cold faster than adults
- Bring the journal home and finish the page while it's fresh
Start a nature journal
Give everyone a journal, choose a sit spot, and make three entries a week for a month. Then join one citizen science project as a family.
You'll need
- A sturdy blank notebook for each person
- Pencils, a few colored pencils and an eraser
- A small ruler or tape measure
- A hand lens (magnifying glass)
- A thermometer, and a simple rain gauge if you can
- A bag or box for small treasures
Do it together
- Choose a sit spot for each person: a place on your land you can visit often.
- Set the rhythm. Three nature journal times a week, on your weekly chart from Lesson 1.
- Each entry: date, place and weather, then one thing drawn and the three prompts.
- Start a "firsts" page for the year: frosts, blossoms, birds.
- Join one project, like iNaturalist or eBird, and make your first report.
- Share at dinner once a week: everyone shows their favorite page.
Little naturalists
- Draw one thing and dictate their "I notice" to a parent
- Collect, sort and count treasures
- Make leaf and bark rubbings with crayons
Older naturalists
- Measure and label sketches accurately
- Research one "I wonder" question each week
- Run the outdoor time tracker and keep the family's data
At the end of the month, photograph a favorite page from each person for your progress record.
Eyes to see
Nature study doesn't just teach science. It teaches attention, patience and gratitude: the habit of noticing the small, good things in the world around us. Children who learn to really see a leaf, a bird or a sunrise carry that gift with them everywhere.
Next, we talk honestly about screens, boredom and the kind of play that happens when children have time and space to make their own.
Your Lesson 3 worksheet
Work through these together. Your answers save on this device as you type, and print cleanly for your records.
Progress record
What this lesson practices:
- ScienceObserving patterns in nature, plant and animal structures, and seasonal change (NGSS K-ESS2-1, 1-LS1-1, 1-ESS1-2, 3-LS4-3).
- WritingRecording observations and asking questions (Common Core W.2.8, W.4.8).
- MathMeasuring and recording data (Common Core 2.MD.A.1, 3.MD.B.4).
- ArtObservational drawing.
Standards mapping is a draft. If you use charter or ESA funds, confirm it with your education specialist.
Sources for this lesson
- John Muir Laws — three prompts for deeper nature observation
- John Muir Laws — an introduction to nature journaling
- Wikipedia — Anna Botsford Comstock and the Handbook of Nature Study
- American Academy of Ophthalmology — sunshine and outdoor time to prevent childhood myopia
- USA National Phenology Network — Nature's Notebook
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries — citizen science opportunities