Children are supposed to learn in the most natural way possible. Colors, numbers, patterns, shapes, sizes, all of these are usually taught to toddlers in nursery and kindergarten levels using books and illustrations. I taught my daughter how to identify colors using her crayons and her toys. She memorized the shapes with the help of books. She learned counting because we practiced everyday. But did you know that there is a more relaxed and more natural way of teaching these with least resistance?
I have only heard about Nature Study when I learned about the Charlotte Mason method. Miss Mason said in one of her books in the Homeschooling Series that children need to get "out-of-doors" as she terms it. Not only do they need the nutrients from the sun, the oxygen, and the exercise, they need to be guided into observing their environment and appreciating the beauty that surrounds them.
Now what is Nature Study and how does one do it? I originally thought that we could just go out to the park, have my kid bring her nature journal with her, then show her a flower, have her observe it for a while, after which, she'll draw the flowers as accurately as she can. Some part of that is correct, but there is more to Nature Study than just looking at some random flower in the park.
The main goal of Nature Study is for the children to develop a deep understanding and appreciation of nature. Yes, they see the trees, the flowers, the bees, the butterflies every now and then, but how much do they care about those? As a kid, I have been walking around our subdivision and I can only count the number of times I stopped to bask in the beauty of a flower I see on the sidewalk. I was too busy with other things. As we all know, kids are naturally curious. They have that natural thirst for knowledge. And these curious, knowledge thirsty little persons need to be guided towards things that are worth learning about.
Nature study though is far from those formal studies like biology, botany, entomology, or any other sciences, although could be an opening for these sciences. Nature study is more informal, more natural as it does not focus on definitions or any heavy formal explanations. Those things usually kill the enthusiasm of a curious child. They just like to see and be awed. Nature study is focus more on guiding the child into caring about nature itself.
How do we do Nature Study? I tried doing nature study last year and failed at it miserably. All my kid wants to do when we're outside was to play, run, and just be oblivious about everything around her. Plus, there are so many distractions outside the house. Well, kids are like that. She's just trying to enjoy the first few moments she was able to run outside in the park after 2 years of lockdown. To be fair to me, it was just my first time at using the Charlotte Mason method and it was all very new to me.
There are a few things that you need to remember when doing Nature Study. First things first. You have to have a plan. Since nature is literally around us and there is simply so much to learn, it could become overwhelming real quick. You can study one part of nature at a time. For this year, our focus is Philippine Flowers. We're using this book "A First Look at Philippine Flowers". This book contains 10 different flowers that can be found all over the Philippines. We have just finished studying 7 out of 10 flowers. Yes, we're taking it really slow with our Nature Study.
Before we go out to the park, we study some facts about the flower. The facts in the book we are reading were not as heavy as one can see in a textbook, but just general facts about the flower. Its shape, size, color, how it grows, where it grows, where it came from, and its scientific name and family. I observed that my daughter tend to be more interested and enticed in studying the flower when she knows more about it.
For parent-educators like me who does not have a vast front and backyard or a family farm to roam around at, you need to establish a well-thought out plan. Plan your trip whether it's an out of town trip or just a simple walk to the park. Make sure there is enough food in the bag, there are insect repellant, notebook, watercolor or color pencil or both, water, etc. Once you got that all ready, you finally go out-of-doors.
The major part in doing Nature Study the actual observation itself. There are instances that we don't get to go outside for the actual observation itself, primarily because the plant we were studying does not grow in the local area we're at. When we went to Baguio, we were able to see the Benguet Lily, which was one of the first flowers that we studied. She was able to recognize the flower thankfully because we have read and studied about it. When we studied the Kalachuchi flower, which is practically called the Graveyard Tree, we went to the cemetery and visited my husband's aunt's grave as well.
On the first year that I tried Nature Study with my kid, all I did give her instructions on what flowers to observe, and I just sat there, waiting for her to finish. It turns out that she enjoys studying more when I study along with her. Since then, I often draw along with her when we do our nature study. It's good practice for me, I am learning how to use watercolor, I am getting in touch with my artistic side. It is much easier to teach and learn alongside your little learner when both of you are having fun.
The parent-educator's role is to guide the learner. The kid needs to be let alone outside to enjoy nature but with a purpose. They need to learn to explore but has to have a clear direction and instruction. To make Nature Study more fun, the parent-educator can study along with the child and provide leading questions like "I wonder how much flowers are in this cluster?" The goal is for the kid to develop an understanding of mother nature, and thereby learning to love and appreciate the beauty that is naturally before them.
