Charlotte Mason was an advocate for children spending time out of doors observing, enjoying and absorbing God's Creation. In Volume 1 of The Original Homeschooling Series:
... a love of nature, implanted so early that it seems hereafter to have been born in them, will enrich their lives with pure interests, absorbing pursuits, health and good humour.
I have worked hard to make sure the boys have an opportunity to be outside, not just playing, but observing the nature around them. This has not been easy for me. I enjoy being inside...reading, knitting, cooking. My idea of a good time as a child was a good book, soft couch and air conditioning. God has rewarded my attempts with sitings of a variety of birds, interesting insects and at one time a family of bats in the flower bed.
The boys love the outdoors, as most boys do. Beyond that, they have an appreciation for the beauty, an interest in the unusual and are ever questioning about what they see. The most important thing for me, they cannot look around them and not see God's glory. Even Smoda at 4 will point out "God's beauty". I am so thankful that they can see that.
Yesterday, we went to a nature preserve close to our home. These are some of the things we enjoyed...
Speedy B made a list of all the trees that we saw. There were 17 different varieties identified. We saw some I had never "noticed" before, Mexican Buckeye, Black willow, American Beautyberry and this one with an interesting bark...
This is a Sugar Hackberry.
Cowodie and Smoda enjoyed finding the perfect yellow leaf. There were so many beautiful shades of yellow. 
This tree was our favorite.
Related tags: nature study; homeschooling; fall; Charlotte Mason
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