Learning in Nature with Kids

There are many times in the year when you just don’t want to take your kids outside, whether as a parent or a teacher. It’s too hot or cold or rainy or whatever and you’d rather not bother, right?

It’s important to resist that urge to stay inside at least sometimes because there are important things to learn and ways to explore no matter what the weather. As long as you gear up properly and don’t stay out too long, there are always adventures that can be had outdoors, and kids usually love getting to go outside even on days when the weather isn’t ideal.

So what to do out there? Of course just going on nature walks and exploring the world is a great place to start.

You can make sun prints like these on Weller Mama Blog (which has lots of great ideas for learning with nature, too). Check out 50 Ways to Explore Nature in Your Backyard and other backyard nature ideas from Go Explore Nature.

For a few from my own site: build a fairy garden, or a butterfly garden, go on a nature scavenger hunt, paint with leaves, paint on or with shells.

Here are some more ideas from the California Department of Parks and Recreation, or if you really want to get into it you can buy an ebook all about exploring nature with children, which includes a yearlong curriculum (I’m not an affiliate or anything, I just came across it and it looks interesting).

What are your favorite outdoor activities for when the weather isn’t great? I’d love to hear your ideas.

[Photo via Go Explore Nature.]

Do you know a little gardener? Check out these DIY Garden Kits, perfect for gift giving.

Leif Erikson Day is celebrated on Oct. 9, and it’s a great time to learn more about the Vikings and why we still remember Erikson all these years later.

If you don’t know about Leif Erikson (sometimes spelled Eriksson), he’s believed to have been born in Iceland, and is considered the first European to set foot on continental America, more than 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

123 Homeschool 4 Me has a printable mini book about Leif Erikson and the Vikings for kids to read and color. It talks about who the Vikings were, what kind of ships they used, how they got to America and more. It’s a good overview for younger kids to use.

A good unit study is available from Simple Living Creative Learning, which includes a page where kids can write what they know, what they want to learn and what they learned through the unit, as well as information on the Vikings, longships, helmets, clothing and more.

Get a printable Viking unit study with reading passages, comprehension questions and other activities aimed at grades 4-8 from Creative Classroom Core at Teachers Pay Teachers. (And see more Vikings content from TPT here.)

Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus has some great unit study ideas, too, including suggested books and videos. The post includes information about the Viking voyages, society, mythology and ships, as well as some vocabulary and a list of famous Vikings. While you’re over there also check out her free printable lapbook, which includes mini books on ships, a timeline, a Viking women coloring page, draw your own Vikings, geography, ancient runes and more.

Piqolo Kids has a lesson on Viking women with (available for purchase) worksheets about a day in the life of Viking women. Even if you don’t grab the printables there’s some good resources on that page and a link to a video on Viking women.

Learn how to draw a Viking ship with instructions from Drawing How to Draw, or grab Vikings coloring and labeling worksheets from Kids Puzzles and Games.

There’s a Leif Erikson Festival annually in Norway, Michigan, which you can learn more about here.

Have you read?

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