How To Fit Nature Study Into Your Homeschool Schedule

It’s so easy to start your homeschool journey as an idealist. Beautifully-lit Instagram photos and Pinterest-worthy homeschool rooms are exciting to look at, and passionate, seasoned speakers have hundreds of podcasts for you to excitedly devour. Before you know it, you’ve ordered vintage chalkboards, antique schoolroom desks, and picked up a natural wood abacus.

Visions of nature studies flood your imagination as you picture your children wandering with awe through old-growth forests, carefully inspecting lichens and balancing dragonflies on the tips of their excited fingers.

Then reality hits. You live in an urban townhouse and it’s hard to find nature opportunities. Or, you realize how easy it is for a child to derail the day’s plans. Or, the math curriculum you ordered just doesn’t seem to be a fit and it’s overwhelming to even think about nature study.

Before you know it, you’ve traded in the idyllic ideas for the pressure and panic of stressed homeschooling. Despite your best efforts, you constantly worry that your children aren’t learning as much as they should (even though they probably are), and out of insecurity you begin trimming your homeschool plans. Sadly, this often means that nature studies are tossed to the side, usually in favor of something with a textbook and answer key.