Okay.. this is time limited folks… so act fast! 

One of my favourite resouces out there is [1] www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com … they always have some excellent book of the past, or a link to a freebie offered by a wahm.  Every day is something new.  Well, this week it was Anna Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study (yes, that the one the [2] Ambleside Online people always rave about.. with good reason!).  WELL… the generous people over at HomeschoolFreebie have been offering the book in chunks all week long, and now… they are opening up the entire week’s worth of links for the ENTIRE weekend!!!  Meaning?  Well, if you are just hearing about it now, OR if you missed one day this week… you can go BACK to [3] www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com and just scroll down to get all the links!  What a fantastic gift!!!

One suggestion I heard for using the book (especially if you already own a print copy) is to print off pages as needed for images/etc to use in a nature lapbook… or if you are doing a Nature Notebook, you can put in 3-hole punched card stock, and stick mini-books to it.. while maintaining the continuity of your notebook.

Why is this so timely?  Well, lots of people think of Nature Study as something to partake of in the summer months, or spring through summer… maybe even into autumn… but really, the best “cycle” of Nature is to start studying it in the WINTER months… (perfect timing is right now!) since your child can then observe the entire cycle of life… winter is a dormancy time, but allows us to see the trees without all the busy foliage, we can find animal tracks easily in the snow as local wildlife searches out food during these leaner months.  Soon spring will “sprung” and with it the trees and plants will start their growing cycle… first buds, then blossoms, then fruit (if they produce fruit)… animals will be birthing their young, and we look forward to a summer of watching baby animal antics - squirrels chasing each other all over the yard, new little flyers coming to check out birdfeeders, and sometimes catch a glimpse of a baby deer following close behind his Mama.  Then Summer with it’s insects galore, flowers, fruit, and hot lazy days perfectly designed for sitting and observing the world around us.  And of course, my favourite season, Autumn.  When the weather cools to a more comfortable level, the bugs are less of a bother (sorry, but it’s my blog and I say bugs are a bother! LOL!), a bountiful harvest to be collected (if we’re blessed), and small animals scurrying around collecting up their winter stores… oh… and the colours!!! OH the COLOURS!  I love Autumn for the richly dressed foliage of the trees.  I love walking in the woods soaking in all artistic talents of my Heavenly Father!

What better time to embark on a lifelong study of Nature, in all it’s glory, than right now?  And with this fabulous resource… you won’t be left not knowing what it is you are observing… Ms Comstock walks you through with beautiful words.  Her passion for Ecology will inspire you in your journey of discovery!

While you are on the topic.. someone far more knowledgable than I has a great blog about this very book!  Check out Barb’s blog at [4] http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/ .

Blessings!