What are your summer plans? As this new season begins, so does our wish list of all that we want to experience with our kids. But often, our children are just as smitten by life's simple treasures as they are epic vacations. Enjoying nature together…

Hi sweet moms!

So, summer is coming, and with it, all the ideals of this mama who wants to make this summer the best one yet. I always feel the pressure to give my kids amazing memories of days by the pool, back yard fun, beach combing and an epic vacation. . . you know, nothing major but just all their dreams come true. The thing is though, When I ask my kids what they want to do with the lazy days ahead, they just want the simple stuff. The ice cream cones and firefly catching and lazy days where sometimes dinner is only a pop tart and a run through the sprinklers counts as bath time. They just want a family that is happy to be together.

In recent years, one way we have added a little structure to care free days and enjoyed the simplicity of the season is with Nature Study. We can learn naturally as we envelop ourselves under the treetops, dip our toes in the pond, search for worms or lady bugs, and generally get pretty dirty.

There is something so beautiful about spending time out of doors together as a family, our imaginations seem to take off and we each, in our own way, feel so connected to God and all He has created for us to enjoy- The Earth is full ofHis glory and we are able to experience him in a different way, see his handiwork, and praise him anew.

I have always loved studying and exploring nature with my children, but as wonderful as it is, I think it can be a little mysterious to most moms! In our family, we spend an afternoon a week outdoors with notebooks, watercolors or colored pencils, a field guide, our magnifying glass and a big blanket as our home base. The children all collect treasures that I keep near me in a small basket. They take turns exploring our surroundings and drawing the landscape at large, or perhaps a particular plant or animal, rock or shell. We look up what they have discovered in our field guide (We use The Handbook of Nature Study- my favorite!) and learn about the name of our finds and some tidbit about it.

Sometimes we go looking for something in particular that we are studying- trees and roots or wildflowers, birds or a type of rock. The wonder of it all really lies in the adventuring together and the beauty of discovery.

Summer is a great time of year to get outside with your own crew! To encourage you, I've put together a Nature Notebook for you full of printables to help you explore!! It includes:

-Journaling pages and questions to ask about your surroundings

-A June Calendar with beautiful cut-outs to track the weather

-Graphics to study the parts of a flower

-A poem for June, and a place for your child to collect June adjectives and create a poem of their very own.

You can view and download the entire Nature Notebook as a free PDF by clicking the link below. For those of you who are reading via email, you may have to click over to the site to download the PDF.

Happy June friends,

Kristen

Nature Notebook

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Kristen Kill

Kristen Kill is a woman transformed by the delight of God. She loves coffee, gingerbread, and staying up late with her nose in a good mystery. She believes there is something sacred in lighting candles, in setting a beautiful table and inviting others in. Most days she can be found attempting to learn how to cook, redecorating any given room instead of cleaning her house, and homeschooling her five hilarious children.

A contributing Editor at The Better Mom, and co-host of At Home with Sally and Friends, a popular podcast with Sally Clarkson, Kristen is passionate about encouraging women who feel stretched thin. She believes that tension is where we can learn to live expectant for the music and melody God is singing over of each one of us. She writes about home, creativity, and flourishing at her blog Hope With Feathers (kristenkill.com)

After spending the last seven years in the hustle of New York City, she and her husband, Josh, are learning to go slow as they raise their family and walk their anxious hound dog in the Pacific Northwest. Her first book, Finding Selah is due from Zondervan in 2018.

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