Beautiful Books That Connect Kids to Nature

EP178: This week on the podcast, we're exploring how the natural world can play a role in our homeschooling adventures. I'm sharing a treasure trove of resources to help you get outdoors more with beautiful books full of hands-on experiences and great read-aloud stories. Listen to Jean's favorites for each season of the year and then be sure to check out the show notes at artofhomeschooling.com/episode178 for a curated list of nature-inspired books and more tips to guide you through each season no matter where you live or what season you're in.

Find the Show Notes Here (www.artofhomeschooling.com/episode178)

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Transcript

Jean 0:09

You're listening to the Art of Homeschooling podcast , where we help parents cultivate creativity and connection at home . I'm your host , jean Miller , and here on this podcast you'll find stories and inspiration to bring you the confidence you need to make homeschooling work for your family . Let's begin . Springtime has finally arrived here in Ohio and with it thoughts of spending more and more time outdoors . I just love this time of year when everything starts greening up the tiny little green leaves barely showing on the trees like a green fuzz , the daffodils and flowering trees blooming like the weeping cherry tree in our front yard With our kiddos . It's always a great time to think about ways to weave nature into our homeschool lessons and homeschool days . This arrival of a new season has inspired me to share some beautiful books that connect kids to nature , so that you can explore the natural world in your neck of the woods . As I started gathering books from all the bookshelves around my house , I realized I have a lot of books about nature . After all , it's a favorite subject of mine and one that I've presented many times at the Taproot Teacher Training , an in-person homeschooling event I've been part of for the past 18 years , and now I host this every August at a nearby summer camp . Taproot is great fun , by the way , and you should check it out if you want to spend four days with other heart-centered homeschoolers who are looking for an immersive experience in the main lessons music , painting and drawing , inner work and , of course , nature study , plus so much more . I'll put a link to Taproot in the show notes or you can go directly to artofhomeschoolingcom slash taproot to find out more . Now , as my stack of beautiful books that connect kids to nature started to grow and grow , I decided what I'd do for this episode is tell you about a few of my favorites for each season and then invite you to go check out the show notes for the full list . So , before I forget , you can find the show notes for this episode at artofhomeschoolingcom slash , episode 178 for a list of all the books I mentioned today , plus many more . These books bring back so many memories when my boys were little and , mind you , they're 16 months apart and very active .

Jean 3:09

Going outside was at the top of my list of what to do when everything was falling apart . I literally had a list called what to do when all seems lost , and I had ideas all kinds of ideas , taped to the inside of a kitchen cabinet , and on days when my boys in particular would be wrestling on the floor and throwing beanbags at each other , instead of following my lead for , of course , a very well-planned out circle time , we'd head outdoors to save this mama's sanity . Somehow , digging in the mud pit in our backyard or climbing the pine tree in the woods behind the garage seemed to be exactly what was needed . And when I could grab binoculars or a tree book on the way out the door , we were golden . On warm sunny days , we'd do our read-alouds on a blanket in the sunshine in the backyard , with either a dog or a bunny by our side .

Jean 4:13

There are just so many benefits of getting outdoors with our kiddos and exploring nature . Here are just a few . According to Harvard Health , sunshine exercise , executive function , taking risks , appreciation of nature . I'll link to an article if you want to read more about that .

Jean 4:35

Now for my favorite books that connect kids to nature . I'm going to group them by season of the year , and then you can adjust how that applies to you and your family depending on where you live in the world . Let's start with spring , since that's the season we're in . As I'm recording this episode For each season , I'll share a few activity books as well as a great read aloud or two . So here we go Spring activity books .

Jean 5:06

We have so many wonderful books about gardening with children at my house . It was so hard to choose , but I have to say that Roots , shoots , buckets and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy is an all-time favorite . This book is full of really fun activities . It's where the sunflower house idea comes from , and we got the idea for planting a pizza garden one year from this book . I highly recommend it . I have two spring read-alouds to recommend to you For younger children . The Gardener by Sarah Stewart is about a young girl who goes to live with an uncle during the Depression is about a young girl who goes to live with an uncle during the Depression . The illustrations in this book are just glorious and all ages will enjoy this sweet story . I love this book so much that my friend Allison and I created a book hearth guide about it to help you plan an entire month-long lesson block around just this one book for your whole family . I'll link to that in the show notes as well .

Jean 6:11

For older children , echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk is a moving story of family and resilience , with so much nature , animals , bees herbs in it . That is just not to be missed . We also have a book hearth guide on this one , so check the show notes for links . All right on to summer . For summer , I want to suggest Summer Nature Activities for Children by Irmgard Kutch and Bridget Walden .

Jean 6:43

The ideas in this book are so lovely and nourishing , like growing herbs and breeding butterflies . There's actually one of these books for each season of the year and I recommend you get them all . These books have so many wonderful activities with thorough instructions and beautiful photographs so many photos of children participating in the activities described . For a summer read aloud , I recommend the classic Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransom . The story tells of a summer of fun for a group of children who camp out on an island , have all kinds of adventures , like they go sailing together all without their adults . Really , really beautiful story . Okay , fall For a fall activity book again . I recommend Autumn Nature Activities for Children by Kutch and Walden . It has songs , stories , recipes and activities such as basket weaving , paper making , all with fantastic photographs and instructions For a fall read aloud . Here are two that I suggest For younger children . Leaf man by Lois Ehler is so magical celebrating colorful leaves , blowing in the wind and traveling with the wind all with a sense of imagination , all rolled into one and for all ages .

Jean 8:22

Check out Heartwood Hotel , a True Home by Callie George . This is part of a series of four books . The first book in this series has a fall focus , so there's one for each season of the year . Mona the Mouse is such a sweet little character and she finds a home in the hollow of an old tree . It's a grand hotel in Fernwood Forest where so many delightful characters come and go . We also have a book hearth guide on this to go with this book , so you can create a whole month of learning experiences around just this one book for your family .

Jean 8:59

Winter If you live where it gets cold in the winter , like we do , it can be more challenging to get outdoors during this season . But I really try to live by the adage there's no such thing as bad weather , just bad gear and bundle everyone up to get out there . The Winter Activities for Children book by Kutch and Walden can really help with such wonderful hands-on activities like weaving and woodworking . My favorite winter read aloud is Owl Moon by Jane Yolen . This book is full of the magic of night . This book is full of the magic of night , quiet , anticipation , as well as the bond between parent and child and , of course , the beauty of the natural world .

Jean 9:52

I want to add one more category here , which is books for all year round . There are so many of these , but I will just mention a few . The first nature activities book we ever owned was Earthways Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children by Carol Petrash . She was a Waldorf early childhood educator . I love that . This book has simple activities for children as young as two years old . So many handwork projects and little crafts for all ages through each of the seasons of the year .

Jean 10:27

And the read aloud I want to mention is the Other Way to Listen by Bird Baylor . In this story , a young boy learns from an elder how to listen to the songs , the sounds of the natural world . It's beautiful and touching for all ages with such a profound message . There you have it . I hope you've enjoyed listening to this episode as much as I've enjoyed preparing it for you . Don't forget to go to the show notes for a full list of beautiful books that connect kids to nature over at artofhomeschoolingcom , slash episode 178 . In those show notes I'll also link to a few other episodes you might be interested in listening to how to Set Up a Nature Table .

Jean 11:17

Episode 175 , is all about how to bring the outdoors inside and in Nature Study . The Foundation of Science episode 171 , I share why and how encounters in nature really form the foundation for the later study of science . And the last one I want to mention is how can we restore connections through nature study episode 91 , where I share how nature study helps us foster connections with ourselves , each other and the world , along with tips for engaging in nature study with children . Don't forget to check out the show notes , where I have links to everything I've mentioned here . You can find it at artofhomeschoolingcom slash , episode 178 . Thanks for tuning in today and I'll be back next week with another episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast . Happy adventuring with those beautiful books that connect kids to nature , with those beautiful books that connect kids to nature . That's all for today , my friend , but here's what I want you to remember Rather than perfection , let's focus on connection . Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you on the next episode of the Art of Homeschooling Podcast .