Are Your Kids Bored, Whiny & Restless? Tell them to TAKE A HIKE!. . . Literally!

Started our morning out getting our math done.  The kids were having a hard time focusing, I wasn't that interested in making them, and the sunshine outside looked Oh-So-Inviting.

So, I did what any good homeschool mom would do... told the kids to put their books away and forget about today's work.  I pulled out our binoculars, compasses, journals, and magnifying glasses; put the kiddos shoes on their feet, and we headed out!

We were headed on a nature walk. Hiking through the acres surrounding our house; recording and discussing all of our observations.  

We talked about the senses, what we "see" "hear" "smell" and "feel" while we're exploring. Well, we DIDN'T go around tasting the things we ran across, but you get the idea.

We saw lots of things of nature: from woodpeckers, to bugs, from lizards to flowers. We also saw quite a few things of man as well. 

We discussed cardinal direction and learned to use a compass. This was a first for my youngest 5 (ages 6 and under). They got to hold and use compasses themselves too. We also talked about remembering where you are headed and what direction you came from when you're out in nature.

We looked at things from afar using our binoculars, and took a closer look at things with our magnifying glasses.

We observed lots of things from shapes (like the circular shape of the litter, sphere of the berries) to color (the yellow of flowers, red of the berries, orange of the fungus, green of pine needles and brown-ish-tan bark) to size and position. 

 

We discussed boundaries (when you can and CAN'T leave the yard, street safety, and how important it is to pay attention to what's happening around you when you're outside (especially near the road).



 

While we were out there, in the great wide outdoors, we checked on our "compost pile" (I use that term Verrrrry loosely) and found that the wild animals have apparently been enjoying all of our uneaten fruits and veggies :)

There are many other things we talked and learned about while we were out there, too.  Nature itself is a learning experience and an excellent opportunity to show your little blessings just how AWESOME our BIG GOD is.