nature walks possible?

[lumpofclay]

Are nature walks possible for me? We live in a small town (~22,000) in West Tennessee in a neighborhood in town. We have our neighborhood, which doesn't seem like it would offer that much nature. :/ I mean, it's just a group of people's homes, and we can't go traspsing through everyone's yard. We have the park. It might offer a little nature, but the best animals you will see are squirrels and birds. Ok, that would be a start. And. . . I can't think of anywhere else. We don't have any "nature centers" around here. By that, I mean, open areas for hiking, picnics, etc. What does everyone else do? I'd like to read _Pocketful of Pinecones_ and some other nature study books, but I'm just not sure I can implement it. I know summer is the best time to start. Ideas? Thoughts?

[Quietspirit]

We do nature walks and nature notebooks. We live in a subdivision of large homes and no central park area. What we do is study our yard ;) My son draws trees, flowers, leaves, ducks on the pond in back, grass blades, clouds, squirrels, the dog, a neighbor's cat, rocks, etc etc

Every once in a while we go to the park or nature center with our notebooks for a change of pace.

Remember that nature is all around you. Use a little maginifying glass to study a bug, a leaf, a flower, etc. Try cloud gazing. :hearts

[Booklover]

We have a book called One Small Square Backyard (I love the whole series actually) that might be useful. There are other books about nature in your backyard. One I almost ordered from Scholastic (and wish I had) is Backyard Detective. We have quite a few state parks here with nice nature trails. I don't know Tennessee well. In Pocketful of Pinecones, she started out walking around her town with the kids. Pick a tree or area and visit it every week to see what changes.

[Sara]

Jessica,

I think "Pocketful of Pinecones" will help you to see that it is entirely possible to do nature study even with what seems to be limited nature around you. In the first part of the book, the family lives in the city. They do go to a nearby park, but much of what they study is right in their own yard.

Spring is such a wonderful time for you to start! There are birds and trees and flowers and grass and ants and spiders and all kinds of other things that you and your children can study and draw. I have to say that nature studies have truly brought a whole new dimension to our homeschooling. Last weekend, dh and dd constructed a birdfeeder together and we have had such a delightful time studying the habits of the robins and blackbirds that frequent our new feeder.

I just wanted to encourage you that, yes, you can do nature studies even if you live in a neighborhood in a town that doesn't seem to have much nature to offer. :heart

[mommyTay]

I am blessed to live in the country and within easy drive to several county and state parks.
However, our most recent nature discoveries didn't involve large areas.
There are ants in the kitchen, they took over my dishwasher yesterday! :banghead
A mother bird is nesting in the wreath by our front door. :)
A possum has taken up residence in our garage/barn. I found it hiding under something while I was cleaning this week! :eek
There are leaves and flowers popping open everywhere. Just keep your eyes open, nature can be anywhere!

[lumpofclay]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I never thought about nature being all around me and that being "enough." I feared that they wouldn't get enough exposure without deer running through the backyard! :rolleyes That sounds goofy now that I write it out, as if no exposure to nature is better than some exposure! :doh

[mrsramjet]

we do nature walks in our yard, too. :)

[chelsea]

We live in the city and I do nature walks with my son, he is only 16-months-old so I keep it simple...but we collect everything from bugs to sticks to leaves and look at them when we get home. I think you can do nature walks anywhere you may be!