Tag: nature study

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Joyful Art, Nature and Music for Your Christmas Homeschool

Enjoy a simple, joyful and stress-free Christmas event for the whole family. With art, nature and music plus a nature craft for your Christmas homeschool, you can make memories and have fun together.

Enjoy this simple, joyful and stress-free holiday event with art, nature and music for your Christmas homeschool.

Though we would like to, as homeschool moms, we can’t fit in all the holiday homeschooling fun. This Christmas homeschool event, however, gives you an easy way to say yes! And all you need is just a bit of time set aside and a few inexpensive supplies.

It’s all done for you! Sit back and enjoy the fun!

A Christmas Tree for the Animals – An Event for the Whole Family!

Sign up to receive the replay

Enjoy this simple, joyful and stress-free holiday event with art, nature and music for your Christmas homeschool.

Sign Up To Attend Live or for Replay

Get access to attend live and to enjoy the replay of the event – Plus accompanying resources

    Activities included in this Joyful Art, Nature and Music for Your Christmas Homeschool Event

    • Access to attend live and to the replay of the event – relax and enjoy on your schedule
    • How to create and decorate an outdoor Christmas tree for the animals with Amy of Homeschool Nature Study
    • A Christmas craft! Make an ornament for your outdoor tree (edible for the animals) with Victoria of Homeschool Nature Study
    • A hands on art lesson with Nana of You ARE an ARTiST – with a FUN Christmas tree with the animals theme!
    • A downloadable nature study, hymn study AND composer study to accompany the live event!

    Find beautiful follow up Christmas homeschool studies (including Nana’s Christmas cookies) in Holiday Homeschooling: A Christmas Tree Study for Kids

    Christmas craft

    Here’s How to Be Ready for the Event

    For your art time with Nana, you will just need a very few suggested supplies, below:

    • a starter set of chalk pastels (Our favorites are here).
    • construction paper (Nana suggests white construction paper for this lesson)
    • baby wipes or damp paper towel for easy clean up

    Craft supplies detailed at sign up.

    Enjoy this simple, joyful and stress-free holiday event with art, nature and music for your Christmas homeschool.

    Share On Social Media!

    Be sure to share photos of your Christmas Tree With the Animals Art, Nature and Music time on social media and tag @outdoorhourchallenge and @chalkpastelart – We can’t wait to see you participating and to see your paintings!

    And please invite your friends! Share this post with them!

    Art, Nature, Hymns & More Membership Bundle

    TWO homeschool memberships at a discount price! Add the beauty of art lessons AND nature study to your homeschool with this family-style bundle!

    • Self-paced and live art lessons AND nature studies
    • Online membership calendars for both – enjoy a daily art lesson prompt AND a daily nature study prompt
    • Downloadable and printable guides and resources
    • Oh so many bonuses!

    The Your Best Homeschool Ultimate Membership

    You will have the resources to make beautiful memories with your children. Just open and go! It’s JOY!

    Find Out More About The Ultimate Membership HERE!

    Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Your Best Homeschool and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.

    Enjoy this simple, joyful and stress-free holiday event with art, nature and music for your Christmas homeschool.
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    Homeschooling Through The Holidays: A Christmas Tree Study For Kids


    Enjoy these beautiful, simple and no stress activities as you are homeschooling through the holidays. Our Christmas Tree Study for kids includes not only nature study but a nature craft, Christmas hymn and composer study and an art lesson with Nana too!

    This Christmas Tree Study for kids includes art lessons, online resources, craft activities and more. Everything you need for the holidays.

    The Reality Of Holiday Homeschooling

    When we are homeschooling through the holidays, we can change things up, take our time, incorporate favorite traditions and make lovely memories together as a family. Many families choose to set aside this time for Christmas School. These weeks can lead up to and create a special focus on the birth of Christ.

    Just how? You can choose read alouds that point to Jesus and do hands on art lessons to draw your way through the Christmas story. Pick a nature study hunt for red and green and study a traditional hymn about the reason for the season. We always like to make Nana’s Christmas cookies! Have a sweet tea time. Watch Christmas movies!

    Another way to homeschool through the holidays is with this special event around a Christmas tree study!

    This Christmas Tree Study for kids includes art lessons, online resources, craft activities and more. Everything you need for the holidays.

    A Christmas Tree for the Animals Event: Here’s How to Be Ready

    • When: LIVE premiere Wednesday, November 16th at noon ET
    • Where: Right here on this page!
    • How: Sign up to participate via the form, below
    • Can’t attend live? No worries! Sign up and you will have access to the replay of the event

    Sign Up To Attend Live or for Replay

    Get access to attend live and to enjoy the replay of the event – Plus accompanying resources

      What’s Included in Christmas Tree For the Animals Event?

      When the event is live, you will enjoy (you will also have access to the replay):

      • Decorating an Outdoor Christmas Tree for the Animals with Amy Law of Homeschool Nature Study
      • Christmas Craft for Your Outdoor Tree with Victoria Vels of Homeschool Nature Study
      • Christmas Tree for the Animals Art Lesson with Nana of You ARE an ARTiST

      You will also have access to:

      What Supplies are Needed?

      For your art time with Nana, you will just need a very few suggested supplies, below:

      • a starter set of chalk pastels (Our favorites are here)
      • construction paper (Nana suggests white construction paper for this lesson)
      • baby wipes or damp paper towel for easy clean up

      Details on supplies for the craft portion included with sign up.

      This Christmas Tree Study for kids includes art lessons, online resources, craft activities and more. Everything you need for the holidays.

      Christmas Tree Animals Study

      It is so much fun to decorate an outdoor tree just for the animals! For even more animals studies, you can also enjoy an art lesson on forest animals and birds – here at You ARE an ARTiST and a nature study at Homeschool Nature Study.

      Here are some ideas for your Christmas Tree Animals study with an art and nature focus:

      This Christmas Tree Study for kids includes art lessons, online resources, craft activities and more. Everything you need for the holidays.

      Christmas Tree Nature Study

      Trees are a delight to study any time of year! Enjoy these additional ideas for a tree nature study or for winter nature study you can easily do indoors or outdoors.

      Paint a winter frosty leaf in chalk pastels with Nana!

      Nana’s Frosty Leaf is part of the Winter art lessons series in the You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse. Suggested supplies: dark blue construction paper, starter set of chalk pastels and slightly damp paper towel or baby wipes for easy clean up.

      Red and Green Outdoor Hour Challenge – this is a fun way to notice red and green in nature. Get started with these ideas.

      This Christmas Tree Study for kids includes art lessons, online resources, craft activities and more. Everything you need for the holidays.

      In Homeschool Nature Study membership, you can also find a study of the Hemlock Tree in the Autumn course and Evergreens in My Yard study and journal page in the Trees course. Each season includes a new tree study.

      FREE Winter Sample of Homeschool Nature Study Membership – with simple ways to study nature this winter, taking a ‘using your senses’ walk, studying animals in winter, taking a first day of winter walk and more!

      The Gift of Art: Gifts to Make and Give Video Art Lessons is a wonderful stand alone art curriculum or a perfect complement to your holiday gift-giving fun.

      Christmas Craft Activities For Kids

      Besides your fun homeschool nature craft that Victoria will lead you in this event, you might also enjoy these hands-on activities for Christmas

      • Nature Crafts course – Victoria leads you in a brand new nature craft each month at Homeschool Nature Study. As you head into winter, you might especially love creating an ice craft!
      • Nana’s course, The Gift of Art, is perfect for allowing your kids to make gifts for others on a dime. Nana shares easy ideas for kids of all ages to make a gift to give that they will be proud of. Letting your children handmake a gift for someone is affordable and allows them to express their creativity. Not only that, your kids can gift items that showcase their artistic progress. 
      • Christmas Tree Art Lessons – Nana has several FUN Christmas tree art lessons and so much more!

      Additional Resources For Christmas In Your Homeschool

      Continue your lovely Christmas school with even more resources to create memories this year.

      • Christmas Book to Movie Homeschool Activities Your Kids Will Love! by Erin – Check out this festive list of Christmas books made into movies – with homeschool activities your kids will love! Now your kids can re-create their favorite book characters and movie scenes with chalk pastels! Like Kevin from Home Alone, the Grinch and more!
      • A Merry Christmas Hymns Study for Your Homeschool – Whether you homeschool as normal through December, add in Christmas activities, or trade all your homeschool curriculum for ‘Christmas School,’ a Christmas hymns study can be an enjoyable part of your school day. It is a beautiful opportunity for the family to learn and worship together.

      You might also like these beautiful topics:

      See All That Is Included in You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse Membership!
      This Christmas Tree Study for kids includes art lessons, online resources, craft activities and more. Everything you need for the holidays.

      Where to Find Nana, Tricia, Victoria, Amy, Dawn and Stef

      We have loved this Christmas Tree Study for kids! We invite you to connect with us and find even more lovely homeschooling through the holidays ideas.

      Share on Social Media!

      We can’t wait to see your art, craft, or your nature or hymn studies! Be sure to tag us on Instagram @chalkpastelart and @outdoorhourchallenge

      As Courtney shared in her Biblical homeschool post, “we hope that this gives you lots of inspiration for your Christmas school plans this year! Remember, you don’t have to do it all this year. Advent is all about preparing our hearts and dwelling in His perfect peace. Christmas school is an opportunity not only for creativity and education but for making lasting memories together.”

      Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Your Best Homeschool and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.

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      The Beauty of Literature, Art and Nature in Your Homeschool

      Make your homeschool a little more beautiful with literature, art and nature study! Explore the beloved picture book, Miss Rumphius, with Sarah, Nana and Tricia. What a FUN way to celebrate Sarah’s new book together!

      Make your homeschool a little more beautiful with literature, art and nature study! Explore the beloved picture book, Miss Rumphius, with Sarah, Nana and Tricia. What a FUN way to kick off your homeschool year!

      Make Your Homeschool a Little More Beautiful – A Free Event!

      YOU are invited to the replay of this event!

      Sign Up For Access to the Replay and For Your Free Resources

      When you sign up you will receive: access to the replay of the event

      You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse, Homeschool Nature Study and Read Aloud Revival members receive:

      • Access for as long as you are a member (Read Aloud Revival, You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse and Homeschool Nature Study)
      • Your Read Aloud Revival Family Book Club Guide on Miss Rumphius
      • A Homeschool Nature Study lupine Outdoor Hour Challenge

      Please note: A replay will only be available to those who sign up. Be sure to fill out the form, below!

      Sign Up To Participate

      Get your free resources + info on the Live Event!

      Make Your Homeschool Year a Little More Beautiful

      ​

        What is included in Make Your Homeschool a Little More Beautiful Event?

        • A fun Miss Rumphius literary ‘hunt’ with Sarah Mackenzie of Read Aloud Revival
        • A peek at Sarah’s NEW picture book, A Little More Beautiful
        Find out ALL about Sarah’s NEW A Little More Beautiful book HERE!
        • A wildflower nature study with Tricia of Homeschool Nature Study
        • Nana’s art lesson in the style of Miss Rumphius and A Little More Beautiful
        Miss Rumphius picture book.

        Here’s How to Be Ready for the Event

        For your literature time with Sarah, reserve or pick up your copy of Miss Rumphius at your local library or order online today!

        For your art time with Nana, you will just need a very few suggested supplies, below:

        • a starter set of chalk pastels (Our favorites are here).
        • construction paper (Nana suggests white construction paper for this lesson)
        • baby wipes or damp paper towel for easy clean up

        For your nature study time with Tricia, have your lupine download on hand.

        Remember to sign up, above!

        Share On Social Media!

        Be sure to share your Make Your Homeschool A Little More Beautiful time on social media and tag @readaloudrevival @outdoorhourchallenge and @chalkpastelart – We can’t wait to see you participating and to see your paintings!

        And please invite your friends! Share this post with them!

        Sarah Mackenzie quote about Nana and chalk pastels.

        What a FUN way to incorporate literature, art and nature into your homeschool routine!

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        A Pond Nature Study Your Kids Will Love!

        Spring and summer are the perfect time to explore a pond nature study! Exploring a local pond can be filled with surprises and wonder, from algae and tadpoles to birds and fish. The educational opportunities are endless. Then, you can come back inside to cool off with the fun and colorful chalk pastel pond lessons!

        A Pond Nature Study Your Kids Will Love! :Spring and summer are the perfect time to explore a pond nature study! Exploring a local pond can be filled with surprises and wonder, from algae and tadpoles to birds and fish. The educational opportunities are endless. Then, you can come back inside to cool off with the fun and colorful chalk pastel pond lessons! #YouAREAnArtist #pondstudyforkids #pondunitstudy #pondstudy #chalkpastel #videoartlessons

        The Abundant Life In A Pond


        Ponds are a perfect place to learn about various things. A pond’s ecosystem is chocked full of life cycles of plants and animals. Birds and insects fill the air while fish and frogs fill the water. Even little kids enjoy catching tadpoles while older children may learn about water ph!

        Observing a pond can also be a wonderful sensory experience. Water, mud, and grass are all along a pond, and the sights can be exciting and soothing. Watching a butterfly flit back and forth is calming, while the minnows zipping to and fro is exhilarating. How about watching a turtle lumber up onto a slippery log?

        I highly suggest visiting your local pond and letting your children see what they can see! Are those wildflowers across the way?

        A Pond Nature Study Your Kids Will Love!


        This Pond Nature Study Is Perfect For Kids


        After an eventful day at the pond, why not come inside and cool down with some of Nana’s pond video art lessons? The benefits of learning in a hands-on and multi-sensory way are vast. Children absorb more information and retain more of what they’ve learned when you incorporate hands-on opportunities, including art!

        All you’ll need is a pack of construction paper, a starter set of chalk pastels, and Nana’s pond video art lessons!

        A Pond Nature Study Your Kids Will Love!

        The pond nature video art lessons include:

        • the pond
        • turtle
        • bullfrog
        • water strider
        • beaver
        • rainbow trout
        • goose
        • dragonfly
        • New Frog Life Cycle lesson (For You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members)
        A Pond Nature Study Your Kids Will Love!
        The Lily Pads are in a Simple Start with Chalk Pastels series in Clubhouse membership!


        Frog Life Cycle Activity

        Nana has a NEW Frog Life Cycle art lesson! A pond nature study wouldn’t be complete without studying the frog life cycle. While raising tadpoles is the most fun, drawing the life cycle is just as educational, and it helps solidify the knowledge my kiddos have acquired. Nana will show your child how frogs start as jelly-like eggs and then go through a metamorphosis where tadpoles slowly start to grow legs and then begin to develop the pulmonary respiration system that allows breath!

        A Pond Nature Study Your Kids Will Love!

        Be sure to check out these other posts, such as Backyard Biology: Frogs for Kids, where we raised our tadpoles and learned about the frog life cycle up close and personal! Tricia and her family did too!

        A Pond Nature Study Your Kids Will Love!


        More Pond Nature Study Resources For Your Homeschool

        Don’t forget there is a frog life cycle printable in the Homeschool Nature Study membership that includes notebooking pages, a full nature study and more.  

        A Pond Nature Study Your Kids Will Love!

        Here are a few more posts all about pond life that you’ll love:

        If you happen to have a pond nearby you could create a Hands On Pond Science Unit With An At Home Water Testing Kit!

        A dragonfly homeschool art lesson.

        With the You ARE An Artist Clubhouse membership, you’ll have access to the pond nature video art lessons plus 700+ other lessons, including these other nature-themed lessons:

        • honey bees on sunflower
        • bunny
        • ladybug
        • caterpillar
        • lily pad
        • snail
        • forest path
        • red-eyed tree frog
        • eagle’s nest with eagle family
        • rat snake
        • deer in the forest
        • bear 
        • dandelion
        • green anole
        • ant
        • chipmunk
        • lightning bug (or firefly)
        • cardinal
        • goldfinch
        • hummingbird
        • chickadee
        • robin
        • bluebird
        • Plus so much more!

        This summer, don’t miss out on a pond nature study, including the art of chalk pastels!

        A Frog Life Cycle Activity for Your Homeschool
        Join the You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse to Experience It All!

        Erin is a writer, blogger, and homeschooler to two intense kids. Her blog is filled with information to help you explore a child led education while making meaningful connections with your children. Discover favorite read alouds, seasonal books, games, art projects, hands-on activities, and learn to just breathe through the ups and downs of life. She loves nature, farm life, good books, knitting, new pens, and hot coffee. Erin is a contributing writer for Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Her work has also been featured on Simple Homeschool and Book Shark.

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        A Majestic Ocean Study Perfect For Your Homeschool

        Take your kids on an ocean study under the sea and up on shore with a combination of books and art to spark the imagination!

        A Majestic Ocean Study Perfect For Your Homeschool: Take your kids on an ocean study under the sea and up on shore with a combination of books and art to spark the imagination! #oceanstudy #naturestudy #seashoreart #oceanography #homeschool #youareanartist

        The Power Of Nature Study In Your Homeschool


        Nature study helps provide the foundation of formal scientific studies in which science becomes interesting. It cultivates a love of learning about how things work and the tiny details in all things. Children also develop an appreciation for the natural world when they have the opportunity to be immersed in it and study it.

        But sometimes, you can’t get to the place of interest. For example, we live hundreds of miles from the nearest beach. But my children love to study the ocean and all the creatures in it. How then could we do a nature study of the sea? By incorporating all the resources, we have at our disposal.

        A Majestic Ocean Study Perfect For Your Homeschool


        Ocean Study Lessons For Your Homeschool


        We started our ocean study with a couple of favorite books, including Julia Rothman’s Ocean Anatomy and the Smithsonian Ocean Visual Encyclopedia.

        I queued up several ocean-themed documentaries on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Then I found several helpful blog posts and additional books to help me pull this ocean unit study together:

        My kids wanted to study all sorts of information, from jellyfish to the anatomy of the seashore, sea turtles, starfish, and everything in-between.

        A Majestic Ocean Study Perfect For Your Homeschool

        Additional Ocean Study Resources

        We started with jellyfish. My daughter was especially interested in the Portuguese Man-of-War. Imagine her surprise when she learned that it is not a jellyfish but a collection of animals that live together called a siphonophore.

        I wondered if Nana had a chalk pastel lesson for jellyfish. Why yes, yes she does! Nana has an entire Seashore-themed collection of art lessons!

        Tidal Pools Exploration art lesson
        Tidal Pools art lesson paintings by Julie Kieras and her artists

        She also has a Tidal Pools Exploration lesson that is perfect to pair with your ocean studies! Check out Nana’s June Art Activities to see video of this art lesson!

        The Seashore art is part of the You ARE An Artist Complete Clubhouse. With the Complete Clubhouse, you’ll have access to over 800+ chalk pastel video lessons including, all of the chalk pastel nature study videos, including:

        • Sand Bucket
        • Clownfish
        • Crab
        • Jellyfish
        • Night Shark
        • Starfish
        • Sea Turtle
        • Under the Sea
        • Sandcastle
        • Seahorse
        • Plus so much more!

        Did you know there are even tutorials for chalk pastel sharks? Shark art for kids would be perfect for shark week!

        A Majestic Ocean Study Perfect For Your Homeschool

        As the children created the Sand Bucket, I read aloud about the anatomy of the beach. When we discussed sea turtles, my daughter took the measuring tape to measure the largest loggerhead sea turtle on record.

        FYI: it measured 9 feet in length and weighed 2,016 pounds!

        A Majestic Ocean Study Perfect For Your Homeschool


        For More Nature Study In Your Homeschool

        Our ocean study took us under the sea to the habitats of seahorses, blue crabs, and starfish. We learned about their anatomy and unique features. Then we watched some of those documentaries I had queued up, and the children loved it. They reminisced about a long-ago beach vacation and all the exciting things they got to see. 

        Seahorses are not horses but small bony fish, and Starfish are not fish at all, but echinoderms related to sea urchins!

        Did you also know that the Homeschool Nature Study program offers Seashore lessons along with 26+ Outdoor Hour Challenge Homeschool Curriculum ebooks on many other nature topics? We use the nature study resource in our homeschool weekly, and it has been great at helping keep me accountable at getting us all outside and looking at nature!

        So, whether you live by the seashore or hundreds of miles away, you can still enjoy an ocean unit study with all the depth and excitement of the open ocean and the color of a coral reef!

        A Majestic Ocean Study Perfect For Your Homeschool

        Erin is a writer, blogger, and homeschooler to two intense kids. Her blog is filled with information to help you explore a child led education while making meaningful connections with your children. Discover favorite read alouds, seasonal books, games, art projects, hands-on activities, and learn to just breathe through the ups and downs of life. She loves nature, farm life, good books, knitting, new pens, and hot coffee. Erin is a contributing writer for Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Her work has also been featured on Simple Homeschool and Book Shark.