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    Raising Our Boys Through Nature Study & Enrichment

    1.6KViews Modified: Jan 17, 2021 · Published: Sep 16, 2015
    By Jacqueline 9 Comments

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    Raising Our Boys Through Nature Study & Enrichment. Butterfly Garden, Butterfly Pavilion

    Nature study enrichment can begin to develop the care-taking dimension of a boy’s heart.

    Men are designed to be caretakers and protectors of their family and to take dominion over what God has placed in their care while here on earth. Boys need to be prepared for this important task. Nature study seems to balance their rough and tumble sides. They can learn how to be gentle with what is placed in their care.

    STEM is the latest & greatest in schools, but I advocate beginning science in preschool! So much is learned like empathy, being gentle or patient, and appreciation for God’s creatures & the miracle of nature. Best subject for kids is science!

    30 Tips for Parents
    Get your PDF: 30 Tips to Help Parents of Boys!
     

    My friend Ingrid is the mother of four boys. I have asked her to share with us some of the creative ways in which she teaches her very active young men and how she seeks to strike a good balance between being ‘all boy’ and being ‘gentle men’.

    Raising Our Boys Through Nature Study & Enrichment. home education

    This amazing specimen is the Cecropia Moth caterpillar, North America’s largest native moth. We found it in our dogwood shrubs.

    “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…” ~Romans 1:20

    One of our greatest joys in life is sharing Christ with our boys. As the above verse states, God’s character qualities are seen all around us: His creativity in the world, His care for us in the food He provides, the fact that He is a God of order, etc.

     

    Now that autumn is here, it is the right season to see God’s creativity in the variety of caterpillars, larvae, and the amazing design of a chrysalis. Anytime of year, take them on nature walks, perhaps bringing along a nature journal with colored pencils for them to draw and write down what they discover. 

    Throughout the years of nature study, we have discovered many interesting caterpillars and bugs in our own yard (as well as mail-ordered caterpillars) to watch them grow. I personally like to bring in caterpillars that we find in nature and do our own research on what they are and how to care for them. Be sure to feed them branches from the plant you found them on. If all goes well, they will start a chrysalis or cocoon before your very eyes.

    boy looking at a caterpillar

    Sometimes it takes quite a bit of research to figure out what you found. At first we thought the above picture was of a cocoon, but discovered it moved. After a lot of effort, we think it might be an Elm Case-bearing larva.

    Even when things go wrong in a nature study, you can learn from it.

    Do some research and find out what happened. We learned about the tachinid fly that is a parasite to the Monarch. The fly lays eggs on the Monarch caterpillar. The fly’s larva will eventually kill the Monarch, sometimes after it is in the chrysalis. It will then make a tiny hole in the chrysalis through which to come out. A thin, silky string coming out of the chrysalis is a sure sign the Monarch has been attacked.

    We can make a spiritual lesson out of nature study as well, such as how sin or bitterness can grow inside us and consume us if we don’t ask or give forgiveness (or both), and start over fresh.

    a Monarch chrysalis, ready to emerge

    Here is a Monarch chrysalis right before hatching… when the casing gets clear, be sure to keep a close eye on them, because they are ready to come out and amaze you!

    Once we have a new butterfly, we like to put a vase of flowers in so she can drink the nectar. If fresh flowers are not available, sugar water can be used in a pinch. Typically we enjoy the butterfly for a few days and then take her outside to watch her fly free…

     

    As we observe God’s handiwork in butterflies, we also have the opportunity to discuss how the butterfly is a visual example of God’s transformation in our own lives, if we allow Him to work in us.

    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” ~2 Corinthians 5:1 

    We begin by sharing the simple truths seen in God’s creation when our children are young, and continue to be amazed together at the intricacies of God’s creation as they grow up and learn more complex details of how things work. 

    Benefits For Boys In Nature Study

    • it develops in them a sense of wonder which stimulates a love of learning
    • they learn to be good stewards and careful overseers of God’s natural resources and gifts to them
    • they begin the journey to become life-long learners
    • it increases awareness, reasoning, and observation skills
    • it encourages a love of God‘s amazing creation, but most of all, a love of the Creator!
    • they learned how use advanced technology to create high quality videography.
    • develop their artistic side through nature journaling 
    nature journal of monarch

    (Source -Charlottemasonchristianhomeschool.com)

    Caterpillars are just scratching the surface of what’s wonderful to include before beginning formal science classes. Other nature study areas include the stars, weather, the sun’s influence on seasons, leaves, plants, trees, insects, germination, bees and pollination, etc. Here are wonderful book geared to delight the curious child!

    Raising Our Boys Through Nature Study & Enrichment. Nature books for teaching
    30 Tips for Parents
    Get your PDF: 30 Tips to Help Parents of Boys!

    Sites To Investigate

    • Carolina Biological Supply Catalog (for all things science-related)
    • Nature Study Journal Pages
    • Identify a Butterfly, Moth, or Caterpillar
    • Butterfly Garden (smaller)
    • Butterfly Pavilion (larger)

    a mother, in a garden

    My name is Ingrid. I am first and foremost a daughter of the King, adopted into the family of God through Christ’s grace. Secondly, I am a wife to a wonderful, steady man, and a great father.  I am also known as a mother of boys. We live and home-school on acreage which allows for many adventures and work opportunities for the boys.  We currently have two llamas, two sheep, four cats, a guinea, and multitudes of chickens for farm fresh eggs.  As I look at my role as a mother, I like to think of what I once saw in a letter from www.aboverubies.org:  “I am an Arrow Polisher, a Nation Builder, and a Director of Home Affairs”.  These are fitting titles as I raise my boys to be arrows sent out for the Lord!

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    « Fire Roasting And Freezing Colored Bell Peppers From the Grill
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    Hi! I’m Jacqueline!

    Thanks for being part of this journey with me.
    Welcome to my own little place on the internet! Home is where I love to be. I feel there is no greater place to incubate souls. These days you’ll find me using my experiences here to write about herbal remedies and natural health research — a big passion of mine. But being a wife and mother is not easy. It is challenging and potentially lonely. I get that. I wanted to create a place to connect with and support other moms for creating a natural, healthy, and fulfilling home life.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. JES

      September 17, 2012 at 4:33 pm

      Thank you for sharing Ingrid! That moth was a bit too big for a little feminine creature like myself 🙂 These are wonderful things you are doing with your little men that will help to build the Kingdom and cultivate “good” and “pure” husbands for our daughters!

      Reply
    2. Lisa

      September 18, 2012 at 5:47 am

      A wonderful post, Ingrid! My boys – and girls – love Nature study and can’t seem to get enough outside time. 🙂 I’m so thankful for their God-given curiosity about nature. 🙂
      Many blessings,
      Lisa

      Reply
    3. Ingrid

      September 20, 2012 at 12:43 pm

      Thanks for your welcome and encouragement… it has been an honer to be invited to share, and a fun exercise for me to go through old pictures & think about what we have done over the years. May the Lord be glorified… it is an blessing to know that He can work through our imperfections, as there are no perfect moms.

      Reply
    4. Leah

      September 29, 2012 at 7:28 am

      We got ordered a catepillar last year and watch it for a while. My son was amazed. He would check it every day to see any changes. We finally let them go. Then over the summer he and his friend found another catepillar…this one he found out turned into a moth. We need to go on more nature walks. Thanks for the suggestions…

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 29, 2012 at 7:59 pm

        That’s great, Leah! Nature with an emphasis on the Creator really draws our young people to see His handiwork.

        Reply
    5. Tom

      June 18, 2015 at 2:12 pm

      I’m curious, does learning about nature include learning about evolution?
      Or is Darwin too “ungodly”?

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        June 18, 2015 at 4:03 pm

        Tom, every school child should know the history behind the man. We taught about the evolution theory – it would be wrong not to give a broad foundation to every child and dig deep into them as time goes, evolution included. Here is a good site for you to visit to begin studying him and his theory: https://answersingenesis.org/charles-darwin/
        Thanks for your comment!

        Reply
    6. Tom

      June 19, 2015 at 2:09 am

      Thank you Jacqueline for a most useful link.
      God Bless!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        June 19, 2015 at 11:54 am

        You are welcome, Tom 🙂

        Reply

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