“Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water-bugs, tadpoles, frogs and
turtles, elderberries. wild strawberries,
acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks
to wade in, water-lilies, woodchucks, bats,
bees, butterflies, various animals to pet,
hayfields, pine cones, rocks to roll, sand,
snakes, huckleberries, and hornets. Any
child who has been deprived of these has
been deprived of the best part of his education.” Luther Burbank
Isaw this quote while visiting the Luther Burbank Gardens in Santa Rosa, CA, when ourfamily was just beginning to homeschool. Luther
was a botanist and pioneer in agricultural
science in the early 1900s, developing
more than 800 strains and varieties of
plants over his 55-year career. The quote
reminded me that exploring the outdoor
world should be an integral part of our
children’s education. Now, mind you,
our family didn’t need much prodding to
spend time outdoors. Both my husband
and I have our college degrees in the
life sciences, and we first met on a bird
watching trip. We took our sons camping
before they could walk. Still, that quote
inspired me to add Nature Study to our
family’s “three R’s” of homeschooling.
The quote also reminded me of the
beginnings of my own fascination with
nature in the 5th grade. My teacher that
year had a classroom full of plants and
animals. I especially loved taking some
of the creatures home for the weekend,
much to my mother’s dismay. Thus be-
gan my study of all things related to the
life sciences. If it was alive, I wanted to
know as much as possible about it. I later
discovered that God was also revealing
more of Himself to me through the in-
tricate designs of all that He had created.
Yes, there is a theological reason to study
nature. God reveals Himself (His charac-
ter, law and wrath) through the natural
world that He created.
“For the invisible things of Him from
the creation of the world 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).
To study nature is to begin the study of
life sciences—man’s observations about
his natural world. Children have a natural
curiosity about living things around them,
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
by Natalie Fenner
Our Family’s
Nature Study Journey
To study nature is to begin the study of life sciences—
man’s observations about his natural world.
Homeschool Science
