Rain was in the forecast this morning, so our little group decided to meet at the local library instead. I know Miss Mason suggests at least a couple hours outdoors each day even in inclement weather, but I don't quite have the energy to chase all my babies in the rain--so indoor "nature study" it is! I hope that isn't a contradiction in terms. :)
The rain actually did hold off for the first half hour or so, so the children got a chance to run off some energy before camping out in the children's section inside. For this get-together, each family brought leaves from the trees and shrubs in their own yard for a little show-and-tell. We had such a great variety: japanese maple, fingerling maple, rose, privet, heavenly bamboo, lemon, persimmon, jasmine, pine, parsley, dogwood, hibiscus, and many more! We had plenty of paper and crayons for the children to do leaf rubbings. A very simple activity, but enough to keep our big group of littles interested.
I'm working on putting together a list of similar indoor-nature-study ideas for our group during the winter months. If you have any suggestions, please send them my way! The children in our group range from second grade down to toddlers.
This was so fun! I think it worked really, really well. And remember, Miss Mason didn't have children, so I'm sure she would forgive us an indoor nature study:)
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