The whys of Nature Study

Why study nature?

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature."     - Anne Frank

"We are all meant to be naturalists, each in his own degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things."  - Charlotte Mason

"The man who is blind to the beauties of Nature has missed half the pleasure of life."  
- Lord Baden-Powell 

"...God created the heavens and the earth..."    - Genesis 1:1

"...the whole earth is full of His glory..."      - Isaiah 6:3

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowlede.  There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.  Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.  In them he as set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and , like a strong man runs his course with joy.  Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat."        - Psalm 19:1-6

"For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!):  "I am the Lord, and there is no other."  - Isaiah 45:12

"For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made."      - Romans 1:20

We can learn about God through what He has made.  What better reason to study Creation?!  Well, that and it is by far one of the most interesting and extensive studies available to humans...

What kids learn in school is not enough... read more here

Suggestions for Nature Study Work, a pdf downloadable leaflet (right click to save file as), by Anna Botsford Comstock

Articles of interest:
Study Finds Access to Nature Improves Health
Nature Conservancy Study Finds Today’s Kids Are Choosing TV Over Trees
8 Reasons To Do Nature Study - Simply Charlotte Mason


Books About Nature Study:
Hours in the Out-of-Doors
Girls Who Looked Under Rocks
A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America
A Field Guide to Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides)
Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America: Fourth Edition
A Field Guide to Wildflowers : Northeastern and North-Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)