one of my favorite things...

... about starting our nature study for school this year, is that it has become a way of life for us now. It's just something that we automatically do, without even thinking, without even labeling it as "school".

We were in Missouri last week for Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving Day, the kids and I took a little nature walk around my parents' place.

They found this guy...
... and named him Henry. They're determined to look him up in our field guides to find out what he is.

We saw lots of little red berries to identify...

We took a moment to appreciate just how beautiful plants can be, even if they're not green and blooming...

We gathered a few tiny acorns for Henry's (temporary) home...
And saw a bird's nest that had been hidden in the leaves on our last visit...
Alex also got a very hands-on look at seed dispersal methods after he came out of the woods with his shirt covered with little tiny burrs. :-)

I really want to put together a nature study backpack for us. I meant to use an old backpack of Alex's but he's found a new use for it. It would be really nice to have one stocked and ready to go for our random nature walks. Hmmm.... maybe that will be something that I will work on for Christmas.