Signs of Spring
From Dr. Shannon Whiteside, Program Director:
Every season has its own beauty to look forward to, but I especially love spring. The winter is long in northwest Indiana, and any hint of green is a reason to rejoice. Although it is not yet time to pull out the shorts, it is time to be looking for things to record in my Book of Firsts. Charlotte Mason wrote, “It is a capital plan for the children to keep a calendar––the first oak-leaf, the first tadpole, the first cowslip, the first catkin, the first ripe blackberries, where seen, and when. The next year they will know when and where to look out for their favourites, and will, every year, be in a condition to add new observations. Think of the zest and interest, the object, which such a practice will give to daily walks and little excursions.“ Charlotte Mason, Home Education. You don’t have to use anything fancy to record your findings, but we highly recommend The Naturalist’s Notebook, which has a 5-year calendar at the back. The beginning of the book contains many articles to inspire your study of nature.
Nathaniel Wheelwright, one of the authors of The Naturalist’s Notebook, says that “the key to becoming a naturalist is developing the skills to notice details in the living world around you and then figure out the ‘why’ behind them…This is not a quick process, but it takes patience, focus, and time’ (p. 7-8). I have encouraged my children to ask more “why” questions when they are doing nature journaling. It is not necessary to find the answer immediately, but asking such questions enables engagement at a deeper level, keeps us in a state of intentional curiosity, and helps build a connection with nature.
The other week, I noticed some nuthatches in one of the tallest trees on my block. Instead of just jotting down the fact that I saw three nuthatches, I took the time to watch their behavior. I jotted down the questions: “Why are they climbing up the tree like crazy? Why do they seem odd in their behavior compared to the other birds? When I got in the house I looked at the section about nuthatches in the Peterson Field Guide for Young Naturalist and found out that while most birds climb up trees, nuthatches climb down trees which helps them find insects in the bark of trees that birds climbing up may have missed. These “upside-down birds” have strong toes and claws that grip the bark. At first, it might be hard to come up with “why” questions, but that’s ok. John Muir Laws has this advice in his book The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling: We are born into curiosity, a quality that can either be developed or degraded by experience and can always be enhanced by practice. Think of curiosity as a skill that you can improve over time. You can train yourself to find questions hiding everywhere” (p. 9)
What are the signs of spring in your area? Leave a comment in the Hive to let us know!
Notes:
- Membership: Celebrating 10 Years of Alveary! Register between February 1 – March 31 to receive exclusive freebies, including conference recordings, Natural History Club membership, digital monographs, and $50 off our Virtual Immersion Masterclass. Don’t miss out—renew now!
- Open House: Know a friend interested in Alveary? Send them this link to sign up for our online Open House.
- Job Board: We have multiple job opportunities listed on our job board, some from our own Alveary schools such as the Paloma School and Redwood Classical Academy! Check them out here to learn more and apply (or to add your own posting!).
- Living Book Press: The wait is over! Dr. J. Carroll Smith, founder of the Charlotte Mason Institute, and Dr. John Thorley have collaborated on this incredible collection of letters, and we’re thrilled to announce its release with Living Books Press! 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆!
- Volunteer Opportunity: Help at the Alveary Booth! Are you planning to attend Teach Them Diligently in Pigeon Forge, or do you live in the area? We’re looking for volunteers to help us run the Alveary booth from May 8-10! Learn more here.
- Office Hours: Here is the link to watch this week’s Office Hours on Scheduling!
- Immersion Masterclass: April 26. If you’ve registered for next year, don’t forget to use your $50 discount coupon on the upcoming Immersion Masterclass!
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Trivia Question: What is the name of the book Mason gave to House of Education graduates?
Leave your guesses in the comments below, and stay tuned for the answer in next week’s Alveary Weekly!
