Adventure Bags for Your Little Nature Explorer

by | Aug 12, 2016

Awhile back, I saw a friend on a homeschooling thread asking about Nature Study and the tools to enhance and encourage it.  I answered with a long list of links to the components of the “Adventure Bags” that we have put together for our girls.

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The response was encouraging, so I thought I’d compile it here for both my reference and as inspiration for other mamas!  Obviously, there is room for your own twist and creativity!  Let us know in the comments what you would add to the list.

We put together these Adventure Bags so that the kids would have all of their Charlotte Mason inspired Nature Study tools in one place.  Grab and go!

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Ms. Mason says:  “It is infinitely well worth the mother’s while to take some pains every day to secure, in the first place, that her children spend hours daily amongst rural and natural objects; and, in the second place, to infuse into them, or rather, to cherish in them, the love of investigation…”

Yikes!  That’s a tall order.  These Adventure Bags make it a little easier to get outside and ready to explore and record investigations.

First, the bag!  We LOVE a good sturdy bag for the kids.  We have one that is large enough to hold everything they need and is just the right size for them to carry.

Bella’s bag is also just the right size to hold her wonderful sketching journal.  In our house, these notepads get filled with drawings, but each page also has lines for your little writer.  Bella likes to carry her water color set and a small mason jar of water, so she can paint what she sees.

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Avila’s bag is a little smaller, but can fit a small note pad, crayons, her magnifying glass, and a field guide.

Also in their bags, the girls carry a small magnifying glass.  These are fun to use to get a closer look at leaves and bugs.  I’m sure there are some out there that are better quality, but for the price, a small one suits us just fine.

My girls particularly like to bird watch.  They each have a copy of our favorite Birds of Indiana field guide and Bella carries a pair of binoculars.  We love a pair that has good magnification, but is small enough for tiny hands.  In fact, I noticed that Andrew snagged Bella’s to take along on his recent trip to hike along the Appalachian Trail.

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Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.  Charlotte Mason

To recap:

A good sturdy bag

Magnifying glass

Binoculars

Sketching Journal

Watercolor Set

Field Guide for your state: birds, wildflowers, trees

Now you’re ready to head off for a Nature Study at a moments notice!

Every child has a natural interest in the living things about him which it is the business of his parents to encourage.  Ms. Mason

{Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.}

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About The Author: Sarah Antonio

Keeper of all the adventure gear, provisions, and abandoned shoes, I’m the one who brings our adventure to you.

4 Comments

  1. Annie O.

    We are starting CM this year, and this is going to be great! A perfect birthday present, too. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Amber Massett

    This is such a helpful and interesting post!!! Do you mind if I ask, where do you get the CM quotes? A particular book? I would love to read more about this topic 🙂 thank you!

    Reply
  3. andrew825

    Fun post. Pocketknives are always useful! I think the girls have all of mine 🙂

    Reply

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4 Comments

  1. Annie O.

    We are starting CM this year, and this is going to be great! A perfect birthday present, too. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Amber Massett

    This is such a helpful and interesting post!!! Do you mind if I ask, where do you get the CM quotes? A particular book? I would love to read more about this topic 🙂 thank you!

    Reply
  3. andrew825

    Fun post. Pocketknives are always useful! I think the girls have all of mine 🙂

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *