Homeschooling Downunder
The Wonderland of Nature by Nuri Mass.
An Australian living science book for children.
‘Books dealing with Science...should be of a literary character, and we would probably be more scientific as a people if we scrapped all the text books. Where science does not teach a child to wonder and admire, it is perhaps of no educational value. ’ Charlotte Mason
Home Educators—This Science Book Produces Nature Lovers
You can read this book for sheer delight; use it as a reference, or as the basis for a one year primary science course.
After reading this book your children become more attuned to nature as they are encouraged to look closely at their surroundings.
Create Backyard Scientists
Each chapter is a short case study of Australian nature. This means your children’s local knowledge of their environment will grow. They can begin to classify creepy crawlies, identify their habitats and the seasons that they see changes appear often from their own backyard or a nearby nature reserve.
“Nuri’s Affection And Appreciation Of Nature Is Infectious.”
Nuri Mass, the author, lets us into her world. We join in with the discoveries and share in the wonder with her young children, Chris and Tess, as they explore the great outdoors with their mother.
Her simple explanations and detailed observation will make you and your children marvel and prompt you all to go outside on a quest to find that common creature that has now inspired so much curiosity in everyday surrounds.
Nuri makes scientific illustrations into an art form. More than 200 simple sketches appear in this book. Children can use these drawings as a model for their own nature sketches or you can photocopy the illustrations for younger children to colour-in or paste into a notebook.
This book is of no particular religious persuasion. On a few occasions it briefly mentions millions of years when it discusses fossils but that’s not the emphasis of the book. The main emphasis is on the wonder of nature which highlights the intelligent design of the world around us.
Charlotte Mason Favourite
The books engaging story book style is a favourite living science book amongst Australian Charlotte Mason homeschoolers. In fact it is considered an Australian nature classic winning the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Highly Commended Award when it was first published in 1964.
This limited edition of The Wonderland of Nature is exclusive to Homeschooling Downunder. It was digitally enhanced and converted to metric.
Spiral Bound - 286 pages
Age range: 5-12
The Wonderland of Nature Journal
Teaching children to observe nature through journaling.
The Wonderland of Nature Journal is a downloadable companion to the book.
It helps children develop the habit of observing the environment, recording and interpreting what is seen and felt.
The Wonderland of Nature Journal includes:
This ebook is a gentle guide to nature journaling. It gives practical ideas about nature journaling and nature study in an Australian environment.
It will show you how to encourage children to observe and record what they see for the pure pleasure of it and to enjoy their environment and try to capture their nature memory.
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Discovery Pages ebook
Based on 35 chapters used in The Wonderland of Nature these pages will help kick start your child’s nature journal. Each Discovery Page is a little different. You can print off as many copies as you want for your own children.
For the most part there are no right and wrong answers, as these are not revision worksheets, but rather aids to exploration and consolidation of the material covered in The Wonderland of Nature.
The Discovery Pages include:
- Discussion question for narration related to the chapter.
- A place for your child to record their own observations of nature for that day.
- Space for labelling an illustration, finishing of a picture, or making their own nature drawing.
- Lines for relevant notes.
- Web links to child friendly websites for more information.
Once your child has begun their nature journal they need not be limited to the discovery pages. They can make their own special entries of events from their own experience such as the possum they saw or a bird that visits your home.
One Year Science Course
For Primary Homeschool Students.
Add structure and make your weekly science lessons more formal by combining The Wonderland of Nature book and The Wonderland of Nature Journal.
Here is a suggested schedule for your weekly science lesson;
- Read one chapter of the book. This only takes about 15 minutes.
- Have the child narrate (tell back) what they learnt from your reading. Discuss the questions on the relevant Discovery Page.
- If appropriate the children can go outside to see if they can find the mentioned treasure.
- Use the Discovery Page for your journal entry.
- For further study use the web links provided on the Discovery Pages.
Another bonus to using The Wonderland of Nature Set as your homeschool science curriculum is that the practical part of the lesson involves the scientific skills of observation and record keeping without having to do any experiments.
“You're making Australian nature study accessible to mothers like me, who easily become discouraged because we're never quite sure how we're supposed to go about it. The Journal is something I can just print out, pick up, and work through with my children without hours of preparation...Read More Testimonies
The One Room Schoolhouse
Teach All Your Primary School Children Together
Another huge advantage to using this resource is that you can include all of your primary children in the lesson. Even your preschoolers will like it! Your children can share in the delight of the story, go treasure hunting for bugs together and enjoy the individuality of each child’s nature journal entry.
In our family, I would read a chapter from the book, and then we’d run outside to see if we could find the mentioned creature, after our search we made a nature journal entry. All four children had a different idea of how they wanted their nature page to look. The older child went to check out the internet links to see what other information he could find.
Free Trial -Sample Pages of The Wonderland of Nature Set
I am so convinced that these resources will delight your child that I am giving you the first two chapters of The Wonderland of Nature along with their corresponding Discovery Pages. You can start your nature journal tomorrow while you’re waiting for your book to arrive.
The Wonderland of Nature Set includes
The Wonderland of Nature Spiral Bound Book
The Wonderland of Nature Journal ebook which includes:
* Discovery Pages ebook
* Nature Journaling with Kids ebook
The Wonderland of Nature ejournal (electronic download) $15 instant download no postage.