Developing observational skills, building vocabulary and practicing narrative skills through curiosity about the natural world.
If you are worried your children won’t be learning vital prereading skills when they are playing outside, don’t be. Nature is full of rich and interesting details. I use these details to teach children to become expert observers. When it’s time for them to notice the differences between the letters b, d, and p, they will be ready.
We connect our outdoor learning experiences to our indoor learning experiences by bringing treasures from nature inside and creating a “Nature Museum”. When the children are reading a story about a frog, or the seaside, or a bird, they can visit the nature museum to see those story elements first hand. This builds comprehension in an exciting way.
Most of the museum exhibit items are chosen by the children. Sometimes, I add to the museum. When the children found a dead bumblebee, I put it in our museum.
The bumblebee sparked wonder and amazement. I was pummeled with observations and questions. “It has fur!” “I see four wings.” “The fur is yellow, black and white.” “Is it dead?” “Can it sting you?” “How did it die?” “It has six legs.” “It has hooks for feet!” This tiny creature triggered so much interest we had to go to the library to get books to learn more about bees.
When the classroom preschool teachers and parents ask about the bee, the children use their narrative skills to tell the story of where and when it was found and share all the facts they now know about bees.
Our nature museum display case is a box that formerly held six perfumed soaps. A magnifying glass is kept nearby. The children look at the exhibit often. The box still has empty compartments because building our museum is an ongoing process. Part of the excitement for me is never knowing what the children will discover next. It’s a surprise when they choose a new addition for the museum. Every school year we have a different museum because different children find different things fascinating.
All you need for a nature museum is a small table or shelf that is easily accessible for the children and a magnifying lens.
When nests fall out of trees, we save them for examination, too. Nests are amazing architectural structures. The children noticed pieces of eggshell in this nest. They wondered where was the baby bird.
Currently, we even have a live display in our Nature Museum!
One student brought frog eggs to school. A plastic aquarium became their temporary home. The eggs hatched and now we have tadpoles! The tadpoles love feeding on boiled iceberg lettuce. The children observe the tadpoles every day to see if they have grown back legs. When the tadpoles grow legs, we will release them into our class pond outside.
Vocabulary such as tadpole, frog, metamorphosis, and amphibian are easier for children to learn when they have watched the process happen before their eyes and have used those words daily for weeks.
Nature inspires curiosity and presents a multitude of opportunities to learn about color, shape, texture, function, change, camouflage, metamorphosis and structure. Why not develop your children’s prereading skills today while creating a nature museum with them?
