Exploring Nature’s Classroom: Forest Homeschool Fall 2023 Recap

We had an amazing fall semester of Forest Homeschool and we wanted to share all that our students learned over the last few months!

Twice a week, our junior naturalists get to learn and explore on our 300-acre classroom. The landscape is always changing, so there is always something new to observe. Check out some of the highlights of our time this past semester.

One of our favorite activites is a pond study. We spent this morning looking for dragonfly nymphs, stonefly larvae, mosquito fish, crawfish, frog eggs, tadpoles, and anything else we might find. It’s a great way to learn about the benthic zone and life cycles.

We incorpated more family days this semester, which made for fun memories for our parents and students! During our first family day of the year, we explored Lookout Creek on canoes. We observed several bird species, like great blue heron, belted kingfisher, and osprey.

Throughout the semester, we take time to write and draw in our nature journals - it is a great tool to observe our surroundings and practice creativity. Some our favorite prompts are sound maps, animal adaptations (where we create a new animal based off our favorite adaptations), and tree rubbings.

Each student receives a nature journal at the beginning of the year and works on it throughout their time at Forest Homeschool. At the end of the year, they have a journal full of nature knowledge to bring home with them.

We’ve also been working on identifying the trees in our arboretum by breaking off into groups and working together to identify a tree by their characteristics.

We also got to tour the Native Animal Area and learn about the animal ambassadors we have on Reflection Riding’s campus. Here we are learning about Ember, our red-shouldered hawk. It was so fun to meet Ember and our other animal ambassadors up close and learn about the importance of these native animals in our ecosystem.

We also visited our Native Plant Nursery for hands-on experience with native plants. In this picture, we are mixing soil that will keep our native plants growing strong and healthy. We also sowed seeds and planted goldenrod in our greenhouse. We’ve also been able to go back and check on our plants to see their progress and learn about a plant’s life cycle.

One of our favorite other activities is going on a nature scavenger hunt - our students take time to practice their observation skills, like if a plant has alternate or opposite leaves, signs of animal activity, and more.

We had a great fall semester with all of our Forest Homeschool students. We’re excited for what the spring semester holds — it’s not too late to join! You can register now for Forest Homeschool’s spring semester and explore our natural world with fellow junior naturalists.