What do students need to know about science in Grades K-8?
In the years prior to high school, the purpose of science instruction is to teach students to notice, name, and delight in the flora, fauna and phenomena in the natural world.
You may be asking, “That’s all? Doesn’t my child need more? Doesn’t he need a “lab?” Don’t we need an education focused on STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math) to prepare them for a career?”
The simple answer is, no, they do not.
In fact, students at these ages are unable to “do science” in the true sense, as they do not yet have the skills needed to employ the scientific method. The scientific method requires logic, writing, and math skills that are typically not developed until high school.
What many teachers and parents mistake for “lab science” is actually just manufacturing natural phenomena for students in what we call “experiments.” And while this can be fun…I mean what kid does not enjoy making a baking soda volcano burp, or growing crystals in a mason jar, these types of mom-contrived “experiments” are not necessary for the study of science in these years. (If you want to grow sea monkeys on your kitchen counter though, knock yourself out!)
What students really need in these years is to develop the practice of Nature Study. Nature Study is simply the habit of observing, noticing, talking about, naming, and when appropriate, drawing and labeling the natural phenomena around us. If we open our eyes and slow down, and teach our children to do likewise, we see that nature is constantly showing off–and it does not require us to gather any lab supplies or make any messes in our kitchen.
How to do Nature Study with your Children: 
- Read lovely picture books together to explore science and nature related topics. The best types explore nature in story-form, not dry facts. A list of titles is attached to this document to get you started, but there are countless great titles out there, so no need to limit yourself to my list. Stock your home library with a nice collection and/or frequent the local library where you will find many choices. Picture books instill a sense of wonder, beauty and connection while also supplying students with information and facts.
- Invest in a nature study reference library. Keep a handful of good field guides readily accessible on your shelf so that you may easily identify and find details about the flora and fauna in your natural world. Peterson’s and Audubon are good choices.
- Make available good art materials. Prismacolor pencils, quality crayons or oil pastels, water colors and a journal are the basics. Consider a nature journal with a hard spiral bound cover on the top, like THIS ONE, which will allow pages to lay flat when drawing. Encourage your student in the habit of drawing and labeling what they see in nature. If possible, give them some instruction in drawing techniques. There are many simple “How to Draw” books out there for children that make drawing more enjoyable.
- Spend as much time together outdoors as you can. Teach your children the practice of still observation. For a set number of minutes, ask your children to be completely still and engage all 5 senses. Note what they see, hear, smell, feel and taste, and then talk about it. You will be amazed at how much more they will notice outside when they get very still and focused.
- Involve your children in every day life and talk about the phenomena of the natural world. Answer questions such as: Why does baking powder make biscuits rise? How can the goldfish breathe underwater? Why do we sweat when we exercise? What happens to the water that we give to the house plants? What vegetables in the garden are roots? And which ones are leaves? What does the seed in the middle of the peach have inside it? Why do we put oil into the car’s engine? And on and on and on.
- Indulge in your children’s delight in the natural world. As you see your children light up and become interested in the natural world, indulge them by providing them resources and opportunities. That child who loves insects, get them books and provide them with jars for specimens. For that one obsessed with volcanos, watch some NatGeo videos together, take a field trip to Glass Mountain, and visit the Sisson Museum to learn about how Mt. Shasta is monitored for volcanic activity. For your child who loves baking, let him experiment in the kitchen with different forms of leavening, with butter pastries and filo dough. You get the idea. You do not need to create experiments and projects for your kids. All of life is a big experiment and project. Tap into your child’s interest and facilitate their curiosity.
- Most importantly of all, create space in your days and weeks for boredom. It is in these moments when minds are quiet and still that the child’s natural curiosity emerges. When we pack our days so full of going and doing, we stifle curiosity, we forget to pull our children alongside and talk with them about the way things work. We can move too fast to notice the wonder that is around us.
Some practical tips for keeping a Nature Journal:
- Don’t require a Nature Journal entry every time you go outside. It will kill the joy! Once a week is sufficient. Focus on quality over quantity.
- Reserve your Nature Journal for only journal entries, not general doodling.
- When making an entry, include the date, location, and a title. Mom can transcribe for very young children. For example: April 4th, 2020, Back Yard, Apple Tree in Bloom
- Encourage students to sketch first in regular pencil, and then add color.
- Add at least one label to the sketch. For example: Trunk (to a drawing of the apple tree.)
- For students who like to make things look “right” allow them to copy or trace from field guides or How to Draw books.
Your child’s Nature Journal may be a treasure for them for many years to come!
Really??? Is that ALL they need until high school?
Yes. That is all they need.
Let your students focus now on their reading, writing, logic and math skills, and keep science in the “easy and natural” category. There is plenty of time for “real” science when they become high schoolers and are ready!
A Booklist for Nature Study
(Compliments of www.simplycharlottemason.com)
Grades 1-3
Habitats
About Habitats: Wetlands by Cathryn Sill
Babies in the Bayou by Jim Arnosky
The Brook Book: Exploring the Smallest Streams by Jim Arnosky
Butternut Hollow Pond by Brian Heinz
Crinkleroot’s Visit to Crinkle Cove by Jim Arnosky
The Deer Watch by Pat Lowery Collins
A Desert Scrapbook: Dawn to Dusk in the Sonoran Desert by Virginia Wright-Frierson
Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman
In the Forest by Jim Arnosky
Island Scrapbook: Dawn to Dusk on a Barrier Island by Virginia Wright-Frierson
Life in a Wetland by Carol Lindeen
Looking for Loons by Jennifer Lloyd
Mississippi Going North by Sanna Anderson Baker
My Visit to the Aquarium by Aliki
Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant
Pond and Stream by Arthur Ransome
The Raft by Jim LaMarche
Squish! A Wetland Walk by Nancy Luenn
Wetlands by Ronald Rood
Where the River Begins by Thomas Locker
Wild and Swampy by Jim Arnosky
Wonders of the Pond by Francene Sabin
Plants
Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson
Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing The Trees by Jim Arnosky
A Dandelion’s Life by John Himmelman
Flip, Float, Fly!: Seeds on the Move by JoAnn Early Macken
The Flower Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta
Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
From Seed To Plant by Gail Gibbons
How Do Apples Grow by Betsy Maestro
In a Nutshell by Joseph Anthony
The Life Cycle of the Dandelion by Paula Hogan
Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History by Diana Wells
My Favorite Tree by Diane Iverson
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Planting the Wild Garden by Kathryn O. Galbraith
Plants That Never Ever Bloom: A Book About Plants Without Flowers by Ruth Heller
A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
Seeds by Ken Robbins
Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids by Gail Gibbons
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
A Tree Is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla
Wonderful Pussy Willows by Jerome Wexler
Zinnia’s Flower Garden by Monica Wellington
Insects and Spiders
Are You a Dragonfly? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries
Bees and Wasps by Sally Morgan
Be Nice to Spiders by Margaret Bloy Graham
The Bug That Laid the Golden Eggs by Millicent Selsam
Bumblebee by J. V. Wilson
Bumblebee at Apple Tree Lane by Laura Gates Galvin
Caterpillars and How They Live by Robert McClung
Flight of the Honey Bee by Raymond Huber
The Honeybee Man by Lela Nargi
A House Spider’s Life by John Himmelman
Ladybug by Robert McClung
Ladybug at Orchard Avenue by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
The Life Cycle of the Honeybee by Paula Hogan
Little Black Ant on Park Street by Janet Halfmann
Monarch and Milkweed by Helen Frost
A Monarch Butterfly’s Life by John Himmelman
Wasps by Margaret Hall
Wasps by Martha Rustad
Where Butterflies Grow by Joanne Ryder
Sphinx by Robert McClung
Other Invertebrates
An Earthworm’s Life by John Himmelman
Next Time You See a Pill Bug by Emily Morgan
Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer
Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator by Sarah C. Campbell
Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser
Birds
Adopted By An Owl: The True Story of Jackson the Owl by Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen
All Night Near the Water by Jim Arnosky
Canada Goose at Cattail Lane by Janet Halfmann
Ducks and Their Ducklings by Margaret Hall
Ducks Don’t Get Wet by Augusta Goldin
The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins
Emu by Claire Saxby
A First Look at Ducks, Geese and Swans by Millicent Selsam and Joyce Hunt
Flamingo Sunset by Jonathan London
From Egg to Robin by Susan Canizares
Great Northern Diver: The Loon by Barbara Juster Esbensen
Gulls…Gulls…Gulls by Gail Gibbons
Henry the Impatient Heron by Donna Love
It’s Nesting Time by Roma Gans
Little Penguin: The Emperor of Antarctica by Jonathan London
Little Swan by Jonathan London
Loon by Susan Vande Griek
Loon at Northwood Lake by Elizabeth Ring
Mallard Duck at Meadow View Pond by Wendy Pfeffer
Molly the Owl: The True Story of a Common Barn Owl That Ends Up Being Not So Common After All by Eric Blehm
Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl by Bruce Hiscock
Owls by Adrienne Mason
The Peregrine’s Journey: A Story of Migration by Madeleine Dunphy
Redbird: The Story of a Cardinal by Robert McClung
Robins Fly North, Robins Fly South by John Kaufmann
The Robins in Your Backyard by Nancy Carol Willis
Screech Owl at Midnight Hollow by C. Drew Lamm
Seagull by the Shore by Vanessa Birch
Swan Flyway: The Tundra Swan by Dana Limpert
Tony’s Birds by Millicent Selsam
Urban Roosts: Where Birds Nest in the City by Barbara Bash
Watching Water Birds by Jim Arnosky
Whistling Wings by Laura Goering
Wings Along the Waterway by Mary Barrett Brown
Mammals
The Adventures of Reddy Fox by Thornton Burgess
Build, Beaver, Build: Life at the Longest Beaver Dam by Sandra Markle
A Caribou Journey by Debbie S. Miller
Chipmunk at Hollow Tree Lane by Victoria Sherrow
Chippy Chipmunk Parties in the Garden by Kathy Miller
Coyote Raid in Cactus Canyon by Jim Arnosky
Crinkleroot’s Book of Animal Tracks and Wildlife Signs by Jim Arnosky
Every Autumn Comes the Bear by Jim Arnosky
Family Pack by Sandra Markle
Fraser Bear: A Cub’s Life by Maggie de Vries
Grandfather Buffalo by Jim Arnosky
Hungry Coyote by Cheryl Blackford
Little Sibu: An Orangutan Tale by Sally Grindley
One Whole Day: Wolves by Jim Arnosky
Otter on His Own: The Story of a Sea Otter by Doe Boyle
Otters Under Water by Jim Arnosky
Raccoon Moon by Nancy Carol Willis
Saving Squeak: The Otter Tale by Jennifer Keats Curtis
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Waiting for Ice by Sandra Markle
Whitefoot: The Story of a Wood Mouse by Robert McClung
Winter Harvest by Jane Chelsea Aragon
Woodchuck at Blackberry Road by C. Drew Lamm
Reptiles and Amphibians
About Amphibians: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill
All About Frogs by Jim Arnosky
Box Turtle at Long Pond by William George
Bufo: The Story of a Toad by Robert McClung
Crocodile Safari by Jim Arnosky
Dig, Wait, Listen: A Desert Toad’s Tale by April Pulley Sayre
Face to Face with Frogs by Mark Moffett
Frogs by Gail Gibbons
Growing Frogs: Read and Wonder by Vivian French
Hip-Pocket Papa by Sandra Markle
Into the Sea by Brenda Guiberson
Let’s Get Turtles by Millicent Selsam
Nic Bishop Frogs by Nic Bishop (Not the Scholastic Reader version.)
Nic Bishop Snakes by Nic Bishop (Not the Scholastic Reader version.)
One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies
Salamander Season by Jennifer Keats Curtis
Snakes by Donna Bailey
Verdi by Janell Cannon
Fish and Other Aquatic Creatures
About Fish: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill
Ellie & Ollie Eel: A Tale of a Fantastic Voyage by Suzanne Tate
Leaper: The Story of an Atlantic Salmon by Robert McClung
Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi
Salmon Creek by Annette LeBox
Sammy the Brave Stickleback by Paul Duffield
Seahorses by Jennifer Keats Curtis
Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea by Chris Butterworth
Sea Star by Robert McClung
Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish by Janet Halfmann
Think of an Eel by Karen Wallace
When Crabs Cross the Sand: The Christmas Island Migration by Sharon Katz Cooper
Human Body
Bones by Steve Jenkins
The Circulatory Story by Mary K. Corcoran
A Drop of Blood by Paul Showers
Eye: How It Works by David Macaulay
Eyes by Shannon Caster
Germs Make Me Sick by Melvin Berger
Gurgles and Growls: Learning About Your Stomach by Pamela Hill Nettleton
A Journey Through the Human Body by John Halsam and Steve Parker
Look, Listen, Taste, Touch, and Smell: Learning about Your Five Senses by Pamela Hill Nettleton
Me and My Amazing Body by Joan Sweeney
Outside-In by Clare Smallman
The Quest to Digest by Mary K. Corcoran
Why I Sneeze, Shiver, Hiccup, and Yawn by Melvin Berger
Your Skin and Mine by Paul Showers
Properties of Light
All the Colors of the Rainbow by Allan Fowler
What Makes a Shadow? by Clyde Robert Bulla
Weather
Clouds by Anne Rockwell
On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World’s Weather by Marilyn Singer
When Winter Comes by Russell Freedman
The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins
Water Cycle
A Drop Around the World by Barbara McKinney
Water Dance by Thomas Locker
Geology
Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary by Jack Knowlton
Julie the Rockhound by Gail Langer Karwoski
Dirt by Steve Tomecek
Astronomy
Footprints on the Moon by Alexander Siy
Moonfinder by Jay Ryan
The Sky Is Full of Stars by Franklyn Branley
Star Stories for Little Folks by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Sun by Steve Tomecek
Sun Up, Sun Down: The Story of Day and Night by Jacqui Bailey
What Makes Day and Night by Franklyn Branley
What’s So Special About Planet Earth? by Robert E. Wells
Classification
Benny’s Animals by Millicent Selsam
Mechanical Science, Physical Science, Engineering
Bridges Are to Cross by Philemon Sturges
General Science
A Child’s Book of the Garden by Arthur Ransome
A Child’s Book of the Seasons by Arthur Ransome
Outdoor Secrets by Margaret Boyle
The Popcorn Book by Tomie de Paola
Biographies
Into the Deep: The Life of Naturalist and Explorer William Beebe by David Sheldon
Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle by Claire Nivola
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne
One Giant Leap: The Story of Neil Armstrong by Don Brown
Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith
A Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver by Aliki
Grades 4-6
Habitats
All About Great Rivers of the World by Anne Terry White
All About the Jungle by Armstrong Sperry
Life in Ponds by Jean Gorvett
The Most Beautiful Roof in the World: Exploring the Rainforest Canopy by Kathryn Lasky
Nature in the Neighborhood by Gordon Morrison
Pond by Gordon Morrison
Swamp Life: An Almanac by Glen Rounds
Plants
Bulbs, Corms, and Such by Millicent Selsam
Catnip by Millicent Selsam
Cotton by Millicent Selsam
A Little Guide to Wild Flowers by Charlotte Voake
Oak Tree by Gordon Morrison
Plant Reproduction: How Do You Grow a Giant Pumpkin? by Cath Senker
The Tree Book For Kids and Their Grown-ups by Gina Ingoglia
Mushrooms and Fungi
Fungi: Mushrooms, Toadstools, Molds, Yeasts, and Other Fungi by Judy Wearing
Katya’s Book of Mushrooms by Katya Arnold with Sam Swope
General Animals
All About Animals and Their Young by Robert McClung
All About Strange Beasts of the Present by Robert S. Lemmon
Animal Tails by George F. Mason
Tooth & Claw: The Wild World of Big Predators by Jim Arnosky
Wildlife at Your Doorstep by Glen Rounds
Insects and Spiders
All About the Insect World by Ferdinand C. Lane
All Kinds of Bees by Dorothy Shuttlesworth
Bramble-Bees and Others by Jean-Henri Fabre
The Bug Scientists by Donna Jackson
Cicadas!: Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle
Discovering What Crickets Do by Seymour Simon
An Extraordinary Life: The Story of a Monarch Butterfly by Laurence Pringle
The Fiddlehoppers: Crickets, Katydids, and Locusts by Phyllis Perry
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles by Jean-Henri Fabre
Grasshoppers and Crickets of North America by Sara Swan Miller
Insect Adventures by Jean-Henri Fabre
Insect Investigators: Entomologists by Richard Spilsbury
Insect Life in Pond and Stream by Francis and Lucy Duncan (F. M. And L. T. Duncan)
Insects & Spiders by Noel Tait
Jack’s Insects by Edmund Selous
Life of the Spider by Jean-Henri Fabre
Locusts: Insects on the Move by Sandra Markle
Outside and Inside Spiders by Sandra Markle
Praying Mantises: Hungry Insect Heroes by Sandra Markle
The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards
Spiders by Seymour Simon
Stick Insects: Masters of Defense by Sandra Markle
Other Invertebrates
Life of the Snail by Theres Buholzer
Life in a Bucket of Soil by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein (Pseudonym: Richard Rhine)
Birds
The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess
The Kingdom of Mimus: The Story of a Mockingbird by Majorie Rankin Steurt
Kōlea: The Story of the Pacific Golden Plover by Marion Coste
Thunder Birds by Jim Arnosky
Wings Along the Waterway by Mary Barrett Brown
Mammals
All About Horses by Marguerite Henry
Animals Come to My House: A Story Guide to the Care of Small Wild Animals by Esther Kellner
Beaver Business by Glen Rounds
The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess
Coyote: North America’s Dog by Stephen Swinburne
Outside and Inside Bats by Sandra Markle
The Swift Deer by Robert McClung
Whitetail by Robert McClung
Reptiles and Amphibians
All About Snakes by Bessie M. Hecht
Crocodiles & Alligators by Seymour Simon
Frog: The Life and Times of a Young Frog by Steve Parker
Outside and Inside Snakes by Sandra Markle
Snakes: Their Place in the Sun by Robert McClung
Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs by Design by Duane Gish
Fish and Other Aquatic Creatures
Thor: Last of the Sperm Whales by Robert McClung
Whales!: Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle
Human Body
All About Great Medical Discoveries by David Dietz
All About the Human Body by Bernard Glemser (Caution: Has a chapter on reproduction.)
How We Are Born, How We Grow, How Our Bodies Work . . .and How We Learn by Joe Kaufman (Caution: Has a chapter on reproduction.)
Weather
All About Weather by Ivan Ray Tannehill
The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-close Look at the Art & Science of Snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht
Winter Across America by Seymour Simon
Water Cycle
A Drop of Water by Walter Wick
Inside the Water Cycle by William B. Rice
Geology
All About Our Changing Rocks by Anne Terry White
Minerals, Rocks, and Soil by Barbara Davis
Astronomy
All About the Stars by Anne Terry White
First on the Moon by Barbara Hehner
Look to the Stars by Buzz Aldrin
The Sun by Seymour Simon
Mechanical Science, Physical Science, Engineering
All About Electricity by Ira M. Freeman
All About Famous Inventors and Their Inventions by Fletcher Pratt
All About Rockets and Jets by Fletcher Pratt
Archimedes and His Wonderful Discoveries by Arthur Jonas
Machines and How They Work by Harvey Weiss
General Science
All About Famous Scientific Expeditions by Raymond Holden
All About Sailing the Seven Seas by Ruth Brindze
All About Light and Sound by Connie Jankowski
All About Undersea Exploration by Ruth Brindze
Oceans by Seymour Simon
Out of Sight: Pictures of Hidden Worlds by Seymour Simon
Biographies
For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson by Peggy Thomas
Joseph Hooker: Botanical Trailblazer by Pat Griggs
Pasteur’s Fight Against Microbes by Beverly Birch
The Plant Hunters: True Stories of Their Daring Adventures to the Far Corners of the Earth by Anita Silvey
Grades 7-8
Insects and Spiders
The Junior Book of Insects by Edwin Way Teale
Social Life in the Insect World by Jean-Henri Fabre
Birds
Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat
Owls: The Silent Flyers by R. D. Lawrence
Mammals
Cry Wild by R. D. Lawrence
Wolves by R. D. Lawrence
Human Body
The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body by David Macaulay (Caution: Has a chapter on reproduction.)
Weather
Eric Sloane’s Book of Storms by Eric Sloane
Eric Sloane’s Weather Book by Eric Sloane
The Weather Book by Michael Oard
Geology
Footprints in the Ash by John Morris and Steven A. Austin
The Geology Book by Dr. John D. Morris
Astronomy
The Astronomy Book by Dr. Jonathan Henry
Mechanical Science, Physical Science, Engineering
The Brooklyn Bridge: They Said It Couldn’t Be Built by Judith St. George
Building Big by David Macaulay
The Way Things Work by David Macaulay
Biographies
Isaac Newton by Harry Sootin
Michael Faraday: From Errand Boy to Master Physicist by Harry Sootin
Pasteur and the Invisible Giants by Edward F. Dolan, Jr.