From the start, our primary motivation for choosing home education has been time — time together as a family, time for passions and hobbies, time for good habits, and time for elements of education we value.

In a couple of weeks, I will start my 13th year as a teacher and ninth year as a homeschooling parent. With five school-age kids around the table, our priorities haven’t changed. This year our homeschool has students in high school, middle school, and elementary. As my kids get older, I am soaking in the time we have through homeschooling together and the resources and curriculum that set up our days.

We have used Treehouse Nature Study: Four Season Collection for four years. With family and togetherness in mind, this seasonal nature study is one resource for which I am grateful. Using it year after year, I like to remind people that the beauty of the natural world around us is that there is always more to learn. Instead of getting bored by the repeated topics and themes, we find joy and comfort in revisiting them as they naturally fit into the rhythms of the seasons. The poems are like old friends, and the works of art and activities are written into the story of our school days.

For these reasons, I am excited to share details about Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years, an extension of the nature curriculum we have loved and used for years. Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years continues the nature study we love with additions for older students like science experiments, advanced language arts assignments, new artwork and poetry, and more. This curriculum is designed for 4th-8th grade students and coordinates with the seasonal themes from Treehouse Nature Study, Primary Years to allow for family-style learning while providing ways for older students to go deeper with subjects they love.

In this blog post:

What’s new in Treehouse Nature Study: Intermediate Years
Family-style learning with Treehouse Nature Study: Four Seasons Collection
Nature as a lens to study language arts, science, art, and more
Time for passions and hobbies with Treehouse Nature Study: Four Seasons Collection
Supporting mental health with Treehouse Nature Study: Four Seasons Collection

What’s new in Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years

Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years is designed for older kids who are ready to explore deeper learning through additional research and new more complex, hands-on experiments. It also includes additions like a science vocabulary dictionary, a variety of weekly creative writing prompts, and more challenging copywork with cursive and typing followed by dictation at the end of the week.

When creating this curriculum, I took ideas I implemented with my kids during nature study in recent years to make an advanced curriculum. It meets older kids where they are with more responsibility to complete their own readings and to learn how to research information online. Even the poetry selections reflect the growth and maturing that is happening during these crucial years.

Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years is a beautiful resource for seasonal lessons that balances increasing ability and the need for depth with the same gentle guide to learning. This study includes poetry, picture study, book lists, multimedia materials, language arts, hands-on connections, nature study notebooking, and more.

Poetry

A new poem and poet is included in each week’s lesson plan. Students are invited to read poetry, learn about the poet, copy the poem, recite a portion of the poem from memory, and more.

Picture Study

Each week includes a new piece or artwork related to the nature theme for children to observe and enjoy.

Nature Study Book Basket

Each week includes a list of fiction and non-fiction books, plus reference selections to explore and understand each topic.

Multimedia Reference Materials

Enjoy a curated list of long-form documentaries, short videos, and podcasts for your home family to enjoy.

Language Arts

Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years offers opportunities for language arts through building an illustrated dictionary, creative writing, and notebooking.

Hands-on Connections

Gain real-life knowledge of the nature topic with several hands-on connections each week, such as a kitchen or art activity, science exploratory activity, research project, and opportunities for field trips or play.

Nature Study Notebooking

Each child will compile a Nature Study Notebook throughout the study. Through notebooking, children will organically practice narration, handwriting, grammar, art skills, and creativity.

Family-style learning with Treehouse Nature Study: Four Seasons Collection

Appreciating and learning about the natural world is ageless. Toddlers to teens to 30-somethings can wonder at the flight of a falcon, marvel at the intricate design of a spider web, and find peace under a canopy of green trees.

Family-style learning combined with nature study is a perfect way to enjoy learning together. The primary and intermediate studies can be used in conjunction with one another, or independently. Each family can set the pace for learning based on their interests and schedules.

Not only will your family be drawn together, but everyone will benefit from the trickle-down effect of family-style learning — older kids and teens will benefit from seeing their parents engaged in nature study, and younger kids will model their older sibling’s enjoyment and interest!

Nature as a lens to study language arts, science, art, and more

One of the first things that won my heart over to Treehouse Nature Study: Four Seasons Collection is how easy it is to spread a feast of beauty, goodness, and ideas before my kids with one curriculum.

In Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years, we continue this feast with more poetry (from many of our family’s favorite poets), more classic artwork, more living books, and more hands-on activities. New to Intermediate Years, is also a multimedia list of resources related to each topic that can be enjoyed by the whole family. All of these topics are naturally woven into each lesson.

Time for passions and hobbies withTreehouse Nature Study: Four Seasons Collection

Another priority of home education is time for hobbies and passions. Nature study helps to facilitate and make space for this in two great ways.

Integrating multiple subject areas into nature study like poetry, science, and language arts streamlines the school day. Treehouse Nature Study: Four Seasons Collection is an open-and-go nature curriculum that can be used across multiple ages. Treehouse Nature Study, Primary Years is suited for pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade, while Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years is appropriate for 4th-8th grade.

In our home, we love exploring passions and hobbies through nature study. The menu of learning activities in each week’s study means we have intentional time to create, imagine, construct, read, write, and more as a meaningful part of our lessons.

Supporting mental health withTreehouse Nature Study: Four Seasons Collection

Today there is a lot of discussion surrounding children’s and teenagers’ well-being and mental health. Kids spend more time online, have less free time outdoors, and feel constant pressure to do more and chase success.

Consistent nature study has a unique and vital answer to these challenges. Nature study gives children tools and practices to develop healthy habits they can carry into adulthood. This includes slowing down, developing a longer attention span, and reaping the benefits of sunshine, exercise, and fresh air. I love that including nature study in our homeschool constantly pulls us outdoors.

I hope you love using Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years and continuing the practice of nature study with older children. Will you be studying nature in your homeschool this year? Share your plans in the comments below. Try a free week at the link below to see if it is a good fit for your family.

Try a FREE week of Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years

Lisa Burns is the creator of This Pilgrim Life and author of Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years. This Pilgrim Life is a source for down-to-earth food and recipes, organization and life hacks, and ideas for nurturing a holistic learning environment at home. A former teacher, Lisa now spends her time homeschooling her five children. Living an authentic, creative, connected, and adventurous life are most important to Lisa and her family.

Overview: Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years