Thursday, September 6, 2007

Nature Studies...

Since our giveaway this week
tends to have a 'nature study' theme,
I wanted to share something I wrote
a couple of years ago regarding nature studies...




As a preface, let's define nature study...
(from Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language)

'nature' is...
"In a general sense, whatever is made or produced;
a word that comprehends all the works of God..."


'study' is...
"To consider attentively; to examine closely...
To apply the mind to; to read and examine
for the purpose of learning and understaning..."


nature study~
(in my own words and the assistance of Mr. Webster) ~
To apply the mind to examining
and attentively considering all the works of God
and His creation, for the purpose of
learning and understanding it and Him.






What better way to learn about our Creator
than to study and explore His own creation?!
His handiwork is revealed all throughout His creation...

"...the heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork."
~ Psalm 19:1
"...thou laid the foundation of the earth:
and the heavens are the work of thy hands."
~ Psalm 102:25


In studying 'nature', we are, perhaps,
nearer to the Creator
than any other study of science.

"But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;
and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee:
and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Who knoweth not in all these
that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?"
~ Job 12:7
"O LORD, how manifold are thy works!
in wisdom hast thou made them all:
the earth is full of thy riches."
~ Psalm 104:24

There are many people that know very little
about their 'natural' world
because they don't take time to really observe it.
We can bless our children with regular opportunities
to get in touch with God's creation.
They have already been given a natural curiosity
and interest in His creation...
What child isn't excited when they see a bird,
especially within their reach,
or see an interesting insect that they've not seen before,
or is thrilled when they see a deer, fox, or rabbit
on the side of the road,
or loves picking flowers for Mommy,
or simply loves to be outside?

"For the invisible things of him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead;..."
~ Romans 1:20

When we provide regular opportunities to study nature,
it sparks an interst in our children (and ourselves)
for the natural world... for His creation.
It, also, teaches them observation, inquiring, attention,
and even research skills.
It, also, nourishes them (and us) spiritually.
It deepens our understanding and appreciation
of our Creator and His attributes.

"Lift up your eyes on high
and behold who hath created these things,
that bringeth out their host by number:
he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might,
for that he is strong in power; not one faileth."
~ Isaiah 40:26


... Even God Himself enjoys His creation,
shouldn't we encourage our children to enjoy it, also,
and help them develop a spirit of praise and adoration
for His work in His creation?


"Thou art worthy, O Lord,
to receive glory and honour and power:
for thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
~ Revelation 4:11

No matter what the season or the weather,
we have an invitation to enjoy His marvelous creation.
Let's not only send our children outside...
let's go with them and admire God's creation with them.




8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love your blog, it's so beautiful!!! I meant to have left in my comment last night that my father was a 30 year veteran of the Marines! I lived all throughout North and South Carolina. He passed in 1982 but had retired just 2 years before his passing. Go Marines!!!

Nancy

TrainingHearts said...

Thank you for sharing! I need to work a little better in the nature department :)

Blessings,
Tamara
www.TrainingHearts.com

Unknown said...

What a good post. I love nature. :-D

Karen said...

I have fond memories of nature studies with Alaina. We made notebooks, posters, etc. It's something that allows us to focus on God's wonderful creation.

Amy ~ (Life's Small Treasures) said...

Thanks for this post it was very good.

My DH and I are planning a nature scavenger hunt with our kids. The kids and I are going to decorate notebooks to use to draw pictures, collect leaves etc. during that special day. It is going to be so much fun!

Have a great weekend
~Amy

~Bren~ said...

Great post. We will be doing some nature studies very soon.

Betsy said...

I have noticed a lot of these things. My children (and I) have been a lot more alert to God's creation around us, and when you really stop and examine plants, flowers, etc., you see the beautiful tiny details that is the work of the Lord's hand. They couldn't just appear and grow all on their own! They have a Creator...an artist.

HsKubes said...

Nancy ~ Thank you for your kind words. I always enjoy meeting others. How neat that your dad was a Marine. My husband, too, tends to go back and forth to North and South Carolina, with the exception of schools and recruiting duty. ;o)
ooh rah

Tamara ~ You're welcome. I, too, need to work more in this department. We do a lot of watching and enjoying from our dining room window but I hope to move it more outdoors. ;o)

Ginny ~ Thank you. We love nature, too. ;o)

Karen ~ How wonderful to have fond memories of enjoying God's creation together. We, too, have fond memories and look forward to making more. ;o)

Amy ~ Thank you. A nature scavenger hunt sounds delightful. I'd love to hear more about it. Have fun!

Bren ~ Thank you. I'm sure you'll enjoy the nature studies. Their so fun and natural. ;o)

Betsy ~ Yes, you really do see the detailed handiwork of our Creator when we take the time to really look. What a blessing it is to be surrounded by all He created.

~ Christina

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