You know this child. The one who crouches over an anthill until their legs go numb, whose pockets come home full of acorns and rocks and one regrettable beetle, who wants to know how deep the ocean goes and then what lives at the very bottom.
Do you have a Naturalist in your home? Most of us came to this way of learning because we believe a child who loves the natural world should be set loose in it. Charlotte Mason built a whole philosophy on exactly that, the long afternoon outdoors, the nature notebook, the child who learns to truly see. Lean in. Every hour your child spends watching, wondering, and asking how the world works is real, rigorous learning, the early practice of a scientist who observes, forms a theory, and tests it against what comes next.
What these kids need is not less of their passion. It is good books that take it seriously, and a hand to help you turn a beloved read-aloud into a genuine study of the world inside it. That is what I built.
The guides made for your Naturalist
I created a whole collection of guides for this kind of child, each one opening up the living world hidden inside a story your family will love. From sea otters to Mars, your Naturalist can dive into the natural world all around us, the creatures, the habitats, the seasons, the ground beneath their feet, and the planets overhead.
You can view them all here.
And here are a few ideas for a whole year curated around your little naturalist.
Explore the seasons. For a true year-long nature study, the Heartwood Hotel series moves through all four seasons, autumn, winter, spring, and summer, in one connected set built around the changing rhythms of the natural world. And if you would rather build your own seasonal path from standalone guides, the settings line up beautifully: Sweet Home Alaska for pumpkins in fall, Mr. Popper's Penguins for penguins in winter, The Green Ember for predator-prey in spring, and Odder for sea otters and kelp forests in summer.
Earth and space science. Reach beyond our planet and back down into the ground beneath us with A Rover's Story for planets and Mars, and Skunk and Badger for rocks and minerals.
Habitats around the world. Travel through the world's great ecosystems with The Bark of the Bog Owl for swamps and wetlands, Once Upon a Camel for deserts, and The Trumpet of the Swan for pond and freshwater life.
Birds of a feather. Take to the air with Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes for ravens, Duet for goldfinches, The Nerviest Girl in the World for ostriches, and The Very, Very Far North for puffins.
A note from a family I trust you'll relate to
One mom wrote to me recently:
We made so many beautiful memories with our unit study. You're someone whose voice I've come to trust in the soup of homeschool goo. Thank you.
That is the whole hope. A child who knows and loves the living world, and a family making real memories while real learning happens.
Find your Naturalist's next adventure
Every guide is buy one, get one free through June 30, so you can pick your Naturalist's next read-aloud and the one after it comes free. And if you are not yet sure which kind of learner your child is, take the free Find Your Next Adventure quiz and let your child show you where their curiosity wants to go.
Take the free quiz to find our if your kid is a naturalist, historian, explorer, or creative!