It's Fall!  My favorite time of year!  I always get motivated in the fall.  But what I love most about the fall is the world outside.  Nature and all its possibilities surrounds us in the fall with the cooling temperatures and the harvest. 

Nature is God's gift to us.  Everything that is in this world can be used by and for man, even the things that most of us get annoyed by, like dandelions.  Dandelions used to be called the king of herbs - it was eaten!  As with many greens, you have to eat them before the flowers show up or they get bitter.  But the study of nature in all its facets gives your family so many gifts.  Over my next few blogs, I will be expanding on the following subjects:

A boy back at the turn of the 20th century was permanently expelled from school because of his hyperactivity.  He was seven.  His parents found that he calmed down when they took him out in nature.  He found a career in nature photography.  His name was Ansel Adams, certainly the only photographer I could name, I don't know about you.  Spending time in nature, whether working, walking or watching has proven to be a most effective therapy for ADHD.  

Walking in an apple orchard, the state park or the desert - Any walking over uneven surfaces is better physical training in strengthening the core muscles and improving balance than soccer practice.

Picking apples or pumpkins and making apple sauce - Making your own food from produce you have gathered gives us a true appreciation of the gifts God has given us.  If you live in the city, buying a few extra quarts of strawberries and making jam will do the same thing.

Taking care of and observing animals - Children learn about stewardship of nature from spending time with pets, going to a zoo, birdwatching, and the like.

Gardening - Whether your family farms, you weed a suburban flower bed, or you are raising radishes in your apartment window, the study of plants in real life aids in the study of biology later, teaches stewardship to children, and gratitude to God.

The weather - Everybody has weather.  Even in Los Angeles, you can observe clouds and a homemade barometer works in a high rise apartment.  Everybody is subject to the weather and, as the Bible says, "He makes it to rain on the just and the unjust."

The heavens - Whether you can go outside and observe the changing of the moon phases, stars and planets, or if the only star you can see is a satellite looking at you, and you look at celestial  bodies via the Internet, God has given them to us for signs and seasons and they unite the earth, because we all have the same stars.

Rocks - What kid doesn't like to collect pretty rocks?  But what a story they can tell and what we can't do with them!  What a gift from God!

Admiring the sky - No matter where you live, city, suburb or country, everybody has a sky.  Lying in my bed on State Street in Chicago, I would sometimes be awakened by the moon!  It still happens, though I can only see one yard light from anywhere in my house, now. 

Stay tuned as we go through these subjects and you see the benefits of studying nature and how it can help your child, your family and your school.