Tales of Urban Nature: Pt 2- Discovering the Delight -

Tales of Urban Nature

Part 2: Discovering the Delight

“What we call Nature is all Beauty and delight,
and the person who watches Nature closely
and knows her well, like the poet Wordsworth,
for example, has his Beauty Sense
always active, always bringing him joy."
(Vol 4)

~Charlotte Mason

If you’re new to Nature Study, you’ll eventually learn many fun & effective ways to go about discovering and observing nature.

The most important element, however, is a simple one that Miss Mason tells us about in Home Education:

“Let them once get in touch with nature
and a habit is formed which will be
a source of delight and habit through life…”

Though there’s so much to learn and implement, for now, just go outside and let your children be in touch with nature. Let them discover the delight in being among God’s creation. Take nature walks in your neighborhood. If you live in the city and think you don’t have options, read my 2 part series: “Finding Beauty Amidst Concrete” for ideas. Drive to a nature preserve. Observe carefully the beauty of nature that often goes unnoticed with the rush of life.⁣

Let your kids tell you about their findings. Bring home common nature treasures, such as seashells or pine cones, to observe later (but leave unique items in their place or make sure not to remove anything from a nature preserve, which is illegal to do). Have them paint what they remember in a nature notebook. (Watercolors are so much fun to use for nature journaling.) Let them connect and learn firsthand from careful observation.

If your children want to learn more about a particular topic, you can find books in your library or purchase them online.

For Part 1 of this series, I shared about some nature breakthroughs that centered around the beauty of bird watching as a form of encouragement. For Part 2, I’ll focus on testimonies that show the delight of other aspects of nature.

TREES

“Mami! Come quick! Look at the tree in the middle with the purple flowers! It’s so pretty,” my daughter called from the terrace.

Honestly, I had NEVER thought of observing the trees from above on our terrace.

But there we were, talking about how beautiful the pine trees are from a bird’s-eye view or how I never noticed the tallest tree on the side of us is a honey locust, which apparently I notice everywhere else but right next to me. We were even blessed to see our first American Goldfinch fly right by us! It was such a treat!

Leave it to my daughter to do “nature study” in an unconventional way.

Like I shared in Part 1, I try not to be overly enthusiastic during our nature walks so my girl can make her own discoveries. I also don’t want to push her away with my excitement so I try to be “cool” about things. But I admit to doing inner somersaults during moments like when she wanted to show her grandfather the peeling bark from the River Birch trees in our neighborhood. She loves to write on them as if they’re paper. ⁣

This is a fun one! So my child used to fight me on any nature identification. However, she then pointed out the birch trees in not just 1, but 2 movies: PRICELESS!! ⁣

Sometimes my girl needs a gentle nudge to go outdoors or even work on her nature journal. ⁣
⁣
But there are never any complaints afterwards because God’s beauty speaks to her heart EVERY time.

“We are all meant to be naturalists,
each in his own degree, and
it is inexcusable to live in a world
so full of the marvels of plant and animal life
and to care for none of these things.”
-Charlotte Mason

DISAPPOINTMENTS

All our annual summer plans for 2020 were cancelled due to Covid so the hubby scheduled a plan B small camping getaway for our family. ⁣

But then he got sick and we had an extremely disappointed child, angry with circumstances that were out of our control. ⁣

Then she witnessed a rainbow clear across the sky from our terrace. Her entire mood changed, replaced with awe, wonder, and joy. It was definitely a “God moment”. ⁣

It’s not always perfect but God always comes through and speaks through His creation.

LIVING CREATURES

One day, we came across a monarch butterfly on the ground. At first, we were excited because it wasn’t flying off right away, which is great for close observations (and pictures ). ⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣But then we thought it might be hurt because it was only crawling instead of flying. ⁣⁣⁣

My daughter instinctively grabbed a stick and gently tried to get the butterfly to grab hold of it. When it did, she raised it to the sky and within a minute, the monarch was flying away on its own. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I’m not sure why it wasn’t fluttering around beforehand, but what I’ll never forget was the look of pure joy and amazement on my girl’s face as she watched the monarch fly away. Her exact words were, “I can’t believe I helped save the butterfly!” ⁣ ⁣⁣

The lesson on having compassion on God’s creation and helping when there’s a need wasn’t planned on my part but it was planned by the Holy Spirit. I’m so glad He’s the Supreme Educator and I get to be His assistant teacher.

I’m so glad He’s the Supreme Educator
and I get to be His assistant teacher.

God always provides nature treasures when we take the time to do nature walks. ⁣
⁣
This time, we stumbled upon a horse stable in Manhattan where my girl made a new friend.

LISTENING

My daughter discovered a new favorite spot.

I thought she’d be excited about the NYC skyline we can see from the Bronx. (You have to zoom in on the picture below to see.)

Nope. Her excitement was over the medley of music being played as the waves carried sea glass back and forth to the sand. I was deaf to the song until she pointed it out.

To her, it was just being next to her mama, staring out into the water without saying any words.

It was just about the little things we often miss out on in the rush of life.

Gosh, how I just love my urban nature girl!

FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR

I leave you with this last testimony.

One day, my child, who used to give me a hard time about going on nature walks, took her baby niece on a stroll outdoors, collected specific leaves for her, guided her in observations and THEN created a first nature journal for her!!! ⁣⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣⁣Mamas, don’t give up when your child gives you push back in your instruction, especially with those things that bring beauty and draw them closer to God. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

I know it can be discouraging at times, but just be diligent in forming those good habits. Ask the Holy Spirit to take the lead. He is faithful and will help you in guiding your child in love. ⁣⁣⁣

It may not be an overnight result, but the fruit of your labor will be apparent soon enough. ⁣⁣⁣

Thank you Jesus! ⁣⁣⁣

(And check out the little hands of the cutie patootie who held onto those leaves like they were gold for the entire time. )

I pray this series has been an encouragement to you. Remember, God’s beauty is everywhere, even in the city.

For more information on Nature Walks, check out ADE’s podcast episode #215: Nature Walks.

Don’t forget to check out our Urban Bird Study Guide if you’re interested in learning more about bird watching and the feathered friends that can be found in city areas.