Let’s be real: winter tends to take even the most well-intentioned homeschool plans and chucks them into the nearest snowbank. At first, it’s cozy and magical and cinnamon-scented… and then by February it’s like, “How many more indoor crafts can we do before I melt into a puddle of glue and glitter?”

Your nature notebook may have gotten buried under piles of indoor crafts and half-finished puzzles. The birds flew south, your energy flew with them, and your outdoor explorations turned into “maybe next week.” 

If you’ve been feeling that low-key guilt for letting nature study fall off during the colder months, I want you to know something: spring is your season. 

Spring is here, and she’s basically shouting, “Hey! Let’s begin again.” Whether you’re in your first year of homeschooling or just emerging from a seasonal slump, spring is the perfect time to reconnect with the natural world—and maybe even fall in love with it all over again.

Spring: Nature is Waking Up — and So Are We

There’s something so magical about spring that makes us feel like we get to begin again. The birds know it. The worms know it. Even the muddiest puddle is out here shouting, “Let’s go, team!”

Spring nudges us back into our senses. The seasonal changes are loud in the gentlest way:

• The smells: rain, earth, blossoms (and okay, maybe wet dog)

• The sounds: birdsong, frogs, wind dancing through new leaves

• The sights: green sneaking back, petals bursting, bees bumbling

• The feels: mud between toes, warm sun on skin, rain dripping off your nose

• The tastes: wild greens, garden starts, or just fresh air on a picnic blanket

Spring is basically nature’s big comeback tour — and we all have front-row seats. There are so many fascinating things in the great outdoors! 

It’s not just poetic (though it is); spring brings the kind of hands-on activities that make early childhood education come alive.

But What If I’ve Fallen Behind?

Let’s just get this out of the way: You’re not behind. You’re right on time. That’s the beauty of following nature — she doesn’t care about checklists or “shoulds.” She just does her thing, one moment at a time.

So if your nature journals are dusty and your last scavenger hunt ended in tears (yours or theirs), it’s okay. Starting now is perfect.

And if you're brand new to this nature-based learning thing? Even better. Spring will do half the teaching for you.

Nature is the Best Curriculum (And It’s Free)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face (or sunburned in the garden): nature is the perfect curriculum.

Why? Because it’s:

• Always relevant

• Sensory-rich

• Offers different ways to learn

• Works for young children, older children, and yes, the whole family

Whether you're using it as your main curriculum or pairing it with something more structured, nature invites real learning in natural settings.

You want science? Boom—earth science, weather, plant life cycles.
You want language arts? Try nature journaling, storytelling, or even poetry under a tree.
Want more mindfulness and emotional regulation? Try just listening to the birds for five minutes. (No seriously, it works.)

Spring Activities to Get You Started

Let’s talk great activities that work for children of all ages, no prep guilt, no fancy equipment. Just mud, curiosity, and a little bit of wonder. 

🐛 Build a Bug Hotel (from the Wonder Garden Curriculum!)

Straight out of one of our Wonder Garden nature study lessons, this one is a fan favorite.

Collect natural materials—bark, sticks, pinecones, moss—and help your kids build a bug hotel in the garden. Place it in a shady spot and see who moves in!

Tie it into a nature notebook entry, read a picture book about insects, or take a field trip to a local pollinator garden. Use this to explore natural history, science, and empathy. (Even tiny creatures deserve cozy homes.)

👣 5 Senses Sit Spot — Spring Edition

This simple nature-based activity is a quiet game-changer. Pick a spot outside, sit for 5–10 minutes, and focus on one sense at a time.

Ask your child:

• What sounds do you hear now that you didn’t last week?

• What colors are showing up in the grass or trees?

• Can you smell the rain?

This is one of those “looks simple, but actually changes your life” activities. Stillness and sensory awareness are powerful teachers.

🎨 Pressed Flower Lanterns (All Ages)

Spring = flower season = craft opportunity!

Pick some small spring blooms (like dandelions, violets, or clover), press them in a book for a few days, and then decoupage them onto a clean glass jar using Mod Podge or glue.

Add a tealight or fairy lights inside for a magical spring lantern.

Great for:

• Fine motor skills

• Pattern design

• Talking about native vs. invasive species

• Making your backyard feel like a fairy festival (bonus points if you wear wings)

This project blends art, science, and nature in the best way. It’s also a sneaky way to get your older children involved (hello, aesthetic teens).

☔ Rain Gauge + Weather Tracker

Turn a mason jar into a rain gauge, and start a simple chart tracking rainfall. Pair with symbols for weather conditions—sunny, cloudy, windy—and talk about seasonal changes and the water cycle.

This is one of those great activities that supports earth science, data collection, and real-world math—and your kids think they’re storm chasers. Win-win.

🌼 BONUS: Spring Wonder Walk Bingo

Make a simple Bingo board with spring signs:

• Budding leaf

• Bird building a nest

• Worm in the sidewalk

• Rain puddle

• Flower opening

Go on a walk and see how many you can find. The first one to get five in a row wins… a pinecone? Bragging rights? A snack? Up to you. Great for younger children and big kids who love a little friendly competition.

But What If I Live Somewhere Spring Is… Confused?

If spring in your area means one sunny day and three snowstorms, don’t worry. The earth is still shifting underneath all that — and you are still part of spring’s rhythm.

Even noticing what’s not blooming yet is part of nature learning. You can track the subtle changes — buds forming, daylight stretching — and that gentle wake-up happens inside your kids too.

So yes, even in a parka, you’re still doing it right.

Looking for a Ready-to-Go Nature-Based Curriculum?

If you want to add more nature to your week without having to Pinterest your way through Sunday night, I’ve got you.

The Wonder Garden Curriculum is a digital download that’s:

• A full year-long curriculum

• Designed for early years learning through 2nd grade (more coming soon!)

• Rooted in whole child learning

• Loaded with hands-on activities, nature-based activities, outdoor play, and wonder units

• Inspired by Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, and Montessori, and 100% secular homeschool curriculum

• Includes free samples so you can try it before you commit

• Helps to create a lifelong love for learning

It's a flexible curriculum you can adapt to your family's rhythm. And it’s packed with additional resources, welcome songs, field guides, and more.

Whether you're planning out weeks of your school year, or just dipping your toes into nature studies, this curriculum makes it easy to fall into a flow that actually feels good.

Final Thoughts from Someone Who’s Had Mud in Her Hair

I’ve taught kids for almost two decades, and I’ll tell you this — nature is the best curriculum I’ve ever used.  No worksheet or app can replace what the forest teaches us about life.

​You don’t need to “catch up.” You don’t need to do it all.

You just need to say yes to the moment. Yes to the mud. Yes to the worm your toddler wants to name “Wiggly Pete.”

Nature doesn’t judge your homeschool schedule. It just keeps offering up learning, love, and moments that stay with your child long after the lesson ends.

So start small. Go outside.  Shake off the winter. Wake up with the world. Look up. Listen. And if your kid ends up naked in a puddle shouting about rain fairies, well… you’re doing it right.

And know that this kind of learning? The real-life, joy-filled kind? It counts.

Always has. Always will.

Mud-splattered and happy,

Danielle 
Creator of Wonder Garden Curriculum
(Still finding leaves in my pockets from last spring)

P.S. Want to grab a free sample of the Wonder Garden homeschool nature study curriculum? You can find the downloads here and start exploring today.