Around the Spinney

Nature Study

  • Scratcher

    Scratcher

    Scratcher is a Fox Sparrow, known for his round body and rust brown coloring. Peter Rabbit remarks that: “(t)he only thing I’ve against him is the color of his coat. It reminds me of Reddy Fox, and I don’t like anything that reminds me of that fellow.” The Burgess Bird Book, Living Books Press Edition,…

  • Whitethroat

    Meet the White-throated Sparrow, a bird who loves the North, but can be found almost all over the North American continent. Of whom Jenny Wren mentions, “he is one of the largest of the tribe (of Sparrows) and has such a lovely white throat. He really is handsome with his black and white cap and…

  • Little Friend

    Little Friend

    Little Friend is a Song Sparrow in the Burgess Bird Book. He is a little sparrow characterized as the opposite of Bully, hence his name is “Little Friend.” The Cornell Lab notes that, “it’s one of the first species you should suspect if you see a streaky sparrow in an open, shrubby, or wet area.…

  • Jenny Wren

    We started The Burgess Bird Book this past week with Jenny Wren. Jenny is a common House Wren. I have to admit that I don’t think I’ve ever identified a Wren before, even though they are common over most of the Western Hemisphere. As we read the book and learned more about Wrens, we realized…

  • Why We Focus On Nature Study and Natural History

    When I started homeschooling my son, he was only 4 years old. We were living in a place where kids started preschool at this age, or earlier, and it made sense for us to do this. I also wanted to wet my feet a little bit before I felt intimidated by the subjects he would…

  • “The Elixir of Youth”

    When you see this title what you do you think of first? These days it could be a claim for any number of things… a way of eating, a juice cleanse, an essential oil blend, a hand salve ;), the right way to organize your home or closet. But would you think Nature Study? In…

  • Squirrels and Critters

    In our modern world we consider most animals, especially rodents, to be pests. They get in the way of what we are trying to do with what we like to think of as our piece of earth. We find them nestled in our Christmas decorations when we get them out once a year. They make…

  • Senses in Nature

    One of our little girls has been so busy this year growing and learning. She is 2 years-old now and will be 3 this summer. She loves playing and pretending, and over the course of this past year her favorite things to pretend have been a puppy, a honey badger named Stoffel, and Kayan from…

  • Self Care

    Self Care is definitely on the mind and hearts of many people these days. With four kids close together and as a homeschooler, a weekly or even monthly pedicure isn’t really a priority, and since the pandemic- my husband has cut my hair (and now that secret is out, although I know I’m not alone).…

  • Picnics and Flowers

    We love to have a picnic- it’s the perfect way to eat food as a family, do a little nature study, read a book, or just lay around enjoying the weather. It’s a privilege to have a picnic as the Spring flowers bloom around us, the trees start to bud, and we can observe the…

Around the Spinney uses Accessibility Checker to monitor our website's accessibility. Read our Accessibility Policy.