RAR #62: Inspiring a Love of Nature Through Books, Greta Eskridge
Take a peek at Greta Eskridge’s Instagram account, and you might just see her shin-deep in a tide pool with her kids, or hanging out on top of a mountain.
It’s clear that Greta adores nature. But as a child, believe it or not, Greta didn’t spend a lot of time in nature. What did she do? She read about it.
Now as a mama of four, Greta shares those same books with her children.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- books that fuel a love of nature
- how books transport us
- and her tips for stress-free nature journaling with kids
Even if you don’t have a nature preserve in your back yard, this episode will help you instill a deep love of nature in your kids. The best part? Doing it through beautiful books.
Click the play button below:
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
Links from today’s show:
- Leave a question for our upcoming Q and A Episode! Go here and scroll to the bottom of the page to leave a message.
- Greta’s Instagram
- Greta’s blog
- Greta’s nature book post
- Thornton Burgess on Librivox (FREE!)
- Geography Through Literature (Rea Berg on Holling C. Holling)
- Fog by Carl Sandburg
- The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- Inspiring the Reluctant Nature Journaler
The links to Greta’s blog and nature post both seem to lead to the wrong website: a home design website.
Thanks! Fixed them– she changed her website URL! :)
Right after listening to this podcast, which I appreciated very much, I found in the “new” section at the library a picture book about the life of Anna Comstock, who wrote the Handbook of Nature Study. “Out of School and Into Nature” captures the story of Anna’s passion for nature and her desire to give that to the children of America trapped at their school desks. It is a sweet little book with pretty watercolors. {and makes me again thankful I can homeschool!} Anna reminds me of Elnora from “Girl of the Limberlost” and wonder if there was some inspiration there for Gene-Stratton Porter. Anyway, {spoiler alert} my favorite image is of grey-haired Anna serenely sitting with her muddy skirts at the edge of a pond, her favorite spot in the woods!
Sounds like a wonderful book!
Love, love, LOVE all of this! Thank you so much for such GREAT podcasts and books and encouragement!! Just had to share: Our family just finished up “Rainbow Garden” by Patricia M. St. John and it was lovely. So many beautiful descriptions of the Welsh countryside. My daughters and I fell in love and couldn’t put it down. Blessings to you all!
Thank you so much for this recommendation…I know St John’s work, but not this specific title.
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge 🌱💕
I just found a couple of beautiful nature books by Dianna Aston illustrated by Sylvia Long: An Egg is Quiet and A Beetle is Shy! She also has A Butterfly is Patient, A Seed is Sleepy,A Nest is Noisy, A Rock is Lively. You’ve got to see these illustrations and the text! I would love to hear interviews from the author and Illustrator.
It sure says something about your podcast when I go to reserve these books at the library and EVERY SINGLE ONE is already checked out our requested! Thanks so much for the great recommendations, topics, and discussions. We are all deepening our love and scope of reading as a result!
That’s how it is at my library too!
I would definitely add “Play with Me” by Marie Hall Ets as a GREAT picture book to read to kids about how to learn the most about nature – being still and quiet and watching/listening to all going on around you. A must read!
Thanks for this recommendation, Claire!
Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey is my favorite picture book. I have 18 of the paintings hanging in our living room. One Morning in Maine is just as wonderful!
Another way I find books is looking at the online bookstores of the national parks. I was in Yellowstone last summer and found Cubby in Wonderland by Frances Joyce Farnsworth. I didn’t buy it and then wished the whole way home that I had. Once I starting looking there I realized all of the online stores are treasure troves of titles.
https://shop.yellowstone.org/books-maps/books/cubby-in-wonderland
Last summer we drove from Michigan to Seattle for two weddings. I planned our stretch breaks around bookshops with a park nearby. This book, Letters of the West is one of my favorite finds from Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane, but not a book in our library system.
https://www.amazon.com/Letters-West-Animals-Features-Naturalist/dp/1940052106
Once I got home I realized how local all of our library systems are. This seems obvious now, but for instance, can you find Eighty Acres by Ronald Jager in your libraries out west? I took this lovely (adult) book for granted.
https://www.amazon.com/Eighty-Acres-Concord-Library-Ronald/dp/0807070459
Another favorite author is Sterling North. I heard his name during your chat with Martin Cothran on Quiddity #65 and then found The Wolfling for a quarter in the library shop. We read it aloud and loved it.
http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2010/12/north.htm
If anyone reading this lives near Edgerton, Wisconsin, go check out the old North house for me!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Smithsonian's%20Backyard%20Series%22?Ntk=P_Series_Title&Ns=P_Series_Number&Ntx=mode+matchall
I also love the Smithsonian’s Backyard series.
and so many more! :) :)
I was trying to open Greta’s website through a link in the shownotes, maandpamodern.com, and it said that it expired. Does she have a new website? Thanks for checling into this.
I would to know about this too…
Hi friend!
My website was temporarily down but is back up and running.
If you haven’t visited yet, you can now!
Best,
Greta
Hi friend! My website was temporarily down but is back up and running. If you haven’t headed there yet, you can now!
Best,
Greta
What quote did you mention from Honey for a Child’s Heart?
A good book is a magic gateway into a wider world of wonder, beauty, delight, and adventure. Books are experiences that make us grow, that add to our inner stature. By Gladys Hunt
Love this so much, Courtney!
Love these books- I would also add the Little Britches series as great read aloud a for learning about nature
Oh yes! We loved the entire Little Britches series!
I loved this podcast and I am so excited to try nature journaling through the next book I read aloud to my kids. I was also pleased to discover that most of the books mentioned in this podcast can be found at my local library! I also discovered that the kindle edition of ‘Birds Every Child Should Know’ is free on amazon right now. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this podcast! It brought back many memories of these great books I have read with my kids. Sarah, we read the Mandy book a few years ago when I discovered it by accident. It was a delightful read! I am so glad you brought up Thornton Burgess. We love his books so much too. Six years ago, we had the opportunity to take a cross country road trip. One of our many stops was in Sandwich, Cape Cod Where Burgess was from. Not long before we left on our trip is when I found out about Charlotte Mason and Thornton Burgess, so I was delighted when I found out there was a little museum in a small, charming, old house in his little hometown. The women working there were very surprised I had heard of him. They said sadly not many people know of him any longer, especially young people, but they were so happy I bought so many books to read to my children! It was such a wonderful visit that I will never forget. Sadly, I just heard that the building they used needed too many repairs and was too costly for the Thornton Burgess Society to purchase so they had to let it go. They still have the society but just use a different space with all of his books. If you ever have a chance to visit Cape Cod, Sandwich is worth a visit. Such a charming little town.
What an absolute treat to get to visit that tiny museum, Stephanie! Thanks for sharing your memories with us!
I just want to say that I LOVE this podcast. My husband and I are outdoor enthusiasts. Our first date was at Rocky Mountain National Park. Well almost 15 years of marriage and 7 kids we still LOVE the outdoors. I am excited to check out some of these books, I am especially excited about “Pagoo”! I don’t know how I didn’t know about this book as my kids and I did Geography through literature with the other books by the same author. Anyway, I want to share something I did with my kids last year. Last spring I was in my second trimester with baby number 7. At that time my kids were 12,11,9,7,5,3, and baby in my belly. I used the Handbook of Nature Study and many other books and we did nature study in our own yard following our garden. As a flower bloomed, we studied that plant. We had loads of fun. My kids sketched, wrote poems, wrote stories, and we searched our property for the next plant. I have a couple of kids that don’t like to draw and they know their nature journals there are no rules. For example, my only requirement is the date and you can write facts, poem, story, or sketch. It is so fun watching the same plants pop up in the garden in the same order this year. We live in Indiana. How did we end up here?! Thanks so much!
Oh what fun! This is a wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing!
Best,
Greta
Sarah-
Have you ever looked into sending your kids to Outdoor School for homeschooled kids? There are a lot of different programs, including family programs. I am currently in The Dalles, OR and remember Outdoor School as such an amazing part of my middle school experience when I lived near Portland. My husband enjoyed his Outdoor School experience so much that he signed up to be a leader when he got into high school.
Here is one program that allows families, and is a Christian program to boot!
http://www.twinrocks.org/youth-camps/outdoor-school-for-homeschool-families/
There are lots of other programs like this that you can send your kids to as well (like a sleepaway camp) so they get the chance to get out in nature and get a great hands on experience :-)
Thanks for the recommendation, Tristan!
Loved this podcast, some great suggestions to check out. I’m wondering if you can suggest some books specifically set in the desert Southwest? As a child, I fell in love with New Mexico and Arizona and would love to move that way from our current location, Kansas City, MO. Until then, I want to plant the seed of desert love in my kids! We discovered Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran and we’ve read it countless times. We own some desert nature books, but want more stories set in that region. Any recommendations appreciated! Thanks.
We love Roxaboxen! We had our own Roxaboxen at home for a couple of weeks.
Have you seen Byrd Baylor books? I’m in Charge of Celebrations, Everybody needs a Rock, The Way to Start a Day, The Other Way to Listen… and more. They are set in the desert.
Wonderful podcast, thanks so much! It was very inspiring and well-timed as we’re just about to wrap up our homeschool year and have more time for both reading aloud and being outside.
I would add to the list, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. It takes place in the deep woods between Maine and Canada and is beautiful!
I haven’t read that one yet with my kids. I’m adding it to our summer reading list.
Thank you!
Greta
I LOVED this podcast (as usual)! It was so inspiring, and I’ll definitely be re-listening to it later. I love the idea of taking nature notes while reading. I second the book recommendation for Gene Stratton Porter’s books- so good! We’ve been using Exploring Nature with Children this year and love it as well. It provides so much information (for us beginners) and many ideas on how to incorporate nature study with language arts, artist study, poetry, geography, etc. I’m contemplating using it as a spine this summer. I feel it can be re-used year after year. Thanks Sarah and Greta! You’ve given me much to ponder, explore and have added to my wish list!
Yes, I feel Exploring Nature with Children can be reused as you can make it as big or small as you like. Sometimes we add drawing, poetry, sometimes we add more science or do some writing. But some weeks we just go for a walk and see what we can see:))
I’m not familiar with that book. Can’t wait to check it out!
Best,
Greta
I had such a great time listening to this podcast. It was so inspiring, so much so that I spent $80.00 on books from Amazon. And I still have a ton of books saved in my wish list. My son and I love nature. We start a nature study next week with our church homeschool group and the books I purchased will be a great resource for their study. I even purchased several of the Golden Guide books. The one on mammals will be extremely helpful as we have just discovered a little den of baby bunnies in our front yard. I wish I could post a picture. They are so cute. We just love studying, watching, and admiring God’s creation!
Wonderful!!
Two more great read alouds spring to mind: Gentle Ben by Walt Morey and Owls in The Family by Farley Mowat.
Yes! These are great recommendations, Alina!
I would love to share one of my favorite authors, I started reading her as a young teenager. Gene Stratton Porter, the author of Freckles, Girl of the Limberlost & many more! Wonderful characters that you can’t help but have feelings for, and the wonderful woods of the Midwest as the settings! Hope you find a copy of any of her books to enjoy! Also, for those children who are animal/nature lovers James Herriot is a wonderful author/vet!
Oh yes!! I love “girl from the Limberlost”! It’s a girlhood favorite of mine. And my book club tecently read one of her adult books too. It was so good!
I love her work!
And James Herriot!
They. It’s are on the book list I created to go along with this podcast episode. ❤️
My grandma had Girl of the Limberlost on her shelf when I was a girl…one of the only books I read in my book-starved childhood. It was a balm to me.
Thank you for this treasure-filled podcast! I love the idea of using plants and animals mentioned in read-alouds to inspire nature study. I wanted to put a plug in for a little book called Tree Finder: A Manual for Identification of Trees by Their Leaves by May Watts. It’s one of our favorite small and easily transportable tree identification books for nature walks/study. It guides you to discovery of a tree’s name in a sort of choose-your-own-adventure way that even our first grader can use independently. Just last week on a trail we brought it out to help us answer “What kind of pine tree is this?” and in about five minutes, going through the discovery questions, he called out excitedly, “It’s a scrub pine!” Finally, a little heads-up about one of the books on Greta’s list: Nature Anatomy by Rothman is indeed a lovely book but includes a very blunt and descriptive explanation of sexual reproduction. If your child is not ready to learn about the birds and the bees (or you aren’t ready for him/her to be), be forewarned!
That tree book sounds amazing!
And how funny that I don’t recall seeing that part in the nature anatomy book at all! I have had it for several years too. kind of can’t fathom how I missed it.
But thank you for the warning. :)
Best episode yet! I will listen to this one again tomorrow. Thanks.
Thank you so much!
Hi Greta and Sarah,
Oh what a great episode!
I love the idea of nature journaling through a book. We are journaling through history right now and one of my sons is always asking me to slow down, he can’t keep up. What a great alternative to make a list and then go back to the journal!
Love all the great book suggestions – I have been looking for more options for non-fiction nature books and these are gorgeous.
Oh yes, the list is Key!! My kids never want to stop and take notes while we read. Or hike. I just have to snap photos of the things we see and we research when we get home. That is how I approached the reading. Its worked out wonderfully!
Thank you, Sarah and Greta, for this wonderful podcast! My oldest child has cerebral palsy which has made nature walks a bit trickier for our family. I hadn’t considered using literature and poems as a basis for some nature studies. This idea will give us access to worlds I never dreamed of exploring with her. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
This brings such joy to my heart! I am glad that you and your girl can experience the world of nature! In the blog post I wrote to correspond to this episode I mentioned that there are often roadblocks that keep us from getting out in nature with our children. I experienced many of those as a child. But what a blessing that we can still have access to the wonders and beauty of nature through books! If you are looking for more titles to explore than I had time to mention in the podcast, I hope you’ll look at my blog post (link in show notes) and see the book list I put together. Happy reading and exploring!
Oh, how I love hearing this, Lauren! Peace keep you. <3
Free Thornton Burgess on Librivox?!?! You just made my day!
Thank you for this lovely podcast. Reading is such a great way to learn about nature and to be inspired to love nature. We love Beatrix Potter books for nature inspiration even though all the characters are more resembling people than animals, but the setting of the stories…!! I wonder if you ever came across a blog called ” Raising Little Shoots” by Lynn Seddon? Full of journaling recommendations, book recommendations, poetry etc. She also wrote a very easy to follow one year nature study curriculum “Exploring Nature With Children”.
I read Mandy to my little girl and we found it quite disappointing. We loved the fixing up of the house and the desire to plant a garden. That part is very much like the Secret Garden. But while Mary Lennox learns something about herself and changes and becomes quite a different person, poor Mandy doesn’t. She never even acknowledges her lies and stealing or says sorry to anyone. She is a weak character in a book and not a good friend. We felt really sorry for her at the beginning of the story and ended up feeling even more sorry at the end of the book as nothing was resolved in her closest relationships.
Oh I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy Mandy! But I guess that is the thing about books, we don’t all like the same ones.
I agree that Mandy is a troubled character at the start of the book.. Much like me, she is flawed. She lies and sneaks. She is selfish.
But what an opportunity it is as we read to look at the reasons behind her actions and offer her grace and understanding.
I guess that is the part of the story I love the best.
The family that adopts her at the end sees the longing she has in her heart for a place of her own, for a place to belong, and extends that to her. And I think it changes her.
But I guess I have a soft spot in my heart for the characters that are a bit “mussed up”.
I’d love to know some of the other books that you do love!
Hi Greta, thanks so much for your reply. I totally agree with you re messy characters in books. That’s the reason we read the book in the first place. Mandy is such a needy little girl. We longed for her life to start taking shape not because we were judging her but because she was so needy. We saw her as a person with two main problems: she needed a home and she needed to see what’s in her own heart. The first issue was resolved perfectly but the second was left hanging in the air so that when we finished reading we were afraid she will not find happiness in her new home because she has not dealt with her own heart. Especially that the matron is shown as caring and her friend is shown as suffering throughout the book because of Mandy’s selfishness. I would have so much liked her to say sorry…I love when the writer is able to show a mess in their character’s life and then give them hope and a way out at the end. Meindert De Jong is very good at that I think. He takes really difficult issues of fear, mistreatment, prejudice etc and walks his characters to overcoming them ( “Along came a dog”, “Shadrach”, “Hurty Home Candy”, ” “The big goose and the little white duck” to name but a few of his books.
Sorry, it’s “Hurry Home Candy” (not hurty:)Also, Greta – thanks for graciously accepting my criticisms of your childhood favourite. I love love love all the other recommendations:) xxx
Oh dear! No hard feelings at all! It actually made me want to read it again and see it from your point of view! In fact, being able to hear other people’s thoughts on a book is my favorite part of being in a book club. I love the discussions and hearing different points of view. I think it helps us be better readers and thinkers to listen to other people’s ideas.
And I am excited to try the books you suggested. i haven;t read any of those!
Ohhh! Yes! All my favorites…. we are kindred spirits for sure! Sarah you will love Mandy!! :)
I loved Mandy when I was young too! :)
So enjoyed this! Our family has recently enjoyed books by Robert McClung such as Whitetail and Rajpur: Last of the Bengal Tigers.
Ohh fun! I haven’t heard of those books!
A series that I didn’t see (or hear) on this was the Crinkleroot series by Jim Arnosky. They are FANTASTIC picture books and perfect for kids aged 3-12. Here are the books on amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mvd9f4h
I would highly encourage families to get out in all weather. It’s so good for both kids and adults. There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing! We’re in the PNW and it rains at least 6 months of the year out here (I won’t lie, our summers are *perfect*) and I’m from the midwest (horrid heat + humidity, tornados, lightning storms, frigid windchills, ice, hail and deep snow over a year!)–two drastically different climates, but if you have the right clothing/gear, you can enjoy nature in any weather–maybe minus a blizzard or ice storm, but go out once it’s done! We never regret our family hikes, snow tromps, river walks, etc. Never!
PS-Greta I love your AtHome podcast, too! <3
PPS Jim Arnosky’s other picture books are all nature related and wonderful, btw!
Sarah (M.), what gear should we have for a wet climate? We live in the midwest but in a Great Lakes area where it rains about a third of the year. I’ve finally decided to just woman up and get us out there on the rainy days but since I grew up in a NORMAL PART OF THE COUNTRY with four seasons I don’t know how to dress everyone. Part of the problem is that it’s not just rain, it’s very often COLD rain so where growing up I would have worn snowpants here a rain jacket and rain boots are just not warm enough and snowpants are going to get soaked. Do I seriously have to buy insulated raincoats and boots for all six of us? Appreciate any ideas because getting outside is important to me, I just don’t know how to get over our climate.
I think wool (merino wool is lightweight and non itchy) socks will help instead of buying insulated boots for both kids and adults, and often at Costco (or Sam’s in the midwest) have great options for wool undergarments to layer if you’re finding that cold is the issue. If we’re walking just in the rain (not hiking), everyone has their own $1 store umbrella, which most kids love to have. They’re not going to last long, maybe a year, but they’re only $1 each. Rain suits are often sold at stores like above, but if you want something a bit more lightweight and actually water proof as opposed to ‘resistant’, try Frog Toggs brand. They are cheap but we’ve had ours for over 6 years for each child. We bought them 1 size up from their size but then they’ve lasted for a long time! In cold rain or temps definitely don’t forget mittens and gloves (we keep everything in 1 pack and once they’re in teh car they go right back in there so we don’t loose anything-then I put them in front of the fire (or heater) once we’re home to dry).
Long underwear under clothing is a big help too if you have little body fat like my son!
What I’d dress my kids in for a cold winter hike (probably rainy) is this: long underwear and moveable pants (not jeans) like sports pants, wool socks with boots, 2 layers of shirts, hoodie or sweatshirt, rain jacket. Have each kid carry a small backpack and they can take off layers as they get hot. This website for a forest school (year round outside) talks about layers! Hope this helps!
http://www.tirnanogforestschool.ca/clothing-at-forest-school/
That is super-helpful. Thanks so much for sharing with me! We have a pack of little kids so another barrier has been that going outside has involved me dressing up five people. And by the time you get all dressed up somebody needs to nurse or diaper change! But that situation has slowed down so this is perfect timing for some new habits.
My kids are ages 6, 4, 2, and 5 months. I am at that nursing/diaper change stage, too! One thing I do is keep the outdoor gear appropriate for the season in one, big bag with a drawstring at the top. When it’s time to go outside, (after toilet breaks) the “big kids” dump the bag out and get themselves as dressed as they can on their own, and the 6yo helps the 2yo. After I help with the last items, I return the leftovers to the bag. It’s also easy for them to put their own stuff away in “the red bag” AND the gear is ready to go if we hop in the van for an adventure. Right now, the bag is full of splash pants, fleece pants and sweaters, hats and mitts, and spring rain jackets.
Hi! And thank you for being an At Home listener too!
I totally agree that even in harder climates it is great to get out as much as we can. We are lucky because we don’t deal with cold or snow, however I have found that when we travel to places that have that weather, and we dress accordingly, we very much enjoy hiking in the cold and the snow. Its actually more refreshing in hiking in the heat, which we often do.
However, I have not tried that with really little ones. I am not sure how I’d wrap up a baby in an ergo and keep him warm and me cool enough to hike.I’m sure though, that there are exerts who have that all figured out with the perfect gear from REI, right?
Looking forward to checking out your book recommendations!
Yeah, I don’t think an ergo would be comfortable for mom or dad, either–too close to the body. We had one of those hiking backpacks for babies/toddles and it worked great (ours was Kelty and lasted 5 years) because they are away from the body and the system is designed to adjust to any size of adult. We would go out for freezing winter walks and put the baby in a fuzzy snow suit and wrapped in a blanket and usually they were sweating when I took them out at home.