The Neighborhood Naturalist Story
As a homeschool family with two, full-time working parents, we are always looking for ways to incorporate learning into things we already do. Taking walks around our neighborhood is an easy way to get the kids off of the screens and out of the house. Recently, I wanted to add a little more excitement into our usual path, so we did a Rainbow Walk. During this walk, we saw so many things that we hadn't noticed before. There are a lot of yellow cars in our neighborhood, and some houses have really unique mailboxes. What is usually a quiet stroll through the same streets turned into a whole new world of things to discover. "Are we almost home" and "My legs are tired" turned into "I wonder if..." and "Did you notice that?!". This walk made ME wonder... what else can I get my kids to slow down and notice? What other ways can I use the square mile around us to spark curiosity in them? My kids don't like to be "taught" anything, so I knew the solution had to be engaging and feel like their idea. Pinterest and TPT returned a lot of worksheets, but we homeschool to avoid busy work - not turn to it. That's how the Neighborhood Naturalist workshop was born. I knew that I was spending just as many minutes searching the internet for an authentic activity as I would if I just created it myself. I went to graduate school for Instructional Design, and it was time to put those credits to use. Using evidence-based planning and design practices, I developed a workshop that produces a Field Guide and turns any kiddo into an Expert Naturalist of their own
The Workshop
The workshop with have an assortment of lessons all categorized in the 4 Knowledge&Whimsy area of learning: Learn, Explore, Create, Contribute.
Who: K-5 learners (pre-K adaptations will be suggested when possible)
Where: This is done on your own, at your own pace. There will be a Facebook event for parents to join and share their families progress along the way! Local meet-ups will be arranged and announced through the Facebook event and via email.
When: The content of the workshop is meant to stretch over 4 weeks, but we give an extra 2 weeks on the Facebook event so families don't feel rushed to share. The workshop goes live July 2026. Make sure you are signed up for updates so you don't miss it!
The first Neighborhood Naturalist freebie - Bug Hotel Census - is ready to download. This bite-size preview is the perfect K-2 observation sheet for any outdoor adventure! Be sure to subscribe and be the first to get access to the full workshop when it drops
Ariel Bailey