Nature Portfolio: Throughout the Year
Reviewed by Amy Blevins
Bow of Bronze
www.homeschoolblogger.com/bowofbronze
My first thought when I opened my package from Barbara was, "Wow, this is really high quality." In fact, I think I said that out loud, and got my husband's attention. I sat down to look through the book and my second comment was "These drawings and illustrations are beautiful," to which my husband promptly agreed. We also both noticed immediately that this product is not printed on copy paper -- the paper used for the student pages is very heavy and high quality. The Nature Portfolio is designed to be a gentle introduction to natural science and nature journaling. The design and style fits perfectly with "the gentle art of learning" recommended by Charlotte Mason. The price for The Nature Portfolio is $29.95.
What's Included: This beautiful nature portfolio comes in a sturdy three ring notebook with a landscape orientation and an attractive cover. Landscape orientation simply means that the short side of the paper is where the rings are. The strength of the notebook is what first caught my attention. The first part of the book contains the student pages printed on heavy paper stock. The student pages are divided by season and alternate between animals, plants, and fungi. Each page is designed to study one item, and includes a beautiful illustration and places to complete the recommended activities. Also included in the student pages are a beautiful full page illustration for coloring in each seasonal section, a crossword for each seasonal section, and a page ready for a poem copywork piece in each seasonal section. After the student pages you find the teacher's guide which is designed to be removed from the book. For each student page; you are given a list of reading suggestions, and a list of activity choices all related to the specific creation you are studying, with instructions. The activities alternate between observation, copywork or narration for one item; and classification, vocabulary or narration for the next page. Often, the student is given a choice between three different items and alternate illustrations are provided in the teacher's guide. By giving you a choice between activities, or a choice of which item to study, the portfolio is ultimately customizable to the fauna and flora in your area. In other words, if you cannot find a grasshopper to observe for the observation choice, you simply choose the copywork or narration exercise! If you can't find an apples to study, you can choose instead to study a mouse. Also included in the teacher's guide are reproducible pages of lined paper designs ready to cut out and fit into the spaces provided in the student pages, pages to assist the student with classification, and answer keys for the crossword puzzles.
What I love: This Nature Portfolio is beautiful. I love the high quality notebook and paper. I love the illustrations. I love the layout and design. I was planning to use this with only one child, after looking at it in detail I have realized they will each want one! If you have always wanted to complete a nature journal with your family, but have needed more direction, this portfolio provides everything you need to complete pages in small chunks. The only thing you have to add are books from the library.
What I don't like: This doesn't happen very often ladies, but in this case I truly did not find anything that I did not like. If you want assurance that I am not a biased reviewer, you can read numerous other reviews to confirm. I am always honest!
What's My Bottom Line: I am planning on buying more of these as soon as I can fit them into our budget. This gentle, planned approach to nature journaling is perfect for my family.
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