An 8-Week Nature Studies Adventure for Ages 6-12 

Bugs, Bees, Butterflies, Birds & Beyond 

 

An 8-Week Nature Studies Adventure for Ages 6–12

 

Step outside and discover the amazing world God has created! In this hands-on nature studies class, students become Nature Detectives, exploring birds, butterflies, bees, insects, flowers, trees, fungi, and other living things found right in their own backyard.

 

Each week combines outdoor exploration, simple scientific investigations, hands-on activities, nature journaling, videos, and discussion. 

 

Students will learn how to observe wildlife, investigate habitats, record scientific discoveries, and understand the connections between living things,  their environment, and their creator God.

 

As the course progresses, each student will choose a nature topic that interests them and complete a simple individual research project, giving them an opportunity to develop their own area of expertise and share what they discover.

 

Through exploration, journaling, hands-on activities, videos, simple scientific investigations, and individual research projects, students will gain a deeper appreciation for nature while learning that caring for God's creation is both a privilege and a responsibility.

 

Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to see the beauty and complexity of God’s creation and understand their responsibility to care for it. Scripture, stewardship, curiosity, and scientific discovery are woven throughout the experience.

 

Our goal is simple: to help children fall in love with God’s creation, become curious about the natural world, and grow into thoughtful, responsible stewards of the world around them. 

 

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Naples Session:

📍 Location: 440 9th ST. NW

🗓️ Date & Days: Mondays | 8-Week Session  | Sept. 21st, Sept. 28th, Oct. 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th, Nov. 2nd, 9th.

⏰ Time: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

🎓 Ages: 6–12

💲 Tuition: $250 per student for the 8-week session ​​

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 What Students Will Learn

• 🐝 Bees & Pollinators — how bees and other pollinators help plants reproduce, why they are important to ecosystems, and how God designed plants and pollinators to work together.

• 🦋 Butterflies & Metamorphosis — the butterfly life cycle, caterpillars, host plants, chrysalises, migration, and identifying common Southwest Florida butterflies.

• 🐞 Bugs & Insects — insect anatomy, life cycles, camouflage, defense mechanisms, beneficial insects, and how to safely collect and observe specimens.

• 🐦 Birds & Birdwatching — identifying local birds by appearance, behavior, habitat, nests, songs, beaks, and feathers.

• 🌸 Flowers & Native Plants — plant parts, pollination, seed production, native Florida plants, and relationships between plants and wildlife.

• 🌳 Trees & Habitats — identifying trees and leaves, understanding how trees provide food and shelter, and exploring the layers of a habitat.

• 🍄 Fungi & Decomposers — mushrooms, fungi, decomposition, soil health, and the important role decomposers play in nature.

• 🔎 Nature Detective Skills — using magnifying glasses, field guides, observation, comparison, identification, and simple scientific investigations.

• 📓 Nature Journaling — sketching specimens, recording observations, asking questions, taking measurements, and documenting discoveries.

• 🧪 Scientific Thinking — making observations, forming questions, investigating, comparing results, and communicating what they discover.

• 📚 Independent Nature Research — choosing a favorite nature topic, researching it, developing an area of expertise, and sharing discoveries with the class.

• ✝️ Biblical Creation & Stewardship — studying the natural world through a biblical worldview, recognizing God as Creator, and learning what Scripture teaches about caring responsibly for His creation.

• The class can feel much more like young naturalists doing real fieldwork than a traditional science class—getting outside, touching, collecting, observing, identifying, journaling, and investigating.

🌿 Our 8-Week Journey

Each week, students step into the role of Nature Detectives, combining outdoor exploration with hands-on science, nature journaling, creative activities, and biblical truth. As students explore the living world around them, they’ll develop scientific skills while growing in wonder and appreciation for God’s creation.

🌎 Week 1 — Backyard Discovery: The Wonders of God’s Living Creation

Our adventure begins by stepping outside and discovering just how much life surrounds us! Students will receive and personalize their own Nature Journals and learn how to observe the natural world like young scientists.

During an outdoor Nature Treasure Hunt, students will search for birds, bees, butterflies, bugs, flowers, spider webs, feathers, seeds, interesting leaves, and signs of wildlife. They’ll record their favorite discoveries and begin learning how scientists ask questions about what they observe.

Students will also conduct their first simple wildlife investigation using different bait stations to discover what tiny creatures may be sharing the environment with us.

We begin our journey with Genesis 1:31: “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”

Special Nature Experience: Students may also have an opportunity to sample seasonal wild edible plants provided by Dr. Geoff, such as prickly pear, Turk’s cap flowers, wild grapes, or cocoplum when available.

🐞 Week 2 — Discovering Tiny Backyard Wildlife

This week we look closer—much closer! Students explore the fascinating world of insects and other small creatures that are often overlooked.

Our Nature Detectives will investigate different microhabitats and compare which creatures are attracted to different environments and food sources. Indoors, students will build simple observation traps and begin creating their own Bug Hotels.

Through hands-on exploration, students will discover the four basic things wildlife needs to thrive: food, water, shelter, and space.

Then we head outdoors to gather natural materials and investigate where tiny creatures make their homes.

🔎 Week 3 — Becoming Backyard Scientists

Young explorers become Backyard Scientists as they learn how real scientists collect, observe, record, and safely release living specimens.

Students will check their observation traps, explore logs, grasses, bushes, and leaf litter, and investigate the surprising diversity of life found in small spaces.

They’ll build simple scientific collection tools, continue working on their Bug Hotels, and record discoveries in their Nature Journals.

We’ll also begin asking a very important question:

“What part of God’s creation would I love to learn more about?”

This question will help prepare students for their individual nature investigations later in the course.

🍄 Week 4 — The Hidden World Beneath Our Feet

There is an entire living world beneath our feet!

Students will investigate leaf litter and soil to discover tiny organisms that play an enormous role in keeping ecosystems healthy. Using simple scientific equipment, students will examine specimens and learn about decomposers, fungi, soil ecology, nutrient recycling, and forest health.

Students will discover how even the smallest organisms have an important role within an ecosystem.

At the end of our investigation, all temporarily collected creatures will be safely returned to their natural habitats as students learn that good scientists are also responsible stewards of living things.

Adventurous students may even have the opportunity to sample a freeze-dried cricket!

🦋 Week 5 — Choose Your Own Nature Investigation

Now it’s time for each Nature Detective to become an expert!

Students will choose an area of nature that especially interests them and begin their own individual nature research project.

Topics might include butterflies, birds, bees, dragonflies, spiders, ants, mushrooms, native Florida plants, trees, pond life, reptiles, amphibians, wild edible plants, nature photography, scientific drawing, or designing wildlife habitats.

Students will develop questions such as:

Which flowers attract the most butterflies?
What insects live beneath logs?
Which birds visit different habitats?
What organisms live in leaf litter?

Students will make predictions, create a simple investigation plan, and head outdoors to gather their first observations.

🧪 Week 6 — Conducting Scientific Investigations

This week, students put their research plans into action!

Our young scientists will spend time outdoors collecting observations and gathering information related to their chosen topics. Depending on their investigation, students may record species, numbers, locations, measurements, behaviors, sketches, maps, or habitat conditions.

Back in our Discovery Lab, students will organize their findings in their Nature Journals while Dr. Geoff helps them identify species, answer questions, and think more deeply about what they are discovering.

Students begin to see that science isn't simply about knowing answers—it's about observing carefully, asking good questions, and discovering more.

📓 Week 7 — Drawing Conclusions & Sharing Discoveries

What did we discover?

Students complete their final outdoor observations and begin turning weeks of notes, drawings, questions, and discoveries into their final nature projects.

They’ll organize their findings, create illustrations or displays, and learn how to draw simple scientific conclusions from their observations.

Students will consider:

Did my observations support my original prediction?
What surprised me?
What was my favorite discovery?
What new questions do I have?

Students will then practice sharing their discoveries with their classmates, building confidence in communicating what they have learned.

✝️ Week 8 — Celebrating God’s Living Creation

Our final week is a Celebration of Learning!

Students will share their individual nature projects, Nature Journals, scientific discoveries, drawings, observations, and favorite experiences from the course.

Together, we’ll celebrate the incredible diversity, beauty, order, and complexity of God’s creation and reflect on what it means to care for the living world He has entrusted to us.

We’ll close our study with Genesis 2:15: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

Our celebration concludes with a special Nature Detective Graduation, where students take home their completed Nature Journals and Bug Hotels. Students may also receive a Certificate of Completion and a special nature surprise from Dr. Geoff.

Most importantly, we hope they leave inspired to keep exploring, keep asking questions, keep discovering, and faithfully care for God’s amazing creation. 🌿🦋​​​​