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Child-Created
Field
Guides
Almost
all
children
at
some
point
in
time
decide
to
learn
everything
they
can
about
a
subject
that
greatly
interests
them.
How
many
little
boys
are
self-acclaimed
"experts"
about
dinosaurs
by
the
age
of
six?
This
enthusiasm
for
acquiring
"expert"
knowledge
in a
given
area
or
field
can
be a
basis
for
many
wonderful,
in-depth
homeschool
projects.
My
oldest
son
wrote
a
story
about
traveling
through
all
types
of
weather,
realistically
illustrating
in
soft
pastels
different
weather
conditions.
The
pages
were
then
bound
into
a
book,
"Our
Trip
Through
the
Weather."
A
book
about
space
included
carefully
illustrated
planetary
bodies
(in
oil
pastels),
and
another
surveyed
life
under
the
sea.
My
middle
son,
Elliott,
learned
all
he
could
about
sharks
and
whales,
designing
a
hard-
cover
book
illustrating
sharks
and
whales
with
each
species
carefully
drawn,
colored,
and
labeled.
This
"field
guide"
won
an
award
at
our
county
independent
study
book
fair,
not
only
for
Elliott's
amazing
artwork,
but
for
the
book's
accuracy
and
his
careful
research.
By
the
way,
the
author
was
only
five
years
old.
Although
he
knew
the
names
of
each
species
by
heart,
he
had
not
yet
learned
to
write,
so I
wrote
out
the
names
of
each
one,
which
he
painstakingly
copied
onto
each
page.
Here
are
some
sample
pages
from
his
field
guide
of
sharks
and
whales
(click
on
the
cover
below
to
see
more
pages):
When
my
older
daughter
was
12,
she
was
so
inspired
by
our
springtime
wildflowers
in
Monterey
County,
she
created
a
beautifully
illustrated
field
guide
of
local
wild
flowers
that
we
were
able
to
use
to
identify
wildflowers
on
future
hikes.
She
selected
a
lovely
floral
print
for
the
cloth-covered
binding,
below.
Click
on it
to
see
still
more
wildflowers:
Considering
all
that
must
go
into
its
creation,
a
hand-drawn
and
assembled
field
guide
is
the
perfect
nature/research/art/spelling
project
for
homeschoolers.
It
requires
careful
observation,
notes,
and
research.
In
addition
to
accurately
identify
each
species,
she
will
incorporate
artwork
that
requires
faithful
interpretation
of
shape,
proportion,
and
color.
Labels
must
be
written
with
care
and
correctly
spelled,
using
creative
handwriting
styles,
fonts,
or
calligraphy
if
desired.
And,
of
course,
each
book
must
be
bound.
If
you
have
bound
books
in
the
past,
use
your
own
techniques,
or
use
these
book
binding
tips
and
methods.
I
hope
you
and
your
children
take
the
time
to
create
some
wonderful
field
guides
of
your
own.
This
excellent
learning
experience
will
long
be
remembered;
and
the
resulting
books
will
be a
source
of
pride
for
years
to
come.
You
may
find
them
to be
a
useful
resource
while
hiking
in
the
woods,
walking
along
the
seashore,
or
exploring
your
own
neighborhood!
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2005,
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