Nature Alphabet Guide FAQ's
If you've been considering the Nature Alphabet Guide but aren't sure yet, you're not the only one!
I wanted to answer some frequently asked questions. I hope these will help you figure out if the Nature Alphabet Guide is a good fit for your family in this season!
What age range is it for?
Ages 3-8ish. We’ve designed this guide to work for families with kids of multiple ages! For example, your youngest can do a nature alphabet coloring page while your oldest writes out the nature poem with the copywork pages or works on the sight word cards. The books from our book list and the four activities are fun for all ages to do together!
What age should I start this?
Whenever your child starts showing an interest in the alphabet! Some families start with a 2 year old who is eager (like ours was!) but most start around 3-4. If you’re wanting a gentle structure for your little one but don’t want to start a full curriculum, this could be a great fit.
You can use the Nature Alphabet Guide over several years! If you're planning to use this with a preschooler, you can start the first year as an intro to the alphabet, and start from the beginning again next year when your child is ready to dig a little deeper!
Is this a phonics curriculum?
No. This is a family-learning style guide that explores nature themes from A-Z through hands-on printables, art, activities, poems, and books. While it provides a beautiful introduction to the alphabet, we recommend using the Nature Alphabet Guide as a supplement to your phonics curriculum.
Do you include instructions for how to use it?
Yes! Each letter unit comes with a written parent guide, ideas for outside activities for each theme, and a weekly planner page.
We recommend a simple three part framework of Learn/Read/Create for each day:
- Learn with one or two of the worksheets/coloring pages for each child.
- Read one of the books from our recommended book list.
- Create one of the activities/crafts together.
This is set up for a four day week. You get to choose which printables to complete, books to read, and activities to do each day. The structure allows for lots of flexibility to fit your family's schedule and needs!
Are art supplies (like clay for instance) being used across multiple letter units?
Yes!! We’ve made a real effort to keep supplies accessible and affordable! Several similar activities are used in different ways in multiple letter units.
You’ll find easy projects like potato stamps used in several creative ways, as well as lots of recycled materials and ideas for substitutions.
Is this just for homeschoolers?
The Nature Alphabet Guide is for any family, homeschooling and non-homeschooling. While most of our community homeschools, many families who have their kids in school are using the guide as an intentional way to spend time as a family after school and on weekends.
Everything is simple and low-prep so that it's easy to pull together!