Natural Science Through the Seasons – Order Now!
I have long been a fan of James Partridge’s book, Natural Science Through the Seasons. I happen to really enjoy well illustrated books that focus on seasonal occurrences and Mr. Partridge’s book does this in a way that is really very useful and helpful. There are many activities within the book, arranged seasonally, that are quite simple, inspiring and straightforward for incorporating into your nature studies. You can use the book for your nature study club, or simply to bolster your own family nature observances!
Trouble is – this gem of a book is long out of print. And unlike other out of print books, this one was extremely hard to find! I borrowed a copy of my friend’s book to scan in the amazing monthly calendars with Mr. Farwell’s illustrations because I just love them so much and they look so fantastic displayed monthly. And then I created saved searches for the book everywhere in the hopes of one day finding a copy for myself. That was years ago…and I never was able to find a copy of the book.
Well, I have fantastic news for you! Hillside Education, one of my favorite publishers, has reprinted this amazing book for all of us! That’s right! You can pre-order the book now, and if you pre-order the book you’ll receive a fantastic bonus – the 10 monthly/seasonal calendars printed on cardstock! Remember how fabulous I told you these calendars are for making a simple display on your nature table? That’s a fantastic bonus offer, friends! And so useful! You’ll enjoy displaying a monthly calendar each month of your school year….for many years! Allow the simple and delightful illustrations to inspire your children to create their own seasonal nature calendar!
I was thrilled to contribute a few of the photos you see in the Hillside Education reprint, including the cover photo. What a joy to contribute just a small part to the long-awaited reprint of this book! I’ve pre-ordered my copy – go grab yours and jump start your seasonal nature studies!
Happy Days!!! I’ll be ordering! Thanks, Jen.
I have this book and I heartily recommend it. So glad to see that it is available again. ~lisa
This book was used in my tiny country Catholic school, as it was in many Canadian schools right up to the early 90s! I have so many fun memories of our nature studies, which is probably the reason I've always made them such a big part of our homeschooling (and now our daycare).
Hi Jen,
Thanks for the review! I'm wondering how American the book is – do you think it would work to use in other countries or does it focus on broader seasonal happenings?
Thanks!
Catherine
Hi Catherine,
Yours is an excellent question! The book is written in a general way regarding the seasons, but it may be helpful for you to know that the book is not written by an American, nor is it written specifically to reflect American seasons. Mr. Partridge was Canadian, and wrote the book for Canadian schools originally. He hoped it would help get children out of doors, and bring them to a wonderful understanding of seasonal occurrences. I do think the further south you live in North America, the more differences you'll note simply because southern seasons will be warmer in general and will have less of the variety that northern seasons have (and you'd have to get to the deep south to notice this….like southern FL). We live in North Alabama, which is pretty far south, and our seasons are varied enough that we are able to enjoy the seasonal calendars.
To answer your question, anyone in the Northern Hemisphere would be able to enjoy this book, and if you live in the Southern Hemisphere the recommendations would still apply as well as the seasonal observations, but the months that reflect the seasonal occurrences would be backwards.
:0( I've tried without success for two days not to order my copy. Every time I click the add to cart button it goes back to the welcome screen. Hope I don't miss out!
That was supposed to read “two days now”, not “not”. :0)
Dear Nester,
I spoke with Margot about the problems you had on the website and ordering the book. She said a few other people had some similar issues. Here are a couple of suggestions she gave:
** try placing your order with a different browser.
** go directly to the page rather than following a link.
If those don't solve the problem in trying to place the order, Margot has very kindly offered to take the order personally, so you can email her. (I believe you can find her email address through the Hillside Education website.)
I sure hope this helps anyone having issues with placing the order!
Thank you for sharing this! It sounds like a great book.
My sister ordered this for our homeschool 1 week ago, as we were on a great search for it. We have been “impatiently” waiting for it to arrive! lol
Jen, I am just wondering if this is an updated version or a copy of the original. Would there be a benefit in owning both copies? I am curious about the pictures etc. in the new book. It does look so lovely. Thanks, lisa
Thanks Jen! We're in Australia, so it's a risk, but maybe worth it!
I bought this book a few weeks ago and I’m enjoying it immensely. What book is in the photo on the cover?
Hi Dawn,
The book pictured on the cover of *Natural Science Through the Seasons* is Reader’s Digest, North American Wildlife. That book is hands-down my favorite nature study reference/resource!
Thanks for the link Jen. I ordered a used copy of that book. I am so happy to find a gold mine of information here on your blog….I’ll be visiting often.
🙂
Dawn