Noticing Nature - April - Homeschool Fanatic

There are so many awesome things to take notice of this month, and I’ve found some creative ideas that anyone – especially teens will love!

All of us are finding ourselves at home more than ever these days. I do miss weekend dining out, but other than that I like to be home most days. If you haven’t noticed already, spring has definitely sprung! On my dot on the map, pollen, caterpillars, weeds, ants, snakes, butterflies and rainbows have made their appearance in the past few weeks. With nature emerging, it’s a great time to practice and gain some photography skills while we are quarantining. I’ve put together a few photography activities that can be used by anyone for fun, as well as those photographers in training!

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Hunting with creative eyes.

The hunt is only half the fun! Use this time of social distancing to notice things that perhaps you may have passed right on by before our lives were slowed down. Grab your camera (traditional or the camera on your phone is just fine). You may choose to stay in your yard or neighborhood, or find a park with a nice trail that is still open. City pics have great potential as well, you just may have to hunt a little harder. Stretch your creative skills by taking interesting photos. You may have to lie on your belly, climb a tree, or angle yourself to get that perfect shot. Most importantly, have fun doing it! After you get your shot, leave it as is, or enhance it by playing around with filters. Turn it into a work of art!

Some of my favorite photos I’ve taken this year.

Photo scavenger hunt ideas

Pinterest is such a treasure trove of inspiration! Here are a few of my favorite finds. Pick one, or try them all! Grab my free printable of the Spring Scavenger Photo Hunt in my Free Resource Library!

GoExploreNature.com has a fantastic, simple scavenger hunt. This list of 30 items are fun to find and photograph and can really showcase your creativity! Can you find all the items before summer? (Download link not available, but I listed the items on a printable for your convenience)
Put your senses of touch, sight, and smell to good use with this scavenger hunt from imom.com. Download a printable copy.
Try an alphabet hunt! This dual purpose hunt is fun for little ones who are learning the alphabet, as well older kids (and adults) who are looking for a variety of things to hunt. A fun twist would be to have a friendly competition! Set a timer, work in teams or alone, and see how many you can find! Download available.
Roy G. Biv Hunt! You know what that is – the colors of the rainbow, of course! This spring, I’m sure this would be an easy, as well as a colorful hunt to photograph!
I love the idea of Name Writing Nature Hunt! It would be really cool to print and frame this one!
If the little ones are tagging along, print off a copy of this nature scavenger hunt. All the items have pictures, so non-readers can join in on the fun as a family!

Get close and personal

I purchased an awesome little gadget about a year ago. Fun to use around the house, and even more fun outside! It’s a portable digital microscope that you can use to capture interesting photos and videos with ease. At only 5 inches, you can easily throw it in your hiking bag, and head to the woods, or visit the microscopic world in your own backyard. See if you can guess what these items are:

Find the answers at the end of this post.

Sharpen your skills

The extra time at home is a great opportunity to learn something new! If you enjoy photography and would like to sharpen your skills, take a look at SchoolhouseTeachers.com. They have a couple of great courses in photography.

Start a new hobby and begin a 30-week photography course that is for anyone of all experience levels. The course includes assignments and projects to help you as a photographer, such as basic camera use, food photography, portraits, landscapes and more.

The Photography Challenge is a perfect way to grow as a photographer. The challenges won’t tell you how to take pictures, what lens length to use, or what settings on the camera to use. That’s the student’s choice, and that is what makes this course a “challenge”!

SchoolhouseTeachers.com has over 450 courses to choose from! It’s the perfect fit who are finding themselves suddenly learning at home. I’ve reviewed the product twice and you can check out those reviews to find out how we have used SchoolhouseTeachers.com in our home!

Get outside, notice God’s beautiful creation, capture it on film, and have fun doing it!

I love hearing from my readers! Let me know what you have been noticing this spring, or drop me a picture on Instagram!

Did you guess the close ups?

Top Row: Sandspur, Dog Toy, Leaf. Bottom Row: Flower, Mulch, Chocolate Chip Cookie