What is a naturalist?  It's a person who studies or teaches about nature.  Just by being curious about the world around you and learning more about the things that live there, you are a naturalist!  In our classroom we have a very special area set up that we call the Naturalist's Nook.  Students are encouraged to bring in items from nature and share them with our class.  When new items are brought in, they are cataloged in our log book and labeled with a tag.  Living organisms are shared with the class and then returned to nature. 

     We try to remind students that learning is a life-long process.  One way that we do this is by learning alongside them.  The Naturalist's Nook provides a perfect opportunity for this.  Students who bring in items for the nook are encouraged to research them at home, however, if they can not, they can always use the classroom media center.

     Inside the nook we also have a few items that remain for the children to observe all year.  These items include the terrarium, our beta fish, our turtle, a sample leaf collection and a few rotating natural wonders collected over the years.