• Home
  • About
  • Featured Reviews
  • Request a Review
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe

The Curriculum Choice

Making homeschool decisions easy

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Blog
  • How To Homeschool
    • By Review Team
    • Encouragement
    • New to Homeschooling
    • Organization
  • Reviews by Grade
    • Elementary
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Preschool
  • Reviews by Subject
    • Bible
    • Economics
    • Fine Arts
      • Art
      • Music
    • Foreign Language
    • Highschool
    • History & Geography
      • Geography
      • History
    • Home Economics
    • Language Arts
      • Grammar
      • Handwriting
      • Literature
      • Phonics
      • Reading
      • Spelling
      • Vocabulary
      • Writing
    • Logic
    • Math
    • Science & Technology
      • Science
      • Technology
        • Apps

in Charlotte Mason· Encouragement· Mom Helps· Nature Study

Pocketful of Pinecones – A Charlotte Mason Based Nature Study

Are you a Charlotte Mason homeschooler? Are you looking for a gentle approach to nature study? Then check out Pocketful of Pinecones by veteran homeschooler and renowned interpreter of the Charlotte Mason method of education, Karen Andreola!

Pocketful of Pinecones is a kind of teacher's guide in the form of a story. Follow along through all 4 seasons in this Charlotte Mason style nature study book.

What is Pocketful of Pinecones

This book is basically a teachers ‘how-to’ guide to implementing nature study Charlotte Mason style. It has been written as a heartwarming story which draws the reader right into the daily lives and happenings of the characters. Every time I read this book (and I have done so many times and will more than likely do so again), I have been completely inspired within my own homeschool.

Woven into the story are:

  • More than 200 examples of what to look for on a nature walk,
  • Latin names for the living things observed by the characters,
  • Study questions,
  • Nature poems and verses.

About Pocketful of Pinecones – A Charlotte Mason Style Nature Study

Pocketful of Pinecones is story about Carol. She is a busy and industrious mother to two young children in the 1930’s and a devoted wife and homemaker. Like many of us, Carol keeps a diary into which she pours out her secret hopes, joys, worries and disappointments. Her diary also documents her homeschooling journey, especially the nature studies, that she enjoys with her children during their first year of homeschooling.

WP_20150131_003

The story opens on the first day of a new school year in early September. Carol has decided to homeschool her children. Her son seems to have lost his love of learning during the few short years he has spent in school. It’s a delight to read how Carol encourages her reluctant son and re-awakens his love for learning using Charlotte Mason’s methods of education within her home.

We follow Carol and the children through the seasons of the year. Woven into her story are more than a hundred examples of what to look for on a nature walk. She gives the Latin names for the living things that are observed by her characters, which is pretty useful as most of what they observed we have too at one time or another. There are study questions for the reader to consider to help you think more on Miss Mason’s educational views on nature study. Lovely nature poems and verses are peppered throughout the pages.

WP_20150131_004

An added bonus to this lovely book is the supplement at the end containing selected quotations by Miss Charlotte Mason as well as an annotated list of books with a nature theme – both fiction and non-fiction – that you can draw on for use in your own homeschool.

This is a real pick-me-up book. If you are feeling uninspired or washed out, this is a little bit of ‘mother culture’ for the tired mama’s soul.

Also be sure to check out another Pocket Full of Pinecones review here at TCC from Shannon.

Purchase Pocket Full of Pinecones

  • Amazon
  • Simply Charlotte Mason Website

More Nature Study and Charlotte Mason Resources

This Charlotte Mason Homeschool Guide helps explain what this method is and why it might be the right one for you. It also offers you resources for implementing the Charlotte Mason Method in your homeschool.

The Charlotte Mason Homeschool Guide – The who, what & how of Charlotte Mason Homeschooling

Exploring Nature with Children – This Charlotte Mason type study consists of a 240 page pdf file by Lynn Seddon, providing pages and pages of amazing fun and hands-on learning! This study incorporates MANY different things: nature walks, books to read, poems to recite and art to review.

The Best Homeschool Nature Study Resources – a collection of unit studies, full curriculum and reference books for homeschool nature study.

Homeschool Nature Study Membership – Homeschool Nature Study makes it easy to enrich your homeschool with nature study. You will have everything you need to bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! Access to Outdoor Hour Challenges curriculum, resources to enrich your homeschool and so much more!

Charlotte Mason Guides – a collection of books and websites to help you learn about and implement the Charlotte Mason Method in your homeschool.

Filed Under: Charlotte Mason, Encouragement, Mom Helps, Nature Study Tagged With: Charlotte Mason, Encouragement, mom help, updated by Heidi C, written by Shirley

Previous Post: « Your Backyard DVD: The Life and Journey of the Amazing Monarch Butterfly
Next Post: The Ultimate Guide to 5th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Options »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellen says

    February 9, 2015 at 9:31 am

    Lovely review, Shirley! I’ve run across this title many times over the years, but never succumbed to my longing to acquire it. Now I really wish I had! I may get a copy just for myself…

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

We are a veteran group of home educators with a mission – to spread the word about our favorite curricula and help YOU make informed decisions for your homeschool. Meet the review authors and browse the homeschooling tips they share!

Subscribe For Free Choosing Homeschool Curriculum Guide

Success! Please check your email and confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Sponsors and Affiliates

Homeschoolinghomeschool

Our Sister Websites

 


Follow Curriculum Choice's board Homeschool Reviews by The Curriculum Choice on Pinterest.

Recent Comments

  • Terry on Magic Tree House Curriculum
  • Thara on How To Make An Overall Plan for The Year
  • The Best Winter Nature Books for Cozy Homeschooling - Homeschool Nature Study on Homeschool Outdoor Hour Challenges using The Handbook of Nature Study
  • Tara Fortener on Why Can’t My Child Learn Multiplication?
  • Sherrie Davidson on Using the CAT Test for Homeschool Testing
  • Advertising
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Philosophies
  • Request a Review

Copyright © 2025 · The Curriculum Choice, a Southern Hodgepodge, L.L.C. site.