Free Evergreen Nature Study for Your Charlotte Mason Homeschool

Evergreens are one of my favorite subjects for winter nature study. There is something especially lovely about heading outside with my children once the leaves have fallen and discovering just how much there still is to notice. The needles, cones, bark, and even the birds and animals finding shelter among the branches give us plenty to observe throughout the colder months.

I created this free four-week evergreen nature study to give you an easy way to explore them with your children. Each week focuses on something different to observe, including choosing an evergreen tree to study, looking closely at its needles and cones, watching for wildlife, and recording discoveries in a nature journal.

The lessons take about 15–20 minutes each week and can be adapted for different ages, making this an easy nature study to use with several children together. We use the Handbook of Nature Study alongside our observations, with plenty of room for children to notice and record what interests them most.

You can download the free Evergreen Nature Study below and use it throughout the winter months.

This post may contain carefully chosen affiliate links to help support our homeschooling journey. Thank you for supporting my family through your purchases! You can read my full affiliate disclosure policy here.

What’s Included in the Free Evergreen Nature Study

Each lesson includes observation ideas and nature-journal prompts, with opportunities to use Handbook of Nature Study alongside what your children discover.

The study is divided into four simple weekly lessons:

Week 1: Meet Your Evergreen
Choose an evergreen tree to study and begin noticing its shape, bark, branches, and surroundings.

Week 2: Study the Needles
Look closely at the tree’s needles, comparing their shape, size, color, and arrangement.

Week 3: Discover the Cones
Examine evergreen cones and record what your children notice about their shape, scales, seeds, and other details.

Week 4: Watch for Wildlife
Return to your tree and look for birds, squirrels, insects, tracks, nests, or other signs of animals using it for food or shelter.

Materials Needed for This Nature Study

What You’ll Need for Your Evergreen Nature Study

You don’t need much to begin. Gather a few simple supplies you probably already use for nature study:

• A nature journal and pencils for sketches and observations
• Colored pencils or watercolor pencils if your children enjoy adding color
• A magnifying glass for looking closely at needles, bark, and cones
• The Handbook of Nature Study for additional information and ideas
• An evergreen tree to visit regularly, whether it’s in your yard, neighborhood, park, or favorite nature-walk spot

That’s really all you need. Choose a tree your children can return to throughout the study and let it become a familiar subject they get to know a little better each week.

How to Use This Evergreen Study the Charlotte Mason Way

Charlotte Mason nature study begins with children observing nature firsthand. For this study, choose an evergreen tree you can return to easily throughout the four weeks. As the tree becomes familiar, your children may begin noticing details they missed before: the arrangement of its needles, the texture of its bark, cones beneath the branches, or birds visiting for food and shelter.

Let observation lead the lesson. The prompts in the study give your children something specific to look for each week, while leaving room to follow their own discoveries and questions. The Handbook of Nature Study can then help you learn more about what you’ve observed together.

Nature journaling gives each child a way to record what stood out to them. Younger children might make a simple sketch, while older children can add measurements, labels, written observations, or other details they notice. This makes the study especially easy to use with multiple ages together.

Your evergreen study can be just the beginning of your winter nature study. From winter birds and animal tracks to bare trees and changing weather, I’ve gathered plenty of ideas to keep your children observing all season in my Charlotte Mason Winter Nature Study Ideas →.

Continue Your Nature Study Through the Winter

If your children enjoy this evergreen study and you’d like more ideas to carry nature study through the rest of the season, A Gentle Year: Noticing the Beauty of Winter is a beautiful next step.

The winter nature journal includes 14 seasonal observation prompts covering everything from frost and bare trees to winter birds, animal signs, weather, evergreens, buds, and the first signs of the changing season. Each study includes guidance for what to observe along with space for children to sketch and record what they discover. Winter Nature Study Winter Nature Study

Take a Look at the Winter Nature Journal →

A Winter Nature Study to Come Back to Each Year

I hope this evergreen study gives you and your children a reason to bundle up, head outside, and take a closer look at the trees that stay green all winter.

One of my favorite things about nature study is watching children begin to recognize things for themselves. A pinecone, a cluster of needles, or a bird tucked among the branches can suddenly become something they stop to notice because they’ve studied it before.

And you can return to this study year after year. Choose a different evergreen, compare what you discover, or simply see what your children notice as they grow.