A few days ago, I sat on the ground with a 6-year-old under a pine tree. We weren’t on a formal field trip or working from a lesson plan. We were simply curious. As we looked at the puzzle of bark peeling from the trunk, we imagined the grooves were valleys and the layers were hotel floors filled with tiny insect residents. We wondered together: “What would it be like to live in a crack in a tree?” That 10-minute moment was packed with science, storytelling, sensory learning and emotional regulation… and it didn’t cost a thing.

For many families in the Triangle, this kind of connection to nature feels increasingly out of reach. Children today are spending more time indoors, more time in front of screens, and less time freely exploring. The result is what’s been described as Nature Deficit Disorder: a disconnection from the natural world that contributes to anxiety, attention challenges and emotional dysregulation. However, for homeschooling families, there’s an opportunity to turn this around. Homeschool parents (teachers) have the flexibility and creativity to make nature a consistent and meaningful part of how their children learn.

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Why nature nelongs in your homeschool

Time in nature improves focus, creativity, emotional regulation and resilience. But beyond the benefits, nature invites something essential: wonder. And wonder is where the learning begins.

Whether your child is tracing animal tracks, watching ants dismantle a leaf, or journaling about cloud shapes, they’re building problem-solving skills, emotional awareness, and confidence.

Nature also weaves beautifully into traditional subjects:

  • Math becomes estimating tree height or measuring shadows.
    • Science lives in every puddle, mushroom and migrating bird.
      • Writing flows from field journals, nature poetry or storytelling under the trees.
        • Art arises from found objects, observation and imagination.

          How to begin, without overcomplicating it

          You don’t need a forest or farm to get started. A backyard, a local park, or a patch of sidewalk will do. Here are a few simple ways to begin:

          • Start the day outside. Bring breakfast or a read-aloud to the porch.
            • Take a weekly “wander” and let your child lead the way.
              • Create a nature shelf with found objects like feathers, leaves or stones.
                • Use nature as a prompt: “Write from the perspective of a raindrop.” “Draw what you see in one square foot of earth.”
                  • Track your time outdoors: try setting a goal like 100 hours outside this season.

                    Emily Behr is the Director of Camp and Outdoor Learning at Piedmont Wildlife Center in the Triangle. She writes about childhood, nature, and parenting for WRAL, with Let’s Grow with Emily.

                    Behr will be speaking at Homeschooling Unleashed, a new conference for homeschool families happening this weekend in Raleigh. The workshop, “Back to Our Roots: Combatting Nature Deficit Disorder through Homeschooling,” helps families reimagine their yards, porches, trails, and parks as dynamic places of learning, healing, and growth.