I'm a true homeschooling mom of a would-be first grade daughter. We began our nature observations essentially at birth. She rarely misses a chance to pursue a bunny, moth, lizard or butterfly. Fireflies are a particular favorite, but our current "classroom pet" is several garden snails. We started a nature-based curriculum for kindergarten, but didn't really stick to it. We do better gathering observations on family walks, or sitting on our deck.