Classic Hymns for Nature Study

I’m holding my newborn baby close to me on a Sunday morning. He squirms gently in my arms, ready for sleep, but too enthralled with the world around him to dare shut his eyes. The gentle and familiar tune, All Creatures of Our God and King fills the chapel. This is a song that I’ve been singing to him the past few weeks when I want to calm him. It’s a song that connects me to nature and fills me with peace. I softly sing along with the worship leaders. When I look down, I see that my baby is sleeping.

Hymns are filled with rich history and beautiful language. They connect us to our past and we’ll continue to pass them on to our children and their children, linking us to our future. Sharing these hymns with our children allows them to see the beauty of God in His creation around us. As we focus on nature during the early years, I imagine filling my children’s hearts with these beautiful words so that when we’re outside watching the birds flit from tree to tree, their hearts sing the lines from All Things Bright and Beautiful:

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.”

I want to keep these sweet hymns on my tongue so I can share them with my children. These are beautiful hymns for nature study, in the early years and beyond.