What I’m Studying This Fall in My Personal Curriculum

The personalized self-learning curriculum trend has been consuming all my social media newsfeeds and I have to say I am a fan. I was never big on school, but I did love the learning part, especially if I get to choose the topics that interest me. So this is definitely one trend I can get behind (in fact I already have).

My favorite classes in high school and college were always science related. And now several years later, that’s still the case. I love to learn about the human body and I love to learn about nature & the environment. If I were to go back to school now, I would be studying something completely different than what I actually got my degree in, but I don’t have the time and money for that so I’m okay with the self-teaching/learning.

Given the name of my Substack, I don’t think it comes as a surprise that my For Evergreen fall season syllabus will be about nature. And I’m doing for almost free by taking advantage of free online courses, Libby, and books I already have.

🍂 Fall 2025 Seasonal Syllabus

*everything will be go at my own pace*

Focus: Phenology — understanding and observing the rhythms of the seasons.
This semester I’ll be paying attention to how the natural world shifts in autumn: the turning of leaves, migrations of birds, animals preparing for winter, and the subtle cues that signal seasonal change. The goal is to deepen awareness of cycles in nature through reading, structured learning, daily observation, and reflection.

🎓 Courses

Migration with OpenLearn - 8 hrs

Eating for the Environment with OpenLearn - 8 hrs

Plant Development Biology with Alison - 10-15 hrs

Ecology and Ecological Interactions with Alison - 10-15 hrs

📚 Reading List

Core Books

The Nature Company Guides Birding book I purchased at a secondhand bookstore for $4. I am about a third of the way done so I want to finish it this season.

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

What a Plant Knows by Daniel Chamovitz

Other nature related books I have and want to read:

Vanishing Treasures by Katherine Randell

Untamed: The Wildest Women in America and the Fight for Cumberland Island by Will Harlan

✏️ Homework

• Submit one pitch per week to a nature, conservation, or environmental publication.

🌿 Outdoor Lab

• Spend at least 20–30 minutes outside daily, intentionally observing signs of seasonal change.

• Focus on:

  • Leaf color progression and tree identification

  • Bird activity (migrations, calls, feeding habits)

  • Insect patterns and presence/absence

  • Weather changes and their effects on plants/wildlife

📓 Field Notes / Field Report

• Field Notes → Daily/weekly observations, sketches, weather notes, migration sightings, reflections.

• Field Report → A seasonal synthesis of everything learned through observation, reading, and coursework and will serve as the main “project” for the fall.

And I already have in mind a special way to share all my findings here as my “final report”.

Let me know in the comments if you are creating your own personal curriculum for fall??

-Leanna