Life, Observed
About Erika Cochran
I make tools that help families stay outside a little longer — and notice one small thing they would have walked past.
About the Author
Erika Cochran
I am a mother and nature-study teacher living in the Mid-Atlantic. I started Life, Observed because I kept watching my own children learn more from a puddle than from a worksheet.
My work is to turn those small moments into something a family can return to. Sometimes that is a printable study. Sometimes it is a seasonal activity. Often it is a field guide that fits in a coat pocket. The materials stay thin so the observing stays thick.
I write and photograph most of what you see here. The drawings are done in colored pencil. The layouts are kept simple. Every prompt is tested first on my own kids.
When I am not making printables, I am usually outside with my family. We collect seed pods. We flip rocks. We try to name another bird by ear.
"The page is not the activity. The observing is."
Outside, even in winter.
Work with Life, Observed
I partner with families and schools. I also work with brands who care about children and the outdoors.
Printables · Field Guides · Seasonal Activities · Workshops · Speaking · Brand Collaborations
What we believe
A family that learns to pay attention together stays curious together.
We are not trying to turn every walk into a lesson. We are trying to make room for the kind of slow looking that children do naturally until the world talks them out of it.
Our materials are designed for real life. Short windows of time. Ordinary backyards. Muddy shoes. The occasional meltdown. They are prompts, not performances.
When a child learns to look closely, they are practicing patient attention. They will need it to read. They will need it to listen to a friend. They will need it when life is hard and when life is light.
Our impact
12,000+
Prompts downloaded by families
8,500+
Backyard observations recorded
45+
Species studied through our guides
3
Seasons of return visits tracked
How it works
Pick a patch. Notice something. Keep a trace.
Pick a patch
Families use whatever ground they already have — a backyard, a sidewalk, a doorway. One prompt leads to one observation.
Notice something
Children practice patient looking and honest description, staying with one thing longer than feels necessary.
Keep a trace
One observation becomes a small record a child can return to when the season comes back around.
For homeschool & learning records
Turn noticing into documented learning.
Our materials work naturally with Learning Corner, a tool that identifies the learning hidden in any activity and builds a year of records you can submit as a report.
For families using Life, Observed materials, that means a walk with one of our prompts can become a documented learning moment — without turning the walk into homework.