Why do Nature Study?

Sometimes I really wonder if nature studies and nature journals are really worthwhile. It seems that there are times when it's more a hassle than a benefit to research and then head out into a hot sulty day and try and find something the kids will find interesting!

But, as I was reading the Catechism last night, I realized just how important it is to get my kids out into nature, to see/feel/smell God's wondrous deeds. This particular section, paragraph 341, synthesizes what I'm trying to express:

The order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity of beings and from the relationships which exist among them. Man discovers them progressively as the laws of nature. They call forth the admiration of scholars. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.

excerpted from CCC online version from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Anything that can "call forth the admiration of scholars" MUST be worth doing.