Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival – June Newsletter Edition

There seems to have been a malfunction with the Blog Carnival website this month. I know some of your had trouble submitting your entries and I know I didn’t receive notice for many of the entries. PLEASE let me know if I somehow missed your entry and you would like to be included in the carnival.

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION: There were four suggested topics in the newsletter but I don’t want to limit any of you to just those topics. There is a section at the bottom of the carnival that I titled “Potpourri” and I have included the entries that don’t fall into the suggested four topics there. I think this really gives the carnival a great flavor and I truly enjoyed reading each and every entry.

I would like for the entries to include some element of an Outdoor Hour Challenge – reading in the Handbook of Nature Study, outdoor time exploring as a family, and following up with discussion, research, and an opportunity for a nature journal entry. One thing I would like to ask of you in return is to include in your entries a link back to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletter or the Handbook of Nature Study blog. I want as many people as possible to learn about our activities and jump in and participate. If you want to use the Outdoor Hour Challenge logo in your entries that is encouraged too but not required.

• Angie and her sons have voted their woodpecker bird study their Favorite Nature Study ever! Now that says a lot because they have done a lot of nature study. Take a look at their entry and their journals: Hairy
  Woodpecker.
• Serena from Casting Pearls has captured their June Nature Study in her entry to the carnival. They started out going to an apple orchard but they found it filled with a flock of Cedar Waxwings. She has the most gorgeous images of the birds in the apple blossoms! Don’t miss seeing their family’s entry.
•  Heather posted their Killdeer Nature Study on their family’s blog, Kingdom Arrows. I love that they were able to incorporate the Bird Study Grid from the June newsletter and take advantage of the notebook page. Thanks Heather.
• Ann from Harvest Moon by Hand always shows how much you can pack into one nature study topic. This Spring Bird Study entry is no exception and you will enjoy reading about their bird song study. She writes, “One of the things Olivia mentioned was that she heard so many birds singing all at the same time.  One would start and then another and another.  ‘I couldn’t tell the old birds from the new birds.’  It did sound like – a constant symphony of birds singing and calling to one another.” Click over to see her whole entry.
• Zonnah shares their Dove Study on her blog this month. Check out their nature journal entries and it looks like they used the Bird List from the June Newsletter too!
• Kristin and her girls looked for Backyard Desert Birds in the very hot desert temperatures! They made a quick outdoor study and even found some feathers to observe. Make sure to see the gilded flicker images. Wonderful!
• What a treat of an entry Tricia and her children put together for the carnival! Check out Bird Watching on their Hodgepodge Homeschool blog. They used the Bird Study Grid and the Bird List from the Newsletter. Don’t miss all the wonderful images and their journal entries
• Alex from Canadian Home Learning submits to the carnival their Unplanned Nature Study of ducks and a Mudpuppy. Don’t know what that is? Click over and read all about it and don’t miss the adorable duckling photos.
• Susan from Learning All The Time writes about their June bird study as outlined in the June Newsletter. I really enjoyed seeing their bird list and their journals. Thanks for sharing with the carnival.
• Holli from Settled In My Home shares their bird study: Surprised By Barn Swallows. I love that they took the opportunity when it arose to study these beautiful and interesting birds with the HNS.
• Nicole’s boys each picked a bird to study as part of the June Newsletter suggestion. Read about their OHC on One Hook Wonder.

• Tricia from Hodgepodge Homeschool shares their Backyard Bunnies nature study to the carnival. Adorable, sweet bunnies! They did a great job using the Handbook of Nature Study to learn more and they used the notebook page from the June Newsletter for their nature journal.
• As the Garden Grows is Jessy’s entry to the carnival. They are giving us an update on their square foot garden which includes one big black spider!
• Kattie from 2 Ladybugs and  Lizard submits their Plant and Flower Study….she has pulled everything together nicely in this entry….make sure to see their very well done nature journals.
• Kristin writes about her adventures in the desert with preschoolers and garden critters in her blog entry Garden Critters (aka Running and Screaming).
• Spittle Bugs! Read the entry on the Urban Cottage Homeschool to see their Garden Critter entry featuring this interesting insect. You might want to see their beautiful garden images too.
• Susan from Learning All The Time! has put together a wonderful entry for the Tiger Swallowtail Study.  The images and nature journal entries are worth a click over to see…such careful work in the sketches. I really enjoyed this entry.

• Tricia has given us a treat of an entry in their Crop Plant Study of Squash. Not only does she pack it with interesting images and facts, we get a recipe too! I am anxious to do a squash study with my boys soon.

Tree Study

• Zonnah gives us a great example to follow when our children are not as excited as we would like them to be about nature study. She allows some flexibility and they have a wonderful entry to share: Oaks.
• Crape Myrtle Tree Study – Heather and her family chose to study their own crape myrtle trees as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Make sure to view their nature journals since they are very good examples of how simple sketches and captions still make a wonder record of your nature study.

• Nicole from Journey to Excellence writes about their First Day of Summer and shares their notebook page. Thanks for sharing your day!
• Jenny Anne from Royal Little Lambs also completed their First Day of Summer activities with a notebook page. She also shares some glimpses into their garden. So pretty!
• This entry really could go into several categories but I will put it here: Tricia from Hodgepodge Homeschool submits this wonderful entry about her Daddy’s garden….and a visit they had last week.  I appreciate how much their family supports their nature study. Thanks Tricia and family!
• Another family marked the First Day of Summer with some nature study and a notebook page. Thanks Susan and family for sharing your day.!

Potpourri

• Wildflowers – Tricia (Hodgepodge Mom) and  her family were able to do a wonderful observation and nature study of their Queen Anne’s Lace Abundance. They had their patch but now they see it everywhere. Great journal examples for you all to see in this entry as well.
• Wildflowers – Nicole shares their family’s experience with keeping track of all the wildflowers they saw from March to May. Read her entry on her blog, One Hook Wonder.
• Elk and Prairie Dogs – While on vacation, Nicole and her family were able to make some up-close observations of elk. They followed up with questions to be answered and here is there entry on One Hook Wonder.  The also had the opportunity to study up close some prairie dogs and their colony. See their entry Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs.
• Box Turtle – Heather’s family completed their very first Outdoor Hour Challenge. They observed, read about, and then journaled a box turtle they found at their home. Here is their Box Turtle Entry – Excellent job!
• Tricia has had another little creature visit their backyard. First they had a bunny and now a Baby Squirrel or Is It? What a great entry….don’t miss the backyard rainbow.
• Ann shares two wonderful entries that show their summer nature study activities, Strawberries and Outdoor Picnic. Great job!
• Kim’s son shares their family’s experience with a bat. I love hearing his version of the event. You can read all about it in their entry: Nature Study: Bats (Much to the Dismay of My Husband).

I randomly drew numbers and Nicole from Journey to Excellence will receive the birdfeeder. Congratulations Nicole and family! Thank you for your entry into the carnival this month.

In fact, thank you to everyone who entered into Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival this month. I will be posting the July Newsletter tomorrow so make sure to download and save the June Newsletter before it is gone. I am seriously loving the new format for the Outdoor Hour Challenge and I have heard from many of you too that you like the flexibility and the added resources. I hope you spread the word about the Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletters to all your readers!