Posted on 8 Comments

Creating Outdoor Space for Creative Play For Your Children

The effort you put into creating outdoor space for creative play will be seen in your child’s happy face and heart. Time outdoors is essential to your child’s development. It is an investment in their mental and physical health.

“Indeed, research suggests that children, when left to their own devices, are drawn to the rough edges of such parks, the ravines and rocky inclines, the natural vegetation. A park may be neatly trimmed and landscaped, but the natural corners and edges where children once played can be lost in translation.”
Last Child in the Woods, page 117

Fun ideas for creating outdoor space for creative play in your own backyard! Make interesting places for your children to explore and enjoy! Outdoor time is essential to your child's development.

Last Child in the Woods is an important book and is on my summer reading list again. It is an easy read and each time I glean a few more points to apply to our family and refine my thinking about getting outdoors. Reaffirming my belief that all children need to be outdoors every day keeps me actively working on the Outdoor Hour Challenges and other related projects.

Fun ideas for creating outdoor space for creative play in your own backyard! Make interesting places for your children to explore and enjoy! - garden box beginnings

Being Drawn to the Edges: Outdoor Space for Creative Play

We are in the middle of planning a big front yard makeover and I have decided that for our family we will incorporate native plants, some rocky outcrops, and more shelter and food for the local wildlife. My boys are more interested in watching birds and animals than they are with a large expanse of grass. Our wild side has taught us this spring that we enjoyed observing the insects, flowers, and grasses more than we ever enjoyed the well manicured lawn.

garden box with flowers

Creating Outdoor Space for Creative Play for Your Children

I once read a post written by a mom who had little by little converted her suburban backyard into a wild place for her children. Here are her ideas for creating outdoor space for creative play:

  • She brought in some rocks for lizards and insects to take shelter in.
  • She included a big log so the kids could watch the decomposition and the living creatures that lived in, under, and on the log.
  • She made a sand pile for digging with pails and shovels at the ready.
  • There were places to play in the hose and make mud.

It has always stuck with me that with a little effort on her part she offered a place with interesting and attractive edges for creative play even in a small backyard.

berries
When my boys were young, we planted herbs, edible things like berries, and each child had their own garden box. We kept tree stumps for child size tables. We planted trees for climbing and swinging. On hot summer days we spread out blankets underneath the trees in the shade. Our current butterfly garden with its colorful flowers and bushes shelters not only insects but hummingbirds.

grasshopper in the day lily
Allowing some room for exploring in our backyard has given us endless nature study opportunities as well as a place for the children to wander during their own time, to dream and play and wonder.

frog in the hand
Look at the edges when creating outdoor space for creative play…..see if you can make some changes today.

Edit to add: I received a comment and some email about becoming a National Wildlife Federation Certified Habitat. We did that for our backyard some years ago and that is really what brought this sort of idea to my head in the very beginning. Now I am anxious to get started in the front yard.

More Backyard Nature Study Ideas

Fun ideas for creating outdoor space for creative play in your own backyard! Make interesting places for your children to explore and enjoy!

Homeschool Nature Study Members enjoy a printable Wildlife Habitat Plan with the Requirements for a Certified Wildlife Habitat!

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy, July 2010. Updated by Tricia April 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

Posted on 1 Comment

Savor This Rosemary Herb Study

Enjoy a rosemary herb study and learn about this popular culinary herb in the mint family used in many common dishes. Use your senses to discover more during your outdoor hour!

In many areas, the rosemary herb is a particularly popular landscape plant that is drought resistant. It is also used for herbal sachets, soaps, creams and lotions.

Enjoy a rosemary herb study and learn about this popular culinary herb in the mint family used in many common dishes. Use your senses to discover more during your homeschool outdoor hour!

Rosemary Herb Study: Outdoor Hour Challenge

Inside Preparation:

  • This evergreen perennial shrub has opposite, leathery, narrow needle-like leaves. The leaves are dark green on top and downy white on the bottom. There is a prominent vein that runs down the middle of the leaf. The stem is woody.  The fragrance is pungent and slightly pine-like.
  • The blossoms are pale blue and about a half inch long.
  • Read more about the mint family of plants here: Mint Family – Lamiaceae
Enjoy a rosemary herb study and learn about this popular culinary herb in the mint family used in many common dishes. Use your senses to discover more during your outdoor hour!

Outdoor Time: Use Your Senses To Learn About the Rosemary Plant:

Observe your rosemary plant using all your senses.

  • Touch– What do the leaves feel like? How would you describe the stem? Is the stem square?
  • Fragrance- Smell the leaves. Crush some leaves and see if you can tell the difference. Do the flowers have a fragrance?
  • Sight– How tall is the plant? How wide is your plant? Use your best description for the colors, shapes and sizes for your rosemary.
  • Taste– Taste the fresh leaves and then bring in some leaves to dry. Does the dry rosemary taste differently than the fresh?
  • Are there insects in your rosemary? Common insects are the honeybee and the spittle bug. See my entry showing spittle bugs on my rosemary: Up Close Insect Observations.
  • Does the plant grow mostly upward or outward?

 

Rosemary flower shape: Enjoy a rosemary herb study and learn about this popular culinary herb in the mint family used in many common dishes. Use your senses to discover more during your outdoor hour!

Follow Up Rosemary Study

  • Create a nature journal entry for your rosemary plant. For beginners, keep it simple and include a sketch of your rosemary plant and a caption.   There is a notebook page for members here on Homeschool Nature Study: Herb Study-Rosemary. Look for it the Herbs Course in your membership.
  • Bring a sprig or two inside for your nature table. If you have a mortar and pestle, let your children grind up the rosemary and have them describe the fragrance.

Advanced Study for Older or High School Students

Create a nature journal page to record the many uses of rosemary. More advanced students can include a sketch of the stem, leaf, and flower. Here is a link for your research: Uses and Benefits of Rosemary.

Long Term Rosemary Project

Potted Rosemary can be a long term garden project for even a young child. Look for a small rosemary plant at your local garden nursery. Rosemary likes lots of sun so find a sunny windowsill if you are not planting it outdoors.

Rosemary can take a bit of snow but it doesn’t do well where it has long days of cold and/or freezing. Rosemary is usually grown from a cutting and not from seeds. Here is some information on growing rosemary from a cutting: How to Propagate Rosemary (with images).

Rosemary propagation from cutting: Enjoy a rosemary herb study and learn about this popular culinary herb in the mint family used in many common dishes. Use your senses to discover more during your outdoor hour!

Recipes With Rosemary to Try:

More in Herbs Nature Study Course

 This Herbs course in Homeschool Nature Study membership includes:

  • Outdoor Hour Challenge printable curriculum
  • Herb Study Planner Page
  • Resource and Supplies List
  • Herb Study Planning Page
  • Instructions For Using The Herbs Curriculum
  • Planting Herbs to Attract Insects
  • Herbs in a Child’s Garden
  • Herbs from Renee’s Garden
  • Notebook Pages: Regular and Advanced Versions
  • Coloring Pages

Outdoor Hour Challenges Included:

  • Cilantro
  • Basil
  • Bee Balm
  • Oregano
  • Dill
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Mint
  • Bonus: Rosemary

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy, September 2009. Updated by Tricia April 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

Enjoy your week!

By Barb McCoy, June 2017

Posted on 4 Comments

Creating an Edible Garden: Gardening with Children

Creating an edible garden can make even the fussiest of kids happier! Tips for kids helping to grow edibles in the garden.

I think I forgot the sounds that come in open windows in the mornings and evenings. Winter requires the house to be shut up too much but with open windows I woke this morning to a an owl hooting in the neighbor’s tree.

“I’m awake! You Too!” he was calling.

What a great sound and it makes me wonder what all I have been missing closed up in the house for the winter.

This evening I am hearing crickets for the first time and the call of the tree frogs from across the street. It makes me happy to think we have reached the point where we can have open windows and doors to bring a little of nature back into our house. The mosquitoes are buzzing tonight too….found one in my bedroom and had to give him a swat. Now that I could do without.

4 30 11 Lilac

We are busy working on weeding the garden walkways and preparing beds for seeds. This is a joyful, hopeful time. Our Garden and Garden Flowers Outdoor Hour Challenge courses include choosing and planting flower seeds and I thought our family might include that as part of our first challenge for the month of May. (With membership, you will have that challenge and corresponding notebook pages to go along with it.) There is much to learn about seeds as well.

Creating an Edible Garden: Gardening with Children

In the meantime, I thought I could share a little of the edibles in our garden landscaping. We try to mix edible plants with our flowers so we can harvest a little homegrown yummy-ness when the time comes.  It also is such a treat to have a little handful of something each afternoon when we are outside…a couple of blueberries, a strawberry, or a grape popped in the mouth make even the fussiest of kids happier when they are helping to work in the garden. (You can read more of my tips for nature study and gardening with very young children).

4 18 11 Blueberries

The blueberry bushes really are not all that happy looking. They are all covered in fresh green leaves but I am needing to read up on what a blueberry needs to really get established. I seem to remember something about how they like a pine needle mulch.

4 18 11 Strawberry blossoms

Crop Plant: Growing Strawberries in Your Edible Garden

Mr. A’s strawberries are looking incredible and there are dozens of blossoms and little baby strawberries filling the box. These are an easy crop to get started and we purchased ever-bearing and June bearing plants so we will have a longer harvest. (There is a challenge for strawberries if you are interested.)

4 18 11 Pear Blossoms

Pears Nature Study

We were very surprised to see so many blossoms on the pear tree this year. We had pruned it way back to keep it out of the neighbor’s yard and this seems to have been agreeable to the tree. We might get a dozen pears this year….well, we can hope for that.

4 28 11 Garden birdfeeder figs
Figs….does anyone really like figs? This tree was here when we moved in 25 years ago and we have tried to cut it down several times, just to have it grow back more lush than ever. We have finally come to grips with it and we share the fruits with those in our lives who enjoy them. The birds like them too so I guess it is worth the mess.

4 28 11 Garden birdfeeder  with tomato and grapes

Crop Plant: Tomato Nature Study in Your Edible Garden

Tomato in a pot to cover the ugly stump….sounds like a good idea and if it doesn’t do well we can always move it. We also have seedless grapes planted there on the fence to shield the ugly propane tank from view when we are sitting on the back deck. They vines get so green and climb all over, producing little sweet bites to nibble when I am out in the back watering in the hot summer sun. (There is a challenge for tomatoes if you are interested.) Do you have a place for a tomato in a pot?

Bat in house 5 11 (1)

Bats Nature Study

Another reminder to us: Keep the back door closed in the evenings. This bat made its way INTO the house last week. The cat may have brought it inside but we aren’t entirely sure. We had a comedy act going on trying to get it to fly back outside. My boys ran and got the butterfly net and we were able to get him in the corner and inside the net.

He really calmed down and just hung in the net long enough for us to get a good look at him. We released him outside and he fly away so gracefully. (There is a challenge for bats if you are interested.)

We are ready to start doing some nature study and the boys have been discussing what subjects we will study for the month as part of the new format of the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Don’t forget you can pick from any of the topics: wildflowers, garden flowers, birds, and/or mammals. You can chose one from each category or stick with one topic and study four of them in a row. Please feel free to make the challenges work and build on interest you find with your children.

Gardening Projects for Kids is more than a "how to" garden book. It encourages a gardening way of life – in your backyard working and playing together.

More Homeschool Garden Activities to Enjoy!

Homeschool Garden Activities for May Nature Studies – These homeschool garden activities are perfect for your May nature studies. Includes outdoor activities and gardening tips for kids.

Gardening Projects for KidsGardening Projects for Kids by Whitney Cohen and John Fisher is much more than a “how to” garden book. It is more than suggestions for getting started with gardening with your children. It is in fact a book that encourages a gardening way of life..spending lots of time with your children in the outdoors in your backyard working and playing together. I love this message found throughout the book.

100+ Ideas to Use in Creating a Backyard Habitat – Here are 100+ ideas to use in creating your backyard habitat! This list is for all of us to use in creating a backyard habitat designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies. I’ve heard from so many of my readers that they think their backyard space is boring or nothing out of the ordinary.

How to Create a Winter Garden with Shelter for Wildlife – Here are a few of the ways we keep our yard as a wildlife habitat in winter. We have structured our garden to help encourage wildlife to visit all year long. Create a Winter Garden and add shelter for wildlife with these easy and effective resources and tips.

The Ultimate List of Garden and Wildflowers Nature Study with the Outdoor Hour Challenges – You can enjoy a simple garden and wildflowers homeschool nature study with these resources we have gathered for you to use in your own backyard. It is such a delight to study and learn about a garden and the beauty of wildflowers!

Planting a Rainbow Book Activities: Flower Craft and Nature Game – This book is a fun way to introduce children to gardening. Each page has vibrant illustrations of bulbs and flowers. Children can see how different plants and flowers come in all different colors—-all the colors of the rainbow.

How to Make a Wagon Garden – such a fun way to make container gardens around book themes!

Best Tips for Starting Seeds for a Flower Garden – Growing plants from seeds is easy! Here are the best tips for starting seeds for a flower garden. If you are new to gardening and need some tips, I will give you some step-by-step instructions.

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy, September 2009. Updated by Tricia April 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

Enjoy your week!

By Barb McCoy, May 2011

Posted on Leave a comment

Leaves of Three Study For Kids: Poison Ivy, Poison Oak and Poison Sumac

Our leaves of three study for kids includes identification and first aid tips for poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac.

It is very important for those of us who take our children out into the woods for nature study to be able to recognize poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.

Our leaves of three study for kids includes identification and first aid tips for poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac.

Where we live we have an abundance of poison oak and this time of the year it is actually very pretty and easy to identify. I know in other parts of the country there is poison ivy and poison sumac as well.

Identifying Poison Oak, Poison Ivy, and Poison Sumac

Educate yourself with photos of these different leaves in nature!

Our leaves of three study for kids includes identification and first aid tips for poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac.

This video does a great job of explaining everything you should know before you take a walk in the woods and potentially come into contact with poison oak, poison ivy, or poison sumac. Knowledge is always a good thing.

Poison Oak First Aid Tips

My husband says that in his job as a wildland firefighter, they use Tecnu after any exposure. We are going to get some and have it on hand for those times we think we may have come into contact with poison oak. I would hate for you to unknowingly expose anyone to something potentially dangerous. On the other hand, don’t get too worried either.

Just remember the “leaves of three, let it be” rule and you should do a good job of avoiding contact.

We have had our share of poison oak rashes in our family and I think most of our exposure comes from our family pets. Don’t miss that part of the video.

Our leaves of three study for kids includes identification and first aid tips for poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac.

Poison Oak Nature Study: Creepy Things Curriculum

Homeschool Nature Study members enjoy a course fills with fun topics to explore. In the Creepy Things curriculum, you can take a deep dive into Leaves of Three Awareness Study with Poison Oak. Filled with

  • resources
  • a printable information sheet
  • Outdoor Hour time suggestions
  • information on birds and animals that eat the poison plant and its berries
  • first aid information on exposure
  • notebooking pages for follow up journaling activities
  • Advanced studies: creating a nature journal about poisonous plants (includes a printable)

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy, September 2009. Updated by Tricia April 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

Posted on Leave a comment

Watercolors For Outdoor Nature Journaling: On the Go Tips

Watercolors For Outdoor Nature Journaling! These on the go tips will help you make the most of outdoor journaling – while hiking OR enjoying your backyard!

I have been sharing my hopes for a colorful “artist’s garden” to sit and sketch in over the summer. I am impatient for all my flowers to start growing but I was inspired this morning by my colorful blooming flowers on the back deck, waking to the sun and warmer temperatures totally lifts my mood and urges me to step outside.

Watercolors For Outdoor Nature Journaling! These on the go tips will help you make the most of outdoor journaling - while hiking OR enjoying your backyard!

Create a Colorful Artist’s Garden for Outdoor Sketching In Your Own Backyard

The hummingbirds were darting in and out of the feeders hanging from the eaves on the back of the house and the bees were buzzing among the flowers. It was peaceful. I brought my new favorite art supplies and my nature journal to do a quick sketch and watercolor. Honestly this page took me about twenty minutes start-to-finish, including deciding what to draw and finding a comfortable spot to sit.

Watercolors For Outdoor Nature Journaling! These on the go tips will help you make the most of outdoor journaling - while hiking OR enjoying your backyard!

Watercolor Quick Sketch in the Garden


I made a quick sketch with my Prismacolor marker and didn’t worry too much about exact proportions or numbers of petals. I think that is the difference between art and taking a photo….if you want an exact representation you really should just take a photo. I was going more for capturing my mood and the vibrant color.

Watercolors For Outdoor Nature Journaling! These on the go tips will help you make the most of outdoor journaling - while hiking OR enjoying your backyard!

Watercolors For Outdoor Nature Journaling: On the Go Tips


I used my little field box of watercolors. I shared this set of watercolors with some friends at a nature study presentation a few weeks ago and they were amazed at how small and light this little box is in real life.

Using a Field Box of Watercolors for Outdoor Nature Journaling on The Go

I am going to start carrying this in my daypack when I hike so I can add some quick color to my nature journal when I am out and about. It even includes a small brush and a vial to carry some water if you need it. (I rarely carry water for watercolors when I hike since I usually have a water bottle or there is a stream or creek to scoop up some water for my art.)

Watercolors For Outdoor Nature Journaling! These on the go tips will help you make the most of outdoor journaling - while hiking OR enjoying your backyard!

The paint colors are so vibrant! I filled in the sketch with some watercolors with a sort of  “sketchy” style where I don’t worry too much about filling in the edges perfectly and if I color outside the lines that is okay too.


I came back with my Prismacolor marker and just outlined the petals again to sort of clean up the edges. I added a date and a caption to complete my page.

gerbera daisy journal (1)

This is my first garden sketch in what I hope will lead to a whole book full of colorful sketches.

Field Nature Journaling Supplies

Here are the the supplies.

  • Koi WaterColors Pocket Field Sketch Box: The watercolors are a little pricey but the paints seem like they are going to go a long way….lots of color for a little amount of paint.
  • The Prismacolor marker set is one that I got awhile back. There is such a great variety in this little set and I have been using mine weekly and have yet to use any of them up.

More Nature Journaling and Flower Nature Studies for Your Homeschool

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy, May 2011. Updated by Tricia April 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

Posted on 1 Comment

Garden Flowers: Geraniums are the Perfect Beginner’s Flower Study

When picking garden flowers, geraniums are the perfect beginner’s garden flower study and the red flowers attract hummingbirds too!

When picking garden flowers, geraniums are the perfect beginner's garden flower study and the red flowers attract hummingbirds too!

Garden Flowers: Geraniums are the Perfect Beginner’s Flower Study

Up until now, I have not appreciated the geranium. I usually don’t pick geraniums for my garden but after reading that hummingbirds were attracted to red flowers I decided to give them a try. I picked the reddest variety I could find at Home Depot, brought it home, and potted it right under my hummingbird feeder.

When we were deciding on a garden flower to study this month as part of the suggestions in the Outdoor Hour Challenge, I skimmed the list of garden flowers in the Handbook of Nature Study.

When picking garden flowers, geraniums are the perfect beginner's garden flower study and the red flowers attract hummingbirds too!

One flower we have not observed closely and added to our nature journal is the geranium. I turned over to the pages to read about this common flower and I was dazzled by all that we could learn by taking a few minutes to follow the suggested lesson activities. (Lesson 163 in the Handbook of Nature Study)

When picking garden flowers, geraniums are the perfect beginner's garden flower study and the red flowers attract hummingbirds too!
1. We observed the leaves, touching them and enjoying the fuzzy texture. Mr. B said that they were thick and stiff and I would agree with that. What a great shape the leaves are and I decided right away that was going to be the focus of my nature journal entry.

5 14 11 Geranium In a Pot Red
2. We looked at the petals as suggested in the lesson, noticing that all the five petals are not the same shape and size. Anna Botsford Comstock says that this flower is the perfect beginners flower since you can observe and name all the parts easily.

“The geranium’s blossom is so simple that it is of special value as a subject for a beginning lesson in teaching the parts of a flower; and its leaves and stems may likewise be used for the first lessons in plant structure.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 585

5 14 11 Geranium Stem Buds and Flowers
3. We read about the nectar tube and took a closer look at it after reading how the structure works.

“No other flower shows a prettier plan for guiding insects to the hidden sweets, and in none is there a more obvious and easily seen well of nectar. It extends almost the whole length of the flower stalk…”
Handbook of Nature Study page 586

This garden flowers: geraniums lesson was only a few minutes long on a sunny morning out on our back deck but what a lot of information we now have about this common garden plant. I love learning more about my own backyard.

Geranium Notebook Page and Coloring Page

Each person can pick a different design for their nature journal entry. I used the coloring page and the lined page with boxes for sketching and a photo. I was thinking that the coloring page is something you could make yourself using the Fill In The Circle idea.

Geranium Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenge in Homeschool Nature Study Membership

Homeschool Nature Study Members enjoy an in-depth study of geraniums, including:

  • Video: Types of Geraniums
  • Video: How to Grow Geraniums
  • Handbook of Nature Study references and suggestions
  • Outdoor Hour Time: Visiting the garden nursery and Garden Nursery Field Trip Mini Book
  • Spring Walk: Observing a geranium up close or another spring flower
  • Attracting hummingbirds
  • Nature Journaling suggestions and follow up time
  • Video: Advanced studies on propagating geraniums

More Garden Flower Nature Studies and Suggestions

Can you tell I am going for lots of color this year? Can you tell I am going for lots of color this year?

5 14 11 Lantana in a Pot

Lantana for the bees and butterflies.

5 14 11 Petunias Pink

Petunias (Lesson 162 in the Handbook of Nature Study)

5 14 11 Pansies and Alyssum

Pansies (Lesson 152 in the Handbook of Nature Study)

5 14 11 Gerbera Daisies Orange

Gerbera daisies

You can grow a lot of different flowers in pots even if you only have a small space. I encourage you to give it a try and then complete some of the garden flower Outdoor Hour Challenges. Keep your study simple by choosing just a few of the ideas in each lesson, building on what you already know.

I hope you are taking advantage of the warmer, drier weather to get out into your own backyard. I look forward to seeing your nature study adventures!

More Spring Nature Study Activities

Here are some more dandelion resources to enjoy!

  • Discover a Dandelion Nature Study – Though you may consider the dandelion a weed, there is so much to discover in this dandelion wildflower nature study for your homeschool. This is simple and delightful learning in your own backyard!
  • Dandelions Outdoor Hour – I’ve always viewed dandelions as either a childhood delight or a nuisance. They tend to spread so quickly in a yard you are trying to keep free of weeds. But their seeds are also so much fun to blow and spread. A joy to watch catch the wind!
Geranium Art Lesson - Our sister website has a beautiful geranium art lesson by Nana to enjoy! Ultimate members have access to it!
  • Geranium Art Lesson – Our sister website has a beautiful geranium art lesson by Nana to enjoy! Ultimate members have access to it!
  • How to Draw a Dandelion Art Lesson – One of the icons of warm weather is the dandelion. Have you ever studied the detail of this beautiful creation? Oh there are so many ways you could paint it! This dandelion chalk pastel art tutorial is inspired by a photo I took last spring.
  • Take Along Nature Guides for Homeschool – I’m always looking for appealing books to help us out in our nature study to help spark my kids’ interest in all things outdoors.  When I found my first “Take-Along Guide” at a used book store, I was interested so I purchased it.  But it was later when I began really reading it that I became really interested.
Getting Started nature study close to home

Get your FREE Getting Started: Nature Study Close to Home (includes three challenges!)

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy, May 2011. Updated by Tricia April 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

Posted on 3 Comments

Beautiful Spring Green Nature Journal Ideas

Enjoy these beautiful spring green nature journal ideas! The spring world just begs to be sketched – capturing the various shades of green.

Enjoy these spring green nature journal ideas! The spring world just begs to be sketched – capturing the various shades of green.

The colors of the flowers as they blossom in the warming sun just cry out to us to observe them closer, to see their intricate details. As I gather a few of our early spring flowers to record in my nature journal, I am struck the with the varying shades of green that appear in the leaves of these springtime beauties.

Spring Green journal with colored pencils
So many shades of green!

Spring Green Nature Journal Ideas

Each stem and leaf is a different shade of green, or they are even a mixture of greens that need our careful scrutiny if we are going to get them just right in our journal. Some leaves are olive green, some are emerald green, and some are dark green. I invite you to look at your garden greens and see if you don’t notice it too.

Spring Green journal - leaf
I count myself a very careful observer of nature. I spend lots of time in my garden enjoying the many varieties of plants, bushes, and trees, but I didn’t even notice the reddish edges on this leaf until I brought it inside to sketch into my nature journal. This illustrates the value of slowing down and taking the time to keep a nature journal…you are blessed with better powers of observation.

This is true in adults and also in children. We can help train our children to have better observation skills in all areas of their life if we use nature journaling as a skill-building tool.

Out of sheer self-indulgence I decided to make a couple pages in my journal with all the different greens I have in my colored pencil collection. I made small little sample splotches of color for each of the greens in my watercolor pencil and regular colored pencil sets. I labeled each color patch with the name on the pencil or in some cases the number on the pencil. This way I can use it as a reference whenever I need to find just the right green for a sketch. The color palette of spring is very different than that of autumn or winter.

Spring Green journal - sketching a leaf
Note to self: I think I have a lot of shades of green pencils…no need for any more.

Spring Nature Study In Your Homeschool

Now I am ready to make some nature journal entries! You may wish to include this nature journal idea as part of your Spring Wildflowers study.

More Nature Ideas for Your Homeschool

Let these give you even more nature journal ideas!

Easy Preschool Science Nature Journals – My daughters have their own paper bag nature journal. The inside pages have a place where they can draw what they have observed on our nature walk. This is a perfect nature craft for kids!

The Ultimate Guide to Nature Journaling: Tips for Writing About Nature – We’ve gathered the best tips for writing about nature in this ultimate guide to nature journaling. What a wonderful, joyful way to expand your homeschool nature study!

Creating a Nature Journal Supply Kit for Your Homeschool – It is simple, inexpensive and is easy to do!

Nature Study Calendar included in Membership!

For even more homeschool nature study ideas, join us in Homeschool Nature Study membership! You’ll receive new ideas each and every week that require little or no prep – all bringing the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get Outdoors!

First published April 2012 by Barb, updated by Tricia March 2025

Posted on Leave a comment

100+ Ideas To Use In Creating Your Backyard Habitat

A giant list of 100+ ideas to use in creating your backyard habitat designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies!

Here are 100+ ideas to use in creating your backyard habitat! This list is for all of us to use in creating a backyard habitat designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies. I’ve heard from so many of my readers that they think their backyard space is boring or nothing out of the ordinary.

So this week, I’m going to challenge you all to get outside and prove yourselves wrong!

A giant list of 100+ ideas to use in creating your backyard habitat designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies!

100+ Ideas To Use In Creating Your Backyard Habitat: Attract Birds, Bees and Butterflies

Every space has something to observe, and the list below will help you start thinking differently about whatever your outdoor space is currently looking like at the beginning of spring.

As part of the process in creating a backyard habitat, the first step is to make an assessment of what you already have and then decide how you can improve it. Challenge your children to check off as many things as they can from the list below.

summer garden 2020 - A giant list of 100+ ideas to use in creating your backyard habitat designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies!
Last year’s garden was filled with lots of living things.

What Do You Observe in Your Own Backyard?

  • Trees: leaves, bark, twigs, roots, flowers, cones, needles, seeds, pods, nests, birds
  • Patch of weeds: leaves, roots, bugs, flowers
  • Dirt: worms, gravel, stones, seeds, mud, ants, mushrooms, moss
  • Sky: clouds, sun, moon, stars, birds
  • Air: temperature, wind, smells, breath on a cold morning
  • Birds: flying, pecking, eating, chirping, hopping, shapes and colors, beaks, wings, tails, feet
  • Sounds: wind, frogs, rain, leaves, crickets, bees, fly buzzing, mosquitoes
  • Weather: rain, clouds, temperature, snow, ice, dew, wind
  • Flowers (garden or in a pot): petals, pollen, roots, leaves, stem, fragrance, shapes, colors, seeds

We need to train our eyes and hearts to be open to the opportunities that arise in our everyday travels.

A giant list of 100+ ideas to use in creating your backyard habitat designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies!

Wildlife Habitat Plan with 25 More Ideas – With Requirements For Certified Wildlife Habit!

Homeschool Nature Study Members can enjoy this Wildlife Habitat Plan (with Requirements for a Certified Wildlife Habitat!) with prompts for 25 more ideas for your backyard habitat!

What would you add to the list?

A giant list of 100+ ideas to use in creating your backyard habitat designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies!

More Resources For Homeschool Nature Study

Enjoy these ideas for even more inspiration:

How to Make Your Backyard a Natural Habitat for Wildlife – Here are some simple ways you can make your backyard a natural habitat for wildlife. You will love having the opportunity to have nature come to you in your very own backyard. Involve your whole family in the project and spend some time outdoors!

150 Homeschool Nature Study Ideas to Get Your Family Outdoors – nature study ideas and outdoors sorts of things! Make a list of your own and get outdoors!

How to Make a Butterfly Puddle – Here is an easy step-by-step on how to make a butterfly puddle right in your own backyard.


Attracting Birds to Your Yard – Here you will find all sorts of ideas for attracting birds to your yard for homeschool nature study and birdwatching.

Homemade Suet Recipe for Your Backyard Birds – Enjoy a homemade suet recipe and see how our homeschool family studied and learned about which type of food attracts a variety of backyard birds!

Nature Study Calendar included in Membership!

For even more homeschool nature study ideas, join us in Homeschool Nature Study membership! You’ll receive new ideas each and every week that require little or no prep – all bringing the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get Outdoors!

by Barb, March 2021 and updated by Tricia March 2025

Posted on 32 Comments

Gardening Projects for Kids – Growing Your Own Little Gardener

Gardening Projects for Kids is more than a "how to" garden book. It encourages a gardening way of life – in your backyard working and playing together.

Gardening Projects for Kids by Whitney Cohen and John Fisher is much more than a “how to” garden book. It is more than suggestions for getting started with gardening with your children. It is in fact a book that encourages a gardening way of life..spending lots of time with your children in the outdoors in your backyard working and playing together. I love this message found throughout the book.

Gardening Projects for Kids by Whitney Cohen and John Fisher is much more than a "how to" garden book. It is more than suggestions for getting started with gardening with your children. It is in fact a book that encourages a gardening way of life..spending lots of time with your children in the outdoors in your backyard working and playing together. I love this message found throughout the book.

It is exciting to find a resource that gathers many easy to use ideas, presents them in a way that is enjoyable to look at, and lights a fire inside me to get outside into our garden as soon as possible. This book does a great job at showing how ordinary families with ordinary kids can get outside and make memories that will last a lifetime. What a great supplement to the Outdoor Hour Challenges!

Gardening Projects for Kids – Growing Your Own Little Gardener

The Book of Gardening Projects for Kids: 101 Ways to Get Kids Outside, Dirty, and Having Fun

Want to get a glimpse into what this book has to offer? Here is a short video on YouTube!

Gardening is an important way to connect our children with nature. Gardening allows for casual talk about things we observe as we plant seeds, water seedlings, weed, and harvest the goodies from our garden beds. The Book of Gardening Projects for Kids is a visual feast for the eyes and will inspire you to make room for a garden in your yard. This delightful book is just so much fun to look at and paging through it I just can’t help but smile.

Don’t have a garden yet? Don’t worry! It is never too late to get started.

Backyard - Early Spring
I garden and my son takes a scooter break.
“Your joyful work in the garden is the most likely thing to encourage your kids to join in…..Simple role model gardening with a joyful attitude and an open mind, and your kids may find it contagious.”

Making Gardens Fun for Kids section 

Gardening is a time for them to work as well as to play. They can explore the garden while you do the garden chores. The book shows ways to incorporate play in your garden from the smallest toddler all the way up to teens. This book shows you how to “weave the garden into your everyday lives”.

 
The projects in this book are more than your average list of things you would expect. Here are a few that caught my eye and make me wish my children were much younger.
1. Solo Garden Ramble- You set up a trail of notes for your child and as they follow your directions on their own they are cued to do certain things in the garden like smell a flower, look for shades of green, hug a tree, etc. I love the idea of fostering independent exploration.
2. Making Dolls From Flowers- This would have been a huge hit with my daughter when she was younger.
3. Blindfolded Meander – You guide your blindfolded child through the garden encouraging them to use all their other senses.

There are many projects in the book that are appealing to me even now that the children are older.

1. Growing a Rainbow of Cut Flowers
2. Homemade Tea Bags
3. Making Your Garden a Certified Wildlife Habitat
4. Rock Plant Markers
5. Lots and lots of recipes using produce from your garden

 
garden box beginnings
Creating Their Own Garden Box – Always a Highlight Each Spring

Gardening Projects for Kids is a book that families will want to look at together as you pick a few things to add to your garden each year. I am keeping it with my garden reference books so when I am picking seeds and planning when to sow them, I can pull this book out and be reminded that we need to have fun in the garden too!

The summer is nearing its end but there are still plenty of warm days and sunshine to start enjoying your garden with your children.

A in the butterfly garden
Older children can design their own garden space.

I can’t share all the wonderful ideas in this review but here are the chapter titles to capture your interest.


1. Making Gardens Fun for Kids
2. Designing a Play-Friendly Family Garden
3. Digging in With Kids: Planning, Growing, Thriving
4. Pizza Pies and Pumpkin Jungles: Theme Gardens
5. Wings, Webs, and Whiskers: Animals in the Garden
6. Garden Adventures and Games
7. Art in the Garden: Fun Projects for All
8. Cooking from the Garden: Snacks, Meals, and Other Tasty Activities
9. Preserving the Harvest
10. Let the Festivities Begin: Garden Celebrations

There is something to learn from each chapter in this book…in fact, there are 101 ideas packed into the pages. Our family gives this book a huge thumbs up and we are excited to use a few of the ideas when we plan next year’s garden.

I received this book to review from Timber Press and no other compensation. As always, the opinions expressed in my reviews are my own and are a fair and honest account of my experience with the product.

Gardening Projects for Kids is more than a "how to" garden book. It encourages a gardening way of life – in your backyard working and playing together.

More Homeschool Garden Activities to Enjoy!

Homeschool Garden Activities for May Nature Studies – These homeschool garden activities are perfect for your May nature studies. Includes outdoor activities and gardening tips for kids.

How to Create a Winter Garden with Shelter for Wildlife – Here are a few of the ways we keep our yard as a wildlife habitat in winter. We have structured our garden to help encourage wildlife to visit all year long. Create a Winter Garden and add shelter for wildlife with these easy and effective resources and tips.

The Ultimate List of Garden and Wildflowers Nature Study with the Outdoor Hour Challenges – You can enjoy a simple garden and wildflowers homeschool nature study with these resources we have gathered for you to use in your own backyard. It is such a delight to study and learn about a garden and the beauty of wildflowers!

Planting a Rainbow Book Activities: Flower Craft and Nature Game – This book is a fun way to introduce children to gardening. Each page has vibrant illustrations of bulbs and flowers. Children can see how different plants and flowers come in all different colors—-all the colors of the rainbow.

How to Make a Wagon Garden – such a fun way to make container gardens around book themes!

Gardening Projects for Kids is more than a "how to" garden book. It encourages a gardening way of life – in your backyard working and playing together.

Join The Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these garden and wildflowers resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing series on gardens and wildflowers plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Published August 2012 by Barb and updated 2025 by Tricia

Posted on Leave a comment

Nyctinasty Nature Study: Learn Why Flowers Close at Night

Learn why and how some flowers close up at night. Enjoy your own Nyctinasty Nature Study with these ideas.

I love learning about amazing things that happen right under my nose. Many of us have observed the way our dandelions are closed up tight in the morning and then the bloom opens up in the sunshine each day. But, have we taken the time to really understand how that happens and more importantly, why it happens? Enjoy this simple Nyctinasty Nature Study in your backyard!

Learn why and how some flowers close up at night. Enjoy your own Nyctinasty Nature Study with these ideas.

What is Nyctinasty ?

This unfamiliar word was first introduced in the early 1900’s by German botanist Wilhelm Pfeffer. He was a pioneer of plant physiology and molecular biology. Nyctinasty means: plant movement in response to light intensity; or the closing of flowers at night. Which ultimately can help to protect the pollen from dew.

Some flowers that open and close:

  • Daisies: White daisies close their petals as evening falls
  • Tulips: Close up at night
  • Poppies: Close up at night
  • Crocuses: Close up at night
  • Morning glories: Experience nyctinasty
  • Lotuses: Some water plants that close their flowers at night
  • Water lilies: Some water plants that close their flowers at night
  • Oxalises: Experience nyctinasty
  • Gazanias: Experience nyctinasty

Even the leaves of some plants, like those of certain legumes, open and close. Peas, chickpeas, soybeans, beans, and peanuts, fold up at night.

How does nyctinasty work?

Nyctinasty is controlled by the circadian clock. It’s associated with changes in light and temperature during the day. Plants change pressure in cells at the base of the leaf or petal, which swell or shrink to cause the movement.

Learn why and how some flowers close up at night. Enjoy your own Nyctinasty Nature Study with these ideas.

 

Nyctinasty Nature Study: Why Do Flowers Close At Night?

Nyctinasty Nature Study: Find a patch of daisies, dandelions, or poppies near your yard. Observe the flowers at different times of the day. What time of day do they open? What time do they start to close? Homeschool Nature Study Members can print the new Nyctinasty Worksheet and draw their observations. This worksheet is in the Member Database in the Wildflowers course.

Advanced Nyctinasty Nature Study: For an additional experiment, try covering a dandelion with a box to shut out the light. What do you think you will find when you take the box off the next day?

Taking time to notice these changes will help your child make a more intimate connection with the world around them. I guarantee you will look at dandelions differently after observing them up close!

More Flower Activities for Spring

Looking for more flowers to study? Try these other Nature Study Ideas:

A Simple Homeschool Science Activity: Food Coloring Flowers plus these…

Join The Homeschool Nature Study Membership

You will also find a continuing series on gardens and wildflowers plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study Membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

 

first published April 2018 by Barb, updated by Stef March 2025