We’ve had a great summer here in Central Oregon. There have been so many things learned about new birds and plants! I hope that you had a great summer of nature study too.
At the start of this last season here on the Handbook of Nature Study, I’m offering a large discount to new members. Please read the information below because I need you to be aware that the website and the member’s library will only be available until 12/31/21. At that time, I’m going to be going into full retirement and shutting the website off.
Note: If you did not read the post about the plan for the Handbook of Nature Study for the rest of the 2021 calendar year, here’s a link that you should read:
Sage is a common medicinal and culinary herb in the mint family. It is attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds. Sage is a wonderful addition to your garden and is easy to grow for even beginning gardeners.
Sage is a drought tolerant evergreen plant or shrub that grows approximately 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. It can become a woody shrub if you don’t keep it trimmed. You can grow sage in well-drained areas of your garden that have lots of sun.
Here are a few ideas for observations to get you started in your sage study:
What is the height of the sage stem? Feel the shape, color, and thickness of the stem. Note the arrangement of the leaves on the stem.
Look at the sage leaves and observe the shape, color, and size. What is the texture of the leaf? Taste a few of the fresh leaves if possible. Crush a few of the sage leaves in the palm of your hand to bring out the aroma.
Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
You will need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the herb ebook download.
Once you download your ebook, you will have complete access to the challenge. This includes additional links, resources, study ideas, and printables.
Last year I announced that I would be retiring soon, and over the past year there was a slowing down of posting and creating new materials here on the Handbook of Nature Study. During this next season, my Friday posts will be some of my most beloved ideas to assist families in their continued nature study. These entries will hopefully inspire you to create your own nature study plan with fundamental ideas that have worked both for my own family and for many other families who have participated in the Outdoor Hour Challenge over the years.
Transitions are always hard. I appreciate your understanding. Our family continues to deal with elder care and health issues. These responsibilities prevent me from devoting as much time as I would like to helping families with their nature studies. But I’ve hung on for so long because I truly love what I’ve shared and created via the Outdoor Hour Challenge. These decisions have not come without great thought and consideration.
What Should You Do?
I will be continuing to post my weekly Friday nature posts until 12/31/21. Please make sure you’re subscribed to the blog posts so you will receive my weekly posts in your email box. If these posts are something that helps you in your nature study, keep the emails in a folder for future reference. Each post will have links for you to further explore using materials in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.
Very Important
Members to the Ultimate Naturalist Library will have access to all the ebooks, newsletters, and printables until 12/31/2021. At that point, I will be closing down the Handbook of Nature Study website.
In anticipation of the shutting down of the website, I highly encourage members to download and save any materials you wish to use in the future. I know this is a big job, but I hope by giving you plenty of notice you’ll make time to build your own library with the materials I have created.
Please note you can still purchase a membership as long as the website is up. I’ll be posting a discount code later this month if you’d like to wait for that before purchasing.
P.S. Just as a side note, I did attempt to create a website to stay live on the internet for members, but I had a bad experience with a designer who took my money and then disappeared. I have no budget to try again.
Already a member? You’ll need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the herb ebook download. Once you download your ebook, you’ll find the complete challenge with observation ideas, additional links, notebook page, images, and a coloring page.
In the Herb ebook are eight brand new Outdoor Hour Challenges for you to complete as part of your nature study lessons with your children. These challenges are not based on information in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You’ll be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.
Here are the specific topics included in this ebook:
This week we’re going to learn about dill as part of our herb nature study. Listed below are some suggested observations to make while observing your dill sample. This aromatic and delicious herb is easy to study and is a common item in many produce departments and garden nurseries.
Dill Observation Ideas
Observe the dill plant’s leaves and stem. Measure the height of your dill plant and keep a record as it matures.
Observe the foliage and draw it in your nature journal. What is the texture of the leaf? Crush a few of the leaves and describe its aroma. Taste the dill. Does it remind you of any of your favorite foods?
Observe the flowers if they are present. Can you see 5 tiny petals and 5 tiny stamens? What is the flower’s color and size? Do they have a fragrance?
Measure the flower umbel. Did you see any insects on the plant or flowers? You will often observe small wasps, flies, and hover flies on dill flowers.
Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study. You will need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the herb ebook download. Once you log in, you can download the Herb Ebook for the complete challenge, the notebook page, and the coloring page.
August 2021 Nature Study Plans – Outdoor Hour Challenge
We are finishing off the summer with the rest of the herb Outdoor Hour Challenges! I think that sounds like a perfect way to observe some interesting plants and enjoy a little deliciousness at the same time.
August 6, 2021 – Dill Herb Study
August 13, 2021 – Thyme Herb Study
August 20, 2021 – Lemongrass Herb Study
August 27, 2021 – Mint Herb Study
New Printables in the Members Library
Redwood Forest Habitat Notebook Page: Have you visited or are you dreaming of a redwood forest visit? This notebook page will give you a place to record your observations.
My Summer Nature Walk Notebook Page: After your nature walk, follow up by recording what you noted with your senses.
Last Days of Summer 2021 Grid Page: I can’t believe we are at the end of summer already! Use this grid from the archives to stimulate a little nature study before the season is over.
Snake Field Guide Notebook Page: Use this notebook page to record your snake observations or to keep track of your snake research.
Click the graphic above to view the complete list of printables available as part of an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.
Members also have access to the Nature Planner pages in their library. Print out this month’s page and use it to stimulate your weekly nature study time.
If you would like to have access to the member’s printables and the newsletter archive, I invite you to join with an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Your membership will be valid for one year from the date of purchase. Click the graphic above to see the many benefits of an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.
Here are some observation ideas from the challenge.
Observe the oregano plant’s leaves, stem, and flowers if present. What is the height of the oregano stems?
Feel the shape, color, and thickness of the stem. Note the arrangement of the leaves on the stem.
Look at the leaves and observe the shape and veins. What is the texture of the leaf? Taste a few of the fresh leaves if possible. Bring in a few leaves and dry them inside.
Observe the flowers if they are present. What is their color and size? Do they have a fragrance? Did you see any insects on the plant or flowers?
Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study. You’ll need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the Herb Ebook download.
Included in the Herb Ebook are eight brand new Outdoor Hour Challenges for you to complete as part of your nature study lessons with your children. These challenges are not based on information in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You will be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.
This 49-page digital ebook has 8 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn about some popular and common herbs you can easily grow in your garden.
There are multiple custom notebooking pages for each of the topics. You can choose from simple notebook pages or more advanced notebooking pages.
This year’s results from the Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards have been published in the Summer issue of the Practical Homeschooling magazine. The Handbook of Nature Study and the Outdoor Hour Challenges have once again been chosen to receive the honor of winning third place in the Elementary Science category.
Since 2008, families from around the world have participated in the Outdoor Hour Challenge. There is such joy in writing about things I love and then to be honored for sharing them with all of you. I wish I could personally thank each and every one of you for supporting my passion.
It makes my heart happy to know that so many families enjoy nature study as part of their regular science program. The lessons and skills honed by including nature study as part of your homeschooling week will be used in the years to come.
As a BIG thank you, I’m going to be extending a discount code for you to use towards ANY level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
Discount code: FRIENDS2021
Use this code at checkout and you will receive $10 off your purchase of a membership. Code will expire 8/9/2021.
If you choose an Ultimate Naturalist Library Membership, this will give you all current 26 ebooks available for downloading.
PLUS, you’ll receive access to the printables library with dozens of notebooking pages and activities for you to print out. PLUS, it will include access to all 76 archived issues of the monthly newsletter.
Now is the time to join so you can start using the resources right away and then for the next year of your membership! I will soon be publishing the year plan for 2021-2022. You can be assured that the plan includes many ideas from the Ultimate Naturalist Library and you will be constantly referring to the challenges, the printables, and the newsletters as part of the upcoming year plan.
Thank you so much for your love and support of the Handbook of Nature Study!
Don’t forget to use the discount code: FRIENDS2021
When our warm weather hits, time seems to just fly by fast and furious! It’s as if we know our summer days are precious and in a blink of an eye they’ll be gone. So, we try to pack as many adventures and memories as we can into the July hours.
I wake up early to bird song and I stay outside late watering the garden.
We keep the kayaks all ready to go and our hiking shoes right at the door.
I spend quiet time writing in my nature journal, keeping track of wildflowers, birds, and trails hiked.
Last year when we were all locked down and isolating, I dreamt of our summer days of freedom. This year it has made us appreciate every day we can freely move and travel and be with our kids. We’ve gone on family camping trips, family floating days in the hot sun, family hiking and lots of picnicking. The summer is not over yet, and we have plans for more time spent outdoors together.
Sweet, sweet summer.
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
The flowers have burst out in a riot of color. July is the time for enjoying the bounty of flowers we have that fill the garden. We experimented with reseeding our wildflower beds and expanding the sunflowers this year. In addition, we planted some new shrubs that have potential for berries long into the autumn. When a garden plan goes as expected, it brings such satisfaction. We have been blessed with an abundance of butterflies and hummingbirds this summer in part to our keeping their needs in mind as we picked new plants.
I have been trying to grow nasturtiums in my garden for many years. This year I planted Renee’s Garden seeds and they are thriving!
I’ll be writing soon about our Renee’s Garden seeds that are still growing and thriving.
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Looking back over the past few months, the most inspiring and fulfilling experience has been the abundance of nests and baby birds that have occurred right in our yard. We had robins, flickers, tree swallows, bluebirds, finches, doves, and chickadees all born within our eyesight. I love watching the birds as they fledge and fly off.
The addition of new nesting boxes really did reap us such happy memories this season. It went by way too fast. It’s been bittersweet to watch the birds take to flight, finding their way towards their next destination.
During our outdoor time, this month we went…
Tidepooling!!! This is one of my favorite outdoor activities. I was able to introduce my daughter-in-law to the joys of searching the shore for something living. She found a hermit crab and the smile she had told me that this girl is a kindred spirit.
I added nature journal pages about…
I sat on the beach several times during our coastal camping trip and sketched and wrote in my nature journal. These precious memories are now down on paper.
You can follow me on Instagram to see more of our outdoor life here in gorgeous Central Oregon.
Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?
Answer all or just one of the prompts in a blog entry on your own blog or right here on my blog in a comment. If you answer on your blog, make sure to leave me a link in a comment so that I can pop over and read your responses.
During our outdoor time, this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about) …
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
“The name ‘bee balm’ implies that the plant is attractive to bees. It is, but its long flower makes it less accessible to bees but easily accessible to hummingbirds.”
100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names
Read a little bit about bee balm using the links below.
If you’re interested in planting bee balm in your own garden, here’s a helpful link: How to grow bee balm.
Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study. You’ll need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the herb ebook download.
Included in the new Herb Ebook are eight brand new Outdoor Hour Challenges for you to complete as part of your nature study lessons with your children. These challenges are not based on information in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You will be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.
This 49-page digital ebook has 8 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn about some popular and common herbs you can easily grow in your garden.
There are multiple custom notebooking pages for each of the topics. You can choose from simple notebook pages or more advanced notebooking pages.
New Printables in the Members Library
