Barb, Author at Homeschool Nature Study

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge Skunk Cabbage Nature Study

You may never have heard of this this week’s subject, skunk cabbage! Our family has encountered it on several hikes that have taken us along creeks and damp places. Keep your eyes on the look out for this rather large, green plant and the tell- tale flower and perhaps even the odor.

Just for Fun: Before you begin your study of skunk cabbage, ask your children why they think this plant is called skunk cabbage. Let them guess and throw out ideas. You might even add these ideas to your nature journal page.

Choose your resource for skunk cabbage. This can be an online site like National Wildlife Federation or Wildflower.org.
You can also view the information found at the USDA for skunk cabbage to see its range: (Eastern) skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) and American skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus ).

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog but you’ll find the detailed challenge in the Forest Fun ebook that is available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, a coloring page, and notebook pages.

We are working through the Forest Fun ebook which is a brand new series of nature studies featuring things you might find in the forest. It’s not too late to join us by purchasing an Ultimate Naturalist or Journey level membership.

Topics in this ebook include:

Rabbitbrush

Skunk Cabbage

Azalea

Common Raven

California Quail

Western Tanager

Black Bear

Moose

Porcupine

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 24 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

New Printables for Members – Antlers, Horns, and Panting

Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:

1. Antlers and Horns Notebook Page: Have you ever researched the difference between antlers and horns? This notebook page will be a perfect place to record your findings.

2. Panting in Mammals Notebook Page: Here is your chance to look into why animals pant and then put your information down in your nature journal.

(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)

Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.

Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

New Printables for Members! Learn More About Winter Leaves

Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:

Lenticels Notebook Page and Winter Leaves – Marcescence Notebook Page

1. Leaf Lenticels Notebook Page: Research the topic of tree lenticels and then record your facts on this simple notebook page. Take a walk around your neighborhood to see if you can find any lenticles to observe up close.

2. Winter Leaves – Marcescence: This is a new topic for more advanced nature study. Research the topic of marcescence and then complete the notebook page for your journal.

(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)

Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.

Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Brand New Outdoor Hour Challenge: Raven Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Forest Fun – Raven Nature Study

Ravens are a common sight to many of us here in North America. This week you can use the link below as well as the challenge in the new Forest Fun ebook to learn what ravens look like, what they sound like, and what their diet includes. Your children should be able to identify the raven by sight and by their sound after you finish your raven nature study time.

Choose a resource to learn more about ravens. A terrific website for bird information is All About Birds: Common Raven.
Ravens are often mistaken for crows so a study of this similar bird might be helpful. Lesson 32 in the Handbook of Nature Study will help you learn more about the crow. In addition, there is an Outdoor Hour Challenge for the crow in the archives: Black Birds.

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you’ll find the detailed challenge in the Forest Fun ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Brand New Outdoor Hour Challenge: Porcupine Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Porcupine Nature Study

This week we’re going to be learning about one of the most fascinating animals that you can find living in the forest, the porcupine! Most children have seen photos of porcupines and are curious about the quills of the porcupine. Take this week to use the Forest Fun ebook challenge featuring porcupines to learn more about this animal with your children.

To get a basic description and images for your porcupine study, use an online site like National Wildlife Federation or the San Diego Zoo. More advanced information can be found here: BioKids—Porcupines.

If you are having trouble signing into your account, please email me directly and I will reset your password. We recently had a server crash and our restoration did not update all of the passwords. Email me at harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge-Winter Weather Walk and More

Use one of the ideas listed below to take a winter weather walk. There are so many variations of this nature study idea that I’m sure you’ll find one that sparks your interest. Why not pick one and get outside this week as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge?

Winter Weather Walk – with a printable

Winter Nature Walk – with a printable

Winter Wonder Walk – printable in the More Nature Study – Winter ebook

Use Your Senses Nature Walk

Winter Silent Walk

If you’re on Instagram, you can use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge to connect with other families using the Outdoor Hour Challenge all around the world. I also check the hashtag and am always happy to see what families are doing each week to get outside together.

You can follow me on Instagram to see what I’m doing each week.

Have you seen the new ebooks?

We’ll be starting with the challenges in this ebook next week! Click over and see all the interesting topics that we’ll be learning about together with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Barb — 4 Comments

Read About My Nature Study Goals 2020

I started thinking on my new nature study goals about a month ago when I was in the thick of packing up my mother-in-law’s belongings so she could move to Oregon to be nearer to us. It brought into focus for me what is truly important in my life and what brings me happiness and contentment. It was clear that “things” are not my focus but rather making memories, keeping a sense of adventure about the world, and continuing to learn about the creation that I see in my everyday life.

With that experience and insight fresh in my mind, I made a new list of nature study goals for 2020.

Keep a nature journal.
Add to our backyard habitat. We are thinking of adding a water feature!
Take local hikes.
Make notes in my field guides. I love it when I turn to a page in my field guide and I’ve written the date of an observation or a location of a sighting.
Continue to participate in Project Feederwatch and the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Visit a new national park

Please note these are Amazon affiliate links to products I own and love.

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – January World Nature Study

This week we are going to ease back into our nature study routine with an easy activity from the January 2012 newsletter. If you have any level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can access that newsletter in your library. You will need to log into your account, scroll down to the newsletter section, then look for January 2012.

Open the newsletter and look at page 9. You can print a copy of this page for each of your children. Cut out the study grid and adhere it into your nature journal. Use the prompts to make observations about your January habitat and other simple nature-related activities.

You can learn more about how to creatively use the study grid in this entry:

Using Printables From the HNS Newsletter.

Click the button above to see a complete list of newsletters available and their contents.

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Goals -End of the Year Recap

Goal: the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

Well, here we are at the end of another year. 2019 started off with my being extremely hopeful about the prospect of getting outside on my two new hips. I was determined to be strong enough to hike some new trails and to spend a lot of time outdoors.

Then our family situation changed rapidly and it took a rather large chunk of my time and energy. Both sets of our aging parents required us to help them downsize and move out of their homes and into different living situations. We struggled through hospice, strokes, deaths, and moves across state lines.

This was not part of my vision for 2019 at all.

But, because I know it helps us to stay balanced emotionally, we made time to be outdoors when we had the opportunity. I kept my nature goals in mind and made tentative plans each month to go somewhere new and experience the refreshing powers of the outdoors. Those plans didn’t always pan out but it helped to keep them in front of us.

Looking at the definition of a goal I realized that I was indeed working with effort towards an aim or an end. The aim was to use the Outdoor Hour Challenges to learn more about my local habitat, to keep a detailed record of my nature observations, and to keep on hiking/kayaking as much as we could.

I think we achieved most of those goals.

In addition, I visited a new national park and rode my bike far more than I have in the last decade.

I’m choosing to look at the positives of keeping my nature goals, forgetting the perfectionist tendency to focus on what I didn’t accomplish in 2019. I will start again in 2020 with fresh goals and hopefully a little smoother ride through spring and summer than I had in 2019.

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – December 2019

Outdoor Mom – December 2019

Winter Sets In

I’m not sure how it got to be the end of December already, but here we are with a new year staring us in the face. The year 2019 has been a year of family upheaval, interspersed with short stretches of calm and space where my husband and I could get outside to enjoy Central Oregon. We forced ourselves this month to go outdoors even when the temperatures were at freezing or a little below. The key to being outside in the cold air is to be properly attired. Over the last three winters we’ve learned how to layer up to keep out the freezing winds and snowflakes.

During our outdoor time this month we went…

This month our snow started falling and the winter landscape came into view. The mountains in the distance glistened on sunny days with their snow caps. Our back pasture leading down to the river was covered in snow with only the tallest summer grasses still visible with brown stalks and drooping seed heads.

The most inspiring thing we experienced was…

The river has started to ice over and we can see small animal tracks on top of the ice where they crossed from one side to the other.

I also really enjoy the sunrises at this time of the year because of the way the light creates deep shadows and the sky is a kaleidoscope of pastel colors.

I added nature journal pages about…

I’ve been working on catching up in my nature journal. I have several pages started but not completed that record things I want to remember. In my nature journal, I try to record the sweetness of each season by listing the birds we observe, the mammal visitors we encounter and the highlights of special hikes or our travels. I’m currently working on pages for my trip to Acadia National Park, the coyote we see frequently outside our back fence and the mushrooms from our local autumn hikes.

Plans for Winter 2020

I’m planning on a new nature journal for 2020 that will combine daily and monthly observations. I will share about that sometime in January.

Also, my husband and I both decided we need new snowshoes to inspire us to get out on the local trails this winter.

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…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Author: Barb

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge Skunk Cabbage Nature Study

New Printables for Members – Antlers, Horns, and Panting

Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.

Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

New Printables for Members! Learn More About Winter Leaves

Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.

Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

Brand New Outdoor Hour Challenge: Raven Nature Study

Brand New Outdoor Hour Challenge: Porcupine Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge-Winter Weather Walk and More

Have you seen the new ebooks?

Read About My Nature Study Goals 2020

Outdoor Hour Challenge – January World Nature Study

Nature Goals -End of the Year Recap

Outdoor Mom – December 2019

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!