What an exciting month of nature study we all have ahead of us! This is the perfect time to be outdoors and to share these experiences with our children. The ideas are mostly suggested for evening nature study times but you can easily adapt them to fit your schedule.
When I lived in California, it was hot during the middle part of the day. In fact, many days were just too hot to even attempt to get the kids outdoors. But, we found the perfect time was in the evening after dinner, when it was still light out but cooling off. Many insects and animals feel the same way and will only be found out at sundown.
I invite you to use this month’s planning sheet to remind you to give these nature study ideas a try.
Please note there are additional nature study ideas listed on the planning page for you to use if you have access to the newsletter library. (Right now use the discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.)
In addition, I’ve created a few new printables for members to use this month as well.
Shore Birds Notebook Pages: This set of notebook pages features 7 birds for you to learn about and look for during your summer travels.
Tide Pool Habitat Notebook Page: Are you visiting a tide pool this month? Use this page to record your observations
5 Senses at Sunset Notebook Page: This is such a great page for everyone to use after your evening nature outings. There are places for writing, drawing, and for recording your observations using your senses.
Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.
To become a member, click on the Join Us linkat the top of the website.
Keeping a nature journal helps to remind me to slow down and create a record of some of the amazing things we see and experience as each week goes by. It’s easy to let the days slip away without taking note of the beautiful spring changes. But the sense of satisfaction as I flip back through my nature journal pages encourages me to keep at it even when I have a busy week.
I’m even trying to draw and paint more in my journal which is far out of my comfort zone.
I hope you are inspired to stop for a few creative moments this week to make a page in your journal and make the opportunity for your children to do the same.
Here are my entries for May!
We had a weekend trip over to the Willamette Valley for a few days of camping. We did a little hiking along the river and I so enjoyed the wildflowers! Not only the wildflowers, but the birds made this weekend special by providing the birdsong that followed us everywhere.
One day the sun was shining and the temperatures were warm so we decided to take my husband’s new fishing boat out on the lake. He rowed around fishing until his pole fell into the water! I sat on the shore watching the clouds, the birds, and the water…my happy place. We ended the day with a hike around the lake which yielded a fantastic bald eagle sighting. We were able to get close up and see him sitting on the top of a tree. Great memories!
One morning we were eating breakfast and looking out the window just like we normally do each day. My husband noticed an unusual bird hanging onto our suet feeder. He had unusual coloring and I grabbed my binoculars to get a closer look. He stuck around long enough that we got to make some notes of distinctive features and that enabled us to find him in our field guide. He was a Lewis’ woodpecker. This is a rather large woodpecker and he flew away with flapping wings. I’ve since seen another one alongside the road when I was out with a friend. I love being able to name a bird…makes it so special.
We have seen such changes in our landscape this month. I created a nature journal record of the many special moments we’ve had just out our back door. We spotted river otters in the river. We have marveled at swallows and chickadees building nests in our nesting boxes. I was delighted to see our Canada goose family with seven babies swimming in the water. We’ve also seen the return of the wildflowers as well as the tall grasses.
Have you taken a look at my updated nature journal page? Here’s a link to see some ideas to inspire you in your journaling efforts.
Don’t forget that I’m sharing a nature journal page each week on my Instagram account if you want to see the pages as they unfold. Follow me here:Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge.And, if you want to create a page and share it on your Instagram for me to see, use the hashtag #OHCnaturejournal.
This is an exciting nature study challenge! Use the suggestions in the archived post above to get started with your own moth study.
This is a nature study idea that’s as easy as turning on an outside light in the evening! The moths will come to you!
Moths are so much like butterflies in their variety and beauty. Don’t miss this special opportunity to be prepared for your next moth experience that will happen over the next season.
Use the free downloadable notebook pages for insects found in this entry: Ant Nature Study.
This ebook is found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.
This is a classic nature study that most children really enjoy. It will involve finding a local place to look for tadpoles, frogs, and/or toads. This can be a pond, stream, or lake; so take a few minutes and brainstorm where you could visit to observe these interesting creatures up close.
Use the link in the archive post above to read all about how to raise tadpoles.
We’re looking forward to some evenings outside listening for frogs and toads. It’s a relaxing time of day to be outdoors. Make sure to look up at the sky too!
Use the links in the archive post above to listen to the sounds of different frogs so your children will know what to listen for!
Join us for this exciting series of nature study topics as we work through the Summer Nature Study – Using Your Senses ebook. Don’t worry that it isn’t summer yet; the ebook title says summer but the nature study ideas inside can be used whenever you have an occasion to.
This ebook is found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.
Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.
It’s been awhile since I wrote a book review here on the Handbook of Nature Study. I try to share only the best of the books that make it to my home nature library shelf, the books I use all the time and LOVE. So, this book, Natural History of the Pacific Northwest Mountainsby Daniel Mathews, is just such a book! I use it as a reference when I return home from a hike and I’ve seen something that captured my interest.
It covers all the basics: trees, shrubs, flowers, ferns, mosses, lichens, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, geology and even the climate. (The topics are even color coded as a quick way to flip to the right section.)
The images are full-color photographs which helps make identifying unknown subjects easier. There are also clear line drawings of additional information like the leaf shape and bud shape that make identifying plants a snap.
Since I’m new to this part of the world, I enjoy just paging through the book and digging in deeper where I find something of interest. I’m currently working on the wildflower section since it’s coming up on spring and summer blooming season. I digested the bird section this past winter as I listed in my nature journal the birds that visited my yard and on the river behind our house.
This review includes Amazon.com affiliate links.
I’m also enjoying this book because it’s more than a field guide. There are boxes that introduce people (that plants and animals are named for), boxes that explain fascinating additional information on things like animal sonar, torpor and hibernation, wing shapes, corkscrew trees, and so on. I love learning little tidbits along with my nature study and many of these facts make their way into my nature journal.
Note: My home is not specifically in the range that this book covers, but I still find it particularly useful since we many times travel to the range that is included: western Washington, southwestern British Columbia, and northwestern Oregon.
I give this book two thumbs up if you live or visit this part of the world…my neck of the woods. It’s a valuable part of my local nature study library shelf.
I’ve written quite a few book reviews in the past as part of my Nature Book Projects. You can find the selections from 2016 in the link below. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to see the entire list.
We’re going to have some fun listening to the sounds of nature at night as we learn about bats! Everyone can get outside in the evening and use their senses to learn more about this time of day when many animals are active.
Make sure to check out the links at the bottom of the archive bat challenge for a closer look at these mammals that fly!
Join us for this exciting series of nature study topics as we work through the Summer Nature Study – Using Your Senses ebook. Don’t get hung up on the title of the ebook because these nature study topics are applicable at all times of the year. Where I live we don’t have summer or even real spring conditions yet, but we’re going to get outside in the evenings as the days get longer to make observations and learn more about things that happen at sundown.
This ebook is found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.
Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.
This month we are beginning with a new series of Outdoor Hour Challenges from the Summer Nature Study ebook. These challenges incorporate using your senses alongside observing nature in your neighborhood. All children should develop the ability to use all their senses when making careful observations. Focusing on these skills during nature study is a natural way to take their learning to a new level in a fun way.
New May Printable: This month there’s a fun new printable Farmers Market activity in the Members Library. Look for it in the “garden” section of your membership!
Please note there are additional nature study ideas listed on the planning page for you to use if you have access to the newsletter library. (Right now use the discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.)
Using the link above to the archived challenge, you’ll find a lot of helpful information on getting started with a gray bird nature study. Pick one or two of the ideas to get you started and then make sure to get outside to observe your backyard or neighborhood birds.
An advanced study would be to do a comparative study of the pigeon and the mourning dove.
This is our last bird study from the Learning About Birds ebook. I’ve enjoyed taking a closer look at the birds in our backyard using the Handbook of Nature Study and I hope you have too!
It’s found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.
Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.
Things are starting to look like spring around here and we’ve had an abundance of bird sightings and animals to watch. Seeing these things inspires me to get out my nature journal and get busy. I’ve found this to be the key to nature journaling: Find something interesting in nature to put on the page whether it’s a sketch, some words, a list, or a photo.
I’m still struggling with my sketching abilities (note the ground squirrel page below) but I know that practice makes perfect.
I wrote about this dilemma in an earlier blog post:
Above all, remember that a nature journal is a personal record of your own experiences in nature. There is no right or wrong way to do it. The only mistake you can make is to not take a few minutes each week to put something down on paper. Photos are great but taking the process to the next step makes a more lasting impression.
Here are my weekly entries for April!
I’m pretty happy with my lodgepole pine nature journal page. I managed to get a decent sketch of the tree shape along with some facts and a quote. Doing the research for this page has enabled me to pick out the lodgepole pines in our forest. My eyes now see the 2 needle bundles and the dead branches at the bottom of the trunk which helps me identify this particular pine from the others.
In an attempt to get to know my local habitat better, I decided to create a simple chart in my nature journal that compares the most common shrubs in our area. It took some time to do the research but it has already helped me pick out the bitterbrush from the rabbitbrush by contrasting leaf shape and color. I may eventually add a few more shrubs to my journal on another page.
It is thrilling to identify a new bird! We often saw a bird fly up and away from the edge of the slough when we were out river walking. Many days with binoculars and time on the internet have helped us identify the Wilson’s snipe! Of course, he made it into my nature journal and I’m fairly happy with the sketch.
One day we were sitting and looking out our back window. My husband spotted the ground squirrel scurrying along our fence line. It was the first time seeing them outside their holes, which we’ve seen all over the back of our property. Since that first sighting, I’ve seen several sitting up on top of a dead tree stump in the sun.
The forest floor is starting to come alive and one of the first things to be sprouting leaves is the wax currant. The leaves are an interesting shape and the little bell shaped flowers are pretty. We’ll be watching to see the berries later in the season.
I loved working on this page from the Nature Observer journal this month. The prompt was to note one surprising thing in nature each day for a week. I may do this again in my other journal.
What’s made it into your journal this week?
Have you taken a look at my updated nature journal page? Here’s a link to see some ideas to inspire you in your journaling efforts.
Don’t forget that I’m sharing a nature journal page each week on my Instagram account if you want to see the pages as they unfold. Follow me here:Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge.And, if you want to create a page and share it on your Instagram for me to see, use the hashtag #OHCnaturejournal.
The birds in this week’s challenge are some of my favorite birds! There’s such a great variety of birds to choose from. To learn more, use the link above to the archived challenge. Which bird will you choose?
Woodpeckers: These are some of the most interesting birds that come to our backyard. They’re usually bigger than the rest and will cling to the tree trunk, pecking for their next meal. You can often hear them before you see them if they’re tapping on a tree or fence post.
Chickadees: Chickadees are very social little birds that have a simple to identify song. Listen for them with their chickadee call from the tree limbs. They’ll also come close to you if you sit next to your feeder.
Nuthatches: These little acrobats will climb up and down your tree trunks. They often remind me of little clown faces. They are fast!
Towhees: You will pretty much find towhees under your feeder and not perching at the feeder itself. They have a funny way of scratching around under the feeder to find their seeds. My favorite are the spotted towhees!
Pick one of the birds in this challenge to read about and then go outside and look for them!
This black and white bird challenge is from the Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study. It’s found in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.
Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.
Bonus Notebook Pages!
I am including two bonus notebook pages to all subscribers this month.
Make sure to save this email or download and save these pages now for future use. I will be eliminating the link 604/26/18. All new subscribers will get these two notebook pages in their follow up email after confirming their subscription.
