Author: Barb

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Outdoor Mom – January 2018

Outdoor Mom January 2018

Morning river walk in January

During our outdoor time this month we went….river walking!

We are keeping our routine of walking to the river just about every day. Our weather has had so many ups and downs with rain, ice, snow, fog, and sunshine. It just can’t seem to make up its mind about what season it is and we just take it as it comes. On the snowy days, I feel as if I am living in a snow globe and marvel at the big fluffy flakes that descend down on us to blanket the landscape. I love walking after a snowstorm in the crunchy snow, looking for tracks. It is so quiet and peaceful. I often just stop and wish I could capture the moment and share it with all of you because photos just don’t do it justice.

My son had two friends spend the weekend and we enjoyed sharing our world with them by walking to the river and taking them on a hike.

Rainbow january 2018

The most inspiring things we experienced were…rainbows and ice.

We had a day of rainbows that were brightly colored. It looked like you could reach out and touch the end of the bow!

hoar frost morning

We woke up to a frozen wonderland one day this month. Everything was decorated in spiky hoar frost. I couldn’t resist going out to take photos even though it was really cold. I have decided that the proper clothes make getting outdoors so much easier. My family laughs at me with my wardrobe of boots, hats, and scarves.

river collage january 2018

Our outdoor time made us ask…who?

Who is making all of the tracks we see in the snow and mud? We are constantly finding tracks but can’t be sure who is making them. We spotted coyote scat along the trail so we know that we have some of those critters roaming around. We also found crayfish claws left on the river bank which we think are remnants of a river otter’s dinner. Then there was the single deer hoof we found with about 6 inches of leg and fur. Where did the rest go?

Each time we visit the river we are fascinated by the changes that can happen overnight. One day the water is flowing, the next it is frozen. Then there are the days that the sun shines warmly on the water and breaks up the ice, sending little floating icebergs down the river. It is so different than in the summertime!

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter color walkWe have been trying to find some winter color during our nature walks as part of the Winter World of Colors challenge from a few weeks ago. The challenge included the idea of seeking out some color against the drab winter background and although these pops of color are far and few between, we did manage to find some outstanding examples of color since we started looking for them. If you haven’t had a chance to work through this Winter World of Colors challenge, I invite you to give it a try soon.

Just a note: I had someone comment about the lack of images in my posts lately. I have cut back on the images here on the blog but I do post many, many images over on Instagram. You can follow me there and see images from our adventures just about every day.

Instagram OutdoorHourChallenge

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge.  If you would like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge

 

 

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…

Notebooking Pages Winter Membership Sale
Don’t miss the winter membership sale going on over at NotebookingPages.com!

 

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Backyard Birds – Learning about Black and White Birds

 Nature Book Club Backyard Birds Jan 2018

 

This post is the first in a monthly series of posts I will be writing as part of a fantastic group of women who I’m linking up with on the 20th of each month. There is a topic of the month and we will all share a book and activity that goes along with that theme.  You can use the links at the bottom of this post to see all of our books/activities. Use the linky tool below to share your own bird related links this month too!

Nature Book Club January Birds

Backyard Birds!

One of my great joys in life has been observing my backyard birds. When we moved from California to Oregon, one of the first things I requested of my husband was to put up all our birdfeeders. I could hardly wait to see who would visit in this new habitat!

We started watching our own backyard birds many years ago when my children were all still homeschooling. The boys created birdfeeders to put up right outside the window so we could look for birds while we were working on our school activities. At first we didn’t know very many of the bird’s names, but using a field guide over several years we were able to correctly identify about a dozen birds. The habit of bird watching has continued even into their adult years and I like to think that starting them young was a motivating factor for their love of birds.

A Valuable Addition to Your Nature Library

(Note there are affiliate links in this post)

One of the books we had on our windowsill was the Peterson Field Guides for Young Naturalists – Backyard Birds (written by Jonathan P. Latimer ISBN 9780395922767). It was simple to page through and use as a way to familiarize ourselves with many of the most frequently seen birds in North America. The book is organized by color of bird and is beautifully illustrated. It’s a wonderful supplement to any bird nature study activity or even as an additional resource for a study of flying creatures. It has always had a special spot in our nature book library.

It’s a valuable first bird guide for your children and it will lead you right into a more thorough field guide as your skills improve and you become more engrossed in identifying every bird that visits your feeder.

Backyard Bird Activity

 

Black and White Birds Nature study @handbookofnature

Black and White Birds Nature Study Using the Backyard Birds Book

Would you like to see an idea for using this book with your own backyard birds?

Black and White Birds and Bird Feet: – Click Here!

Use this activity (see step #3 in the challenge for the reference to the Backyard Birds book) to learn more about the chickadee, nuthatch, and woodpecker. I have included lots of links and ideas for you to use with your family.

 

Learning About Birds 3D cover

I have written a whole series of bird related nature study challenges that go along with the Backyard Birds book. You will find the details here: Learning About Birds with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Make sure to scroll down on the page and find the link to the sample for this ebook.

You can find this book in both the Ultimate and Journey level memberships on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Handbook of Nature Study Subscribe Now 2

Please note we will be working through all of the Outdoor Hour Challenges in the Learning About Birds ebook starting on March 2, 2018. Make sure to subscribe to my blog to follow along with those bird-related nature study activities.

Link Up Guidelines

      • Choose an engaging nature book, do a craft or activity, and add your post to our monthly link up.
      • The link up party goes live at 9:00 a.m. EST on the 20th of each month and stays open until the last day of the month. Hurry to add your links!
      • You can link up to 3 posts. Please do not link up advertising posts, advertise other link up parties, your store, or non-related blog posts. They will be removed.
      • By linking up with us, you agree for us to share your images and give you credit of course if we feature posts.
The Nature Book ClubThis post is the first in a monthly series of posts I will be writing as part of a fantastic group of women who I’m linking up with on the 20th of each month. There is a topic of the month and we will all share a book and activity that goes along with that theme.  You can use the link below to see all of our posts and you’ll be able to add your links as well.


The Nature Book Club is brought to you by the nature loving bloggers and your cohosts! Be sure to follow them.

Here are the bloggers, their choices of books, and activities for the month.

The Nature Book Club 2018 Topics

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Winter Sky Study

winter+night+sky+study+@handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.jpg

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Winter Sky

From the Archives and the Winter Wednesday ebook

We are very much looking forward to completing this challenge here in Oregon. We happen to live near a small observatory and we have plans to view the night sky through their telescopes. Make some plans of your own to get outside one night soon with your children to use the ideas in the challenge linked above. Keep it simple and dress appropriately and you’ll be sure to have success!

“After the polar constellations are learned, we are then ready for further study in the still earlier evenings of winter, when the clear atmosphere makes the stars seem more alive, more sparkling, and more beautiful than at any other period of the year.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 823

If you’re interested in seeing how our family completed this challenge, here’s a blog entry from the archives: Our Winter Sky Studies.

Winter Wednesday Night Sky NB Page

If you have access to the Winter Wednesday ebook in the Ultimate Naturalist Library, there’s a custom notebook page and a printable sheet for using with the constellations.

Winter Wednesday ebook NOtebook pages

Join us for the Winter Wednesday series of challenges here every FRIDAY. You can find them under the winter tab on the blog or if you have an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, you can find the ebook there for downloading.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Winter Snow Study

Winter+Snow+Study+@handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.jpg

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Winter Snow – January 2018

From the Archives and the Winter Wednesday ebook

 

We’re going to be completing the snow activities in this challenge as a way to learn more about our new Oregon habitat and weather. Use the link above to find specific ideas for making some snow observations of your own and then follow up with a nature journal entry.

The link above includes a free downloadable winter nature walk printable!

Winter Wednesday Snow Observations

If you have access to the Winter Wednesday ebook in the Ultimate Naturalist Library, there is a custom notebook page, images of snowflakes, paper for creating a paper snowflake and a snowflake coloring page.

Winter Wednesday ebook NOtebook pages

Join us for the Winter Wednesday series of challenges here every FRIDAY. You can find them under the winter tab on the blog or if you have an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, you can find the ebook there for downloading.

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Outdoor Mom’s Nature Goals 2018

2018 Nature Study Goals @handbookofnaturestudy

I’ve learned a lot about goal making (and keeping) over the past few years.  My conclusion? Goals will motivate us if we keep them simple, clear, and reachable.  Goals are different than wishes. Goals need to have steps built into them to get you where you want to be by the deadline.

Nature Goal for 2018

I spent a lot of time this past year becoming familiar with my new habitat here in Central Oregon and my overall goal for 2018 is to continue to grow in knowledge about the local flora and fauna, with a particular emphasis on the birds, mammals, and plants that are in my own backyard.

This year I’m going to make my goals quarterly. I can pretty much see the next few months ahead and can create goals to keep me on track. At the end of the quarter I can decide if I’ve achieved a goal, if I need to continue working towards a goal, or if I need to revamp my expectations.

1st Quarter 2018 – Baby It’s Cold Outside

  1. Begin to use the Nature Observer journal every day to keep track of my nature experiences. Use the journal prompts included in the book to inspire my outdoor time. Don’t expect each page to be perfect but create a personalized record of my outdoor observations and adventures in 2018.
  2. Find two books to help me learn about the local habitat.
  3. Take one new local hike with my family.
  4. Visit the High Desert Museum and possibly buy a family pass. Look at the gift shop for books.
  5. Visit the nature center at Sunriver.  Ask about volunteering.
  6. Continue to participate in Project Feederwatch.
  7. Participate in the Outdoor Hour Challenge by completing the reading in the Handbook of Nature Study, taking the walk, and doing a follow up journal page (or something else appropriate).  If needed, I will also look up the topic in my local field guide to see if there is additional information.

 

Additional things on my nature to do list

  1. Decide if we’re going to purchase a National Parks pass and/or a State Parks pass.
  2. Plan a trip to the ocean.
  3. Make plans to visit John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
  4. Continue working on our new garden plan, emphasizing native plants and natural features.
  5. Participate in the online Nature Book Club by sharing one book per month here on the blog along with a corresponding activity. I’ll be sharing more on this in the near future.

 

I always love to read your goals so leave me a comment with your goals or a link to your blog if you post an entry there.

Be Inspired! Be Encouraged! Get Outdoors!

Nature Study Goals From Previous Years:

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

Are you interested in creating your own nature goals? Here is a free printable for you to use as you brainstorm the goal and the steps to meeting that goal.

Nature Study Goals 2017 Planning PageNature Study Goals 2017 Planning Page

You may also want to plan out your nature book project for 2018. Here is a planning page you can print and use!

Nature Book Project Planner Page @handbookofnaturestudy

Nature Book Project Planning Page

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Winter World of Colors

Winter+World+Nature+Study+@handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.jpg

Outdoor Hour Challenge

World of Winter and Winter Colors– January 2018

From the Archives and the Winter Wednesday ebook

 

Use the ideas and suggestions in the challenge linked above to make some winter color observations with your children. If you have access to the Winter Wednesday ebook, you’ll have a notebook page to complete after your outdoor time.

Additional Ideas from the ebook:

  • If you have snow, bring a few cupfuls inside and let it melt. Use the water to watercolor a winter scene for your nature journal.
  • For older children, think of some similes to write in your nature journal that relate to winter. For instance: The snow was like crystals in the sunshine. Here is a pdf to get you started: Snow Similes.

 

Winter Wednesday ebook NOtebook pages

Join us for the Winter Wednesday series of challenges here every FRIDAY. You can find them under the winter tab on the blog or if you have an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, you can find the ebook there for downloading.

 

 

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January Planning Page and Member’s Printables

January 2018 Nature Planning Page-Print out your own copy here!

Now that there is no longer a newsletter with a planning page, I decided that I am creating a printable page for you to use instead. Keep track of the month’s Outdoor Hour Challenge topics, be inspired to create a nature journal page, jot down notes for future study, and use the list of archived suggestions to go deeper into a particular topic.

January 2018 Nature Planning Page

Download your copy here:January 2018 Nature study Planner Page

 

Printables for Members Button
New printables are now posted in the Member’s library!

Members have access to several brand new printable notebook pages.

1. Subnivean Zone: All new notebook page for a special winter time study of the subnivean zone. Look for a post on this topic here on the blog.

2. Mammal Notebook Pages – Set of four: Use these pages to make a study of the Rocky Mountain elk, the black bear, the coyote, and the white-tail deer. Each animal has a set of three pages to use for various ages.

 

Print a complete list of printables available to Members for easy reference: Printables for Members

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Nature Goals 2017 – End of Year Recap

2017 Nature Study Goals @handbookofnaturestudy

 

Nature Study Goals 2017 – This was the year I focused on my nature journal!

The following items were on my nature goals list this year. I’m so glad I kept it simple for a change and made the journal page the measure of my success.

image of page in my nature journal

1. Create monthly entries for my Outdoor Mom experiences- I did my last entry a few days ago (recap included): Outdoor Mom – December 2017.

2. Focus on my nature journal, creating a weekly nature journal page – I’m so happy to report that this has been a joy and a big success. My journal is full and I’m going to continue on now that it’s part of my weekly routine. I highly recommend this goal to everyone who wishes to create a meaningful record of their outdoor learning and experiences.  I’ve been so inspired that I’m going to write a new ebook that will hopefully inspire its readers to make their own journaling habit.

3. Instagram images of my journal – This was done every Wednesday in 2017! You can follow me on Instagram!

4. Read and review 6 nature journal related books – I was fairly successful in reading the books (5 out of 6) but not so good at reviewing them. (Note some of these are Amazon affiliate links.)

1. Laws Guide to Nature Drawing (Review shared in January 2017)

2. 20 Ways to Draw a Tree – I shared this on Instagram but not here on the blog.

3. Nature Anatomy – Skimmed through this for inspiration.

4. The Curious Nature Guide – This helped me with some new journal ideas.

5. Draw 500 Things from Nature – Still working on this one.

 

I’ll be posting my 2018 nature goals soon…excited to get started!

1 Outdoor Hour Challenge Oct 17 to Aug 18 Plans
Join us for another year of nature study using the ebooks shown above. All of these ebooks are available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

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Nature Journal Project – December 2017

Weekly Nature Journal Project

December 2017

Here we are at the end of the year! I’m so pleased that my nature journal is filled up with a year full of memories because of my challenge to myself in January to complete a page a week. I honestly didn’t think I could keep that goal because of my history of dropping the ball when it came to my personal nature journal. But, with determination and increasing awareness of how following up my outdoor week with a nature journal could bring such joy, I was able to stay motivated!

It also helped that sharing my pages on my Instagram account and then here on my blog kept me accountable. I knew that many of you were following my progress. If I slipped up and didn’t get a page done in time for my Wednesday morning Instagram post, I would pull out the art supplies and get busy so that I could post a page, maybe later than planned but always done by the end of the week.

IMG_2512

Inspired by other’s posts on Instagram, I generated my “bestnine” image showing the top nine posts for 2017 on my Instagram account. Four of my top nine are of my nature journal which makes me happy. I am hoping to continue to inspire and encourage nature journaling into 2018. I have a new project that I’ll be working on, something a little less conventional and more structured.

Nature Observer Guided Journal

Here’s my new nature journal inspiration, Nature Observer: A Guided Journal. I found this pre-made journal at the bookstore and immediately decided it was my project for 2018. I’ll be sharing more about it soon, along with a peek inside. You can look at it over at Amazon if you’re curious now.

Here are my December nature journal pages for your viewing pleasure…and inspiration.

Willow Gall Nature Journal

This page was actually completed in November but not in time to include in last month’s post. We found something interesting growing on a willow during a walk along the river. Turns out it was an insect gall that looked like a tiny rose. Fascinating!

December Nature Silent Walk Nature Journal

I used a Winter Fun study grid from a newsletter in my archives to give us some winter nature study inspiration. I’m still working on this one and will have it all filled in by the end of the month.

Project Feederwatch Nature Journal

Project Feederwatch is a weekly activity that keeps me focused on the birds that come to visit my feeders. I wanted to create a page that kept track of all the species of birds we see and the number of birds that we see at one time as part of this activity. Over the coming years, these statistics will help me see patterns in the comings and goings of our Central Oregon bird friends.

First Day of Winter Nature Journal

Marking time by the season is a simple idea for a nature journal page. Taking time to notice the day with all your senses helps make more of an impression. Plus, I decided long ago that every page doesn’t have to have a sketch or be pretty. If I’m in the mood to record words and word pictures, then that’s what I do!

I hope that there are nature journal pages to be completed in your journal this month. Even if you just get one page in before the year ends, that’s one more memory saved for the future.

 

Instagram OutdoorHourChallenge small

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

 

1 Outdoor Hour Challenge Oct 17 to Aug 18 Plans

We’ll be starting on the Winter Wednesday series the first week in January. If you would like to follow along, make sure you have subscribed to my blog to receive the Outdoor Hour Challenges in your inbox each Friday.  If you have an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, you’ll find the Winter Wednesday ebook in your library. The ebook contains all of the custom notebooking pages for each challenge.

 

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Dec. 2017 Mini Challenge

Outdoor Hour Challenge December Mini Challenge

Outdoor Hour Challenge

December Mini Challenge Revisited 2017

From the Archives

This week the Outdoor Hour Challenge couldn’t be simpler!

First, read some of the introductory pages in the Handbook of Nature Study as a refresher and reminder to you as the nature study guide in your family. Then, spend your outdoor time making observations about your December outdoor world. Lastly, print the December World notebook page found in this challenge and complete it with your children.

Keep it simple and enjoy a few minutes in the fresh air.

December+World+Notebook+Page.jpgFind the download link in the original challenge: December Mini Challenge.

 

Winter Wednesday ebook NOtebook pages

Starting in January 2018, we’ll be using the Winter Wednesday ebook from the Handbook of Nature Study archives. This ebook is available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership option. I’ll be posting the series here on the blog on Fridays but if you wish to have the compete series ahead of time and have access to the corresponding custom notebooking pages, you might think about purchasing a membership.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

You can see all of the ebooks available by clicking the graphic above. This includes 20 ebooks, 76 archived newsletters, and over 75 other printable notebook pages and activities.

 

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