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Outdoor Mom – December 2017

Outdoor Mom December 2017

beaver collage oregon

During our outdoor time this month we went….

You could say we have become obsessed with stalking the beavers in our river. It become obsessive when it involved an actual kayak adventure on the freezing river in freezing temperatures. So far, we have only found signs of beaver activity and no actual live animals. We are not giving up and will continue once the river freezes and the snows come…we are hoping it will make tracking the signs easier. (This may be a naïve expectation but I guess we will find out as the season unfolds.)

 

bird collage

The most inspiring thing we experienced was….

Project Feederwatch, as usual, makes me happy. Happy to count birds and happy to slow down enough to accurately identify and count the visitors. My family will attest to the fact that I get excited like a child when I spot a new bird in the feeder. This month I spotted a Pygmy nuthatch! This was added to my life list and was happy it appeared on a bird count day.

No Such Thing as Bad Weather

I am reading…..

I am devouring several good books right now and this one is nature study related, There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk. (edited to add an affiliate link)The gist of the book is that the author’s growing up years in Scandinavia taught her that getting outdoors in the cold of winter is a challenge but so restorative to both children and adults. It has renewed my determination to keep going with my Outdoor Hour Challenges as inspiration for getting outside in inclement weather.  Sidenote: Coincidentally, my daughter and I both checked this book out from the library at the same time, her in New York and me in Oregon.

Black Butte
Photo Credit: My son Mr. B

Photo I want to share…

My boys have embraced the outdoor life here in Central Oregon. My youngest has hiked to many peaks and mountain tops in the past few months. He shares his adventures through his amazing images. This one is from the top of Black Butte.

Could there be any better way to make this Outdoor Mom’s heart soar than to see her children getting out and exploring the beauty and solitude of nature?

So as the year winds down, I am looking back over my nature goals for 2017. Once again I am feeling quite successful in some of the goals and a bit of a failure in others. I’m not beating myself up over this because 2017 has been a huge leap of faith in my life as we moved from California to Oregon and tried to find a new normal.  Goals I made at the beginning of the year had no way to reflect the amazing opportunities that arose over the following  twelve months. I will be posting a nature goal recap soon that will contain my reflections on the year that has been 2017.

Nature Observer Guided Journal

Do you want a sneak peek into my new nature journal project for 2018?  I found this at a bookstore in Bend a few months ago. Immediately, I knew it was my project for 2018! Look for more information on this soon here on my blog.

Edit to add an affiliate link: Nature Observer.

2017 Outdoor Mom Entries –Just in case you missed one!

January – Rain and Rain and Snow

February – More rain and trying to be outdoors anyway

March – Hawaii vacation trip

April – Wildflower time

May – First Oregon Entry (with elk!)

June – First Central Oregon Summer

July (so big I broke it into 3 parts): Part 1 Backyard and Part 2 Wildlife and Part 3 Travels

(seemed to have missed a month somehow)

September – wildfire smoke and my boys come home

October – Autumn travels and high desert gardening

November – Walking to the river every day

 

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…

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Autumn Trout and Salmon

Outdoor Hour Challenge Trout and Salmon @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Trout and Salmon Study

From the Archives and the Autumn Ebook

The last time we studied salmon we were in California and we lived very near a creek where the kokanee salmon spawned every autumn. We had such a tremendous experience and reading back over the entry I remember the excitement of the day spent with my boys.

salmon chalk pastel

You can read it here: Salmon Circle of Life.

I know that many of you won’t have direct access to salmon or trout, but the best part of any nature study is the time you spend with your children outside.

autumn leaves and salmon

Take the time this week to read about the trout in the Handbook of Nature Study and then get outdoors for some fresh air with your children. Visit a stream, visit a fish hatchery, or get creative!

 You can also use this free resource here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Fish+Copywork+Notebook+Page+from+Handbook+of+Nature+Study.jpg

 

 

Print and use the Fish Copywork notebook page

I hope you’re enjoying the autumn series of Outdoor Hour Challenges posted here on Fridays. Please note that all of the challenges along with corresponding notebook pages are available to Ultimate Naturalist Members at the Handbook of Nature Study.

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.

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Autumn Pine Cone Study

Cones+study+button.jpg

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Autumn Pine Cone Study

From the Archives and from the Autumn ebook

Continuing our use of comparisons, take your fifteen minutes outdoors this week to either find two different cones to compare or to compare a tree with cones to a tree that does not have cones.

These simple suggestions will get you started with your Outdoor Hour Challenge time and the idea is simple enough for all family members to participate.

Click the link to the archive challenge and see more suggestions for both observations and a nature journal follow up page.  If you have access to the Autumn 2010 ebook, there is a notebook page for you to use after your outdoor time.

This is a challenge I am personally looking forward to completing in my new habitat. There are many cones to investigate!

Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudyUse the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership!

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

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Our Central Oregon November World

November World – Central Oregon High Desert

November World Central Oregon

We’ve only lived here in Central Oregon since May so we haven’t experienced all of the seasons yet. The November World Outdoor Hour Challenge suggested comparing the things we see this week with another season. I guess that means I would need to compare my November habitat to that of summertime. We had such a glorious summer season with lots of time spent outdoors so this should be fairly easy.

Image of the frozen slough

The river behind our house runs year round but there is a small slough that was filled up with water in May and almost dried up in mid-summer. Right now it has lots of water and at times is covered in a sheet of ice. When we moved in last May, we could pull our kayaks out to this slough and make it out to the main river, but by the end of June it was landlocked again. We’ve been keeping track of the amount of water as it rises higher with the rains and snow.

Image of grasses

The green grasses of early summer are all gone, either from the cattle grazing or from it turning brown in the freezing temperatures. There are small patches of yellow-gold, tall grass still showing in areas and we read that this is what the winter elk will be eating because it will be sticking up out of the snow. I am anxious to see if the elk come back….they left in late spring when the deer showed up.

Most of the trees in our area are evergreens so they look pretty much the same as in the summer. There are lots of cones on the ground and the squirrels have been very busy gathering them up. We will have up to five gray squirrels in our yard at a time scurrying around under the feeders and up in the trees.

Image of the willows -red

The river willows are all barren but are still very pretty with their reddish-orange colored twigs.  The leaves are gone but there are buds forming with the spring time leaves sleeping inside.

Image of the beaver cut willows

The beavers are cutting the willow limbs and dragging them down to the river. We’ve been trying to find where they are taking all of the willows but have been unsuccessful. We think it may be easier to spot their activity once the snow is blanketing the ground and we can see tracks or other signs of their movements. I am thoroughly enjoying the investigating of the beavers…it’s a bit like finding treasure when we see some tracks or cut willows.

Image of geese

The Canada goose are back on the river. We often see up to 12 at a time as they float in the eddy near our house. I’m not sure if they will be winter residents or not. You know I will be watching! (The image above is my best attempt at sneaking up on the geese and getting a photo.)

All in all, November has been a really good month for being outdoors for our family. There were some cold, snowy days but we are finding that even on a snowy day, if you bundle up right, getting outside is a refreshing experience and makes my attitude more positive.

1 Outdoor Hour Challenge Oct 17 to Aug 18 Plans

If you want to follow along with the next series of Winter Outdoor Hour Challenges, we will be starting them up again in January. Make sure to subscribe to my blog and you will receive a new Outdoor Hour Challenge right in your inbox every Friday. There is no commitment to do every one. Winter can be a hard time to keep nature study going with your family but I guarantee you if you get them outside, even for fifteen minutes once a week, you will see the benefit in better attitudes (including yours!)  Click the link above for more information on the nature study plans for the complete year using the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

You can subscribe to my blog here: Handbook of Nature Study Email Subscription

 Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

Use the discount code Nature5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Membership!

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Autumn Seasonal Weather

 

Autumn weather nature study @handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Autumn Weather Observations 2017

From the Archives and from the Autumn ebook

If you’ve been following along with the Autumn Series of Outdoor Hour Challenges, you have been using comparisons to learn more about the topics. This week is no exception. Here are some of the ideas for using comparisons to learn about your seasonal weather.

  • Compare a sunny day and a rainy day by looking at the temperature, clouds, and wind speed or direction.
  • Compare weather on the same day by making observations both in the morning and then later in the afternoon or evening.
  • Compare your autumn landscape to what you remember about the summer or winter or spring.

Make sure to click over to the original challenge for more observation ideas. If you have the Autumn ebook, you will find several notebooking pages to use for this challenge.

Even if you just take 15 minutes to go outside and check the weather and have a breath of fresh air, you can feel successful with this week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudyUse the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership!

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

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December Planning Page and Member’s Printables

December 2017 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.

December 2017 Nature Planning   Page

Download your copy here: December 2017 Nature study Planner Page

 

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

Members have access to two brand new printable notebook pages.

  1. Squirrel Watch Activity: Use the ideas on the page to take a fun look at squirrels. There is also a place for you to draw a squirrel.
  2. Know Your Own Backyard – Window Observations: This time of year it can be a challenge to get outdoors. Use this page to record your window nature observations.

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

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Nature Journal Project – November 2017

Weekly Nature Journal Project

November 2017

 

As I prepared to write this entry, I took a few moments to reflect on how much I have come to look forward to the time I can spend in my nature journal each week. It doesn’t feel like a chore but rather an extension of how I’m growing as a person, an Oregonian, and a naturalist. The outdoor time comes first, the observations and questions come second, and then keeping a record of what I have discovered comes with ease.

It’s always easier to make a nature journal page if I have something I’m excited about capturing on paper.

Here are my nature ramblings from the month of November.

 

Watercolor Landscape Nature Journal

I’m often mesmerized by the landscape scene out my back window. It is ever changing, even from minute to minute. The clouds, the water, the sky, the birds, the plants, the light…always something to marvel at as I stand, many times distracted from chores, at my picture window.  I tried to use watercolors to make a record of a certain day and I love the way it turned out.

November Recap Page Nature Journal

Recaps are some of my favorite pages in my journal. It gives me the freedom to include a lot of different random thoughts all on one page.

Wild Rye Grass Nature Journal

This page illustrates the “whole to parts” idea for a nature journal. Instead of just including a sketch of the whole subject, you add smaller sketches of interesting parts. On this page, I drew the seed head and the roots. Now I have a better appreciation for the grasses that grow out behind my house and their importance to the habitat and the wildlife that frequent there.

American Beaver Nature Journal Page

After researching the beaver, I wanted to make a page to highlight the things I learned and appreciated about this truly amazing mammal. I can look for signs of our beavers as we walk along the river and feel a connection because I have a deeper understanding of how they behave and live. I really hope we find their lodge and perhaps even spy them at some point in the future.

Instagram OutdoorHourChallenge

Don’t forget that I am 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

Autumn 2010 Outdoor Hour Challenge

Join us for the autumn season series of Outdoor Hour Challenges using the ideas in the Autumn 2010 ebook.

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – November World 2017

 

Outdoor Hour Challenge November World Observations

Outdoor Hour Challenge

November World Observations 2017

From the Archives and the Autumn 2010 ebook

Before the whole month of November slips away, let’s make time to observe what nature is doing at this time of year. Start off by completing the reading of pages 1 and 2 in the Handbook of Nature Study as a refresher. Take a few minutes to think about how keeping a regular nature study period each week has benefited your family. Ask your children what they have learned so far this autumn season about the birds, insects, and plants in your neighborhood. This may give you encouragement to keep participating in the Outdoor Hour Challenge as the weather turns colder and wetter.

Use the ideas in this challenge to get outside and find something of interest to note about your November World. Complete the notebook page in the ebook, from the linked challenge, or create a page in your own blank journal.

November is such a month of change and transition…don’t miss getting outside to view it for yourselves!

 

Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudyUse the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership!

 Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

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Outdoor Mom – November 2017

Outdoor Mom – November 2017

This has been a true month of transition. November has the feel of a real autumn as the aspens turn yellow and the snow comes in small storms, never sticking around but melting on sunny afternoons.

IMG_2072

If you read my entry earlier this month, you know that I’m dedicated to the idea of walking to the river every day regardless of the weather for the whole of November. I’ve tried to faithfully keep to the goal and have only missed a couple of days so far. My walks are sometimes in solitude but often my husband or one of my sons will accompany me to see what there is to see. The sky is really the star of these walks and often the clouds put on a show. I benefit from these walks the minute I put on my shoes and step out the back door. It helps keep things in perspective and I feel far less anxious.

Also, adding to my nature happiness is my participation in some simple citizen science. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be counting birds again as part of Project Feederwatch. I’ve been super eager to get started, printing out my tally sheets and hanging and filling my feeders. I haven’t been disappointed in the number or variety of birds that I have observed. I love that this is a way to feel connected to my habitat and I don’t even need to leave the house to have an encouraging experience.

Drake Park Bend OR

My favorite images from this month are from a walk we took in Bend, Oregon at Drake Park. It was a dazzling day of sunshine and the trees along the river were ablaze with color. There were lots of geese along the pathway and some mallard ducks too.  I could have taken 1,000 photos and still not captured the glory of the experience. You will have to take my word for it!

Pocket gopher OR

We’ve been wondering what animal makes these mounds of earth out in the space behind our house. There doesn’t appear to be any openings but just random groups of dark earth mounded up, sometimes 2 feet in diameter and about a foot high. I’ve researched online and in my Central Oregon field guides but haven’t found a definite answer as to who is creating the mounds. I’m leaning towards a badger but my friend is trying to convince me it’s a marmot. I would appreciate any of your guesses.

Autumn Fire

In our yard, we’re still cleaning up debris and were able to light our burn piles since the weather has turned and they lifted the burn ban. The photo above shows the amazing sky we have and the variety of clouds in various layers that drift overhead. It doesn’t feel like work when you’re cleaning up under a sky that looks like that. It makes me feel grateful and small and humbled.

Little Deschutes

Here is one last image from the month that captures the feel of my outdoor life. You can see “my” river there in the photo as well as the back of my son as he hikes back home along its edge. If you look to the far left of the photo, you may be able to spot my house in the distance. I’m so grateful to be able to share this place with my sons.

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 week 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…

It’s been a wonderful month outdoors…looking forward to a wonderful December.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Queen Anne’s Lace

 

Autumn Queen Anne's Lace

 

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Autumn Queen Anne’s Lace Observations

Seasonal Weed Study Option

From the Archives and from the Autumn 2010 ebook

With the change of the season, it’s time to make your autumn observations for Queen Anne’s Lace. Whether you’re just starting a year-long study of this pretty wildflower or you’re continuing from the summer season, you will find the suggestions in this challenge a great help in learning about this common wildflower. (Some call it a weed, but I prefer to think of it as a wildflower!)

If you don’t have any Queen Anne’s Lace to observe in person, choose two other neighborhood weeds to study and compare using the ideas in the challenge linked above.

Queen+Annes+Lace+close+up+seeds.jpg

If you own the ebook, there are two different notebooking pages for you to use for your nature journal entry.

weed bouquet

I recently used one of the challenge ideas and collected a number of autumn weeds and seeds for a “weed bouquet”. This might be a wonderful idea for an autumn nature walk that combines observing weeds and seeds and then culminates in a lovely bouquet for your nature table. You can see my entry here: Weed Bouquets and Autumn Time.

 

Autumn 2010 Outdoor Hour Challenge

If you would like to own this ebook, it’s part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library for members. You can find more details on how to get your own membership here: Join Us!