I came across the interesting term while doing some research on seed dispersal. It always amazes me to learn about things going on right under my nose that I never noticed.
You can do your own research and use the printable in the member’s library to record your interesting facts.
Are you familiar with the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership? If not, you can read about it on this page: Membership Information.
The Ultimate and Journey level memberships include access to the growing list of printable notebooking pages and activities. I add new things each month!
Click above to see a current list of printables available in addition to the 20 ebooks already included in the Ultimate Membership.
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.
New printables are now posted in the Member’s library!
Members have two new printables to use this autumn.
Autumn Insect Study Notebook Page: Use this page to record any autumn insects you discover during your outdoor time.
Myrmecochory: Research the term myrmecochory and then write a summary of what you learned for your nature notebook. (Look for a blog entry that talks about this interesting topic soon!)
Print a complete list of printables available to Members for easy reference:Printables for Members
October is flying by and I have been trying to capture some of its glory in my nature journal. It’s easy to let things slide or think we will remember them, but I find that having a written or drawn record of special or even everyday observations makes my journal such a happy place.
I’ve been working on this page all month as I make observations of the aspens in my neighborhood and take images for the autumn photo project. I absolutely love the brilliantly colored aspens in my neighbor’s yard. (The topper is from the 10/14 newsletter which can be found with the autumn photo project in the Member’s Library here on the Handbook of Nature Study.)
I used crayons to outline the leaves on the page and then I filled in the colorful leaves with watercolors. We don’t have many colorful leaves in our yard but I still wanted to make a record of the walk we took looking for autumn foliage.
We had the awesome experience of watching sandhill cranes fly over in a group as they made their way south during this autumn season. I included both facts and the story of this event on my nature journal page.
I have learned that often the best pages are those that capture a moment taken on an ordinary day to record the season’s observations. We have had wintery weather over the past week, so today when the sun burst through the fog and the temperatures elevated to near 70 degrees, I took 20 minutes to sit outside on a tree stump in the sunshine and put my pen to the paper. Of course I included a list of birds…always a favorite thing to keep track of in my nature journal.
Perhaps I will complete a sketch on the page facing this one later on to round out the journal. There is a “new to me” bird on the list that may just merit a whole page to itself. We spied a flock of varied thrushes in our yard a few days ago and since then we have seen a few more.
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
Horses are a favorite topic of study for many children. Can you arrange to visit a stable to observe a horse up close? Perhaps there is a horse at a nearby farm stand or apple orchard that you are visiting this season. Be on the lookout for a horse to see in person.
Even if you complete this as a preparation for a future horse visit, you will learn a lot from the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study.
We are currently working through the Autumn 2010 ebook. For a complete nature study schedule for the next year, please click over and read this entry: Plans for October 2017 through August 2018.
Here we go with the challenges that encourage you to create a Venn Diagram for comparison. This week’s challenge guides you through a study of the goose using the Handbook of Nature Study and then you will compare it to a duck.
See the entry from earlier this month showing how to use a Venn Diagram. (make this a link later)
If you’re using the ebook, there are notebook pages for a goose study and a more generic autumn bird study just in case you don’t have a goose or duck to observe in real life.
I am fascinated by birds that migrate. It makes me feel an awe for such creatures and the way they travel up to thousands of miles as the seasons change. When I lived in California, I was aware of birds and the way they would come and go at my feeders season by season. I could anticipate their arrival and then have a fairly good idea of who would be leaving at the turn of the weather. Project Feederwatch each year made me keenly aware that the birds at my feeders were not the same year round.
I am getting ready to participate in my first year of Project Feederwatch here in my new home. I have updated my account and created a new description of the feeders and their locations and types. Watching birds is an everyday affair here from my kitchen and family room windows so Project Feederwatchis a perfect match for our lifestyle. I enjoy participating in a citizen science project that helps gather data for those involved in various bird science projects and studies. Plus, it is something that refreshes me and brings a lot of joy to my life. It is something that I can participate in that doesn’t take a huge commitment of time and I can do it right from my own home, even if I am wearing my pajamas.
This is our first autumn and winter here in our new home so we are still experimenting with various feeder types and the placement within the yard. I had an idea to add a brush pile just outside our back fence after we trimmed some tree limbs. So far I have observed birds and squirrels investigating the jumble of limbs with their needles and cones still intact. It isn’t too far from my cluster of feeders so it will provide some shelter for birds once the snow arrives.
I started right after we moved in creating a list of bird visitors to our yard. I will be keeping that habit going right on through the next few seasons. This should give us a pretty good idea of the migrant visitors as they pass through or stay for awhile. This is a simple way to get your family started with a more in-depth bird study and I encourage you to keep track of the birds that come to your feeders.
We recently had the experience of hearing and then seeing a group of sandhill cranes fly over our yard. It was about sunset when my son and I were out doing yardwork. I heard in the distance what at first I thought were geese coming overhead. But, it was a strange and unfamiliar sound and not geese at all. (Click over to AllAboutBirds to hear what it sounded like.) My son spoke up when he realized it was the sound of sandhill cranes. He had heard them before when we lived in California and immediately recognized the rattling loud commotion of a group of cranes flying south over our house. It was exciting to experience this for the first time and I have since done some research into the migration habits of the sandhill crane. Knowing how far they fly has given me such an awe for these large birds. I just created a page in my nature journal with this information and I will share the page next week in an entry.
The opportunity to study birds can present itself when you least expect it…look for those opportunities!
Make sure to learn about the Feederwatch program and decide if it is a good fit for your family!
There is a wealth of birding information on the internet but I have not found a more homeschool-friendly site than the ones sponsored by Cornell University. I would love to encourage you all to subscribe to their homeschool blog (click the logo above to pop over there now).
You can also follow them on Facebook .
You can download homeschooling resources here.
Of course, my favorite resource is their AllAboutBirds website which is a great tool for identifying and learning more about birds in your own neighborhood.
I know many of you have been eager to get started on your nature journals using the Outdoor Hour Challenge. This week’s challenge will help you do just that!
Click over for specific instructions and make sure to read the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study for inspiration. Please note that every nature journal page should begin with some outdoor time with your children. The key to creating great pages is to have something of interest to draw and/or write about in your journal.
If you are looking for some free nature notebooking pages to print out and use with your family, I invite you to click over to my Free Downloads page. Make sure to scroll down to the blank pages at the bottom of the page.
We are currently working through the Autumn 2010 ebook. For a complete nature study schedule for the next year, please click over and read this entry: Plans for October 2017 through August 2018.
We have spent quite a bit of time this month outdoors in our yard as we work on the landscaping. We discovered the most awesome garden nursery in our area and made quite a few trips over there to pick out bushes for our front yard.
We are trying to keep it simple while adding color to the view. It is also important to me to pick things that will provide shelter and food for the local birds and other animals. We settled on some chokeberry and twin berry bushes. I think they will be a perfect match for our habitat and yard terrain.
Our family managed to fit in a long weekend camping trip over to Silver Falls State Park. It was perfect weather for hiking and we managed to see all but one of the ten waterfalls in the park. The habitat in that area is so gorgeous and very different from where I live in the high desert. This Outdoor Mom loves being refreshed by the tall trees and the sound of water cascading over rocks! Plus, unlike our town, the air was smoke free!
Our backyard river walks are turning golden as the grasses start to go to seed and die back. My loyal dog companion is always ready for a romp down to the water. The muddy edges come alive with frogs jumping as we pass by. Our temperatures have been below freezing at night several nights so far but the days are pleasant and the sun is amazingly rejuvenating when we get out and walk in it.
September was a month of kayaking with my boys. It appears that the lazy river kayak is a favorite of my boys so we will on a whim drag the boats down to the water and take off on an adventure. The birds are the stars of the show on just about every trip which makes this bird nerd pretty happy. We often spot a hawk sitting on a tree or soaring overhead.
We had to take a quick trip to California to take care of some business so I was excited to fit in a morning wandering around some apple orchards. Apples were purchased for eating and applesauce making. Apple donuts were eaten, marking the true beginning of the autumn season in my mind.
So for now, this Outdoor Mama will be gazing at the mountains, watching for the aspens to change color, and making time for lots of walks. Our yards are cleaned up for the up-coming cold temperatures…snow shovels and rakes and blower at the ready. The firewood is stacked up for the woodstove. We are eager to see what the next month will bring as we are dreaming of our first long autumn here in 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 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….
Updated 2017: This challenge was originally written for the first day of autumn 2010 but it can easily be done on any day and in any year. I hope you enjoy learning more about your early autumn world using the ideas and printables in this challenge. Some signs to look for:
Dry grass and weeds
Seeds
Wildflowers-thistles, goldenrod
Birds eating at feeders or flying overhead to migrate
Chilly morning temperatures or dew on the grass
Fruit ripe on trees
Insects or webs
Nuts, acorns, or berries
Clouds and wind
You can use theSigns of Autumn notebook page to record your observations or you can use your own nature journal. I put together a Squidoo Lens from last year’s autumn nature/art study where you might glean some more information and inspiration this season.
Here are some ideas from year-long nature study topics we’ve done in the past:
This quarter has flown by! I had a feeling this would happen since summers here are short and we made a point of getting outside to go hiking, biking, and kayaking as much as possible. We squeezed in a lot of adventures since June.
I feel much like a novice at knowing my new environment with even the most common of plants and birds being so new to me. It’s exciting to see my nature journal fill up with pages recording my adventures and discoveries. This has been the perfect year to focus on giving my nature journal lots of attention because it doesn’t matter where I go, there will be something to observe and then sketch onto a page.
I feel pretty good about my progress at keeping my nature study goals during the 3rd quarter of 2017. I am now in the home stretch and eager to keep the good stuff rolling.
As you turn the calendar on another month and another season, create some goals for your family or remind yourself of the goals you’ve already made for 2017. It’s not too late to fit in a lot of nature study time if you make it a priority….it will be winter soon enough.
Here are the goal details:
Create monthly entries for my Outdoor Mom experiences as I share our nature studies using the Outdoor Hour Challenge, our travel experiences, and any of my family’s nature adventures. This was accomplished. You can read my entries during each month here: July, August, and September.
Focus on my nature journal and create at least one page weekly. I think I missed one week in July if I remember correctly. I would call that success.
Post images of my nature journal pages on Instagram each week. If you follow me on Instagram, you will see a new nature journal page every Wednesday.
Read and review 6 nature journal related books. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the Vitamin N book by Robert Louv. I am now working on The Nature Fix by Florence Williams.
