Barb, Author at Homeschool Nature Study

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Study- Tips for Observations and Expressions

Just recently I shared my thoughts on nature study versus science in this entry: Nature Study or Science. I invite you to read that entry first and then return to this entry.

Meaningful nature study is something that all parents can offer to their children. Here are some simple tips to help you get started or perhaps refresh your normal routine.

Tips for Meaningful Nature Study

Place the child directly in contact with nature. This means get outside! Use some time each week to go with your child outside and find something interesting to look at and experience together.
Direct contact is a must. Look in your own backyard or neighborhood for subjects you can observe in person, not something you read about in a book. Real objects are the basis for real learning. Some of these objects will be appropriate to gather and place on a nature table in your home. (See my favorite nature table ideas here on my Pinterest board: Nature Display.)
If you give a nature lesson, have in mind a clear objective for that lesson. Do you need to follow up on interest found during your outdoor time? Make sure to relate the follow up information to the outdoor experience for maximum benefits.

Ideas for Follow Up to Your Nature Study Time

An oral narration- Talk about what you saw and experienced together. Here are some additional ideas: Using Your Words.
A written narration and/or a drawing- Create a memory of the experience or subject. There are lots of ideas for nature journals here on my page: Nature Journals.
A painting-You will find ideas for using watercolors in your nature journal here: Once a Month Nature Journal Project-Watercolors.
A model- use clay, found objects, wire, etc. I have some ideas for using your nature items here on my Pinterest Board – Nature Crafts.
A collection – possibly for your nature table. See my favorite nature table ideas here on my Pinterest board: Nature Display.

You may wish to read this entry and print out my free 3 Steps to a Better Nature Study Experience

“Adults should realize that the most valuable thing children can learn is what they discover themselves about the world they live in.” Charlotte Mason, volume 1 page 61

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Posted on November 11, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenges – Maples (and Seeds)

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Maple Trees (and Seeds) – from the More Nature Study Autumn ebook and the Archives.

We just returned from an Oregon trip filled with colorful maples. We also found the most amazing clump of maple keys ever.

Use the ideas and seasonal tree printable in this week’s archive challenge to learn a bit more about this beautiful tree along with its interesting seeds. Don’t forget there is a Maple Tree notebook page in this month’s newsletter for you to use as a follow up to your outdoor time.

Even if you don’t have a maple tree to enjoy…pick a different tree and make some careful observations!

Note: You do not need to purchase the ebooks to participate but they are handy to have for planning and for the regular and advanced notebook pages included in each one. Click the graphic at the bottom of this post to go over to check out the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. You can click over and download a sample for both the More Nature Study Autumn and More Nature Study Winter ebooks. This may help you decide whether to purchase a membership.

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Handbook of Nature Study – New Printables for Members

New this month in the Member’s Library are three different printables.

1. Walk in the Forest: This notebook page activity goes right along with the November 2016 newsletter topic of forest and fungi. You can use this notebook page to record the things you see up high, at eye level, and then down low on the forest floor. Use this simple idea to get more out a forest walk soon.

2. Weather and Its Effects on Plants and Animals: This is a notebook page activity that can be a short term or a long term project. It is suggested for older or more advanced students.

3. Habitat Research Notebook Pages – Set 2: The set is similar to the set already in the Member’s Library. This set adds four more habitats: High Desert, Deciduous Forest, Swamp, and Stream.

For a complete list of member’s printables, click the button below for a printable list.

Please note that Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level members have access to members only printables each month in addition to the newsletter printables. You will need to log into your account and then go to the “Other Releases” section. You can download a complete list of printables available to members here: Printables Current List May 2016.

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Posted on November 4, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Thistles in Autumn

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Thistles in Autumn – from the More Nature Study Autumn ebook and the Archives

This is the week to look for thistles. The landscape right now makes it easier to find some dried up thistles for you to look at closely. Make sure to be careful if you touch the thistles because the thorns are going to be sharp. I tried to remember to bring a leather glove on our thistle walks to wear if the boys wanted to touch the plant. Go on a thistle hunt this week!

You may wish to view this entry:

Thistles – Starting a Year-Long Study

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Posted on November 1, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter – November 2016 Forest and Fungi

Please Note: If you are looking for the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival, I didn’t receive many entries so I will be sharing those links over the next month on my Facebook account. Sigh. I am guessing that blog carnivals in general have become a little outdated with the advent of social media. I love seeing what families are doing in their outdoor time so please feel free to share your links with me at any time either in a comment on the blog or in an email to me directly.
I also am a big fan of Instagram. You can follow me there- my Instagram name is outdoorhourchallenge. Use a #outdoorhourchallenge hashtag for me to pop over and view your images.

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

November 2016 – Forest and Fungi

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

The newsletter link is not in this email but will come separately. There may be a delay in your receiving the email so please don’t email me until the second day of the month if you haven’t received the link on the first. For some reason, some email providers take longer to receive the newsletter email.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link for the current month’s newsletter.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of November so be sure to download it before 11/30/16.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

This is a month for getting out in the forest! This edition of the newsletter will be full of ideas and inspiration for a forest walk and looking for fungi.
There is also a Monthly Planning Page for moms to organize November’s nature study. The simple ideas and suggestions will give you plenty to choose from as you go through your month.
Guest contributors for November are Shirley Ann Vels from Under An English Sky and Adriana Zoder from HomeschoolWays.com.
There are several printables for you to use including a mushroom shape notebook page and a maple tree study.
As usual, there are some of my favorite links and some inspiring images.

Resources for your Nature Library: I have started to build a nature library store on Amazon that will feature by category my favorite nature study books and resources. Take a look and see if there is anything you would like to put on your wish list for your family’s nature study library: Handbook of Nature Study Nature Library Suggestions on Amazon.com. Note this is my affiliate store to items I personally recommend and have read or seen in person.

Please click over and read the step by step instructions for using the Handbook of Nature Study and the Outdoor Hour Challenge in your nature study plans starting in September. Let me know if you have any questions.

As a parent, it is our responsibility and privilege to introduce the natural world to our children.

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

The Nature Handbook – Book Review

Nature Book Project 2016

This review includes Amazon.com affiliate links.

The book of the month is the The Nature Handbook by Ernest H. Williams, Jr. (ISBN: 9780195171945). This is book number seven in my Nature Book Project for 2016. It is a little heavier reading then most of the books I picked this year so I haven’t actually finished it yet but I will. The purpose of this book is to share the patterns and relationships in nature and not particular species like a field guide. It is organized into three main topics: Plants, Animals, and Habitats. Within these topics, it strives to show patterns that we can look for and learn from as we complete our nature study.

Many people ask me if I have suggestions for a more advanced “naturalist” course for high schoolers. This book is definitely a contender for that purpose.

The Nature Handbook Forest Wildflowers @handbookofnaturestudy — These early spring forest wildflowers demonstrate one of the patterns spoken about in *The Nature Handbook.*

Something I Really Enjoy About This Book

I am a very visual learner when it comes to nature study. Observing things up close and then reading about them with a guide or book that has clear large images is the way I learn the best. The Nature Handbook has over 500 color photos to supplement the easy to read text. Each time I sit down to use this book, I learn something new!

For instance, in the section on Forest Wildflowers (section 1.6), he explains that wildflowers must bloom before the forest canopy closes in with leaves above. This allows for sufficient moisture and high sunlight intensity through the leafless trees above. Reading this section of the book and reasoning on his words has helped me to understand the forest habitat more deeply. It makes my forest hikes in the spring now more meaningful.

Additional Features:

Over 200 specific patterns are discussed in this book! The topics could easily supplement any other nature study subjects you are learning about and works well with more advanced or older students.
The index is thorough and makes looking up a particular topic easy.
The images are labeled clearly and both common and scientific names are provided.
Short sections that would be easy to use for nature narrations for Charlotte Mason homeschoolers.

This is a book I will continue to read and use alongside the Handbook of Nature Study and my field guides for my own education as the years go by.

Just a note: This book is a little more expensive than most of the books I review. I do recommend it to my readers (especially as a nature library reference) but I think you should look for it at your library or purchase it used on Amazon.com.

This book is part of my Nature Book Project for 2016.

Note some of the links below are Amazon.com affiliate links.

January- Discover Nature Close to Home

February-A Place for Birds and A Place for Butterflies

March- A Crow Doesn’t Need A Shadow

April- The Practical Naturalist

May- Break month.

June-Botany in a Day

July- Rockhounding Nevada (postponed)

August- Break month.

September- The 10 Best of Everything National Parks

October- The Nature Handbook

November- Bringing Nature Home (postponed)

December- Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Leaf Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Autumn Leaf Study from the Archives and the More Nature Study Autumn ebook

This week is a challenge that should take you outdoors as you hunt for leaves to look at up close with a magnifying lens. Bring inside as many kinds of tree leaves as possible and then make simple classifications by shape, margin, and veining. There is a link in the advanced study portion that you can use as a reference for this activity. Make sure to follow up with a nature journal page (suggestions in the archive challenge and notebooking page in the ebook).

There are many free tree printables under the Tree tab at the top of my website and several more for Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level Members in their library.

Sign Up Here for the Handbook of Nature Study Monthly Newsletter.

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Posted on October 26, 2016 by Barb — 6 Comments

Outdoor Mom’s Journal – October 2016

“Bright yellow, red, and orange,
The leaves come down in hosts;
The trees are Indian Princes,
But soon they’ll turn to ghosts;
The scanty pears and apples
Hand russet on the bough;
It’s autumn, autumn, autumn late,
T’will soon be winter now!”
Allingham

I think October is a very surprising month. It never is the same from year to year as far as weather and mood. October 2016 has been another busy outdoor month in our family because the weather has been fairly mild with some rain but all of that at once over the course of a weekend. This allowed for getting out and experiencing a little fall color in our area.

During the first week of the month, a friend and I hopped in the car on a bright sunny day to take a drive up in the high country and look for some pretty trees. There were some aspens with golden yellow color but not as many as usual. I think our “normal” is changing along with our weather patterns. Still, it was a wonderful outing and we were able to fit in a nice day hike up at Lake Tahoe.

Then, mid-October, we took off in our truck and trailer to visit Oregon again. We had some places to check out and friends to meet up with so although the weather wasn’t ideal for being outdoors the whole time we were in Oregon, we did manage to sneak in a few hikes along the various rivers. Our first few nights we stayed in the Eugene, Oregon area along the McKenzie River.

We camped at Tumalo State Park in Bend, Oregon...a new favorite spot! The camping was so enjoyable even with sprinkles from time time. The hiking along the Deschutes River was peaceful and we went in both directions along the river’s edge starting from the bridge at the campground. There is a wonderful day use area at this state park too and I imagine in the summer it is a busy place! But in October it was empty and quiet.

We also strolled along the Deschutes River right in the town of Bend at Drake Park and Mirror Pond. This particular autumn day was colorful with storybook houses along the riverbank and the snow capped mountains in the distance. Just perfect.

The high point of our trip was a hike to Tumalo Falls outside Bend. It was a misty morning but we still wanted to take advantage of our time in Bend by experiencing this popular hike to the top of the waterfall. The parking lot was empty when we arrived and we had the place pretty much to ourselves. We extended our hike up the trail paralleling Tumalo Creek. Amazing!

We were also able to squeeze in a visit to Newberry National Volcanic Monument. More about this in a future post!

Back at the homefront, our garden was starting to show signs of fading for the season. We did a big clean up before our Oregon trip and left just the few things that might produce a bit more (being hopeful).

Now begins the slow slide into winter here in my neck of the woods. This is the time of great activity in my yard, the leaf raking kind of work that just always seems to be calling me. Thank goodness I have two grown men in my house to help gather and dispose of the great heaps of leaf death. Sigh.

I miss the long autumn walks with my kids but they send me images of their autumns for me to enjoy.

Hudson Valley Hiking — Hudson Valley hiking October 2016-from my daughter

So what have you been up to this month? Join me here by commenting or leaving me a link to your blog entry.

Outdoor Mom’s Journal

Whether your family spends a few minutes a week outside or hours at a time, share what is going on in your world.

How Do You Join?

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…
A photo I would like to share…

You can use the free monthly newsletter along with the Handbook of Nature Study book for your nature study. Adding a membership gives you access to the Ultimate Naturalist Library’s ebooks and printablse which provides members with even more in-depth studies each month.

Read more about it!

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival Reminder

This is a reminder that the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival is coming up soon!

All nature study type entries can be submitted, preferably entries that highlight the Outdoor Hour Challenge and Handbook of Nature Study newsletter activities.

Deadline for entries for the first carnival will be 10/26/16.

You can send in your entries to harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

You can grab one of the OHC Carnival buttons from this entry for your blog if you would like to share this event. A link back to this blog would be much appreciated. https://naturestudyhomeschool.com/

If you have any questions or comments about the plans, please feel free to email me or leave a comment here on the blog. harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Here are the carnival dates:

November 1, 2016
February 1, 2017
May 1, 2017
August 1, 2017

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Posted on October 21, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Where Are the Sparrows?

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Sparrow Bird Study – from the archives and from the More Nature Study Autumn ebook

This time of year, the first birds I hear each morning are the sparrows. The have such a pretty light song that can’t help but cheer you up. This week use your local field guide to learn more about sparrows that live in your neighborhood. My suggestion is to pick one and read all about it and then go look for it. Sparrows are often in and under our birdfeeders (sunflower seeds and millet) but you may want to learn what your sparrow sounds like since they often are hidden in the shrubs or brush piles.

House Sparrow Sounds

White-crowned Sparrow Sounds – This is the sparrow that is most often spotted in my yard here in Northern California. You can listen to its pretty song at this link.

Song Sparrow Sounds – We don’t hear these in our yard but one of our favorite Oregon campgrounds always has these song sparrows in the blackberries and other bushes.

Please feel free to choose a different bird for this week’s study if you don’t have a sparrow to observe in person. You may wish to read about creating a Bird Life List and download a free printable list to start with your family: 10 Ideas for a Bird Life List.

Note: You do not need to purchase the ebooks to participate but they are handy to have for planning and for the regular and advanced notebook pages included in each one. Click the graphic at the bottom of this post to go over to check out the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. If you would like to see a sample of More Nature Study Autumn ebook, you can download a sample here: More Nature Study Autumn Sample.

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Author: Barb

Nature Study- Tips for Observations and Expressions

Sign Up Here for the Handbook of Nature Study Monthly Newsletter.

Outdoor Hour Challenges – Maples (and Seeds)

Handbook of Nature Study – New Printables for Members

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Thistles in Autumn

Sign Up Here for the Handbook of Nature Study Monthly Newsletter.

The Nature Handbook – Book Review

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Leaf Study

Sign Up Here for the Handbook of Nature Study Monthly Newsletter.

Outdoor Mom’s Journal – October 2016

Outdoor Mom’s Journal

Read more about it!

Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival Reminder

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Where Are the Sparrows?

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!