Barb, Author at Homeschool Nature Study

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Goals 2016 – 2nd Quarter Update

Nature Study Goals 2016- Second Quarter Update

1. Complete 2 out of 4 Outdoor Hour Challenges each month posted on Fridays. During the second quarter I was able to post 5 entries…not quite the six planned but very close!

April entries: Garden Seeds Project and Signs of Spring
May entries: Wildflowers by Color and Wildflower Color Hunt
June entry: June 2016 Nature Photo (from newsletter)

2. Research and learn about four birds. Learn the call, field marks, and create a nature journal. I did not complete any entries this quarter but I just added one to my planner…watch for it!
3. Focus on learning my local wildflowers. Create some sort of record of each flower. I was able to add 15 entries in my wildflower notebook…each entry has the flowers seen and identified listed. I take this journal with me everywhere!
4. Take Yosemite photos from the Yosemite photography book- On our second visit to Yosemite in May, I was able to take photos as part of this project. Amazing place!
5. Visit a new national park. We made it to TWO new national park/monuments this quarter! I visited Shenandoah National Park with my kids and Devil’s Postpile National Monument with my husband (entry soon).
6. Visit two new state parks. We visited San Clemente State Beach in February and South Yuba River State Park in April.
7. Identify three rocks from my original challenge. I am currently working on my basalt entry…look for it soon!
8. Read 10 nature related book! May- The Practical Naturalist. June – Botany in a Day.

Need help getting started with your nature study using the Handbook of Nature Study? Check out the fresh “Getting Started” page here on the website!

Don’t forget that Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level members have access to the brand new Learning About Birds ebook!

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Barb — 2 Comments

Creating Wildlife Habitat

This is the time of year that the rewards of creating a wildlife habitat are coming clear as the insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals visit our yard each day. There seems to be someone enjoying the space at all times. I hear buzzing and chirping during the day and see signs that someone has come to drink water and dig around in the leaves at night. I even have seen where some deer have been sleeping around on the side of our house. My husband saw a fox one evening and I heard an owl in our tree.

The yard is so alive and full of surprises each day.

I highly recommend the creating of a wildlife habitat that fits your local area’s wild residents.

The National Wildlife Federation website is a wealth of information on how to create your own habitat, step by step. Read this article about creating a wildlife habitat in your own yard. There is also a short video to watch: http://blog.nwf.org/2016/02/this-week-in-nwf-history-creating-wildlife-habitat-in-your-yard/

Once you certify your garden online, you can order a flag or sign to proudly display in your yard. I ordered the classic sign and we mounted it near our front walkway. Here are all the signs available: National Wildlife Federation Sign Shop.

Would you like a free printable plan for creating your own Wildlife Habitat? I created one for you to use as you access your yard for the four elements you will need to become certified.

Download and print yours here: Wildlife Habitat Plan

For more information, use this link to the National Wildlife Federation: Certify!

I wrote an entry a few years ago about the making of our own wildlife habitat. This entry mostly shows our backyard and how we planted things and arranged the yard to accommodate a variety of wildlife. Read more about the specific things you need to create a living space in your own yard: Making Your Backyard a Wildlife Habitat. You may find this entry helpful: Birdwatching 101- Attracting Birds with feeders and plants.

Here is another entry that shows the transformation of our front yard into a more wildlife friendly habitat: Frontyard Remodel. We have since added a mason bee house that you can read about in this post: Mason Bee House. Here is an entry that shows our frontyard in all four seasons: From My Window.

Winter Garden For Wildlife Part 1: This is mostly about the plants you can add to your yard to make a winter habitat for wildlife.

Winter Garden for Wildlife – Part 2: This post will give you simple ideas for attracting and sheltering wildlife in the winter months.

You may wish to read this entry: Gardening For Birds. In this entry, I share how I have added specific plants to attract and nourish our backyard birds.

Now that summer is here, you may be spending more time in your yard or garden. Take a few minutes to observe any wildlife that visits! Use the printable above to make your wildlife habitat plan soon and then go over to the National Wildlife Federation website to get certified. Then, proudly display your sign and tell your neighbors about the program so they can participate too.

Have you thought about creating a wildlife habitat?

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

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter July 2016 – Night Sky and Big Dipper

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

July 2016 – Night Sky and Big Dipper Study

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.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of May so be sure to download it before 7/31/16.

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:

It is time for us to take a look at the nighttime sky, especially the Big Dipper. Use the ideas in this month’s newsletter to plan some astronomy related nature study with your children. I have created a chart of ideas for astronomy study and categorized them by learning style. This is going to help you choose appropriate activities for each of your children.
Contributions from Outdoor Hour Challenge participant- Tricia Hodges of Hodgepodge is sharing her Favorite Astronomy Resources!
July Nature Study Planning Page with field trip ideas, nature photo ideas, and a special 15 minute challenge for parents.
Big Dipper Study printable notebook page which can be used as a nature journal topper as well.

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. There is a category for astronomy study that lists the resources our family has used and found helpful.

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.

Need help getting started with your nature study using the Handbook of Nature Study? Check out the fresh “Getting Started” page here on the website!

Don’t forget that Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level members have access to the brand new Learning About Birds ebook!

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Posted on June 30, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

End of June Garden Update

Time for a little end of June garden update! Make sure to check the garden tab at the top of the website for a whole list of garden related nature study ideas. You will also find there the crop plants list that helps you study many of the common garden vegetables you may be already growing in your garden.

Here is the link for green beans: Crop Plants – Green Beans.

I am enjoying the gardening season! Every morning I pop outside and take a garden tour, sometimes even before I have coffee. The progress of each box is easily seen as they grow quickly in the summer heat. These are Slenderette bush beans from Renee’s Garden.

I think I may have planted a few too many beans this year but that will give me a supply to share with friends who love beans as much as I do in the summer. I tucked some marigolds in between the bean plants for some color and to attract some pollinators. The pole beans are Renee’s Garden – Blue Lake variety.
Is it possible to love a zucchini plant? I don’t know if it is or not but I will say it anyway. I love this zucchini from Renee’s Garden (Raven variety).

Here are the actual plants that look fantastic. I am hoping to see some produce from this soon…you know how it is with zucchini. They can sprout up to be monsters overnight practically.

I have one box where I mixed four different flower seeds together and sprinkled the seeds to fill the box. This sounded like a good idea at the time but now it is hard to tell what are actual flowers and what are weeds that need to be pulled out.

Flowers Planted in this Box- All Renee’s Garden Seeds

White Wonder – Heirloom Double Feverfew

Mighty Lion – Butterfly Zinnia

Paradise Mix Echinacea – Butterfly Flowers

White Bishop’s Lace- Butterfly Flowers

I will keep you updated as the summer growing season progresses. Just so you know…I received my Renee’s Garden Seeds in exchange for my honest review of the product. I have used Renee’s Garden seeds for many years and highly recommend them. Thanks for taking a look at my garden goodness.

How is your garden coming?

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Posted on June 24, 2016 by Barb — 3 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Insect Mosquito

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Archive Post: Mosquitoes

I have been so annoyed with mosquitoes lately, both in the daylight and in the evenings. Perhaps it is because I am spending a lot of time outdoors in my garden and on the hiking trail. It seems as if I have a mosquito bite at all times (thank goodness for tea tree oil!).

This week, use the Outdoor Hour Challenge for mosquitoes to learn more about this flying winged insect using both the Handbook of Nature Study and the Discover Nature At Sundown books if you own them.

This challenge was originally shared in the Summer Nature Study ebook. If you have an Ultimate Naturalist membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study website, you will find this ebook in your library. You can pull the ebook up and find the corresponding notebook page for the challenge.

If you would like all the Summer Series Challenges in one place, I have an ebook gathered for you to purchase for your convenience. Here is a link to a complete description:
Summer Series of Outdoor Hour Challenges

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Posted on June 22, 2016 by Barb — 2 Comments

Calaveras Big Trees State Park – Tips and Images

We had the chance to camp for a few days at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We waited too long and we couldn’t get a campsite at Yosemite National Park so we decided to try Calaveras as an alternative (the parks are about 80 miles apart). If you are looking for a spot to camp and hike under the tall trees, this is a wonderful place to do it. Of course, there are no spectacular waterfalls at Calaveras but there are lots of trees, wildflowers, and a river to satisfy your nature loving spirit. Yosemite National Park has three groves of sequoia trees and Calaveras has two main groves – the North and the South groves. We hiked both groves during our visit.

I have visited many of California’s sequoia groves in my life time but the South Grove at Calaveras Big Trees is my favorite because of the quietness and wildness of its location. It takes effort to get there on a hike of around four miles round trip after a nine mile drive from the park entrance but that makes it less crowded so you can enjoy the natural beauty of a ancient sequoia grove.

Take a quick stop at the visitor center before you head down the road to the grove. I loved this visitor center because of its very well down exhibits that provide a decent background to the sequoia story, the local habitat, and the cultural information about this area.

Now you can drive down to the trailhead, perhaps stopping briefly at the view point. The hike to the South Grove starts at a large parking lot adjacent to a picnic area with restrooms. There are no sequoias here but the forest is full of tall pines and cedars and a creek. Across the creek you start the trail to the South Grove. I picked up the interpretive trail guide for fifty cents at the visitor center but there are some at the trailhead as well. Now the hike! It was a good trail that isn’t too steep…gradual incline. If you are using the interpretive guide, it will describe some of the specific things you are viewing along the way to the actual grove and then a little background and information about certain trees as you hike the loop. We encountered a handful of people during our hike and it felt as if we were there all on our own. I love that! We had a friend along with us that had never seen sequoias before and it was interesting to hear her comments about the massive size of these trees. The quiet is broken only with babbling creeks and birdsong. Imagining these trees growing for thousands of years boggles the mind. We learned a lot about the sequoia life cycle on this hike, the interconnected web of seed dispersal that includes a certain squirrel and a beetle, and the value of a good fire to the stability of this forest ecosystem. We also saw a snake! If you want to see some sequoias and are not wanting the crowds of Yosemite, this is a great alternative place to visit. There are two large campgrounds if you like to camp. We stayed at North Grove and it was very pretty. There was a creek running through the camground and there were places for kids to dip in a net to catch a minnow or a tadpole. The large meadow adjacent to the campground has a boardwalk across it so you can walk out and enjoy the plants, insects, and other sights in this habitat. Please note that the main highway runs alongside the campground and it might be smart to check the area map when you are making your reservations to see if your site backs up to the road. We could hear the cars go by from our site but it wasn’t distracting. Here is the obligatory image from atop the big stump (Discovery Stump). We enjoyed our stay at the park and highly recommend it to families who are looking for camping, hiking, and exploring in Northern California.

Additional Tips

Distances: From San Francisco – about 150 miles. From Reno, Nevada – about 125 miles. From Sacramento- 100 miles. From South Lake Tahoe- about 90 miles (gorgeous drive!)
There is a fee to get into the park for day use.
It does snow here in the winter so you will want to check the park’s website for information on road closures.
In winter, there is a warming hut for those that use the trails for snow shoes and skiing.
Towns near-by for hotels, restaurants, and gas: Arnold, CA and Murphys, CA.

You can read more of my national park entries by following these links:

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Redwoods National Park (California)
Channel Islands National Park(California)
Death Valley National Park(California)
Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
Joshua Tree National Park (California)
Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
Point Reyes National Seashore (California)
Muir Woods National Monument (California)
Zion National Park (Utah)
Weir Farm National Historic Site (Connecticut)
Pinnacles National Park (California)
Paterson Great Falls National Historic Site (New Jersey)
Morristown National Historical Park (New Jersey)
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (New Jersey)
Cabrillo National Monument (California)
Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
Calaveras Big Trees State Park (California)

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Posted on June 20, 2016 by Barb — 3 Comments

New Ebook! Learning About Birds using the Outdoor Hour Challenge

I have been diligently working on a new ebook that gathers together many of the bird challenges here on the Handbook of Nature Study website. The challenges have all been revamped, updated, enhanced, and supplemented with images and notebooking pages for your nature journal.

New Ebook Available for Ultimate Naturalist and Journey Level Members!

Here are the specifics:

This 65 page digital ebook has 8 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn more about your local birds using the Handbook of Nature Study as well as the book, Backyard Birds.
There are 6 notebooking pages included in the ebook. Two of these are general bird study pages that can be printed multiple times to meet your family’s needs.
Full color photos of every bird included in the ebook.
Additional information on birdfeeders, bird seed, nature table ideas, life lists, field guide help, and online identification.
There is enough material in this ebook to provide 8 weeks of bird study or more depending on how long you take to complete each challenge. Every challenge has more than one bird-see list of birds included below.
The ebook contains a chart that links every bird discussed in the Handbook of Nature Study (the book) to a challenge here on the website. This chart will help you find the bird challenges found in other OHC ebooks as well as the corresponding notebooking pages (if available).
Sample: Print your ebook sample here: Learning About Birds from the Outdoor Hour Challenge.
Please Note: I am highly recommended the purchase and use of NotebookingPages.com’s Basic Bird Study pages and the North American Birds set of pages to use alongside the new Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study website. She has such excellent pages that fit perfectly with the birds featured in my new ebook!

How do you get the new Learning About Birds ebook?

Members of the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey levels have access to the new ebook in their library. You need to click the “Members Area” button at the top of the website, sign into your account, and the ebook is there to download and safe for your family to use when desired.

If you don’t have a membership yet, I am offering a $5 off discount code that will be good towards your Ultimate Naturalist membership.

Discount Code: BIRDLOVER5

Please note that I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com and these are affiliate links. I have used these pages and loved them for many years with my own family.

How To Get Started With This New Ebook!

Make sure you have a membership to the Handbook of Nature Study website! Click the Purchase Now button above or the Join Us button on the website. If you don’t already have a membership, use the discount code above for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership. If you are a member, sign in to your library and download the book.
Have the required books in your home library- Handbook of Nature Study and Backyard Birds. Both books are listed in the new Learning About Birds ebook on the resources page or you can click to my Amazon.com store for purchasing them now.
Make sure to collect your FREE Basic Bird Study pages from NotebookingPages.com by following the instructions above!
Purchase your North American Birds Notebooking Pages from NotebookingPages.com.
Enjoy your bird nature study using the convenient plan in this new ebook!

I will be including some of these Outdoor Hour Challenges for birds over the next year. You may wish to subscribe to the Handbook of Nature Study blog so you can receive the prompts in your email box each Friday.

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Botany in a Day – Book Review

This month I read and pondered over the Botany in a Day book, thinking about the suggestions given in this book for learning more deeply about the plants in my own habitat. Since it has been on my shelf for a few years, I am reviewing the fifth edition of the book. With the sixth edition, he added full color illustrations! (ISBN 978-1892784353)

It has turned my world upside down by showing me that there is more wisdom to using the patterns in the different plant families to identify a plant rather than by using the color and shape of the flowers. Most field guides organize their flowers by color and then by flower type. The Botany in a Day method uses the distinct attributes of a plant family to get you close in identifying a flower.

The author explains that by learning the most common and unique patterns found in plant families you will learn more about the plant…more than just a name.

There are a few pages at the beginning of the book that deal with plant names and classifications that I found rather interesting. There is a rather long section on the evolution of plants that I skimmed through quickly since it doesn’t interest me much.

Then the meat of the book helps you learn how to key out a plant using specific observations for every plant/flower. I think this is where the “botany in a day” title comes from…the method is easily understood in a day, not the learning of everything there is to know about plants. I can see how focusing first on the most common plant families first will help you get started with applying the method of identification, building your confidence to learn more families after that. The most common families are highlighted in the index and the author suggests you start with those.

I love that you are to learn about a plant family and then go out and look for plants that fit the pattern right in your own yard and neighborhood. The author also suggests paging through field guides to train your eye to see the patterns.

You will be seeing me work through this book in the months to come. I hope to learn one family at a time (starting with the mustard family) and then apply what I learn in my day to day observations of plants both in my yard and along the trails of California.

Additional Information

You can find the official website here: Botany in a Day (with a video)
This book is applicable to most of North America.

This book is part of my Nature Book Project for 2016. I purchased this book with my own money and am providing my honest opinions about the book.

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

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Posted on June 13, 2016 by Barb — 2 Comments

June 2016 Nature Photos

One of my goals each month is to take few of the nature photo suggestions from the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter. This month’s suggestions centered on insects but I can’t resist sharing some of my favorite (so far) images of flowers. I have been sort of addicted to the color orange in all its shades this month and these daylilies are perfect. The photo above was from our local daylily farm. We visited during their “Daylily Days” this weekend and the farm is a mass of blooms of all colors.

If you are a local, this is a great day trip and I suggest bringing a picnic and perhaps stopping at one of the neighboring vineyards to pick up a bottle of wine. Perfect day trip!

Here is one of the photo suggestions from the newsletter. I captured this bee with his pollen baskets as he buzzed around my front yard sage.

I think this is a bush katydid sitting on my rose bush. It looks as if he has devoured some of the leaves. The prompt in the newsletter says “insect antennae” and the katydid’s antennae were definitely one of his most prominent features. My field guide says they can be three times longer than his body. Amazing!

I suggested on Facebook that if you had trouble looking at insects and their wings that the ladybug might be a good first insect to study. They are very low on the “icky” scale and most of us can even pick them up without getting squeamish. This ladybug looks as if he is sleeping in the mum plant.

This year my garden is so alive with plants that were dormant through the drought. The sweet pea in the front yard greets me at the mailbox everyday with its beautiful pink blossoms. We have studied these interesting flowers in the past and you can find an Outdoor Hour Challenge for them if you look up on the garden tab on the website.

Welcome to my back deck flower garden! These are all in pots on my deck and provide brilliant color for me and the insects that visit. Flowers are from top to bottom, left to right: Chocolate Daisy (Rene’s Garden Seeds), Calla Lily, Blanket Flower, Oriental poppy, Coreopsis, Bee Balm, and a Dahlia.

If you enjoy my photos and are on Instagram, I invite you to follow my new Outdoor Hour Challenge Instagram account! You can follow the account for nature study inspiration and reminders. Or if you would rather, tag your photos with #outdoorhourchallenge and I will stop by and take a look at your photos! I would love to “regram” your images too! I would love for this Instagram account to become a large community of like-minded nature lovers.

Be Inspired! Be Encouraged! Get Outdoors!

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Posted on June 10, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Insect Lacewing

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Insect Wings- Lacewing

Use the ideas in this challenge to look for lacewings to view up close.

“Flitting leisurely through the air on her green gauze wings, the lacewing seems like a filmy leaf, broken loose and drifting on the breeze. But there is a purpose in her flight, and through some instinct she is enabled to seek out an aphis-ridden plant or tree, to which she comes as a friend in need.”

“Look for the lacewing on any plant infested with plant lice, and the lacewing’s egg or eggshells on the long stalks are also readily found.”
Handbook of Nature Study

Here is the link to the Outdoor Hour Challenge for the lacewing in the archives: Insect Study – Lacewing.

This challenge is found in the Summer Nature Study Continues ebook if you have an Ultimate Naturalist or Journey Level Membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study! Download a copy and use the custom notebooking page for your nature journal.

Author: Barb

Nature Goals 2016 – 2nd Quarter Update

Creating Wildlife Habitat

Have you thought about creating a wildlife habitat?

End of June Garden Update

How is your garden coming?

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Insect Mosquito

Calaveras Big Trees State Park – Tips and Images

New Ebook! Learning About Birds using the Outdoor Hour Challenge

How To Get Started With This New Ebook!

Botany in a Day – Book Review

June 2016 Nature Photos

Be Inspired! Be Encouraged! Get Outdoors!

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Insect Lacewing

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!