We have had a new regular bird under our birdfeeders this past Project Feederwatch season. I wasn’t able to identify it right off the bat since sparrows are some of the more difficult birds to distinguish in my feeders. I was finally able to take a really good photo of him and that certainly helped.
He is actually a Sooty Fox Sparrowwhich is found here on the West Coast. This was the bird that kept flying into my back window…in fact I got to look at one really close because it was dead on my back deck from a crash into the window. (That was a sad day!) I used a photo of the bird this time in my journal just to make it easy. I followed the prompt from last month’s newsletter Nature Journal Topper to list at least five things we observed about our bird. My rule is to get the page done in your journal and not worry about how fancy or creative it is…
Death Valley National Park is a surprising place! I had lived in California all my life but until 2006 had never visited this amazing place. Our family took a trip during the first week of April 2006, escaping to the warm temperatures and dry landscape for a few days. My boys had a blast in this vast and awe-inspiring place.
Hottest, Driest, Lowest…all describe this unique place on earth called Death Valley.
We stayed two nights at Furnace Creek Ranch, making that our home base for the three days we were there. The hotel and rooms were nice but the highlight was the swimming pool! My boys enjoyed swimming in February and I relished the time to have bare feet as I watched them splash around mid-February. There was a diner type of restaurant, a small store, and a the Visitor’s Center. It was super expensive so if we ever go back, we are going to go camping!
We started our visit with the Visitor’s Centerto get our bearings and to learn more about his unique habitat. We talked to the rangers about hikes to take with our boys to give us the flavor of Death Valley. I purchased Hiking in Death Valley and Mohave Desert Wildflowers to have as references during our stay.
Yes, wildflowers! Can you believe wildflowers in the desert? This was our first experience with this kind of habitat and right away I knew I had been wrong about what we would find to observe and study there in the desert. I had expected only rocks but found a whole array of wildflowers and plants to learn about as we hiked and explored.
These are affiliate links to books I own and love!
I highly recommend both books we purchased because I think we did get more out of the experience knowing where and what to look for during our stay. Several of the hikes that were listed in the guide book are not clearly marked from the road and we would have driven right past them.We concentrated on the Furnace Creek regionof the park and there was plenty to do just exploring this part of the vast desert.
Our favorite was “Canyon at second dip” along the Artists Drive. Sure enough, the canyon at the “second dip” was just as described and a favorite of the boys because the start of the trail is a scramble up a “short pink fall 50 yards from the road”.
We experienced natural bridges.
Hiked to the end of box canyons.
Explored places carved by flash floods.
Marveled at the stunning colors we observed.
Found surprising creatures.
Wondered at the way plants could grow right out of the rocky, sandy, graveling floor of Death Valley.
This is an amazing place to explore a study of botany, geology, ornithology, and zoology.
Look at that incredible sky!
Death Valley as 3.4 million acres to explore…be prepared! Water is a necessity at all times of the year and we also carried a good map, wore sturdy shoes and hats, and made sure to gas up the car. You can see this page for a list of places within the park to fuel up.
You will need a car to explore Death Valley National Park. It is reachable from just about any of the major cities in California. Please note that many of the highway passes going west-east in California are closed in winter. Check with Cal Trans information before planning a drive over
Also, your cell phone will not work in Death Valley National Park so be prepared for that if you need to make a call.
We also visited Scotty’s Castleon the way out of the park, heading towards home. This is a lot of fun to tour with the kids and we enjoyed seeing this unusual place and hearing the story of how it was built.
You may be interested in reading more in my national parks series:
During this transition time, I am going to offer the April 2014 edition of the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter to everyone. There is such a snag in converting my subscribers from Feedburner to Aweber that it is impossible for me to continue using the old way to share the newsletter this month. Hopefully, all the problems will be ironed out by the end of April and you will again need to be a subscriber in order to receive the newsletter again. Until then, accept this issue as my gift. I know you are going to enjoy the contents!
Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:
6 articles encouraging backyard observations (4 from OHC participants)
Spring Chalk Pastel Tutorial from Tricia Hodges. Plus a discount code for her latest ebook!
Did you you that all of the archived newsletters (36 issues) are available at the Ultimate, Journey, and Discovery levels of membership? You may wish to check out your options.
This week we can start a spring season of bird watching, recording our observations in our nature journals. Keep it simple and light by taking some time to go outdoors and observing the birds in your neighborhood.
Here is the link to the challenge from the archives:
You might like to also have this awesome link: Feeder Birds Coloring Book-Make sure to download and save the PDF so you will have it when you need it!
Special Activity: Life List Printable
Bird Life List Printable Here is a simple printable to use in your nature journal to keep an on-going list of birds you observe and identify.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #4. If you own the ebook, you can use the printable to record your bird focus.
-with hundreds of resources gathered into one convenient Ultimate Naturalist’s Library.
What Will Stay The Same Here At The Handbook Of Nature Study?
I will continue to publish weekly Outdoor Hour Challenges and topical blog posts for your family to follow along with if you choose. I am passionate about nature study and it brings me such joy to share my experiences with all my readers so that will continue as long as I possibly can, hopefully for many years to come.
The free monthly newsletter for email subscribers will continue to be published to encourage your family with their nature study. *Make sure to confirm the email coming soon to your inbox so you will continue to receive all the blog entries, monthly newsletters, and special offers from the Handbook of Nature Study.
All the past Outdoor Hour Challenges (150+) organized by topic and season will continue to be available .
Access to all the current free printables will remain available.
The monthly Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival will continue to be published at the end of each month.
We will keep working through the scheduled 2013-2014 Bundle of challenges until the end of August 2014.
What Is Brand New?
Your family can choose from three levels of immediate access to the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library, each level containing valuable resources to make nature study easy and fun.
Ultimate($45) – All 12 Outdoor Hour Challenge ebooks ($87 value), all 36 archived newsletters (May 2011-April 2014), monthly printables, any new challenges for a year.*
Journey ($30)– Getting Started ebook, all 36 archived newsletters, monthly printables, any new challenges for a year.*
Discovery($20)– Getting Started ebook, all 36 archived newsletters.
*There will be quarterly releases of 6-9 Outdoor Hour Challenges and additional monthly releases of 2-4 printable resources. The first new challenges will be added to the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library in August 2014 for fall season nature study.
For the month of April 2014, I am offering a $10 discount towards the Ultimate level of membership. Just use the discount code: APRIL10.
The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library Is The Ultimate Nature Study Resource
Imagine having access to all the resources here on the Handbook of Nature Study, gathered into one convenient Ultimate Naturalist’s Library!
You will no longer lose your ebook files or forget what resources you have on hand because you have them all organized and available right here in the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library.
Ebooks, notebooking pages, newsletters, and printables are all organized and available 24/7 for a complete year.
There will be regular additions to the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library as we work through each year of nature study. Look for brand new challenges every quarter, monthly printables, and other valuable resources to be added throughout the year.
Equip yourself to guide your family’s nature study with the very best resources available here at the Handbook of Nature Study.
The current 2013-2014 Bundle will be available until 8/1/14.
The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library is going to provide support for all ages in your family with endless ideas for activities and follow-up work.
The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library is going to be the resource you love for years to come!
The end of the month of March has arrived! Spring has burst out all over the place here in my part of California. I hope you have started to see the greening of the grass, the colorful display of flowers, and bright blue skies in your area. For our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, you are beginning to feel the change of season in a different way, still beautiful!
Thank you to all the families who sent in their blog entries to share and encourage all of us in what you are doing. I so appreciate the variety of a participants we have included in this Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.
Enjoy!
If you missed any of our family’s entries, here they are from the month of March:
Winter Mammals at the Coast: Angie from Petra School has a fabulous entry for you to enjoy. They were on a hunt for mammal tracks and they ended up finding something exciting!
Wallflowers are coming alive!
Spring Tree
Spring Trees and Weather: Shirley Anne from Under an English Sky shares their Spring Trees and Weather with this edition of the carnival. What a wonderful look into their natural spring beauty. Don’t miss seeing their gorse and journal entries too!
Outdoor Hour Challenge-Welcome to Spring: Michelle from Following Footprints has put together a wonderful account of their March spring time nature study. Take a glimpse at their nature journals too!
Fun Filled March: Barbara at The Schoolhouse on the Prairie has submitted their March nature study activities. She shares a little of everything along with her beautiful images of spring in her neighborhood.
Poppy Hill 2014 – American River Canyon
Spring Weather
Signs of Spring at Last: Jennifer from Royal Little Lambs has submitted their signs of spring. It is so refreshing to see the colors and shapes of spring again!
Nature Study in March: Kerry from Keeping Up with the Kordish’s has had some cold weather. They share the month’s nature study activities in this entry.
Signs of Spring: Kris from On the 8th Day has some wonderful images to show what spring is looking like in their neighborhood. Don’t miss their nature notebook entries!
First Day of Spring-Signs of Spring:Angie from Petra School would love for you to take a look at their spring time at the Oregon coast. I love the images of the huckleberries!
Signs of Spring: Um Safufa shares their spring time observations along with some wonderful nature journals by all.
Spring Rainbow Color Walk: Janet from Pursuing the Journey and her children completed a photo hunt to find all the colors of the rainbow.
Potpourri
Icy Trees – Alex from Life on a Canadian Island shares their wintery weather observations.
DIY – Paper Folded Boxes: Nadene from Practical Pages shares there shell collection and a simple folded paper box tutorial with the carnival.
Notice board – Nature Study: Nadene also has submitted their notice board nature study area. You are going to be inspired to use these ideas for the nature study grid and the photo of the week.
Daffodil Dissection: Janet from Pursuing the Journey would love for you to pop over and see their flower study and journals.
Vermicomposting: Colleen from Sola Gratia Mom shares their adventure into vermicomposting.
Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in April are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 4/29/14 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com or submit them at the blog carnival site (link on the sidebar of my blog).
Have your children describe any clouds they see in the sky.
Notice how hard the wind is blowing by how things are moving: leaves rustling, trees bending, etc.
Notice the wind’s direction. Where is it coming from?
Describe the temperature of the air and/or look it up on a thermometer.
Notice any precipitation that you may have this week: sprinkles, rain, mist, sleet, snow, fog, hail.
Printable Notebook Page: During your seasonal weather observations, take a photo of something that shows your current weather conditions. Better yet, let your children take the images and then print them out for a personalized nature journal entry. This can be done in each season and recorded in your nature journal’s seasonal section.
Nature in Verse by Mary Lovejoy is a whole year’s worth of poetry organized by seasons. You can click the link and scroll to the table of contents. Look for any poems that relate to spring. Read some aloud to your children and perhaps pick a line or two to copy onto a nature journal page.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #3.Make sure to read the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study for this challenge. We all need reminders about how to encourage our children in their nature journals. Along with a sketch, your child can add a verse or two of spring poetry to their nature journal. Keep it simple and light…
March is just about over (hard to believe) and we have been outdoors more and more both hiking and in the garden. I try to spend a few minutes each day actually enjoying the plants, birds, and insects that inhabit my yard.
Along with my observations, I try to capture a few images throughout the month. As part of my on-going project, I post a few of those images over on the Nature Photo of the Week Pinterest Board. You are welcome to join us at any time!
Here are my March entries if you don’t follow the Pinterest board.
Bird: Our spring-time robin singing his heart out at sunset. He is the top of our tulip poplar tree.
Fragrant: The air has traces of the blooming trees in our neighborhood. I love the pink blossoms and so do the birds!
Early: Our early spring garden is coming alive with bees and lavender.
Sunshine: Our Lamb’s Ear in the front yard is growing amazing vigor. I love the way the sunlight shows the texture of the leaf.
There are so many things to love about March…the warmer sunshine, the longer days, the greens of the grasses, and my own personal hopes for a springtime full of beauty.
What are you looking forward to this coming month?
We have completed several year-long tree studies in the past, observing a particular tree in each season for a whole year. We haven’t had a tree for some time. I looked back and we started a study of the neighborhood cottonwood tree but never finished. Oops.
Time for a fresh start and a new tree. We looked around our yard and realized that we have studied quite a few of those trees already. Hunting around, we found a new tree. We know the tree as the “birdfeeder tree” because it has always had our birdfeeder hanging from its branches. We don’t know what the name of the tree is officially so it is going to be a mystery tree until we complete the study.
This is our tree looking from our back deck and between our house and the neighbor’s house. It is an awkward place to take a photo but you get the idea of the shape of the tree. You can see the Pittosporum plant on the right of the tree.
Here is a look at the branches from underneath. In the summer this tree shades the end of our deck where I have some chairs and a table. We spend many an afternoon and evening enjoying the shade given by our “birdfeeder tree”.
This is what is on the branches on this first day of spring. Wow! Look at all those tree parts. A few days ago, when the sun was shining on the tree, I could see it actually giving off little puffs of pollen into the breeze. I am sure this is the tree that is making pollen on the deck.
Here is another view of the flowers (fruits?) of this mystery tree. If anyone has any idea what this tree is from looking at the images in this entry, please leave me a comment or send me an email. I freely admit I don’t know all there is to know, or even a fraction of what there is to know, about trees even in my own backyard.
I added a photo and some notes to my page that I had prepared using the new Nature Journal Topper from the newsletter. Hopefully this will remind me to complete a summer study of our tree and perhaps be able to identify it when it has leaves.
Outdoor Hour Challenge: Apple Trees in Spring –See some of the ideas below or click over to the original Outdoor Hour Challenge for more in-depth ideas for a study of an apple tree.
Suggested Observations for the Handbook of Nature Study, page 664 and 666
How tall is your tree?
How thick is its trunk?
What color is the bark?
Does the trunk divide into large branches or does it extend up through the center of the head?
Study the bud of the apple blossom.
Sketch an open apple blossom. How many petals? What is the shape of the flower?
Spring(Spring 2010 Ebook) You can use the ideas in this challenge to start or continue a year-long tree study of your choice.
You may also like to read this entry for additional simple ideas to get you started: For the Love of Trees
Special Activity:
Four Seasons Tree Photo Project:
To accompany this challenge, print these notebook page for your nature journal and attach a photo of your tree in each season. Four Seasons Tree Photo Project Notebook Page: One page for each season’s observations and a photo or sketch.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #10. I hope everyone is starting to see some signs of spring this week. Perhaps a simple picnic during the day during your tree study time might be nice. Use the accompanying notebook page to record your picnic time observations.
.JPG)
.JPG)
