Our challenge from last week was to find and observe some spring cattails: Springtime Cattail Observations.We headed over to our local park where we had observed some fabulous cattails last year. Because of the drought, there are not as many as we had noticed during the summer of 2013 and they were much smaller than expected. We are going to mark our calendar to make some summer observations and compare our results.
There was enough water in the pond to see a beautiful reflection of the clouds and there were insects making little ripples and bubbles in the water. We estimated that the cattails were about three feet high and we will compare the height when we return this summer.
When we took a closer look at the water’s edge, we saw an old cattail that had disintegrated into a soft pile of fluff. What a great find!
Using the Nature Journal Topper from the April 2014 newsletter, I created a nature journal page with some of my observations and a simple sketch.
Hopefully, your family will get a chance to find a place with cattails for your springtime observations. If you started a year-long study already, return to your cattail spot to make some comparisons for your nature journal.
Do you know where there are cattails in your area?
This is a classic springtime study here on the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Take a few minutes this week to think about where you might find some cattails to observe. If nothing else, take a walk at a local stream or pond to explore the springtime weather with your children.
Take some time this week to pull out the watercolors to record your springtime cattail in your nature journal. Fun Suggestion: Use the water from your stream or pond to watercolor!
I searched on Pinterest for “watercolor cattails” and I found loads of inspiration to get started: Pinterest – Watercolor Cattails.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #2. Take a walk and then discuss with your children what they enjoyed during their outdoor time. Help them find words to record in their nature journal or you can follow up with the accompanying notebook page from the ebook. Additional idea: While you are out during your outdoor time, find a wildflower, weed, or leaf to put into your flower press.
I am working on creating a page with my web designer for the Frequently Asked Questions here on the Handbook of Nature Study. In the meantime, here is what I have so far. What happened here on the Handbook of Nature Study?
I have been creating, sharing, and selling ebooks as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge for many years. The library of challenges and ebooks had grown to such a size that it was becoming hard to navigate or to use easily, especially for newcomers. The decision to create a membership site was a BIG decision and not taken lightly.
Creating the Ultimate Naturalist Library and then offering it as a membership access site was the most efficient and reasonably priced way of allowing access to a lot of great nature study resources for families. This level of membership is perfect for the family that is getting started with nature study, wants a lot of choices, needs the archived newsletters, and would like all the new releases during the year(see below for a list of the ebooks scheduled to be released during the up-coming year). I always like having every challenge at my fingertips so I can pull one as the topics present themselves during our nature study time and I know you will too!
I realize that there is a core group of OHC families that have made purchases in the past so the Journey level of membership is perfect to keep your nature study journey rolling. You have access to the Getting Started ebook, new challenges, and the archived newsletters (just in case you missed some along the way).
There are some new faces here at the OHC as well so the Discovery level of membership is a perfect way to get your feet wet with the Getting Started ebook, the new challenges, and the archived library of newsletters.
Can I purchase the ebooks separately?
At this time you cannot purchase the Outdoor Hour Challenge ebooks separately. Just remember that with your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership you will get EVERY ebook available on the Handbook of Nature Study for a value of over $87 dollars PLUS the new ebooks that will be released during your membership year.
What does the Ultimate Membership include?
The Ultimate Membership includes all 12 ebooks listed on the library page, all 36 issues of the archived newsletters in their original format, and ALL new items to be added in the next year. You have the ability to download and save every ebook, newsletter, and printable available right to your own computer for future use…even after your membership ends. You just need to download and save the resources DURING your membership period.
What are the new items scheduled to be released during the year (April 2014-April 2015)?
There will be three ebooks with brand new challenges based on the information in the Handbook of Nature Study.
Fall ebook– loaded to membership pages on 8/15/14.
Winter ebook– loaded to membership pages on 12/19/14.
Spring ebook- loaded to membership pages on 3/20/15.
In addition to the new ebooks, there will be 2-4 various printable notebook pages and activities posted to the library each month.
Will I have access to all the ebooks after my membership ends?
No, you will need to download and save to your personal computer the ebooks (and newsletters and printables) during your membership period.
Can I purchase a membership to the Ultimate Naturalist Library this year and then purchase the Journey level next year?
YES!
I just need the back issues of the monthly newsletters. Where can I get those?
Every level of membership to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, including the Journey and Discovery levels, includes the archived newsletters.
Where do I see a list of the ebooks available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library?
You can visit the Join Us page for a complete explanation of the ebooks included in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.
Are the challenges on the blog different from the challenges in the ebooks?
Each Friday I post a nature study challenge on the blog featuring a topic from the Handbook of Nature Study. These challenges are and will continue to be from the OHC ebooks. So what are the advantages of having the new challenges in ebook format? You will get the challenges ahead of time so you can plan your family’s nature study for the quarter. Also, you will have access to the custom challenge notebooking pages not available to non-members.
Can I get a refund?
No. At this time, I am not processing refunds. There are plenty of samples for each ebook out there so there should not be much of a surprise once you purchase your membership. I am happy to answer any questions about the memberships BEFORE you purchase. I want you to be happy with your membership and I will explain anything that isn’t clear up front.
Can I print the ebooks for my family?
Yes, you are welcome to download and print the ebooks for your family’s use, making multiple copies of the notebooking pages for each member.
Do I need to print the ebook?
No, you can work right from your computer, iPad, or Kindle for each lesson. You will only need to print the notebooking pages if your family desires to complete them for their nature journal.
I am new to the Outdoor Hour Challenge, can I try the Discovery or Journey level of membership and then upgrade?
YES! If you purchase the Discovery or Journey level membership and then decide you want to upgrade to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, contact me directly and we will set that up for you.
I want to receive your monthly newsletter. Where can I subscribe?
At the top right of the website there is a subscription box for you to enter in your email address. You will receive a confirmation email that you will need to reply to and then you will be all set to go!
I don’t want to purchase anything. Can I still follow along?
Yes, of course. You can subscribe to my free monthly newsletter for continued nature study encouragement. Also, there will be challenges posted each Friday that you can use for free but you won’t have the plans ahead of time or the custom notebooking pages .
Our weather has dried up again after about twelve more inches of rain. We had a week of rainy wet skies which were much welcomed in our drought-restricted area. My garden is much happier!
My faithful readers know once the trails are dry and the sun warms the air that I itch to get outdoors for a good springtime explore. My husband and I carved out a whole day for a good hike…traveling out of our county, through another county, and arriving at a spot that we love to ramble down to the river. There were two cars in the parking lot at the trailhead but we never saw anyone until we were returning back up the trail much later in the day. I love that!
This time of year the hiking story is really about the wildflowers. You can hike along for a bit but you do need to stop and take a few photos along the way. Here are a few of the highlights. I know for many of you that spring has not yet arrived….so enjoy my images and dream of your springtime coming soon!
The Blue Dicks or Wild Hyacinth is in full bloom at the top of the trail. As we began our hike, the slope from the parking lot down to the little ravine was dotted with pretty bluish/purple flowers.
Another one of our regular early spring wildflowers is the Shooting Star. Once it starts blooming, you can be sure it is spring for sure and the days will get warmer.
I am pretty sure this is a new to me wildflower…I have seen something very similar but a different color. Using my field guide and the CalFlora site, it looks like this may be a Brown Bell or Brown Fritillary
This is such a beautiful blue wildflower! There were several spots along the trail that had Hounds Tongue. We have this on our local trail as well and it is just starting to blossom for the early spring bloom.
This Caterpillar phacelia has such a unique looking flower that I never forget its name. It really does look like a caterpillar!
Coyote Creek at the bottom of the trail, beyond the natural bridge, runs cool, clear, and fast over the marble rocks. It is a great place to sit a few minutes and listen to the birds singing and the insects buzzing. This is where we observed our new spring bird, the Black Phoebe!
Hopefully this is the start to a fantastic hiking season!
Did you know you can get access to all the archived newsletters (all 36 issues) with every level of membership?
This week we are going to get started with a spring wildflower or dandelion nature study challenge! This is always a favorite study and I look forward to seeing how your family completes some of the ideas in the following challenges. As always, if you don’t have any wildflowers or dandelions, take a walk anyway and see what you can find or talk about the up-coming wildflower season to create some enthusiasm. See the ideas below for a dandelion hunt.
This month’s newsletter includes a page of Nature Journal Toppers. One of the suggested activities outlines some ideas for observing a dandelion that you may find during your outdoor time and then creating a nature journal page with all your measurements and comparisons.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #6. You can work on your nature table collection or pressed flower collection this week as part of your follow-up time. See the ideas in this challenge from the Getting Started ebook for more ideas and a custom notebooking page.
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!
