Author: Tricia Hodges

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October Nature Study Activities For Children Of All Ages

October can often be the most mild and inviting time to be outdoors! The mornings are cool, the sunshine abundant, and the afternoons offer the perfect invitation to take a walk crunching the leaves under the foot. I hope your month is full of sunshine and outdoor walks too with these engaging October nature studies.

October Nature Study Activities

October can often be the most mild and inviting time to be outdoors! The mornings are cool, the sunshine abundant, and the afternoons offer the perfect invitation to take a walk crunching the leaves under the foot. I hope your month is full of sunshine and nature walks too.

photo by Amy Law

Outdoor Nature Study Plans with the Outdoor Hour Challenges

  • Autumn Favorites Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum
  • Autumn Curriculum
  • Fall leaf study grid
  • Signs of autumn study
  • Under the fallen leaves autumn fun
  • Fall color walk with printable color cards
  • Swallows and swifts and learning about bird migration
  • Goose

  • Turkeys
  • Horses
  • Salmon and trout
  • Seasonal tree study
  • Apples and how they grow
  • How to start a field notebook
  • Autumn weather and changes in your own backyard

The October Outdoor Mom

Anne reveled in the world of color about her. What is this? “Oh Marilla”, she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it”?

Anne of Green Gables

Your Outdoor Hour Challenge hostess, Shirley Vels, shares lovely prompts just for mom in The Outdoor Mom course for annual members: I’m sure most of us resonate with Anne and her love for October. There is no doubt in my mind that October is my favourite time of the year!

The smell of woodsmoke in the air, the gentle mists that gather each morning as the sun pops its face over the horizon, the chill that makes soft clouds form as you speak, the splendour of the autumnal trees and the golden light that seems unique to this time of the year filtering through the golden tree tops and painting beautiful dappled shadows on the ground is all simply quite heavenly!

Autumn Fern Nature Journal Entry

Nature Journaling Video on Ferns: Nature Crafts

Your nature illustrator, Victoria Vels, shares a beautiful fern nature journal entry. Follow along as she shares her process in a step-by-step video in the Nature Crafts course for annual Homeschool Nature Study members. Autumn is here with all its vibrant colour changes, so it’s time to document the beauty with this fern themed autumn nature journal entry. Follow along with me as I create this autumnal spread, experimenting with colours and painting techniques. Gather up your specimens, literature and facts and lets get started!

Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenges for Pumpkins and Apples

All the apples and pumpkins for nature study fun! When the air turns cooler and the leaves start to change color, it is always fun to learn more about apples and pumpkins! Enjoy this ultimate guide of fun apple and pumpkin nature study ideas for your homeschool.

New for Homeschool Nature Study members: apple printables, apple observations, apple taste test plus visiting a pumpkin farm and more!

Fall Leaf Study

There are leaf nature studies to fill an entire week! Go on a fall leaf tour!

Fall Color for Preschoolers

A really great thing about fall is that it is a great time to get outdoors with the kids and explore nature. With that being said, here are some great fall nature study ideas for toddlers and preschoolers that I hope you (and your little ones) will enjoy.

Autumn Outdoor Hour Curriculum

More Fall Nature Study for Your Homeschool

Homeschool Nature Study Activities for Every Month of the Year!

Check out all we have for our members for each month:

October can often be the most mild and inviting time to be outdoors! The mornings are cool, the sunshine abundant, and the afternoons offer the perfect invitation to take a walk crunching the leaves under the foot. I hope your month is full of sunshine and nature walks too.

The Outdoor Hour Challenges Bring The Handbook of Nature Study to Life in Your Homeschool!

For even more homeschool nature study ideas for all seasons, join us in Homeschool Nature Study membership! You’ll receive new ideas each and every week that require little or no prep – all bringing the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!

Explore Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Preschool Nature Hike: I Spy Fungi

Fall is the perfect time of year to go on a I Spy Fungi: Preschool Nature Hike. It's fun to observe the different colors, shapes, and locations of fungi.

When we think of fall we often picture pumpkins, hay rides, apples, and changing leaves. But it is also the perfect time of year to go on a I Spy Fungi: Preschool Nature Hike.

We didn’t set out to have a fungi nature hunt but it turned into that once we noticed how many different types of mushrooms we were seeing on our walk.

Fall is the perfect time of year to go on a I Spy Fungi: Preschool Nature Hike. It's fun to observe the different colors, shapes, and locations of fungi.

I Spy Fungi: Preschool Nature Hike

There’s something about fungi that is gross and cool at the same time! While we were walking through the woods, we came across several different types of fungi. With my preschool children, we observed the different colors, shapes, and locations of fungi.

slug on mushroom

We even found a slug on fungi. That got us thinking– why would a slug want to be on fungi? (Moisture was our guess.)

Slime and mushrooms– what was the connection? Was it part of the mushroom or was it left from an animal? Those were some of the “I Wonders” that we came up with while on our hike.

We also talked about how some mushrooms are safe to eat but others are not — and we just observe mushrooms with our eyes not our hands.

Fall is the perfect time of year to go on a I Spy Fungi: Preschool Nature Hike. It's fun to observe the different colors, shapes, and locations of fungi.

We observed a variety of fungi on our nature walk and had some great discussions about what we saw.

So head out on your own I Spy Fungi hunt! Bring a camera or sketchbook and capture what you find. I’d love to see your photos! Be sure to tag us on Instagram or Facebook.

Fall is the perfect time of year to go on a I Spy Fungi: Preschool Nature Hike. It's fun to observe the different colors, shapes, and locations of fungi.

More Resources for Your Homeschool

There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Join us for even more homeschool nature studies for all the seasons! With a new nature study each week, you will have joyful learning leading all the way through the homeschool year for all your ages!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

By Maureen Spell, a long-time contributor to the Outdoor Hour Challenges. Maureen helps Christian mompreneurs operate their business from a place of joy, purpose, and excellence because they are clear on how their business is serving their family and others. As a homeschool mom, she believes success at home AND business without the mom-guilt, stress and burn-out is possible! Outside of work, she loves having good conversations over a hot chai or GT Gingerberry kombucha and spending time with her husband and seven children. Visit her at MaureenSpell.com

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September Nature Study Activities: Signs Of Fall

Are you looking for ideas for some simple fall nature study ideas? Enjoy these ideas and pick those that get you excited to be outdoors this season with your children.

Enjoy these activities for your September nature study. Get excited to be outdoors this fall with your children!

photo by Amy Law

Signs of Fall September Nature Study Activities

You may wish to make a note in your planner to accomplish several of these ideas for the next few months.

Some fall 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

“The free open air is the best background for all work in nature study. The conventionalities of the schoolroom fall away. The artificial distance between teacher and pupil disappears, and as friend to friend the group talks. It is this that makes work in nature study at its best so delightful.

The wealth of material is very great, and the suggestions that come from things in their proper places are much more abounding than those that arise in the artificial conditions of the school room.”

Excerpt from The Study of Nature – by Samuel Christian Schmucker. 1908.
September nature study activities with The Handbook of Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenges

September Nature Study Plans with the Outdoor Hour Challenges

Each year we have a new focus with The Handbook of Nature Study curriculum plans. Here is a sampling of topics from this year and others:

Enjoy Fall Outdoor Hour Challenges with The Handbook of Nature Study

  • Autumn Favorites Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum
  • Autumn Curriculum
  • Fall leaf study grid
  • Signs of autumn study
  • Under the fallen leaves autumn fun
  • Fall color walk with printable color cards
  • Swallows and swifts and learning about bird migration
  • Goose
  • Apples and how they grow
  • How to start a field notebook
  • Autumn weather and changes in your own backyard
Fall Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum with The Handbook of Nature Study
  • Pumpkin farm notebook page
  • Bat study
  • The hawk
  • Autumn night sky studies
  • Pigs
  • Bracket fungi and stinkhorns
  • Squirrels
  • Horses
  • Turkey
  • Maple, ash, hemlock, staghorn sumac and oak trees
  • Belted Kingfisher bird study
  • Lizards, anoles and geckos
  • Autumn flowers

and SO much more!

Fall Nature Crafts for Homeschool Families

Autumn is finally upon us with all its rust, orange and golden glory, so it’s the best time to make these pumpkin pixie houses. With yellowing leaves, ripening apples and pumpkins galore, what better way to celebrate the new season than with an adorable new nature craft.

Enjoy this fabulous new craft for our annual members – led by Victoria Vels! Join Homeschool Nature Study membership today!

Start a Year Long Nature Study

For families that are completing yearlong studies as part of their nature study plan, you’ll find ideas for subjects in out Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum as well. You can start now in fall and make observations over the next year of your chosen topic. Our family has greatly benefited from following a subject over the course of a complete year, making seasonal observations as we go.

Here are some ideas from year-long nature study topics we’ve done in the past:

  • Year-Long Big Dipper Study
  • Seasonal Cattail Study
  • Seasonal Milkweed Study
  • Year-Long Pond Study
  • Year-Long Queen Anne’s Lace Study
  • Seasonal Autumn Tree Study
  • Year-Long Tree Study – something different
  • Year-Long Thistle Study
  • Teasel Study – start a year-long teasel study
  • Autumn Weather Study – printable notebook page in membership
  • Year-Long Burdock Study
fall nature studies

The Joys of Fall Homeschool Nature Study Activities

Fall in love with nature study in your homeschool! Here are more ideas for you and your family to enjoy this season.

We have Outdoor Hour Challenge Homeschool Nature Study Curriculum filled with weeks of fall nature study plans! You can also take a look at this sampling of the resources we have for you to enjoy simple, fall homeschool nature study in your own backyard.

  • Seasonal Tree Observations Outdoor Hour Challenge
  • Fall Color Walk with Printable Color Cards in membership (great for your youngest adventurers)
  • How to Make Leaf Rubbings (video)
  • Tips for Drawing Leaves
  • Learn Why Leaves Change Color
  • Preschool fall nature studies
  • Advanced studies on the chemistry of leaves
  • Seasonal Favorites: apples, pumpkins, bats, turkeys and more!
Enjoy these activities for your September nature study. Get excited to be outdoors this fall with your children!

The Outdoor Hour Challenges Bring The Handbook of Nature Study to Life in Your Homeschool!

For even more homeschool nature study ideas for all seasons, join us in Homeschool Nature Study membership! You’ll receive new ideas each and every week that require little or no prep – all bringing the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!

Explore Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Find Nature Study Activities for each month of the year!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Nature Study For Teens: Overcoming boredom and resistance

Nature study for teens can be just as engaging and educational, but it does require an age appropriate approach to learning.

Nature study for teens can be just as engaging and educational, but it does require an age appropriate approach to learning. Here’s what has worked for us.

Nature study for teens can be just as engaging and educational, but it does require an age appropriate approach to learning.

“Some children are born naturalists, but even those who aren’t were born with natural curiosity about the world and should be encouraged to observe nature.”
Charlotte Mason, vol 2 page 58

“They get so used to reading about marvels of nature and never seeing it for themselves that nothing interests them. The way to cure this is to let them alone for awhile and then start something totally different. It’s not the children’s fault that nature bores them; they are naturally curious and eager to explore the world and everything in it. There’s a poem that says that the person who can best appreciate God is the one who is familiar with the natural world He made.”
Charlotte Mason, vol 2 page 6

Nature study for teens can be just as engaging and educational, but it does require an age appropriate approach to learning.

Nature Study and Teens

Sometimes, despite all my efforts, my boys just are not as interested in nature study as I am. I can take them to the most fascinating places to explore and they just want to sit and talk or take a walk by themselves. The setting is perfect and the subjects abound but they are more interested in throwing rocks or digging a hole.

I can’t force them to be interested when this happens.

What To Do If Your Teens Are Bored in Nature

How have we learned to handle this? I allow them the space and time to experience nature on their own terms.

It may look like they are not taking much interest but later on when we are driving in the car or talking at the dinner table, they relate things that they noticed as they had a little freedom.

They learned a lot about the properties of bullwhip seaweed as they tried to use it to tie the driftwood together for this beach structure.

They experienced the redwood forest on their own terms as they searched out Big Foot beyond every bend in the trail.

On every beach they made circles in the sand. It became a tradition.

Nature study does not always go according to my plan. I have learned to keep my options open and let things happen as the day unfolds. Honestly, I learn more as well because they most likely will find something that I wouldn’t because they have their own eyes. My eyes see one thing and they see something completely different if I allow them the space and time to find what interests them in our nature study.

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Monthly Nature Journal Activities For Your Homeschool

Monthly nature journal activities take your outdoor experiences, your thoughts, new ideas or facts, and make them tangible. Here are some ideas to get you started nature journaling.

Monthly nature journal activities take your outdoor experiences, your thoughts, new ideas or facts, and make them tangible. Here are some ideas to get you started nature journaling.
Photos by Amy Law

The Value Of Nature Journaling In Your Homeschool

Paging through the completed journals gives such a sense of accomplishment, each page a nugget of learning from your nature study.

This time of year is an opportunity to reflect on our goals and habits. I don’t know about you but one thing that has been a little neglected over the last year is my nature journal.

Monthly Projects For Nature Journaling

Our Homeschool Nature Study members will receive new nature journal activities each month! I jotted down a list of journal ideas for each month of the year. Creating a  page a month will be a simple and reachable goal and I hope it will help you and your family to complete a few pages too.

Monthly nature journal activities take your outdoor experiences, your thoughts, new ideas or facts, and make them tangible. Here are some ideas to get you started nature journaling.

Homeschool Nature Journal Supplies Needed?

Let’s keep it simple. Pull your nature journal off the shelf or out of your backpack and take a look at what you have done so far and decide if your journal choice is inspiring you or hindering you.

Or, if you are new to nature journaling, take a trip to the office supply store and look over your journal choices. It is important to like the feel and size of your journal. I like to use sketchbooks but some people like to use fancier journals.

Here are a couple I have used in the past and really liked. They lie flat, are spiral bound, and they hold up to just about any medium I want to use (including watercolor with varying results).

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Nature Journals

The point is not to get hung up on choosing a journal but just pick one and get started!

Monthly nature journal activities take your outdoor experiences, your thoughts, new ideas or facts, and make them tangible. Here are some ideas to get you started nature journaling.

Art Supplies for Writing and Sketching

I use a variety of things to write in my journal.

  • If you have a good black pen you like pull that out and keep it with your journal.
  • Gel pens
  • Prismacolor markers and Prismacolor watercolor pencils round out my nature journal writing and sketching choices.
  • Don’t forget a good old No. 2 pencil is always handy for making quick sketches in your journal.

Other Journaling Supplies

Other items that may be helpful for your nature journal activities include a small ruler, a jar lid for making circles, double sided tape to adhere items in your nature journal, a pencil sharpener, and a small cup and paint brush for working with watercolor pencils.

More Encouragement

Handbook of Nature Study nature journaling

Nature Journal Series Overview By Month

The first months of nature journal activities is ready for Homeschool Nature Study members in the Nature Journaling course in membership. This will give members the rest of the month to spend some time outdoors as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge or other family activity and then create a journal using the suggestion.

Each lesson is filled with ideas and how tos for your family:

  • June – Sketch Outside
  • July – Using Your 5 Senses

More nature journal activities coming for members each month!

Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Monthly Nature Journal Activities For Your Homeschool

Share Your Nature Journals!

Share a photo of your nature journal and tag us on social media @outdoorhourchallenge Join us in continuing this fun Nature Journal Project started by our founder, Barb McCoy!

Browse examples by others on this Nature Journal Pinterest board.

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Mega List of August Summer Walk and Nature Study Activities

Take advantage of August and enjoy summer nature walks with these ideas! Taking nature walks can be as simple as putting on your shoes and heading out the door, letting nature inspire what you do and what you study. Or, you can have a few ideas in mind before you head out the door.

Take advantage of August summer nature walks and nature study in your homeschool! Let nature inspire what you study.

August Summer Walk Ideas and Nature Study Activities

Simply take a nature walk at a nearby meadow or stream. Pick a theme for the walk such as insects, birds, trees, flowers, etc. Then have everyone make observations within that theme.

In my experience, having a focus during a walk makes it much more enjoyable for everyone. Each person can use their eyes and senses to look for items within the theme and then share them with the group.

One person can be the designated photographer and take photos of things of interest. Or, take along your nature journal and make a record of your sightings as you go along.

Take advantage of August summer nature walks and nature study in your homeschool! Let nature inspire what you study.

Late Summer Nature Study Ideas

I realized over time that we didn’t need to travel far to find places to go on short notice or even for a half day’s hike. I loved being able to roll out of bed, decide to go on a hike, and be out the door in a short period of time. So, how did I overcome the dilemma of finding places to hike near our home? Read More about Finding Hikes Near Home

Taking a Nature Walk – The idea of taking a nature walk is nothing new. However, the need for nature walks has never been more evident in our increasingly indoor, sedentary lives. Childhood used to be times of exploring outdoors for hours at a time, but in today’s world few children have the circumstances or incentive to get outside on their own. This is where involved parents can be of such value.

“Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health (and also, by the way, in our own).”

― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Using the Handbook of Nature Study in Your Homeschool

Need help getting started? Enjoy Amy’s Six Tips for Using The Handbook of Nature Study! (also in the caption of the video, above)

Be sure to fit in some sweet, nighttime summer nature studies. Find an Ultimate Guide to Nighttime Summer Nature Studies HERE.

queen anne's lace nature study

August Nature Study Plans with the Outdoor Hour Challenges

Each year we have a new focus with The Handbook of Nature Study curriculum plans. Here is a sampling of topics from this year and others:

  • Queen Anne’s lace
  • Crickets/Grasshoppers
  • Evening Primrose
  • Raccoons/skunks
August Homeschool Nature Studies for the Outdoor Hour Challenge
  • Pressing flowers
  • Drawing flowers
  • Learning leaf parts
  • Looking for pollen
  • Night sky
  • Nature journaling
  • Nature study with art and music appreciation

You can choose from these topics and any in all of our Handbook of Nature Study courses! You can follow our plan or choose topics that match your current studies. Our nature studies complement the lovely learning in your homeschool!

fall homeschool nature study activities

Look Ahead with Fall Homeschool Nature Study Activities

Enjoy a last days of summer homeschool nature study free notebook page. Let’s soak up these last sunny and glorious days, have fun and make memories together as a family. Get your FREE notebook page/Scavenger Hunt HERE. (Homeschool Nature Study members already have this page in your Summer Outdoor Hour Curriculum course. Not yet a member? You can download the notebook page and sample the Outdoor Hour Challenges!)

It is at this time of the year that we also look forward to autumn nature study and all the joys of nature study for your homeschool year.

The Ultimate Guide to Fall Homeschool Nature Study In Your Own Backyard – The benefits of fall nature study seem to be endless! The most important of all is making memories together as a family. The crisp, cooler air and the brilliant blue sky (on sunny days) highlight all of the fall leaf color for us. Being outside does wonders for moods. And having an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery is as simple as swinging open your backdoor.

Enjoy Nature Crafts (fun teasel pets!) plus The Outdoor Mom series in Homeschool Nature Study membership!

Fall Nature Study Lesson Plans

We have Outdoor Hour Challenge Homeschool Nature Study Curriculum filled with weeks of fall nature study plans! You can also take a look at this sampling of the resources we have for you to enjoy simple, fall homeschool nature study in your own backyard.

  • Seasonal Tree Observations Outdoor Hour Challenge
  • Fall Color Walk with Printable Color Cards in membership (great for your youngest adventurers)
  • How to Make Leaf Rubbings (video)
  • Tips for Drawing Leaves
  • Learn Why Leaves Change Color
  • Advanced studies on the chemistry of leaves
  • Seasonal Favorites: apples, pumpkins, bats, turkeys and more!
Take advantage of August and enjoy summer nature walks with these ideas! Talking nature walks can be as simple as putting on your shoes and heading out the door, letting nature inspire what you do and what you study. Or, you can have a few ideas in mind before you head out the door.

The Outdoor Hour Challenges Bring The Handbook of Nature Study to Life in Your Homeschool!

For even more homeschool nature study ideas for all seasons, join us in Homeschool Nature Study membership! You’ll receive new ideas each and every week that require little or no prep – all bringing the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Find Nature Study Activities for each month of the year!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Biomes and Habitats Activity For Your Homeschool

Learn about biomes and compare habitats. With these activities, notice animal and plant diversity and enjoy an in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

Learn About Biomes and Compare Habitats

We invite you to enjoy all of the various habitat studies and use the Outdoor Hour Challenges resources and curriculum for your studies. Learn about the forest floor, layers of the ocean, the desert, snow/tundra and more!

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

Explore a Forest Floor Biome

Autumn is on the horizon with the yellowing of leaves signalling chilly weather to come, so lets create this forest floor biome to celebrate. In this tutorial I will show you how to layer watercolours to create depth as well as texture using a stippling technique. So grab your paints, download the free printable I have created and let’s get crafting!

Go To: Forest Floor Fall Nature Studies

Layers of the Ocean Art Lesson – Learn About the Ocean Biome

With 5 different layers of the ocean home to many amazing creatures, a layers of the ocean diagram is the perfect study companion to create. I have created a little printable with the outlines for your diagrams. All you have to do is add colour. In this lesson I will teach you some great watercolour techniques so grab your paints and lets get crafting!

Go To: Seashore Activities and Learning About the Ocean

Subnivean Zone - This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

A Fascinating Subnivean Zone Habitat Study

Learn more about the interesting Subnivean Zone animals and predators with these facts and new member worksheet.

The Subnivean Zone is found in and under the snow pack. It’s the space that many creatures inhabit during the winter where the snow actually acts as an insulator from cold winter temperatures.  Smaller mammals like mice, voles, pikas, and shrews live in the subnivean zone to escape the cold, wind, and predators. 

The smaller mammals create a unique tunnel system to travel around, hunt, and gather food. However, predators like weasels, foxes, coyotes, owls, and wolves, use their amazing senses of smell, hearing, and sight to find these prey below the snow.

Go To: Subnivean Zone Winter Nature Study

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

High Desert Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum

Remember that the yield of a hard country is a love deeper than a fat and easy land inspires, that throughout the arid West the Americans have found a secret treasure … a stern and desolate country, a high bare country, a country brimming with a beauty not to be found elsewhere.” —Bernard DeVoto 1943

“I am happy to share with you just a small snapshot of the diversity of life there is to be found in the High Desert. The topics in this ebook curriculum are some of my favorite nature study subjects from my own personal nature journal and experiences.

This habitat is home to over 350 species of plants and animals that depend on sagebrush for survival: mule deer, pronghorn, golden eagles, black tailed deer, and the spade footed toad to name just a few additional study ideas for continued study.

Start with the topics in this curriculum then keep going!” – Barb McCoy, Outdoor Hour Challenges founder

Our High Desert course is included in membership and gives you a deep dive into the animals, plants and the vast variety of this habitat. It also includes advanced studies options for high school students. Here are some topics included:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage
  • Grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled ground squirrel
  • River Otter

Go To: America’s Prairies and Grasslands Study and Explore the High Desert Curriculum!

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth! For high schoolers and advanced learners too!

How To Study Biomes and Habitats with Teens

Included with this curriculum are advanced notebook pages and advanced follow-up suggestions. Each challenge will include ideas for older students to dig a little deeper and take a more focused look at each topic. The challenges will include notebook pages for the advanced students to use in their nature journals. Please feel free to skip the notebook pages and use any nature journal that you already have started.

You also may wish to download my free printable Nature Study: Three Steps to a Better Nature Study Experience. It will show you how to offer age appropriate nature study to all ages of children in your family. There are also tips and a free printable nature study rubric for advanced students. You can successfully continue nature study with your teenagers. They may need some encouragement to make the study their own by adjusting your subjects, your methods of follow-up, and your attitude towards what nature study should look like.

A giant list of 100+ ideas to use in creating your backyard habitat designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies!

Wildlife Habitat Plan with 25 More Ideas – With Requirements For Certified Wildlife Habit!

Homeschool Nature Study Members can enjoy this Wildlife Habitat Plan (with Requirements for a Certified Wildlife Habitat!) with prompts for 25 more ideas for your backyard habitat!

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

Members enjoy this wonderful Biodiversity: Comparing Habitats resource! So much to enjoy while learning about biomes and habitats.

More Biomes and Habitats Nature Studies to Enjoy

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Fidn Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

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10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas

10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list!

These 10 fabulous first day of summer nature study ideas are perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list and it takes just a little effort on our part!

Summer time brings a more relaxed rhythm to most of our family life. That doesn’t mean we can’t still be including some outdoor nature study time with our children. It can be as simple as taking a walk and asking them to look for three interesting things or to take a picnic lunch outside to eat under your backyard tree.

10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas

Here are some fun First Day of Summer nature study ideas for you to keep in mind for next week. Be sure to mark your calendar!

10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list!

1. Camp out in your backyard: Since the first day of summer lands on a Saturday this year, plan a sleep out in your own backyard. Spend some of your evening gazing at stars, listening to insects, or take a flashlight walk. Find more ideas in The Ultimate Guide to Camping Activities for Kids and Backyard Camping: Fun For The Entire Family!

2. First Day of Summer Flower Field Trip: Take a trip to your local garden nursery and let you child pick a plant to add to your backyard garden or patio container garden. After you plant your flower, sketch it into your nature journal along with the name of the flower and the date you planted it. You can combine this activity with this Garden Flower Nursery Field Trip ideas and printable.

3. Twilight at the Zoo: Many zoos have an evening option during this time of year. Check their calendar of events to see if your zoo has a special event for the first day of summer.

10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list!

4. First Day of Summer Photo Walk – take a camera outdoors and find some special First Day of Summer subjects, take a photo, print a few out, safely tuck them into your nature journal. You can combine this with the Summer Photo Challenge.

5. First Day of Summer notebook page – done after a nature walk, preferably under a shade tree with some fresh lemonade in hand.

6. Summer Insect Study – As the warm weather brings flowers you might find more insects flying around. It’s a great time to plan a summer insect nature study. There’s such a wealth of knowledge about insects in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. Using the lessons along with the Outdoor Hour Challenge will make you confident to tackle an insect nature study this summer. You won’t need to travel far to find an insect to learn about with your children!

10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list!

7. The Homeschool Mom’s Charlotte Mason Summer Nature Study Guide – “On fine days when it is warm enough to sit out with wraps, why not take tea and breakfast, everything but a hot dinner, be served out of doors? For we are an overwrought generation, running to nerves as a cabbage runs to seed; and every hour spend in the open is a clear gain, tending to the increase of brain power and bodily vigor, and to the lengthening of life itself. They who know what it is to have fevered skin and throbbing brain deliciously soothed by the cool touch of the air are inclined to make a new rule of life, Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.” Charlotte Mason – The Original Homeschool Series.

8. Summer Senses Nature Study – you do not need anything other than your five senses. We are going to take heed of what Charlotte Mason advised and we are going to allow our children to notice things by themselves.

9. Fascinating Fireflies or Moths Study – Fireflies are fascinating! In this study, learn if there is a pattern to the light flashing. Enjoy an up close fireflies and moths summer nature study. Explore even more summer nighttime nature studies!

10. Night Sky and Moon Gazing Activity – Take some time this next week to get outside at night and enjoy a beautiful night sky homeschool nature study. Allow plenty of time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness and just enjoy gazing up at the heavens. Use some of these suggestions to get started with some simple night sky observations.

More Summer Nature Studies

Find even more to discover and learn about this summer! Our summer series of Outdoor Hour Challenges included in membership. Explore ponds and lakes, meadows and fields, the seashore, the woodlands and so many beautiful summer topics!

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these summer homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

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12 Delightful Outdoor Fall Activities for Kids

The benefits of outdoor fall activities for kids are truly endless! The crisp, cooler air does wonders for moods. It's an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery!

The benefits of outdoor fall activities for kids (and adults!) are truly endless! The crisp, cooler air and the brilliant blue sky (on sunny days) highlight all of the fall leaf color for us. Being outside does wonders for moods. And having an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery is as simple as swinging open your backdoor.

The benefits of outdoor fall activities for kids (and adults!) are truly endless! The crisp, cooler air and the brilliant blue sky (on sunny days) highlight all of the fall leaf color for us. Being outside does wonders for moods. And having an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery is as simple as swinging open your backdoor.

The most important of all is making memories together as a family.

Outdoor Fall Activities for Kids

We have gathered our favorite, fun outdoor fall activities for kids. Enjoy these ideas and get outdoors!

Fall Leaf Activities

These fall leaf activities for kids are a perfect way to study nature throughout the season. Easy to implement and enjoyable for the entire family, this study has options for all ages.

The benefits of outdoor fall activities for kids are truly endless! The crisp, cooler air does wonders for moods. It's an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery!

“Make the lesson an investigation and make the pupils feel that they are investigators…The ‘leading thought’ embodies some of the points which should be in the teacher’s mind while giving the lesson; it should not be read or declared to the pupils…The outlines for observations herein given by no means cover all of the observations possible; they are meant to suggest to the teacher observations of her own, rather than to be followed slavishly…If the questions do not inspire the child to investigate, they are useless.”Handbook of Nature Study, page 23

Fall Nature Study in Your Own Backyard

When the calendar flips to September you might be ready for an autumn or fall homeschool nature study in your own backyard. How about your part of the world? Are you feeling like autumn or is it lingering summer? Whatever your world looks like you can take a fall walk and discover some fall color…maybe not your leaves but look for berries, nuts, and weeds that are changing color.

This includes so many plans for fall nature study, nature journaling, Outdoor Hour Challenges and more!

The benefits of outdoor fall activities for kids are truly endless! The crisp, cooler air does wonders for moods. It's an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery!

Signs of Fall Outdoor Activities

Are you looking for ideas for some simple fall nature study ideas? Enjoy these ideas and pick those that get you excited to be outdoors this season with your children.

Kids’ Guide to Planting Bulbs in the Fall

You have heirloom bulbs given to you or your bulbs just arrived in the mail? Here is the best guide to planting bulbs in the fall.

The benefits of outdoor fall activities for kids are truly endless! The crisp, cooler air does wonders for moods. It's an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery!

Apples and Pumpkins Studies

When the air turns cooler and the leaves start to change color, it is always fun to learn more about apples and pumpkins!

Fall Outdoor Activities and Ideas for Preschoolers and Toddlers

A really great thing about fall is that it is a great time to get outdoors with the kids and explore nature. With that being said, here are some great fall nature study ideas for toddlers and preschoolers that I hope you (and your little ones) will enjoy.

Outdoor Games

Imagine making unforgettable memories with your children through outdoor play. Laughter, smiles, and a time of connecting as a family are only a few virtues of simply getting outside. Immersing ourselves outdoors with our children also cultivates relationships, encourages bonding, and nurtures our mental health. These 5 outdoor games are the very best to encourage a love of the outdoors and have fun!

Outdoor Nature Journaling

These on the go tips will help you make the most of outdoor journaling – while hiking OR enjoying your backyard!

The benefits of outdoor fall activities for kids are truly endless! The crisp, cooler air does wonders for moods. It's an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery!

Leaf Art Nature Walk Activity

This is a super fun leaf art nature walk activity that you can do today! After a nature walk, create these fun shapes with the treasures you find.

The benefits of outdoor fall activities for kids are truly endless! The crisp, cooler air does wonders for moods. It's an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery!

Field Trips and Day Hikes Near Home

Here are some simple tips for homeschool nature study field trips. You will find that building the habit of taking your nature study on the road is a great way to build memories together as a family.

Nature Walks

The idea of taking a nature walk is nothing new. However, the need for nature walks has never been more evident in our increasingly indoor, sedentary lives. Childhood used to be times of exploring outdoors for hours at a time, but in today’s world few children have the circumstances or incentive to get outside on their own. This is where involved parents can be of such value.

“Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health (and also, by the way, in our own).”― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Fall Bird Study

You can enjoy a simple fall bird study for your homeschool with Project Feederwatch! This is an activity that can help you learn more about your local birds in a way that is fun and useful to the community.

The benefits of outdoor fall activities for kids are truly endless! The crisp, cooler air does wonders for moods. It's an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery!

More Fall Homeschool Resources

The Ultimate List of Nature Themed Books for Fall Homeschooling – A lovely stack of nature themed books can be great for learning in the fall months. There is so much to get excited about and learn about in nature!

Fall Charlotte Mason Nature Study Guide for Moms – As August gives way to September and summer slowly slips away to allow autumn to wrap us up in its brilliant display of color, mother turns her attention to planning her fall homeschool.

The Fall Homeschool – We hope you are enjoying the beginning of the school year while you put a few wise finishing touches on your plans for fall.

Fantastic Fall Art Lessons for Kids – Grab a slice of apple pie, some warm socks, bury your homeschooler in a pile of leaves or enjoy these fantastic fall art lessons together! Have we got a fall bucket list for you!

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Fun Fall Outdoor Learning

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Fun Fall Outdoor Learning

You will find hundreds of homeschool nature studies plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompts!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

We make it easy with resources you can use at your own pace and on your own schedule. Or, you may choose to follow our annual nature study plans closely and have everything at your fingertips.

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy, September 2009. Updated by Tricia April 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

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The Best Tips for Starting Seeds for a Flower Garden

Growing plants from seeds is easy! Here are the best tips for starting seeds for a flower garden. If you are new to gardening and need some tips, I will give you some step-by-step instructions.

We use yogurt cups filled with a little potting soil to start our seeds. Follow the directions on the seed packet for seed planting depth, watering, and transplanting.

Growing plants from seeds is easy! Here are the best tips for starting seeds for a flower garden. If you are new to gardening and need some tips, I will give you some step-by-step instructions.

The Best Tips for Starting Seeds for a Flower Garden

Good first choices for starting seeds are sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds, and petunias. In general you can grow just about anything in a little cup or pot as long as it gets some sun and a little water each day. If it is still cold at night where you live, you may want to sprout your seeds indoors. Our weather has warmed up so we are growing ours on our back deck.

As an experiment you could keep some cups outdoors and some indoors just to see the difference in their growth. (That’s extra credit!)

Growing plants from seeds is easy! Here are the best tips for starting seeds for a flower garden. Includes easy step-by-step instructions.

Outdoor Hour Challenge (OHC): Starting Seeds for a Flower Garden

1. Begin an eight week focus on garden flowers. Follow along with us as we adventure into the garden, whether it is your own flower pot with seeds in it, a square foot garden, a park with some flowers to observe, or anything in between. Read pages 453-456 in the Handbook of Nature Study-How to Begin The Study of Plants and Their Flowers.

“The only right way to begin plant study with young children is through awakening their interest in and love for flowers.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 453

Garden Nursery Field Trip

This would be a great week to take a field trip to a garden nursery to observe the variety of colors and textures in garden flowers that are available in your local area. While you are there, let your child pick out a flower to add to your home garden. You can pick out seeds to grow, a plant already growing in a pot, or both.

Shirley Vels shares, ” I love the idea of starting seeds in egg shells. It’s is a great way to recycle using organic materials. You can plant the entire egg shell once your seeds are strong enough, just crush the shell a little and plant straight into the ground.

Alternatively you can use cardboard egg cartons to start your seeds. Again, because cardboard will eventually degrade, you can just tear off each little segment and plant it straight into the ground. Here is a little video to get you started.”

More in Shirley’s Spring and Easter Special Homeschool Nature Study

Start Your Engines…I Mean Seeds

If you haven’t started a garden yet, pick a flower that you can grow in a container either on your back porch or in a window. (Please note that in week 16 we will all be starting sunflowers and you may wish to pick those seeds up while you are at the nursery.) If you are starting some garden flowers from seed, make sure to water them according to the directions on the package. In general you will want to keep them moist during the germination period (until you see the plant popping out of the ground).

2. Take your 10-15 minute outdoor time to look for some garden flowers in your own area. If you already have some of your own garden flowers blooming, pick one to identify and see if it is listed in the Handbook of Nature Study.

Growing plants from seeds is easy! Here are the best tips for starting seeds for a flower garden. Includes easy step-by-step instructions.

3. Start a new list in your nature journal of garden flowers that you have planted or that you have seen while on your field trip or during your outdoor time. Make sure as you start this study of garden flowers that you turn to the Handbook of Nature Study’s table of contents to the “Garden Flowers” section and mark or highlight those garden flowers listed that you think you will encounter during your nature study time. Each week pick one flower to read about before you have your OHC time and this will help you have some interesting information to share with your children. If you found a new flower during your nature time, be sure to follow up with a reading in the Handbook of Nature Study if it is listed in the book.

4. Give an opportunity for a nature journal entry. Drawing flowers is a very enjoyable experience for most children.

5. If you are going to make field guide cards for your garden flowers, start those this week. Try to make one card per week and at the end of this focus period you will have eight cards completed. 

This challenge is part of our Garden course. This course has ten garden related challenges that will walk you through a study of garden flowers using the Handbook of Nature Study. In addition to the challenges already written, there will be more photos, nature journal examples, book lists, and totally new notebook pages designed to go with each of the Garden Flower Challenges.

More Garden Activities for Your Homeschool

Homeschool Garden Activities – These homeschool garden activities are perfect for your May nature studies. Includes outdoor activities and gardening tips for kids.

Gardening in Your Homeschool – As the plant world comes alive again in springtime, what better way to teach our children about nature, food, hands-on history, and practical skills than by gardening? Whether we do a formal study or make gardening a purely hands-on project, our children will learn with a homeschool garden. 

Make a Good Friday Garden : A Family Easter Activity – It’s a tradition that points to Jesus and a hands on way to make memories together.

Gardening Projects for Kids: Growing Your Own Little Gardener – a book that encourages a gardening way of life..spending lots of time with your children in the outdoors in your backyard working and playing together. I love this message found throughout the book.

Get Them Gardening! Fun Garden Books for Kids – As spring starts to roll in, we turn our thoughts to finally getting outside and enjoying the nice weather. Along with this comes budding trees and growing plants, and gardening both for food and flowers. This collection of garden books for kids will help you include gardening in your homeschool.

Mother’s Day Garden activities – Paint some garden flowers for a lovely Mother’s Day gift!

12 Delightful Farm Activities for Kids – These 12 delightful farm art activities for kids include fluffy baby chicks, a tractor, a barn, ducklings, a lamb, a cow, a piglet and even the chicken life cycle. Such fun learning for your homeschool!

Homeschool Nature Study membership calendar activities
Our May Homeschool Nature Study membership calendar is FILLED with fun garden activities and MORE!

Garden Activities in Homeschool Nature Study Membership

Enjoy all of these and more in homeschool nature study membership:

  • Garden Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum
  • Herbs Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum (annual members)
  • Flower and Gardening Activities and Notebook Pages
  • Learning leaf parts
  • Poppies and buttercups
  • Ferns
  • Looking for pollen
  • Pressing flowers
  • How to draw flowers
  • Learning flower parts and dissection of flowers
  • The garden snail
  • Garden Seed Ideas
  • and MUCH more!
Homeschool Nature Study May Nature Craft - Nature Coronation Crown. Victoria Vels shares, "May's nature craft has landed for our lovely members and we're feeling rather patriotic with these stunning Nature Coronation Crowns, just in time for the crowning of King Charles II."

Coronation Crown Nature Craft for Homeschool Nature Study Members

Victoria Vels shares, “May’s nature craft has landed for our lovely members and we’re feeling rather patriotic with these stunning Nature Coronation Crowns.”

You will find hundreds of homeschool nature studies plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

By Barb McCoy May 2008, updated by Tricia Hodges April 2025