Tricia Hodges, Author at Homeschool Nature Study

Posted on July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — 5 Comments

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.

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.

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

Canson Universal Sketch Pad, Wire Bound
Create Your Own Cover Sketch Diary
I have tried to use the more traditional style of sketchbook for my nature journal and decided I don’t like the way the book doesn’t lie flat and the pages are too slippery. But, many people love the look and feel of the Moleskine style journal.

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

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.

Posted on July 9, 2025July 14, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

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.

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 Disor der

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.

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!

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!

Posted on July 2, 2025July 3, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

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!

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

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!

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

How to Make Your Backyard a Natural Habitat for Wildlife – Here are some simple ways you can make your backyard a natural habitat for wildlife. You will love having the opportunity to have nature come to you in your very own backyard. Involve your whole family in the project and spend some time outdoors!
100+ Ideas to Use in Creating Your Backyard Habitat
Homeschool Ocean Nature Study and Marine Biology Resources
Rock Cycle Activities for Middle and High School
Does Homeschool Nature Study Count as Science?

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!

Posted on May 31, 2025May 31, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas

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!

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.

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!

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!

Posted on May 2, 2025May 2, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

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 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.

“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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

Posted on April 3, 2025April 9, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

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.

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.

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.”

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

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

Posted on February 21, 2025February 21, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

Spring Preschool Science Activities and Book Lists

These spring preschool science activities will delight your youngest homeschoolers! Butterflies, flowers, ladybugs and more!

Spring Preschool Science Activities

Our homeschool is more than ready for spring to arrive! We can’t wait until we can spend a huge amount of time outdoors. We miss the sun. It has been a very dreary winter.

So on the docket for this week is spring preschool planning! I’m going to be gathering the supplies and getting them ready in bins for use later this year. Some of the activities we are going to cover will be repeats from last year because they are just so much fun.

Here is some of what I have planned:

Preschool Nature Study: Butterfly Life Cycle Journal

Last year we watched the life cycle of a butterfly. All my kids found it fascinating to watch the caterpillars turn into butterflies! We will be doing this activity again– probably in May so that it will be warm enough for the butterflies to survive once released. Many of the activities and resources we will be using can be found in the Butterfly Journal in the Preschool Nature Study curriculum in membership.

Preschool Science Butterfly Books:

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
10 Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr. – This is my 2yr. old’s favorite book! She has worn it out!
Are You a Butterfly? (Backyard Books) by Judy Allen

Preschool Flowers Unit Study

Spring is the perfect time to talk about and observe flowers! We will be planning and planting our garden, going on nature walks, and doing a couple of flower observation activities like food coloring flowers.

You can also find Seed Observation and Journaling activities in the Preschool course in membership!

Flower Books for Preschool Nature Study:

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert (Enjoy a Planting a Rainbow craft with this!)
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller

Preschool Ladybug Unit Study:

This will be a first for us– raising Ladybugs! Since the ant farm was such a big hit in past years, I thought my girls would like to see how ladybugs change. We’ll be getting the InsectLore Ladybug Land in order to see these tiny creatures first hand.

Ladybug books

I’m sure we’ll end up doing more, but for now I’m going to plan in detail these three themes.

More Preschool Homeschool Nature Study

If you are looking for more preschool science ideas, we did some cool things with ants and worms last year, plus other science activities.

Toddler and Preschool Nature Study Printables

Do you like the idea of involving young children in nature study but not sure how to start? Do you need a little help being intentional with your nature studies? Nature Study Printables is full of printable tools for you to use to get young children observing and talking about nature!

Preschool Nature Study with Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

Enjoy ALL of our preschool nature studies plus access to the Outdoor Hour Challenges curriculum for the whole family in Homeschool Nature Study Membership. Find out more about our Delightful Preschool Nature Study Plans for Your Homeschool.

Explore Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Access to All of These Resources and MORE!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Do you have any special spring themes or topics you’ll be doing? Let me know in the comments.

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

Posted on February 1, 2025February 4, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

Northern Lights Nature Study Activities

The night sky is an amazing sight to behold! With the opportunity to take part in these northern lights nature study activities, there are fantastic memories to be made with your children. Learn about the aurora borealis in your homeschool!

With these northern lights nature study activities, study the aurora borealis in a way that is accessible and fun for kids!

Aurora Borealis is Commonly Called The Northern Lights

The beautiful rays of deep and colorful lights are usually only visible in the most northern or southern areas of the planet – at the poles. That is why the aurora borealis is commonly called the northern lights. The visual display is the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar winds.

Find out more with these:

Aurora Facts
What is an aurora?
What are nothern lights and southern lights?

Because of solar flares, the northern lights have been visible several times much further south in latitude. We live in Georgia and have been able to see these awesome lights right out our back door!

An aurora looks like a beautiful display of lights in the sky. We can also see auroras from space! The name of an aurora changes depending on its location. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, it is called aurora borealis, or northern lights, and if you’re in the southern hemisphere, then it is called aurora australis, or southern lights.”

What is an aurora? -NASA.gov

With more opportunities for even more families to enjoy the northern lights, we knew it was time to take a deeper dive into a northern lights nature study!

Northern Lights Nature Study Activities

There are several ways to learn about and enjoy nature study activities about the northern lights.

Learn About the Northern Lights with The Handbook of Nature Study

Read pages 776-779 in the Handbook of Nature Study on The Magnet.
Find out when you have the opportunity to view the northern lights or plan to travel to see them. You can also view our northern lights experience on Instagram.
Include a magnet study, below, in your study of northern lights.
Follow up with some nature journaling time. You will also find an art lesson, below.

Homeschool Nature Study on Magnets and The Compass

Enjoy this study exploring magnets and the compass. This study lends itself to lots of lovely opportunities to draw in experiments. So if you are one that struggles with science then this study is a wonderful and gentle introduction. Learn about the cardinal directions, north, south, east and west. And dig deeper into the magnetic fields of our planet earth.

Homeschool Nature Study members can find this full study in the Winter course.

Hands On Nature Journaling Art Activity: Northern Lights Art Lesson at You ARE an ARTiST

We were fascinated with these beautiful northern lights even before we had we had the opportunity to see them in our own backyard. My mother, Nana, of our sister website, You ARE an ARTiST, shared a gorgeous northern lights art lesson!

You can follow her lesson and capture the colors that you see.

More Night Sky Activities for Your Homeschool

Spectacular Night Sky Nature Study Activities for Your Homeschool – includes a printable night sky journal page! 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.
Learn the Winter Night Sky Constellations
This Homeschool Moon Study is Out of This World
Everything You Need for a Homeschool Moon Missions Unit Study

For even more homeschool nature study ideas, 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!

Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Enjoy the outdoors at night with your children. If you have early risers, you can even enjoy some time then. It is a special time to share together.

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Posted on January 20, 2025January 20, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

A Bald Eagle Study for Kids: Comprehensive and Fun!

Learn about this mighty bird with a bald eagle study for kids that includes nature study, journaling and nature craft activities plus hands on art ideas.

This bald eagle study for kids includes resources for observation, journaling, birds of prey facts and more.

Bald Eagle as National Symbol of the United States and America’s National Bird

The Bald Eagle is National Emblem of the United States of America and has been since 1782. The eagle has been considered a symbol of strength since Roman legions used this bird as their symbol. After its adoption as the national emblem, the eagle then was added to government documents, flags, buildings and more. The eagle is part of the Great Seal of the United States as well as the seal of the President of the United States. That seal is also on the one dollar bill.

The bald eagle bird spent time on the endangered list starting in 1978. Its numbers recovered and the bald eagle was removed from the list in 2007.

Bald Eagle Study for Kids

Bald eagles build nests with large sticks. They usually choose to build their nest at the top of a lone tree or on a rock in a very high place. This gives the eagle a great view for hunting.

Why is this bird of prey called a bald eagle? A bald eagle is actually not bald. But the white feathers on its head make it distinct and gives this majestic bird its name.

Enjoy a video all about bald eagles for kids.

Bald Eagle Nature Study for Kids and Other Birds of Prey

Though The Handbook of Nature Study does not include the eagle, we can use so many of the suggestions for other bird of prey.

Use your favorite bird field guide to study the range and habits of the bald eagle.

If you have the opportunity to observe eagles near your home, plan a time to! If not, there are many bird observations and backyard bird activities you can enjoy during your outdoor hour.

See how Barb’s family visited an eagle habitat about 45 minutes from their home.

Members can follow the Study on the Hawk with detailed observations as well as advanced studies.

Amy Law shared these wonderful resources on birds of prey! “My husband has been a falconer for years; so this week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge on hawks is a special one to our family. Through the years, my husband has had a few different kinds of birds of prey. . . Red Tail, Harris Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Gyr Falcon, and a Kestrel. They’re amazing to watch close up, but also so amazing to watch in their natural habitat as well!”

Video by Amy Law can also be viewed on Instagram.

Here are five tips to help you find and study hawks or other birds of prey this week!

1. Birds of prey can be found everywhere. . .in the woods, in fields, along roadsides. It’s not uncommon to find a nest in a neighborhood these days.

2. You can often find Red Tails sitting on the top of utility poles along the roads or up in the tallest tree around. They sit up high, while they’re looking for small animals for food.
3. Kestrels are often seen sitting on telephone wires or on wire fences. These tiny birds of prey are so cute!

4. Especially in winter, look for the birds’ silhouette in tall trees. Their colors will often blend in, but the silhouette is still there.

5. For close up study, often a nature center will have a bird of prey that has been injured and can’t live in the wild anymore. Also, zoos, of course!

Most of all, enjoy studying these beautiful birds together!.

Eagle art lesson by Nana of You ARE an ARTiST

Eagle Nature Journaling and Art Lesson

Our sister site has an eagle nest art lesson that Nana shared in her Forest Nature course in You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse membership.

Bird Nature Study Activities in Homeschool Nature Study Membership

You can enjoy these resources in Homeschool Nature Study membership:

Bird Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum
All About Birds Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum
Feather Coloring Page
Bird Feet Observations
Bird Life Cycle

and much more!

Are you ready? Enjoy these Great Backyard Bird Count Homeschool Resources as you watch birds in your backyard this February!

More Bird Homeschool Studies

For your resident ornithologists, besides this bald eagle study for kids, we have even more fun to explore!

Learn More About Outdoor Hour Challenges with The Handbook of Nature Study

Our Homeschool Nature Study members have access to endless year round nature studies, Handbook of Nature Study references, follow up nature journaling activities, notebook pages and resources to inspire and guide you.

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership with Access to ALL Studies!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Posted on January 16, 2025January 14, 2025 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

How to Use a Book Basket with Nature Study

The humble book basket is a simple idea that provides powerful opportunities for learning in your homeschool life. Gathering seasonal or themed nature study books into a basket takes a few minutes of preparation but it can provide hours of enjoyment for your family.

Using a book basket with nature study is a simple idea that provides powerful opportunities for learning in your homeschool life.

How To Use a Book Basket with Nature Study: Three Ways a Book Basket Facilitates Learning

Just how can a simple book basket spur on homeschool learning? A book basket:

A Book Basket introduces and allows familiarity to nature study topics

Make sure to read or page through any picture books in the basket at the beginning of the month. Demonstrate how to use field guides (or learn how to use them together with your children).

Reference: If you choose books that fit into your monthly nature study themes, you can refer to the books in the
basket as needed to support or go more in-depth as you work through your weekly topics.

A Nature Book Basket Allows for Independent Learning

Leaving the basket out at a level accessible to your children will allow them to study
the books on their own during their free time.

Suggestions for Getting Started with a Nature Book Basket

Use the ideas included in the Outdoor Hour Challenges to spark topics for your basket each month (current topics). There are suggestions for a bird, mammal, flower, and tree to focus your study on each month.

There is usually a link to a list of books and other materials to use during your circle time or to have on your nature shelf or in your Book Basket.

Tips for a Successful Book Basket

The trick to making a successful and interesting Book Basket is to rotate the books periodically, keeping it fresh for your children.
Don’t overload your basket since it can lead to a large mess! Keep the number of books appropriate to the ages of your children and train them to put the books back when they are finished.
Even if you don’t keep your books in a basket, featured books gathered each month and kept on a prominent shelf or placed on a coffee table might entice your children to take a look at some point during the month.
For older students, putting the books on a shelf may work better.

Extended Nature Study Activity: Narration or Nature Journaling

Ask your child to narrate back a main point after reading any book from your Book Basket. Use that point as a written narration in your nature journal and have your child illustrate the point.

More Learning Inspired by Nature Books

From book lists to nature study references, we have a variety of resources to inspire your learning:

How To Create Simple Nature Displays for Fun Homeschool Learning – Many of our nature treasures were found in our own back yard or neighborhood.

A Homeschool Mom’s Best Tips for Organizing Your Nature Library – Using good nature study reference books and literature will be a huge help in nudging along the seeds of a love nature in your child. To help you find what you need when you need it, these are our best tips for organizing your nature library. As the seasons and years pass, they will dig deep into your nature library and become familiar with so many things.

The Ultimate List of Preschool Nature Study Books – While nothing beats experiencing nature ﬁrst-hand, preschool nature study books are a vital component of our preschool nature studies. We have used both ﬁction and non-fiction books to introduce a topic, supplement a topic and study a topic in-depth.

The Best Winter Nature Books for Cozy Homeschooling – These are the best winter nature books for cozy homeschooling days. Includes winter nature study suggestions you can do through your window – or for a quick and refreshing outdoor time.

A Summer Nature Themed Book List for Easy Learning – Over the years, our family has built a nature themed library of our favorite and most useful resources. There are picture books featuring the natural world, fiction with a nature theme, and non-fiction reference and activity filled books. Even now with my children all grown and on their own, I use this nature library for my own benefit and enjoyment.

Fall Homeschool Nature Books List – With the changing leaves and beautiful weather upon us, this ultimate list of nature themed books for fall homeschooling is your go-to for the season!

Learn More About Outdoor Hour Challenges with The Handbook of Nature Study

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature STudy Membership with Access to ALL Studies!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

by Barb McCoy, founder of The Outdoor Hour Challenges