Category: Autumn Series

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Rock Study: Calcite, Limestone, Marble Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Rock Study: Calcite, Limestone, Marble Nature Study

Most families that have been taking time for nature study have no doubt started an official or unofficial rock collection. I know when my boys were young, they would fill my pockets with rock treasures on our nature walks and then insist I take them home for our nature table. So many rocks!

rock collection in jars
I must admit that I still collect rocks! You may wish to read this entry that shares 5 ways to organize rock collections: 5 Ways to Display Rock Collections.

Use this week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge to learn a bit about rocks that you may already have in your collection. Or use the information and videos in the original challenge to build enthusiasm for a rock hunt soon.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Rock Study Marble Calcite Limestone @handbookofnaturestudy

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Calcite, Limestone, Marble.

Rock Study Up close Notebook page

If you have access to the ebook, there is a general rock activity on page 39 that everyone can use: Rocks Up Close printable. Take this notebook page along with you this week during your Outdoor Hour Challenge and see how many things you can find.

Newsletter Resources: Members also have access to the two newsletters in the archives that feature rock nature studies: January 2013 and February 2016.

Under a Rock Notebook Page

Alternate Study: Members can download and print the Under a Rock Notebook Page. Find a rock, turn it over and then observe what you can find underneath. This is a fun activity with or without the notebook page.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Swallows and swifts
  • Catfish
  • Jewelweed
  • Prickly lettuce
  • Cockroach
  • Field horsetail
  • Catbird
  • Calcite, limestone, marble
  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Hedgehog fungi
  • Sapsucker
  • Brooks

  Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

 

 

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New Member’s Printables Available- Fungi Photo Hunt and Autumn Changes

Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:

1. Fungi Photo Hunt: Download and print this activity for your family to use as part of a fungi hunt. The suggestions on the printable will help guide your family on a fascinating and fun nature study featuring fungi of all kinds. Our family recently took a fungi hike and we found five different kinds to take photos of and we are anxious to go again soon!

2. Autumn Changes Notebook Page: Autumn is a perfect time for your family to get outside and note the changes you see and then follow up with a nature journal page. Autumn provides plenty of colorful and interesting things to observe and sketch for this notebook page.

Fungi Photo Hunt Notebook Page

Autumn Changes Know Your Own Backyard Notebook Page

(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)

Printables for Members Button

Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

November 2020 Planner Page image

Members also have access to the Nature Planner pages in their library.

Print out this month’s page and use it to stimulate your weekly nature study time.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge- Autumn Prickly Lettuce Nature Study

We had a rather large crop of prickly lettuce in our yard this summer, so I can say from firsthand experience that it’s an interesting topic for a nature study lesson. Do you have a child that likes to use a compass? The lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study suggests using your compass as part of your observation of the prickly lettuce plant.

Prickly Lettuce wildflower weed outdoor hour challenge (1)

The prickly lettuce is also a great subject for a lesson on thorns, spines, and prickles. Make sure to observe the prickles and talk about how this protects the plant from being eaten by animals.

Prickly Lettuce wildflower weed outdoor hour challenge (4)

Outdoor Hour Challenge Prickly Lettuce @handbookofnaturestudy

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Prickly Lettuce. 

Prickly Lettuce Notebook Page 1

Prickly Lettuce Notebook Page 2

If you have access to the ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

Prickly Lettuce wildflower weed outdoor hour challenge (3)

Alternate study: Look for the idea posted earlier this month for Creating a Weed Bouquet.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Swallows and swifts
  • Catfish
  • Jewelweed
  • Prickly lettuce
  • Cockroach
  • Field horsetail
  • Catbird
  • Calcite, limestone, marble
  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Hedgehog fungi
  • Sapsucker
  • Brooks

 

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

 

 

 

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Autumn Wildflower Study: Milkweed Observations

Alternate Autumn Wildflower Study

Autumn Milkweed Observations

 

Many families live in areas where you can readily find milkweed growing. Autumn is a fantastic season to start a milkweed study because the pods and seeds are so amazing and fascinating to most of us.

Milkweed+Seeds+autumn.jpgYou can use this link to see our Autumn Milkweed Study from a few years ago.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Milkweed Study @handbookofnaturestudy

The original Outdoor Hour Challenge for the autumn milkweed study is found here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Milkweed.

More Nature Study Autumn Cover imageAs an added bonus, the sample challenge from the More Nature Study – Autumn ebook is the milkweed study.  You can take a look at what the challenge looks like in the ebook by downloading the sample.

>>>>>>Milkweed Challenge with notebook pages and a coloring page.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

All ebooks referenced above are included in an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

This is a perfect time to purchase a membership for your upcoming school year.

Benefits by Level graphic 26 ebooks

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Outdoor Hour Challenge -Autumn Jewelweed Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Jewelweed Nature Study

What makes the jewelweed plant so special? A hint is found in its other common name, touch-me-not. With just a touch, the jewelweed catapults its seeds out for dispersal! Would you like to see a video? Here is a link: Jewelweed Pods Exploding.

Use the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson 134) and the Outdoor Hour Challenge in the Autumn Ebook to learn about this interesting, beautiful, and useful plant that you may have growing in your area.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Jewelweed @handbookofnaturestudy. Use these ideas and links to look at a wildflower.View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Jewelweed.

 

If you have access to the ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

Jewelweed notebook page 1

Jewelweed notebook page 2

Alternate study: You can complete a Weeds and Seeds challenge instead.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Swallows and swifts
  • Catfish
  • Jewelweed
  • Prickly lettuce
  • Cockroach
  • Field horsetail
  • Catbird
  • Calcite, limestone, marble
  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Hedgehog fungi
  • Sapsucker
  • Brooks

 

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

 

If you have a membership, you may also look at additional wildflower ebooks available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Wildflower Set 1 Ebook

OHC Wildflower Set 2 @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge Wildflower 3 Covermaker

 

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Autumn Weed Bouquet -Creating a Bouquet of Weeds, Flowers, and Grasses

Sitting on my desk is a small vase of flowers I collected a few weeks ago. Although they’re all dried up now, they are a fond reminder of an afternoon spent walking and collecting a few blooming things with my daughter.

weed bouquet wildflowers autumn outdoor hour challenge (2)

This inspires me to share an idea with you readers. Why not go out on a crisp autumn day and collect a few flowers, weeds, and grasses from your neighborhood to enjoy in a vase?

Creating a Weed Bouquet graphic

Here’s a link to a post in my archives that will give you some inspiration: Weed Bouquets and Autumn Time.

weed bouquet wildflowers autumn outdoor hour challenge (1)

Please feel free to use this idea as an alternate study to any of the autumn wildflower studies we have coming up (jewelweed and prickly lettuce).

Autumn Nature Study Ebooks graphic

Please check out all of the autumn themed ebooks available here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Click the graphic above to view all of the topics covered.

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge: Autumn Brook Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Brook Nature Study

It may take a bit of research but it is entirely worth the effort to find a small brook or creek that your family can visit frequently as part of a yearlong brook nature study.

Creek brook nature study

Our family found that on homeschool days that went awry, a little jaunt to the creek always cleared up the bad moods and attitudes. Combine your visit to the brook with a few observations and use the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study in Lessons 207 and 208 along with the Outdoor Hour Challenge to really get to know the geology and the living things in your brook.

“The best time to study a brook is after a rain, and October or May is an interesting time for beginning this lesson. The work should be continued during the entire year.”

Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 207

Your frequent visits may lead to many questions that can be answered over time about the water, rocks, plants, birds, and other animals that inhabit this pleasant ecosystem.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Brook Nature Study @handbookofnaturestudyView the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Brook Nature Study.

Seasonal Brook Observations notebook pageYear Long Brook Nature Journal notebook page

If you have access to the ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal. One of the notebook pages can be used in each season to record your observations and the other is a more advanced style notebook page where your child can record a more thorough report of what they observed and learned about the way a brook is part of the larger ecosystem.

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter February 2016 cover

Members can use page 4 of the February 2016 newsletter that outlines a four seasons creek study. Page 5 of that same newsletter has a printable creek study nature journal page.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Swallows and swifts
  • Catfish
  • Jewelweed
  • Prickly lettuce
  • Cockroach
  • Field horsetail
  • Catbird
  • Calcite, limestone, marble
  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Hedgehog fungi
  • Sapsucker
  • Brooks

 

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge Sapsucker Bird Nature Study

Did you hear that? Rattle, tat, tat, tat! Run, look out the window, there’s a sapsucker visiting again. I hear their tap or their call and I try to sneak a peek. There is such joy in seeing this colorful woodpecker each year, a reward for the effort put into learning about him and all the other birds that come to visit.

sapsucker in yard april 2020
Sapsucker in our yard this past April 2020.

Your family can learn about this interesting and beautiful woodpecker with this Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Sapsucker Bird Study @handbookofnaturestudyView the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Sapsucker.

sapsucker notebook page 1sapsucker notebook page 2

If you have access to the ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

Alternate study: Take a bird walk and look especially for birds you observe in trees.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Swallows and swifts
  • Catfish
  • Jewelweed
  • Prickly lettuce
  • Cockroach
  • Field horsetail
  • Catbird
  • Calcite, limestone, marble
  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Hedgehog fungi
  • Sapsucker
  • Brooks

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

You may want to look at the Learning about Birds ebooks for additional bird study ideas using the Outdoor Hour Challenge. There are two other woodpeckers featured in this book: downy woodpecker and hairy woodpecker.

Learning About Birds 3D cover

You’ll find this ebook in the Member’s Library.

Learning About Birds ebook Bird List @handbookofnaturestudy

 

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge: Field Horsetail Nature Study

I’m excited to be learning about the field horsetail this week for our nature study lesson. We have a patch of it that we’ve been observing on our street and along a favorite hiking trail. I hope to glean some new information about this interesting topic right alongside all of you.

It isn’t particularly pretty but it does have an interesting life cycle story. Use the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock (Lesson 196) along with the link to the original challenge below to learn more.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Field Horsetail @handbookofnaturestudy

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Field Horsetail.

Please note that the original challenge and the ebook have the wrong page numbers for the Handbook of Nature Study. The correct pages are 706-709 or just look for Lesson #196.

Field Horsetail notebook page Field Horsetail notebook page 2

If you have access to the ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

Alternate study: Take your outdoor hour time and look for any autumn weeds you have, especially those with seeds. Contrast your weed with what you learned about the field horsetail.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Swallows and swifts
  • Catfish
  • Jewelweed
  • Prickly lettuce
  • Cockroach
  • Field horsetail
  • Catbird
  • Calcite, limestone, marble
  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Hedgehog fungi
  • Sapsucker
  • Brooks

 

 

Join us graphic

 

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Autumn Photo Project

Autumn Photo Project

From the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey Level Memberships

It’s always fun to take on a photo challenge and this printable will be something that everyone in your family can use. There are two different photo challenge lists: one for younger children, one a little more advanced.

Autumn Photo Project

Members can print their Autumn Photo Project printable by logging into their membership, scrolling down to the printables lists, and locating the Seasonal section.  Print the page, cut the lists out, and adhere one right into your nature journal as a reminder!

If you would like to go on an autumn photo hunt and you still need to purchase a membership, do it today!

Use discount code FALLPHOTO for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership. Code expires 9/30/2020.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

We did the Insect Photo Hunt in August and now we are going to work on the Autumn Photo Project in September and October.

Insect Photo Hunt printable activity