Category: Frequently Asked Questions

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The Joy of Nature Study For Your Homeschool Year

We are excited to announce several fun resources that will make is easy for you to add the joy of nature study for your homeschool year!

“Make this a time to learn a little something new about your world. Finding time for these challenges will help this season be one that your child will not only learn something new but make special memories for a lifetime.” – Barbara McCoy (founder of The Outdoor Hour Challenges)

We are excited to announce several fun resources that will make is easy for you to add the joy of nature study for your homeschool year!

When Barbara McCoy retired, I knew that these gentle nature studies needed to still be available to homeschool famillies like mine.

These are the very nature studies my children and I started homeschooling with. To us, they are deliberate delight!

I shared a short introductory video, below:

That is why we are now offering Homeschool Nature Study and your Outdoor Hour Challenge hostess, Shirley Vels, has joined us!

Homeschool nature study annual plan. We are excited to announce several fun resources that will make is easy for you to add the joy of nature study for your homeschool year!

Outdoor Hour Challenges Schedule of Nature Study

The plan for the coming year is now available to members! In the photo above, you can see a preview of the courses and homeschool nature study curriculum we look forward to using! These plans were prepared by Shirley Vels, your Outdoor Hour Challenge hostess!

Shirley and I are always planning something new for you! The new plans for the homeschool year are available each July so that members will know the topics ahead of time and can plan even more fun learning.

We even have some new series coming soon!

Autumn Handbook of Nature Study outdoor hour homeschool curriculum

NEW Autumn Outdoor Hour Challenge Homeschool Curriculum

The new Autumn Outdoor Hour Challenge homeschool curriculum is available to members. It is also now available for purchase in our nature study store.

The Outdoor Hour Mom - nature study with Homeschool Nature Study series

New Outdoor Mom Series

Because nature study is for parents too, we have a new series starting in membership. These simple prompts will bring you joy, help you notice beauty and encourage you as you model nature study for your children.

Outdoor Hour challenge Nature Crafts

New Nature Crafts Series

In addition to the Outdoor Mom series, we will also be offering a new Nature Crafts series for members. We are so excited about both of these offerings!

New Outdoor Hour Challenge Every Friday

Shirley Vels, your Outdoor Hour Challenge hostess, shares about how there is a new Outdoor Hour Challenge Nature Study each Friday. She also talks about how these nature studies bring The Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool.

Nature journaling series at Homeschool Nature Study

Monthly Nature Journal Activities

In this continuing series for members, 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.

We are excited to announce several fun resources that will make is easy for you to add the joy of nature study for your homeschool year!

How to Get Started in Homeschool Nature Study

You can download Getting Started – Nature Close to Home for FREE which helps you get started in homeschool nature study and outlines how to participate in the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

We are excited to announce several fun resources that will make is easy for you to add the joy of nature study for your homeschool year!

Nature Study in Your Own Backyard and Nature Journaling with Outdoor Hour Challenges

To get each Friday’s homeschool nature study Outdoor Hour Challenge and for access to a continuing series of new nature studies, join us in Homeschool Nature Study Membership. With homeschool nature study membership, you will have everything you need to bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool.

Join 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.

We are excited to announce several fun resources that will make is easy for you to add the joy of nature study for your homeschool year!
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Frequently Asked Questions- Handbook of Nature Study

 

Handbook of Nature Study Frequently Asked Questions

I am working on creating a page with my web designer for the Frequently Asked Questions here on the Handbook of Nature Study. In the meantime, here is what I have so far.
What happened here on the Handbook of Nature Study?

  • I have been creating, sharing, and selling ebooks as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge for many years. The library of challenges and ebooks had grown to such a size that it was becoming hard to navigate or to use easily, especially for newcomers. The decision to create a membership site was a BIG decision and not taken lightly.
  • Creating the Ultimate Naturalist Library and then offering it as a membership access site was the most efficient and reasonably priced way of allowing access to a lot of great nature study resources for families. This level of membership is perfect for the family that is getting started with nature study, wants a lot of choices, needs the archived newsletters, and would like all the new releases during the year(see below for a list of the ebooks scheduled to be released during the up-coming year). I always like having every challenge at my fingertips so I can pull one as the topics present themselves during our nature study time and I know you will too!
  • I realize that there is a core group of OHC families that have made purchases in the past so the Journey level of membership is perfect to keep your nature study journey rolling. You have access to the Getting Started ebook, new challenges, and the archived newsletters (just in case you missed some along the way).
  • There are some new faces here at the OHC as well so the Discovery level of membership is a perfect way to get your feet wet with the Getting Started ebook, the new challenges, and the archived library of newsletters.

Can I purchase the ebooks separately?

  • At this time you cannot purchase the Outdoor Hour Challenge ebooks separately. Just remember that with your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership you will get EVERY ebook available on the Handbook of Nature Study for a value of over $87 dollars PLUS the new ebooks that will be released during your membership year.

What does the Ultimate Membership include?

  • The Ultimate Membership includes all 12 ebooks listed on the library page, all 36 issues of the archived newsletters in their original format, and ALL new items to be added in the next year. You have the ability to download and save every ebook, newsletter, and printable available right to your own computer for future use…even after your membership ends. You just need to download and save the resources DURING your membership period.

What are the new items scheduled to be released during the year (April 2014-April 2015)?

  • There will be three ebooks with brand new challenges based on the information in the Handbook of Nature Study.
  • Fall ebook– loaded to membership pages on 8/15/14.
  • Winter ebook– loaded to membership pages on 12/19/14.
  • Spring ebook- loaded to membership pages on 3/20/15.
  • In addition to the new ebooks, there will be 2-4 various printable notebook pages and activities posted to the library each month.

Will I have access to all the ebooks after my membership ends?

  • No, you will need to download and save to your personal computer the ebooks (and newsletters and printables) during your membership period.

Can I purchase a membership to the Ultimate Naturalist Library this year and then purchase the Journey level next year?

  • YES!

I just need the back issues of the monthly newsletters. Where can I get those?

  • Every level of membership to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, including the Journey and Discovery levels, includes the archived newsletters.

Where do I see a list of the ebooks available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library?

  • You can visit the Join Us page for a complete explanation of the ebooks included in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.

Are the challenges on the blog different from the challenges in the ebooks?

  • Each Friday I post a nature study challenge on the blog featuring a topic from the Handbook of Nature Study. These challenges are and will continue to be from the OHC ebooks. So what are the advantages of having the new challenges in ebook format? You will get the challenges ahead of time so you can plan your family’s nature study for the quarter. Also, you will have access to the custom challenge notebooking pages not available to non-members.

Can I get a refund?

  • No. At this time, I am not processing refunds. There are plenty of samples for each ebook out there so there should not be much of a surprise once you purchase your membership. I am happy to answer any questions about the memberships BEFORE you purchase. I want you to be happy with your membership and I will explain anything that isn’t clear up front.

Can I print the ebooks for my family?

  • Yes, you are welcome to download and print the ebooks for your family’s use, making multiple copies of the notebooking pages for each member.

Do I need to print the ebook?

  • No, you can work right from your computer, iPad, or Kindle for each lesson. You will only need to print the notebooking pages if your family desires to complete them for their nature journal.

I am new to the Outdoor Hour Challenge, can I try the Discovery or Journey level of membership and then upgrade?

  • YES! If you purchase the Discovery or Journey level membership and then decide you want to upgrade to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, contact me directly and we will set that up for you.

I want to receive your monthly newsletter. Where can I subscribe?

  • At the top right of the website there is a subscription box for you to enter in your email address. You will receive a confirmation email that you will need to reply to and then you will be all set to go!

I don’t want to purchase anything. Can I still follow along?

  • Yes, of course. You can subscribe to my free monthly newsletter for continued nature study encouragement. Also, there will be challenges posted each Friday that you can use for free but you won’t have the plans ahead of time or the custom notebooking pages .