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New Printables for Members: Fibonacci Sequence and Patterns in Nature

Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:

1. Fibonacci Sequence in Plants notebook page: Research the Fibonacci sequence and apply it to your nature study. Look for examples in plants and then create a nature journal page using the new printable.

2. Patterns in Nature notebook page: Children of all ages can benefit from looking for patterns in nature. Create a nature journal page after you take a nature walk looking for patterns in nature.

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

Fibonacci Sequence in Plants notebook page

Patterns in Nature notebook page

Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

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

august 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 Banana Slug Nature Study

Brand New Outdoor Hour Challenge – Banana Slug

Creepy Things series of challenges

This week we’re starting a new series of Outdoor Hour Challenges from the Creepy Things ebook! If you download the sample for this new ebook, it contains the Outdoor Hour Challenge for banana slugs!

Use this sample challenge to get you started with the new series:

Creepy Things ebook sample-Banana Slugs.

Creepy Thing Ebook Cover image

Our first creepy thing topic is the banana slug! We’ve encountered banana slugs on our hikes in the redwoods and at the California and Oregon coast. These creepy things are actually quite beautiful when you take a look at them up close. They move so slowly that you can avoid them if you want to, so they really aren’t to be feared as creatures. Learning how they play a vital role in keeping the forest floor clean and tidy is one way to show their value and necessity in the whole forest ecosystem.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Banana Slug Nature Study

Use these links to learn a little about the banana slug:

 

See the Creepy things ebook for more banana slug nature study ideas and printables!

Please note that I won’t be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the Creepy Things ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

Creepy Thing Ebook Cover image

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can 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:

  • Banana slug
  • Tarantula
  • Black widow
  • Scorpion
  • Leech
  • Muskrat
  • Sphinx moth
  • Cicada
  • Millipede
  • Poison oak

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

Use the discount code NATURESTUDYFUN for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership!

 

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge: Succulents Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Succulents Nature Study

There are so many succulents you can use as the subject of your nature study this week. Look at your local nursery or garden center for a succulent you can buy and take home to feature in your nature journal and watch over time as it grows and even possibly blossoms.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Succulents Nature Study

Common Succulents to Grow at Home

  • Aloe Vera
  • Sedums of all kinds
  • Hen and Chicks
  • Dudleya
  • Pig’s Ear
  • Pincushion Cactus
  • Jade

Please note that I won’t be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

 

 Use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

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Renee’s Garden: Building that Butterfly, Bee, and Bird Friendly Garden!

I received my Renee’s Garden order not too long ago and I’m getting ready to put those seeds in the ground…or in pots to transfer once the weather warms.

Renees Seed Packets

We’ve been in our current location for 3 years and I’m just now starting to grasp how to create a wildlife friendly habitat and garden in a Zone 2/3 climate. Originally I did the research on my Central Oregon gardening zone and the charts showed it was 5A. No way can I go by that designation! The old-timers here with successful gardens say that a more accurate designation is probably a Zone 3 but sometimes a Zone 2. This is because we have many summer nights that dip down to near or below freezing. I now make sure any plants I grow will have a fighting chance, which means looking at the plant tag to make sure it can survive at -20 or -40 degrees F.

>>>>>If you aren’t sure what gardening climate zones are, you can read more here: USDA Hardiness Zones.

It’s important to purchase plants, trees, and seeds that will thrive in your climate zone or you’ll be wasting your time (and money). I’m sharing all of that to help you see that I live where I won’t be able to grow a vegetable garden without the help of a greenhouse. So, I am focusing more on growing a colorful flower garden that will grow and bloom within our very short growing season.

garden build oregon may 2020

This year I chose my Renee’s Garden seeds with a new purpose. My husband and I are rototilling about 1,200 square feet of grass area to create large garden box plots for flowers that will be attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds.

Renees Garden seed packets may 2020 (2)

Here are the Renee’s Garden seeds we chose:

  • Early Blooming Beekeeper’s Mix: We grew these in our garden box last year and although it took awhile to get the seeds going, we had a beautiful display of this colorful mix of flowers.
  • Seeds for a Hummingbird Garden: I’m excited to give this mix a try even though I’m not sure about the results. I will share the results later this summer.
  • Seeds for a Butterfly Garden: This mix is going to be so colorful and pretty!
  • Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers: We successfully grew these gorgeous burgundy colored sunflowers last year, so they are already tucked into some pots in an attempt to get some growth before they need to go in the ground.  We have them on a table that we bring into the garage at night and then drag out into the sunshine every day.
  • Van Gogh Sunflowers: These are my absolute favorite sunflowers and we had them in the garden last year (and many summers in the past when we lived back in California).
  • Heirloom Blue Delphiniums: I have these in pots and I’m hoping they grow and will find their way into the new garden boxes.
  • Butterfly Monarda: This is a new selection for our garden and I’m anxious to see if they are successful in our climate zone.
  • Heirloom Poppies – Lauren’s Dark Grape: We had such a huge display of poppies last year that we decided to try another variety.
  • Swallowtail Fennel: We had this fennel in our garden last year and its beautiful golden color was so attractive. I want to increase the number of plants this year.
  • Forget-Me-Nots Azure Bluebirds: We loved these little blue beauties in our shady flower bed last summer and I’m going to expand the area again this year.

Please note that I receive some of the seeds as a promotional thank you from Renee’s Garden. I have purchased and used her seeds for many years now and I’m never disappointed.

Renees Garden seed packets may 2020 (1)

Gardening is such a therapeutic activity during this pandemic. As our planting deadline approaches, we are working furiously to get the beds ready to give all these amazing plants a good shot at growing and thriving in our crazy short growing season.

Are you dreaming of a flower garden this year? I highly recommend clicking over to Renee’s Garden to look for your seeds. It’s not too late to order and get them going in your yard. See if your children want to pick a few seeds for their own little flower garden or even just a container garden on your porch, deck, or balcony. The magical experience of planting a seed and seeing it spring to life is something powerful to children.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Garden Wildflower and Weeds Index @handbookofnaturestudy

Click over to my garden resources and see if you find some inspiration to get you going.

 

 

 

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Garden Printables and Newsletters

Garden Printables and Newsletters

Resources in the Archives for a Garden Nature Study Plan

I don’t know about you, but I’m anxious to get my garden going this year. With so much time spent indoors sheltering in place, I’m ready to be out in the garden now that the sun is out and the temperatures are warming up.

I always looked for opportunities to involve my children in the garden and to spark some questions in relation to the activities we were doing together. Learning about seeds and plants isn’t the only thing you can include in your gardening time!

Look for birds that may come to visit, insects hiding in the garden, and perhaps even reptiles or amphibians that may be sheltering there.

If you need some ideas to get started or some printable notebook pages to fill in after your garden time, don’t forget about the resources in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.

Newsletter Index download

Newsletters with Garden Themes:

  • July 2011 – Sunflower study and notebook page.
  • September 2011 – Autumn weed study grid. Weed notebook page.
  • August 2012 – August Garden study grid. Know Your Own Backyard – August Garden notebook page.
  • May 2013 – Garden Flowers study grid. Flower notebook page. Crop Plants grid study.
  • June 2013 – Wildflower Study notebook page. Dandelion and aster study ideas. Wildflower and Weed study grid.
  • October 2013 – Pumpkin Farm notebook page.
  • May 2014 – Gardening with children ideas. Seasonal Garden Notes notebook page. Garden flowers notebook page and grid study.
  • September 2014 – Fall flower study ideas. How to dissect a flower.
  • March 2015 – Poppy coloring page.
  • June 2015 – Nature study ideas for herbs. Herb Study notebook page. Herb coloring page. Salvia coloring page.
  • July 2015 – Geranium notebook page.
  • April 2016 – Garden seeds projects. Garden Seed notebook page. Garden nature study ideas.
  • May 2016 – Wildflower Study notebook page. Wildflower and Weed study grid.
  • April 2017 – Trillium notebook page. Wildflower nature study ideas.
  • May 2017 – 3 Seed Container project. Gardening with kids ideas.

 

 

Printables for Members Button

Printables:

  • Berry and Shrub Notebook Page Set
  • Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt Printable
  • Flowers Up Close Printable Grid and Journal
  • Flower Dissection Notebook Page from Handbook of Nature Study
  • Garden Notebook Page Set 1: morning glories, marigolds, lilacs, caterpillars, and cabbage whites.
  • Garden Notebook Page Set 2: cucumbers, kale, cherries, gourds, squash
  • Garden Seeds Study Notebook Pages
  • Nyctinasty Notebook Page
  • Rosemary Herb Study Notebook Page
  • Seasonal Garden Notes Notebook Page
  • Seed Comparison Project Notebook Page
  • Shrub Notebook Page
  • Advanced Shrub Notebook Page
  • Shrub Study grid notebook
  • State Flower Notebook Page
  • Watermelon Study notebook page

Garden+Flowers+Cover.jpg

ebookcrop1

Ebooks:

Garden Flowers and Plants ebook – Topics include: seeds, flower parts, flower pressing, drawing flowers, leaf parts, pollen, seed germination, and weeds.

Crop Plants Notebook Pages ebook – Topics include: clover, bean, corn, cotton, strawberries, pumpkins, and tomatoes.

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

If you would like access to all of the resources listed above, as well the abundance of downloadable products available, you can purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Use the discount code INITTOGETHER to get $10 off the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Benefits by Level graphic 2019 to 2020 updated January 2020

Your membership will be valid for one year from the date of purchase and will give you access to every single resource available now and those that will be added to the Library during your membership year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 Seeds Container Project – From the Archives

In the June 2017 edition of the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter, I shared a fun and easy garden project for children.

HNS Newsletter June 2017 cover
Download a copy of the June 2017 newsletter from any level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study

 

In this activity, you plant 3 different kinds of seeds in a container as a way of comparing different seeds and the plants that grow from those seeds.

The instructions for this activity suggest that you grow sunflowers, corn, and beans since these will give you a variety of results to compare and contrast. But, if you have 3 different seeds of any kind, you can still complete this project.

Seed Pot Project corn bean sunflower (6)

 

Activity Observation Ideas

· Draw your seeds before you plant them. Make them actual size and color to match the seed.

· Write down with your words a comparison for your seeds; including size, color, shape, texture, etc.

· Create a journal page to record your seed’s growth progress. Make observations every day and record any changes you notice.

· You can plant your seeds in a container or right into your garden boxes or beds. Make a map of where in your garden you planted your seeds for future reference.

Seed Pot Project corn bean sunflower (4)· If your seeds grow to maturity, show your children the crops that come from the plants. If possible, show them the seeds so they can begin to understand the cycle of seed-plant-fruit-seed. Eat the fruits of your labor if possible or buy some at the store and enjoy! Have your children draw the seed, plant, and mature fruits. Then, have them record how they tasted.

Seed comparison

Note: If you have an Ultimate Naturalist Membership on the Handbook of Nature Study website, you have a new Seed Comparison notebook page you can download and use with this activity.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

Newsletter Index download

 

 

 

 

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Summer Wildflowers!

It’s that time of year again! Wildflower season is upon us and it may just be the topic that your children will really enjoy as you take your summer nature walks. Who can help but notice the colors of summer when they start to bloom? Every habitat has something to offer before the season passes.

Use the ideas in the link below to take a closer look at a few of your wildflowers of summer.  After you make some observations, you can create a nature journal page for each flower. Keep your study simple and fun this summer and you’ll be sure to make some fond wildflower memories for your children.

Garden+Flower+Nature+Study+Button.jpg

Queen Annes Lace button

Link to the challenges in the archives:

Asters, Daisies, and Black Eyed Susans

Queen Anne’s Lace

Outdoor Hour Challenge Garden Wildflower and Weeds Index @handbookofnaturestudy

You’ll also find a complete list of wildflower nature study lessons (for every flower in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock) here on this link.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Wildflower Set 1 Ebook

OHC Wildflower Set 2 @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge Wildflower 3 Covermaker

In addition, you can use any of the three Outdoor Hour Challenge wildflower ebooks to learn more about wildflowers not included in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock.

 

 Handbook of Nature Study Nature Book Club Wildflowers

You may also be interested in reading this entry that features wildflowers and nature study:

Wildflowers to Love

 

Amazon link to Handbook of Nature Study

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Summer Bachelor Buttons

This week we’re starting to work through the Nature Study Continues – Summer! I invite you to join us for a fantastic series of nature study plans with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Now that it’s spring, it is so exciting to be starting off the series with a colorful garden flower.

“We call it bachelor’s button; but in Europe it is called the cornflower, and under this name it found its way into literature….Their tubes flare open like trumpets, and they are indeed color trumpets heralding to the insect world that there is nectar for the probing and pollen for exchange.”

Handbook of Nature Study

bachelor buttons

Use the suggestions in the Handbook of Nature Study linked below to take a look at some garden flowers this week. If you have access to the bachelor’s button, learn more in depth about the composite flower using Lesson 131 in the Handbook of Nature Study.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Bachelors Buttons @handbookofnaturestudy

Link to the Archive Challenge: Bachelor Buttons

 

Outdoor Hour Challenge Summer Nature Study continues cover

If you want to purchase the Summer Nature Study Continues ebook so you can follow along with all the notebooking pages, coloring pages, and subject images, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels.

The rest of the topics in this summer series are:

  • Water lily
  • Lacewing
  • Willow
  • Larkspur
  • Fish: Common shiner, Johnny darter, sunfish
  • Pearly everlasting
  • Asters
  • Baltimore oriole
  • Caddisfly and water strider

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

See the Join Us page for complete information.

Use this discount code to receive $5 off your Ultimate Membership:

SUMMER5

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Garden Flowers #10 Sunflower Study and Art Too!

 

“All this flower has to do is to hold its banner aloft as a sign to the world, especially the insect world, that here is to be found pollen in plenty, and nectar for the probing.”

Handbook of Nature Study, page 576

Growing and then studying your own sunflowers is a great way to learn the growing cycle of a garden flower…from planting seed to harvesting seeds.

Last week, the challenge was to plant some sunflowers. This week our challenge is to make some observations once your sunflowers are blooming. If you have access to sunflowers now, either in your own garden or from a farmers market, take the opportunity to use the lesson’s suggestions to go deeper into a composite flower study.

Sunflower Renees Garden

Read the Handbook of Nature Study pages on sunflowers (pages 574-578). I can’t think of a better way to study sunflowers than to follow Anna Comstock’s lesson in this section of her book. Read the narrative and then go over the observation suggestions.

If you would like to see our family’s sunflower nature study entries, you can read it here: Outdoor Hour Challenge #16 and Outdoor Hour Challenge #29

Don’t miss seeing our images and nature journal pages!

Sunflowers+patterns+in+the+garden+@handbookofnaturestudyblogspot.com.jpg

If you have access to the Garden ebook, make sure to pull out the sunflower art activity using a painting by Van Gogh.

 

Gardens ebook Outdoor Hour challenge

With this challenge, we’ll be finishing our official work in the Garden Flower and Plants ebook. If you’ve been working in this book along with us for the past eight weeks, you’ll want to make sure to check if there are any nature journal pages you need to add to or finish up. See page 37 in the ebook for a list of wrap-up activities. Of course, you can continue working on your garden flower challenges and notebook pages as long as you have an interest.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Summer Nature Study Continues ebook

If you want to join us for the summer series of nature study challenges, we’re going to be starting with the Summer Nature Study Continues ebook on May 31, 2019. If you have an Ultimate or Journey level Membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you have access to this ebook and the detailed plan for the summer in your account.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

If you would like to purchase a membership so you have all of the challenges at your fingertips and the custom notebooking pages too, click over to read all the details and download a sample: Summer Nature Study Continues ebook sample.

Use this discount code to receive $5 off your Ultimate Membership:

SUMMER5

 

 

 

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Garden Flowers #8 Seeds and Weeds

 

“Why do we call a plant a weed? Is a weed a weed wherever it grows? How did this weed plant itself where I find it growing? Of what advantage is this weed?”

Handbook of Nature Study, page 513

When Anna Botsford Comstock uses the term “weed”, she many times means what we would commonly call a “wildflower”. If you look in the Table of Contents in the Handbook of Nature Study, you will see a long list of “weeds” that are subjects of complete lessons in this nature study volume.

Dandelions wildflower or weed

From my personal experience, I have this conversation every spring with my husband over whether a dandelion is a weed or a wildflower. He has given me the gift of dandelions in our yard, even though he really wants to weed them out. I love their happy color and have observed many an insect benefiting from our leaving a few dandelions at the edges of our yard. (Read about my “wild side” here: Wild Side #1
and Wild Side #2)

This week click over to read the original challenge from the Garden ebook and then pick a weed to observe, looking carefully for its seeds. This activity can be done periodically as the seeds develop during the summer season. Make it a weed and seed hunt!

 

 

Weeds+and+Seeds+Study+@handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.jpg

Link to the Archive Outdoor Hour Challenge –

Focus on Garden Flowers #8 Seeds and Weeds

 

Gardens ebook Outdoor Hour challenge

We’re continuing to work through the Garden Flower and Plants ebook over the next few weeks. If you own this ebook or have access to it in your Ultimate Naturalist Library, you’ll want to get it out and read the first few pages that outline how the ten week series of garden challenges work together and can be done in any order that makes sense to your family. The ebook has planning pages as you choose, observe, and then learn more about each garden flower you study.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

If you would like to purchase a membership so you have all of the challenges at your fingertips and the custom notebooking pages too, click over to read all the details and download a sample: Garden Flower and Plant Challenges.

 

Handbook of Nature Study June 2013 Newsletter Cover

You may wish to look at the June 2013 Newsletter if you have a membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Handbook of Nature Study Nature Book Club Wildflowers

There’s a lot of great information on wildflowers in this post that I wrote last year. Click over to find helpful hints for your seeds and weeds study:

Wildflowers to Love.