Category: Handbook of Nature Study

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Magnet and Compass Fun

Outdoor Hour Challenge Magnet and Compass Fun @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Magnets and Compass

From the Archives and found in the Winter ebook

You can use any of the activities listed in this challenge to prepare for a study of magnets and/or the compass. Magnets are a simple item to carry along on a nature hike and after you have discussed what a magnet is and what it does, your children will have fun on a little magnet hunt looking for things in nature that are magnetic. Or, if your children are a bit older,  you can use a compass to learn about the four cardinal directions and use this knowledge to describe a nature walk. Are you hiking east, west, north, or south?

I have an app on my iPhone that is a compass so you can look for that in your app store. I nearly always have my phone with me when I hike so it is easy to pull it out and find which direction we are headed. This is a skill that will help your child now and in the future as they learn more about maps.

I hope you have a great week of nature study and are able to get outdoors!

You also can complete this challenge as an alternative or as an additional study: Winter Sky and Stars.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter 2016 More Nature Study

If you are interested in purchasing an Ultimate Naturalist Membership at this time, you will gain access to the custom notebooking pages that go along with each of the challenges in the ebook.

Ultimate Naturalist Library June 2016 @handbookofnaturestudy

Note: You do not need to purchase the ebook to participate but they are handy to have for planning and for the regular and advanced notebook pages included in each one. Click the graphic at above to go over to check out the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Spring Plans!

We will be working through a new series of wildflower challenges starting in April using a new ebook that will publish sometime in March. The new wildflower ebook will also be added to the Ultimate Naturalist Library so if you purchase a membership now, you will have the new ebook as soon as it is available. I will posting details about the new ebook soon.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge Schedule for Winter

Outdoor Hour Challenge Plans for Sept 16 to March 17 @handbookofnaturestudyWinter Plans

I have had some inquiries about the next season of nature study using the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Here are the specific challenges and dates for each of the up-coming months.

See the note at the bottom of this post for information about the spring nature study plans! Think wildflowers!!!

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter 2016 More Nature StudyJanuary 6 – off

January 13 – Winter Wonder

January 20 – Chickadee

January 27 – Tree Study – Twigs

February 3 – Sheep

February 10 – Mullein

February 17 – Galls

February 24 – Quartz

March 3 – Magnets and Compass

March 10 – Moon

March 17 – Pansy

March 24 – off

March 30 – Spring Observations (from the archives)

If you are interested in purchasing an Ultimate Naturalist Membership at this time, you will gain access to the custom notebooking pages that go along with each of the challenges in the ebooks.

Ultimate Naturalist Library June 2016 @handbookofnaturestudy

Note: You do not need to purchase the ebook to participate but they are handy to have for planning and for the regular and advanced notebook pages included in each one. Click the graphic at above to go over to check out the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Spring Plans!

We will be working through a new series of wildflower challenges starting in April using a new ebook that will publish sometime in March. The new wildflower ebook will also be added to the Ultimate Naturalist Library so if you purchase a membership now, you will have the new ebook as soon as it is available.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge Plans for Autumn and Winter

Outdoor Hour Challenge Plans for Sept 16 to March 17 @handbookofnaturestudy

I know many of you are starting your school year shortly and I thought it might be helpful to share my plans for the Outdoor Hour Challenge for the up-coming autumn and winter seasons. This is a period in my life when keeping things simple is my primary goal. In meditating on what to do for the autumn and winter seasons as far as nature study, I decided it would be interesting and fun to work back through some nature study topics found in the archives.

This will free my time up to pursue a new series of Outdoor Hour Challenges to be published next spring!

Newsletter

Just a note to those who have asked- I am going to continue the Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter again this year! I would love to have some help writing articles so if you haven’t already heard from me about contributing to the newsletter, please email me or leave me a comment here with your contact information and I will explain how to submit an article.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn 2016 More Nature Study Autumn Ebook

Autumn 2016 Plans

Use the More Nature Study – Autumn ebook from the archives. Work through all of the topics and share our experiences. You can access this ebook in the Ultimate Naturalist Library if you are a member. It is not absolutely necessary to have the ebook but it does have custom notebooking pages for both regular and advanced learners. Please click over and read the entry that lists all of the ebook’s contents.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter 2016 More Nature Study Winter

Winter 2016 Plans

Use the More Nature Study – Winter Wonder ebook from the archives. This book is part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library for members. Again, it is not a requirement that you have the ebook but it is very convenient and helpful to have access to the challenges and the custom notebooking pages as we work through the series of nature study challenges.

Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudyUse the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership!

 

Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival Button @handbookofnaturestudy

Plus! I am reinstating the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival but instead of monthly it will be quarterly.

Here are the carnival dates:

  • November 1, 2016
  • February 1, 2017
  • May 1, 2017
  • August 1, 2017

Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival Square button @handbookofnaturestudy

All nature study type entries can be submitted, preferably entries that highlight the Outdoor Hour Challenge and Handbook of Nature Study newsletter activities. Deadline for entries for the first carnival will be 10/26/16. You can send in your entries to harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

You can grab one of the OHC Carnival buttons from this entry for your blog if you would like to share this event. A link back to this blog would be much appreciated. https://naturestudyhomeschool.com/

If you have any questions or comments about the plans, please feel free to email me or leave a comment here on the blog. harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

 

 

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NotebookingPages.com Giveaway and Freebies!

NotebookingPages.com & Outdoor Hour Challenge Giveaway

You are not going to want to miss entering this giveaway over on the NotebookingPages.com!

She will be giving away THREE Lifetime Memberships to NotebookingPages.com AND THREE Ultimate Naturalist Library memberships in this event!

Click over and enter and then receive TWO sets of nature study notebooking pages as a free gift.

I highly recommend these resources to use in your family’s nature study notebooks and will be a valuable tool in your continued nature study adventure.

Notebooking+in+your+nature+journal+@handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.jpg

 

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Nature Study – Realm of Undiscovered

Colorful Autumn leaves

“In nature study any teacher (parent) can with honor say, “I do not know”; for perhaps the question asked is as yet unanswered by the great scientists. But she should not let lack of knowledge be a wet blanket thrown over her pupils’ interest. She should say frankly, “I do not know; let us see if we cannot together find out this mysterious thing….She thus conveys the right impression that only a little about the intricate life of plants and animals is yet known; and at the same time she makes her pupils feel the thrill and zest of investigation. Nor will she lose their respect by doing this, if she does it in the right spirit…..The chief charm of nature study would be taken away if it did not lead us through the border-land of knowledge into the realm of the undiscovered.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 3-4

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The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

Nature Study Just Got Easier For Your Family

-with hundreds of resources gathered into one convenient Ultimate Naturalist’s Library.

 

What Will Stay The Same Here At The Handbook Of Nature Study?

  • I will continue to publish weekly Outdoor Hour Challenges and topical blog posts for your family to follow along with if you choose. I am passionate about nature study and it brings me such joy to share my experiences with all my readers so that will continue as long as I possibly can, hopefully for many years to come.
  • The free monthly newsletter for email subscribers will continue to be published to encourage your family with their nature study. *Make sure to confirm the email coming soon to your inbox so you will continue to receive all the blog entries, monthly newsletters, and special offers from the Handbook of Nature Study.
  • All the past Outdoor Hour Challenges (150+) organized by topic and season will continue to be available .
  • Access to all the current free printables will remain available.
  • The monthly Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival will continue to be published at the end of each month.
  • We will keep working through the scheduled 2013-2014 Bundle of challenges until the end of August 2014.

 

What Is Brand New?

Your family can choose from three levels of immediate access to the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library, each level containing valuable resources to make nature study easy and fun.

Ultimate($45) – All 12 Outdoor Hour Challenge ebooks ($87 value), all 36 archived newsletters (May 2011-April 2014), monthly printables, any new challenges for a year.*

Journey ($30)– Getting Started ebook, all 36 archived newsletters, monthly printables, any new challenges for a year.*

Discovery($20)– Getting Started ebook, all 36 archived newsletters.

*There will be quarterly releases of 6-9 Outdoor Hour Challenges and additional monthly releases of 2-4 printable resources. The first new challenges will be added to the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library in August 2014 for fall season nature study.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

For the month of April 2014, I am offering a $10 discount towards the Ultimate level of membership. Just use the discount code: APRIL10.

 

The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library Is The Ultimate Nature Study Resource

  • Imagine having access to all the resources here on the Handbook of Nature Study,  gathered into one convenient Ultimate Naturalist’s Library!
  • You will no longer lose your ebook files or forget what resources you have on hand because you have them all organized and available right here in the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library.
  • Ebooks, notebooking pages, newsletters, and printables are all organized and available 24/7 for a complete year.
  • There will be regular additions to the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library as we work through each year of nature study. Look for brand new challenges every quarter, monthly printables, and other valuable resources to be added throughout the year.
  • Equip yourself to guide your family’s nature study with the very best resources available here at the Handbook of Nature Study.
  • The current 2013-2014 Bundle will be available until 8/1/14.
  • The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library is going to provide support for all ages in your family with endless ideas for activities and follow-up work.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

 The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library is going to be the resource you love for years to come!

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Handbook of Nature Study – Using Older Editions

Which edition of the Handbook of Nature Study??? 


I use the edition with the copyright date of 1967 (paperback edition ISBN 0-8014-9384-6) for page numbers and lesson numbers. (Shown above in my affiliate link.) If you have a different version of the Handbook of Nature Study, you can easily find the corresponding pages by using the following suggestions.

1. Topic – almost every Outdoor Hour Challenge is a focused on a specific topic found in the Handbook of Nature Study. Use the Table of Contents to find that topic by looking for the appropriate category.


2. Lesson Number- almost every Outdoor Hour Challenge points you to a lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study. In the older editions those lessons are given in Roman Numerals. Many of the lesson numbers are the same but unfortunately not all…your best bet is to use the Table of Contents.

Special instructions
1. If you are using digital copies that came in a number of downloads, you will need to print the table of contents from the first download and use it as a guide to which pdf to use for your Outdoor Hour Challenge. (Homeschool Freebie of the Day offers the Handbook of Nature Study as a free download from time to time.)
2. For the challenges that give you a few pages to read in the introduction of the Handbook of Nature Study, I have given you the section names so you can find them in your edition of the book. (I edited the first ten Outdoor Hour Challenges to include section names.)

I hope that helps you use whatever edition of the Handbook of Nature Study you have on your shelf.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Autumn Cattail and Small Square Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Autumn Cattail Study with a Small Square Study Too!

Additional Activity – Cattail Acrostic Poetry Activity 

Just for fun, I have created an acrostic poetry notebook page for you to use to go along with your cattail study. For each letter in the word “cattail”, have your child write a word or phrase that describes the cattail. Use the box on the page for a sketch, a rubbing, or a photo. This is meant to be a fun way to extend your cattail study so you might offer to help your child or you can skip it until a future date.

Cattail Acrostic Poetry Printable Activity

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started Ebook, you may wish to completeGetting Started – Challenge #9 Small Square Study. You can use the ideas in this challenge to complete a small square study at your cattail habitat. Use the accompanying notebook page to record your results.

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Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudy

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Autumn Flower Study – Asters of All Kinds

White Daisy (aster)

“The asters, like the goldenrods, begin to bloom at the tip of the branches, the flower-heads nearest the central stem blooming last. All of the asters are very sensitive, and the flower-heads usually close as soon as they are gathered.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 507

I love a good flower study! Reading in the Handbook of Nature Study I learned that the aster has both a disc flower and a ray flower…like a sunflower. Aha! I can see it now that I have slowed down to really look at this pretty flower from the aster family, a Shasta Daisy or an Ox-Eye Daisy…not sure which

We happened to be at the beautiful summer garden found at Tallac Historic Site and I was excited to find a whole range of asters to observe.  We had been on a quest to find some goldenrod but settled for any flowers in the aster family we could find. (We did find some goldenrod…see last flower photo.)

Can you see the disc and ray flowers?

I think you can really see the disc flowers once the ray flowers wilt back. This daisy helps show the way the different kinds of flowers grow in this daisy flower head. Point that out to your kids the next time you see an aster.

Purple Coneflower

How about this flower in the aster family? The Purple Coneflower is one of my favorites and I grow it in my garden every year….well actually it just comes back to life in the spring so I don’t have to do too much to it.

So now come a bunch of images that show the variety that this flower family can produce. Starting with this really large yellow aster with the long ray flowers.

These were some of my favorites! I love the multi-colored flowers and the Black-eyed Susans all mixed together. I am going to make sure to plant an area of my garden with seeds like these so I can enjoy their beauty all summer long.

Drooping ray flowers really show this flower off at its best! I am going to put this one in my nature journal…watercolors or markers? Not sure yet.

Edit to add my journal—I ended up with colored pencils.

This aster was not in the garden at Tallac but was on the trail around over by Taylor Creek. There was a whole section of them blooming. I love the classic lavender and yellow color combination. This may need to go in my nature journal too.

Eureka! We finally saw some goldenrod in bloom. We had seen lots of dried up goldenrod during our hike but this was the first blooming plant we spied. The goldenrod completed our hunt for all kinds of flowers in the aster family.

NOTE: If you haven’t read the narrative section in the Handbook of Nature Study on the goldenrod plant, you are missing out. Make sure to read the Teacher’s Story for Lesson 132 before you study your goldenrod flowers.

Here we are…the intrepid aster hunters. My oldest and youngest went with me this time and it was great to have them along. They are both a lot of fun.

Mr. B took a break from flower hunting to stack some rocks and strike a pose. Like I said, always a lot of fun with these nature-loving kids.

Don’t miss out on the chance to do your own goldenrod, aster, or chrysanthemum study this month. Pop over to the challenge and print out the free Autumn Garden Nursery Mini-Book printable if you need to make this a quick and easy nature study week.

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Prickles, Patterns, and Vines in the Garden

This week I had fun gathering lots of interesting images from the garden to share with you. I have been trying to work my way through the Summer Nature Photo Challenge and one of the topics is “something prickly”. The cactus on the left I call Hairy and he lives on my deck…I inherited him from a relative and we think he is over thirty years old. The image on the right is one I actually took at Home Depot as I browsed in the nursery. I love the patterns of the prickles on this cactus!

I have a wide variety of sunflowers this year and they each have their own unique charm…ruffles, bendy petals, variations in color and leaf size…so much to enjoy about our sunflowers.

This is the time of year that I take a morning walk with my cup of coffee, exploring for new things in the garden. As you slow to really enjoy each flower, the patterns of color, petals, and seeds make an impression. Learning to share these things with your children and watching them grow in appreciation is something we all can do and it is easy if you have a cutting flower garden. Let your children cut a single flower, bring it inside and find a vase for it, and then set it on your kitchen table for closer observation and enjoyment.

Climbing vines are a big part of my summer garden. After studying vines with the Outdoor Hour Challenge, I have learned to notice how the vines twine and which direction they twine around the stakes. Each plant is uniform in its twisting direction. I also have a passion flower vine and it doesn’t twine but it uses tendrils to grab onto the stakes.

One last image for you to see….this one is my thistle plant that is blooming and is super pokey! The birds (finches) love the seeds from this plant and I hated to pull it out but I had to. My husband does not always share my love of all things that grow in the yard. He is right that it had already spread enough seed to ensure that there will be more next year without letting the whole area get filled in with thistles. I am a reasonable person so we pulled it all up.

I encourage you all to take a look with fresh eyes at your yard or neighborhood…find some prickles, patterns, and vines to point out to your children. Let them make some oral observations and perhaps gather a pretty flower or two for you kitchen table.

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