This week is an insect hunt. Take time to prepare for your nature study by reading the lesson for cockroaches in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You may not find a cockroach but don’t be discouraged!
Look for any insects in your yard or neighborhood. Talk about what makes an insect an insect. (Find information on this in the Handbook of Nature Study in the introduction to insects section. In my copy of the HNS it’s found on pages 294-300.)
There are suggestions in this challenge for observing any insect you find during your Outdoor Hour Challenge time. Remember there are many insects listed under the Insect Tab on the website for many common insects you may encounter. Feel free to study a different insect this week if your children are interested in learning about their insect discovery. In addition, there is an Insect Photo Hunt activity printable available to everyone if you decide you want to try that challenge.
There are easy to use notebook pages in the ebook for members to use after their cockroach nature study.
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!
This has been a month for insect watching! It’s been a long time since I picked a “focus” nature topic for the month and it’s reminded me of the value of being alert to seeing things I might otherwise miss.
Dragon flies were the star for several of our outings on the water. I have a fun memory of floating on the river with blue dragonflies landing on my arms and hat. Then there were the larger black and white dragonflies that look like small hummingbirds. They were spotted high up on tops of reeds and sticks, hanging out over the water where they sat waiting for a meal.
The wildflower garden has been abuzz with all kinds of insects. It makes me happy to sit nearby and listen and watch as they hop on, hover over, and dip into the colorful flowers.
We decided the meadow out behind the house should be called “grasshopper acres” this month because of the abundance of hopping and leaping that happens as you walk through the grasses. They are everywhere.
I’m keeping myself accountable this month with an insect page in my nature journal. It’s nothing fancy but it will remind me of a few of the insects I encountered during this month of looking for insects.
Our bird list this month has some surprise entries. The most inspiring addition was the Common Nighthawk. I wish I could post a video of the flying acrobatics of this amazing flyer! We noted the pointy wings, the white patches under the wings, and watched it on several late afternoons and evenings over the river.
Then there was the exciting visit of five Great Egrets. We observed them flying down at the river with their long thin necks, stick-like legs, and long yellow beaks. This is the first time we’ve seen a group of egrets here in our Oregon neighborhood.
But, the most compelling visitor we had this month is the Cooper’s hawk. He’s been hunting at my bird feeder. Twice I watched him dive at the feeder as the little birds flew off in every direction. Afterwards, both times, he sat in the tree over the feeder, unsuccessful in capturing anyone. I was able to get a good look at him as he actually posed for a few photos. A rather large and handsome hawk, he sat and patiently waited for a long time before flying off.
It’s hard to capture them in a photo.
On another bird related note, I installed some window decals that are designed to alert birds and prevent bird strikes. Our living room has a HUGE picture window and it has been the scene of many bird strikes and deaths in the past. I purchased the Window Alert window decals in the hope of reducing the number of birds who run smack into our window glass. They were easy to adhere to the exterior of the window. I was worried that they would annoy me as I look out the window but I’m happy to say that I don’t even really notice them anymore.
Do they work? I can’t say they have eliminated ALL of the bird strikes from happening, but I have noted that the very few that still hit the window must see the decals and slow down enough that it isn’t a fatal collision. We haven’t had a single bird death since putting the Window Alert decals up.
I call that pretty successful. I purchased them at our local Wild Birds Unlimited store for $6.95. The package says to replace the decals every four months since the UV coating will eventually fade and not be as effective. I guess I’ll get another set next spring.
Here are a few more fun things we did outdoors this month.
We took a new hike at Sahalie and Koosah Falls. What a magnificent place to take a 3-mile hike alongside the McKenzie River. I think this is my top pick for a day hike here in Oregon.
My daughter and I had an awesome time cutting lavender at the Hood River Lavender Farm. What great memories we made that day! It was a hot day and the scent of lavender was thick in the air. We tasted lavender lemonade for the first time and loved its refreshing flavor.
Are you following me on Instagram? I post regularly about my garden, the Central Oregon habitat, and our adventures. If you add the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge to your Instagram posts, I’ll come visit your images!
Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?
Answer all or just one of the prompts in a blog entry on your own blog or right here on my blog in a comment. If you answer on your blog, make sure to leave me a link in a comment so that I can pop over and read your responses.
During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
One last image…
All members here on the Handbook of Nature Study have access to the 2020-2021 nature plan for the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Look for it in your library.
The first time I saw a sphinx moth, I thought it was a hummingbird! It flew into my house and started flying around a vase of flowers we had on the kitchen table. It took a minute before I realized that it wasn’t a hummingbird but a very big flying insect. I have since seen several more while at the garden nursery and even in my own yard a few times when we lived in California.
I no longer think of these large flying insects as creepy but I include them in the Creepy Things series of Outdoor Hour Challenges so you can learn to appreciate their beauty too!
Don’t know what a sphinx moth is? Use these ideas to learn more:
Use an insect field guide to gather facts about the sphinx moth.
Read lesson 75 in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock.
See the Creepy Things ebook for more sphinx moth nature study ideas, videos, and printables!
Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog. You’ll 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.
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!
I’m excited to start a new month of nature study using the Outdoor Hour Challenges! This is really going to be a month of looking at and learning about insects using the topics in the Creepy Things ebook.
To supplement the regular activities in the scheduled challenges, I’ve wanted to do a little photo hunt idea featuring insects. So, I created a brand new printable activity for all of us to use.
This Insect Photo Hunt printable activity will be available to download for the rest of August to anyone who would like to use it for their own family. I’ll also add it to the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership printables page for members to use even after August. (See your membership page for the download link.)
I hope you enjoy getting your children out to look for insects of all kinds. This time of year is perfect for finding so many interesting and beautiful insects to view up close.
I’ll be posting my insect photos on Instagram using the hashtag #OHCinsects. Please feel free to use the hashtag too so I can see all your insect captures.
You can view the complete list of Member’s printables available by clicking the graphic above.
Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:
1. Iridescence in Nature Notebook Page– This is such a fascinating topic! Do some research about the benefits of iridescence in nature and then create a notebook page with your notes and sketches.
2. Stripes and Spots in Nature Notebook Page – We all know animals, birds, and insects that have stripes and spots. Use a reference of your choice to discover their usefulness and then complete the notebook page as a follow up.
(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)
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
Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.
Use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!
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.
Ultimate and Journey Level members can click this graphic to go directly to the library to download a copy of this new ebook. Make sure you are logged in and if you’re having trouble with your password, please leave me a comment or send me a direct email to receive my assistance. Email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com
New Ebook is Now Available to Members!
The Creepy Things ebook is now ready for you to download and use with your family. This is one of the ebooks we’ll be working through later in the 2019-2020 plans. I learned a lot about so many things as I wrote this set of challenges and I know you will too!
There are 10 brand new Outdoor Hour Challenges for you to complete as part of your nature study lessons with your children. These Challenges are not based on information in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You’ll be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.
This 46 page digital ebook has 10 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn about things that you may have wondered about in the past but considered too “creepy” or scary to learn about in person.
There are multiple custom notebooking pages for each of the topics. You can choose from simple notebook pages or more advanced notebooking pages.
Here are the specific topics included in this ebook:
Banana slug
Tarantula/Tarantula hawk
Black Widow
Scorpion
Leech
Muskrat
Sphinx moth
Cicada
Millipede
Poison oak
How do you get the new Creepy Things ebook?
Members of the Ultimate Naturalistand Journey levels have access to the new ebook in their library. You need to click the “Members Area” button at the top of the website, sign into your account, and the ebook is there to download and save for your family to use when desired.
If you don’t have a membership yet, I’m offering a $5 off discount code that will be good towards your Ultimate Naturalist membership.
Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:
Garden Notebooking Pages – Set #1
(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)
Garden Notebooking Pages Set #1: This set of notebooking pages for your nature journal will help you study the following topics: morning glories, lilacs, marigolds, caterpillars, and cabbage whites. I love this time of year and hope these pages will inspire you to get out into your garden and look for these common subjects. There are 7 notebooking pages in this set. These pages are a great supplement to the Garden Flowers and Plants ebook that we are currently working through with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.
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
Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.
Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!
This is the perfect early summer nature study challenge! The crickets are already singing in most areas and it won’t be hard to take some time in the evening to use your sense of hearing to observe these interesting insects.
With gardens come grasshoppers and/or katydids. Such funny insects to observe! Can you catch a few to observe for awhile?
Use the information in the archived challenge to use your senses this week with your children.
This ebook is found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.
This is an exciting nature study challenge! Use the suggestions in the archived post above to get started with your own moth study.
This is a nature study idea that’s as easy as turning on an outside light in the evening! The moths will come to you!
Moths are so much like butterflies in their variety and beauty. Don’t miss this special opportunity to be prepared for your next moth experience that will happen over the next season.
Use the free downloadable notebook pages for insects found in this entry: Ant Nature Study.
This ebook is found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.
The first time we completed this challenge we lived in California where there was no snow, ice, or frozen ground. Now, in our new Central Oregon habitat it will be interesting to see what we discover using the ideas in the challenge linked above for an insect study in the middle of winter.
Use the ideas from the challenge if possible, but always take your fifteen minutes outside to be refreshed and look for something to observe whether it’s the topic of the week or not! If all else fails, get your insect field guide out and enjoy paging through to find an insect to learn more about in anticipation of a future sighting. You can find all of the insect nature study challenges on this page: Outdoor Hour Challenges – Insects.
If you’re interested in seeing how our family completed this challenge way back in time, here’s a blog entry from the archives: Our Winter Insect Study.
If you have access to the Winter Wednesday ebook in the Ultimate Naturalist Library, there’s a custom notebook page available to use as a follow up to your nature study.
Join us for the Winter Wednesday series of challenges here every FRIDAY. You can find them under the winter tab on the blog or if you have an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, you can find the ebook there for downloading.
For the month of February, I am offering a $5 off coupon for every level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Take a look at all of the benefits of having a membership!
Discount Code: $5 off any membership on the Handbook of Nature Study by using the code FEB5 during the month of February 2018.
