Use the ideas in this challenge to look for lacewings to view up close.
“Flitting leisurely through the air on her green gauze wings, the lacewing seems like a filmy leaf, broken loose and drifting on the breeze. But there is a purpose in her flight, and through some instinct she is enabled to seek out an aphis-ridden plant or tree, to which she comes as a friend in need.”
“Look for the lacewing on any plant infested with plant lice, and the lacewing’s egg or eggshells on the long stalks are also readily found.” Handbook of Nature Study
Here is the link to the Outdoor Hour Challenge for the lacewing in the archives: Insect Study – Lacewing.
This challenge is found in the Summer Nature Study Continues ebook if you have an Ultimate Naturalist or Journey Level Membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study! Download a copy and use the custom notebooking page for your nature journal.
Outdoor Hour Challenge Insects with a Magnifying Lens
“In elementary grades, nature study deals with objects which the children can see with the naked eye. However, a lens is a help in almost all of this work because it is such a joy to the child to gaze at the wonders it reveals.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 9
Let’s face it. Sometimes we need to add a little special interest into our nature time. We can be doing everything “right” by making time for outdoor exploring with our children but it can fall flat if the children get distracted. One of my secret weapons is a magnifying lens. Tuck the lens in with your nature study items when you go on a hike or even when exploring your own backyard. Pull the magnifier out if you see the attention of your children wandering. Model how to use the lens with something simple and then see if you can challenge your children to find an insect to view. Even better, for advanced students, challenge them to find an insect wing to observe up close.
You also may be interested in reading more ideas and suggestions for a Magnifying Lens Study that I wrote a for my readers.
Here is the original Outdoor Hour Challenge for a magnifying lens: Outdoor Hour Challenge #8(from the Getting Started ebook). The ebook provides the challenge as shown above as well as custom notebook pages for your follow up nature journal if desired.
This challenge is found in the Getting Started ebook which is included in every level of membership.
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Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:
This month the newsletter focuses on taking a closer look at insect wings. For many people, insects are a difficult topic of study so choosing to look at just one part may help get you over the initial fear of an insect study. Choose a butterfly, a month, or a dragonfly to view up close and just look at the wings!
Contributions from Outdoor Hour Challenge participants- Heather Woodie from Blog She Wrote. Heather has gathered many of her family’s best insect study information for you to view and be inspired by. Thanks Heather!
June Nature Study Planning Page with field trip ideas, nature photo ideas, and a special 15 minute challenge for parents.
Insect Wing Study printable notebook page which can be used as a nature journal topper as well.
Resources for your Nature Library: I have started to build a nature library store on Amazon that will feature by category my favorite nature study books and resources. Take a look and see if there is anything you would like to put on your wish list for your family’s nature study library: Handbook of Nature Study Nature Library Suggestions on Amazon.com. Note this is my affiliate store to items I personally recommend and have read or seen in person. I added some things for your insect study!
Please note that Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level members have access to members only printables each month in addition to the newsletter printables. You will need to log into your account and then go to the “Other Releases” section.
Need help getting started with your nature study using the Handbook of Nature Study? Check out the fresh “Getting Started” page here on the website!
Please note that the above amazon.com links are affiliate links. I purchased these books with my own money and have written an honest review.
Along with the beautiful illustrations, I really enjoyed the concept of how to create in our local communities a space and place to nurture the native butterflies and birds that make their homes there. Specific birds and butterflies are discussed along with a location map and interesting facts.
The main message of this series is how we can combat the negative effects some practices and progress can take on the habitat where the birds and butterflies need to live. For instance in A Place for Birds, there are suggestions that people put up decals on their windows so birds don’t fly into them and even provide nesting boxes for birds.
I would love to share both of these books with the young people in my life. From start to finish, I found these books to be a delight and they are now resting on my picture book shelf for any young visitors to my home to enjoy. I can imagine sitting on the sofa with a child alongside me as we page through and enjoy the words and illustrations together.
Read pages 350-351 (Lesson #83) in the Handbook of Nature Study.
This is a helpful page that you can read with your children and download any of the pdf identification cards you desire to include in your nature journal: Cockroaches.
Advanced study: Here is a National Geographic video about the cockroach. Just be warned it may be hard for some people to watch. I suggest previewing this video!
Outdoor Hour Time:
Go on an insect hunt! Look for any insect to observe and compare to a cockroach.
Observation Ideas: Look at the shape and size of your insect. Look at the antennae. Look at the eyes. Look at the wings.
Follow-Up Activity:
If you had a cockroach to observe, use the lesson observation suggestions from the Handbook of Nature Study to create a nature journal page.
Advanced study: Research incomplete metamorphosis. Create a nature journal page that records your findings.
Advanced study: Research the insect order blattodea. Pick two insects in this order and compare them in your nature journal. There is a notebook page in the ebook for recording your data.
If you want to purchase the Autumn Nature Study 2015 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. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Autumn Nature Study 2015announcement page for more details.
Read pages 408-411 (Lesson #104) in the Handbook of Nature Study. There is a lot of information in this lesson so make sure to highlight a few interesting facts to share with your family.
Note: The caddisfly larvae (caddisworms) will be found in creeks, ponds, and streams. Adult caddisflies are moth-like creatures that will be attracted to light in the evenings.
Alternate study: Water striders are common insects found “walking” on the water: Water Striders.
Outdoor Hour Time:
Visit a pond or shallow stream, looking for caddisworms (larva) in their cases. Use a dipping net to try to catch a caddisworm to observe. Use some of the activity ideas from the lesson to make careful observations of your caddisfly larva.
In addition, sit out under your porch light in the evening and watch for caddisflies to visit. Look at its wings, eyes, and antennae.
Follow-Up Activity:
Create a nature journal entry showing both the caddisfly larva and the caddisfly. You can draw the life cycle of the caddis fly on the back of your nature journal page if you wish.
Advanced study: Research the insect order trichoptera. Use a field guide and complete two additional nature journal entries for insects in this order.
Alternate study: Create a nature journal entry for the water strider using the notebook page included in this ebook or in your nature journal.
Alternate Advanced study: Research the insect order hemiptera and create a nature journal entry with information on two insects from this order.
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. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Summer Nature Study Continues – New Ebookannouncement page for more details.
This is the last of the summer challenges! We will be starting the Autumn Nature Study 2015 ebook challenges starting on September 4, 2015!
It doesn’t get much better than this on a hot summer July day in my neck of the woods. It is times like this that I count my blessings.
We had a glorious day up at the lake….a short last minute idea to go for a hike and then have a picnic dinner. This lake was the bluest I have seen in a very long time….three shades of blue-turquoise, blue-gray, and deep blue.
We hiked a new trail for us and it was surprising that we had it all to ourselves. We had planned to hike from a popular trailhead but there were no parking spots left, which is what happens when you show up at around 2 PM. We decided to park on the highway, walk down the road leading to a closed campground, and then see what adventure would come our way. It was far better than expected!
The trail we found wandered around and out onto a peninsula overlooking Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay. The sun was hot but there was a breeze and in the shade it was comfortable. We sat out at the point for a long time just drinking in the views. There were several birds flying overhead and I could identify the call of the osprey and the song of the chickadee.
After that hike, we drove back down to Taylor Creek and hiked down to the water. This is my favorite little aspen grove and right now it is very green and filled with wildflowers. The cow parsnip is thick and smells fragrant…giving the hike a wonderful smell to remember. The insects were busy working in the flowers…mostly bees.
Play I Spyand you will see the crayfish that was scuttling along the creek bed. The water wasn’t very deep or moving very fast and we actually saw five different crayfish on this trip. They are strange creatures!
Here is another little wild friend that we stopped to watch along the trail. This squirrel (actually a chickaree) actually climbed up the tree with that cone in his mouth and then he sat eating the seeds up on the branch. Adorable!
Then we found a whole patch of Ranger buttons.…the insects were loving this flower!
Down on the beach it was covered in Hooker’s primrose and lupine….almost unreal how beautiful it was in the fading light. We walked and found a place to sit as the sun was setting…watching the shadows getting longer and longer.
This shows the lupine better….maybe this one will need to get printed out and put up on my wall. I love this place, feels like home. Do you know what I mean? Do you have a place that just feels like it was meant for you?
One last wildflower, this time a pink one, Checkermallow
So ends our most excellent summer day at the lake up in the mountains….sigh. Can’t wait to do it all again sometime!
I managed to create a Five Senses Nature Journal page as part of my Once a Month Nature Journal Project. This is a super simple idea for a quick nature journal page that you and your children can do very easily this month!
Go create your own summer day filled with goodness….enjoy!
Read pages 356-358(Lesson #86) in the Handbook of Nature Study. You may wish to also read about aphids as part of this study which is Lesson #84 in the Handbook of Nature Study.
Lacewing Life Cycle: Read about and then draw the life cycle of the green lacewing in your nature journal. This will help you prepare for your insect hunt when you go outdoors. The images at this link are clickable and will enlarge for you to see better. This link has amazing images: Green Lacewing.
Advanced study: Learn about the beneficial aspects of having lacewings in your garden: Youtube-Lacewings. Here is a printable information sheet about lacewings: Beneficial Insects-Lacewings.
Outdoor Hour Time:
One way to attract these insects is to leave your porch light on and watch for visitors. Lacewings are slow flyers so it may be possible to catch one with your hands if you do it carefully. Place the insect in a viewing jar. If you observe a lacewing, use the ideas from the Handbook of Nature Study to take a closer look.
Go on an insect hunt! Use the ideas from the Insect Study Grid found in the ebook or in the September 2012 Newsletter to create some excitement about your nature study this week. Print out the grid and take it with you! Mark off the squares as you complete them. This can also be a more long term project, finishing the grid during subsequent nature walks.
Follow-Up Activity:
Create a nature journal entry for the lacewing or any other insect you found interesting this week. Keep it simple: sketch, date, caption. There is a notebook page in the ebook for you to use.
Advanced study: Conduct additional research on the insect order– neuroptera. Use a field guide and complete two additional nature journal entries for insects in this order found in your local area. You can use this notebook page for your information.
Advanced study: If you are interested in learning to draw insects like a true naturalist, you will want to watch this YouTube Video: John Muir Laws – Drawing Insects.
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. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Summer Nature Study Continues – New Ebookannouncement page for more details.
I hope you can make use of these two new printables that we created for some summer time nature study.
What Does the Moon Look Like?– Make observations several times during the month to note the changes in the moon’s shape.
Butterfly Journal– Use this notebook page to document a butterfly sighting from your outdoor time.
These new printables are free if you are a member of the Ultimate Naturalist or Journey level memberships. You need to log into your account and then check the “Other Releases” section for brand new printables to enjoy along with the Outdoor Hour Challenges in 2015.
Enjoy!
Please note that I am in the process of updating and indexing the tabs found at the top of the website. Take a look at the Summer tab and the Garden tabto see how I have added more challenges, alphabatized the topics, and tried to include more links for you to try with your family! I will be working on these tabs over the next few weeks so that finding a particular challenge will be easier to find both here on the blog but also in the ebooks.
Go on an insect hunt! Look for insect eggs, larvae, caterpillars, and mature insects including butterflies.
Take some time to watch a butterfly as it works in the garden. Look at the butterfly’s body parts. If you spy a swallowtail, look at the shape of the wings.
If you find a caterpillar, watch it eat and observe its horns.
Follow-Up Activity:
Create a nature journal entry for the swallowtail butterfly or any butterfly you find this week in the garden. If you don’t find a butterfly, pick one to research and then record your findings on a notebook page included in the ebook.
Advanced study: Sketch the chrysalis, caterpillar, and butterfly of the black swallowtail butterfly. There is a notebook page included in the ebook for your sketches.
Advanced study: Draw at least two different swallowtail butterflies with colored pencils in your nature journal.
Join us for this spring series of challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
If you want to purchase the Spring 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. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Spring Nature Study Continues – New Ebookannouncement page for more details.
