Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:
1. Antlers and Horns Notebook Page: Have you ever researched the difference between antlers and horns? This notebook page will be a perfect place to record your findings.
2. Panting in Mammals Notebook Page: Here is your chance to look into why animals pant and then put your information down in your nature journal.
(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 NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!
This week we’re going to be learning about one of the most fascinating animals that you can find living in the forest, the porcupine! Most children have seen photos of porcupines and are curious about the quills of the porcupine. Take this week to use the Forest Fun ebook challenge featuring porcupines to learn more about this animal with your children.
Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you’ll find the detailed challenge in the Forest Fun 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 are having trouble signing into your account, please email me directly and I will reset your password. We recently had a server crash and our restoration did not update all of the passwords. Email me at harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.
We are working through the Forest Fun ebook which is a brand new series of nature studies featuring things you might find in the forest. It’s not too late to join us by purchasing an Ultimate Naturalist or Journey level membership.
If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 24 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!
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.
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 are 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 Forest Fun ebook is now ready for you to download and use with your family. It will be a part of the 2019-2020 plans here on the Handbook of Nature Study. I’m excited to have a new set of challenges to complete along with you!
There are nine 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 but you will be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.
This 47 page digital ebook has 9 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn about some common things you’ll find in a forest, especially the forests of the western United States.
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:
Rabbitbrush
Skunk Cabbage
Azalea
Common Raven
California Quail
Western Tanager
Black Bear
Moose
Porcupine
How do you get the new Forest Fun 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.
Tracking mammals in the winter can be a fascinating nature study experience. If you have snow, ice, mud, or other conditions, it may make it easier to spot tracks. Look for and then follow any tracks you find. Examine them carefully, noting the size and shape of the tracks.
Make sure to note the links and additional resources suggested for your mammal study. If you want to pick a particular mammal to study this week, there’s a link to a printable Mammal Notebook Page within the challenge.
Check the Handbook of Nature Study index for your mammal or use the mammal tab at the top of my website to see if there’s an archived Outdoor Hour Challenge for you to use in your study.
Please note this challenge is found in the Winter Series ebook found in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Log into your membership and scroll down to the ebook download link. Included in the ebook, there’s a custom notebook page for this challenge.
You can find the complete plan for this school year in all levels of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Also, if you have an Ultimate or Journey level membership, there’s a file in your library that has all of this year’s notebook pages in one file.
Are you having fun using all your senses with the Outdoor Hour Challenge? Use the ideas in this week’s challenge to engage your child’s senses as much as possible.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy learning about these two interesting mammals that are active at night. We’ll probably be focusing on raccoons this time around since we have some that live in our neighborhood.
Make sure to read the lessons in the Handbook of Nature Study as a way of preparing for a future raccoon or skunk sighting.
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.
We’re going to have some fun listening to the sounds of nature at night as we learn about bats! Everyone can get outside in the evening and use their senses to learn more about this time of day when many animals are active.
Make sure to check out the links at the bottom of the archive bat challenge for a closer look at these mammals that fly!
Join us for this exciting series of nature study topics as we work through the Summer Nature Study – Using Your Senses ebook. Don’t get hung up on the title of the ebook because these nature study topics are applicable at all times of the year. Where I live we don’t have summer or even real spring conditions yet, but we’re going to get outside in the evenings as the days get longer to make observations and learn more about things that happen at sundown.
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.
Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.
Simple definition: A survival mechanism employed by some mammals and birds where there is a temporary reduction of body temperature on cold days. Torpor is triggered by ambient temperature and food availability. Note: Hibernation is an extended form of torpor.
We came across this term for the first time when we were learning about the life cycle of the pygmy nuthatch. Reading in our field guide, we came across the term “torpor” and didn’t know what it meant. This led to some research online and it amazed us how this little bird is able to survive the below freezing temperatures we have here in Central Oregon by going into torpor and huddling together with other nuthatches in tree cavities.
These things all work together to conserve energy and keep the tiny little birds alive through the long winter nights.
Please note that I am just skimming the surface of this topic here in this post and I intend on continuing to learn about this topic as time goes by. It fascinates me to see how there are such amazing mechanisms for survival in the seemingly ordinary animals right in my own backyard.
What is torpor? -includes a short list of mammals that go into torpor
You may wish to check out the Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study. It is found in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships 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.
Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.
I’m really looking forward to the nature challenge this week! I’ve spent a lot of time this winter following and photographing animal tracks in the mud and snow, and now I want to slow down and really try to identify who is making these tracks.
You’ll find a fantastic online resource in the archive link to a website to use along with your field guide. I would love to hear which animals you’ve found tracks for this winter.
Another resource that I love and use all the time is the North American Wildlife book from Reader’s Digest. I wrote a review of this book in 2015 that shows how beneficial it is as a supplement to the Handbook of Nature Study.
It’s another month of nature book fun here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Last month we were learning about birds using the fantastic resource, Backyard Birds. This month I’m again joining with the same group of bloggers for another fun nature topic: small mammals! We’ll all share a book and activities that go along with that theme. You can use the links at the bottom of this post to see all of our books/activities.
Tracks, Scats, and Signs: So many people have this book on their shelf but have never actually used it for their nature study. (It’s part of the Fun With Nature Take Along Guide as well!) I’m hoping to help you use the fantastic information in this book to get outside and look for some signs of animals in your yard and neighborhood. Look for the book at your local library!
(Note there are affiliate links in this post)
Simple Idea for Using Tracks, Scats and Signs for Your Nature Study
Read the book Tracks, Scats and Signs with your family before you go on a nature walk. Keep it light and enjoy the words and illustrations, noting any animals you may have in your local area. Each topic in this book shows an illustration of the tracks and the scat that each animal makes so you know what to look for during your outdoor time. You will need to explain the word “scat” to younger children; expect giggles as they realize it’s just a fancy word for animal poop. Along with each selection, there’s a short description of where to look for each animal and a little bit about their behavior.
Take a nature walk looking for tracks, scat, and signs. We were always excited when we found animal tracks in the snow, mud, or ice! Take photos of any animal tracks you find as you explore. You may wish to bring along a ruler to measure the size of the animal tracks you find for future reference. Take a few minutes to use your imagination about who made the tracks and what they were doing.
When you get back home, make a nature journal entry recording any observations you have from your nature walk. I have used the illustrations in the Tracks, Scats, and Signs book to help me draw the tracks and scat into my own nature journal.
I’ve written a few Outdoor Hour Challenges that you could use along with the Tracks, Scats and Signs book.
Winter Mammal Tracks: Use the idea during the winter months to learn more about the animal tracks you observe during your outdoor time.
Signs of Mammals: We’ve found in our family that many times we don’t actually see small mammals but we observe signs of them during our outdoor time. This challenge helps you do some research about signs you find and then make a nature journal entry.
I’m hoping you will consider using my Winter Nature Study ebook with your family in the future. There are many more winter nature study ideas for you to include with your outdoor time each week during the cold winter months.
NOTE: There are ebooks for each season here on the Handbook of Nature Study. You can find a complete list of the ebooks in my library here: Join Us! Right now I’m offering a $5 discount for every level of membership. Use the discount code OHC10 at checkout.
Make sure to subscribe to my blog to follow along with those mammal-related nature study activities.