Nature Journal Archives

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer -February 2019

The month of February has brought with it a lot of SNOW! We haven’t thawed out completely since the beginning of the snow storms. There have been a few days of sunshine but the temperatures have been very cold; cold enough to keep the snow and ice piled up outside our door.

We’ve been trying to keep up with the birds that visit our feeders as part of Project Feederwatch and also during the Great Backyard Bird Count. From what I can observe, not only have there been fewer bird species but even the numbers of those birds has decreased. Some days I only see a handful of birds….far less than this same time period last year. Because we haven’t lived here very long, it’s hard to know if this is an unusual year or not. We’ll keep a detailed record of our observations and see how the year progresses.

I’ve kept up with my daily nature journal notes with our temperatures, snow amounts, and other interesting details from our observations. These simple notes help record just a little more thorough picture of the season.

Images from my Journal

I completed my January birds page. Now that I look at it, it needs a little more detail to make it a really good record of the month. Perhaps I’ll add the numbers of birds I observed (by looking at my Project Feederwatch data) and maybe compare this year’s January birds with last year’s list.

Here’s the page that I made to keep track of the January snow. I may just add February’s statistics to it as well since there’s room.

I used a Handbook of Nature Study newsletter printable grid to record some fun nature details in my journal. This is a super simple way to get started if you’re stumbling over a big ol’ blank page. See this entry for more information on using nature study grids: Using Printables from the Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter.

Here’s a look at my February birds page in progress. I’m keeping a running list of birds observed, left room for my Great Backyard Bird count details and thoughts, and I’m using a printable grid from the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter to encourage me to be on the lookout for birds of all colors. I will finish this one up by the end of the month.

We heard a pair of Great Horned Owls early one morning and I wanted to create a page that had all of the interesting facts about this bird in my nature journal. I find the process of looking up the information for a page helps me learn and remember things better. I’m not aiming for a fancy page but one that has meaning to me. I’m challenging myself to draw in my nature journal, not on every page but a few times a month.

One More Image

We’ve had a mountain lion roaming our neighborhood for a few weeks. Our next door neighbor snapped this image of the big cat right up in a tree in his backyard. It makes me a little nervous to have such a wild creature so near to our home, but we’re just taking precautions and being alert to any signs that he is back.

There are many, many nature journal ideas included in the archives of the Handbook of Nature Study newsletters. If you have any level of membership, make sure to download the newsletter index to make finding a topic easy.

76 issues of the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter are available in the Discovery level of membership for only $20! You also get the Getting Started with the Outdoor Hour Challenge ebook in this level which makes it a super awesome value for your $20.

Download an index of topics here: Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter Topics and Printables.

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Barb — 2 Comments

Using Printables from the Handbook of Nature Study Newsletters

Using Nature Study Grids

One of the most common stumbling blocks to creating a nature journal page is the curse of the blank page. I have felt it myself. As you open your nature journal and gather your art supplies, suddenly you face the blank page and your mind also goes blank. You can’t think of what to do or where to get started.

This is the perfect time to use a tool from the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter!

Many issues of the newsletter have a printable nature study grid that can help get you over the hump of starting with a blank page. Print the grid and cut it out, then adhere it right on the page. Choose one or more of the prompts to do while you’re outside and then come back in to record your results.

You can check the boxes off.

Make notes about what you accomplished.

Sketch something that was inspired during your outdoor time.

Use the grid in a way that makes sense to you and your family!

Additional Idea

Cut Your Grid Apart: You can use the Weather Study Big Grid in the December 2012 newsletter for this project by printing it out and then cutting the desired squares to adhere into your nature journal. This will allow you to create a completely customized nature journal page that fits your local weather and your child’s interests.

Add photos, doodles, lettering, and captions to complete your page.

Download a sample copy of the January 2014 Newsletter:

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter – Nature Table (with the Winter Nature Grid printable).

Download the Newsletter Index – includes lists of articles and printables

Did you know that the complete archive of 76 newsletters is available for immediate download in ALL LEVELS of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study?

That means that for just $20 you can download, save, and use as many times as you want each of the newsletters in the archive!

Here is the Amazon affiliate link to the sketchbook I use for my nature journal.

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – January 2019

Nature Journal Project

This month is a fresh start to my nature journaling journey. I’m keeping several different journals as a way to become more of a naturalist specializing in my own habitat. This just feels like it’s the right time.

Although I’m still trying to keep things simple, I’ve created a new routine for recording my daily notes and statistics as a way to reach my Nature Study Goals for 2019.

Daily Notebooks

Every day I create a brief entry in the Naturalist Notebook which is really a five year record of daily details. You can see in the image how there is a very small box for each day running across the page. Then, down the column will be where I fill in information over the next four years. This way you can compare the daily events from year to year. Right now it feels very ambitious but I’ve learned that if you take it one day at a time it isn’t such a huge project.

The second place I’m recording daily information is in this planner/notebook. It has larger spaces for me to include more details or thoughts for each day. I’m still deciding if I like this particular notebook for this purpose, but time will tell if it works for me.

Note: It’s an 18-month calendar and so the first part has been unused. I’m trying to decide if I should just remove the pages or repurpose them in some way.

This entry includes affiliate links to Amazon.com.

Field Notebook

I have yet to make a single record in my field notebook. It’s super cold when I go outside and I usually wear gloves. This makes it hard to take the notebook and pencil out. That’s a pretty bad excuse for not giving this tool a try and I will be working on doing better. Maybe I should wear my fingerless gloves when I go out on my walks.

Personal Nature Journal

This is where I’ve really stepped up my nature journaling game this year. I’ve gone ahead and prepared several introductory pages for the year and then planned a few pages for January ahead of time.

If you follow me on Instagram, I’ll be sharing the month’s pages at the end of each month in a video along with an explanation.

Here’s an example of one of my January pages sharing my winter willow observations. You can see that I’ve switched to a larger size page for this year just to switch things up.

I have some of the pages planned out, but there’s still room to add in things that spring up during our nature walks like the river otter scampering across the icy river with a fresh fish in his mouth. What a great experience!

Al in all, I think I’ve been successful in getting started with my new routine of nature journaling. It takes a few minutes a day to keep up with the daily notes and maybe 30 minutes or so to create a new nature journal page in my personal journal. With this little effort, I’m loving the feeling of getting to know my habitat better with each passing week. Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges gives me a framework and inspiration to learn something new! This knowledge is not only fun to learn but very encouraging to pass along to my friends and family.

Be Inspired! Be Encouraged! Get Outdoors!

Do you want some more specific nature journal ideas? Click over to my nature journal page and scroll down for the Once-a-Month Nature Journal Project idea buttons. There’s a lot there to keep you busy!

Posted on November 26, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – Nature November

It’s been another month of spending time inside recovering from my hip replacement surgery. There’s been a lot of time gazing out the window at the view and my birdfeeders. In addition, I’ve done quite a bit of reading about my favorite nature topics. There’s just so much to learn!

We spotted the first of our elk herd a week or so ago but haven’t seen them since. It’s always just at daybreak when they move behind our fence so we have to be up and watching or we miss them.

Plus we have been watching and waiting for our beaver to make his appearance. It all started with my husband noticing a tree down by the river that had been gnawed almost the whole way through. We set up our critter cam to see if we could capture the beaver at work but we missed it! We didn’t have the camera in place on the night they finished off the tree.

In the meantime, we’ve been trying to get a video of the beaver taking the limbs off the tree but so far we’re unsuccessful. We won’t be giving up!

Here are my pages from the last month for your inspiration.

This wildflower is a common sight on our walks to the river and in our yard too. We have a bit in our rock garden and some even growing in our lawn.

We tried to transplant a few of the silverweed plants to our new landscaping berm and next year we’ll see if they moved successfully.

I converted an unused page in my Nature Observer journal to record our critter cam results.

Note the link above is my amazon.com affiliate link.

One of the most common birds in our birdfeeders is the chickadee. I realized we live in an area that has both the black-capped chickadee and the mountain chickadee. As I worked on my bird sketching skills, I created a page with a few facts and field notes for the two species.

I find that sketching subjects and writing a few pertinent facts down in my journal helps me to remember it better.

We started the new season of Project Feederwatch! I love this activity and look forward to each week’s counting days. If you aren’t familiar with the project, you count birds that come to your feeders for two days in a row basically once a week. You can watch the feeder for just a few minutes or as long as you have available. This super easy citizen science project helped me gain confidence in recognizing all the birds that come to our feeders by taking it one bird at a time. I highly recommend this for bird loving families with a birdfeeder in your yard!

In addition to my regular nature journal, I work daily in my Nature Observer journal. This is the perfect way to note all the simple every day thoughts and observations which over time give a fuller picture of your local habitat.

Don’t forget that I’m sharing a nature journal page each week on my Instagram account if you want to see the pages as they unfold. Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. And, if you want to create a page and share it on your Instagram for me to see, use the hashtag #OHCnaturejournal.

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Barb — 2 Comments

OHC: Field Notebook in Your Nature Study

You can do this!

Nothing could be easier than creating a field notebook list for your nature journal!

This week’s challenge will help you make a list of nature study topics you observed during your outdoor time but aren’t quite ready to study in depth. As you work through this activity, you’re training your family to be more alert and giving them skills that actual naturalists use to learn more about their own habitats.

Soon, the weather and conditions may keep you indoors and this list of topics will give you inspiration to keep nature study going indoors.

Nature Study When the Weather is Too Cold or Wet to be Outdoors – Pull Out Your Field Notebook List!

Skim down your field notebook list of topics, choose one to topic to study, and then get out your Handbook of Nature Study and/or a field guide. Do a little research on your chosen topic and then create a nature journal page showing what you learned.

Autumn Field Notebook Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study pages 1-8

Archive Outdoor Hour Challenge – Click the link above to see the original challenge. Make sure to read the introductory pages in the Handbook of Nature Study to freshen up your nature study attitude!

The Field Notebook List is a tool you can use in planning your future nature study lessons!

Additional Suggestion:

Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 13-15 (The Field Notebook). In this section Anna Botsford Comstock helps us with a detailed description of her idea of a field notebook or nature journal. She also states that if done properly “they represent what cannot be bought or sold, personal experience in the happy world of out-of-doors”. Make note of any suggestions you want to implement with your children.

You can print and use the field notebook page included in the free autumn notebook page download above.

Make sure to click the link below to read the entire Outdoor Hour Challenge with helpful links, nature study ideas, printable notebooking pages, and suggested follow-up activities.

Autumn Field Notebook Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study pages 1-8

This Outdoor Hour Challenge is part of the 2018-2019 Plan here on the Handbook of Nature Study. We’ll be using the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock to discover new things about the world around us. Join us each Friday for a different nature study topic. Make sure to subscribe to this blog to receive the weekly challenge right in your email box.

If you want to become a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can click the Join Us button for more details. Benefits include those shown above including access to ebooks, notebooking pages, archived newsletters, and new ebooks and printables published during your membership.

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – August

Nature Journal Project: Nature Observer August 2018

Wondering what we have been up to this month and what nature journal pages I have created? August has been very laid back as far as getting outdoors and experiencing nature. We’ve done some trail and campground exploring within a twenty mile radius of our house and found an abundance of awesome places to investigate further. I’m keeping a list in my nature journal of possible places to use for outings in the future. Yes, I know I’m spoiled to have so many things so close at hand, but that’s part of the reason we moved to Central Oregon. It’s a fantastic place for nature nerds to live!

Here are my pages from the past few weeks.

We planted a new aspen tree this month back in our far corner. It’s visible from our living room windows so I’m already anticipating the change of the season and the leaf color. I created a page in my journal with a few interesting facts about aspens, some of my observations, and then a leaf rubbing.

Here’s a two page spread in my Nature Observer journal (see the link and cover below). I LOVE this journal and every day I’m eager to record a few thoughts, facts, and/or nature observations. It has become a great record of when things bloom, appear, disappear, etc.

This page is a record of a magical afternoon spent sitting by Fall River with my husband. The weather was perfect and we found a secluded spot along the bank to watch the birds, enjoy the wildflowers, and the sound of the rippling water.

I tackled a sketch of our resident toad. I used a photograph as a reference and then water-colored it in for my nature page. I learned some new facts about the toad and I can now appreciate his comings and goings as part of his life cycle. My friend named the toad “Geraldine”. I’m not sure how to tell if it’s a boy or girl toad, but we’re going with Geraldine for now.

I’m still going strong with this Nature Observer Guided Journal that I started back at the beginning of the year. There are so many positive things I could say about it but the most important thing is the flexible nature of the calendars and the prompts. I make every page work for me in my habitat. Plus it has a built in habit trainer…in the form of a bullet-style journal section for each month’s goals. So helpful!

If you’re looking for a pre-printed nature journal for yourself, take a look at this one on Amazon.com. I highly recommend it! Please note that I am an affiliate for Amazon.com.

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge #5 Summer List

Outdoor Hour Challenge #5 – Making a Summer List

Revisited Summer 2018

From the Archives and from the Getting Started Ebook

In Outdoor Hour Challenge #4, you picked a focus area for your nature study by examining your child’s interests. This week in Challenge #5 you can create a list of potential topics to look for and investigate within your focus area. Click the archive link above for more information.

Your nature journal page this week can simply be a list of things you see during your outdoor time that fit your focus area. Or, see this entry: Once a Month Nature Journal Project: Make a List for additional ideas and inspiration.

Summer Nature Study Tip:

Use the summer months to focus on one area of nature study as a family. Be creative and think of as many ways as you can to learn more about your chosen topic. Brainstorm a list of ideas to put into your nature journal and then check them off as you accomplish them.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Time

If you have access to the Getting Started ebook, there’s a custom notebook page that you can use alongside Outdoor Hour Challenge #5 if you wish, or a number of blank pages you can print and use instead.

The Getting Started ebook is included in all levels of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study, including the Discover Level.

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – July 2018

Nature Observer – Nature Journal Project

July 2018

We’re experiencing a glorious summer weather pattern where it’s hot in the afternoons and very cool at night. It gives us a window of time in the mornings to get out and enjoy a good hike, go for a bike ride, or get things done in the garden before it’s too hot to enjoy it. If it gets too hot, we drag the kayak down to the river and enjoy a good float in the cool river water.

Get outside each day to explore a little nature before the temperatures heat up!

Nature journaling is a perfect indoor activity during the summer months. Pull out the journals along with a few art supplies to record your summer nature study discoveries. Give it a try!

Here are my pages from the past few weeks.

We have two different kinds of hummingbirds visiting our feeders. They are very different and easy to spot. The rufous hummingbird has such a mechanical sound to its wings that you can hear them coming from far away. The calliope hummingbird is very tiny and not as aggressive as the rufous. My page captures both of these amazing creatures.

It’s been quite a summer for bird’s nests in our yard. We’ve been curious and eager to see who would inhabit our nesting boxes. Well, we had two boxes filled with swallows, one box had mountain bluebirds, another box had chickadees, and the most interesting nest was built in a crack in a pine tree by a pair of pygmy nuthatches. Of course, I wanted to document all of this in my nature journal.

I’ve started to carry a small sketch book with me along with a pen to capture the random moments that inspire me. This page was done while kayaking at Sparks Lake with my daughter as we paddled towards the South Sister Peak. Love it!

Do you want some more specific nature journal ideas? Click over to my nature journal page and scroll down for the Once a Month Nature Journal Project idea buttons. There’s a lot there to keep you busy!

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

NotebookingPages.com Back To School Sale

NotebookingPages.com is having their last ever discount on Lifetime Memberships and later this fall you will no longer be able to purchase a Lifetime Membership.

Wow! That is BIG news!

So, my friends, this is the time to pull the trigger and if you have been thinking about purchasing a membership to this amazing resource, NOW is the time. For the next few days, the Lifetime Membership will be sold at a huge discount of $25. This means for $72 you will have a complete library of 100’s of notebooking pages right at your fingertips….FOREVER!

You can even make 3 easy payments to help fit this resource into your homeschooling budget!

I have had a Lifetime Membership for many years, both during and post homeschooling. My boys benefitted from having a membership both from the pre-printed pages and the Notebooking Web App program where they could custom make their own pages and actually type onto the page and then print them out for their notebooks.

Our Favorite Pages

History Timeline Book of Centuries Notebooking Pages

Notebooking Pages Back-to-School Membership Sale

This sale starts today and will end at midnight on July 27^th! You need to act fast to catch this soon to be gone membership to NotebookingPages.com.

In addition to receiving a Lifetime Membership during this sale, you will also receive a Lifetime Membership to MomsToolBelt.com. I have used my membership to MomsToolBelt to create my own custom calendars and planners for probably a decade. I love using the flexibility of this program to make my own planner that fit my household needs. You will too!

You can read my review of MomsToolBelt here: Moms Tool Belt Planning

Please note I am affiliate for NotebookingPages.com and have owned and used their products for a very long time in my family!

You can also read my page on how to create nature journals and notebooking pages on this page.

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge #3 – Summer Edition

Outdoor Hour Challenge #3

Revisited Summer 2018

From the Archives and from the Getting Started Ebook

If this is your third week following along with the Getting Started series this summer, you’ve already accomplished some important steps in your nature study journey. OHC #1 helped you get outside with your children. OHC #2 showed you how easy it is to follow up with a discussion and words. Now, it’s time to take a few minutes after your outdoor time to put something on paper.

I’ve written at length here on my blog about nature journals. If you click over to my nature journal tab, you’ll find lots of information to inspire and encourage you and your children in your efforts to record the fascinating things you discover during your Outdoor Hour time.

It may make it more fun if you start a nature journal alongside your children, leading by example, writing your words down on a page. Don’t worry about sketching if you’re intimidated by the thought of drawing in your nature journal. (You can read my journey with my nature journal here: Drawing and Your Nature Journal.)

Summer Nature Study Tip: Use the hot afternoon hours to pull out the nature journaling supplies and work together to create a page or two using items you collected on a nature walk or you can work from photos you took during your Outdoor Hour.

It’s okay if they don’t want to create a nature journal every time you have your

Outdoor Hour Challenge time.

If you have access to the Getting Started ebook, there’s a custom notebook page that you can use alongside Outdoor Hour Challenge #3 if you wish, or a number of blank pages you can print and use instead.

The Getting Started ebook is included in all levels of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study, including the Discover Level.

Overwhelmed with the thought of getting started with nature study? You may wish to read my entry: Nature Study the Gentle Way. In this entry, I share a simple idea that you could try in your family.

Category: Nature Journal