A friend and I took a hike to the river on a chilly morning. My husband had given me the heads up that there were many fungi alongside the path and that I needed to get down there and see them for myself. He had texted me some images and they made me drop everything, call a friend, load up the dog, and hit the road.
We were amazed at how many mushrooms there were but also the variety of mushrooms that we could see.
As we hiked along, my friend, who is not an experienced nature girl, kept asking me questions about what we were observing. It was easy to make a list of three questions to research from this experience.
1. Why are there so many in the shady damp areas of the woods and not so many in the sunny areas?
2. What animals come and take bites out of the mushrooms? Do they get sick?
3. Is it okay to touch the mushrooms?
I had some general answers to her questions but since we had the challenge from the December 2016 newsletterto create a list of 3 questions to answer after a nature hike, I decided to take some time and really dig a little deeper into things I should probably know by now.
You can take your own 3 Questions Nature Walk and then follow up with the printable in the member’s library or just record your questions and answers on a blank page in your nature journal.
Just recently I shared my thoughts on nature study versus science in this entry: Nature Study or Science. I invite you to read that entry first and then return to this entry.
Meaningful nature study is something that all parents can offer to their children. Here are some simple tips to help you get started or perhaps refresh your normal routine.
Tips for Meaningful Nature Study
Place the child directly in contact with nature. This means get outside! Use some time each week to go with your child outside and find something interesting to look at and experience together.
Direct contact is a must. Look in your own backyard or neighborhood for subjects you can observe in person, not something you read about in a book. Real objects are the basis for real learning. Some of these objects will be appropriate to gather and place on a nature table in your home. (See my favorite nature table ideas here on my Pinterest board: Nature Display.)
If you give a nature lesson, have in mind a clear objective for that lesson. Do you need to follow up on interest found during your outdoor time? Make sure to relate the follow up information to the outdoor experience for maximum benefits.
Ideas for Follow Up to Your Nature Study Time
An oral narration- Talk about what you saw and experienced together. Here are some additional ideas: Using Your Words.
A written narration and/or a drawing- Create a memory of the experience or subject. There are lots of ideas for nature journals here on my page: Nature Journals.
“Adults should realize that the most valuable thing children can learn is what they discover themselves about the world they live in.” Charlotte Mason, volume 1 page 61
Don’t miss this month’s newsletter! If you haven’t already subscribed to this blog and would like to receive every post in your inbox and each month’s newsletter with practical tips and nature study encouragement, you can subscribe by clicking THIS LINK or below.
Sign Up Here for the Handbook of Nature Study Monthly Newsletter.
The book of the month is the The Nature Handbook by Ernest H. Williams, Jr. (ISBN: 9780195171945). This is book number seven in my Nature Book Project for 2016. It is a little heavier reading then most of the books I picked this year so I haven’t actually finished it yet but I will. The purpose of this book is to share the patterns and relationships in nature and not particular species like a field guide. It is organized into three main topics: Plants, Animals, and Habitats. Within these topics, it strives to show patterns that we can look for and learn from as we complete our nature study.
Many people ask me if I have suggestions for a more advanced “naturalist” course for high schoolers. This book is definitely a contender for that purpose.
These early spring forest wildflowers demonstrate one of the patterns spoken about in The Nature Handbook.
Something I Really Enjoy About This Book
I am a very visual learner when it comes to nature study. Observing things up close and then reading about them with a guide or book that has clear large images is the way I learn the best. The Nature Handbook has over 500 color photos to supplement the easy to read text. Each time I sit down to use this book, I learn something new!
For instance, in the section on Forest Wildflowers (section 1.6), he explains that wildflowers must bloom before the forest canopy closes in with leaves above. This allows for sufficient moisture and high sunlight intensity through the leafless trees above. Reading this section of the book and reasoning on his words has helped me to understand the forest habitat more deeply. It makes my forest hikes in the spring now more meaningful.
Additional Features:
Over 200 specific patterns are discussed in this book! The topics could easily supplement any other nature study subjects you are learning about and works well with more advanced or older students.
The index is thorough and makes looking up a particular topic easy.
The images are labeled clearly and both common and scientific names are provided.
Short sections that would be easy to use for nature narrations for Charlotte Mason homeschoolers.
This is a book I will continue to read and use alongside the Handbook of Nature Study and my field guides for my own education as the years go by.
Just a note: This book is a little more expensive than most of the books I review. I do recommend it to my readers (especially as a nature library reference) but I think you should look for it at your library or purchase it used on Amazon.com.
This book is part of my Nature Book Project for 2016.
Note some of the links below are Amazon.com affiliate links.
This is a reminder that the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival is coming up soon!
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. http://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
I have updated and added to the autumn seasonal nature study list above. Scan through and pick one to start with this month. Then in the seasons to come, revisit the topic and make some comparisons. Our family gained a sense of time and cycles by following one particular topic through a complete year noting the changes and the way life is a series of changes that make new growth possible. I highly recommend this way of learning to all of the Outdoor Hour Challenge families.
Enjoy your autumn and put some ideas on your plan for the autumn season. If you complete a seasonal study and create a blog entry, make sure to send in the link for the OHC Blog Carnival coming up in November. Send your entries to: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com
This giveaway is now over. The winner will be chosen and notified soon!
I’m very excited to be a part of an Instagram centered Homeschool Wishlist Cash Giveaway! I have teamed up with 39 other bloggers to give you the opportunity to get a little extra cash to finish off your curriculum buying for the year or provide you with a little fun money to take that special field trip or get some additional resources for your homeschool nature study.
In order to be eligible, you will need to use your Instagram account (free app) to follow and like all 40 of the participant’s Instagram accounts and the giveaway post. You must like and follow each of the 40 accounts in order to successfully be entered into the giveaway.
This isn’t as complicated as it sounds and I will list the steps below. I think it will be totally worth your effort to do lots of clicking on Instagram to have the chance at winning the extra cash to take your family on that dream nature-related field trip you have always had in the back of your mind. I would love to hear that one of my readers or Instagram faithful followers has won this giveaway!
1. Like this giveaway image and click follow above if you aren’t already by clicking the little heart under the image on Instragram.
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2. Tap on the image (on Instragram) to find the next person in the loop (their Instagram name will pop up). Tap on their name to go to their profile.
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3. Find this same giveaway image on their Instagram page.
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4. Repeat steps 1-3 on every photo/profile until you make it back to the profile you started with.
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When you make it back to the person you started with (ME), you’ve completed the loop.
This Giveaway will run for 10 days (September 5th – September 14th midnight your time). The winner will be announced by @marlenegriffith within 72 hrs of the giveaway closing.
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*Money will be sent via PayPal (this giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with PayPal.)
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RULES: All entrants must make their account public for the duration of the giveaway. This is to verify entries and ensure that you are following all of the participants. The winner will be chosen at random and will have 24 hours to claim the prize after being tagged in this post. If within 24hrs we do not hear from you, another winner will be chosen. Account to contact: @marlenegriffith
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DISCLAIMER: This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are at least 13+ years of age, release Instagram of all responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.
If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen some glimpses of our outdoor life this past month. We keep finding excuses for getting out of the house and taking advantage of the summer temperatures and sunshine to explore some familiar and new to us places. My husband has worked in wildland fire fighting for over 20 years so we never really had a “normal” summer where we could take a week’s vacation. Now that he is nearing his retirement, he is making the choice to arrange his schedule to be able to take off a day here and there and even a week for a camping trip. It is wonderful!
I realized as I wrote this post that I haven’t taken a really good photo of us in the kayak…I promise I will this month and share a little about our new water adventures using this slow and quiet means of transport. It makes for some wonderful nature watching!
In the garden….we are experiencing a lot of butterflies this year. My office window is on the second floor over the front yard garden and I see butterflies flutter by as I work. Sometimes I just can’t resist running out there with my camera to try to capture their beauty. This tiger swallowtail was a perfect subject against the bright summertime blue sky. I never get tired of watching these magnificent creations.
Not quite as majestic, but still amazing, are the fiery skippers with their huge eyes and antennae.
We had such a great time learning about the marine snails (mollusks) on our trip to Oregon. There is just so much to learn and my husband has become my most devoted nature partner. We read and explore and then research some more about whatever catches our interest. This is such a great way of learning as we self-direct the topics and ways in which we learn. If you have any doubts about this kind of learning for your children, you may want to try it yourself to see the way it reaches your heart. It is the connections we make as we learn that make the deepest impact on our life. I will never look at the lowly marine snail in the same way again.
In this image you can see the stack of books I had on my desk this morning. I have been doing a lot of reading and research and it really shows in the variety of books that have collected there on my desktop.
I have a pot of morning glories outside my back window and I can see it from my kitchen sink. Every morning there is a beautiful surprise unfolding in the early hours. I love this image of the flower puffing out and bursting open. This is the actual color of the blossom as it was opening today…amazing!
Outdoor Mom’s Journal
Whether your family spends a few minutes a week outside or hours at a time, share what is going on in your world.
How Do You Join?
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 week 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….
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
A photo I would like to share…
You can use the free monthly newsletter along with the Handbook of Nature Study book for your nature study. Adding a membership gives you access to the Ultimate Naturalist Library’s ebooks and printablse which provides members with even more in-depth studies each month.
I am excited to share my latest nature study ebook with all of my readers and special visitors as part of the Back to School Gift Basket event! Make sure to enter the giveaway, look for the discount code, and subscribe to my free newsletter while you are here!
Along with the ebook, I am going to be including three bird resources that we have used and loved in our family!
Details of this Giveaway
Use the Rafflecopter gadget below to enter to win one gift basket that contains the following items. Please note that the ebook is a digital prize that will be emailed directly to you and the other three resources will ship from Amazon.com.
Peterson Field Guide – Your choice of either the Western Edition or the Eastern Edition of this amazing field guide.
Bird Log for Kids – This book is a perfect fit for young nature lovers to record their bird observations and it even includes a child’s first life list of birds observed.
Receive multiple entries by following the options in the Rafflecopter gadget below.
One Winner will be picked at random on 8/22/16. Please note winners must live in the United States and respond within 48 hours to claim their prize.
Special Discount for Everyone for the Ultimate Naturalist Library!
Use the discount code FORTHEBIRDSat check out to receive $10 off the Ultimate Naturalist Library – this includes every single ebook that has been published for the Outdoor Hour Challenge…18 in all! Discount code is good through 8/22/16.
Monthly Nature Study Newsletter
Subscribe to the Handbook of Nature Study blog and you will receive my free monthly newsletter on the first of every month:Subscription Entry!
One of my goals each month is to take few of the nature photo suggestions from the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter. This month’s suggestions centered on insects but I can’t resist sharing some of my favorite (so far) images of flowers. I have been sort of addicted to the color orange in all its shades this month and these daylilies are perfect. The photo above was from our local daylily farm. We visited during their “Daylily Days”this weekend and the farm is a mass of blooms of all colors.
If you are a local, this is a great day trip and I suggest bringing a picnic and perhaps stopping at one of the neighboring vineyards to pick up a bottle of wine. Perfect day trip!
Here is one of the photo suggestions from the newsletter. I captured this bee with his pollen baskets as he buzzed around my front yard sage.
I think this is a bush katydid sitting on my rose bush. It looks as if he has devoured some of the leaves. The prompt in the newsletter says “insect antennae” and the katydid’s antennae were definitely one of his most prominent features. My field guide says they can be three times longer than his body. Amazing!
I suggested on Facebook that if you had trouble looking at insects and their wings that the ladybug might be a good first insect to study. They are very low on the “icky” scale and most of us can even pick them up without getting squeamish. This ladybug looks as if he is sleeping in the mum plant.
This year my garden is so alive with plants that were dormant through the drought. The sweet pea in the front yard greets me at the mailbox everyday with its beautiful pink blossoms. We have studied these interesting flowers in the past and you can find an Outdoor Hour Challenge for them if you look up on the garden tab on the website.
Welcome to my back deck flower garden! These are all in pots on my deck and provide brilliant color for me and the insects that visit. Flowers are from top to bottom, left to right: Chocolate Daisy (Rene’s Garden Seeds), Calla Lily, Blanket Flower, Oriental poppy, Coreopsis, Bee Balm, and a Dahlia.
If you enjoy my photos and are on Instagram, I invite you to follow my new Outdoor Hour Challenge Instagram account! You can follow the account for nature study inspiration and reminders. Or if you would rather, tag your photos with #outdoorhourchallenge and I will stop by and take a look at your photos! I would love to “regram” your images too! I would love for this Instagram account to become a large community of like-minded nature lovers.
Are you looking for a pre-planned summer nature study idea? My daughter and I designed two kits for families to use to easily include nature study and art appreciation in their homes. These kits have been such a hit, we are offering them again this summer.
We have prepared a limited number of kits – first come, first serve.
US addresses only
Kits are $10 each or $16 for two kits, shipping included. This is a really good deal and we hope to sell out of these kits fast. If you want to buy a kit, click over to the Hearts and Trees website and look on the left sidebar for the appropriate Paypal buttons. It is possible to purchase one of each kit by clicking the option on the sidebar.
· Sticky Garden Fun Window Project (instructions and contact paper)
· Stiff Felt Magnet Project (instructions, 4 pieces of felt, magnet)
· Foam Stamp Project (instructions and foam)
· Easy Tissue Paper Mache Vase Project (instructions and tissue paper)
· Botanical Solar Print (instructions and 2 sheets of paper)
· Sidewalk Garden Scavenger Hunt (instructions and sidewalk chalk)
· Renoir print: Monet Painting in His Garden at Argenteuil
· Renoir art print notebooking page and index card for viewfinder
· Garden Journal (instructions, construction paper for the cover)
· 3 Garden-related notebooking pages/activity pages (2 lima beans, 3 kidney beans, 3 pinto beans, 1 sunflower seed, 1 corn seed, paper towel and baggie)
· Garden Scavenger Hunt laminated card
These kits include everything you need to complete the art and nature study activities. All types of learning will take place and these kits are appropriate and designed for children ages 6-12 years. Summertime is the perfect time to add in some meaningful activities without a lot of fussing from the parent.
I know you will love both kits…so much fun and learning to fill your summer hours!
A friend and I took a hike to the river on a chilly morning. My husband had given me the heads up that there were many fungi alongside the path and that I needed to get down there and see them for myself. He had texted me some images and they made me drop everything, call a friend, load up the dog, and hit the road.
