Newsletter Archives

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Barb — 10 Comments

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter- February 2016 Rocks and Creeks

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

February 2016 – Creeks and Rocks

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

The newsletter link is not in this email but will come separately. There may be a delay in your receiving the email so please don’t email me until the second day of the month if you haven’t received the link on the first. For some reason, some email providers take longer to receive the newsletter email.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of February so be sure to download it before 2/29/16.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

Rock and creek nature study ideas, including nature journal prompts and an article from me on a four seasons creek study.
Contributions from Outdoor Hour Challenge participants Shirley Ann Vels and Paige Hudson.
February Nature Study Planning Page with field trip ideas, nature photo ideas, and a special 15 minute challenge for parents.
Creek 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.

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!

Don’t forget that the last page in the newsletter is a printable nature journal page or you can use it as a nature journal topper by cutting the journal prompt out and adhering it right in your own nature journal. You can see my page above. I decided to use a spatter paint background and then taped the prompt to the top of my page. Now all I have to do is make my observations and record then in a list using a pen.

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Barb — 4 Comments

Handbook of Nature Newsletter – January 2016

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

January 2016 – Birds

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of January so be sure to download it before 1/31/16.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

Bird related resources and articles with a contribution from Shirley Vels of Under an English Sky.
Starling bird study and notebook page
Bird Tally List printable

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!

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Barb — 2 Comments

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter – November 2015 Mammals

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

November 2015 – Mammals

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of November so be sure to download it before 11/30/15.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

Mammal nature study tips and resources in the form of links to the Handbook of Nature Study website, printables, and Pinterest.
November Nature Study Planning Page printable.
I have written an article entitled, Wild Mammal Study For Your Family with suggestions for creating an opportunity to observe a wild animal in your neighborhood.
Mammal Study Notebook Page and a Big Grid Study – These two printable pages will provide the basis for all kinds of mammal nature study whether this is your first time or you are a veteran outdoor family.

Members: You may also wish to download the November 2012. You will find additional articles, printables, and links to support your mammal nature study. Note: All levels of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study include all back issues of the newsletter.

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. You are going to find two new printables this month.

Mammal Nature Journal Ideas with a printable card
Fungi Up Close for a more in-depth fungi study (perhaps with the hedgehog fungi challenge that will take place in November).

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!

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Barb — Leave a comment

Planning Monthly Nature Study

Last month I shared how to plan a nature study course for a year. This time I want to show you how to use the monthly ideas shared in the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter and each Friday here on the blog and make a monthly nature study plan. If you are a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, there is a set of planning pages available in the printables section of your membership.

Customize Your Monthly Nature Study Plans

Think of all the ideas as ingredients. There are many options for your nature study recipe. Pick the ones that suit your family and your taste. Add them to the planner page and use that as a way to remind you of your options for the month. Don’t feel like you need to complete all the things you list on the planner page….I don’t. But, creating the list will make it more likely I will accomplish something during the month. Celebrate the things you are able to share with your family and look at this as a life long journey, taking one month at a time.

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter – Download and print the newsletter each month. Read through the ideas presented and pick a few to put on your monthly planning page. Make sure to look on the planning page for nature photo ideas, nature table suggestions, and nature journal topics to jot down on your monthly planning page.
Ebooks- If you are following along with the Friday posts, pick one or two to include on your monthly planning page. (The month’s Friday topics are found on the planning page in the newsletter.)
Archives– You are welcome to pick an ebook from the library and pull challenges from there. Write the ebook title and the challenge title on your planning page.
Seasonal ideas- Use the seasonal ideas from the tab at the top of the website to find one or two seasonal ideas to pick from for your family.
Once a Month Nature Journal Idea – use the idea in the post to create a nature journal page for any of the items listed above.
Printables- If you are a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, check out the printables in your library for additional ideas to include on your monthly planner.

Does that overwhelm you? Here is an alternative that will be simple to try!

As an alternative, download the newsletter planning page and print the planning page out (usually it is the second page of the newsletter). Add ideas to the page that you would like to include for your monthly nature study time. Again, don’t feel like you need to do everything but use the planning page as a way to stimulate some nature study during your month.

Any more questions!

I hope this helps answer the frequently asked question about nature study planning for your family. Let me know if you have any other questions that I can answer in future posts!

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Barb — Leave a comment

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter – October 2015 Reptiles

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

October 2015 – Reptiles

When I was preparing ideas for this newsletter, my husband and I were up in the mountains on a camping trip. One afternoon on a hike, we happened to encounter a snake on the trail. Well, apparently I almost stepped right on him without noticing. My husband saw him and shouted a warning to me. I screamed and jumped up and promptly ran further along the trail. Then, I calmed down, gathered my wits and went back to see the snake…a mountain garter snake. He had stopped just off the side, near a log. His amazing coloring blends in and provides such protection in the rugged habitat. We snapped a few images and decided to leave him in peace, probably searching for his next meal.

As always, my initial reaction to a snake encounter is fear but then it turns to admiration upon closer inspection.

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of October so be sure to download it before 10/31/15.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

Reptile nature study tips and resources in the form of links to the Handbook of Nature Study website, contributor’s links, and Pinterest. This month’s featured contributors are Heather Woodie from Blog She Wrote and Alex from Life on a Canadian Island.
October Nature Study Planning Page printable – don’t miss the little extras I have added this month like nature photo ideas, field trip ideas, and a special 15 minute challenge for parents.
I have written an article entitled, Learning About Local Reptiles, where I encourage you to learn more about reptiles using your own personal style.
Reptile Study Notebook Page – This page includes a prompt at the top to help your family go more deeply into a leaf study this month or in the months to come. It can also be used as a nature journal topper if you want to cut and paste the prompt into your own nature journal.

Members: You may also wish to download the April 2013 Newsletter from the archives. You will find additional articles, printables, and links to support your tree nature study. Note: All levels of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study include all back issues of the newsletter.

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. There is a reptile related notebook page that has been created to go along with this month’s newsletter theme. Look for it in the printables section of your membership.

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!

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Barb — 2 Comments

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter September 2015 Trees -Leaves and Trees

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

September 2015 – Leaves and Trees

This month marks a new beginning for the newsletter! I am excited to share with you a new condensed format for this edition…packed with lots of nature study goodness! I have streamlined the content to include lots of links to resources from my bookmarks but also from a select few contributors, women who have been offering nature study to their families for many years and love to share their tips and tricks with other moms (and dads too). I would love to hear how you like the new format or any other comments or questions. You can comment here on the blog or send me an email at harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of September so be sure to download it before 9/30/15.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

Tree and leaf study resources in the form of links to the Handbook of Nature Study website, contributor’s links, and Pinterest. This month’s featured contributors are Heather Woodie of Blog She Wrote and Shirley Ann Vels from Under an English Sky.
September Nature Study Planning Page printable – don’t miss the little extras I have added this month like nature photo ideas, field trip ideas, and a special 15 minute challenge for parents.
I have written an article entitled, “Learning to Look at Things“. I endeavor to share why nature study is so important to learning of all kinds and how it will become a refreshment to your family.
Leaf Study Notebook Page – This page includes a prompt at the top to help your family go more deeply into a leaf study this month or in the months to come. It can also be used as a nature journal topper if you want to cut and paste the prompt into your own nature journal.

Members: You may also wish to download the October 2012 Newsletter from the archives. You will find additional articles, printables, and links to support your tree nature study. Note: All levels of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study include all back issues of the newsletter.

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!

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Barb — Leave a comment

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter – August 2015 Nature Library

August 2015 Nature Library

I apologize for not posting this earlier in the month….you should have already received your email with your download link. Any new subscribers will receive the link in their welcome follow up email.

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of August so be sure to download it before 8/31/15.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

Three new articles sharing practical tips for building and organizing your own nature library
Three articles from the archives that will encourage you with specific nature books and authors
August planning page (four challenges to schedule for each Friday in July)
August Nature Journal Toppers, grid, and My Backyard in August notebook page
Bonus August grid and printable from 8/12!

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!

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Barb — Leave a comment

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter – July 2015 Twilight

July 2015 Twilight

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of July so be sure to download it before 7/31/15.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

Three articles encouraging twilight nature study during the summer months
July planning page (five challenges to schedule for each Friday in July)
July Nature Journal Toppers, grid, Animals at Night notebook page
August preschool nature table ideas, printables, and activities (so you can plan ahead of time!) Check out the Amazon Store for this month’s topics: August 2015 Preschool Nature Table Ideas.(my affiliate link)

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!

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Barb — Leave a comment

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter -June 2015 Herbs

June 2015 Herbs

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of June so be sure to download it before 6/30/15.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

Practical articles for growing, harvesting, and using herbs….along with something I found terribly interesting
June planning page (four challenges to schedule for each Friday in June)
June Nature Journal Toppers, grid, herb coloring page, and Herb Study notebooking page
July preschool nature table ideas, printables, and activities (so you can plan ahead of time!) Check out the Amazon Store for this month’s topics: July 2015 Preschool Nature Table Ideas. (my affiliate link)

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!

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

February 2016 – Creeks and Rocks

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

January 2016 – Birds

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

November 2015 – Mammals

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

October 2015 – Reptiles

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!