Category: Night Sky

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Orion Star Study

winter+night+sky+study+@handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.jpgInside Preparation Work:

  • Read pages 823-826 in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson #226). You may wish to review Lesson #224 outlining how to find the Dipper constellations and the Pole Star (North Star).
  • Here is a simple explanation of Orion the Hunter and some images that may help you in your study of the constellation: Orion—The Star Hunter.
  • Make sure to look at the chart on page 824 in the Handbook of Nature Study. This will help you see where to look for Orion’s Belt in the sky in relation to the Pole Star.
  • Step by step instructions to help you find the winter stars: One Minute Astronomer.
  • Advanced Study: Click the month of the year on this NASA page to print out a star finder and follow the directions on the page for some constellation fun.

Outdoor Hour Time:

  • Use your outdoor time to look for Orion (and Orion’s Belt). If you studied Cassiopeia in the autumn, remind your children how to find this constellation.
  • Advanced Study: Click this link and scroll down to Winter Night Sky Tour to print out a list of all the constellations you can see in the winter sky (January, February, and March).  Use the list to find several winter sky constellations.

Follow Up:

  • Spend a few minutes after your outdoor time discussing the stars of the winter sky.  Create a winter night sky nature journal entry.For fun, create a winter night sky poem for your nature journal.

One word to describe something you heard.

Two words for something you saw.

Three words for something you felt.

  • Advanced Study: Study and then sketch for your nature journal the primary stars of the winter sky, including Orion. Here is a link with a simple diagram for you to use: Winter Constellations from Space.com.

 

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

 

Join us for this series of challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Nature Study Continues ebook

If you want to purchase the Winter 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 Winter Nature Study Continues Ebook Announcement page for more details.

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New Printables for Members – October 2014

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New Printables in the Member’s Library!

There are new printables for you to use with your family 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 November 2014.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Winter Sky Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge: 
This week try to spend even just a few minutes outside looking at the stars. Make it an event your child will remember by bundling up beforehand if necessary and then finishing off the evening with something warm to drink.

Use this challenge from the past to get started: Winter Sky Study. This blog entry includes some winter night sky links you may find helpful.

NOTE: Make sure to note that you don’t need the Discover Nature in Winter book to get outside and just take a look at the stars and/or moon this month. You also do not need a telescope to complete this challenge. Use your naked eyes or a pair of binoculars if you have those at home.

You may also be interested in the Year Long Big Dipper Study. This challenge includes a free printable notebook page to record your observations.

Special Activity:

After you Outdoor Hour time, spend a few minutes with your child and discuss what you observed outdoors in winter, perhaps even after your night sky observations. Have them come up with a question they would like answered about anything winter related and record their question on the notebook page above. Use the Handbook of Nature Study or other resources to answer their question within a week’s time. This process can be done every time your child has a question as they learn more about their own backyard and beyond.

Printable Winter Question Research Notebook Page

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #2. Use this challenge to help your child find some words to go along with your winter sky study. The notebooking page that goes with this challenge has a place for words and a small sketch. I have found that as you do this challenge over and over, your child will build a large vocabulary of adjectives and an increased ability to see things in nature.    

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Star Gazing….Moon Gazing Too

We took advantage of a few clear nights last week to view the moon and stars. It is a good thing too because this week we have had cloudy skies every night along with a really good soaking rain which we desperately needed. It was time to complete our Winter Wednesday – Winter Sky Challenge.


I have one son that has taken an intense desire to know more about the subject of astronomy since we started these night time session.


Several trips to the library and then a really good deal on a clearance book at Borders has feed his need to know more about the universe we live in.

We are working on learning some of the constellations visible during the winter months and in addition to the Discover Nature in Winter book, we have found the Handbook of Nature Study to be very helpful. There is a section starting on page 823 on the Winter Stars. I have heard talk around nature blogs lately that many view the Handbook of Nature Study as “old fashioned” and they prefer to use more “modern” books for reference. I do not find it to be outdated in the least. The clear explanations of the constellations in the Handbook of Nature Study make it an excellent first resource for families. For example: the lessons on page 820 explaining the North Star and the Big Dipper are clearly put down for anyone to follow and are timeless. The language used in the Handbook of Nature Study makes it enjoyable to read.

“After the polar constellations are learned, we are then ready for further study in the still earlier evenings of winter, when the clear atmostphere makes the stars seem more alive, more sparkling, and more beautiful than at any other period of the year.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 823

“Orion is one of the most beautiful constellations in the heavens. It is especially marked by the three stars which form Orion’s belt, and the line of stars below the belt which form the sword.”
Handbook of Nature Study page 825

Doesn’t that capture your interest? We are looking forward to a few more nights of stargazing this winter.

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