Category: photography

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Nature Photo of the Week – April Recap

 

Nature Photo of The Week @handbookofnaturestudyblogspot.com

The month of April has FLOWN by for our family! My kids are currently all spread out around the world, including South America! I have been home keeping the household running and trying to catch up on nature study stuff for all of you after the big switch to the new way of doing things here at the Handbook of Nature Study.

I hope you enjoy glimpsing into our month of weekly nature photos from Pinterest. Please feel free to join us over on the Nature Photo of the Week Pinterest Board.

Stranger Barometer Earthstar

Stranger: We found and identified this awesome Barometer Earthstar on one of our hikes this month. Amazing!

Tulips at Ironstone April 2014

Tradition: We took a trip to Ironstone Winery and this time of year they have barrels full of a rainbow of tulips.

Fringepod @handbookofnaturestudy

In my hand: The Fringepod is abundant right now along our hiking trail to the river. I love seeing and am amazed at its unique seedpods!

Bridalveil Fall Yosemite National park
Waterfall: Bridalveil Fall at Yosemite National Park – April 24, 2014. Amazing!

Now on to the month of May!

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Wildflowers/Dandelions

Outdoor Hour Challenge Spring Dandelion Study @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge:

This week we are going to get started with a spring wildflower or dandelion nature study challenge! This is always a favorite study and I look forward to seeing how your family completes some of the ideas in the following challenges. As always, if you don’t have any wildflowers or dandelions, take a walk anyway and see what you can find or talk about the up-coming wildflower season to create some enthusiasm. See the ideas below for a dandelion hunt.

Printable Wildflower Photo Hunt Activity

Special Activity: Dandelion Hunt

This month’s newsletter includes a page of Nature Journal Toppers. One of the suggested activities outlines some ideas for observing a dandelion that you may find during your outdoor time and then creating a nature journal page with all your measurements and comparisons.

Getting Started Suggestion:

If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #6. You can work on your nature table collection or pressed flower collection this week as part of your follow-up time. See the ideas in this challenge from the Getting Started ebook for more ideas and a custom notebooking page.

Note: You can find the Getting Started ebook in all levels of membership here at the Handbook of Nature Study.

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Nature Photo of the Week – March Recap

http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2014/01/nature-photo-of-week-2014.html

March is just about over (hard to believe) and we have been outdoors more and more both hiking and in the garden. I try to spend a few minutes each day actually enjoying the plants, birds, and insects that inhabit my yard.

Along with my observations, I try to capture a few images throughout the month. As part of my on-going project, I post a few of those images over on the Nature Photo of the Week Pinterest Board. You are welcome to join us at any time!

Here are my March entries if you don’t follow the Pinterest board.

Bird: Our spring-time robin singing his heart out at sunset. He is the top of our tulip poplar tree.

 

Fragrant: The air has traces of the blooming trees in our neighborhood. I love the pink blossoms and so do the birds!

 

Early: Our early spring garden is coming alive with bees and lavender.

 

Sunshine: Our Lamb’s Ear in the front yard is growing amazing vigor. I love the way the sunlight shows the texture of the leaf.

There are so many things to love about March…the warmer sunshine, the longer days, the greens of the grasses, and my own personal hopes for a springtime full of beauty.

What are you looking forward to this coming month? 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Tree Observations

 

Outdoor Hour Challenge:
Apple Trees in Spring –See some of the ideas below or click over to the original Outdoor Hour Challenge for more in-depth ideas for a study of an apple tree.

Suggested Observations for the Handbook of Nature Study, page 664 and 666
How tall is your tree?
How thick is its trunk?
What color is the bark?
Does the trunk divide into large branches or does it extend up through the center of the head?
Study the bud of the apple blossom.
Sketch an open apple blossom. How many petals? What is the shape of the flower?

Spring (Spring 2010 Ebook)  You can use the ideas in this challenge to start or continue a year-long tree study of your choice.

You may also like to read this entry for additional simple ideas to get you started:
For the Love of Trees

Special Activity:

Four Seasons Tree Photo Project:
To accompany this challenge, print these notebook page for your nature journal and attach a photo of your tree in each season.

Four Seasons Tree Photo Project Notebook Page: One page for each season’s observations and a photo or sketch.

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #10. I hope everyone is starting to see some signs of spring this week. Perhaps a simple picnic during the day during your tree study time might be nice. Use the accompanying notebook page to record your picnic time observations. 
  

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Nature Study Weekly Photo Recap February

February has been a strange month…weird weather, very few birds to count for the Great Backyard Bird Count, and hardly any special nature study events in our home. Just a February that I am glad is melting into March. We are hoping to take a few hikes to stir up some nature interest…hoping you all are enjoying the Nature Photo of the Week Pinterest Board.

Here are my February entries. Look for more images in the up-coming newsletter.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/156640893264006302/

Hidden- Acorns in a fallen tree alongside our walking trail. The Acorn Woodpeckers were busy storing acorns!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/156640893263953146/

Stone: Rock cairns at the river…we had a big hike to the river and found these on the rocks at the beach.

Found: We had a bunch of ladybugs in our front yard one afternoon. I love the contrast of the red ladybug and the gray-green of the lavender.

Details- This is a Bordered Plant Bug climbing on my grape hyacinth. His details make him easy to identify.

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Nature Photo of The Week – January Recap

Nature Photo of The Week @handbookofnaturestudyblogspot.com

The month of January has been unusually warm and dry, record-breaking in fact. Since I can’t do anything about the weather, I decided early on to just relax and enjoy each and every warm day that comes our way. This meant more than the usual amount of hiking and trail walking with my family and our beloved Kona dog.

Looking back at my nature study goals for 2014, I realized I have not accomplished much so far except for faithfully sharing my Nature Photo of the Week on Pinterest.  I am enjoying the process of remembering to capture at least one image each week. The Pinterest board is filling up with the participant’s images, each one a treasure that makes me see glimpses of nature from other parts of the world.

Here are my images if you are not following the Nature Photo of the Week Pinterest Board.

Creek or Stream – January 2014
Wood- Taylor Creek beaver activity January 2014
Sign – One of my favorite signs at Tallac (Lake Tahoe)
Clouds – January 2014 warm and sunshine just about every day, no rain
Peaceful – January 1, 2014
Little things – Sequoia cones are small!

You are welcome to join our Nature Photo of the Week activity. The list of topics can be found here: Nature Photo of the Week. The Pinterest board is found here: Nature Photo of the Week.  

I will be featuring some of the board’s images in my monthly newsletter. Look for them there too!


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No Snow Study- Winter Walk Instead

Winter Walk Snow Nature Study @handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com
Our winter continues to be warmer than normal…even record-breaking temperatures. As much as I love the warm afternoons and sunshine, I am concerned for the drying up reservoirs and the very dry forest conditions. I know I have no power to bring on the rain and snow so I am trying to make the best of it.

This week’s Winter Snow challenge was a big challenge indeed. We did find a bit of snow up the mountain from our house but not a whole lot. We opted to complete the Winter Nature Walk- Scavenger Hunt activity from Hearts and Trees.


I took an image of the page with my phone and we used that during our hike to remember the things we were looking for as we went.

Here are our results:

An evergreen
Buds on a tree
We decided this duck weed was more interesting than moss.
Trees that have lost all their leaves – aspens
a bird – Steller’s Jay
We didn’t find any berries but this rose hip was certainly colorful.
Something with thorns
Pinecones – The squirrels had lunch on the picnic table!
Feather

One last image from our hike at Taylor Creek. The beavers have been clear cutting a lot of the trees along the water. They have quite a few trees that are ready to fall as well. The dam is getting huge! Amazing creatures with incredible strength.

We are still waiting for some real snow here and I will keep the snow study in the back of my mind for a future time. I hope some of you were more successful with this challenge or you took advantage of the scavenger hunt instead.

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – December World


Outdoor Hour Challenge
December World Observations

This challenge will help you appreciate your world during the month of December. This slowing down to make careful observations during December will help your child have something to compare with in each successive season. Learning the cycles of the natural world helps your child gain confidence by being about to distinguish the joys and blessings of each month of the year.

We have make careful observations in the past using the challenges listed below. If you would like an additional challenge, use the Shadows and Silhouettes activity below.

November World  with free printable notebook page

December World Notebook Page

 

Additional Activity:
Shadows and Silhouettes

This really simple photo challenge can be accomplished at any time of the year. Before setting out for your outdoor time, sit with your children and discuss what a shadow and a silhouette are and how to find them. Allow them to take a photo of any shadows or silhouettes they observe during your nature walk. Print one or two of the photos for their nature journal.

Read my thoughts on using digital photography in nature study.
Complete a tree silhouette chalk pastel drawing using Hodgepodge Mom’s free tutorial.

Please note the links above are my Amazon.com affiliate links. I own, use, and highly recommend both books for your family.

You may wish to follow my Nature Study – Winter Pinterest Board

Getting+Started+Cover.jpg

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #2. Finding words to record in your nature journal after your walk outside is an easy way to remember the experience. Make sure to discuss the walk afterwards with your child and then help them complete the accompanying notebook page for this challenge.  

Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudy

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Field Notebook Nature Journal

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Making a Field Notebook

Use the ideas below to start your own field notebook:

You may also find this post helpful:
How To Organize Your Nature Journal Pages

Additional Activity:
Hearts and Trees Digital Camera Fall Scavenger Hunt
http://heartsandtrees.blogspot.com/2012/10/digital-camera-scavenger-hunt-free.html
Download and complete this fun and easy digital camera scavenger hunt to include in your nature journal. Hearts and Trees (my daughter Amanda) has put together a fun outdoor activity that would make a great family project this week.

You may be interested in reading this post:
Nature Study and Digital Photography

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #6. Use your time outdoors this week to collect a few things to put on your nature shelf. Start a collection of anything that interests your children. Use the accompanying notebook page to record your collection ideas. You may also want to check out the ideas in this entry: Start a Rock Collection. 

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OHC Blog Carnival
You are welcome to submit any of you blog Outdoor Hour Challenge blog entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Wildflowers and Weeds Nature Study Grid and Photo Hunt


Outdoor Hour Challenge
Use the Wildflower and Weed Grid from this month’s newsletter to get started or to continue your nature study for this week. Pick a few of the prompts to complete as you spend just a few minutes outdoors. Pick a time of day that isn’t too hot so you will enjoy your time even more. 

Printable Activity: Wildflower Photo Hunt
Use the free printable to guide your wildflower and weed hunt this week…or save the photo hunt for when you visit a natural area with wildflowers. 

Printable Wildflower Photo Hunt Activity

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #1. Spend your time outdoors with your children following their lead. You might tell them ahead of time that you are on the lookout for wildflowers and see if they can guide you to a spot they have observed wildflowers in the past. Keep it relaxed and fun!  

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