Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:
1. Fibonacci Sequence in Plants notebook page: Research the Fibonacci sequence and apply it to your nature study. Look for examples in plants and then create a nature journal page using the new printable.
2. Patterns in Nature notebook page: Children of all ages can benefit from looking for patterns in nature. Create a nature journal page after you take a nature walk looking for patterns in nature.
(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)
Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com
Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.
Members also have access to the Nature Planner pages in their library.
Print out this month’s page and use it to stimulate your weekly nature study time.
Have you downloaded any of the sample Outdoor Hour Challenges yet?
There are many nature study lessons you can try before purchasing any of the memberships here on the Handbook of Nature Study. On the website, click the “Join Us” button. Once there, you should be able to scroll down and see all the samples for the various ebooks. (For the older ebooks you’ll need to click the ebook cover graphic and then scroll down on the ebook’s page to find the sample download link.)
I developed the Outdoor Hour Challenges to use with my sons many years ago and then started sharing our results here on the blog to inspire families who read my blog. Now that the boys are all grown up, they still remember the times we spent outdoors together looking for adventure and learning about the natural world using the Handbook of Nature Study. I know their love of nature was enhanced by learning to take time to slow down and look at things as they are out on the trail, in the garden, or traveling to new places.
Your family can experience those same benefits by getting started with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.
If you’re interested in starting with a more basic nature study idea, click the link above to download the very first Outdoor Hour Challenge. This is where it all started with our family and you may wish to work your way through the Getting Started ebook with your family. The challenges found in the Getting Started ebook are more general in nature and you can adapt them to fit your family’s habitat and interests.
If you’re ready to purchase your own family membership, please use the discount code SAMPLE for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Code will expire on 7/31/2020.
There are many ways to go about planning a more formal schedule for nature study. Typically, families plan their nature study either by the month or by the school term (usually 4 terms per year). Either way is easy to do using the nature study planning pages available in the Member’s Library here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
You can read how to use these printable planning pages by reading the entry in the archives:
Members also have access to the nature planner pages that I have created especially to go along with the 2020-2021 Outdoor Hour Challenges. These pages will give you a variety of things to use in your nature study plans.
Highlighted on the nature planner pages are simple nature study ideas that you can include in your weekly outdoor time. These ideas include nature table ideas, seasonal ideas, suggestions for member’s library printables that complement the Outdoor Hour challenge topics, nature photo ideas, field trip ideas, and alternate study suggestions.
I know how much the Outdoor Hour Challenge year plan is anticipated by the families that follow the series topics each week! I’m happy to announce that I have it all organized and ready to go for you a little bit earlier than usual. You’re going to be excited to hear that there are 3 new ebooks in the plan this time around!
Here are the five ebooks that will be planned out from September 2020 to August 2021.
Autumn – Final Ebook: swallows and swifts, catbirds, cockroaches, field horsetail, sapsucker, brook study, catfish, jewelweed, prickly lettuce, hedgehog fungi, calcite, limestone, marble, chickens, and turkeys.
Winter Nature Study Continues Ebook: cattle, deer, feldspar, Orion star study, crystals, flickers, scarlet saucer, bloodroot, hepatica, violets, bleeding hearts, Dutchman’s breeches, and squirrel corn.
Bird Set #1 Ebook: pelican, swan, snipe, egret, sandhill crane, American dipper, horned lark, magpie, and Clark’s nutcracker.
Wildflowers Ebook #3: fireweed, salsify, paintbrush, forget-me-nots, and silverweed.
Herbs Ebook: cilantro, basil, bee balm, oregano, dill, thyme, sage, and mint. This ebook will be added to the Ultimate and Journey level memberships in June 2020.
Outdoor Hour Challenge September 2020 – August 2021 for Members
Get the Year Plan in a PDF: Subscribe to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, Journey, or Discovery level membership: Your membership will give you access to a detailed schedule for the entire year. You will have a printable plan that shows dates and specific topics that will be considered every Friday. This makes your planning super easy!
As there were last year, I’ve created monthly planning pages with lots of additional nature study ideas that you can use to enrich your nature study. These are similar to the planning pages I created for the newsletters in the past. If you’re a member at any level, you’ll receive all 12 months of planning pages in one pdf to download and print!
Do You Want to Join Us? Here’s what you need to do!
Purchase a membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Remember that if you want access to all the ebooks, you’ll need an Ultimate Naturalist or Journey Level Membership. If you purchase a membership now, you’ll have access to all of the new ebooks as they become available. A membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study starts the date of purchase and is valid for one year.
Download the ebooks as they become available.
Download the September 2020 through August 2021 plan.
Subscribe to the Handbook of Nature Study blog for reminders each Friday.
If you can’t purchase a membership at this time, you can still follow along by subscribing to the blog and each week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge will come right to your email inbox.
Click Below to Get Started!
Use the discount code NEWSTART for $10 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Code expires 9/1/2020.
Resources in the Archives for a Garden Nature Study Plan
I don’t know about you, but I’m anxious to get my garden going this year. With so much time spent indoors sheltering in place, I’m ready to be out in the garden now that the sun is out and the temperatures are warming up.
I always looked for opportunities to involve my children in the garden and to spark some questions in relation to the activities we were doing together. Learning about seeds and plants isn’t the only thing you can include in your gardening time!
Look for birds that may come to visit, insects hiding in the garden, and perhaps even reptiles or amphibians that may be sheltering there.
If you need some ideas to get started or some printable notebook pages to fill in after your garden time, don’t forget about the resources in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.
Newsletters with Garden Themes:
July 2011 – Sunflower study and notebook page.
September 2011 – Autumn weed study grid. Weed notebook page.
August 2012 – August Garden study grid. Know Your Own Backyard – August Garden notebook page.
May 2013 – Garden Flowers study grid. Flower notebook page. Crop Plants grid study.
June 2013 – Wildflower Study notebook page. Dandelion and aster study ideas. Wildflower and Weed study grid.
October 2013 – Pumpkin Farm notebook page.
May 2014 – Gardening with children ideas. Seasonal Garden Notes notebook page. Garden flowers notebook page and grid study.
September 2014 – Fall flower study ideas. How to dissect a flower.
March 2015 – Poppy coloring page.
June 2015 – Nature study ideas for herbs. Herb Study notebook page. Herb coloring page. Salvia coloring page.
July 2015 – Geranium notebook page.
April 2016 – Garden seeds projects. Garden Seed notebook page. Garden nature study ideas.
May 2016 – Wildflower Study notebook page. Wildflower and Weed study grid.
April 2017 – Trillium notebook page. Wildflower nature study ideas.
May 2017 – 3 Seed Container project. Gardening with kids ideas.
Printables:
Berry and Shrub Notebook Page Set
Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt Printable
Flowers Up Close Printable Grid and Journal
Flower Dissection Notebook Page from Handbook of Nature Study
Garden Notebook Page Set 1: morning glories, marigolds, lilacs, caterpillars, and cabbage whites.
Garden Notebook Page Set 2: cucumbers, kale, cherries, gourds, squash
If you would like access to all of the resources listed above, as well the abundance of downloadable products available, you can purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
Use the discount code INITTOGETHER to get $10 off the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.
Your membership will be valid for one year from the date of purchase and will give you access to every single resource available now and those that will be added to the Library during your membership year!
For many of us, spring is a time to look for wildflowers. The world comes alive with color and it beckons us to get outside and walk a local trail. I invite you to download, print, and use the ideas in the printable I’m sharing below, Wild for Wildflowers.
As suggested in the printable, take time to identify even just one wildflower this month. Make it a topic of your nature journal. Or, use one of the many ideas in the chart to deepen your wildflower knowledge in a way that sounds fun for your family.
This printable is from the June 2013 Newsletter found in the archives here on the Handbook of Nature Study. If you have access to the newsletters, you can download and read the complete edition that features even more ideas for wildflower study.
The newsletter archives are available in every level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
Use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER to receive $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.
Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:
1. Iridescence in Nature Notebook Page– This is such a fascinating topic! Do some research about the benefits of iridescence in nature and then create a notebook page with your notes and sketches.
2. Stripes and Spots in Nature Notebook Page – We all know animals, birds, and insects that have stripes and spots. Use a reference of your choice to discover their usefulness and then complete the notebook page as a follow up.
(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)
Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com
Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.
Use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!
Members also have access to the Nature Planner pages in their library. Print out this month’s page and use it to stimulate your weekly nature study time.
In the June 2017 edition of the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter, I shared a fun and easy garden project for children.
Download a copy of the June 2017 newsletter from any level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study
In this activity, you plant 3 different kinds of seeds in a container as a way of comparing different seeds and the plants that grow from those seeds.
The instructions for this activity suggest that you grow sunflowers, corn, and beans since these will give you a variety of results to compare and contrast. But, if you have 3 different seeds of any kind, you can still complete this project.
Activity Observation Ideas
· Draw your seeds before you plant them. Make them actual size and color to match the seed.
· Write down with your words a comparison for your seeds; including size, color, shape, texture, etc.
· Create a journal page to record your seed’s growth progress. Make observations every day and record any changes you notice.
· You can plant your seeds in a container or right into your garden boxes or beds. Make a map of where in your garden you planted your seeds for future reference.
· If your seeds grow to maturity, show your children the crops that come from the plants. If possible, show them the seeds so they can begin to understand the cycle of seed-plant-fruit-seed. Eat the fruits of your labor if possible or buy some at the store and enjoy! Have your children draw the seed, plant, and mature fruits. Then, have them record how they tasted.
Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:
1. Snow Plant Nature Study Notebook Page– This time of year you may find yourself walking along your favorite trail and spot some snow plant. If you do a little research ahead of time, you will be armed with a few facts and things to look for when you see a snow plant in person.
2. Vernal Pool Notebook Page – Spring is vernal pool time in our area. Look up the definition of a vernal pool and then make plans to go out to discover one in your area.
(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)
Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com
Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.
Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!
Members also have access to the Nature Planner pages in their library. Print out this month’s page and use it to stimulate your weekly nature study time.
Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:
1. Animal Scat Notebook Page: We often come across animal scat during our outdoor time. This notebook page will help you record your observations.
2. Hoarding and Caches Notebook Page: Use this page to research more about animals who cache food.
(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)
Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com
Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.
Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!
Members also have access to the Nature Planner pages in their library. Print out this month’s page and use it to stimulate your weekly nature study time.
You can read how to use these printable planning pages by reading the entry in the archives:
· If your seeds grow to maturity, show your children the crops that come from the plants. If possible, show them the seeds so they can begin to understand the cycle of seed-plant-fruit-seed. Eat the fruits of your labor if possible or buy some at the store and enjoy! Have your children draw the seed, plant, and mature fruits. Then, have them record how they tasted.
