Category: spring series of outdoor hour challenges

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Discover a Dandelion Nature Study for Your Homeschool

Though you may consider the dandelion a weed, there is so much to discover in this dandelion wildflower nature study for your homeschool. This is simple and delightful learning in your own backyard!

Though you may consider the dandelion a weed, there is so much to discover in this dandelion wildflower nature study for your homeschool. This is simple and delightful learning in your own backyard!

Dandelion Nature Study for Your Homeschool

Start with a little bit of inside preparation before you head outdoors.

Dandelion Nature Study in the Handbook of Nature Study


Read in the Handbook of Nature Study about dandelions on pages 531-535. After reading the suggestions on pages 543 and 535, choose several ideas from the lesson to complete during your Outdoor Hour Time.

Though you may consider the dandelion a weed, there is so much to discover in this dandelion wildflower nature study for your homeschool. This is simple and delightful learning in your own backyard!
Dandelion Outdoor Hour enjoyed by Tricia’s family

Finding Dandelions in your Outdoor Hour Time


Spend 15 minutes outdoors this week in your own backyard or a near-by park. As you walk along, keep your eyes out for dandelions.

Suggestions for Dandelion Wildflower Observations

  • See if you can find several dandelions in various stages of growth.
  • Look at the leaves and collect a few for sketching later in your nature journal.
  • If it is growing in your own yard, you might like to dig up the complete dandelion plant and observe the roots.
  • Measure the height of several different dandelion plants and compare them.
  • Examine an unopened dandelion flower.
  • Watch a bee working in a dandelion.
  • Observe the seeds and how they are dispersed.
  • Observe your dandelions on a sunny day and then on a cloudy day. Note any differences.

Follow-Up Dandelion Nature Study Activities


Take some time to draw the dandelion in your nature journal or complete the notebook page from the Spring Series ebook. Make sure to record your observations of the dandelion and make a sketch of the leaf and flower. If you would like to see our sample study of a dandelion in our backyard, here is the LINK.

Studying the dandelion as a composite flower

Composite Flowers: Supplement to the Study of a Dandelion


The dandelion is a composite flower and the Handbook of Nature Study has a section to explain just what that means.

“Many plants have their flowers set close together and thus make a mass of color, like the geraniums or the clovers. But there are other plants where there are different kinds of flowers in one head, those at the center doing a certain kind of work for the production of seed, and those around the edges, doing another kind of work. The sunflower, goldenrod, asters, daisies, coneflower, thistle, dandelion, burdock, everlasting, and many other common flowers have their blossoms arranged in this way.”

Handbook of Nature Study, page 503

Observe your dandelion, perhaps with a magnifying lens, to see if you can observe the parts of a composite flower:

  • Look at the center of the flower for the disc flowers and around the edges for ray flowers. (illustrated in the diagram on page 575)
  • Examine the disc flowers in the center and see if they are open or unfolded. How many ray flowers are there?
  • Locate the bracts (green cover of the flower before it opens). Can you see the bracts on the back of the flower?
  • More ideas for studying a composite flower are found on page 503 in Lesson 131. Note: This lesson will be Lesson 135 in the older edition and in the Plants and Trees pdf it is on page 68.
art and nature for your homeschool

More Spring Nature Study Activities

Here are some more dandelion resources to enjoy!

  • Dandelions Outdoor Hour – I’ve always viewed dandelions as either a childhood delight or a nuisance. They tend to spread so quickly in a yard you are trying to keep free of weeds. But their seeds are also so much fun to blow and spread. A joy to watch catch the wind!
  • How to Draw a Dandelion Art Lesson – One of the icons of warm weather is the dandelion. Have you ever studied the detail of this beautiful creation? Oh there are so many ways you could paint it! This dandelion chalk pastel art tutorial is inspired by a photo I took last spring.
  • Take Along Nature Guides for Homeschool – I’m always looking for appealing books to help us out in our nature study to help spark my kids’ interest in all things outdoors.  When I found my first “Take-Along Guide” at a used book store, I was interested so I purchased it.  But it was later when I began really reading it that I became really interested.
Getting Started nature study close to home

Get your FREE Getting Started: Nature Study Close to Home (includes three challenges!)

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Though you may consider the dandelion a weed, there is so much to discover in this dandelion wildflower nature study for your homeschool.

Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy. Additional resources by Tricia. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Delightful Dogwood Tree Nature Study for Your Homeschool

This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.

“But when spring comes, these bud scales change their duties, and by rapid growth become four beautiful white or pinkish bracts which we call the dogwood flower.”

– Handbook of Nature Study
This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.

Dogwood Nature Study to Enjoy Indoors

This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.

Your Dogwood Nature Study Outdoor Hour

  • Enjoy your outdoor time for this challenge looking for blooming trees. Spend a few minutes observing the colors of the blooms and look for any insect visitors. If appropriate, gather a leaf and a blossom to sketch in your nature journal.
  •  This is the perfect time to begin a year-long tree study. For ideas on how to get started, see this entry: Year-Long Tree Study.
  • If you have a dogwood to view up close, use a few of the lesson ideas to make careful observations. Look at the bark, the flowers, and the arrangement of the flowers on the branches.
  • Advanced study: Bring along your sketching supplies and sketch or watercolor the bracts and flowers.
This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.
Dogwood Tree Art Lesson at Your Best Homeschool

Follow Up Dogwood Nature Study Journaling Activities

  • Take a few minutes to sketch your tree, the flower, the leaf, the bark, or fruit of your tree. You can use this website’s images as a reference for your drawing: Identifying Dogwood Trees (They call the bracts “petals” but otherwise this is a very good page.) Homeschool Nature Study Members: There is a notebook page and two coloring pages included in the ebook curriculum for your dogwood study. There is also a notebook page for any flowering tree.
  • Advanced study: Complete a nature journal entry for your dogwood or other blooming tree. Homeschool Nature Study members: There is a notebook page to complete using a field guide or the internet.
  • Advanced study: Pick a tree from your local area and do additional research. Record your findings in your nature journal.
dogwood art lesson

Dogwood Sketching with Chalk Pastels

We had been noticing the dogwood blossoms for a full week as we went back and forth, in and out of the neighborhood and thought it was time to take an up close look. It was time for a dogwood nature study and chalk pastel sketches.

This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.

Additional Dogwood Nature Study For Your Homeschool:

Handbook of Nature Study for your homeschool

Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy. Additional resources by Tricia. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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7 April Nature Activities Great for Enjoying the Outdoors

With the weather warming up, these April nature activities for enjoying the outdoors have you covered. Simple and beautiful ideas for enjoying nature!

With the weather warming up, these April nature activities for enjoying the outdoors have you covered. Simple and beautiful ideas for enjoying nature!
Photo by Amy Law

Get Outdoors with April Nature Activities

Taking a nature walk can bring refreshment to your whole family. Maybe you are having a tough day and the children are a little restless or perhaps the weather is just too nice to stay inside all day…these are perfect opportunities to drop everything else and take a walk in your own neighborhood or a park close by.

I’ve observed that families that take nature walks on a consistent basis, as part of their weekly routine, benefit greatly from the efforts they spend in making them happen. They feel more relaxed in nature, they see their children get excited about things they discover, and they feel a closer bond as a family because of shared nature experiences.

Whether you use the Outdoor Hour Challenges as part of your nature studies or not, the fundamental idea of taking a short walk outside with your child is the basis of building a happier childhood. The Benefits of Nature Study with Ideas for Creative Nature Walks

With the weather warming up, these April nature activities for enjoying the outdoors have you covered. Beautiful ideas for enjoying nature!

Insect Nature Study for Kids: How to Identify an Insect

“Insects are among the most interesting and available of all living creatures for nature study. The lives of many of them afford more interesting stories than are found in fairy lore; many of them show exquisite colors; and, most important of all, they are small and are, therefore, easily confined for observation.”

Handbook of Nature Study, page 294

Find the Insect Nature Study here!

Take a Field Trip or Day Hike Near Home

Our family has always enjoyed being outside together, hitting the hiking trail and doing a little exploring. But often the biggest obstacle to taking that hike was figuring out where to go. We may have had the desire and the time to get outside but wrestled with the question of where to go. Often we thought too big.

I realized over time that we didn’t need to travel far to find places to go on short notice or even for a half day’s hike. I loved being able to roll out of bed, decide to go on a hike, and be out the door in a short period of time. So, how did I overcome the dilemma of finding places to hike near our home? Ideas for Field Trips and Day Hikes Near Home

Plan to Make Your Backyard a Natural Wildlife Habitat

Here are some simple ways you can make your backyard a natural habitat for wildlife. You will love having the opportunity to have nature come to you in your very own backyard. Involve your whole family in the project and spend some time outdoors! Here are the simple how tos: How to Make Your Backyard a Natural Wildlife Habitat

Learn the Parts of a Flower

This plant life nature study is going to be helpful to all families as they strive to learn the technical names for flower parts. Make sure to read the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study and look up the link in the challenge with a printable with the flower parts labeled. Don’t make this too much of a drill or memorization assignment. As the need arises, use the proper names for the flower parts as you go through your outdoor time and find garden flowers or wildflowers to observe. Plant Life Nature Study

Simple April Nature Activities: Keep Weather Records!

Keeping weather records has not only been a pastime for thousands of years, but it has also been essential to predicting the weather and its effects on everyday life. What should we wear? When should we travel? Is it time to plant our garden? We make many of our decisions based on the weather and its patterns and cycles. Keeping Weather Records as Homeschool Science

With the weather warming up, these April nature activities for enjoying the outdoors have you covered. Beautiful ideas for enjoying nature!

Enjoy a Ladybug Nature Study

It’s time for a ladybug homeschool nature study! We love ladybugs in our garden. It is as simple as that. They always make me smile when I see them crawling around in the grass or on the rose bushes. Maybe it is the nostalgia of childhood memories that flood in when I see ladybugs….you know, singing *that* song. A Delightful Ladybug Nature Study

With the weather warming up, these April nature activities for enjoying the outdoors have you covered. Beautiful ideas for enjoying nature!

Use Your Magnifying Lens in Your April Nature Study

Looking for ways to encourage your child to explore things in nature? Using a magnifying lens in homeschool nature study is not only fun for children but it helps them see more clearly the wonderful world of objects we have all around us. Try one of the ideas below to help your child get started making careful observations of natural items. Here are 5 Ways to Use Your Magnifying Lens in Homeschool Nature Study

With the weather warming up, these April nature activities for enjoying the outdoors have you covered. Beautiful ideas for enjoying nature!

Easter Nature Studies

With signs of spring upon us, enjoy these beautiful Easter nature studies for kids. A fun and hands-on way to celebrate the resurrection story. Be inspired here!

You might also like: Good Friday Garden and Picking a Year Long Tree Study – Both my grandfathers planted their gardens on Good Friday. We’ve adopted this tradition as well. The Good Friday garden.

More Homeschool Nature Study Inspiration

Join The Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

You will find hundreds of homeschool nature studies plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Find Out More About Outdoor Hour Challenges and Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!
With the weather warming up, these April nature activities for enjoying the outdoors have you covered. Beautiful ideas for enjoying nature!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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10 March Nature Activities Perfect for Spring Celebrations

March brings beautiful spring opportunities to homeschool families. Enjoy these March nature activities perfect for spring celebrations!

March brings beautiful spring opportunities to homeschool families. Enjoy these March nature activities perfect for spring celebrations!

10 March Nature Activities Perfect for Spring Celebrations

First Day of Spring – Simple Ways to Study Nature in Your Homeschool – We are excited to get started on this first day of spring with simple ways to study nature and a fresh set of homeschool nature study ideas. It hardly seems possible that we are at the beginning of another spring season but here we go! We look forward to another season of encouraging nature study. Have fun and get outdoors with your children!

Clover or Shamrock Nature Study – (includes an art lesson too!) Enjoy a clover or shamrock homeschool nature study this spring and learn about this abundant ground cover you likely have in your own backyard.

Guide to Spring Nature Study – Getting outside with our children can be the sanity saving activity we all need. As spring approaches, have you considered adding a little nature study into your weekly routine? I’ve heard from families that they were reluctant to start a nature study plan, stating that they thought it would restrict their freedom to focus on one topic. But, they found that having a focus each week actually helped them to stay regular at getting outside and it helped them be better at taking a few minutes to learn about an object they encountered, even if it wasn’t the original aim for getting outdoors.

March nature activities for homeschool

Spring Nature Study with Art and Music Appreciation – This spring homeschool nature study curriculum contains all the nature study Outdoor Hour Challenges, custom notebook pages for nature study as well as three months’ worth of art and music appreciation.

Beautiful Easter Nature Studies for Kids – With signs of spring upon us, enjoy these beautiful Easter nature studies for kids. A fun and hands-on way to celebrate the resurrection story.

99 homeschool nature study ideas to get your family outdoors

99 Homeschool Nature Study Ideas to Get Your Family Outdoors – Be inspired with 99 homeschool nature study ideas and outdoors sorts of things! Make a list of your own and get outdoors!

How to Use the Outdoor Hour Challenges for Your Homeschool Nature Study – Every family is different so use these tips to get started with simple and joyful Outdoor Hour Challenges.

Your Spring Homeschool Nature Study: Beautiful Birds Nests – There are so many wonderful homeschool resources for birds nests in your spring nature study! These are some of our favorites. Nests are each unique and colorful!

Spring Weather Homeschool Nature Study – Here are some easy ideas for a spring weather homeschool nature study from rain and mud puddles to noticing tree buds. Includes ideas for nature journaling!

Your Backyard Homeschool Nature Study Laboratory – We are challenging you to begin homeschool nature study with the intention of creating the habit of getting outside with our children every week. There is something exciting about starting nature study with all the possibilities in front of us. Take the opportunity to join us for what could be the start of a grand adventure.

Easter nature studies for your homeschool
Beautiful Easter Nature Studies

More Activities for Your Spring Homeschool

5 Easter Activities Perfect for Tweens and Teens – What if I told you You ARE an ARTiST offers Easter activities perfect for tweens and teens and suitable for all ages? Nana also has a brand new art lesson appropriate just for your tween or teen!

Christian Liberty Nature Readers – These books are great for not only reading practice and comprehension, but they paint a beautiful picture of God’s awesome creation. There are numerous subjects covered and each book is a little different. The book we’re reading right now for instance talks about all kinds of things in nature from the honeybee to quails to bison.

Make a Resurrection Terrarium with Nature Crafts for Annual Members

Spring Homeschool Nature Study with Art – Perfect for commemorating spring, Nana’s spring homeschool nature study with art explores all creatures great and small and all things bright and beautiful! These nature-inspired art lessons are easy and fun for the whole family!

March Homeschool Art Activities – Add a beautiful layer of education with art! With these March homeschool art activities and spring homeschool ideas, you can celebrate Lent, St. Patrick’s Day, Dr. Seuss and Van Gogh’s birthday and more!

Get your FREE Getting Started: Nature Study Close to Home (includes three challenges!)

If you’re not a member here at Homeschool Nature Study yet, please consider joining to gain the benefit of having a nature study library at your fingertips. There are numerous resources available for you to help create the habit of nature study within your family.

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!
March brings beautiful spring opportunities to homeschool families. Enjoy these March nature activities perfect for spring celebrations!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Beautiful Easter Nature Studies For Kids

With signs of spring upon us, enjoy these beautiful Easter nature studies for kids. A fun and hands-on way to celebrate the resurrection story.

With signs of spring upon us, enjoy these beautiful Easter nature studies for kids. A fun and hands-on way to celebrate the resurrection story.
Photo by Amy Law

Beautiful Easter Nature Studies For Kids

Why not spend these weeks leading up to Easter with some joyful activities which point to The Savior?

With signs of spring upon us, enjoy these beautiful Easter nature studies for kids. A fun and hands-on way to celebrate the resurrection story.
Lenten Countdown Calendar by Nature Illustrator, Victoria Vels

Lovely Lent Countdown Printable

Begin with a lovely reminder of the Lenten season. Countdown to Resurrection morning with this member printable calendar complete with nature prompts by our Nature Illustrator and Crafts Editor, Victoria Vels.

With signs of spring upon us, enjoy these beautiful Easter nature studies for kids. A fun and hands-on way to celebrate the resurrection story.
Photo by Amy Law

Easter Lily Nature Study for Your Outdoor Hour Challenge

Outdoor Hour hostess, Shirley Vels, shares, “during the Easter season, churches and homes are adorned with gorgeous, fragrant Easter lilies. But why? Why have these flowers become synonymous with Easter?”

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

Luke 12: 27

Also grow a mini egg shell garden and learn about seed germination! Make an edible Easter lily dessert and make paper lilies too. All available now in your Spring Course in Homeschool Nature Study membership.

Make a Resurrection Terrarium - Homeschool Nature Study Nature Crafts

Easter Craft – Make a Resurrection Garden

Just some simple supplies but plenty of discussion can happen while making it. Victoria is leading our members in creating your very own Resurrection Garden for her continuing Nature Crafts series.

Paint an Easter lily
Draw Your Way Through the Resurrection Story

Easter Lily Art Lesson

What a beautiful symbol of the Easter season – the lily! Enjoy this art lesson from our sister site, You ARE an ARTiST, included in the Easter Lily Nature Study in membership.

Julie shares, “Easter seems to come up suddenly. Maybe it’s because Easter weekend moves around the calendar, or maybe because it is preceded by Lent which is more solemn.

I decided I wanted to spend as much time anticipating the Resurrection with my children as we did the Incarnation. Both are beautiful events in our faith. Both bring a sense of wonder and awe. The Resurrection is special because it shows “God with us,” and God victorious for us!” Draw Your Way Through the Resurrection Story

More Spring and Easter Activities for Your Homeschool

Here are even more spring and Easter activities for your homeschool:

Easter and Spring Nature Studies in Homeschool Nature Study Membership

Join us for even more homeschool nature studies this spring! With a new nature study each week plus a nature study calendar with daily prompts, you will have joyful learning leading all the way to summer!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!
With signs of spring upon us, enjoy these beautiful Easter nature studies for kids. A fun and hands-on way to celebrate the resurrection story.

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Earthworms Homeschool Nature Study: Invertebrates

This earthworm homeschool nature study is packed with great learning for all ages and even includes advanced invertebrate studies! Bring the Handbook of Nature Study to Life in your homeschool! Here’s a peek at what you can expect to enjoy in this Outdoor Hour Challenge for Homeschool Nature Study members.

This earthworm homeschool nature study is packed with great learning for all ages and even includes advanced invertebrate studies! Bring the Handbook of Nature Study to Life in your homeschool! Here’s a peek at what you can expect to enjoy in this Outdoor Hour Challenge for Homeschool Nature Study members.

Earthworms Homeschool Nature Study: Invertebrates

“Any garden furnishes abundant material for the study of earthworms. They are nocturnal workers and may be observed by lantern or flashlight….For the study of the individual worm and its movements, each pupil should have a worm with some earth upon his desk.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 424

Take 15 minutes of your outdoor hour time to find a place in your yard to dig for worms. If you have a garden or flower bed, you may be successful in finding earthworms just a few inches down in the soil. Use some of the suggested activities from the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study to carefully observe your earthworms.

This earthworms homeschool nature study for our members includes:

  • Handbook of Nature Study references and indoor preparation time
  • Suggestions and questions for your Outdoor Hour Time
  • A list of questions to ask during your earthworm nature study time
  • Follow up activity for your nature journal

Members will find the full homeschool nature study in the Spring with Art and Music Appreciation Outdoor Hour course and curriculum.

You can use the notebook page provided with Spring with Art and Music Appreciation course or your own blank nature journal to record you observations and sketches. Don’t forget to sketch and label your earthworm.

Wondering how to start? Grab our FREE Getting Started with Homeschool Nature Study Guide!

More Resources For Learning About Earthworms

Join Homeschool Nature Study membership today!

Visit our website to find an affordable membership option that suits you. Why not give membership a try for a month and go from there. We would love to have you along for the adventure!

first published May 2010 and updated May 2022

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First Day of Spring: Simple Ways to Study Nature in Your Homeschool

We are excited to get started on this first day of spring with simple ways to study nature and a fresh set of homeschool nature study ideas. It hardly seems possible that we are at the beginning of another spring season but here we go! We look forward to another season of encouraging nature study. Have fun and get outdoors with your children!

First Day of Spring: Simple Ways to Study Nature in Your Homeschool

Inside Preparation Work
1. If you have not read pages 23-24 (How to Use This Book) in the Handbook of Nature Study, please read it now. In addition, read the section on The Field Excursion on page 15. Highlight interesting sections as reminders.
2. Prepare your children for your outdoor time by explaining the purpose. For this challenge, use the ideas from Outdoor Hour Challenge #2—Using Your Words in our FREE Getting Started Homeschool Nature Study Guide which is take a short walk in your yard or neighborhood and then come back inside and record words to describe your experience.

We are excited to get started on this first day of spring with simple ways to study nature and a fresh set of homeschool nature study ideas.

Spring Splendor Nature Walk Ideas

Homeschool Nature Study Members: Before beginning this series of challenges, use the Spring Splendor Notebook Page (Challenge on page 8 of your Spring Nature Study Curriculum and notebook page linked there as well) to build enthusiasm for the spring series of nature study. Keep the page in the front of your nature journal as a reminder of the three questions you hope to answer and the three activities you hope to accomplish.

Outdoor Hour Homeschool Nature Study Time

1. Enjoy some time outdoors this week as part of this challenge, including a few minutes of quiet observation if possible. Observe what early spring looks like in your neighborhood. Use all your senses. If you have young children, taking a walk and enjoying the season is the main point. You can work on adding words as your child gains confidence in nature study.
2. Homeschool Nature Study Members: Use the Spring Nature Walk Worksheet notebook page if you want more structure to your time outdoors.
3. Collect an item to sketch into your nature journal, perhaps a leaf or a flower.
4. Advanced Study: Take photos of spring flowers, birds, trees, leaves, or other objects you see during your outdoor time. Try taking photos from different angles and up close.

Follow-Up Activity

1. Use the Spring Splendor notebook page (Homeschool Nature Study Members) or your nature journal to record your time outdoors, including the prompts for descriptive words. You can brainstorm words with your children if they have trouble. Sketch or watercolor your spring scene in your nature journal or onto your notebook page.
2. Advanced Follow-Up: Make a slideshow with the images you took of your spring splendor walk. You can also print the images and include them in your nature journal.
3. Homeschool Nature Study Members: Optional coloring pages: Spring Woods 1 and Spring Woods 2.

We are excited to get started on this first day of spring with simple ways to study nature and a fresh set of homeschool nature study ideas.

More Spring Homeschool Nature Study

You might also like these simple ways to study nature in your homeschool!

Outdoor Hour Challenges with Homeschool Nature Study

If you enjoy any of these first day of spring nature study ideas, please share with us! Take a photo, share on social media and tag @outdoorhourchallenge on Instagram and use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge – we would love to see and to comment!

John Muir quote

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Find Out More About Nature Study Membership Here!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

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Spring Homeschool Nature Study Curriculum With Art and Music Appreciation

This spring homeschool nature study curriculum contains all the nature study Outdoor Hour Challenges, custom notebook pages for nature study as well as three months’ worth of art and music appreciation.

Spring homeschool nature study curriculum contains Outdoor Hour Challenges, custom notebook pages as well as art and music appreciation.
Photo by Amy Law

The Spring Homeschool Nature Study for Members Includes Nature Study Lesson Plans:

  • 10 Outdoor Hour Challenges – 6 completely new nature study lesson plans – Outdoor Hour Challenges and 4 continuing studies for your spring homeschool (Seasonal Tree, Weather, Cattail, and Bird). All the Outdoor Hour Challenges in this nature study curriculum are based on the Handbook of Nature Study and include page numbers and suggested learning observations.
  • 10 Outdoor Hour Challenge notebook pages and nature journal suggestions.
  • 3 months’ worth of art and music appreciation- 3 composers and 3 artists with links, prints to view, coordinating projects, a coloring page, and notebook pages. Also included in two of the months are additional ideas for studying several instruments in the orchestra along with your listening time.
  • Ideas for nature study field trips other than your normal Outdoor Hour Challenge backyard adventures.
  • Links for further enrichment for each Outdoor Hour Challenge, artist study, and composer study.
  • Complete list of resources and instructions to get started with this nature study curriculum.
  • 50 pages
  • Topics Include: Year-Long Tree Study, Spring Weather, Spring Bird, Dandelions, Spring Cattail, Apple Tree, Cats, Snakes, Earthworms, and Ants.
  • Updated January 2022.
Outdoor Hour Challenges homeschool curriculum with art and music appreciation.
Photo by Erin Vincent and her Spring Art Celebration!

Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenge Homeschool Curriculum Included

You will have a complete plan at your fingertips for your spring nature study, art appreciation, and music study. You will need to have the Handbook of Nature Study in order to complete the nature study challenges. All of the art prints are included in the ebook and there are links to viewing them online as well.

Art and Music Appreciation Spring Homeschool Curriculum Included

This time the three featured composers and their music are offered on one CD: Classical Music Start-Up Kit Volume Two. You can choose to purchase this CD for convenience or use the online links to listen to the music suggested in the music appreciation plans. I have aimed to keep these challenges and homeschool activities as simple as possible with very few additional resources needed.

Spring homeschool nature study curriculum contains Outdoor Hour Challenges, custom notebook pages as well as art and music appreciation.

Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Homeschool Resources and Support Year Round!

Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Spring Homeschool Nature with Art and Music Appreciation is available in membership, along with access to 26+ Outdoor Hour Challenge Homeschool Curriculum and courses, weekly Outdoor Hour Challenges, a monthly nature calendar with daily nature study prompts and more!

Enjoy nature study, art appreciation and music studies all in one plan for your spring homeschool!

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Guide to Spring Nature Study in Your Homeschool

Spring is a wonderful beginning, so take advantage of the opportunity and season with this guide to spring nature study in your homeschool.

Getting outside with our children can be the sanity saving activity we all need. As spring approaches, have you considered adding a little nature study into your weekly routine? I’ve heard from families that they were reluctant to start a nature study plan, stating that they thought it would restrict their freedom to focus on one topic. But, they found that having a focus each week actually helped them to stay regular at getting outside and it helped them be better at taking a few minutes to learn about an object they encountered, even if it wasn’t the original aim for getting outdoors.

Guide to Spring Nature Study in Your Homeschool

Here are some ideas from year-long nature study topics that we have hosted with the Outdoor Hour Challenge. All of these are available in Homeschool Nature Study Membership.

  • Spring Weather Observations
  • Spring Splendor Walk – spring nature walk scavenger hunt
  • Signs of Spring – Outdoor Hour Challenge
  • Spring Bird Observations
  • Seasonal Cattail Study
  • Seasonal Milkweed Study
  • Year-Long Pond Study
  • Year-Long Queen Anne’s Lace Study
  • Burdock Study – start a year-long study

You may wish to start a new year-long study this spring using some of the ideas above.

Spring is a wonderful beginning, so take advantage of the opportunity and season with this guide to spring nature study in your homeschool.

The key is to make a regular habit of getting outside and taking note of things that interest your family. You can even enjoy spring nature study in your homeschool with multiple ages.

Spring is a fantastic time to start a season of nature study. Please see the offerings listed below along with their specific topics. Consider working through a course in our membership or you can pick and choose subjects from any of the courses. Without a lot of extra effort, you can customize your spring nature study by picking your favorite topics from any of the courses listed. Or you can follow the wonderful Nature Study Plan that your Outdoor Hour Challenge hostess, Shirley Ann Vels, has put together for you. There is a brand new Outdoor Hour Challenge for our members each Friday!

Spring Handbook of Nature Study Curriculum

Spring With Handbook of Nature Study Curriculum

Did you know this course also contains art and music appreciation? Here is a sampling of the Outdoor Hour Challenges you will find.

  • Spring Peepers
  • Jack in the Pulpit
  • Yellow Ladies Slipper/Yellow Adder’s Tongue
  • Trillium
  • Bluets
  • May Apple
  • Newt
  • Petunias
  • Geranium
  • Nasturtiums
  • Black Swallowtail
  • Crayfish
  • Mountain Laurel
nature journaling

More Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenges – Spring Splendor Handbook of Nature Study Curriculum

  • Spring Splendor Walk
  • Buds, Catkins, and Blossoms
  • Spring Birds – Robin
  • Spring Wildflowers – Buttercups and Poppies
  • Spring Mammal – Goats
  • Spring Tree – Dogwood
  • Ferns
  • Vines – Sweet Pea, Dodder, or Hedge Bindweed
  • Garden Snails
  • Blue Flag Iris
Handbook of Nature Study book for homeschool nature study
More on The Handbook of Nature Study book here.

Spring Series Course and Outdoor Hour Challenges for Your Homeschool

  • Signs of Spring-Bonus challenge
  • Maple Tree Observation Sheet
  • #1 Year-Long Tree Study
  • #2 Spring Weather Observations
  • #3 Spring Bird Study
  • #4 Spring Wildflower Study-Dandelions
  • #5 Spring Cattail Observations
  • #6 Apple Tree Study
  • #7 Cats
  • #8 Snakes
  • #9 Earthworms
  • #10 Ants
Garden Handbook of Nature Study curriculum

The Garden Flower and Plant Course and Handbook of Nature Study Curriculum for Homeschool

  • #12 Focus on Garden Flowers – Seeds
  • #13 Garden Flowers – Flower Parts
  • #14 Garden Flowers – Pressing Flowers
  • #15 Garden Flowers – How To Draw A Flower
  • #16 Garden Flowers – Sunflowers
  • #17 Garden Flowers – Collecting Leaves
  • #18 Garden Flowers – Pollen
  • #19 Garden Flowers – Seeds and Germination
  • #29 Sunflowers
  • #30 Weeds and Seeds
spring art celebration

Spring Homeschool Nature Study with Art

A fun way to expand your homeschool nature studies is with art! You will love this Spring Art Celebration with a theme of All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Creatures Great and Small. Our sister site has a host of lovely spring art activities for you!

Spring is a wonderful beginning, so take advantage of the opportunity and season with this guide to spring nature study in your homeschool.

Spring Nature Study With Art and Music Appreciation

You will have a complete plan at your fingertips for your spring nature study, art appreciation, and music study. You will need to have the Handbook of Nature Study in order to complete the nature study challenges. All of the art prints are included in the ebook and there are links to viewing them online as well. There are three featured composers and their music are offered on one CD: Classical Music Start-Up Kit Volume Two. You can choose to purchase this CD for convenience or use the online links to listen to the music suggested in the music appreciation plans. We have aimed to keep these challenges and studies as simple as possible with very few additional resources needed.

Join the Homeschool Nature Study Membership NOW for All of These Spring Nature Studies!

Won’t you join us for spring nature study?

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Outdoor Hour Challenge: Early Spring Grid

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Early Spring Grid – Printable from the March 2012 Newsletter

Look in the Newsletter Archives for this Outdoor Hour Challenge.

No matter where you live and what early spring looks like in your world, it should be a perfect time to start getting back outdoors regularly each week as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Members here on the Handbook of Nature Study have always said that spring is their favorite time to do nature study with their children.

Join us this week for an easy nature study idea!

March 2012 Newsletter Cover

The activities in the Early Spring Grid (March 2012 Newsletter) are simple enough for most of us to complete without a lot of extra planning or work.

March Early Spring Grid Nature Study printable

Print this page out and cut out the grid to adhere in your nature journal. As you finish each suggested activity, cross off the box (or shade it in with colored pencils).

Nature Study Newsletter grid example pages (7)
Here is an example of how to include the grid in your nature journal.

 

Another suggestion is to post the Early Spring Grid on your refrigerator with a magnet. This will be a reminder to do a few spring related nature activities as you go through the month of March.

Newsletter Index download

The newsletter archive is available to all members.

To purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, click on over to the Join Us page at any time. You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.