spring series of outdoor hour challenges Archives

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Spring Weather 2019 – Outdoor Hour Challenge

Start Here:Spring Weather Nature Study

There is nothing better than seeing the beginning of the spring season, whatever that looks like in your local area. I am currently in California and the landscape is very different than back at home in Central Oregon. Here, the California rolling hills are turning green with the first of the spring grasses. The wild mustard is making its appearance with its yellow flowers that dance in the spring breezes. I have seen lots of red-tail hawks sitting in trees and up on telephone poles. The morning has birdsong and I can pick out a few of the main players like the robins and California quail.

It will be months before these are spotted in my own neighborhood once I return home.

In the meantime, I will enjoy the spring season while I can and make mental notes that will eventually go into my nature journal.

This week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge is linked above and the suggested activities will get you started with ideas for your outdoor time. There is a free printable notebook page included in that entry.

Links to prior season’s Outdoor Hour Challenges:

Autumn Weather Nature Study – Free Printable

Winter Weather Nature Study-Free Printable

There are many more spring related nature study ideas in the four ebooks shown above. You can find them in the Ultimate Naturalist membership library.

Use discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership!

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Year Long Study – Spring Cattail

Start Here:Spring Cattail Nature Study

We are eagerly anticipating the spring season here in Central Oregon. In the meantime, we will plan our spring cattail nature study and keep our eyes out for the opportunity to study them soon!

If you have a near-by park that has a pond or little stream, look for cattails along the bank. Here are a few suggestions from the original challenge linked above:

Make sure to encourage your child to sketch the cattail leaves.
Try to include a little of the habitat that your cattails are growing in during this season.
Include in your sketch any insects, birds, or animals that you observed near your cattails during your outdoor time.

If you’re a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, there’s a notebook page you can use to record your spring cattail nature study observations listed in the printables section of your membership.

Links to prior season’s Outdoor Hour Challenges:

Autumn Cattail Nature Study – Free Printable

Winter Cattail Nature Study-Free Printable

There are many more spring related nature study ideas in the four ebooks shown above. You can find them in the Ultimate Naturalist membership library.

Use discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership!

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Barb — 2 Comments

Our Spring Bird – Not Quite Yet

Posting the spring bird challenge a few weeks ago, I knew in my heart that I would have to wait a month or even two months before I could accomplish a true spring bird nature study. But, it has put it on my on plan for future nature study experiences.

We have not spotted one spring bird. In fact, our Great Backyard Bird Count was the smallest count we have ever recorded in the many years we have been tallying birds for the project.

Great Backyard Bird Count List for 2019

La Pine, Oregon

Hairy woodpecker -2
Northern flicker -2
Mountain chickadee – 5
Pygmy nuthatch -7
House finch -1

That’s it. Hardly a spectacular count here at my location in Central Oregon. We had snow on the ground and a high temperature of 35 degrees for the Bird Count weekend. Even for us this was a fraction of the usual birds we see at our feeders on any given weekend.

As far as new birds to learn about, none so far this season. I will keep watching and hopefully just like last year I will be surprised by a new species to add to my list. (Last year it was the Wilson’s snipe!)

If you would like to read the original challenge for a spring bird nature study, here is the link: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Bird.

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

New! Spring Willow Nature Study

“As early in March as is practicable, have the pupils gather twigs of as many different kinds of willows as can be found; these should be put in jars of water and placed in a warm, sunny window. The catkins will soon begin to push out from the bud scales, and the whole process of flowering may be watched.”

Handbook of Nature Study

Start Here: Willow Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 179, suggested observations 1-7 (pages 651-655)

Pay particular attention to the Method section and the Observation suggestions #1-7 in Lesson 179 for specific spring willow study ideas. The leading questions in this lesson will help you carefully observe the pollen-bearing flowers of the willow. Record your answers to the questions in your nature journal.

If you’re just starting a year-long willow study, spring will give you lots to learn and appreciate about this interesting subject. Then, when summer rolls around, you can make some comparisons.

If you’re a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, there’s a notebook page you can use to record your spring willow nature study observations.

Links to prior season’s Outdoor Hour Challenges:

Autumn Willow Nature Study

Winter Willow Nature Study

Both of the OHCs linked above have a printable notebook page in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships.

Prior Willow Study Activity:

If you already started this activity, make sure to take some spring observations.
If you’re just getting started with your willow study, here’s the suggested activity: Tie a string on a twig attached to your willow and then observe and record in your nature journal the twig’s changes for a few months.

There are many more spring related nature study ideas in the four ebooks shown above. You can find them in the Ultimate Naturalist membership library.

Use discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership!

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Signs of Spring 2019

“A simple spring nature study starts as soon as you start to notice the changes around you.”

In my part of the world, we’re not even close to seeing any signs of spring. But, last week I was in California and I greatly enjoyed the landscape turning green, the early spring bulbs starting to blossom, and the warm sunshine as I walked to the river.

You can complete this challenge at any time you note the first signs of spring in your neighborhood. It’s actually quite a life lesson for children to be aware of the changing of the seasons and what to look for when you’re taking your Outdoor Hour time.

Use the suggestions in the challenge linked below along with the free printables available to create a record of your family’s signs of spring.

Signs of Spring Nature Study

Make sure to click the link above to read the entire Outdoor Hour Challenge with helpful links, nature study ideas, and suggested follow-up activities.

This challenge is not found in an ebook but if you’re interested in an ebook of spring related challenges, you can check out the selections on the spring page in the Handbook of Nature Study linked below.

Are you just joining the Outdoor Hour Challenge? You can find the complete plan for the rest of the year by clicking the link below.

If you are already a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can download a detailed schedule of nature topics and ebooks from your membership.

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge -Looking for Spring Birds Challenge

Here’s the link to the challenge in the archives: Spring Bird Nature Study.

You’re going to find all kinds of helpful suggestions in this entry along with a printable notebook page, a complete coloring book, and links to learn more about identifying birds by their song.

Don’t miss this week’s nature study suggestion to take time to learn about a new spring bird in your neighborhood. If you’re really up to a challenge, your family can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count which is this weekend!!! You only need to commit to a few minutes of observation time to make this citizen science project a part of your nature study this week.

Find all the details here: Great Backyard Bird Count.

This is the perfect time to download the Learning About Birds ebook available in Ultimate and Journey level memberships. This ebook steps you through the study of birds by color and topic. Included in the ebook are notebooking pages, images, and links to help you study some of the most common birds here in North America.

Look for this ebook in your library if you’re a member or join now using the discount code below for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Discount Code: BIRDLOVER5

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenges- Spring Observations

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Spring Splendor Walk from the Archives and the More Nature Study Spring Ebook

Use the links above to find a variety of ideas for making spring observations with your children. We originally called this challenge the “Spring Splendor Walk” because it aimed to open your eyes to what early spring looks like in your very own neighborhood. You need to use all your senses and then create a nature journal entry using some of the suggestions given in the challenge.

There’s even a Spring Nature Walk Senses Scavenger Hunt printable included in the archive challenge!

Be Encouraged! Be Inspired! Get Outside!

From the Forward of the More Nature Study – Spring Ebook:

“Nature study using the Outdoor Hour Challenge aims to introduce you to your own backyard and neighborhood, seeking out the things that interest your children. I invite you to get to know your child’s special area of interest and to build from there a foundation of knowledge and experience outdoors. Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges, my own family has been enriched with a love of nature, a bond with each other, and lots of wonderful memories of seasons past.”

If your family would like to use this ebook in its entirety, you can find it in the Ultimate Naturalist Library (contains all 18 ebooks I have written).

Here are the topics included in this particular ebook:
Spring Weather, Spring Tree (buds, catkins, and blossoms), Robin, Buttercups and Poppies, Ferns, Dogwood, Goats, Vines (Sweet peas, dodder, hedge bindweed), Garden snails, and Iris.

Save

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Green Photo Project

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Spring Green Photo Project
Archive Challenge

Use the ideas in the archive link above to go on a spring green photo hunt. Find as many shades of green as you can during your outdoor time and take photos.

Make a collage of photos in your nature journal or record your experience in a spring green nature journal!

If you want to purchase the Spring Nature Study Continues ebook, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Spring Nature Study Continues – New Ebook announcement page for more details.

Join us for nature study challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

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.

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Journal – Signs of Spring

We have enjoyed the sweet, sweet days of early spring this week. A little shower of rain and abundant sunshine after that have made for the world of spring to magically open up around us. My gardening days have begun and along with that comes a renewed inspiration to get my nature journal supplies out and create a record of the things around me.

We have early spring bulbs with a fragrance from heaven. I cut a few to put in a vase for the counter behind my kitchen sink. It makes for a beautiful visual and scent as I do my chores. You can see more ideas for enjoying your Early Spring Bulbs in the Outdoor Hour Challenge from a few weeks ago.

We have many blooming bushes and plants in our yard…here are a few of my favorites. Use the ideas in the Signs of Spring Outdoor Hour Challenge for your early spring nature study.

It was fun to create a Signs of Spring 2016 nature journal page while I was outdoors. It made me more aware of the surroundings and the many ways we can use our senses to experience the early spring. I could hear the birds singing in the neighborhood, the bushes were moving slightly in the breeze, I saw some sort of insect fly by, and I could feel the warm air and the sunshine on my skin. There is no better way to mark the beginning of the season!

I hope you can get outdoors and mark the change of the season in your world…try to make a detailed record of the day.

Be inspired! Be encouraged! Get outdoors!

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Hunt for Early Spring Bulbs

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Early Spring Bulb Hunt
Archive Challenge

This week take your outdoor hour time to get outside and look for signs of early spring bulbs. You can use the ideas in the Early Spring Bulb challenge from the archives.

Early Spring Bulb Outdoor Hour Challenge

In that challenge, you will find directions for reading about the crocus, the daffodil, and the tulip in the Handbook of Nature Study. Also, there are suggestions for where to look for bulbs and journaling ideas for your nature journal. You may also wish to view my own entry for ideas on how to complete this challenge: Early Spring Bulb Study-Watercolor Time.

If you are a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you will find this archive challenge in the Winter Nature Study Ebook in your library. In the ebook you will find a custom notebook page designed for use with this particular challenge.

Category: spring series of outdoor hour challenges

Spring Weather 2019 – Outdoor Hour Challenge

Use discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership!

Year Long Study – Spring Cattail

Use discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership!

Our Spring Bird – Not Quite Yet

New! Spring Willow Nature Study

Use discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership!

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Signs of Spring 2019

“A simple spring nature study starts as soon as you start to notice the changes around you.”

Outdoor Hour Challenge -Looking for Spring Birds Challenge

Find all the details here: Great Backyard Bird Count.

Discount Code: BIRDLOVER5

Outdoor Hour Challenges- Spring Observations

Be Encouraged! Be Inspired! Get Outside!

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Green Photo Project

Nature Journal – Signs of Spring

Be inspired! Be encouraged! Get outdoors!

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Hunt for Early Spring Bulbs

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!