Here are a few of my favorite spring nature study challenges from the archives.
Spring Weather Observations-free printable notebook page
Spring Splendor Walk – spring nature walk scavenger hunt
Spring Earthworm Study – There is an earthworm nature journal topper in the May 2014 Newsletter (in the archives).
Spring Bird Observations – free printable bird list
Spring Season Reminders -This post has many of the year-long spring season reminders.
We are going to anticipate the start of the spring season with a challenge from the archives.
Outdoor Hour Challenge: Signs of Spring
Note: The first day of spring for is March 20, 2016….that is this coming Sunday!
Take some time to go outdoors and look for any signs of spring you can find. If you click over to the challenge linked above, you will find a free printable notebook page to use with your nature study this week.
If you own the Discover Nature Close to Home
book, you can use the information found on the bottom of page 78 to learn more about From Flower to Seed. This section talks about wildflowers and their bloom times. If you are a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, check your library in the printables section for a Wildflower Bloom Time notebook page. You can use this same idea for a spring wildflower bloom list if you wish. You can access the notebook page by clicking the “members area” button at the top of the Handbook of Nature Study website.
Seasonal Topics – Spring Reminders
It is time to plan some spring nature study and I hope you add some of the spring seasonal ideas to your nature study planners.
Here are some ideas from year-long nature study topics we have done in the past:
NOTE: 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.
Here is a list of the specific challenges included in this ebook:
I am happy to announce the release of the long awaited Outdoor Hour Challenge Spring Nature Study Continues ebook! I have been so inspired to start some spring nature study while writing up these challenges for you and your families. You are going to enjoy the flowers, amphibians, and insects included in this spring series of nature study topics.
You will need to have a copy of the Handbook of Nature Study to use with the suggestions in the ebook. You can purchase a copy from Amazon.com or you can use an online version. The version of the Handbook of Nature Study
I use is ISBN 0801493846.
Each week I will be sharing one of the challenges here on the blog which means you can follow along without a membership if you subscribe to my blog. You can subscribe by entering your email address in the subscription box at the top right of my website. After you enter your name, you will need to confirm your subscription by responding to the email that will come to your inbox.
This ebook will not be sold separately but will be added to the Ultimate and Journey levels of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
If you are a member of the Ultimate or Journey levels here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you will find the ebook listed in your library after you log into your account. The ebook version available to members includes all of the notebook pages, coloring pages, and color images. I highly recommend purchasing a membership for all the added benefits for each and every challenge.
Note: Coupon expires on 3/23/15!
Want a sneak peek at the topics?
This new ebook will be loaded into the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships soon!
If you aren’t a member yet, you still have time to join and have immediate access as soon as it publishes.
Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Membership
Outdoor Hour Challenge:
Every day we pass by ants, not noticing them in their busy ways. This week try to slow down and look for some ants in your yard, perhaps under a rock, in a crack in the sidewalk, or on a plant. Find a way to make this fun for your children. Invite them to open their eyes and to look carefully.
Use the ideas in this challenge from the past to get you going: Spring Series #10: Ants.
You can also use the Nature Journal Topper from the May 2014 newsletter to inspire a fun ant related nature study and journal entry.
If you have access to the new printables as part of your membership to this site, there is a new printable sheet with Insect Nature Table and Learning Style ideas for you to print out.
Special Activity:
Make a model of an ant out of clay or Sculpey
. Make sure to depict the three body parts of the ant: head, thorax, and abdomen. There is a great video to show you how to do this with clay and wire.
How to Build a Model of an Ant on YouTube.com
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #3. Use the suggestions in this challenge to make some ant observations and then follow up with a drawing activity for your nature journal. Here is a link to help with drawing an ant: How To Draw an Ant-Step by Step.
You are welcome to submit any of you blog Outdoor Hour Challenge blog entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Entries for the current month are due on 5/30/14.
We are going to be outside this week looking for earthworms. The Handbook of Nature Study suggests going out at night with a flashlight to look for worms but we find them just digging around in our garden boxes. Ask your children if they know where there are any earthworms.
Spring Earthworm Study – Make sure to find all the suggestions for worm observations in this entry.
Earthworm Nature Journal Topper – Find a nature journal prompt in the May Newsletter that will help you record your earthworm observations.
If you have a child who is super into worms and they would like to see a YouTube video of an earthworm dissection, here is a link: Earthworm Dissection.
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #3. Take some time this week to use the suggestions in this challenge to focus on making a drawing in your nature journal. It can feature your earthworm study or anything else your child finds during your outdoor time that interests them.
Outdoor Hour Challenge:
This may be a challenging study for many of you but from my experience I can tell you that you may be surprised when an opportunity to view a snake up close comes along. In any account, you can use this snake nature study to prepare for a future snake sighting.
Special Activity: Field Trip-Amphibians and Reptiles
Use this free printable activity while on a field trip to a place in your local area that has reptiles and/or amphibians. This could be a zoo, pet store, nature center, or local park. Instructions are included on the bottom to create a mini-book to complete and then to attach in your nature journal.
Free Printable Amphibian and Reptile Field Trip Mini-Book
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #2. Make sure to take your 10-15 minute outdoor excursion to spend some time outdoors this week. After you walk, help your child with finding words to describe their experience, whether they observed a snake or not. Use the accompanying notebook page to record your outdoor time.
Note: You can find the Getting Started ebook in all levels of membership here at the Handbook of Nature Study.
Outdoor Hour Challenge:
We are going to have some fun with cats this week! Make sure to read the section in the Handbook of Nature Study for loads of ideas to try with your family cat or a neighborhood cat.
Printable Notebook Pages
Printable Notebook Pages
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #8. Use a magnifying lens to example your cat. Look at the various parts suggested in the Handbook of Nature Study and then record your observations in your nature journal or on the accompanying notebook page.
Note: You can find the Getting Started ebook in all levels of membership here at the Handbook of Nature Study.
Our challenge from last week was to find and observe some spring cattails: Springtime Cattail Observations. We headed over to our local park where we had observed some fabulous cattails last year. Because of the drought, there are not as many as we had noticed during the summer of 2013 and they were much smaller than expected. We are going to mark our calendar to make some summer observations and compare our results.
There was enough water in the pond to see a beautiful reflection of the clouds and there were insects making little ripples and bubbles in the water. We estimated that the cattails were about three feet high and we will compare the height when we return this summer.
When we took a closer look at the water’s edge, we saw an old cattail that had disintegrated into a soft pile of fluff. What a great find!
Using the Nature Journal Topper from the April 2014 newsletter, I created a nature journal page with some of my observations and a simple sketch.
Hopefully, your family will get a chance to find a place with cattails for your springtime observations. If you started a year-long study already, return to your cattail spot to make some comparisons for your nature journal.
