Category: spring series of outdoor hour challenges

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Cattail Observations

Outdoor Hour Challenge Spring Cattail Observations @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge:

This is a classic springtime study here on the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Take a few minutes this week to think about where you might find some cattails to observe. If nothing else, take a walk at a local stream or pond to explore the springtime weather with your children.

Spring Cattail Observations: This challenge has some simple cattail observations to try with your family.

Spring Cattail Observations: You will find a free printable notebook page in this challenge.

Special Activity:Watercolor Activity


Take some time this week to pull out the watercolors to record your springtime cattail in your nature journal. Fun Suggestion: Use the water from your stream or pond to watercolor!

I searched on Pinterest for “watercolor cattails” and I found loads of inspiration to get started: Pinterest – Watercolor Cattails.

Getting Started Suggestion:

If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #2.   Take a walk and then discuss with your children what they enjoyed during their outdoor time. Help them find words to record in their nature journal or you can follow up with the accompanying notebook page from the ebook. Additional idea: While you are out during your outdoor time, find a wildflower, weed, or leaf to put into your flower press.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

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

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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.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Bird Observations

Outdoor Hour Challenge Spring Bird Observations @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge:

This week we can start a spring season of bird watching, recording our observations in our nature journals. Keep it simple and light by taking some time to go outdoors and observing the birds in your neighborhood.

Here is the link to the challenge from the archives:

Spring Birds Observations: This entry includes a wonderful link to All About Birds which will show you four keys to identifying birds. I think you will find it helpful.

You might like to also have this awesome link: Feeder Birds Coloring Book-Make sure to download and save the PDF so you will have it when you need it!

Special Activity: Life List Printable

Bird Life List Printable
Here is a simple printable to use in your nature journal to keep an on-going list of birds you observe and identify.

Blog Logo 1Getting Started Suggestion:

If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #4. If you own the ebook, you can use the printable to record your bird focus.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Weather Observations

 

Outdoor Hour Challenge:
This week use the ideas in the challenges listed to make some simple Spring Weather Observations. 

 Spring Weather (2010) –Suggested Observations
  • Have your children describe any clouds they see in the sky.
  • Notice how hard the wind is blowing by how things are moving: leaves rustling, trees bending, etc.
  • Notice the wind’s direction. Where is it coming from?
  • Describe the temperature of the air and/or look it up on a thermometer.
  • Notice any precipitation that you may have this week: sprinkles, rain, mist, sleet, snow, fog, hail.

Printable Notebook Page: 
During your seasonal weather observations, take a photo of something that shows your current weather conditions. Better yet, let your children take the images and then print them out for a personalized nature journal entry. This can be done in each season and recorded in your nature journal’s seasonal section.

Printable Notebook Page:My Seasonal Weather.

Nature in Verse by Mary Lovejoy is a whole year’s worth of poetry organized by seasons. You can click the link and scroll to the table of contents. Look for any poems that relate to spring. Read some aloud to your children and perhaps pick a line or two to copy onto a nature journal page.

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #3.  Make sure to read the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study for this challenge. We all need reminders about how to encourage our children in their nature journals. Along with a sketch, your child can add a verse or two of spring poetry to their nature journal. Keep it simple and light…

 


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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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Updates to the Spring Nature Study Ebook – Please Read

https://naturestudyhomeschool.com/2010/03/spring-nature-study-with-art-and-music.html

Dear Friends,

I have just completed a complete update of the Spring Nature Study with Art and Music Appreciation ebook. There were quite a few new broken links which is frustrating when you are trying to quickly complete a lesson from the ebook.

If you have the old edition of the ebook (if you purchased before 2/10/14), you are welcome to email me to have me send you the revised edition.

Send me an email with your Paypal address so I can find your order and I will send the new ebook within 24 hours.

I look forward to working through the spring challenges in this ebook alongside you soon!

Barb McCoy
harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

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How To Use The Outdoor Hour Challenge 2013-14

Outdoor Hour button
Step By Step Instructions for the Outdoor Hour Challenge
Starting September 1, 2013
  • Receive the monthly newsletter on the 1st of the month (subscribers to the Handbook of Nature Study blog).
  • In the newsletter, view the printable Challenge Grid for the four topics for the up-coming month. If the topic is from the archives, I provide the link to the challenge on my blog and the link to the ebook it is from if applicable.This way you can prepare for the challenges ahead of time if you wish.
  • If you own the applicable ebooks, you can open those and print the coordinating notebook pages to use during the month. This is not required but would supplement the current month’s work.
  • Print and cut out the newsletter Study Grid or other printable for use during the month.
  • Complete the challenges at your own pace and create your blog entries as you have time.
  • Submit your blog entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge blog carnival. Become part of the global community of nature study families that participates in the monthly carnival of entries sharing how you spent time outdoors with your family.
Big Picture for the Outdoor Hour Challenge

Seasonal Studies: Each month from September 2013 to August 2014 – I am going to be recycling challenges from the archives, pulling them from older nature study series and ebooks. Each month will not be topical but have a variety of nature study ideas that fit the season (Northern Hemisphere). I will also give you ideas from the Getting Started Ebook if you already own that and would like to use it instead or in addition to the seasonal ebooks.

Note that the Getting Started ebook is available in every level of access: Ultimate, Journey, and Discovery.

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Resources Needed for 2013 – 2014:

  1. Monthly Newsletter so you have the topic, the challenge ideas ahead of time, and the newsletter printables. The newsletter is free to all who subscribe to my Handbook of Nature Study blog.
  2. Handbook of Nature Study book by Anna Botsford Comstock – I recommend the edition linked on the sidebar of my blog.
  3. Optional but recommended: The seasonal series or ebook that coordinates with the season we are currently experiencing (see schedule below).  All of the challenges are available for free here on the blog (see the seasonal tabs at the top of the blog) but each ebook gathers the challenges and includes coordinating printable notebook pages.
  4. Optional: A copy of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Getting Started ebook. Of course, the challenges in the ebook are available on the Handbook of Nature Study blog for free but if you want the notebook pages you will need to purchase the ebook.
  5. Highly recommend: Nature journal or nature notebook.

Schedule of Ebooks to Be Used Sept. 2013 – Aug. 2014

NOTE: This bundle is still available until 8/1/14. You can purchase it here: Select Membership Level.

Nature Study Bundle Button
Special Offer: 
Purchase all three ebooks for this year’s nature study for $16.95 (regular price $24.85)
2013-2014 Ebook Bundle

 

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Spring Series Nature Study with Art and Music – Update to Composer

Spring Series Cover

It was brought to my attention that the composer links for Schubert on page 20 of the ebook are no longer working.

Here are the updated links…you can print out this email and put it with your ebook so you will have the updates when you need them:

· Listen to the entire Piano Sonata in B flat Major D. 960 on YouTube.com.
      Movement 1: http://youtu.be/Ok9tofNmqNY
      Movement 2: http://youtu.be/G2AIMQ0-zWY
      Movement 3: http://youtu.be/zD12AOCty0Q
      Movement 4: http://youtu.be/p2YbCgudmc0

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First Day of Spring – Printable Notebook Page

First Day of Spring 2012 notebook page

After Sunday’s snow, it is hard to believe we are at the first day of spring for 2012. We have had a crazy weather year but it is going to be fun to record our spring thoughts today..perhaps even taking a long walk this afternoon.

Here is a printable notebook page to inspire some springtime nature study or at least some looking out the window time today on this first day of spring.

I would love to hear how you incorporate a little nature study or outdoor time into your first day of spring. Leave me a comment or send me a blog link!

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Queen Anne’s Lace: A Mid-Spring Update

We have had our eyes out for it. We have been anticipating it. It arrived almost overnight!

5 18 11 Queen Annes Lace 2

The Queen Anne’s Lace! Right alongside our walking trail where it was so beautiful last summer we found it sprouting up in large numbers. Look at the bright spring-green color!

Now I feel like we have completed our Queen Anne’s Lace cycle for the four seasons. All that is left now is to enjoy watching it grow and grow and grow.

Thanks Anna Botsford Comstock for inspiring us to watch this plant for a complete year. If you want to get started with your own Year-Long Queen Anne’s Lace Study, here are the links for spring and summer.

Queen Anne’s Lace Spring 
Queen Anne’s Lace Summer

This might be a good time to look for it growing in your neighborhood too.