This is the second in a series of willow studies that will guide you through a complete year of observing a local willow. The Autumn Willow Study featured the changing color of the foliage and the willow’s shape. Now, in the winter season, we will look at its twigs and buds.
Start Here: Willow Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 179 (pages 651-655)
Pay particular attention to suggestions #2 and #12 in Lesson 179 for specific winter-related willow study ideas.
You may also wish to look for galls on your willow. They are shaped like little wooden roses and are created by an insect during the summer.
Activity: Tie a string on a twig attached to your willow. Observe and record in your nature journal the twig’s changes for a few months. You can see our autumn willow study here in this entry: Beginning a Year Long Willow Study.
Both Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study have access to a new winter willow notebooking page for recording your winter observations. Look for it in your printable library.
If you want to become a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can click the Join Us button for more details. Benefits include those shown above including access to ebooks, notebooking pages, archived newsletters, and new ebooks and printables published during your membership.
This week features an Outdoor Hour Challenge that everyone can complete no matter where you live! Take note of the weather using the suggestions in the winter weather nature study link below. This is a super easy and fun nature study topic that can be the start of a seasonal weather study.
Use the notebook page above to create a record of your observations for your nature journal.
Make sure to click the link below to read the entire Outdoor Hour Challenge with helpful links, nature study ideas, and suggested follow-up activities.
Please note this challenge is found in the Winter Series ebook found in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Log into your membership and scroll down to the ebook download link. Included in the ebook, there is a custom notebook page for this challenge.
There is something timeless about studying the night sky. I know when our family would gaze up at the stars and the familiar constellations, we would feel connected to all those throughout human history that had looked up at essentially the same things: stars, planets, moon. It can be an awesome experience.
“After the polar constellations are learned, we are then ready for further study in the still earlier evenings of winter, when the clear atmosphere makes the stars seem more alive, more sparkling, and more beautiful than at any other period of the year.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 823
In my opinion, the winter night sky tends to be more dazzling. Bundling up and getting outside in the evening takes effort but the rewards are huge. Use the information in the Handbook of Nature Study linked below in the winter sky study for a helping hand at getting started with the basics of a winter sky study.
Make a short list of constellations to look for during your winter sky study. Here are a couple of suggestions:
Our family decided to make sure we can find these four constellations in the winter sky:
Big Dipper (North Star as well)
Ursa Major
Cassiopeia
Orion (using Orion’s belt)
Makes sketches of each of the constellations in your nature journal to aid your memory.
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Our winter bird study has included a lot of watching out the window at our feeders. They’ve been super busy with all the wintery weather, including snow that hasn’t melted and covers the landscape. I keep track of the birds in our feeders as part of Project Feederwatch and so far this season we had a good number of birds visit.
There are still a couple of winter migrants that haven’t made an appearance yet like the spotted towhee. We will keep our eyes open!
In particular, I’ve made a study of the chickadee, learning the difference between the mountain chickadee and the black-capped chickadee. There’s an easy way to distinguish them and I made a page in my nature journal to solidify the information in my brain.
Right now my interests have turned to learning more about bird migration. There’s an exhibit at the High Desert Museum in Bend, OR that features information about migration, called Animal Journeys. I have another month left on my membership there and I’m hoping my hips heal up enough that I can manage a quick visit there to take it all in.
Here’s an image my husband sent me of an eagle soaring over the river behind our house. What a treat!
That pretty much wraps up our winter bird study so far this season. I know we’ll be continuing to look for and learn about birds because that’s what we do here.
Bird nerds forever.
Bird tab image and link
Are you interested in seeing my picks for bird related books and field guides? Click over to my bird tab on the website.
Winter Nature Study with the Outdoor Hour Challenge
I just finished editing all of the winter ebooks in the Ultimate Naturalist Library. I love that task because it reminds me of all the fantastic winter nature study ideas available in the four winter themed ebooks in the archives.
With forty challenges perfect for winter, your family could successfully add a study or two each week by using the suggestions in the Outdoor Hour Challenge and then follow up with a custom notebooking page. This can be a busy time of year so with the complete nature study lesson planned out for you in advance, you can pick a topic and easily fill in an afternoon with refreshing outdoor time. There are topics to fit every habitat and every interest.
Make a plan now to include some fun nature study activities during the winter months using the ideas in the Outdoor Hour Challenges and the Handbook of Nature Study!
If you’re new to the Outdoor Hour Challenge, you can find all four of the ebooks in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. (See below for a discount code to use with your purchase!)
I’ll list the winter themed ebooks below and if you want to click over to see the specific topics covered, you can easily do that by clicking the book title.
For a complete list of winter season nature study topics, you can click the winter tab at the top of the website.
Use the discount code WINTERFUN for $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Code will expire on 12/10/18.
If you’d like to have access to all of the winter ebooks, you’ll find them in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.
In addition to the winter books, there are 16 additional nature study ebooks in this membership.
This year we’re going to cover the four series noted in the graphic above: Autumn 2009, Winter Series 2010, Garden Flowers and Plants, and More Nature Study – Summer. Click the graphic to read more about the year’s plan.
Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:
Under a Rock * First Day of Winter Walk * Cloud Journal
Use these new printable notebooking pages with your family this month!
Under a Rock notebooking page: This was a special request from a family with young children and I thought it was a great addition to the printable library. Take an early winter walk and look for things still to be found under a rock!
First Day of Winter NatureWalk notebooking page: It’s hard to believe that this month we will have the official first day of winter but why not take advantage of the turn of the season to get outside and see what surprises you can find with your children? I am hoping to be recovered enough from my surgery to join you in a first day of winter nature walk on December 21st.
Cloud Journal notebooking page: Print this page at the beginning of any month and keep track of your clouds with simple sketches and words. I am really looking forward to this activity! This journal can be part of your winter weather nature study. Look for the official challenge on December 28, 2018.
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.
Please note that members have access to the complete year’s plan in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships. Non-members can follow along by subscribing to this blog and each Friday the Outdoor Hour Challenge will come into your email inbox.
Tracking mammals in the winter can be a fascinating nature study experience. If you have snow, ice, mud, or other conditions, it may make it easier to spot tracks. Look for and then follow any tracks you find. Examine them carefully, noting the size and shape of the tracks.
Make sure to note the links and additional resources suggested for your mammal study. If you want to pick a particular mammal to study this week, there’s a link to a printable Mammal Notebook Page within the challenge.
Check the Handbook of Nature Study index for your mammal or use the mammal tab at the top of my website to see if there’s an archived Outdoor Hour Challenge for you to use in your study.
Please note this challenge is found in the Winter Series ebook found in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Log into your membership and scroll down to the ebook download link. Included in the ebook, there’s a custom notebook page for this challenge.
You can find the complete plan for this school year in all levels of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Also, if you have an Ultimate or Journey level membership, there’s a file in your library that has all of this year’s notebook pages in one file.
As we start another year of nature study together, I want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to see the year’s plans all in one place. This plan was made with Handbook of Nature Study members in mind but it will also be very accessible to non-members who would like to join us.
Outdoor Hour Challenge September 2018 – August 2019 for Members
Get the Year Plan in a PDF: Subscribe to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, Journey, or Discovery level membership: This membership will give you access to a detailed schedule for the entire year. You’ll have a printable plan that shows dates and specific topics that will be considered every Friday. This makes your planning super easy!
Download the Ebooks: Ultimate Naturalist Members will have access to the three ebooks needed for the year’s nature study plans.
Click the covers below to go to more information for each ebook. Check your files to see if you own these ebooks already!
Note: There is no separate ebook for the autumn season. We’ll be using thefree notebook page bundle from 2009 that is available to everyone under the Autumn tab on the blog.
Download the Notebook Page Bundle: In addition to receiving the year’s plan in a pdf to download, Ultimate and Journey level members will also have access to a new Notebook Page Bundle printable that includes EVERY notebooking page needed for the entire year’s plan. This 78 page bundle can be printed for each student in your family. The Parent’s edition of the Notebook Page Bundle includes an index of challenges AND chart that shows the nature topics and corresponding pages in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock.
I’m super excited about this new Notebook Page Bundle! This has been a much requested item and I’m happy to make this a part of the Ultimate and Journey level memberships. Note: These are not new notebook pages, but for convenience they’re the pages from the ebooks gathered into one file for you to print and use with your family. This saves you time and energy as you plan and then complete your nature study!
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 and other resources you will need an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.
Download the ebooks.
Download the Notebook Page Bundle (both a student version and a parent’s version are available).
Download the September 2018 through August 2019 plan.
Subscribe to the Handbook of Nature Study blog for reminders each Friday.
This can be your best year ever for nature study!
Click Below to Get Started!
Use the discount code: Nature4U for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Code Expires 8/18/18.
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.
We’re so proud to have been chosen as a top Elementary Science curriculum by readers at Practical Homeschooling. I hope you’ll think about using our nature study ideas in your family with the confidence that families from around the world are happy with their results!
How would you like to enter a giveaway for an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership?
You can enter below! I will be giving away three memberships!
Giveaway ends on Friday, August 10, 2018 at 11 PM.
The first time we completed this challenge we lived in California where there was no snow, ice, or frozen ground. Now, in our new Central Oregon habitat it will be interesting to see what we discover using the ideas in the challenge linked above for an insect study in the middle of winter.
Use the ideas from the challenge if possible, but always take your fifteen minutes outside to be refreshed and look for something to observe whether it’s the topic of the week or not! If all else fails, get your insect field guide out and enjoy paging through to find an insect to learn more about in anticipation of a future sighting. You can find all of the insect nature study challenges on this page: Outdoor Hour Challenges – Insects.
If you’re interested in seeing how our family completed this challenge way back in time, here’s a blog entry from the archives: Our Winter Insect Study.
If you have access to the Winter Wednesday ebook in the Ultimate Naturalist Library, there’s a custom notebook page available to use as a follow up to your nature study.
Join us for the Winter Wednesday series of challenges here every FRIDAY. You can find them under the winter tab on the blog or if you have an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, you can find the ebook there for downloading.
For the month of February, I am offering a $5 off coupon for every level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Take a look at all of the benefits of having a membership!
Discount Code: $5 off any membership on the Handbook of Nature Study by using the code FEB5 during the month of February 2018.
We’re in the winter weed season here in Central Oregon. We walk pretty much every day to the river behind our house and the weeds are all in various stages of decline. Some are flat to the ground from the rain and snow but there are surprisingly quite a few “weeds” or grasses still upright. I even noticed some still have their seeds clinging on even in the wintry weather.
Take a walk in your neighborhood and use the link to the archive challenge above for lots of specific ideas for a winter weed study this week with your family. Enjoy a few minutes outside and then create a nature journal of your experiences.
If you have access to the Winter Wednesday ebook in the Ultimate Naturalist Library, there’s a custom notebook page available to use as a follow-up to your nature study.
Join us for the Winter Wednesday series of challenges here every FRIDAY. You can find them under the winter tab on the blog or if you have an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, you can find the ebook there for downloading.
For the month of February, I’m offering a $5 off coupon for every level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Take a look at all of the benefits of having a membership!
Discount Code: $5 off any membership on the Handbook of Nature Study by using the code FEB5 during the month of February 2018.
Do Some Comparisons
