OHC Blog Carnival – September Newsletter Edition

This has been a very busy month around the Handbook of Nature Study blog. Not only with a new ebook and new series of Outdoor Hour Challenges but I got a completely new blog design. I was aiming at making the navigation easier for new readers and to have all the challenges, ebooks, free stuff, and nature journal ideas all organized for ease of use. There are two places to look for challenges now on the blog: Tabs at the top are grouped by season and buttons on the sidebar by topic. I think the blog turned out so much better than I ever imagined. (Thanks go to Emily Abramson from PolkaDotPixels.com….a dream to work with!) She even made us a pretty new carnival button…feel free to grab and link.

This blog carnival is so filled with outdoor goodness that it makes me smile from my top of my head all the way to my toes. You are in for a real treat this month. I know I pretty much say that every month but honestly, you all blew me away with your wonderful studies and the awesome nature journal pages are something we can all be inspired by as we move along the road with our nature study. Take a deep breath and dive into this edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.
(If I missed your entry, please email me or leave a comment and I will add it ASAP. This was a huge carnival.)

Photo courtesy of OHC participant: Nicole at One Hook Wonder

Milkweed (and other Fall Blooming Flowers)
Nicole and her children were able to observe some Magical Milkweed for this challenge. She shares some awesome images of their pods and seeds (see above for an example). Thank you so much for sharing your OHC. Nicole also submitted their Summer Wildflowers entry which includes some thistles!


Now that you are all warmed up with the milkweed pods…check out Ellen’s entry: Milkweed Update! She shares their pods and their magnificent nature journals. Don’t miss the images in this entry. 

Heather from Kingdom Arrows shares their Autumn Outdoor Hour Challenge…they didn’t find milkweed but a jungle of other weeds provided some outdoor enjoyment. 


Kim from Tolle Lege Christian Academy writes about their Milkweed Study with milkweed right in their own yard. I loved seeing the colorful blossoms and the many insects they observed during their outdoor time. 


Angie and her boys didn’t find milkweed either but they write about their Wildflower Study as part of this challenge. I love that Angie adapted the notebook page to fit their study and their display of Oregon wildflowers.  


Jennifer and her daughter share their September Nature Study with goldenrod, thistle, and Queen Anne’s Lace. Wonderful entry showing their nature study finds and notebook page. 


Janet from Across the Page has written and submitted an entry sharing the culmination of their Monarch Study which goes hand in hand with a milkweed study. Please don’t miss seeing her entry Monarch Madness. I was fascinated with their study and I highly recommend reading her ten year old’s journal: Watching Peeper.

Here is another family that was able to observe the milkweed plant, the pod and seeds, AND a monarch caterpillar and butterfly. Read Monica’s entry on her blog Discover Their Gifts: Our Nature Study: Milkweed and Monarch.
 
Susan from Learning All The Time didn’t have any milkweed but they did have asters which were an alternate study from the Handbook of Nature Study suggested in this challenge. They brought in flowers to observe over time and then did their reading in the HNS. Wonderful follow up artwork too!

Taunya joins the carnival with their Know Your Own Backyard – Weeds entry.  They did their outdoor observations and then completed the notebook page from the September Newsletter. So what is a weed?

Leaf-Miners and Leaf-Rollers
Amy from Hope is The Word did a great job of documenting their Leaf-Miner/Roller investigation. They found some leaf-miners and some other interesting leaves too. They tried out the suggested nature journal entry from the September Newsletter and they turned out beautifully. You can see their nature journals above.

Angie from Petra School submitted with a smile their Leaf Miners and Leaf Rollers entry. They had trouble getting the enthusiasm up at first but with a little help from the suggested video her boys finally were interested and successful. Read her complete entry for details. 


Makita shares their Leaf-Miners and Rollers entry on their family blog Academia Celestia. They spent some time hunting for insects in two different environments and ended up with some wonderful journal pages. 

I know that Tricia (Hodgepodge Mom) titled this one Weeds, Seeds, Insect, and Signs of Fall but I think it is a great entry showing how when you start out looking for one thing, you are often led to five other interesting things as well. Thanks for sharing your adventures.  

Shirley Ann shares their Leaf Miners and Leaf Rollers entry from the UK!  They had success in finding some interesting subjects without even leaving their own garden. They even found an insect friend to observe up close and record in their nature journals.


Cobwebs
All kinds of webs and a few spiders too! This is what Zonnah writes about in this entry: Spiders and Cobwebs.

Image courtesy of OHC Participant: Tricia at Hodgepodge

Pears
Zonnah submits their family’s Pear Study. It has inspired me to try a few new things….and eat more pears.

Tricia and her family spent some time looking at their pear tree, some pears, and then completing notebook pages from the More Nature Study ebook. They also completed the suggested nature journal idea from the September Newsletter. Great job! You can read their entry: Pears, Apples, and Nature Journal Art. 

Kirsty joins the carnival for this edition with their families Pear Study. She tells of their wonderful day outdoors in the autumn sunshine.  

Ellen and her children share their colorful pear study along with their very well done journals. Their entry, Double Duty, shows how they completed this challenge and then made something yummy. 

Shirley Ann adapted the pear study to fit their opportunity to pick and take a closer look at their apples. You will enjoy seeing their account of their Pear…I Mean Apple Study.

Image from OHC participant: Barbara at Schoolhouse on the Prairie

Potpourri
Barbara from Schoolhouse on the Prairie shares their Monarch butterfly tagging project: OHC #4. You are going to see some fantastic photos of them catching and recording their monarch butterflies. The photo above is from their entry….stunning images and I think we all want to know the answer to this question: How do you know if it is a male and female Monarch butterfly? You can read their OHC #5 for the answer to that question! (Photo above is from their OHC #4 entry.)

Shirley Ann and her daughters did a fantastic job on their First Nature Walk of the School Year. They went with the focus of weeds and seeds and they found two additional delights. Don’t miss viewing their journals!


Julie from Homeschool Balancing Act shares their Outdoor Hour Challenge #4 Part 2 and their  Outdoor Hour Challenge #5. They took their nature study ideas along on their camping trip to Sequoia National Park. Excellent!


Last Days of Summer.…Tricia and her family share their late summer outdoor time with carnival readers. Check out their collection of shells!


Kim shares their Nightshade Family and a Little Surprise entry with the carnival. They also completed an entry about Feeding The Birds (An Experiment or Two). They had one more study: Citronella Ants Go Marching. Making nature study an investigation always brings rewards.


Nadene is joining the carnival for the first time with their entry Starting Nature Study With The Handbook of Nature Study. They share their South African spring time study. Welcome to the OHC! The also completed their Spring Maple Tree Study for the OHC. Some of us are a little jealous that they are in their spring season but will enjoy watching their world change as they work through their challenges.

Kristen from Broom and Crown shares their Finding Dragonflies in the Desert entry with carnival readers. They were able to use a field guide and identify their Amberwings…check out the images to see why they are called amberwings. 🙂


Heather from Kingdom Arrows writes about their Canada Goose Outdoor Challenge. She shares how much her daughter’s complete nature notebook page means to their family. Special story showing how nature study can bridge some important gaps for our children. Thanks Heather. 

Anne from Harvest Moon By Hand shares their two nature studies: Woolly Bears and Isabella Tiger Moths and  White Pine Tree. Their family has started out on a study of each state’s bird, tree, flower, rock/gem. What a great idea! One last entry from Ann showing their Black-Capped Chickadee study…check out their journal for a fantastic idea (hint: coins)!

After a random drawing, the September Newsletter giveaway gift goes to Taunya from Taunya’s Place. She will be getting the download link for the Hearts and Trees Mammals Lapbook. Congratulations and please email me to verify the email address you would like the link to be sent to: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.


See you all next month! Remember that October’s Newsletter link will be for subscribers of the blog only. Please click over to the blog and subscribe using the form on the sidebar.