Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival – Weather

The Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival time is a highlight of my month, viewing the nature adventures through the carnival links encourages me to get outdoors as well. The end of December marks another year of the Outdoor Hour challenge and reflecting back on the last twelve months as it relates to our family’s experiences with the Outdoor Hour Challenge, we have had a rich, full year.

The highlight of 2012 was traveling to upstate New York to visit the cabin in the woods built by Anna Botsford Comstock. Not only visiting, but being invited to stay there and experience her woods, birds, trees, wildflowers, and lake. What a gift!

Top left: Makita and I meet in Oregon. Top Right: Atlantic Ocean. Bottom Left: Cornell Lab of Ornithology-Blue Heron nest. Bottom Right: Heather and I meet up in New York.

Special Memories from 2012

• First visit to the Atlantic Ocean!
• First whales sighted in Hawaii…a whole pod of pilot whales.
• New birds to my life list: Cowbird, Great blue heron (while visiting Cornell Lab of Ornithology with Heather and her children).
• I got to meet two long time Outdoor Hour Challenge participants and friends while traveling – Heather and Makita.

Looking forward to the coming year, I have a special trip planned to Florida and another new-to-me habitat on the Gulf Coast (maybe even the Everglades). Thanks to the Homeschool Blog Awards prize package, I will be going to San Antonio, Texas. How exciting is that? Thank you to all of my readers for voting for me and giving me the opportunity to spend some time in Texas with my family. Later this week I will be sharing my nature study goals for 2013 which includes a personal challenge involving rocks and traveling.

There is always something fresh to learn in each new place.

Shirley Ann made this amazing collage of frosty images from their walk!

Weather Walk

• Shirley Ann from Under An English Sky shares their Frosty Walk.  They decided to set aside the school books for a few hours and get outdoors to see their frosty, cold world.
• Robin from Academia writes about their Walk in the Woods….dusting of snow, signs of animals, interesting trees and roots. There second entry shows their Winter Walk in the Woods and more snow!
• Rachel from United For Christ has submitted their Seasonal Weather Walk-OHC for carnival readers to enjoy. They had a snowy winter day to enjoy with smiles and then with cocoa! Looks like fun!
• Jen from Snowfall Academy seized the opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy their first real snow in a long time: Winter Weather Walk. I loved seeing a glimpse of their smiling faces.

Weather Grid Study

• Angie from Petra School submits their Weather Grid, Weather Sounds, Nature Study entry for you to be encouraged by. She explains that she knows she needs to build up her own enthusiasm before she can expect her boys to be on board. Great encouragement for us all.

Angie from Petra School does some review of cloud types.

Cloud Observations

• Angie at Petra School shares their Weather Walk-Cloud Vocabulary entry with the carnival. She says, “Weather is our life.”
•  Cristy from Crafty Cristy has collected for the carnival some wonderful cloud images and a selection of book recommendations. You can read her entry: Cloud Observations. Thanks!
• Robin from Academia broke her foot and has had to do nature study with her daughter from the window in their home. They observed and recorded with watercolors their changing clouds and you can see them in her entry: Clouding Around.

Mother Robin’s Watercolor Clouds

Seasonal Weather

• The December 2012 edition of the Handbook of Nature Study newsletter has some ideas for a winter nature table. Shirley Anne has submitted their entry for some additional ideas: Winter Nature Table.  
• Robin and her daughter share their Waiting for Winter entry with the carnival. They took time to note all the changes that the new season is bringing. Don’t get her started on ticks or stink bugs….
• Makita from Academia Celestia shares both their Snowflakes Across the Curriculum and Night Tree entries for carnival readers to enjoy. Always fun to see what their family is up to for nature study. 

Potpourri

• Diana from Homeschool Review shares her Nature Study Winter Edition – From My Window. Nothing like a catch up bird entry to brighten up the carnival. She has a beautiful image of a cardinal for you to enjoy.
• Catherine from Grace to Abide has written up their Outdoor Hour Challenge #23 – Moths for the carnival and your enjoyment. Do not miss her entry with some fascinating images of the transformation of their caterpillar to a moth!
• Tricia from Hodgepodge reflects on their autumn nature study as a family in her entry: Making Memories This Fall. Wonderful images that tell the story! 
•  

Tricia and her family have just released their very first ebook! I would love for you to pop over and check it out for your chalk pastel pleasure. They have put a year’s worth of art into this ebook and right now they are running a special introductory price if you use the code: SSCP-INTRO.

Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in January are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 1/30/13 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com or submit them at the blog carnival site (link on the sidebar of my blog).