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Posted on November 25, 2022November 30, 2022 by Tricia Hodges — Leave a comment

How To Find The Joy of Nature Study in Your Own Backyard

How do you find the joy of nature study in your own backyard? Here are some encouragement for easy homeschool nature study right out your back door.

The simple truth is that everyone has something special and unique to explore in their own backyard or neighborhood.

How To Find The Joy of Nature Study in Your Own Backyard

I always go outside with the expectation that there will be something interesting.

Sometimes you have to look harder to find it than other times.

Nature study has made me more of a positive person…I expect to find something outdoors to make me joyful. I expect that there will be something that we can observe and notice.

There is just so much to see and learn about, but we need to train our eyes and hearts to be open to the opportunities that arise.

seeds nature study — I am amazed by these seeds. As many times as we have hiked down this same path, by this same plant, I have never noticed these really great seeds but there they are.

Keep your senses open to any opportunities and you may be surprised what you find to be interested in along with your children.

Tips for Simple Homeschool Nature Study

I got to thinking about all of the simple things we have nature study in our own backyard that we have noticed over the years.

Trees: leaves, bark, twigs, roots, flowers, cones, needles, seeds, pods, nests, birds
Patch of weeds: leaves, roots, bugs, flowers perhaps
Dirt: worms, gravel, stones, seeds, mud
Sky: clouds, sun, moon, stars
Air: temperature, wind, smells, breath on a cold morning
Birds: flying, pecking, eating, chirping, hopping, shapes and colors, beaks, wings, tails, feet
Sounds: wind, frogs, rain, leaves, crickets, bees, fly buzzing, mosquitoes
Weather: rain, clouds, temperature, snow, ice, dew, wind
Flowers (garden or in a pot): petals, pollen, roots, leaves, stem, fragrance, shapes, colors, seeds

The ferns are growing right now like crazy. Every day there are more and more to enjoy.

More For Your Homeschool

Find out more about homeschool nature study encouragement and prompts in The Joy of Nature Study in Your Homeschool Year.

If you are not a Homeschool Nature Study member yet, please consider joining to gain the benefit of having a nature study library at your fingertips. There are numerous resources available for you to help create the habit of nature study within your family.

What can you put on your list?

Above all, have fun and be joyful!

By Barb McCoy, Outdoor Hour Challenges founder

Posted on May 11, 2022June 4, 2022 by Barb — 2 Comments

How Nature Study Enriches High School Biology In Your Homeschool

Just how to include homeschool nature study as part of high school biology? Here you will find a break down of nature study suggestions and accompanying resources for each module of your homeschool biology lessons. I really think it depends on the family and how much nature study you have time to fit in with your high school age children.

How to include homeschool nature study as part of high school biology? Nature study definitely enriches high school biology. Here is a break down of nature study suggestions and accompanying resources for each module.

Homeschool Nature Study and High School Biology

There are two ways to approach homeschool nature study with high school biology.
1. Start with nature study and supplement with a text.
2. Use a text and supplement with nature study.

If you decide on approach number one, take each area of focus in the Outdoor Hour Challenge and add in supplemental information from a textbook.

Please note that affiliate links are included in our recommendations below. Please see our disclosure policy.

Using Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology

OH Challenge: Garden Plants =Text Module 8 and 15
OH Challenge: Insects =Text Module 3 and 12
OH Challenge: Trees =Text Module 14
OH Challenge: Mammals =Text Module 10 and 16
OH Challenge: Flowerless Plants =Text Module 4 and 14
OH Challenge: Birds =Text Module 16
OH Challenge: Crop Plants =Text Module 8 and 15

For the second option, here is how I enhanced the Apologia biology text with nature study ideas…many of these ideas are on my Biology Squidoo Lens.

Module 1: Microbiology for Homeschool

Read biography of Carl Linnaeus
Read Microbe Hunters, chapter 1 Leeuwenhoek

How to include homeschool nature study as part of high school biology? Here is a break down of nature study suggestions and accompanying resources for each module.

Module 2: Microbiology and Homeschool Biology Pond Study

Read Microbe Hunters, chapter 2 Spallanzani and chapter 3 Pasteur
Start a pond study to complement the study of microscopic organisms-protozoa
Use A Golden Guide to Pond Life
Read biography of Louis Pasteur
Field trip to a pond: Complete nature journal pages for things observed in real life.

Enjoy a Turtle Homeschool Nature Study.

Module 3: Continue Pond Study-Algae

Handbook of Nature Study section on insects of the brook and pond
Examine pond water under the microscope.
Complete nature journal pages on pond insects you observe.

Module 4: High School Biology Nature Study Focus on Mushrooms and Other Fungi

Work with yeast
Work with molds
There are some ideas for study in the flowerless plants section of the Handbook of Nature Study.
Take a nature walk to look for mushrooms and then complete nature journal pages for each one identified.

Modules 5-7: During These Modules We Used Local Field Guides to Identify Various Subjects From Our Nature Walks Each Week

The Biology Coloring Book by Robert Griffin-color appropriate pages to help visualize the abstract concepts in these modules

Homeschool nature study is definitely a part of high school biology! Here is a break down of nature study suggestions and accompanying resources for each module.

Module 8: Gardening for High School Biology

Growing pea plants to support Mendelian genetic study (just for fun).
Read a biography of Gregor Mendel. (The picture book Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas looks like a wonderful way to include younger students).
Grow radishes as part of experiment 8.4
Worked on a garden plan for the following summer.

Module 9: Homeschool Rocks and Minerals Study

Read a biography of Charles Darwin
Handbook of Nature Study section on rocks and minerals
Using a field guide we identified several local rocks and made nature journal entries for each one.

Module 10: Mammals Study for High School Biology

Identify a local mammal and then draw where it fits in the food web.
Learn about your local watershed and then diagram it or draw a map for your journal.
Complete nature journal entries for mammals observed during this module.

Find more ideas in this Mammals Nature Study Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

Module 11: Invertebrates for Homeschool Biology Studies

Dissection of an earthworm
Nature study focus on Invertebrates-garden snails, earthworms
Handbook of Nature Study section on invertebrate animals other than insects
Complete nature journal entries for invertebrates observed during our Outdoor Hour time
Complete a one small square activity and look for invertebrates or signs of invertebrates in your own garden or yard.

Earthworm Study for Your Homeschool

Module 12: High School Biology Study on Insects

Nature study focus on arachnida (spiders) and/or insects and/or lepidoptera
Dissection of a crayfish
Handbook of Nature Study section on insects
Complete nature journal entries for insects observed during our Outdoor Hour time.

marine biology studies for homeschool biology

Module 13: Amphibians and Fishes

Dissection of a perch and a frog
Nature study focus on amphibians
Handbook of Nature Study section on fishes
Handbook of Nature Study section on amphibians
Keep an aquarium and use the Handbook of Nature Study suggestions for observations.

More in Homeschool Ocean Study and Marine Biology Resources.

Module 14: Plants

Collect leaf samples and make a pressed leaf collection
Nature study focus on flowerless plants
Handbook of Nature Study section on flowerless plants

plants and wildflowers for high school biology study with homeschool nature study

Module 15: Garden Flowers and Seeds

Insectivorous plants-observe a Venus Flytrap or Sundew
Nature study focus on garden flowers-parts of a flower
Collect and press flowers
Germinate seeds
Handbook of Nature Study section on plants/garden flowers
Start a seasonal tree study for a tree in your own yard

The Ultimate List of Garden and Wildflower Nature Study for Your Homeschool

The Ultimate List of Birds Homeschool nature study using the Outdoor Hour Challenges

Module 16: High School Biology Nature Study Focus on Birds, Reptiles or Mammals

Handbook of Nature Study section on birds
Handbook of Nature Study section on reptiles
Handbook of Nature Study section on mammals
Keep a pet and make observations based on suggestions in the Handbook of Nature Study.
Hang a birdfeeder and keep a log of birds that visit.
Go bird watching and make journal entries for each bird you identify.

The Ultimate List of Birds Homeschool Nature Study Resources Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges

You can see how you can take an idea and then expand on it using nature study. If you use the basic ideas I have illustrated with the biology topics, you can make a study of nature high school level. Keep everything relevant to your local area and it will be a joy to work on each week. Your family will learn so much together as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

SaMore Resources For Your Homeschool High School Biology and Nature Study

Find the answer to the question, Does Homeschool Nature Study Count as Science?
See how Tricia’s family used Nature Study to Complement High School Biology.
Review of Apologia Biology by Tricia and by Daniele.

All of the Outdoor Hour Challenges that pair with homeschool high school biology are included in Homeschool Nature Study membership!

You’ll receive new ideas each and every week that require little or no prep – all bringing the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get Outdoors!

Homeschool nature study definitely enriches high school biology! Here is a break down of nature study suggestions and accompanying resources for each module.

Spublished August 2009 by Barb

Posted on January 12, 2022January 15, 2022 by Barb — 2 Comments

Preschool Homeschool Nature Study for Young People

Here you can learn how you to easily start preschool homeschool nature study. Nature study for young people is a joyous time of discovery and a time of introducing children to the beautiful world God created!

Think of the earliest years outdoors with your children as the way to start a valuable habit. I have seen in my family that developing a love and curiosity about the natural world developed gradually over their childhood. The earlier you start building a habit of nature study in your family, the easier it will be to encourage children who are eager to be outside and engaged in nature study. Here are a few more ideas on building the nature study habit at an early age.

Preschool Homeschool Nature Study

“..the mother must not miss this opportunity of being outdoors to train the children to have seeing eyes, hearing ears and seeds of truth deposited into their minds to grow and blossom on their own in the secret chambers of their imaginations.”
Charlotte Mason, Volume 1, page 45

I believe in the younger grades that our responsibility as parents is to open the eyes of our children to the world around them, exposing them to real things and real places.

I have long said here on this blog that it makes no sense to me to teach our children about the rain forest if they haven’t even learned about the trees and animals in their local habitat. The younger years of preschool homeschool nature study are the time to get outside and take walks and look at real things up close. The preschool years are the time to form memories and impressions. There is a time for books and textbooks (in limited amounts) but that can come later.

“As soon as a child is old enough, he should keep his own nature notebook for his enjoyment. Every day’s walk will give something interesting to add–three squirrels playing in a tree, a bluejay flying across a field, a caterpillar crawling up a bush, a snail eating a cabbage leaf, a spider suddenly dropping from a thread to the ground, where he found ivy and how it was growing and what plants were growing with it, and how ivy manages to climb.”
Charlotte Mason Volume 1 Home Education page 54.

homeschool nature journaling with preschoolers and young students

Thoughts on Nature Study from Charlotte Mason

The skill of drawing should not be addressed in the nature notebook. pg. 55
If the child is too young to write, the mother should do it. pg. 58
Encourage your children to sit quietly and patiently and to look closely. pg. 57
Some children are born naturalists but all have a natural curiousity that can be encouraged. pg. 58
Most children will think of a million things to put in his nature notebook. pg 55

Learn how you can easily start preschool homeschool nature study. Nature study for young people is a joyous time of discovery and introducing children to the beautiful world God created!

Some of My Own Observations on Preschool Nature Study

It takes my children a long time to explore outdoors and they can do it very well without my interfering. I try to follow their lead and not rush them.
I need to participate in the nature study myself. I try to model how to find a subject for my notebook and really observe the object.
Drawing the object in the notebook is the last step in really “seeing” the object.
There is no use in forcing a child to work in a nature journal. Regular exposure to the outdoor life will eventually lead to a desire to keep a record of what they see that interests them.
Every nature journal is unique to the owner. I tend to record scenes in my journal. My daughter usually finds something pretty to draw. My boys find “things” to record in their journals like sticks, bugs, leaves, and seeds.
Don’t limit your journals to sketches. Sometimes we include photos in our journals. We have taken rubbings of bark or leaves. We have even taped small objects into our journals. Variety in our journals make them more interesting.

It will always be a joy to look back on the sketches and remember what fun you had exploring the outdoors. It’s homeschool nature study the gentle way.

Nature Study Year Round Support for Your Homeschool Family

We would love for your family to join us for the Outdoor Hour Challenges! We will help you bring the Handbook of Nature Study to Life in Your Homeschool! The Getting Started ebook is available in every level of membership here on Homeschool Nature Study. It provides access to Outdoor Hour Challenges curriculum and tons of resources to enrich your homeschool.

Learn More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

This post first published by Barb May 2008. Updated January 2022.

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Scarlet Saucer Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Scarlet Saucer Nature Study

For many families, this is a perfect time to get out and look for fungus in the woods.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Scarlet Cup Fungus @handbookofnaturestudy

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Scarlet Saucer.

The scarlet saucer is easy to recognize and you can make it a fungus hunt to capture your child’s interest. Use the information in the original challenge to learn more about the scarlet saucer or if you want to make it a broader study of fungus, members can download the March 2013 newsletter for a fungus grid study and some coloring pages.

Handbook of Nature Study March Newsletter Cover If you have access to the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

Fungi Photo Hunt Notebook Page

Alternate activity: Look for the Fungi Photo hunt printable in the Member’s Library.

To purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, click on over to the Join Us page at any time.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

January Nature Study – New Printables, Plan, and Planning Page

February Nature Study Plans – Outdoor Hour Challenge

I’m starting to get anxious for wildflower season! In honor of that enthusiasm, I’ve created a new set of notebook pages for you to use to enhance your plant family studies. If you have the Botany in a Day book (link at the end of this entry) on your bookshelf, pull it down and get ready to use it alongside these notebook pages for your nature journal.

There are two wildflower nature studies planned for late February, so I invite you to use those flowers to get started with your plant family studies. (Bloodroot is in the poppy plant family and hepatica is in the buttercup family.)

02/05/2021 – Flicker Bird Study

02/12/2021 – Scarlet Saucer Fungi Study

02/19/2021 – Bloodroot Nature Study

02/26/2021 – Hepatica Nature Study

Plant Family NB page set image

New Printables in the Members Library

Plant Family Notebook Page Set: This nine-page set includes pages for recording notes and lists of the more common plant families. You’ll find pages for the mint, mustard, pea, lily, aster, mallow, rose, and parsley families. There is also a generic page for you to use with any of the other plant families you might study with your children.

Click the graphic above to view the complete list of printables available as part of an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

February 2021 nature planner page

Members also have access to the Nature Planner pages in their library. Print out this month’s page and use it to stimulate your weekly nature study time.

If you’d like to have access to the member’s printables and the newsletter archive, I invite you to join with an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Your membership will be valid for one year and will include the benefits shown below.

This is my affiliate link to the Botany in a Day book that I highly recommend to go along with a study of wildflowers.

All of the Outdoor Hour Challenges this month are from the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook.

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Rock Study: Calcite, Limestone, Marble Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Rock Study: Calcite, Limestone, Marble Nature Study

Most families that have been taking time for nature study have no doubt started an official or unofficial rock collection. I know when my boys were young, they would fill my pockets with rock treasures on our nature walks and then insist I take them home for our nature table. So many rocks!

rock collection in jars — I must admit that I still collect rocks! You may wish to read this entry that shares 5 ways to organize rock collections: 5 Ways to Display Rock Collections.

Use this week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge to learn a bit about rocks that you may already have in your collection. Or use the information and videos in the original challenge to build enthusiasm for a rock hunt soon.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Rock Study Marble Calcite Limestone @handbookofnaturestudy

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Calcite, Limestone, Marble.

If you have access to the ebook, there is a general rock activity on page 39 that everyone can use: Rocks Up Close printable. Take this notebook page along with you this week during your Outdoor Hour Challenge and see how many things you can find.

Newsletter Resources: Members also have access to the two newsletters in the archives that feature rock nature studies: January 2013 and February 2016.

Under a Rock Notebook Page

Alternate Study: Members can download and print the Under a Rock Notebook Page. Find a rock, turn it over and then observe what you can find underneath. This is a fun activity with or without the notebook page.

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

Swallows and swifts
Catfish
Jewelweed
Prickly lettuce
Cockroach
Field horsetail
Catbird
Calcite, limestone, marble
Chicken
Turkey
Hedgehog fungi
Sapsucker
Brooks

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge- Autumn Prickly Lettuce Nature Study

We had a rather large crop of prickly lettuce in our yard this summer, so I can say from firsthand experience that it’s an interesting topic for a nature study lesson. Do you have a child that likes to use a compass? The lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study suggests using your compass as part of your observation of the prickly lettuce plant.

Prickly Lettuce wildflower weed outdoor hour challenge (1)

The prickly lettuce is also a great subject for a lesson on thorns, spines, and prickles. Make sure to observe the prickles and talk about how this protects the plant from being eaten by animals.

Prickly Lettuce wildflower weed outdoor hour challenge (4)

Outdoor Hour Challenge Prickly Lettuce @handbookofnaturestudy

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Prickly Lettuce.

Prickly Lettuce Notebook Page 1

Prickly Lettuce Notebook Page 2

If you have access to the ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

Prickly Lettuce wildflower weed outdoor hour challenge (3)

Alternate study: Look for the idea posted earlier this month for Creating a Weed Bouquet.

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

Topics in this ebook include:

Swallows and swifts
Catfish
Jewelweed
Prickly lettuce
Cockroach
Field horsetail
Catbird
Calcite, limestone, marble
Chicken
Turkey
Hedgehog fungi
Sapsucker
Brooks

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge -Autumn Jewelweed Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Jewelweed Nature Study

What makes the jewelweed plant so special? A hint is found in its other common name, touch-me-not. With just a touch, the jewelweed catapults its seeds out for dispersal! Would you like to see a video? Here is a link: Jewelweed Pods Exploding.

Use the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson 134) and the Outdoor Hour Challenge in the Autumn Ebook to learn about this interesting, beautiful, and useful plant that you may have growing in your area.

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Jewelweed.

If you have access to the ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

Jewelweed notebook page 1

Jewelweed notebook page 2

Alternate study: You can complete a Weeds and Seeds challenge instead.

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

Topics in this ebook include:

Swallows and swifts
Catfish
Jewelweed
Prickly lettuce
Cockroach
Field horsetail
Catbird
Calcite, limestone, marble
Chicken
Turkey
Hedgehog fungi
Sapsucker
Brooks

If you have a membership, you may also look at additional wildflower ebooks available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge Catfish Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Catfish Nature Study

You may be able to sneak this catfish study in before your weather turns cool. I know plenty of families that know just where to go to catch a catfish but just in case you don’t, use the links in the study for more information and the awesome narrative story in the Handbook of Nature Study to glean some facts about the catfish.

fishing for catfish 1994 — Some young boys have the patience to sit and fish for hours. My oldest son loved to go fishing in the Mokolumne River and he would many times catch a big, fat, smelly catfish. He would be so proud of himself. Most times he would catch and release because he really didn’t like cleaning fish.

After your indoor preparation, use your outdoor time to find a pond, creek, or river to visit as part of this study. Build appreciation for the habitat and look for ways to learn about fish when the opportunities arise in the future.

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Catfish.

Bullhead Catfish nature study notebook page

Catfish Nesting Notebook Page

If you have access to the ebook, there are notebook pages for your nature journal.

Additional Study: Members can use the July 2013 newsletter for additional fish nature study ideas, including printable activities and a notebook page.

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

Topics in this ebook include:

Swallows and swifts
Catfish
Jewelweed
Prickly lettuce
Cockroach
Field horsetail
Catbird
Calcite, limestone, marble
Chicken
Turkey
Hedgehog fungi
Sapsucker
Brooks

Search Results for: fungi

How To Find The Joy of Nature Study in Your Own Backyard

How To Find The Joy of Nature Study in Your Own Backyard

Tips for Simple Homeschool Nature Study

More For Your Homeschool

How Nature Study Enriches High School Biology In Your Homeschool

Homeschool Nature Study and High School Biology

Using Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology

Module 1: Microbiology for Homeschool

Module 2: Microbiology and Homeschool Biology Pond Study

Module 3: Continue Pond Study-Algae

Module 4: High School Biology Nature Study Focus on Mushrooms and Other Fungi

Modules 5-7: During These Modules We Used Local Field Guides to Identify Various Subjects From Our Nature Walks Each Week

Module 8: Gardening for High School Biology

Module 9: Homeschool Rocks and Minerals Study

Module 10: Mammals Study for High School Biology

Module 11: Invertebrates for Homeschool Biology Studies

Module 12: High School Biology Study on Insects

Module 13: Amphibians and Fishes

Module 14: Plants

Module 15: Garden Flowers and Seeds

Module 16: High School Biology Nature Study Focus on Birds, Reptiles or Mammals

SaMore Resources For Your Homeschool High School Biology and Nature Study

Preschool Homeschool Nature Study for Young People

Preschool Homeschool Nature Study

Thoughts on Nature Study from Charlotte Mason

Some of My Own Observations on Preschool Nature Study

Nature Study Year Round Support for Your Homeschool Family

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Scarlet Saucer Nature Study

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

January Nature Study – New Printables, Plan, and Planning Page

Rock Study: Calcite, Limestone, Marble Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge- Autumn Prickly Lettuce Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge -Autumn Jewelweed Nature Study

If you have a membership, you may also look at additional wildflower ebooks available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Catfish Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!