Search Results for: easter

What a fantastic month of surprise reptiles and amphibians! I am always amazed at what comes our way to study and after reading the entries from all the participants I know you have the same sort of experience. We go out looking for reptiles and amphibians and there they are! If your family wants to save these challenges for later in the season, please feel free to share your entries with the carnival and I will put them in the Potpourri section.

Thanks for all your hard work and for sharing your experiences!

Our family’s reptile and amphibian entries from this month’s study (in case you missed one):

• Using the Reptile and Amphibian Grid Study – Western fence lizard
• Frog Pond Study Plus a Rattlesnake Friend – with a video of our rattlesnake
• Focusing on Reptile and Amphibian Nature Study – our two snakes
• Sierra Newts on the Trail

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Photo Credit: Angie from Petra School

Reptile and Amphibian Grid Nature Study
Alex from Life on a Canadian Island shares their field trip: Reptiles and Amphibian Study at the Pet Store. Her gorgeous images will inspire you to take a trip to your local pet shop. Alex also shares the Reptiles and Amphibians Nature Study-Books and Videos entry with all of you.

Angie from Petra School has written an awesome entry for you: Benefits of Observational Nature Study. She shares their on-going long-term nature study of frogs and their habitats. This is such a great example showing how just a few minutes a week over the long run will reap many rewards.

Barbara from The Schoolhouse on the Prairie captured their outdoor time in a lovely entry: But Not the Reptiles and Amphibians. She shows the many things they encountered and finally their skink.

Carol from Journey and Destination (Australia) has submitted her entry: April Nature Study-Reptiles, Rodents, and Randoms. You mush click over and see the very awesome Lace Monitor!

Carla from Inside Outside Michiana did a wonderful job of sharing their: Amphibian Grid Study with the carnival.

Alice from Redwoods Homeschool shares her two entries with the carnival Salamander Find! and Salamanders.

Photo Credit: Kris from On The 8th Day

Frog Study
Shirley Anne from Under An English Sky submits her Outdoor Hour Challenge-Toads entry to this edition of the carnival. Magnificent images!

Nadene at Practical Pages shares their Tiny Frogs entry with the carnival. She shares the smallest frogs I have ever seen….don’t miss it!

Kris from On The 8th Day submits her entry: A Surprise Nature Discovery. They found a pool of water and then a frog and some eggs!

Kim from A Child’s Garden has written up their Frog Hunting in Connecticut-Our Ten Frog Species entry for you to enjoy.

Lisa from Pilgrims at Tinker Creek shares their Creek Walk and a really big toad!

Carla from Inside Outside Michiana submits their entry: Frogs! They look like they enjoyed their study and learning all about their local frogs.

Photo Credit: Alex – Life on a Canadian Island

Focus on Reptiles and Amphibians

Cristy from Cristy Nature Journal has submitted her OHC Reptiles entry for this edition of the carnival. She shares a very tiny turtle they found in their backyard. She also would like to share her entry: Plants that Eat Animals.

Alex from Life on a Canadian Island has written and submitted her entry: Dead Man’s Pond – Looking for Amphibians. She shares their excellent pre-study and then their pond adventure along with some additional resources for you.

Rachel from Happily Occupied Homebodies shares her wonderful entry: Turtles and Salamanders and Frogs! She describes with words and images their hunt for salamanders in the woods. She also shares her baby finches in this entry: Spring is Here and So Are The Baby Birds.

Photo Credit: Shirley Ann from Under an English Sky

Seasonal Pond Study
Shirley Ann from Under an English Sky has put together a fabulous entry with their pond study: Pond Life and a Tadpole Aquarium. I really enjoyed reading about their pond study and their nature journal pages are not to be missed.

Orange Jelly Fungi from The Diary of an Owl

Potpourri
Heidi from Home Schoolroom has gathered their Spring Nature Study and Easter Celebration into one entry for you. I love her moss observations.

Diana from Homeschool Review shares their Slate Nature Study with the carnival.  She not only shares their abundant slate but also some moss and lichen too.

Sweetie from The Diary of an Owl has submitted their Orange Jelly Fungi entry for you to enjoy. I love seeing what our younger participants are learning as they spend time outdoors.

Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in May are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 5/30/13 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

So how has your month gone with the Outdoor Hour Challenge focus on insects using the newsletter and weekly ideas? Our family has enjoyed the easy way we can incorporate nature study into a very busy high school week. I love having a month long focus.

Would you like an example of how one family used the Insect Study Grid, the Insect Study notebook page, and the small square study this month? Get ready to see how simple it was and how successful they were in their efforts!
Sarah from Granwood Explorers shares their entry: Outdoor Hour-Focusing on Insects. What an excellent month they had and what a great example for the rest of us!

Get ready for one fully loaded blog carnival! What a great month of nature study from all over the world!

Ant Study

Andrea from The Loopy Homeschooler shared their ant study using the insect printable from my blog.

Andrea at the Loopy Homeschooler shares their ant study with the carnival. They were actually able to identify their ants and her daughter created an awesome nature journal entry using the Insect Study notebook page from the ant challenge. Read all about it: Outdoor Hour Challenge #3.

Leah from The Making of a Mom has joined the OHC carnival for the very first time! She submits this entry: Nature Study Co-Op September (Ants) for us all to read. What a lot of happy faces and so many interesting discoveries! I really enjoyed reading about their co-op and so will you.

Leah from The Making of A Mom shares their Insect Grid Study

Insect Study Grid

Shirley Ann from Under An English Sky submits their Insect Grid Study. She says, “My youngest has decided that she prefers the notebooking pages to keeping a journal, so she used her grid as a notebooking page, adding some finds to the back of the page.” It is wonderful to see families adapting the OHC to fit their style of learning. You don’t want to miss her awesome images of colored insects in this post as well.

Tricia from Hodgepodge shares How Summer Nature Study Complements High School Biology.  What a wonderful entry for the carnival! Tricia shows how they have been looking for insects and pulling in their high school biology work to make a wonderful mix of fun and learning.

Bugs, Insects, Butterflies, and Creepy Crawlies-Oh My! from Cristy at Crafty Cristy documents their insect study so far using the Insect Grid Study and Insect List found in the newsletter. I learned a few things about cicadas in her entry and they are definitely learning a lot this month about insects. They have also shared their September Insect List for you to view along with images.

Rachel’s American Grasshopper

Rachel from All Things Bright and Beautiful has put together their month long study of insects into a gorgeous entry with images you will want your kids to see: Buggy Bugs. Which image is your favorite?

Fall Insect Walk! Angie from Petra School has submitted this wonderful example of a fall insect walk with her boys. I always appreciate their casual in-their-own-backyard nature study time and Angie’s images really tell the story. Angie and her boys would like to also share their Queen Anne’s Lace entry with carnival readers. They were able to incorporate some insect observations along with their QAL time…don’t miss the grasshopper image in their entry!

Outdoor Hour Challenge #22 is where Catherine from Grace to Abide decided to start their insect study.  They were able to identify a few of their butterfly finds from a local park and then they visited a butterfly garden. I agree with her…butterfly gardens are magical!

Virginia from Livin’ Lovin’ and Learnin’ shares their entry The Grid-Sept 2012 Insects showing how their family of children of all ages has enjoyed this month’s focus. Another magnificent grasshopper photo in this entry! They also completed a study of a specific insect, the Illia Underwing Moth. What a beautiful creation to observe up close. One last entry from this family….Golden Ponds Nature Walk. They found many interesting and seasonal subjects to enjoy and share with all of you. Thanks for a glimpse into your nature study this month.

Carol’s really big stick insect sitting on a camellia bush: Journey and Destination.

Carol shares their September Nature Notebook entry with the carnival this time around. They live in Australia where it is spring and everything is coming alive. Check out their really big stick insect! She also shares some wonderful images of other creatures they have observed this month including a Eastern water dragon!

Jenny Anne from Royal Little Lambs shares their Creepy Crawlies entry with the carnival. It must be the season for grasshoppers!

Heidi from Home Schoolroom has written up their Focusing on Insects and Spiders entry for you to enjoy. They incorporated the ideas from the newsletter and OHC Challenge #4 – Finding a Focus to continue a month long study of insects and spiders. Perfect!

Nadene from Practical Pages has submitted a round-up of their September insect studies using the newsletter and challenge ideas: Nature Study and OHC September. You are in for a treat because she shares their very well done nature journals to inspire you and your children.

Lauren from Serving From Home has written up their monthly nature study entry: Our September Nature Studies-Insects and Apples.  They have done a great job this month with their observations, outdoor time, and nature journals. What an encouraging entry!

Nicole from Journey to Excellence shares their month of nature study.  You are welcome to read their Small Square Study and their Insect Grid experiences. She also found a pretty white plant that she thought was Queen Anne’s Lace but it turned out not to be: Queen Anne’s Lace.  She would appreciate some help in identifying her mystery plant.

Sara from Garner Goings On shares their entry Saying Goodbye to Swallowtails and Cicadas for carnival readers. Check out her beautiful images and the final video of a swallowtail emerging from its chrysalis.

Potpourri
Carey Jane Clark who blogs at enCouragement joins the carnival this month with her entry: Our Nature Study Backpack. She shares how they are using the newsletter study grid and a well prepared backpack to aid their nature study in China.

Michelle from Following the Footprints submits their very first two Outdoor Hour Challenges: Challenge #1 and Challenge #2. I think this quote from one of her entries sums her experience up well, “I felt so empowered by my success in identifying two plants that it changed the way I looked at nature for the rest of the week.  All of a sudden, I was looking at trees in parking lots and across the street wondering what those trees were.  I saw a beautiful brown and black bird in my backyard and I wondered what that was.  And I am so excited to find out!  Such a change in me in so little time!”

Kim from A Child’s Garden shares their unexpected nature study: Puffballs!  She does a great job of explaining what they are and her images are interesting too.

Look at those little feather collectors! Image from Michelle at Following the Footprints

Michelle has also submitted their Outdoor Hour Challenge #3 for you to read. They are humming right along with their family nature study, and this time it is in their very own backyard! One last entry from this enthusiastic family: Outdoor Hour Challenge #4. So many things to like about this entry and I think they accomplished Challenge #4 very well with their feather collections in the nature journals.

Ann from Harvest Moon By Hand has put together their Hummingbirds-Outdoor Hour Challenge entry for you to enjoy.  Take a look at their Minnesota hummingbird study and be inspired! They were also able to complete their Red Birds Challenge from the Handbook of Nature Study. Ann says, “It was as if the birds that had red on them knew we were learning about them today. Such an inspiring and uplifting afternoon!” What a treat!

Makita from Academia Celestia shares their Exploring the Redwoods study with the carnival.  They were able to observe two different groves of redwoods here in California and follow up with additional reading and journals. They also had some unexpected insect study: Looking for Birds, We Discovered Caterpillars. Read their Water Quality Monitoring entry to learn more about their participation in worthwhile citizen science projects.

Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in October are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 10/30/12 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).

November is over and it is time for us all to enjoy the nature study adventures of other families who participated in the various Outdoor Hour Challenges during the past month.  I procrastinated putting the carnival together so I was submerged in nature study goodness all weekend long as I enjoyed each and every entry back-to-back. My heart is full.

Thank you dear readers for all the support of my work. I appreciate your carnival submissions, your kind comments on my blog posts, your financial support through purchasing books and using my affiliate links, and for nominating and voting for the Handbook of Nature Study in the Homeschool Blog Awards.

Sneak Peek – More Nature Study #2 Winter 2012

I look forward to December and then the new year coming. I will be releasing my new More Nature Study #2 Winter 2012 ebook near the end of December and it is going to be fabulous. I have so much to say about it but I will wait until a future post. If you have any feedback or comments on the last ebook including the advanced study options (More Nature Study – Autumn 2011), please email me directly. I would love to hear any of your thoughts as I put the finishing touches on the new ebook.

Also, my daughter is finishing (finally) her new Hearts and Trees Art, Handicraft, and Nature Study kit…hoping to release it this weekend. Check over on her blog or follow her Facebook for all the details.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival – November Newsletter Edition

Maple Seeds

• Zonnah writes about their Samara aka Maple Seeds nature study for this edition of the carnival. She includes some wonderful up-close images of the seeds.
• Makita and her children didn’t have a maple to study but they chose the local Sycamore Tree to observe and learn more about. They included the seeds in their nature journals as well. They also did a Leaves and Fall Colors study which you will enjoy reading.

November World – Birds Journal Entry from Janet @ Across the Page

November World

• Tricia – Hodgepodge Mom has submitted their November World entry which includes a walk in the rain as suggested in the OHC Newsletter.  They look like they really enjoyed this activity!
• Amy from Hope is the Word writes Our November World, sharing how important it is to make the effort to get outdoors no matter how busy we seem to get. Lovely blue sky in their images and journals. Amy also did a follow-up entry where they went to a local park to observe their November World.  Excellent thoughts in this entry…don’t miss reading it.
• Janet from Across the Page shares their entry Exhaustless Entertainment as part of this challenge. She says that this nature walk turned out better than expected…I couldn’t agree more! Take a look at what they found and then their journal entries.
• Amanda from A Thousand Words has put together an entry with their Autumn River Walk – featuring her nine year old son. Wonderful account of nature study with boys. Amanda also shares some important thoughts in this entry: Accidental River Hike. I really liked reading her thoughts and I know you will too.
• Zonnah treats us to her November World…another nature walk with a curious young man. This was a fun entry to read…brought back memories of my boys’ younger days.

Short Thistle Video (Thanks to Shirley Ann)

Thistles

• Shirley Ann from Under An English Sky shares there Thistle Study with carnival readers. As always, they inspire me with their nature journals.
• FlyMama Di from Homeschool Review and Crafting Too also went on a thistle hunt with her son. They were successful in finding some to study up close and they found some grasshoppers too.
• Tricia and her children completed their Thistle and Sunshine Nature Study this month….in their backyard stick fort! They show us such a great example of making learning happen on all levels.
• Thistles and a Wimpering Viking…what a great title to Angie’s thistle entry to the carnival. You MUST read this one and see their great extended study.  So many things to learn…
• MissMoe shares their Thistle Nature Study...they do not find any thistles but plenty of other interesting things to observe, including an artichoke which is in the thistle family.
• Robin from Harris Homeschool submits their Thistles and Milkweed study. Lovely images in this entry…thanks for sharing.

The Hodgepodge Family took a walk in the rain!

Seasonal Weather
Zonnah shares their Rain Gauge activity. They have had a lot of rain in November!

Amy’s daughters thought this tree looked like it had animal paws!

Potpourri

• Barbara from The Schoolhouse on the Prairie has contributed their Seasonal Tree Study for carnival readers to enjoy. They picked a tree and got started learning more about it and then followed up with journals. Great job!
• Catherine from Joyful in Hope shares OHC #10 Picnics in this edition of the carnival. All the way from Russia! I really liked seeing their landscape and their pretty snails. Yes, pretty snails. Catherine also completed an entry for the OHC #11 Tree Study with images of their tree in all four seasons. Wonderful!
• Mother Robin has submitted a fall entry this time- Autumn Rainbow: Fall Flowers, Leaves, Berries, and Seeds. This account of their fall color walk is inspiring.

Fall Leaf Color Journal Page from Monica’s Daughter

• Monica from Discover Their Gifts submits their Nature Study-Fall Color Walk entry to this carnival. I am always interested in seeing everyone’s nature journals and they did some wonderful work as part of this study. So colorful! They also completed their Cobwebs and Spiders Study and would like to share it and their webs with carnival readers.
• Kattie from 2 Ladybugs and a Lizard contributes their Fall Colors entry. They did a colored pencil blending activity in their nature journals…excellent!
• Rachel writes about their Oaks and Acorns nature study. They did a great comparison study of different oaks and followed up with some fantastic nature journal entries.
• Jessy shares their family’s Eastern White Pine and Pinecone Study to the carnival this time.

Short video showing a caterpillar molting. (Thanks Bethany!)

• Bethany from Little Homeschool Blessings shares their Surprise In The Shed entry….so glad the surprise was not snakes! They also have a wonderful Swallowtail Butterfly entry to share with carnival readers. The video above is from their entry…thanks for sharing Bethany! One last entry for their family: How to Start a Tree Study.
• Julie from the Homeschool Balancing Act shares their Fall Colors entry. She was surprised that they found so many colors in their neighborhood. Love the magnolia seed pod and the berries!
• Janet from Across the Page has put together a lovely entry on their Squirrel Challenge. This was a pleasure to read from start to finish.

The winner of the November Giveaway (chosen by Random.Org) is Amanda from A Thousand Words! She will receive the Audubon Plush Bird – House Sparrow! Thank you to everyone who made an entry to this edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.

See you all next month! Remember that December’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.

There seems to have been a malfunction with the Blog Carnival website this month. I know some of your had trouble submitting your entries and I know I didn’t receive notice for many of the entries. PLEASE let me know if I somehow missed your entry and you would like to be included in the carnival.

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION: There were four suggested topics in the newsletter but I don’t want to limit any of you to just those topics. There is a section at the bottom of the carnival that I titled “Potpourri” and I have included the entries that don’t fall into the suggested four topics there. I think this really gives the carnival a great flavor and I truly enjoyed reading each and every entry.

I would like for the entries to include some element of an Outdoor Hour Challenge – reading in the Handbook of Nature Study, outdoor time exploring as a family, and following up with discussion, research, and an opportunity for a nature journal entry. One thing I would like to ask of you in return is to include in your entries a link back to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletter or the Handbook of Nature Study blog. I want as many people as possible to learn about our activities and jump in and participate. If you want to use the Outdoor Hour Challenge logo in your entries that is encouraged too but not required.

• Angie and her sons have voted their woodpecker bird study their Favorite Nature Study ever! Now that says a lot because they have done a lot of nature study. Take a look at their entry and their journals: Hairy
  Woodpecker.
• Serena from Casting Pearls has captured their June Nature Study in her entry to the carnival. They started out going to an apple orchard but they found it filled with a flock of Cedar Waxwings. She has the most gorgeous images of the birds in the apple blossoms! Don’t miss seeing their family’s entry.
•  Heather posted their Killdeer Nature Study on their family’s blog, Kingdom Arrows. I love that they were able to incorporate the Bird Study Grid from the June newsletter and take advantage of the notebook page. Thanks Heather.
• Ann from Harvest Moon by Hand always shows how much you can pack into one nature study topic. This Spring Bird Study entry is no exception and you will enjoy reading about their bird song study. She writes, “One of the things Olivia mentioned was that she heard so many birds singing all at the same time.  One would start and then another and another.  ‘I couldn’t tell the old birds from the new birds.’  It did sound like – a constant symphony of birds singing and calling to one another.” Click over to see her whole entry.
• Zonnah shares their Dove Study on her blog this month. Check out their nature journal entries and it looks like they used the Bird List from the June Newsletter too!
• Kristin and her girls looked for Backyard Desert Birds in the very hot desert temperatures! They made a quick outdoor study and even found some feathers to observe. Make sure to see the gilded flicker images. Wonderful!
• What a treat of an entry Tricia and her children put together for the carnival! Check out Bird Watching on their Hodgepodge Homeschool blog. They used the Bird Study Grid and the Bird List from the Newsletter. Don’t miss all the wonderful images and their journal entries
• Alex from Canadian Home Learning submits to the carnival their Unplanned Nature Study of ducks and a Mudpuppy. Don’t know what that is? Click over and read all about it and don’t miss the adorable duckling photos.
• Susan from Learning All The Time writes about their June bird study as outlined in the June Newsletter. I really enjoyed seeing their bird list and their journals. Thanks for sharing with the carnival.
• Holli from Settled In My Home shares their bird study: Surprised By Barn Swallows. I love that they took the opportunity when it arose to study these beautiful and interesting birds with the HNS.
• Nicole’s boys each picked a bird to study as part of the June Newsletter suggestion. Read about their OHC on One Hook Wonder.

• Tricia from Hodgepodge Homeschool shares their Backyard Bunnies nature study to the carnival. Adorable, sweet bunnies! They did a great job using the Handbook of Nature Study to learn more and they used the notebook page from the June Newsletter for their nature journal.
• As the Garden Grows is Jessy’s entry to the carnival. They are giving us an update on their square foot garden which includes one big black spider!
• Kattie from 2 Ladybugs and  Lizard submits their Plant and Flower Study….she has pulled everything together nicely in this entry….make sure to see their very well done nature journals.
• Kristin writes about her adventures in the desert with preschoolers and garden critters in her blog entry Garden Critters (aka Running and Screaming).
• Spittle Bugs! Read the entry on the Urban Cottage Homeschool to see their Garden Critter entry featuring this interesting insect. You might want to see their beautiful garden images too.
• Susan from Learning All The Time! has put together a wonderful entry for the Tiger Swallowtail Study.  The images and nature journal entries are worth a click over to see…such careful work in the sketches. I really enjoyed this entry.

• Tricia has given us a treat of an entry in their Crop Plant Study of Squash. Not only does she pack it with interesting images and facts, we get a recipe too! I am anxious to do a squash study with my boys soon.

Tree Study

• Zonnah gives us a great example to follow when our children are not as excited as we would like them to be about nature study. She allows some flexibility and they have a wonderful entry to share: Oaks.
• Crape Myrtle Tree Study – Heather and her family chose to study their own crape myrtle trees as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Make sure to view their nature journals since they are very good examples of how simple sketches and captions still make a wonder record of your nature study.

• Nicole from Journey to Excellence writes about their First Day of Summer and shares their notebook page. Thanks for sharing your day!
• Jenny Anne from Royal Little Lambs also completed their First Day of Summer activities with a notebook page. She also shares some glimpses into their garden. So pretty!
• This entry really could go into several categories but I will put it here: Tricia from Hodgepodge Homeschool submits this wonderful entry about her Daddy’s garden….and a visit they had last week.  I appreciate how much their family supports their nature study. Thanks Tricia and family!
• Another family marked the First Day of Summer with some nature study and a notebook page. Thanks Susan and family for sharing your day.!

Potpourri

• Wildflowers – Tricia (Hodgepodge Mom) and  her family were able to do a wonderful observation and nature study of their Queen Anne’s Lace Abundance. They had their patch but now they see it everywhere. Great journal examples for you all to see in this entry as well.
• Wildflowers – Nicole shares their family’s experience with keeping track of all the wildflowers they saw from March to May. Read her entry on her blog, One Hook Wonder.
• Elk and Prairie Dogs – While on vacation, Nicole and her family were able to make some up-close observations of elk. They followed up with questions to be answered and here is there entry on One Hook Wonder.  The also had the opportunity to study up close some prairie dogs and their colony. See their entry Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs.
• Box Turtle – Heather’s family completed their very first Outdoor Hour Challenge. They observed, read about, and then journaled a box turtle they found at their home. Here is their Box Turtle Entry – Excellent job!
• Tricia has had another little creature visit their backyard. First they had a bunny and now a Baby Squirrel or Is It? What a great entry….don’t miss the backyard rainbow.
• Ann shares two wonderful entries that show their summer nature study activities, Strawberries and Outdoor Picnic. Great job!
• Kim’s son shares their family’s experience with a bat. I love hearing his version of the event. You can read all about it in their entry: Nature Study: Bats (Much to the Dismay of My Husband).

I randomly drew numbers and Nicole from Journey to Excellence will receive the birdfeeder. Congratulations Nicole and family! Thank you for your entry into the carnival this month.

In fact, thank you to everyone who entered into Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival this month. I will be posting the July Newsletter tomorrow so make sure to download and save the June Newsletter before it is gone. I am seriously loving the new format for the Outdoor Hour Challenge and I have heard from many of you too that you like the flexibility and the added resources. I hope you spread the word about the Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletters to all your readers!