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Posted on October 15, 2014 by Barb — 8 Comments

Yosemite National Park – Autumn Trip

Our recent trip to Yosemite National Park put us into the autumn mood. It is a quiet place in autumn with far fewer visitors and very little water in the waterfalls. In fact, Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Fall are both dry, dry, dry. The story of Yosemite in autumn is more about the trees and peaceful landscapes.

Hiking in the big Sequoia trees at the Mariposa Grove gives you a chance to experience these trees up close. You don’t have to hike too far to find magnificent specimens with their wide trunks reaching up into the sky.

There is no real way to capture the whole tree from the trail but these images help you visualize the towering trees a little better.

I hiked with two of my men on this day…the other two were off climbing Half Dome. I am going to share some of their experiences in another entry later in the week.

I found a copy of this book Yosemite Photographer’s Guide; Official Camera Walk Handbook and decided that it would be a fun long term project to take photos from every single location listed in this guide (like a need another project!). There are 32 locations mentioned in this book that we can look forward to experiencing through the lens of a camera (or iPhone in my case on this particular trip since I forgot the charger to my digital camera). NOTE: This is an older book that you can’t purchase new…there are a few used expensive copies on Amazon. I may switch over to a newer book like this one:The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite. I will let you know how I like this book when I get it in hand.

We started the project with a few locations that were suggested for the fall season.

This is location #17 – Cook’s Meadow. There is a short boardwalk from the road out to the river where you can view many of the park’s landmarks.

This is from the same location, looking across the meadow to Sentinel Rock.

We stopped at Location #13 – Cathedral Beach. At this time of the year, there is very little water in the river and you can walk a long way up along the side of the water. I stopped to enjoy a little bit of fall color in the late afternoon sunshine. We didn’t experience a lot of color during this visit but the oaks, maples, and dogwoods were scattered with color throughout the valley.

From the same location at Cathedral Beach, you can clearly see the Cathedral Rocks. This is a prominent rock formation along the south side of the valley.

Here are the Three Brothers taken from Location #14. What a great spot to stop and enjoy the peaceful surroundings of a Yosemite autumn day!

Hello Mr. Deer! This guy wasn’t happy with me taking a picture of him from a distance and as I was standing there just came nibbling closer and closer. I finally had to move because I really think he was going to just push me over to get to his destination. So tame and accustomed to humans….great for viewing up close!

There weren’t many wildflowers at this time of year…mostly brown grasses and lots of weeds with seeds. These thistles were so pretty on closer examination…so much so that I created a nature journal page featuring them in my personal journal. These were up where we were camping at Crane Flat.

Some color!

One afternoon as we drove back up to our campsite, we noticed smoke in the valley. As we drove up the highway, we spotted a wildfire. It had just started and we could see from the pull out that it was just on the other side of the ridge. It was the Dog Rock fire and it continued to burn all through the night and next day…well, even longer than that but we came home before it was completely out. You can see the fire tanker flying over the blaze if you look closely in the photo.

It was such a great family trip and we enjoyed our last morning just wandering around, taking photos and sitting in the sunshine.

We ended up at the Ahwahnee Hotel for coffee and chatting. This is an amazing place for sitting and taking in the historical atmosphere of a Yosemite experience.

It is always sad to come home from this unique place on the earth but I look forward to visiting again soon.

Thanks Yosemite National Park for a great visit!

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Barb — 4 Comments

Evening Walk – No Mosquitoes

We set out to look for and observe some mosquitoes (as part of the OHC Mosquito nature study) a couple of evenings this week with no luck. I know…sad to NOT observe any mosquitoes which is a weird thing to say. We even sat by the little slow moving stream where we thought for sure we would find some mosquitoes but there wasn’t a single mosquito to be seen.

Instead, we decided to look at all of the interesting things we could find along the trail and here are a few of our images.

The deer are all coming in close to town because of the drought. This one was peacefully grazing along the trail in a meadow.

The Queen Anne’s Lace is blooming all over the place…not very tall this year but lots of flowers to enjoy.

There are Sweet peas blossoming as well…seen slightly in the background of this image.

Here is a side view of the Queen Anne’s Lace…so very interesting!

The Toyan berry is blossoming right now…this will be covered in red berries come the late fall.

The Manzanita is developing berries…I love the way they look.

I have the privilege of taking care of two little boys this summer…a little each week. We are going to be doing some of the Outdoor Hour Challenges together since they are avid outdoor kids and love anything that creeps, hops, and slithers. I took over some pond water for them and along with the water I also got four little fish in the jar. These boys spent some time finding a little aquarium, cleaning it up and watching the fish. I was not successful in capturing some mosquito larvae like I had hoped but the boys still had a blast with the little fish. It is going to be a fun nature study summer with them.

We have been spending lots of time outdoors in the evenings so maybe we will eventually see some mosquitoes.

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Barb — 1 Comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – December Senses Walk

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Using Your Senses – December Walk

There have been several challenges here on the blog during different seasons that feature using your senses or being quiet during a nature walk. Prepare your children ahead of time by explaining that spending some of your Outdoor Hour Challenge time should be time spent quietly observing. Use the ideas in the links below and the Listening Game in the additional activities below to incorporate some “using your senses” time into your OHC this week. Don’t be discouraged if your children can only manage a minute or two of quiet…it is something they can grow into when they learn the advantages of careful observation.

Don’t forget you can use this month’s (December 2013) Study Grid from the newsletter as part of this challenge.

Additional Activity:
Outdoor Listening Game
Go outside with your children and let each one find a place to sit quietly, choosing a comfortable spot where there are few distractions. Show them how to make cups with their hands and then hold them behind their ears like big deer or rabbit ears. Sit with your “deer” ears on and discover the sounds of your neighborhood or a near-by park.

This is a great training activity for sitting and listening quietly during your nature adventures.

I am looking forward to getting out with my snowshoes and really using my senses.

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #10. Try having a snack or picnic lunch even if it is super cold outside. Our family even found driving to a favorite spot, parking with a view to something natural, and eating in the car is a fantastic way to make a memory. Keep it simple and then come home and record your experience on the accompanying notebook page in the ebook.

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Barb — 3 Comments

Yosemite Autumn Trip!

Our much anticipated trip to Yosemite for our autumn visit was a huge success. We didn’t plan it but we were leaving the day the park was closed because of the government shutdown. I was very grateful that we were able to get in our visit and hikes before the trails and campground were closed indefinitely.

The image above shows a glimpse of the devastation from the Rim Fire. This is along Hwy 120 above Groveland, CA. It was an awesome sight to see and you could see signs of the fire as we continued into the national park itself and up along the Tioga Road. Much of the area along the road had been cleared before the fire so my husband thinks that many of the trees, although scortched, will revive. We shall be anxious to see if he is right.

We had reserved a campsite along the Merced River in the Lower Pines Campground…perfect! We enjoyed our two nights in our tent with a show of stars at night that was unbelievable. The camping was a little quiet for us with no children along for this trip but it was fun to just be a couple again.We sat in chairs and watched squirrels and birds. We huddled around the campfire and enjoyed the peaceful cracking and snapping of the flames on the oak wood. The air was crisp in the mornings but not so cold we couldn’t break from the cocoon of the sleeping bag.

One afternoon we took a long walk along the valley floor. This time of year there are no big crowds around so you see lots of wildlife. In the image above, you can spy a bobcat! He was wandering along the trail and then he went down to the river. We also so numerous deer…adults and babies too. One time we saw a herd of 20+ deer grazing in the meadow.

Yosemite Falls is bone dry right now. I felt sorry for all the travelers who came from all over the world to visit Yosemite when the falls are dry…just not the same. Autumn is not a time for huge waterfalls in Yosemite but their are other reasons to come at this time of year. The story of Yosemite in the autumn is the change of season with colors and the quiet awesomeness of viewing the granite that also change in color with the light.

Our campsite was visited by many, many squirrels. They were busy collecting seeds of some sort and having a feast. The Stellar’s jays and Common ravens also came to visit and first thing in the morning they were very noisy. The seemed to say, “Wake up! Wake up! You are missing the sunrise!”

Our second day we hiked the complete Panorama Trail. This is an eight mile hike that includes three waterfalls…that actually have water. The image above is the very top of Nevada Falls and although it is not running with much water, it is still a fabulous waterfall. (see below)

Here I am after hiking down from the top with Nevada Falls in the background. Isn’t it an awesome sight? It is hard to describe the sound of a big waterfall, especially this one back in the corner of the valley. The sound cracks and echoes all around you. About this time in the hike, I am getting tired and the downhill climb is harder than climbing up.

Here is a portion of the trail that is a little easier and the views are phenomenal. I love the sky in this image. When I’m hiking, I always watch the sky for signs of storms but this day it was perfect with partial cloud cover a lot of the time. Breezes would cool us off as we hiked. Autumn really is a terrific time to hike at Yosemite.

This is also about the point where we observed a mama Black Bear and her cub…off in the distance but we still became hyper-aware of our surroundings. There were several other hikers, some in front and some in back of us, so we alerted them to our sighting and shared bear stories before we all spread out again.

I was in the mood for looking for fall colors. The maples and oaks were starting to turn color and I found this large leaf along the trail. My husband thinks I’m nuts sometime but he cooperated and took my picture so I could share it with you. This is a good place to point out that hiking in Yosemite is a bit of a rock scramble at times (that is the trail behind me). These are not smooth, easy trails that you can hike along without paying attention. You are always looking down for your next step…not many flat trails here. This is why I started using a walking stick…it makes my hiking so much more pleasurable.

I was so inspired by the Bigleaf maples that back at the campsite I created a nature journal page with some of the information I found interesting. My leaf sketch was a bit of a fail..I think I was hung up on trying to get it to fit in the box I had created on the page and so it looks sort of squished. Oh well, you get the idea of a maple leaf.

The last day of our trip we took the long way home and drove out Tioga Pass, along Hwy 395, and then across on Hwy 89 and 88 to get home. This took us through the high country where the aspens were ablaze with color. We stopped several times to enjoy the views. Now this is what autumn should look like!

It was a fun trip and I am looking forward to the winter season and visiting Yosemite National Park to really see the full circle in this amazing place. We are aiming to hike in the Mariposa Grove of sequoia trees whether there is snow or not. Not sure where we will stay yet…hoping that the government closure is over by then.

You can read about our seasonal visits to Yosemite in these entries:
Yosemite in Spring – Waterfalls and Biking
Summer Trip to Yosemite – Hikes, Wildflowers, Rocks, and More

This post is part of my Nature Study Goals for 2013 – to visit Yosemite National Park in each season.

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Barb — 15 Comments

Nature Study Goals for 2013

I love making goals and then seeing them achieved…but honestly, I love the journey as much as the achievement. Especially when it comes to nature study, always having a goal or focus helps make things happen. The Outdoor Hour Challenge is really just a way of breaking nature study goals down into weekly steps. Each challenge gives us a way to focus for a few minutes with our children on something that could easily be skipped if we aren’t careful.

This year I feel a shift is coming in our family’s nature study. I am for the first time making my own personal nature study goals and inviting any of my family members along with me when they have time and an interest. I find that as I become involved in a particular area of nature study that my family naturally falls in line with that interest and in the process of supporting my nature study, they learn something as well. (Sneaky but it works.)

Would you like to see my personal nature study goals for 2013? Some are related to the Outdoor Hour Challenges we will be completing together here on the blog and some are more specialized to my area of the world. Feel free to make your own list and you might like to do what I am doing, print out a copy of the goals and insert them in the front of your nature journal. I am also taking each goal and actually scheduling in some dates in my planner, in pencil of course just so I be flexible as the opportunities arise.

Barb’s Nature Study Goals for 2013

Learn about ten new birds, including nature journal entries and learning their calls.
Learn about five new trees in my local area.
Learn about five scrubs that I see along my walking trail or our favorite hiking trail.
Take four new hikes. (These are tentatively planned in my planner along with maps.)

1. Leopard Lily, 2. 7 09 Deer at Yosemite, 3. Sequoia, 4. Steller’s Jay at Yosemite National park

Visit Yosemite in all four seasons and focus on some aspect of nature each time:

Spring – trees/birds
Summer – wildflowers/waterfalls
Autumn – mammals
Winter – rocks

I am not sure if I will stick to the topics listed above or allow each trip to unfold some aspect of nature to learn about. I am also going to invite some friends along with me, sharing my love for this awesome place with people who have never been there even though we live just a few hours away.

Now for the big goal that I will need help from my family in achieving. I am challenging myself to take on a rock related nature study project which will hopefully teach me new skills and lead to some adventures. My husband and I are going to try to collect all fifteen rocks discussed in the Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads (Take-Along Guides). After going over each rock in the book, we searched online for places that we could realistically find each specimen. It will mean taking a few trips to new places and finding ways that we can legally collect each one. Several of the rocks we have access to on a daily basis like granite and slate but even for these specimens I want to make a proper display and journal entry. We just came up with this idea a few days ago and already our wheels are turning, plans are being made and our hopes are high that we can achieve our goal.

I am going to be taking the year of 2013 and trying to use far less plastic than we have been as a family. I am slowly going to be adding new routines and habits that will support a lifestyle that will use less disposable plastic. I will be sharing my journey.

I am looking forward to what we will experience and learn this year as we continue our journey learning about the wonderful awe-inspiring creations we have all around us.

If you had to pick one nature study related goal this year, what would it be?

Leave me a comment with your goal and perhaps I can work some of your ideas into up-coming Outdoor Hour Challenges or write posts with suggestions on how to achieve your goals.

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Barb — 14 Comments

Recollections from a Visit to Anna Botsford Comstock’s Lake Cottage

Every reader of the Handbook of Nature Study (the book) knows who Anna Botsford Comstock is….the esteemed author of our nature study guide and lessons. She wrote the words that have touched my personal life in such a profound way, changing how we view the world in our own backyard. She may have touched your life in a similar way through the pages of the Handbook of Nature Study as you worked through the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

When the opportunity was offered to me a few years ago to visit and actually stay at her cottage in New York outside Ithaca, I wasn’t able to make the trip at that time. It was on my mind a lot through the years so when a last minute trip involved traveling in New York came up last month, I immediately contacted the family that now owns the cottage to see if it was available during our visit. It was! We made arrangements to stay for three days in the cottage that Anna and Henry Comstock built on the shore of Lake Cayuga.

” During the fall of 1906, we were making habitable The Hermitage, our summer cottage on Cayuga Lake. We put a large window in the living room which gave us a wide view of the lake. This room was given a hardwood floor and was ceiled, to make it warm. Here we set up the wood stove that had been in my mother’s parlor when I was a child. It had a grate and in the evenings we opened up its front doors; this made it as cheerful as a fireplace.” Anna Botsford Comstock

It was just like I imagined it…set in the woods, right near the water’s edge. The birds, flowers, and trees were those that Anna wrote about in her books. It was warm and cozy and somehow familiar.

We sat on the porch and enjoyed the sounds of the woods. The lake glistened as the sunset on that first day. I climbed into bed and thought how it must have been there over a hundred years ago when the Comstocks first built the cottage.

“Harry and I spent weekends there, and on each trip he would walk the mile and a half from Taughannock Station to The Hermitage, carrying on his back a basket filled with materials for fixing the house.The labor my husband performed in and about this place was remarkable.” Anna Botsford Comstock

The next morning I was up early for a walk in the woods. I ventured out alone for the first hike and as I stepped off the porch I heard birdsong and glimpsed a young deer sneaking across the road into a thicket of bushes. The woods woke up as I hiked up the trail and my eyes were trying hard to take in all the sights.

The green of the new spring leaves, the thin trunks of the trees, the rustlings of birds and the cry of the mourning doves. These were Anna’s woods. This was the place that helped inspire her to share her love of nature with teachers and children, bringing them into a relationship with common everyday things in their world.

There was teasel by the trail…new to me in person but familiar through the pages of the Handbook of Nature Study. Advanced preparation does work…I recognized it right away and remember that she had called it ” a plant in armor”.

“He added paths and built a fine wharf and a double-decked boat house, in the upper part of which we swung our hammocks, and from which we enjoyed the glory of many sunsets. The Hermitage was always a place where work was play; we dumped our cares at the Ithaca station when we left, but they were always waiting to jump at us on our return.” Anna Botsford Comstock

I made my way back to the cottage and by this time the boys were up and ready for the day. My husband and Mr. A took out the canoe onto the morning smooth water of the lake. Exploring a new place by water…leaving their cares behind as they paddled across the surface of the lake in the early morning sunrise.

Mr. B and I decided to take another hike through the woods and this time we noticed the wildflowers. These were the wildflowers of Anna’s books…the ones we don’t have in California.

The whole weekend was filled with the opening of eyes and hearts to a magical place, gently teaching us the way of the New York woods in which we found ourselves. One day it rained and we watched the drops fall from our dry spot on the porch. The fragrance of the wet woods was delightful…different than our Northern California woods. The rain stopped and we grilled dinner on the stone fire pit down by the water. We skipped rocks, sat and watched the fisherman go by on their little boats, and we shed our cares, refreshed.

At the end of the weekend, we had made many entries into our nature journals, took lots of photos, and made some memories of our own at this lakeside cottage.

We will always remember our weekend spent on Lake Cayuga at the Comstock’s beloved Hermitage Cottage. Special thanks to Christiana and Alison who graciously opened up their family cottage to our family, making this trip to New York even more special.

I hope my readers enjoyed glimpsing our weekend….we all need to remember to build in our families a rich heritage of outdoor experiences. Who knows who it will touch in the future?
Next time I will share our day at Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology and Sapsucker Woods! More connections were made to the Handbook of Nature Study.

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Barb — 2 Comments

How to Beat the Summer Crowds at Yosemite National Park

The summer crowds at Yosemite can bring traffic jams, noise, and confusion to an otherwise peaceful and quiet place. They come from all over the world this time of year to take in the beauty of Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, and the Merced River. The sign at the entrance station said, “Expect Two Hour Delays in The Valley”. We decided to avoid the Valley for the morning and took the turn to Glacier Point Road.

Tip #1: Avoid Yosemite Valley and Yosemite Village if possible. Head to Glacier Point Road, Tioga Road, or Wawona.

My favorite wildflower hike is off Glacier Point Road at McGurk Meadow. This is a fairly easy out and back hike which leads to a high meadow, marshy and filled with wildflowers in many places. The marshiness means that there are also lots of mosquitoes and butterflies. The flowers were a little past prime in the meadow but along the edges of the forest we found plenty of color and beauty to enjoy.

Tip #2: Get out of your car and hike a little off the main roads. We hiked less than a mile and were all alone in a beautiful setting.

Alpine Lily at Yosemite National Park – We call them leopard lilies.

Like these leopard lilies that were blazing red in the dappled sunlight of the forest. The bees were buzzing along with the mosquitoes as we hiked through this section. I was hiking with a friend and she was a little nervous about encountering a bear on our hike. We decided to not hike quietly as we followed the trail deeper into the woods so we wouldn’t startle a bear if we came across one.

The California Mule Deer – Yosemite National Park

We were spooked by this buck as he leaped out onto the path past us and then over to a patch of wildflowers that he proceeded to munch as I tried to discreetly take a photo or two.

Crimson columbine – Yosemite National Park

Back to looking at wildflowers….we found lots of Crimson columbine in the marshy areas and we decided it is such a pretty creation.Our field guide tells us they are in the buttercup family. I have one in my nature journal already but I am tempted to sketch it again just so I can use my oranges and yellows.

Corn Lily in Bloom – Yosemite National Park

The corn lilies were blooming all along the trail and it is hard not to overlook their beauty when we slow down to take a look at this common plant. These plants can be quite tall and when you see them in mass…it is gorgeous.

Sentinel Bridge with the Merced River and my beloved pink Roxie bike

Tip #3: If you must go into the Valley, take the walking trail or a bike path to get away from the crowds.

After a quick PB sandwich lunch on the trail, a bottle of water, and a few more photos, we headed into the valley … braving the traffic. We had our bikes along and we wanted to find a place to park and take a slow ride around the bike path which loops around the majority of the valley. We made several stops at the river to cool our feet.

Yosemite Evening – El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls beyond the Merced River

Tip #4: Go early or stay late in the day and you will find the crowds disappear. The middle of the day is a great time to sit at the river and just let everyone else clamor for a spot on a hiking trail or a place on the road.

We ended our day with dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel (actually sitting outside at the cafe) and then we packed up the bikes and headed home. Above is one last image looking back at El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls in the setting sun. This is my favorite time of day in the Valley.

There are plenty more ideas for day hikes away from the crowds on my Squidoo page: Yosemite For Families. It is possible to enjoy a day at this national park even when there are throngs of visitors. We enjoyed a great summer day in this awesome and unique place.

I can’t wait to go back again.

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Barb — 5 Comments

Birds of Summer: July List

Nest on a Utility Pole – Southern Wyoming

We spent quite a bit of time away from home in July so I will attempt to break the list down by location.

Backyard/Local

European Starlings
House Finches
Lesser Goldfinches – they sound like they are laughing
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Oak Titmouse
American Robins
Mourning Doves – our constant companions, everyday under the feeders, always a pair
California Towhee
Steller’s Jay
Western Scrub Jay
Acorn Woodpecker
Great Horned Owl – early morning
Anna’s Hummingbird – males chasing each other, not so many in the feeders but in the flower garden
House Sparrows
Canada Goose
American Crow
Turkey Vultures
Red-tail Hawk
Mountain Chickadee
Black-headed Grosbeak
California Quail
Brewer’s blackbirds

Santa Cruz

Brown Pelicans
California Gulls

Grand Tetons/Utah Trip

Osprey-Wyoming
Trumpeter Swans
American White Pelicans
Lots of gulls – not sure what kind
Killdeer
Barn Swallows
Red-winged blackbirds
Western meadowlark

If I ever go back to Yellowstone, I will print this bird list.

You can share your link with Tweet and See…click the button above to learn more about the monthly meme. This exercise of keeping a list of birds has opened my eyes to a whole world. I highly recommend this activity for all families, no matter where you live.

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Barb — 7 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival – June Newsletter Edition

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.

June Newsletter Topics

Birds

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.

Garden Critters

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.

Crop Plants

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.

First Day of Summer

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).

Now for the giveaway for the Squirrel-Buster Birdfeeder!

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!

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Barb — 1 Comment

The End of Our Year-Long Cattail Study

Can it truly be the last season of our year-long cattail study? This year has really gone by fast. I can remember the autumn study we completed for our cattails and how we noted so many interesting new things about them for the first time. The advice in the Handbook of Nature Study to study plants and trees over an entire year, watching in each season is one that we have learned so much from in our family.

We have now spent a complete round the circle observation of a patch of cattails just around the corner from our house. We drive by several times a week and each time I notice the cattails and how they change with the season.

After looking back on our previous entries, our cattails in summer look pretty much the same as our cattails in autumn. The biggest changes were from winter to spring.

The habitat was definitely wetter in the spring and the other vegetation was tall, thick, and green. Now the surrounding area filled in with berries and thistles. We realized that there is a path that some sort of animal has made to get down to the little creek, probably a mule deer. There is a family of deer that live along this stretch of the road and we see them several times a week.

Fall Study

Winter Study

Spring Study

We used our senses but the thing that impressed us the most was how smooth and long the leaves were. We noticed upon looking closer at the arrangement of the leaves and how they are attached to the stalk. Somehow we missed that observation in the other seasons. We tried to remove a leaf from the stalk and we were not successful. Usually someone has a knife in their pocket (that is what happens when you have boys) but not this time. We had to go back another time to get a sample to observe closely.

There were birds all around the cattails but not directly on them. The boys think the birds were attracted to the thistles, berries, and water that were available in the area that the cattails grew in big clumps. In the spring we had heard all kinds of insects in this area and now it was silent. We were hoping to see some frogs too, or at least hear them on this outing but it was very quiet.

I love these year-long studies that give us time and incentive to watch a common plant more closely.

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