Search Results for: fungi

Well, another year has passed and we sit on the brink of a new year. What nature study memories have you created with your family? Our family had a great year of outdoor adventures both together and as individuals. I started off my year in Florida and ended it with a trip to Oregon last week. It doesn’t get much better than that. 

I appreciate all the entries to the carnival this month…such diverse and interesting posts to enjoy. I look forward to another year with all my nature-loving families. 

I also wanted to thank all the contributors to the Handbook of Nature Study Newsletters this year. Our community has grown into such a wonderful group of families. I feel very blessed.

Our family’s entries from this month’s study (in case you missed one):
Using Our Senses Nature Walk
December Extraordinary Things

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors! 

December Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Alex from Life on a Canadian Island submits their Snowy Trail entry sharing their awesome wintery world. Thanks Alex!

Taunya from Taunya’s Place shares their Nature Study-December Walk entry with the carnival. What a treat to glimpse her Oregon December World. I love the last image in this post…don’t miss it. 

Tolowa Dunes State Park- December 2013

December World
Umm Safiya has submitted their A Walk in Winter Wonderland entry for you to enjoy! It looks like a cold, cold day but they share all the fun things they did in their December World.

Carol from Journey and Destination share their Australian December World in the entry A Walk on the Wild Side. Don’t miss the dragons and the echidna! I loved glimpsing their warm December nature walk.

Annie from Annie’s Place would love for you to read their December World entry.  I really loved seeing “God’s artwork”. Don’t miss seeing her images.

Barbara from The Schoolhouse on the Prairie shares their Winter Wonders entry with the carnival. They made a list of Winter Wish List and share how many things they were able to accomplish.

Kristen from Broom and Crown joins this edition of the carnival with their post, Neighborhood Nature Walks. Their family enjoyed a walk in their neighborhood. 

Michelle from Following Footprints has submitted their Nature Exploration in December entry for you to enjoy. They completed many of the December Newsletter Grid Study items.

Harris Beach, Oregon Coast December 2013

Winter Nature Table
Umm Safiya shares their Winter Scene Nature Table images and entry with the carnival this month. She shares a few simple ideas that her family loves.

Potpourri
Alex from Life on a Canadian Island shares her Window Nature Study – December entry with the carnival. This is month four of her year long study.

Eva Varga shares their family’s continuing fungi study with Nature Study: Fly Agaric Fungi. She shares some interesting thoughts about how nature study can lead us in so many directions. Check out their nature journal entries too. 

Alicia from Homeschooling in the Redwoods has written up and submitted a wonderful post, National Parks. She shares Crater Lake and Lassen National Parks.

 Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in January are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 1/30/14 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).

Join us for the 2013-2013 Outdoor Hour Challenges.

We had a great month! November was particularly mild which meant we could spend lots of time enjoying the outdoors together. Thank you to all the participants for this edition of the blog carnival. I know you will enjoy reading the entries as much as I did.

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

• Project Feederwatch and November Birds
• November Weather Grid Observations

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Woodpecker/November Birds
Nelleke from Education is a Life shares her entry Birds of November with carnival readers.She writes about their bird focus for the month and some great images as well.

November World
Annie from Annie’s Place has submitted their November Weather Study entry for the carnival. She shares how they used the Outdoor Hour Challenge and a Hearts and Trees Weather Lapbook. So many great things in this entry!

Shirley Ann from Under An English Sky has shared their wonderful November World entry with the carnival. What a lovely glimpse into their November nature walks.

Alex from Life on a Canadian Island has submitted her next installment in her series of Window Nature Study – Autumn November. What a fun idea and I am thoroughly enjoying seeing into their continuing study.

Kris from On The 8th Day has written this entry for you to enjoy: Our November Neighborhood. Oh what an insightful entry! She shares how nature study has helped her gain some insight to how her children think…love it!

Barbara from The Schoolhouse on the Prairie shares her November World entry. I loved seeing their cottonwood tree and their nature riddles.

Mushrooms
Angie from Petra School has submitted her entry: Cascade Head Reserve, A Morning Walk. In this entry she has some glorious mushrooms for you to see. I love it!

Eva Varga shares her Fascinating Fungi entry with carnival readers for this edition. Her run through the forest was interrupted by some beautiful fungi. Thanks Eva for sharing!

Potpourri
Taunya from Taunya’s Place shares their Nature Study-The Cattail entry with the carnival.  They used the Handbook of Nature Study and had some fun too!

 Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in December are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 12/30/13 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com or submit them at the blog carnival site (link on the sidebar of my blog).

Join us for the 2013-2013 Outdoor Hour Challenges.

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.

This month has flown by and with it so has the mushroom/lichen/moss study! Our family enjoyed finding such beautiful things to learn about in our own yard and along our local hiking trails. Taking a few minutes each week to explore with my family, to really slow and see the little ordinary things in our world, brought us much delight. I hope your family had a chance to seek out some of this month’s subjects and learn together about them. If you were still buried in snow, save these challenges for a future time when the opportunity arises.

Our families moss/lichen/mushroom entries from this month’s study (in case you missed one):

Family Mushroom/Moss/Lichen Grid Study
Moss on Our Nature Table

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Mushroom Grid Study

Love the multi-age study going on at the Hodgepodge house!

Tricia from Hodgepodge has put together their entry Spring Nature Study with Multiple Ages where she shares how they use the Mushroom/Lichen/Moss Grid Study with everyone in their family. What a great example!

Kelly joins the carnival for the first time with their entry March Nature Study-Outdoor Hour Challenge Mushrooms from her blog Believe. They found a lot of things to observe during their outdoor time and once the returned home. Thanks for sharing!

Leann from Montessori Tidbits shares their Spring Nature Study Observation Table. What a wonderful collection of ideas and images for you to enjoy!

Robin from Academia did some improvising for this month’s study since they still have lots of snow. Please click over and read how they learned the parts of a mushroom and found some lichen and moss: Mushrooms, Lichen and Moss.

Sarah from GranWood Explores submitted their OHC-Moss, Lichen, and Mushrooms entry for your enjoyment. They found quite a few mosses and fungus to observe even though they still have snow. I really enjoyed seeing the variety.

Moss and Lichen

Lichen up close from Alex at Life on a Canadian Island

Alex from Life on a Canadian Island writes about their Moss and Lichen on the Trail. I really enjoyed their entry where she showed the subjects they found even when there was snow on the ground. They took the opportunity to use their microscope too so check out what they found!

Angie from Petra School enthusiastically shares their March Moss Study! I love seeing her images and hearing how they learned something new with this study…she always inspires me to do a better job!

Lisa from Pilgrims at Tinker Creek has gathered their Lichen Study into a wonderfully visual entry. What a great way to learn about lichen up close! Don’t miss seeing the image with the little hairs on the lichen…fascinating!

Lisa also has submitted their Moss Entry from her blog Pilgrims at Tinker Creek. What a great account of their mossy adventures this month!

Nadene from Practical Pages has submitted their Moss Study for you to view. Their South African season is perfect for their study of moss and she shares some wonderful links and their moss terrariums.Nadene also shares their Lichen entry which includes a wonderful collage of lichen found on their lichen scavenger hunt. Awesome images!

Mother Robin from Mother Robin’s Notes from the Nest has written We Like Lichens and Most Mosses for the carnival this time around.  They went on a hunt for all three kinds of lichen and were successful! I enjoyed seeing a glimpse at their moss too.

Heidi from Home Schoolroom has a wonderful post for you to view: I’m Linking Lichen. She has included some additional resources for you to check out and also their nature journal page.

Rachel from Happily Occupied Homebodies shares their Moss Study and a Quartz Find with the carnival.  What gorgeous colorful images she has of their moss and quartz discoveries!

Kelly from Believe shares their Week in Science which includes a study of mushrooms and lichen.

Carla from Inside Outside Michiana shares two entry this time around: Moss Walk and Nurturing Acorns-Fairies.-where she shares their mushroom study and a few other ideas too.

Lisa from Pilgrims at Tinker Creek shared this awesome fungi!

Mushrooms/Fungi
Alicia from Redwoods Homeschool shares their Afternoon Sketching entry with a great example of a mushroom notebook page. Alicia also has submitted their Sharing Our Mushroom Encounters for your viewing.

Alex from Life on a Canadian Island submits her Fungi on the Trail entry for you to enjoy.  There is one image of a glorious fungus right at the top that is awesome. Thanks for sharing your PEI nature study.

Carla from Inside Outside Michiana had a great time with her little one and this mushroom study: Mushroom Exploration! She shares how they compared wild and store bought mushrooms on a level with her little guy. Excellent example.

Lisa from Pilgrims at Tinker Creek contributes their  Bracket Fungi entry for you to read. They found some glorious fungi to observe and identify. Don’t miss the dinner plate fungus!

Nadene from Practical Pages shares their South African mushrooms with the carnival: Mushrooms. Her daughter created another wonderful collage of images for us to view and Nadene fills in with some interesting tips and facts about mushrooms.

Robin from Mother Robin’s Nature Notes submits their There’s a Fungus Among Us post for your to enjoy. She has some great close up images of a bracket fungus for you to view.  You are also invited to read their Yeast is Yeast post where they work on learning more about yeast and fungus.

Carol from Journey-and-Destination shares their Outdoor Hour March entry with some colorful moss and fungus.

Makita from Academia Celestia writes and shares their Fungi and Mushrooms…Our Quest Begins entry with the carnival. It looks like they found all kinds of interesting subjects to learn about!

With winter weather leaving them still with snow and a newborn in the house, Barbara from  The Schoolhouse on the Prairie resorted to some indoor study this time, including an introduction to this month’s topics: Winter or Spring?

Oregon Birds from Angie at Petra School

Potpourri

Angie from Petra School treats all to her February Birding entry. What a treat to see all her Oregon birds! Don’t you just want to go on a field trip and see all her wonderful bird creatures? While you are over at the Petra School, check out her Learning about Pelicans entry. I love the comparing of their Oregon pelicans to my California pelicans…great stuff!

Ann from Harvest Moon by Hand submits their Outdoor Hour Nature Challenge – Squirrels entry for you to enjoy. She and her daughters always do such a great job with their nature study.  Ann also has shared their Winter Birds/Bird Migration entry with the carnival. Don’t miss seeing their very well done nature journal pages! One last entry from Ann and her girls- Rabbits and Hares! This looks like they had a terrific time learning more by fostering a rabbit in their home…great idea!

Michelle from Following Footprints shares their Signs of Spring…..wonderful job, including journals.

Kris from On the 8th Day shares their early spring bird study: Here Birdie, Birdie, Birdie. They made a bluebird house!

Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in April are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 4/29/13 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com or submit them at the blog carnival site (link on the sidebar of my blog).

Summer weather and summer trips have filled my life the past month. We enjoyed a trip to the Oregon Coast (blog entry coming soon), a crazy lightning storm, the amazing display of colors in our garden, lots of eating outdoors, swimming at the lake, and counting bees in the garden.

Summer as your children get older changes. The rhythm is different and I have found such satisfaction in my gardening and bird watching. There is time to read in the evenings as the sun sets slowly over the landscape. There are far fewer Popsicles being consumed and lots more Gatorade in the fridge as the boys take on new sports like soccer and volleyball with friends, mountain biking, running, and Hacky Sack.

On our camping trip I found that my boys were still happy to walk along the beach with me looking for pretty rocks and watching for marine life in the tidepools. They scooped up sand for me to look at as we compared each beach’s unique sand. Nature study is not formal in our family anymore….it is casual and comfortable. We make observations, we make comparisons, we try to notice details, we read signs and books and displays when we travel, and we learn more every time we put forth the effort.

Thank you to all the families that sent in entries for this edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. It is always one of the highlights of my month to get to put this entry together after reading all the entries. I appreciate your time and effort to make this carnival a success.

Summer Pond – Turtles and Pondweed
Robin from Academia has submitted her post: Bike Ride to The Pond.  They rode bikes to their pond and she was able to capture some interesting pond life. Love the damselfly!

Kristin from Broom and Crown put together their Pond Study for the carnival. What a perfect summer pond day they had with insects, animal tracks, and so much more. She also includes a great example of a younger child’s journal.  You can also read about another day they had at the Madrona Marsh. They are taking advantage of their local nature center this summer!
Summer Weather
Shirley Ann from Under An English Sky shares her entry: the Great British Weather. What a great entry to show how their summer weather is unique to their part of the world. I learned a few things too!

Summer Butterfly Study
Tricia from Hodgepodge shares the account of their summer butterfly story: The Marvel of the Butterfly Cycle.  I agree with her and know that reading about this in a book does not even come close to comparing with watching the life cycle in person. Thank you so much for sharing your family’s study.

Cristy from Crafty Cristy recorded and submits for your enjoyment: Studying the Life Cycle of the Fritillary Butterfly for this edition of the carnival. They discovered eggs and caterpillars in their own butterfly garden.

Heidi from Home Schoolroom writes about what she calls Mesmerized by Monarch Metamorphosis. This mama went above and beyond to find the caterpillars, keep them fed with milkweed leaves, and then take a time lapse for us all to see of the caterpillar’s change into a chrysalis. What a jewel! You don’t want to miss sharing this one with your children.
Potpourri
Jennifer from Royal Little Lambs tells carnival readers about their Hummingbird Study. They have a variety to observe and they are making the most of it..complete with notebook pages for their nature journals.

Wendy from Loving Learning submits: Foraging for Fungi.  Their family went on a guided fungus hike and learned more about their local specimens. I enjoyed reading about this South African nature study!

Shirley Ann from Under An English Sky has written a wonderful entry: Cuckoo Spit, Froghoppers, and Other Things.  This is such a wonderful entry showing a nature walk they took with a friend…and ended up getting soaked in the rain.

Kristin from Broom and Crown shares their skunk study: My Lil Stinkers. Her girls really enjoyed learning more about this creature that we all hope not to see up close.

Zonnah from Zonnah’s Addictions shows us how they jumped back in with the Outdoor Hour Challenge: We Are Back. Looks like they are using the newsletter grid to have a hot summer afternoon of outside activities.
Catherine from Grace to Abide writes about their Outdoor Hour Challenge #14 (Pressing Flowers). They are experiencing some cold, wet weather in their part of the UK but they have spent time in their garden and observing things as part of the OHC. Love their colorful flower garden!

Jen from Snowfall Academy submits their entry, Summer Tree Study, for you to enjoy. Don’t miss reading her daughter’s next stanza in her “My Tree in All the Seasons” poem. Excellent job.

Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in August are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 8/30/12 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).

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