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Homeschool Nature Study in the City or Small Backyard

Here you will find some practical ideas for homeschool nature study in the city or in a small backyard. You will see just how much you can enjoy with your family!

I have been pondering over a question that someone asked about Outdoor Hour Challenge #10 from our free Getting Started in Homeschool Nature Study Guide. The commenter asked how I would suggest that they complete the challenges since they live in the middle of the city. I think you may have to be a little more diligent about your nature study but if you are up to the challenge I think it is well worth the effort.

Homeschool Nature Study in the City or in a Small Backyard

I live in an urban area. Can I still do this?

Whether your backyard is a rural patch, suburban yard, or a small city lot, you can participate in Green Hour activities and discoveries with your child. And if you don’t have a backyard, there most likely will be a nearby public park, community garden, nature center, or other green space accessible to you and your family. – Green Hour website

This post may include affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

How to Handle City Noise and Congestion During Nature Study


If you have trouble with noise, dogs, or traffic, try taking your walks at different times of day to see if it is any better. I know we live within earshot of a very busy highway. Sometimes I can hear the traffic clearly but at other times of day it is not even noticeable. We also live across the street from a school so during the weekday mornings and then during afternoon dismissal time, there is a lot more traffic and noise. We enjoy early mornings and early evenings relatively noise free.

How To Be Alert To Homeschool Nature Study Opportunities

Take advantage of any aspects of nature that you have on hand. The original commenter made reference to the wind blowing their napkins during their picnic. The wind could be a whole field of study during your nature time. Measure the speed, the direction, and the effects of the wind. Build on that for a study of the weather in your local area. Everyone has sky up above and you can watch the clouds and the sky each day as you go outside. I make it a habit to look up each time I go outside.

Make The Best of The Nature Surroundings You Have


Bugs were also mentioned in the question. Take a few minutes and observe the pesky little insects that disrupt your picnic. Each time you go out try to identify one insect and then record it in your nature journal. We focused on a study of insects last fall and I was surprised at how my attitude changed about them as the term went along. I was actually looking for insects by the time the nine weeks were up. If you have boys, insects may be just the ticket to their buying into a study of nature.

Adopt a Tree for Your City Nature Study


Adopt a tree in your neighborhood or a near-by park or near somewhere you go regularly like the library or the grocery store. Observe the tree each time you go by for changes and differences. You could start a year long tree study with the Outdoor Hour Challenge and this would be a great way to participate.

Set Up a Nature Study Habitat in the City


I know several city dwelling families that are able to put up a bird feeder outside a window in their apartment. You might be surprised at what you attract right to your own window.

Here you will find some practical ideas for homeschool nature study in the city or in a small backyard. So much you can enjoy with your family!
Photo by Amy Law

Enjoy Homeschool Nature Study in Local Parks


Most big cities that I have been to have some sort of central park area that could provide a way to have a study of nature. Ducks, geese, or pigeons can usually be found in urban areas and are covered thoroughly in the Handbook of Nature Study. If there is a pond, look for tadpoles, turtles, or minnows. Study the plant life around the pond or the algae if there is any.

Notice the Trees


How about a collection of leaves? Leaves are something easy to collect and then press or make rubbings of when you get home. Collect leaves on your nature walk, while running errands, or anywhere else you visit during your regular travels.

Collect Seeds


You could do a study of seeds by saving seeds from your meals. Oranges, apples, tomatoes, grapes, watermelon, or any other seeds you come across can be examined and drawn into a nature notebook.

Here is an important quote from the book Last Child in the Woods that I think may be helpful. Read the entire quote and then think about somewhere you might have close at hand that can provide you and your family with a place to get to know even if at first it seems like an “empty” lot or a “weed patch” along the sidewalk of a city street.

” Your job isn’t to hit them with another Fine Educational Opportunity, but to turn them on to what a neat world we live in,” writes Deborah Churchman in the journal American Forests, published by the nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization. She recommends re-creating all the dopey, fun things you did as a kid: “Take them down to the creek to skip rocks-and then show them what was hiding under those rocks. Take a walk after the rain and count worms…Turn on the porch light and watch the insects gather…..Go to a field (with shoes on) and watch the bees diving into the flowers.” Find a ravine, woods, a windbreak row of trees, a swamp, a pond, a vacant and overgrown lot-and go there, regularly. Churchman repeats an old Indian saying:“It’s better to know one mountain than to climb many.”

I love that saying. The Outdoor Hour Challenges were started to do just that very thing: Get to know what you have close at hand, right outside your doorstep. I admit that for some this is more of a challenge but I know you can do it.

Container nature study in small spaces
Photo by Amy Law

More Nature Study Ideas for Small Spaces

If all else fails, you can always bring nature to you.

Maybe this will help those that are finding that the real challenge is to just find some sort of “green” to spend some time in. Keep me posted on how it is going for your family.

Bring the Handbook of Nature Study to Life in your homeschool with Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

Join Our Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

You will find a continuing series of Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. Plus 25+ continuing courses with matching curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Join the Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

-originally published May 2008 by Barb. Updated January 2022 by Tricia.

Here you will find some practical ideas for homeschool nature study in the city or in a small backyard. You will see just how much you can enjoy with your family!
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Homeschool Nature Study Resource: Keeping a Nature Journal – Review

Keeping a Nature Journal is a great homeschool nature study resource and contains a wealth of ideas that you can pick and choose to use as inspiration. This book is a tool like so many other tools we use in our family’s nature study.

This book is a great homeschool nature study resource and contains a wealth of ideas that you can pick and choose to use as inspiration. Keeping a Nature Journal, is a tool like so many other tools we use in our family's nature study.
Photos by Amy Law

This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

Homeschool Nature Study Resource

This is a book that many of us own and is sitting on our shelf. It may also be a book that you have looked at online, have seen others using, or actually paged through at a bookstore. It is a familiar book that I have a love/hate relationship because of the perceived expectation that it creates for journalers.

Many of us struggle with perfection. We think that a nature journal should be a place of beauty and value…which I agree with wholeheartedly. But, it also can be a place that we experiment and mess up from time to time. A smear here or a misspelled word or funky drawing we don’t like can also appear on a nature journal page. Those “mess ups” shouldn’t keep us from striving to create pages on a regular basis.

Don’t let the great page examples overwhelm or discourage but allow them to create a reservoir of ideas to use over the years as you fill your journal.

A review of Keeping a Nature Journal Homeschool Nature Study Resource

Quick Thoughts About the Book

Note: page numbers are from the first edition

  • This is a book for all ages to use as they learn to keep a nature journal.
  • You will find ideas for using a nature journal in all curriculum areas on page 165 (A Curriculum Web for Nature Journaling).
  • The “Getting Started with Drawing” section (pages 139-153) would be a wonderful basis for an art course using nature as your subject.
  • I found the section titled, “Subjects to Observe, Draw, Record throughout the Seasons“, to be a wonderful inspiration and I intend to refer to it for my own use. Each season is listed in the chart along with ideas for drawing birds, animals, plants and trees, weather and sky, and seasonal celebrations.
  • ***I see the second edition of this book has an expanded section showing more of Claire’s actual journal pages.

Keeping a Nature Journal by Claire Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth gives this long term nature journal mom some fresh ideas that I can’t wait to use in the upcoming summer season.

Find this great resource HERE.

More Homeschool Reviews

Are you making your nature journal your sidekick this summer?

Previous Month’s Books and Reviews and More Nature Journaling Homeschool Resources

Nature Study in Your Own Backyard and Nature Journaling with Outdoor Hour Challenges

To get each Friday’s homeschool nature study Outdoor Hour Challenge and for access to a continuing series of new nature studies, join us in Homeschool Nature Study Membership. With homeschool nature study membership, you will have everything you need to bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool.

Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

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Monthly Nature Journal Activities For Your Homeschool

Monthly nature journal activities take your outdoor experiences, your thoughts, new ideas or facts, and make them tangible. Here are some ideas to get you started nature journaling.

Monthly nature journal activities take your outdoor experiences, your thoughts, new ideas or facts, and make them tangible. Here are some ideas to get you started nature journaling.
Photos by Amy Law

The Value Of Nature Journaling In Your Homeschool

Paging through the completed journals gives such a sense of accomplishment, each page a nugget of learning from your nature study.

This time of year is an opportunity to reflect on our goals and habits. I don’t know about you but one thing that has been a little neglected over the last year is my nature journal.

Monthly Projects For Nature Journaling

Our Homeschool Nature Study members will receive new nature journal activities each month! I jotted down a list of journal ideas for each month of the year. Creating a  page a month will be a simple and reachable goal and I hope it will help you and your family to complete a few pages too.

Monthly nature journal activities take your outdoor experiences, your thoughts, new ideas or facts, and make them tangible. Here are some ideas to get you started nature journaling.

Homeschool Nature Journal Supplies Needed?

Let’s keep it simple. Pull your nature journal off the shelf or out of your backpack and take a look at what you have done so far and decide if your journal choice is inspiring you or hindering you.

Or, if you are new to nature journaling, take a trip to the office supply store and look over your journal choices. It is important to like the feel and size of your journal. I like to use sketchbooks but some people like to use fancier journals.

Here are a couple I have used in the past and really liked. They lie flat, are spiral bound, and they hold up to just about any medium I want to use (including watercolor with varying results).

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Nature Journals

The point is not to get hung up on choosing a journal but just pick one and get started!

Monthly nature journal activities take your outdoor experiences, your thoughts, new ideas or facts, and make them tangible. Here are some ideas to get you started nature journaling.

Art Supplies for Writing and Sketching

I use a variety of things to write in my journal.

  • If you have a good black pen you like pull that out and keep it with your journal.
  • Gel pens
  • Prismacolor markers and Prismacolor watercolor pencils round out my nature journal writing and sketching choices.
  • Don’t forget a good old No. 2 pencil is always handy for making quick sketches in your journal.

Other Journaling Supplies

Other items that may be helpful for your nature journal activities include a small ruler, a jar lid for making circles, double sided tape to adhere items in your nature journal, a pencil sharpener, and a small cup and paint brush for working with watercolor pencils.

More Encouragement

Handbook of Nature Study nature journaling

Nature Journal Series Overview By Month

The first months of nature journal activities is ready for Homeschool Nature Study members in the Nature Journaling course in membership. This will give members the rest of the month to spend some time outdoors as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge or other family activity and then create a journal using the suggestion.

Each lesson is filled with ideas and how tos for your family:

  • June – Sketch Outside
  • July – Using Your 5 Senses

More nature journal activities coming for members each month!

Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Monthly Nature Journal Activities For Your Homeschool

Share Your Nature Journals!

Share a photo of your nature journal and tag us on social media @outdoorhourchallenge Join us in continuing this fun Nature Journal Project started by our founder, Barb McCoy!

Browse examples by others on this Nature Journal Pinterest board.

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Mega List of August Summer Walk and Nature Study Activities

Take advantage of August and enjoy summer nature walks with these ideas! Taking nature walks can be as simple as putting on your shoes and heading out the door, letting nature inspire what you do and what you study. Or, you can have a few ideas in mind before you head out the door.

Take advantage of August summer nature walks and nature study in your homeschool! Let nature inspire what you study.

August Summer Walk Ideas and Nature Study Activities

Simply take a nature walk at a nearby meadow or stream. Pick a theme for the walk such as insects, birds, trees, flowers, etc. Then have everyone make observations within that theme.

In my experience, having a focus during a walk makes it much more enjoyable for everyone. Each person can use their eyes and senses to look for items within the theme and then share them with the group.

One person can be the designated photographer and take photos of things of interest. Or, take along your nature journal and make a record of your sightings as you go along.

Take advantage of August summer nature walks and nature study in your homeschool! Let nature inspire what you study.

Late Summer Nature Study Ideas

I realized over time that we didn’t need to travel far to find places to go on short notice or even for a half day’s hike. I loved being able to roll out of bed, decide to go on a hike, and be out the door in a short period of time. So, how did I overcome the dilemma of finding places to hike near our home? Read More about Finding Hikes Near Home

Taking a Nature Walk – The idea of taking a nature walk is nothing new. However, the need for nature walks has never been more evident in our increasingly indoor, sedentary lives. Childhood used to be times of exploring outdoors for hours at a time, but in today’s world few children have the circumstances or incentive to get outside on their own. This is where involved parents can be of such value.

“Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health (and also, by the way, in our own).”

― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Using the Handbook of Nature Study in Your Homeschool

Need help getting started? Enjoy Amy’s Six Tips for Using The Handbook of Nature Study! (also in the caption of the video, above)

Be sure to fit in some sweet, nighttime summer nature studies. Find an Ultimate Guide to Nighttime Summer Nature Studies HERE.

queen anne's lace nature study

August Nature Study Plans with the Outdoor Hour Challenges

Each year we have a new focus with The Handbook of Nature Study curriculum plans. Here is a sampling of topics from this year and others:

  • Queen Anne’s lace
  • Crickets/Grasshoppers
  • Evening Primrose
  • Raccoons/skunks
August Homeschool Nature Studies for the Outdoor Hour Challenge
  • Pressing flowers
  • Drawing flowers
  • Learning leaf parts
  • Looking for pollen
  • Night sky
  • Nature journaling
  • Nature study with art and music appreciation

You can choose from these topics and any in all of our Handbook of Nature Study courses! You can follow our plan or choose topics that match your current studies. Our nature studies complement the lovely learning in your homeschool!

fall homeschool nature study activities

Look Ahead with Fall Homeschool Nature Study Activities

Enjoy a last days of summer homeschool nature study free notebook page. Let’s soak up these last sunny and glorious days, have fun and make memories together as a family. Get your FREE notebook page/Scavenger Hunt HERE. (Homeschool Nature Study members already have this page in your Summer Outdoor Hour Curriculum course. Not yet a member? You can download the notebook page and sample the Outdoor Hour Challenges!)

It is at this time of the year that we also look forward to autumn nature study and all the joys of nature study for your homeschool year.

The Ultimate Guide to Fall Homeschool Nature Study In Your Own Backyard – The benefits of fall nature study seem to be endless! The most important of all is making memories together as a family. The crisp, cooler air and the brilliant blue sky (on sunny days) highlight all of the fall leaf color for us. Being outside does wonders for moods. And having an outdoor ‘laboratory’ for discovery is as simple as swinging open your backdoor.

Enjoy Nature Crafts (fun teasel pets!) plus The Outdoor Mom series in Homeschool Nature Study membership!

Fall Nature Study Lesson Plans

We have Outdoor Hour Challenge Homeschool Nature Study Curriculum filled with weeks of fall nature study plans! You can also take a look at this sampling of the resources we have for you to enjoy simple, fall homeschool nature study in your own backyard.

  • Seasonal Tree Observations Outdoor Hour Challenge
  • Fall Color Walk with Printable Color Cards in membership (great for your youngest adventurers)
  • How to Make Leaf Rubbings (video)
  • Tips for Drawing Leaves
  • Learn Why Leaves Change Color
  • Advanced studies on the chemistry of leaves
  • Seasonal Favorites: apples, pumpkins, bats, turkeys and more!
Take advantage of August and enjoy summer nature walks with these ideas! Talking nature walks can be as simple as putting on your shoes and heading out the door, letting nature inspire what you do and what you study. Or, you can have a few ideas in mind before you head out the door.

The Outdoor Hour Challenges Bring The Handbook of Nature Study to Life in Your Homeschool!

For even more homeschool nature study ideas for all seasons, join us in Homeschool Nature Study membership! You’ll receive new ideas each and every week that require little or no prep – all bringing the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Find Nature Study Activities for each month of the year!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Biomes and Habitats Activity For Your Homeschool

Learn about biomes and compare habitats. With these activities, notice animal and plant diversity and enjoy an in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

Learn About Biomes and Compare Habitats

We invite you to enjoy all of the various habitat studies and use the Outdoor Hour Challenges resources and curriculum for your studies. Learn about the forest floor, layers of the ocean, the desert, snow/tundra and more!

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

Explore a Forest Floor Biome

Autumn is on the horizon with the yellowing of leaves signalling chilly weather to come, so lets create this forest floor biome to celebrate. In this tutorial I will show you how to layer watercolours to create depth as well as texture using a stippling technique. So grab your paints, download the free printable I have created and let’s get crafting!

Go To: Forest Floor Fall Nature Studies

Layers of the Ocean Art Lesson – Learn About the Ocean Biome

With 5 different layers of the ocean home to many amazing creatures, a layers of the ocean diagram is the perfect study companion to create. I have created a little printable with the outlines for your diagrams. All you have to do is add colour. In this lesson I will teach you some great watercolour techniques so grab your paints and lets get crafting!

Go To: Seashore Activities and Learning About the Ocean

Subnivean Zone - This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

A Fascinating Subnivean Zone Habitat Study

Learn more about the interesting Subnivean Zone animals and predators with these facts and new member worksheet.

The Subnivean Zone is found in and under the snow pack. It’s the space that many creatures inhabit during the winter where the snow actually acts as an insulator from cold winter temperatures.  Smaller mammals like mice, voles, pikas, and shrews live in the subnivean zone to escape the cold, wind, and predators. 

The smaller mammals create a unique tunnel system to travel around, hunt, and gather food. However, predators like weasels, foxes, coyotes, owls, and wolves, use their amazing senses of smell, hearing, and sight to find these prey below the snow.

Go To: Subnivean Zone Winter Nature Study

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

High Desert Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum

Remember that the yield of a hard country is a love deeper than a fat and easy land inspires, that throughout the arid West the Americans have found a secret treasure … a stern and desolate country, a high bare country, a country brimming with a beauty not to be found elsewhere.” —Bernard DeVoto 1943

“I am happy to share with you just a small snapshot of the diversity of life there is to be found in the High Desert. The topics in this ebook curriculum are some of my favorite nature study subjects from my own personal nature journal and experiences.

This habitat is home to over 350 species of plants and animals that depend on sagebrush for survival: mule deer, pronghorn, golden eagles, black tailed deer, and the spade footed toad to name just a few additional study ideas for continued study.

Start with the topics in this curriculum then keep going!” – Barb McCoy, Outdoor Hour Challenges founder

Our High Desert course is included in membership and gives you a deep dive into the animals, plants and the vast variety of this habitat. It also includes advanced studies options for high school students. Here are some topics included:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage
  • Grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled ground squirrel
  • River Otter

Go To: America’s Prairies and Grasslands Study and Explore the High Desert Curriculum!

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth! For high schoolers and advanced learners too!

How To Study Biomes and Habitats with Teens

Included with this curriculum are advanced notebook pages and advanced follow-up suggestions. Each challenge will include ideas for older students to dig a little deeper and take a more focused look at each topic. The challenges will include notebook pages for the advanced students to use in their nature journals. Please feel free to skip the notebook pages and use any nature journal that you already have started.

You also may wish to download my free printable Nature Study: Three Steps to a Better Nature Study Experience. It will show you how to offer age appropriate nature study to all ages of children in your family. There are also tips and a free printable nature study rubric for advanced students. You can successfully continue nature study with your teenagers. They may need some encouragement to make the study their own by adjusting your subjects, your methods of follow-up, and your attitude towards what nature study should look like.

A giant list of 100+ ideas to use in creating your backyard habitat designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies!

Wildlife Habitat Plan with 25 More Ideas – With Requirements For Certified Wildlife Habit!

Homeschool Nature Study Members can enjoy this Wildlife Habitat Plan (with Requirements for a Certified Wildlife Habitat!) with prompts for 25 more ideas for your backyard habitat!

This biomes and habitats activity list includes an exploration of animal and plant diversity and in-depth study of our beautiful earth!

Members enjoy this wonderful Biodiversity: Comparing Habitats resource! So much to enjoy while learning about biomes and habitats.

More Biomes and Habitats Nature Studies to Enjoy

Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

Can you believe all of these homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

Fidn Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge: Bee Balm Herb Nature Study

 Use this bee balm herb nature study to learn all about how to grow this plant, its medicinal uses, its other names and more! Just one of a series in this herb homeschool nature study curriculum!

 Use this bee balm herb nature study to learn all about how to grow this plant, its medicinal uses, its other names and more! Just one of a series in this herb homeschool nature study curriculum!

“The name ‘bee balm’ implies that the plant is attractive to bees. It is, but its long flower makes it less accessible to bees but easily accessible to hummingbirds.”

100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names

 Use this bee balm herb nature study to learn all about how to grow this plant, its medicinal uses, its other names and more! Just one of a series in this herb homeschool nature study curriculum!

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Bee Balm Herb Nature Study

Read a little bit about bee balm using the links below.

Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to members here at Homeschool Nature Study.  You will need to sign into your membership to see the Herb Ebook Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum.

Outdoor Hour Challenge! Please note that the challenge for cilantro is found in the sample for this curriculum. Your family is welcome to download the sample, use the suggestions for nature study, complete a notebook page for your nature journal, and perhaps even use the coloring page.

 Use this bee balm herb nature study to learn all about how to grow this plant, its medicinal uses, its other names and more! Just one of a series in this herb homeschool nature study curriculum!

Get Your Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum Sample

Get Your FREE Herb Nature Study Ebook Sample!

Subscribe to get your free Herb Nature Study Ebook Sample.

    We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    Included in the new Herb Curriculum are eight brand new Outdoor Hour Challenges for you to complete as part of your nature study lessons with your children. These challenges are not based on information in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You will be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.

    • This 49-page digital ebook curriculum has 8 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn about some popular and common herbs you can easily grow in your garden.
    • There are multiple custom notebooking pages for each of the topics. You can choose from simple notebook pages or more advanced notebooking pages.
    • There are 6 coloring pages.

    Here are the specific topics included in the Herb Nature Study Curriculum ebook:

    • Cilantro
    • Basil
    • Bee Balm (this study)
    • Oregano
    • Dill
    • Thyme
    • Sage
    • Mint

     Bonus: Rosemary Herb Study

     Use this bee balm herb nature study to learn all about how to grow this plant, its medicinal uses, its other names and more! Just one of a series in this herb homeschool nature study curriculum!

    More in Herbs Nature Study Course

    This Herbs course in Homeschool Nature Study membership includes:

    • Outdoor Hour Challenge printable curriculum
    • Herb Study Planner Page
    • Resource and Supplies List
    • Herb Study Planning Page
    • Instructions For Using The Herbs Curriculum
    • Planting Herbs to Attract Insects
    • Herbs in a Child’s Garden
    • Herbs from Renee’s Garden
    • Notebook Pages: Regular and Advanced Versions
    • Coloring Pages

    You might also like: Creating an Edible Garden: Gardening with Children.

    Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

    Can you believe all of these herb homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

    Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

    We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

    Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

    Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy. Updated by Tricia June 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

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    Outdoor Hour Challenge: Mint Herb Nature Study

    This week we’ll be studying mint as part of the herb nature study series. This plant is an easy plant to grow for beginners and younger students.

    This week we’ll be studying mint as part of the herb nature study series. This plant is an easy plant to grow for beginners and younger students.
    Pictured above: Tricia’s family has several variety of volunteer, native mountain mint!

    Outdoor Hour Challenge: Mint Herb Nature Study

    Here are a few observation ideas for you to get started:

    • Note the mint’s square stalk and the opposite pair of aromatic leaves. Feel the stem. Crush the leaves between your fingers for a more intense scent. Does it smell like toothpaste?
    • Note the color and height of the stem.
    • Look at the leaves and observe the shape and veins. What is the texture of the leaf?  Taste a few of the fresh leaves if possible.
    • Observe the flowers if they are present. What is their color and size? Do they have a fragrance? Did you see any insects on the plant or flowers? Bees, hover flies, and tachinid flies all are attracted to mint flowers.
    • Advanced Study:  Grow and then study two kinds of mint. This link has a list of a variety of mints you could choose from: Mint Plant Varieties.

    Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to members here at Homeschool Nature Study.  You will need to sign into your membership to see the Herb Ebook Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum.

    Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to members here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

    Outdoor Hour Challenge Mint Nature Study

    Outdoor Hour Challenge! Please note that this challenge for cilantro is found in the sample for this ebook. Your family is welcome to download the sample, use the suggestions for nature study, complete a notebook page for your nature journal, and perhaps even use the coloring page.

    Get Your Outdoor Hour Challenge Herb Nature Study eBook Sample

    Get Your FREE Herb Nature Study Ebook Sample!

    Subscribe to get your free Herb Nature Study Ebook Sample.

      We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

      Included in the Herb Nature Study Homeschool Curriculum are eight Outdoor Hour Challenges for you to complete as part of your nature study lessons with your children. These challenges are not based on information in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You’ll be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.

      There are 6 coloring pages.

      This 49-page digital ebook curriculum has 8 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn about some popular and common herbs you can easily grow in your garden.

      There are multiple custom notebooking pages for each of the topics. You can choose from simple notebook pages or more advanced notebooking pages.

      Here are the specific topics included in this Herbs Curriculum:

      • Cilantro
      • Basil
      • Bee Balm
      • Oregano
      • Dill
      • Thyme
      • Sage
      • Mint (this study)

       Bonus: Rosemary Herb Study

      This mint herb nature study is part of an ongoing series of outdoor hour challenges all about herbs in nature.

      More in Herbs Nature Study Course

      This Herbs course in Homeschool Nature Study membership includes:

      • Outdoor Hour Challenge printable curriculum
      • Herb Study Planner Page
      • Resource and Supplies List
      • Herb Study Planning Page
      • Instructions For Using The Herbs Curriculum
      • Planting Herbs to Attract Insects
      • Herbs in a Child’s Garden
      • Herbs from Renee’s Garden
      • Notebook Pages: Regular and Advanced Versions
      • Coloring Pages

      You might also like: Creating an Edible Garden: Gardening with Children.

      Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

      Can you believe all of these herb homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

      Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

      We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

      Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

      Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy. Updated by Tricia June 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

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      Cilantro Herb Nature Study: An Outdoor Hour Challenge

      Here we are at the start of another new series of nature study topics! For the next weeks, we’ll be studying common herbs that most families have used and may have access to in their gardens. Cilantro is one of my favorite culinary herbs, especially in Mexican food. It’s easy to grow, so look for it at your local garden nursery.

      Cilantro Herb Nature Study

      Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge! Please note that this challenge for cilantro is found in the sample for this ebook. Your family is welcome to download the sample, use the suggestions for nature study, complete a notebook page for your nature journal, and perhaps even use the coloring page.

      Get Your Outdoor Hour Challenge Herb Nature Study eBook Sample

      Get Your FREE Herb Nature Study Ebook Sample!

      Subscribe to get your free Herb Nature Study Ebook Sample.

        We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
        Outdoor Hour Challenge cilantro

        Here are some observation ideas from the Cilantro Herb Nature Study challenge

        Observe your cilantro plant using all your senses.

        • Touch–Describe how the leaves feel? Is the stem stiff or bendable?
        • Fragrance–Smell the leaves. Crush a few leaves and note the difference in aroma. Do the flowers have a fragrance?
        • Sight-How tall is your plant? Note the shape of the leaves. Do you see any insects on your cilantro plant or flowers?
        • Taste-Rinse a few of the leaves and then taste them. It has been described as tasting “bright, lemony, or a little peppery”. What is your description of the taste?

        Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to members here at Homeschool Nature Study.  You will need to sign into your membership to see the Herb Ebook Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum.

        Included in the Herb Nature Study Homeschool Curriculum are eight Outdoor Hour Challenges for you to complete as part of your nature study lessons with your children. These challenges are not based on information in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You’ll be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.

        • This 49-page digital ebook curriculum has 8 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn about some popular and common herbs you can easily grow in your garden.
        • There are multiple custom notebooking pages for each of the topics. You can choose from simple notebook pages or more advanced notebooking pages.
        • There are 6 coloring pages.

        Here are the specific topics included in this Herbs Curriculum:

        • Cilantro
        • Basil
        • Bee Balm
        • Oregano
        • Dill
        • Thyme
        • Sage
        • Mint

         Bonus: Rosemary Herb Study

        More in Herbs Nature Study Course

        This Herbs course in Homeschool Nature Study membership includes:

        • Outdoor Hour Challenge printable curriculum
        • Herb Study Planner Page
        • Resource and Supplies List
        • Herb Study Planning Page
        • Instructions For Using The Herbs Curriculum
        • Planting Herbs to Attract Insects
        • Herbs in a Child’s Garden
        • Herbs from Renee’s Garden
        • Notebook Pages: Regular and Advanced Versions
        • Coloring Pages

        You might also like: Creating an Edible Garden: Gardening with Children.

        Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

        Can you believe all of these herb homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

        Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

        We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

        Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

        Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy. Updated by Tricia June 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

        Posted on by — Leave a comment

        10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas

        10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list!

        These 10 fabulous first day of summer nature study ideas are perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list and it takes just a little effort on our part!

        Summer time brings a more relaxed rhythm to most of our family life. That doesn’t mean we can’t still be including some outdoor nature study time with our children. It can be as simple as taking a walk and asking them to look for three interesting things or to take a picnic lunch outside to eat under your backyard tree.

        10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas

        Here are some fun First Day of Summer nature study ideas for you to keep in mind for next week. Be sure to mark your calendar!

        10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list!

        1. Camp out in your backyard: Since the first day of summer lands on a Saturday this year, plan a sleep out in your own backyard. Spend some of your evening gazing at stars, listening to insects, or take a flashlight walk. Find more ideas in The Ultimate Guide to Camping Activities for Kids and Backyard Camping: Fun For The Entire Family!

        2. First Day of Summer Flower Field Trip: Take a trip to your local garden nursery and let you child pick a plant to add to your backyard garden or patio container garden. After you plant your flower, sketch it into your nature journal along with the name of the flower and the date you planted it. You can combine this activity with this Garden Flower Nursery Field Trip ideas and printable.

        3. Twilight at the Zoo: Many zoos have an evening option during this time of year. Check their calendar of events to see if your zoo has a special event for the first day of summer.

        10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list!

        4. First Day of Summer Photo Walk – take a camera outdoors and find some special First Day of Summer subjects, take a photo, print a few out, safely tuck them into your nature journal. You can combine this with the Summer Photo Challenge.

        5. First Day of Summer notebook page – done after a nature walk, preferably under a shade tree with some fresh lemonade in hand.

        6. Summer Insect Study – As the warm weather brings flowers you might find more insects flying around. It’s a great time to plan a summer insect nature study. There’s such a wealth of knowledge about insects in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. Using the lessons along with the Outdoor Hour Challenge will make you confident to tackle an insect nature study this summer. You won’t need to travel far to find an insect to learn about with your children!

        10 Fabulous First Day of Summer Nature Study Ideas perfect for weaving in some family time outside together. A valuable part of any summer bucket list!

        7. The Homeschool Mom’s Charlotte Mason Summer Nature Study Guide – “On fine days when it is warm enough to sit out with wraps, why not take tea and breakfast, everything but a hot dinner, be served out of doors? For we are an overwrought generation, running to nerves as a cabbage runs to seed; and every hour spend in the open is a clear gain, tending to the increase of brain power and bodily vigor, and to the lengthening of life itself. They who know what it is to have fevered skin and throbbing brain deliciously soothed by the cool touch of the air are inclined to make a new rule of life, Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.” Charlotte Mason – The Original Homeschool Series.

        8. Summer Senses Nature Study – you do not need anything other than your five senses. We are going to take heed of what Charlotte Mason advised and we are going to allow our children to notice things by themselves.

        9. Fascinating Fireflies or Moths Study – Fireflies are fascinating! In this study, learn if there is a pattern to the light flashing. Enjoy an up close fireflies and moths summer nature study. Explore even more summer nighttime nature studies!

        10. Night Sky and Moon Gazing Activity – Take some time this next week to get outside at night and enjoy a beautiful night sky homeschool nature study. Allow plenty of time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness and just enjoy gazing up at the heavens. Use some of these suggestions to get started with some simple night sky observations.

        More Summer Nature Studies

        Find even more to discover and learn about this summer! Our summer series of Outdoor Hour Challenges included in membership. Explore ponds and lakes, meadows and fields, the seashore, the woodlands and so many beautiful summer topics!

        Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

        Can you believe all of these summer homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

        Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

        Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

        Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

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        Creating Outdoor Space for Creative Play For Your Children

        The effort you put into creating outdoor space for creative play will be seen in your child’s happy face and heart. Time outdoors is essential to your child’s development. It is an investment in their mental and physical health.

        “Indeed, research suggests that children, when left to their own devices, are drawn to the rough edges of such parks, the ravines and rocky inclines, the natural vegetation. A park may be neatly trimmed and landscaped, but the natural corners and edges where children once played can be lost in translation.”
        Last Child in the Woods, page 117

        Fun ideas for creating outdoor space for creative play in your own backyard! Make interesting places for your children to explore and enjoy! Outdoor time is essential to your child's development.

        Last Child in the Woods is an important book and is on my summer reading list again. It is an easy read and each time I glean a few more points to apply to our family and refine my thinking about getting outdoors. Reaffirming my belief that all children need to be outdoors every day keeps me actively working on the Outdoor Hour Challenges and other related projects.

        Fun ideas for creating outdoor space for creative play in your own backyard! Make interesting places for your children to explore and enjoy! - garden box beginnings

        Being Drawn to the Edges: Outdoor Space for Creative Play

        We are in the middle of planning a big front yard makeover and I have decided that for our family we will incorporate native plants, some rocky outcrops, and more shelter and food for the local wildlife. My boys are more interested in watching birds and animals than they are with a large expanse of grass. Our wild side has taught us this spring that we enjoyed observing the insects, flowers, and grasses more than we ever enjoyed the well manicured lawn.

        garden box with flowers

        Creating Outdoor Space for Creative Play for Your Children

        I once read a post written by a mom who had little by little converted her suburban backyard into a wild place for her children. Here are her ideas for creating outdoor space for creative play:

        • She brought in some rocks for lizards and insects to take shelter in.
        • She included a big log so the kids could watch the decomposition and the living creatures that lived in, under, and on the log.
        • She made a sand pile for digging with pails and shovels at the ready.
        • There were places to play in the hose and make mud.

        It has always stuck with me that with a little effort on her part she offered a place with interesting and attractive edges for creative play even in a small backyard.

        berries
        When my boys were young, we planted herbs, edible things like berries, and each child had their own garden box. We kept tree stumps for child size tables. We planted trees for climbing and swinging. On hot summer days we spread out blankets underneath the trees in the shade. Our current butterfly garden with its colorful flowers and bushes shelters not only insects but hummingbirds.

        grasshopper in the day lily
        Allowing some room for exploring in our backyard has given us endless nature study opportunities as well as a place for the children to wander during their own time, to dream and play and wonder.

        frog in the hand
        Look at the edges when creating outdoor space for creative play…..see if you can make some changes today.

        Edit to add: I received a comment and some email about becoming a National Wildlife Federation Certified Habitat. We did that for our backyard some years ago and that is really what brought this sort of idea to my head in the very beginning. Now I am anxious to get started in the front yard.

        More Backyard Nature Study Ideas

        Fun ideas for creating outdoor space for creative play in your own backyard! Make interesting places for your children to explore and enjoy!

        Homeschool Nature Study Members enjoy a printable Wildlife Habitat Plan with the Requirements for a Certified Wildlife Habitat!

        Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

        Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

        Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

        We have quite a few new participants in the Outdoor Hour Challenges so I want to give a big welcome to everyone!

        Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

        Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy, July 2010. Updated by Tricia April 2025. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice. She and her husband, Steve, are also publishers of Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.