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Posted on November 29, 2013 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Field Notebook Nature Journal

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Making a Field Notebook

Use the ideas below to start your own field notebook:

Field Notebook (2009) with free notebook page
Nature Journals (2010)

You may also find this post helpful:
How To Organize Your Nature Journal Pages

Additional Activity:
Hearts and Trees Digital Camera Fall Scavenger Hunt

Download and complete this fun and easy digital camera scavenger hunt to include in your nature journal. Hearts and Trees (my daughter Amanda) has put together a fun outdoor activity that would make a great family project this week.

You may be interested in reading this post:
Nature Study and Digital Photography

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #6. Use your time outdoors this week to collect a few things to put on your nature shelf. Start a collection of anything that interests your children. Use the accompanying notebook page to record your collection ideas. You may also want to check out the ideas in this entry: Start a Rock Collection.

You are welcome to submit any of you blog Outdoor Hour Challenge blog entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Barb — 2 Comments

Backyard Birds: November 2013

I love watching and counting our backyard birds. As part of Project Feederwatch I am observing two days a week, a few minutes per day. Participating in this citizen science project has brought such focus to our birdwatching. We constantly are reminded that if we didn’t put in the effort, we would miss out on so many learning opportunities.

We saw a House Finch last week that has eye disease. This led to a bit of research on the All About Birds website. We learned the causes and the action we need to take when we see a House Finch with an eye disorder. You can read more on Cornell’s Website.

Today we saw a bunch of Juncos…one even posed on the back deck railing. Look at those feet. It spurred me on to pull out the bird feet activity from a few weeks ago to try to discover what kind of feet the Junco has.

It was quite an exciting afternoon when we spotted two Ruby Crowned Kinglets in our front yard. If you look closely in the center of this photo you will spy a little bird with red feathers on his head. He is fast so I wasn’t able to get a very clear photo of him but there he is! He is so light that he can land on branches of the butterfly bushes and they don’t even sag. He can sort of hover over the branch as well…amazing. I was able a few years ago to get a good photo in this entry: November Birds.

Here is our November 2013 List of Birds:
House Finch
White Crowned Sparrow
Dark Eyed Junco
Oak Titmouse
Anna’s Hummingbird
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Spotted Towhee
Western Bluebird
White Breasted Nuthatch
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Western Scrubjay
Bewick’s Wren – new to our life list
Northern Mockingbird
Ruby Crowned Kinglet

I am so looking forward to December bird watching!

Join us for the 2013-2014 Outdoor Hour Challenges!

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Barb — 1 Comment

Project Feederwatch and Autumn Birds

Time for Project Feederwatch to begin for the season! I am ready to go this year and have me days planned for observing our feeders. It only takes a few minutes on two consecutive days each week to participate. If you miss a week, that is okay too…just pick up when you can.

Watch a video on how to get started.

I love weaving a citizen science project like this into our lives. We have several feeders we can see from our windows and keeping them filled with seed is easy. Those feeders become the focal point of our bird observations because for Project Feederwatch you only count birds that come to eat.

We have participated for the last two years and it is interesting to compare our numbers from year to year.

We are already seeing some of our winter residents arriving from their summer migration areas.

What are you seeing at your feeders this month? Are you anticipating the return of any birds to your feeders?

Here is what we had at our feeders this week:
Dark eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
House Finches
Anna’s Hummingbirds
Spotted Towhee
Western Scrub Jays
Titmouse
Starlings (in the trees, not the feeder though)
Goldfinches
White-breasted nuthatches

Plus a NEW BIRD!!!

This is the first time ever I spotted a Bewick’s Wren in my backyard! I was out trying to capture my Spotted towhee when this little guy caught my eye. He was flitting around in the shrubs and he ended up on the lilac branches in my butterfly garden. I wasn’t sure if I could get him because he was fast! But, there he is and the image is clear enough that I was able to go in and identify him using WhatBird? and AllAboutBirds.com. He is new on my life list and he will be going into my nature journal soon.

I will be sharing my bird lists each month and if you do the same you can drop me a comment and I will come and take a look.

You may be interested in following my Nature Study-Birds Pinterest board!

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – November World Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge November World Observations

Outdoor Hour Challenge
November World Nature Observations

November is a transitional season month in our part of the world…not exactly autumn and not quite winter yet. Use this week’s outdoor time to create an impression of your November World…create word pictures and enjoy the time outside with your children.

You may want to use some of the ideas in these challenges:
November World 2010 – Familiar Spot
Signs of Autumn – Challenge and Notebook Page

November World Notebook Page
(from the November 2011 Newsletter)

Have some fun completing this challenge and then record your November World observations using this simple notebook page.

November World – Know Your Own Backyard Notebook Page

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #2-Using Your Words. Create some lovely word pictures after your outdoor time for this challenge. Use the accompanying notebook page to record your words or use a blank journal page.

Note: This nature study challenge can be found in the Autumn 2010 ebook.

If you would like to own this ebook, it is part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library for members. You can find more details on how to get your own membership here: Join Us!

Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudy

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Barb — 1 Comment

November Weather Grid Observations

Have you started your November Weather Grid observations? We have continued to have warm, sunny days – last week with the afternoon temperatures in the 70’s and this week in the 60’s. It is not our typical November weather at all.

My rain gauge has not had a drop of rain in it all month.

There were only a few clouds to observe this week and we made a point to get out and watch for awhile. I remembered to think of some words to describe them: thin, grey, fast-moving, swirly, like cotton, friendly.

The birds are returning to my feeders a little at a time and I spend some time each day looking out the window at the trees in the backyard for some bird visitors. Mr. B pointed out two Northern Flickers a few days ago…he says, “Hey Mom, there are two really colorful big birds outside my window!”

I found parts of two different butterflies in the yard when we were raking up some leaves. Have you ever tried picking up a butterfly wing? It is so very delicate and when you set it down it blows away in the slightest breeze. Amazing to look at with the magnifying lens.

One day I collected some autumn twigs, branches, and dried flowers from the garden for a “bouquet” that sits on the nature table. Nothing fancy but it makes me happy.

We have still been walking outdoors just about every day, sometimes in our neighborhood and sometimes we take the local walking trail. The trail is dry and covered in fallen leaves…so very dry. I know the rest of November may be cooler and wetter but for now the word to describe our weather is DRY or maybe WARM.

The Kona dog doesn’t mind the weather and takes advantage of the opportunity at our river walks to jump in and swim. The river is low right now so she paddles around or fetches a ball if we have one to throw in for her. The water is too cold for me but for our Labrador it is heaven.

Look for a weather related challenge this week and I look forward to seeing some of your November World observations in the up-coming Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Barb — Leave a comment

Rock Study #6 – Quartz

Quartz is a common rock found in my part of the world. We see it just about everywhere we go whether it is on our walking trail or down by the river. We mostly have milky quartz.

Here is my specimen gathered locally and now sitting in my collection. Okay, I already had lots of quartz in my collection but since my nature study goals were to collect the samples this year, I decided to get another one…you can never have too many rocks. 🙂

According to Wikipedia, milky quartz is the most commonly found type of quartz and can be found almost everywhere. I know we have found it a lot of places we have traveled. Even though it is very common, it is still beautiful and amazing to look at.

Some more interesting facts I learned this time:

All granite has quartz and feldspar crystals in it. The crystals in granite are not large and perfect.
Amethysts are crystals of quartz colored a beautiful violet by the presence of a tiny amount of manganese.
Quartz crystals are six-sided.

Photo courtesy of Rob Lavinsky at iRocks.com

Another interesting aspect of our quartz study was the knowledge that our local gold mines were commonly quartz gold mines. The gold was extracted using a series of stamp mills, mixed with water, and then extracted using mercury. I have seen the stamp mill replica in our town and was told that when it was in operation the noise echoed all over the town. I can only imagine how that would have sounded!

If you are interested in studying more about quartz using the Handbook of Nature Study, don’t miss this challenge from the archives: Quartz Study

To refresh your memory, I am going to try to collect all fifteen rocks discussed in the Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads (Take-Along Guides).This month we spent lots of time out and about looking at rocks, collecting a few new ones, and enjoying our rock adventures. We did not actually complete any of the fifteen rocks from the book. I can see now that I need to be more purposeful if I am going to achieve this goal in the year 2013.

The affiliate links in this post are to things I own and highly recommend.

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Barb — 1 Comment

Nature Literature and Step Gently Out

Step gently out,
be still,
and watch
a single blade
of grass.

I want to introduce you to another wonderful children’s nature study book, Step Gently Out. This book, written from the ant-eye-view, will inspire you and your children to perhaps look more closely at nature when you are outside together.

Read the pages, examine the images, and let your child tell you what he thinks of each and every page. Use this idea of looking carefully during your next Outdoor Hour (or even a quick minute or two if that is all you have).

In our modern world it might be easy to miss these opportunities to take a good look at our surroundings. This book will serve as a stimulus and a reminder.

This is one you can look for at your public library and then decide if you want it for your personal library.

Step Gently Out • A nature picture book for all ages from Step Gently Out on Vimeo.

I’m an Amazon Affiliate and only recommend products that I personally own (or wish I owned) and think my readers will love as well! This post may contain some links that will take you to these products on Amazon where I receive a small referral fee. I greatly appreciate your support!

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Barb — 1 Comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Woodpecker Bird Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Woodpecker Nature Study

Use the ideas in these challenges from the archives:
Black and White Birds – Woodpecker, Chickadee, Nuthatch, Towhee
Woodpeckers (2009)
Ideas for Creating a Bird Themed Nature Table (printable)

Bird Feet
Use some of your time this week to observe some bird feet. Any birds will do so get creative…do you have ducks at a park, chickens near-by, or birds at your feeder?

These notebooking pages for your nature journal are meant to help you go deeper in your study of bird feet. page one can be used by younger children and page two is meant for a more advanced study. Feel free to choose one to use now and one to use later if you need to.

Here are some links to help you get started:
Birds Legs and Feet – lots of great images to view and discuss
Fantastic Feet of Birds – more amazing and clearly illustrated bird feet
Advanced Study – Types of Bird Feet

Printable Bird Feed Grid and Advanced Study Notebook Pages

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #4. Use the ideas in this challenge to start a focused study of birds. Use the accompanying notebook page to record your week’s outdoor time and then start a running list of birds you see this month or for a season.

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Barb — 1 Comment

Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow – Literature and Poetry

This post contains affiliate links to a book I highly recommend and have in my own library.

This month I am really encouraging you to look for ways to use literature in your nature study. I want to share a new favorite book, Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadowby Joyce Sidman. This outstanding book is a treat for the eyes and an inspiration for your pens and crayons!

I love it when a book can engage young readers and Butterfly Eyes uses lovely poetry and clever riddles to draw the reader in. The riddles help the children use their imaginations and their knowledge of meadow inhabitants in way that makes learning fun.

So many meadow creatures are featured in this book. I know lots of you may not live near a meadow so this book will introduce many of the animals, insects, and plants you will find there, creating enthusiasm for a future meadow visit with the narratives and illustrations.

The format is poetry riddles that your child will guess to identify the meadow creatures found on the following pages. The poems are on the over-sized pages…sometimes you even have to turn the book sideways to view the whole scene!

The end pages of the book are complete pictures of many of the subjects found in the book and are a great way to review once you are doing with the last page.

The style of the artwork is another great aspect of this book. Done with scratch art techniques, your children may want to imitate this style to create a beautiful scene for their nature journal or to display on your art wall.

Use the ideas in the November 2013 newsletter in the article I wrote on library books to help you get started reading this amazing piece of nature literature to your children.

Follow Up Ideas:

Identify the creatures on the dust jacket of the book.
Make up your own nature riddles.
Create a piece of artwork using scratch art. (Step by step instructions: Scratch Art.)
Memorize one of the poems in the book.
Pick one animal or insect from the book and create a nature journal page for it using a field guide

Look for other books by this same author at your library!

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Barb — 1 Comment

Ultimate Healthy Living Ebook Library!

86 ebooks for $29.97. Savings of 97%!

Readers of my blog know how much I value healthy living and family relationships that are built around being active. Eating healthy foods, working at living a more green lifestyle, and being organized are also aspects of my life that I share on a regular basis. If you share these values, I have an opportunity for you to purchase a huge library of resource ebooks to supplement and encourage your chosen lifestyle.

I am super proud to have been asked to be a part of this new Ultimate Healthy Living Ebook Library! There are 86 ebooks in this bundle which makes the value of this product even more amazing (around 34 cents an ebook!). The library of ebooks themselves are enough to make you want this bundle but don’t miss the opportunity to also receive all the of the bonus items and to be a member of the Coffee Table Conversations which will be a twelve week (one hour per week) long conference with the 40 authors included in this ebook bundle.

As shown in the banner above, there are books in these categories:

Green Living- household cleaners, eco-friendly lifestyle
Natural Health- essential oils, home remedies
Healthy Lifestyle – depression, personal planner, organization, marriage
Healthy Kids and Babies-pregnancy journal, cooking with kids, potty training, using cloth diaper, calming your baby, etc
Real Food Cookbooks- nourishing, healthy foods
Allergy Friendly/Special Diets – gluten free, wheat and egg free
Gardening and Sustainability-gardening, herbs, emergency preparedness
Fitness- fat proof meals, getting fit
Meal Planning/Meal Preparation
Natural Skincare – homemade, simple products
Special Health Concerns- infertility, juicing, pain, sugar detox
Learning About Real Whole Foods

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle is available from November 4-9, 2013

and is bargain priced at $29.97.

The purchase of this bundle of ebooks will give you a giant library to use in your home with your family for many years to come. The retail value of this bundle with all the extras is worth over $1,000…..a value so amazing that I was convinced to be a part of it right from the start.

Seriously, if you are interested in only a handful of books and would love the bonus items, this bundle is an amazing opportunity to get all of the extras as well.

You will find my Winter Nature Study with Art and Music Appreciation ebook included in this bundle in the Healthy Kids and Babies section.

Please read the FAQ Page for answers to many of your ebook bundle buying questions.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for this ebook bundle and will make a commission for every bundle I sell. I have not read and cannot endorse every single book in this bundle.

What’s Included in the eBook Library? ($800+ value)

What are Coffee Table Conversations? ($67 value)

For 12 weeks starting in January 2014, there will be a series of weekly one-hour live conference calls, where you can join in and ask your questions on relevant and timely healthy living topics to a panel of eBook authors.
You’ll be able to listen to authors converse with each other on any (or all) of the 12 calls that you choose to take part in, and get answers to your questions in real time!
There will be a private Facebook group, where that week’s “mentors” will pop in as often as they can and chat with you on the topics at hand. Talk about up-close and personal learning!

What are the Healthy Living Bonus Offers? ($150+ value)

Dizolve—A FREE 128 Load Twin-Pack of Dizolve Natural Laundry Detergent. Dizolve laundry detergent strips are an innovative, phosphate-free way to clean your clothes. ($25.98 Value. Standard shipping rates apply. Limited to the first 5,000.)
Bulk Herb Store—An instant download of their instructional video Making Herbs Simple Volume 1 for only 1 cent. ($14.95 Value. No shipping restrictions.)
Wise Choice Market—A FREE $15 store credit to be used at Wise Choice Market on the Finest Real Food around, including traditionally-made bone broths, organic fermented vegetables, wild salmon, sprouted breads, and many more. ($15.00 Value. Standard shipping rates and restrictions apply.)
Fit2Be Studio—A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio (for new members) where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are TummySafe™and particularly target Diastasis Recti. Current members may apply the coupon code for $20 off a 1-year membership. ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)
Jenuinely Pure—A FREE $15 store credit to be used at Jenuinely Pure on the beautifully-crafted natural skincare products. Make the switch to natural skincare with Jenuinely Pure. ($15.00 Value. Standard shipping rates apply.)
Plan To Eat—A FREE 4-Month www.plantoeat.com subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes scheduled when you want them — and they make your grocery list! ($19.80 value. No shipping restrictions. New accounts only. Offer expires Dec.15)
TrilLight Health—FREE $15 store credit to be used toward Trilight Health‘s Fast-Acting, Great Tasting Liquid Herbal Formulas, or anything else in their store. ($15.00 Value. Standard shipping rates apply.)
List Planit—Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Trial Membership to ListPlanIt, where you can organize your life with hundreds of lists that you can create and manage at home or on the go. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)
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Important stuff you might want to know

Ultimate Healthy Living Ebook Library $29.97
Read the fine print. The details matter!
Check out our Frequently Asked Question page, particularly to learn about file types, how downloading works, transferring to eReader devices, redeeming bonus offers, and all that good stuff.
Remember, this bundle is available for 6 days, from 8 a.m. (EST) on Monday, November 4th to 11:59pm (EST) on Saturday, November 9th.
Affiliate disclaimer:I am an affiliate for this ebook bundle and will make a commission for every bundle I sell. I have not read or cannot endorse every single book in this bundle.

Want to know my picks?

Meals ePlanner from List Plan It (plus their bonus offer for 3 month free trial membership!)
UnWired Mom by Sarah Mae
Green Your Life by Emily
One Bite at a Time by Tsh
21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal (Moneysaving Mom)
Fresh Nourishing Salads for All Seasons by Kimberly
A Practical Guide to Real Food by Kayla
The Essential Oiler’s Handbook

What’s Included in the eBook Library? ($800+ value)

Healthy Kids & Babies

Gardening/Sustainability

Healthy Lifestyle

Real Food Cookbooks

Allergy-Friendly/Special Diets

Menu Planning/Meal Prep

Natural Skincare

Natural Health

Fitness

Green Living

Special Health Concerns

Learning About Real/Whole Foods

What are Coffee Table Conversations? ($67 value)

What are the Healthy Living Bonus Offers? ($150+ value)

Important stuff you might want to know

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!