Cooler weather means more time spent outside during the day….we went from really hot weather to cool weather in the span of a day or two. I am so pleased with these late blooming sunflowers and I am going to plant more of them next year. The insects have been visiting them every day and when I went out to snip a few flowers for the kitchen table, I saw this big guy!
This praying mantis decided to hang out on my stove one morning. It must have been pretty funny watching me try to scoop him up while he was hopping from side to side. I would try to scoop him up and he would hop just out of my reach. I would try again and he would hop too fast. Finally I got a bowl and set it over him and then slid a piece of paper under the bowl. Success! I transplanted him outside to my potted plants and he was happy to pose for a few minutes on the allysum.
Our butterfly bushes are still blooming, in white, lavender, and deep purple. I see the hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies all buzzing in and around in the morning sunshine. Makes me happy to see such a busy community right in my flowerbeds. We have spotted a few monarchs lately…none captured with the camera yet. They are fast!
We were out for a drive and took a back road only to find a pear orchard within about two miles of my house! It is tucked away off the beaten path and as we slowly drove down the lane I tried to snap a few images…..glorious fall pears to enjoy!
We are going out and about tomorrow so stay tuned for some more back roads loveliness.
Looking for spider webs can become a little obsessive. We have been hypersensitive to webs over the past few weeks in anticipation of the Fall Web Challenge, spotting them just about everywhere. Are there always this many webs and is it only because we are focusing on them right now that they seem to pop up in so many places? I guess that is a question we will answer over the next few months. We are in the middle of a huge rainstorm so I am glad that I have been snapping photos as we went along…it is very wet out there today.
We seem to see the most of this kind of web….very filmy and not at all like a web you would draw or think of when the word is mentioned. They seem disorganized and messy, that is until you get up close and really look at the structure.
There they are…the outline lines of the web. We wonder how they get from here to there and back again since the distances are quite far. We could never actually see a spider spinning a web which is now on our list of things to be on the lookout for in the months to come. We could not determine if this was truly a “filmy dome” as described in Lesson 113 of the Handbook of Nature Study.
These photos were all taken in our backyard and were mostly in the crepe myrtle bushes.
See how the web seems to almost encase the leaves and branch? We observed many of these webs in our backyard and although they were a great source of interest, we were disappointed that we didn’t see a pretty orb web. We all decided that this will be a study we save for when the opportunity presents itself, to study a web up-close and maybe, just maybe to see the spider spinning the web.
We are looking forward to this Friday’s challenge….the current rainstorm has started the leaves falling and I even spotted a few colored ones! We did have snow up the road from our house this morning but it has melted already in the rain. This is going to be an interesting autumn.
I have attached the newsletter download link to the bottom of my blog feed so if you are a subscriber you will receive the link at the bottom of every post for the month of October. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can still subscribe and receive the newsletter in the next post that comes to your email box. You can subscribe on my blog by filling in your email address in the subscription box on my sidebar.
Make sure to click and save the link for future reference.
The OHC Newsletter is a companion to the Outdoor Hour Challenges that are posted here on the blog every Friday. There are special printable activities, additional links and ideas, as well as articles and photos from a variety of OHC participants. I invite everyone to subscribe and get the newsletter each month in your inbox.
EDIT 10/5/11: Some of you are having trouble getting the Newsletter to download. Try to right click and save the link and then open it. We still think it is a browser issue with Firefox.
This has been a very busy month around the Handbook of Nature Study blog. Not only with a new ebook and new series of Outdoor Hour Challenges but I got a completely new blog design. I was aiming at making the navigation easier for new readers and to have all the challenges, ebooks, free stuff, and nature journal ideas all organized for ease of use. There are two places to look for challenges now on the blog: Tabs at the top are grouped by season and buttons on the sidebar by topic. I think the blog turned out so much better than I ever imagined. (Thanks go to Emily Abramson from PolkaDotPixels.com….a dream to work with!) She even made us a pretty new carnival button…feel free to grab and link.
This blog carnival is so filled with outdoor goodness that it makes me smile from my top of my head all the way to my toes. You are in for a real treat this month. I know I pretty much say that every month but honestly, you all blew me away with your wonderful studies and the awesome nature journal pages are something we can all be inspired by as we move along the road with our nature study. Take a deep breath and dive into this edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.
(If I missed your entry, please email me or leave a comment and I will add it ASAP. This was a huge carnival.)
Milkweed (and other Fall Blooming Flowers) Nicole and her children were able to observe some Magical Milkweed for this challenge. She shares some awesome images of their pods and seeds (see above for an example). Thank you so much for sharing your OHC. Nicole also submitted their Summer Wildflowers entry which includes some thistles!
Now that you are all warmed up with the milkweed pods…check out Ellen’s entry: Milkweed Update! She shares their pods and their magnificent nature journals. Don’t miss the images in this entry.
Heather from Kingdom Arrows shares their Autumn Outdoor Hour Challenge…they didn’t find milkweed but a jungle of other weeds provided some outdoor enjoyment.
Kim from Tolle Lege Christian Academy writes about their Milkweed Study with milkweed right in their own yard. I loved seeing the colorful blossoms and the many insects they observed during their outdoor time.
Angie and her boys didn’t find milkweed either but they write about their Wildflower Study as part of this challenge. I love that Angie adapted the notebook page to fit their study and their display of Oregon wildflowers.
Jennifer and her daughter share their September Nature Study with goldenrod, thistle, and Queen Anne’s Lace. Wonderful entry showing their nature study finds and notebook page.
Janet from Across the Page has written and submitted an entry sharing the culmination of their Monarch Study which goes hand in hand with a milkweed study. Please don’t miss seeing her entry Monarch Madness. I was fascinated with their study and I highly recommend reading her ten year old’s journal: Watching Peeper.
Here is another family that was able to observe the milkweed plant, the pod and seeds, AND a monarch caterpillar and butterfly. Read Monica’s entry on her blog Discover Their Gifts: Our Nature Study: Milkweed and Monarch.
Susan from Learning All The Time didn’t have any milkweed but they did have asters which were an alternate study from the Handbook of Nature Study suggested in this challenge. They brought in flowers to observe over time and then did their reading in the HNS. Wonderful follow up artwork too!
Taunya joins the carnival with their Know Your Own Backyard – Weeds entry. They did their outdoor observations and then completed the notebook page from the September Newsletter. So what is a weed?
Leaf-Miners and Leaf-Rollers Amy from Hope is The Word did a great job of documenting their Leaf-Miner/Roller investigation. They found some leaf-miners and some other interesting leaves too. They tried out the suggested nature journal entry from the September Newsletter and they turned out beautifully. You can see their nature journals above.
Angie from Petra School submitted with a smile their Leaf Minersand Leaf Rollers entry. They had trouble getting the enthusiasm up at first but with a little help from the suggested video her boys finally were interested and successful. Read her complete entry for details.
Makita shares their Leaf-Miners and Rollers entry on their family blog Academia Celestia. They spent some time hunting for insects in two different environments and ended up with some wonderful journal pages.
I know that Tricia (Hodgepodge Mom) titled this one Weeds, Seeds, Insect, and Signs of Fall but I think it is a great entry showing how when you start out looking for one thing, you are often led to five other interesting things as well. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
Shirley Ann shares their Leaf Miners and Leaf Rollers entry from the UK! They had success in finding some interesting subjects without even leaving their own garden. They even found an insect friend to observe up close and record in their nature journals.
Cobwebs All kinds of webs and a few spiders too! This is what Zonnah writes about in this entry: Spiders and Cobwebs.
Pears Zonnah submits their family’s Pear Study. It has inspired me to try a few new things….and eat more pears.
Tricia and her family spent some time looking at their pear tree, some pears, and then completing notebook pages from the More Nature Study ebook. They also completed the suggested nature journal idea from the September Newsletter. Great job! You can read their entry: Pears, Apples, and Nature Journal Art.
Kirsty joins the carnival for this edition with their families Pear Study. She tells of their wonderful day outdoors in the autumn sunshine.
Ellen and her children share their colorful pear study along with their very well done journals. Their entry, Double Duty, shows how they completed this challenge and then made something yummy.
Shirley Ann adapted the pear study to fit their opportunity to pick and take a closer look at their apples. You will enjoy seeing their account of their Pear…I Mean Apple Study.
Potpourri Barbara from Schoolhouse on the Prairie shares their Monarch butterfly tagging project: OHC #4. You are going to see some fantastic photos of them catching and recording their monarch butterflies. The photo above is from their entry….stunning images and I think we all want to know the answer to this question: How do you know if it is a male and female Monarch butterfly? You can read their OHC #5 for the answer to that question! (Photo above is from their OHC #4 entry.)
Shirley Ann and her daughters did a fantastic job on their First Nature Walk of the School Year. They went with the focus of weeds and seeds and they found two additional delights. Don’t miss viewing their journals!
Nadene is joining the carnival for the first time with their entryStarting Nature Study With The Handbook of Nature Study. They share their South African spring time study. Welcome to the OHC! The also completed their Spring Maple Tree Study for the OHC. Some of us are a little jealous that they are in their spring season but will enjoy watching their world change as they work through their challenges.
Kristen from Broom and Crown shares their Finding Dragonflies in the Desert entry with carnival readers. They were able to use a field guide and identify their Amberwings…check out the images to see why they are called amberwings. 🙂
Heather from Kingdom Arrows writes about their Canada Goose Outdoor Challenge. She shares how much her daughter’s complete nature notebook page means to their family. Special story showing how nature study can bridge some important gaps for our children. Thanks Heather.
Anne from Harvest Moon By Hand shares their two nature studies: Woolly Bears and Isabella Tiger Moths and White Pine Tree. Their family has started out on a study of each state’s bird, tree, flower, rock/gem. What a great idea! One last entry from Ann showing their Black-Capped Chickadee study…check out their journal for a fantastic idea (hint: coins)!
After a random drawing, the September Newsletter giveaway gift goes to Taunya from Taunya’s Place. She will be getting the download link for the Hearts and Trees Mammals Lapbook. Congratulations and please email me to verify the email address you would like the link to be sent to: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.
See you all next month! Remember that October’s Newsletter link will be for subscribers of the blog only. Please click over to the blog and subscribe using the form on the sidebar.
Our study has been actually on-going since the spring when we first noticed that our pear tree was loaded with blossoms. We have been eagerly watching the progress since then and it culminated this week with actually eating the pears…but not until after we had closely observed them and dissected them as part of the more advanced suggestions in More Nature Study #3.
We took a quick trip outdoors to snap a few images of the leaves and bark but the highlight was to come inside and actually take a close look at the fruit.
Mr. B was willing to complete the dissection lab with the pears from our backyard tree and he did a great job recording his results on the notebook page. I think taking the Outdoor Hour Challenges up a notch with the more advanced ideas is a great way to keep them interested in nature study. We actually talked about seeds as they relate to what he studied in biology and we also talked about how growing fruit can be so very satisfying. Tend the tree, pick the fruit, enjoy the labor. What a great lesson in life.
Notebook Page from my More Nature Study ebook
I love watching him sketch. Makes me glad that we made nature study a part of our high school plans.
Nature study that ends in eating your subject is always a good thing when you have a teenage boy around.
We will look forward to seeing this sight again in the spring!
I look forward to seeing your results and hearing how your observations went.
If you are interested in more Crop Plants study, I have a series of Outdoor Hour Challenges listed here on the blog. You can find them listedHERE. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the list.
Today we hit the jackpot with leaf-miners while we were taking a hike with the dog. We found a whole bunch of leaves with signs of leaf-miners…how exciting!
(Original post HERE and the OHC Challenge HERE)
We were amazed at how crazy the path is on some of the leaves. Curls and swirls and then along the edges, there seems to be no rhyme or reason.
The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
We also were fascinated with the furry, fuzzy tops on these acorns. I like how they grow like twins on the branches of the oak tree.
I found a few on the ground along with some moss for a cute little acorn photo.
Just wanted to update our study with our latest finds.
We found quite a bit of leaf damage on the oaks in our backyard…nothing that really looked like leaf-miners though. We looked carefully which is part of what this challenge (More Nature Study #2 Leaf-Miners and Rollers) was all about.Taking time to really look and see the leaves opens up lots of interesting thoughts and ideas. Who caused the damage? Were they nibbled by insects or something else like the birds that frequent our yard?
The preparation work from the Handbook of Nature Study really helped us with this challenge.
We went around to the garden side of the yard and started to look at the shrubs there and we think we found several leaves that had been rolled up by insects. This one looks close to what we were looking for so we are going to assume it is our subject for this challenge. Amazing that I never noticed this leaf-rolling in our own backyard until now! What else am I missing?
Now in the front yard we have a different kind of oak and we were able to see clearly some damage done by some insect…perhaps a leaf-miner. We couldn’t find any leaves that had insects working on them currently but these looked promising enough to bring a few inside to look at under the magnifying lens.
Here is one image (through the magnifying lens) that was super pretty, almost looked like stained glass.When you hold the leaf up to the light as suggested in the Handbook of Nature Study it is even more beautiful. My husband was wondering what I was looking at and I had to share with him too. He was fascinated by our topic and since he spends lots of time outdoors as part of his job, he is going to keep an eye out for some more leaves to look at with the hand lens.
Another image up-close at what we think may be what we were looking for this week.
So there you have it…our leaf-miner and leaf-roller study in our own yard. Amazing that we could find it right under out noses. I think that is the lesson I learned from reading the entries to the Blog Carnival for this challenge from different families…..total amazement that they could even find this subject so close to home.
If you haven’t taken the time to give this challenge a try yet, there is still plenty of time to do so. Make it an investigation after reading the information in the Handbook of Nature Study. Take your magnifying glass with you outdoors to look at the suggested plants (see Lesson 77 in the HNS).
We also observed some oak galls which are covered in Lesson 79 in the Handbook of Nature Study. These are interesting to observe as well and surprising to most that they are actually signs of an insect.
We have been enjoying our “apple time” of year so far with three trips to the apple orchard, fresh apple cider, apple doughnuts, and homemade apple pie. We tried a new variety of apple (Mutsu) which actually made a really good pie apple.
We really meant to do our Pear Study for the Outdoor Hour Challenge but we were distracted again this week with the wonderful weather and decided to take a drive instead. No pears were studied but we enjoyed peach and blueberry dumplings from a roadside stand. Yes, it was heavenly and I don’t regret the calories at all.
For the pear challenge there is no lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study. You can read about pears online: Pear Varieties and Pear Fact Printable.
As an alternate or supplemental activity, you can read the section, “How to Begin Tree Study” in the Handbook of Nature Study on pages 622-624. Pay attention to Lesson 72—Autumn Work (#1-#5). Take note of some observations you can make during autumn.
Outdoor Hour Time:
If you have access to a pear tree in your yard, neighborhood, or near-by orchard, spend your Outdoor Hour time observing the tree: tree shape, arrangement of the branches, trunk, leaves, fruit/seeds.
If you don’t have access to a pear tree, use the information from the Autumn tree work section in the Handbook of Nature Study to observe any tree you have in your yard or neighborhood. You can use this tree as the subject of a year-long tree study if you wish. You may wish to read the information from the Autumn Tree Observation Challenge 2009.
Follow-Up Activity:
Have on hand a pear and an apple for each child to observe up-close. Use the suggestions on the notebook page (ebook users only) to compare these two fruits.
For Pear Study: Give the opportunity to make a nature journal entry recording any observations made about pears. Suggestions for discussion: shape of the pear, size, color, smell, markings on the skin, and the stem. Cut the pear in half and draw the inside of the pear in your nature journal. There is also a pear coloring page included in the ebook
For Autumn Tree Study: You can use the Autumn Tree Study notebook page linked above. You may use it for any tree you observed during your nature study.
Advanced follow-up: Complete the Dissection Lab notebook page with a pear (ebook users only).
Advanced follow-up: Make a dry brush watercolor of the pear and either its vertical or cross section.
This challenge is part of the More Nature Study – Autumn series. All of the challenges are gathered into one ebook with notebooking pages (regular and for advanced students) and additional resources. You can gain access to this ebook by purchasing an Ultimate Naturalist membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. See the Join Uspage by clicking the link at the top of the website for more information about what comes with your Ultimate membership.
My Prairie Sunflowers are now blooming…took all summer but they are now showing their very cheery faces. I am sort of glad they waited so long to bloom because all the other sunflowers are done and in the compost.
How would you like a great link to a some coloring book pages? Celebrate Wildflowers
Apparently, flowers have a “biological clock”. I have been fascinated with this idea all summer and I think it makes for an interesting read: How To Make A Flower Clock. On that note, my Four O’Clocks are just about ready to bloom. I have been nursing them along all summer and I think they finally are getting some flower buds…need to watch for the bloom time.
We still have an abundance of insects in our late summer/early autumn garden. In fact, they are even more active from what I have observed. These bees were loving the trumpet vines…sharing at times with the hummingbirds. Make your own Bee Observations (free printable from HomeschoolShare.Com – Click the Bee Lapbook and then print Observation Cards and Pocket).
Our zinnias are such great performers and are relatively maintenance free except for cutting the flowers and enjoying them in a vase on your kitchen table. 🙂
We have enjoyed our container dahlias this year…seeds from Rene’s Garden. I found this paper craft for dahlias…so very pretty and fun. Then again, I may just pull out the watercolors later and made an entry in my journal.
We are working on cleaning up the garden … lots of trimming, raking, pruning, harvesting, picking, and composting going on here. Garden update next week.
