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Posted on February 26, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge Hepatica Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Hepatica Nature Study

Suggested alternate study for West Coast people: Spring Beauty (Claytonia lanceolata).

“There should be from first to last a steady growth in the intelligence of the child as to the places where certain plants grow. He finds hepaticas and trilliums in the woods, daisies and buttercups in the sunny fields, mullein on the dry hillsides, cattails in the swamp, and water lilies floating on the pond. This may all be taught by simply asking the pupils questions relating to the soil and the special conditions of the locality where they found the flowers they bring to school. ”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 458

Oh, the joy of wandering the woods in search of spring wildflowers. When I lived in California, March was the real start of our spring wildflower season. Here in Central Oregon it starts much later, so I’m dreaming of wildflower season! My daughter who still lives in California will be sending me photos for sure!

Use this week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge to learn more about hepatica using the Handbook of Nature Study as well as the links and videos in the original challenge linked below.

Alternate Study Idea: Look for the Spring Beauty if you live in the western United States.

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Hepatica.

If you have access to the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

To purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, click on over to the Join Us page at any time.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Members can download and use any of the wildflower challenges from the three ebooks available in the Member’s Library.

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Barb — 2 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Bloodroot Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Bloodroot Nature Study

The very early spring is a time to anticipate the coming of the spring ephemerals, those wildflowers that mark the ending of winter and the start of spring. (Read more about Spring Ephemerals in my archives.) This challenge will prepare you for getting out in the woods and parks to spot early wildflowers like bloodroot.

Please use the information in the original Outdoor Hour Challenge to learn more about bloodroot, including links and videos. In addition, I found this awesome new link for you to read for you study: The Ephemeral Beauty of Bloodroot.

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Bloodroot.

If you have access to the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

To purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, click on over to the Join Us page at any time.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Members can download and use any of the wildflower challenges from the three ebooks available in the Member’s Library.

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Scarlet Saucer Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Scarlet Saucer Nature Study

For many families, this is a perfect time to get out and look for fungus in the woods.

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Scarlet Saucer.

The scarlet saucer is easy to recognize and you can make it a fungus hunt to capture your child’s interest. Use the information in the original challenge to learn more about the scarlet saucer or if you want to make it a broader study of fungus, members can download the March 2013 newsletter for a fungus grid study and some coloring pages.

If you have access to the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

Alternate activity: Look for the Fungi Photo hunt printable in the Member’s Library.

To purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, click on over to the Join Us page at any time.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Posted on February 9, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

Great Backyard Bird Count 2021 Coming Soon!

What? The Great Backyard Bird Count
When? February 12-15, 2021.
Who? Anyone around the world!
How? Count birds in your yard and at your feeders. Report the data to the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Need some more information?
Great Backyard Bird Count

Video: Great Backyard Bird Count

Get prepared with printable checklists for your area…by zip code or town name.

The list below includes the top ten birds counted in the Great Backyard Bird Count in 2020. I would suggest taking a look at the list and use the links to decide if you have any of these particular birds in your local area.

Several of the birds are found on the east coast so make sure to scroll down to “similar species” if you live in other areas to determine if there is a similar bird for you to watch out for in your backyard count.

Top Ten Birds Reported in the Great Backyard Bird Count 2020

5. Blue Jay

7. House Finch

9. Black Capped Chickadee

10. Red-bellied Woodpecker

If you want to start keeping a list of birds you observe, you may wish to visit this entry on:

10 Ideas for a Bird Life List.

Cornell Bird Coloring Book Dove — Download the Cornell Feeder Bird coloring book. The image above is an example that I completed for the mourning dove.

Download and save the Cornell Feeder Bird coloring book. This book has many of the most common birds you’ll see in your backyard and it makes a perfect complement to your family’s bird nature study.

Don‘t forget about the Learning About Birds ebook in the Member’s Library.

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Flicker Bird Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Flicker Bird Nature Study

Since writing this challenge years ago, we’ve moved to Central Oregon where we have an abundance of Norther flickers. I observe them every day at my bird feeder right outside my window. They’re such beautifully colored birds and I never get tired of watching them cling to our tree and then swoop down to the suet feeder. Their large size makes them easy to identify but we often hear them long before we see them. You may also see them land on the ground so don’t be surprised about that behavior.

I hope that you can use the links in the original challenge to look at and hear the sounds of the Northern flicker. If you would rather study another tree clinging bird, you’ll find several links in the challenge to get you started.

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Flicker.

If you have access to the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

To purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, click on over to the Join Us page at any time.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

You may wish to download and use the Learning About Birds ebook available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library. There are lots of birds included in this ebook, including tree clinging birds like the woodpecker and the nuthatch.

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

January Nature Study – New Printables, Plan, and Planning Page

February Nature Study Plans – Outdoor Hour Challenge

I’m starting to get anxious for wildflower season! In honor of that enthusiasm, I’ve created a new set of notebook pages for you to use to enhance your plant family studies. If you have the Botany in a Day book (link at the end of this entry) on your bookshelf, pull it down and get ready to use it alongside these notebook pages for your nature journal.

There are two wildflower nature studies planned for late February, so I invite you to use those flowers to get started with your plant family studies. (Bloodroot is in the poppy plant family and hepatica is in the buttercup family.)

02/05/2021 – Flicker Bird Study

02/12/2021 – Scarlet Saucer Fungi Study

02/19/2021 – Bloodroot Nature Study

02/26/2021 – Hepatica Nature Study

New Printables in the Members Library

Plant Family Notebook Page Set: This nine-page set includes pages for recording notes and lists of the more common plant families. You’ll find pages for the mint, mustard, pea, lily, aster, mallow, rose, and parsley families. There is also a generic page for you to use with any of the other plant families you might study with your children.

Click the graphic above to view the complete list of printables available as part of an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Members also have access to the Nature Planner pages in their library. Print out this month’s page and use it to stimulate your weekly nature study time.

If you’d like to have access to the member’s printables and the newsletter archive, I invite you to join with an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Your membership will be valid for one year and will include the benefits shown below.

This is my affiliate link to the Botany in a Day book that I highly recommend to go along with a study of wildflowers.

All of the Outdoor Hour Challenges this month are from the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook.

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – January 2021

Nature Observer – January 2021

Here in Central Oregon, we’ve entered the season of pink sunrises and cold frosty mornings. There may be a new dusting of snow on the ground which will soon be marked with critter prints as they come out from cover to search around for their next meal. Living so near to a river, we see its story each day as we look out the window and venture out to walk along the riverbank.

We’ve had plenty of foggy, misty mornings this month and sometimes it takes until noon for the fog to disappear, but we almost always have a bit of sunshine at some point each day. My husband and I try to take advantage of the sun’s warming rays to get outside for a quick walk. I was able to get an image of a coyote trying to sneak along the river one foggy morning last week. He was on the hunt and would occasionally stop and stand as still as a statue before he rushed along some more and then eventually out of sight. We often see the coyote prints in the snow and mud, so we know they’re out there roaming around but we rarely see them in the daytime.

This January we’ve experienced a great thaw. A warm rain caused the snow and ice to almost disappear from the landscape; the melting snow making great pools of water where the ground is frozen underneath. We actually can see green grass and the violets are blooming in a few spots around our yard.

I think the most interesting aspect of the great thaw has been the revealing of the habits of the mice that live around our property. At first, we could see their trails underneath the snow, like tunnels that lead from their warm little homes under the earth that then lead out to where they can scurry under the birdfeeders to gather fallen seeds.

Now that the snow is all gone, you can see the paths among the vegetation. I wrote about this survival method a few years ago when I discovered that critters live and thrive in the “subnivean zone” during the cold winter months. They do not hibernate like other animals which fascinated me. They create a world underneath the snow where the snow acts as an insulator from freezing winds and temperatures.

You can read more here: Subnivean Zone.

The most exciting story this month is that of the elk returning to our neighborhood. They are early morning visitors, so most mornings I open my blinds the minute I’m up and around. We put up our critter cam again to get some video of them as they walk majestically by in the early hours of the day.

We’ve had a much milder January than is normal, so we’re bracing for the possibility of a wintery February. Time is moving along quickly and as always, we have plenty to occupy our thoughts as we venture out each day to notice the drama and excitement that happens right outside our door.

I invite you to join us this month for the Outdoor Hour Challenge as we work our way through the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook.

Please use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist membership.

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Winter Orion Star Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Orion Star Nature Study

This week I invite you to do a little stargazing with your family. Bundle up and be prepared to find the constellation Orion in your night sky. Use the information found in the Handbook of Nature Study and the links in this challenge to educate yourselves about this winter constellation.

I use the Sky Guide app on my iPad to locate constellations and other night sky objects easily. I know there are several apps out there to use, but I’ve really enjoyed having Sky Guide. If you have experience with other star apps, leave me a comment!

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Orion Constellation study

If you have access to the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

If you have access to the Member’s Library and can download the Winter Wednesday ebook, there’s a Winter Night Sky notebook page in that ebook that can be used as a follow up if you wish.

To purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, click on over to the Join Us page at any time.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

Night Sky Family Nature Study-From the Newsletter Archives

The night sky is a fascinating subject to study. Over the years we’ve used our powers of observation to notice so many things right from our own back deck. We have a fairly dark neighborhood so gazing at the stars is a bit easier than if we lived in the city. My youngest child has always had an interest in learning about space and the universe, so hooking him into a little nature study at night has been easy and fun. We further nurtured his curiosity by creating a high school astronomy course that fit his needs and interests.

August 2013 newsletter cover — Look for the August 2013 newsletter in your member’s library!

Tips for a Night Sky Study

* It takes a long time for your eyes to adjust to being outside at night. I read it takes 30 minutes, so allow enough time to get your “night vision” working before you start to look for stars.

* Have a good glow in the dark type constellation chart and know where your compass points of reference are while standing at your observation spot. This will make it easier to orientate your star chart to the sky.

“Geology, mineralogy, physical geography, botany, nature, biology, astronomy–the entire realm of science is like a beautiful fenced green field and we need to bring the child to the gate and leave it open for him. He doesn’t need a thorough collection of facts. He needs what Huxley calls ‘common information’ so that he’ll feel some connection with things on the earth and in the heavens.” Charlotte Mason

* Don’t expect too much at first. It takes time to learn the basics like where the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and North Star are to be found during each season. Take it slowly and realize you have many years of stargazing to learn more.

* Dress appropriately! It is cold at night for a large part of the year so bundle up. Have a blanket to wrap in or to lay on for stargazing.

* Spend some time viewing the night sky and watching for meteorites, satellites, and airplanes. This is a fun activity because they move across the sky and are easy to spot.

* Get the whole family involved and take turns pointing constellations out. Our family became really good at this by using a free iPhone app called Sky Map. It allows you to point your phone at the sky and identify the objects you can see using a GPS system. Fun! (There is also an Android app—Google Sky Map.)

* Binoculars on a tripod are a great alternative for amateur stargazing.

Look for a Local Observatory

* We visited our local observatory several times a year and enjoyed the help and explanations of the volunteer docents. It was great to get one on one time with astronomers and students who were willing to share their knowledge with interested children.

Night Sky Journal astronomy — Night Sky Tracker- Highly recommend!

Keep a Journal

* Keeping a journal is an excellent way for older children to learn more about the night sky. We didn’t require a journal entry every time we completed an observation but only when there was something interesting to note.

I created a high school level course for my son to complete during his 11th grade year. See the details and suggestions here:

Astronomy for High School

The link above will share all the resources we used to make astronomy a living science course.

If your children are young, remember that you’re trying to build interest in the night sky, make them curious to know more, and to build an appreciation for all that they see.

Please note that the August 2013 Newsletter in the archives contains lots of ideas to help with a night sky study. Members can find it in their library for download.

To purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, click on over to the Join Us page at any time.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Feldspar Nature Study

This week, using the links in the challenge, you’ll be introduced to feldspar. This isn’t a common nature study topic, but feldspar is a rather common rock-forming mineral that we can learn a little about using the Handbook of Nature Study.

You may decide this is a study that perhaps your older or more advanced students may wish to complete. If you have younger students or don’t have a specimen of feldspar to observe, see the alternate activity linked below for a more general rock nature study.

Here’s a quick overview of feldspar:

Feldspar, which means field stone, names a group of minerals that are much alike.
Feldspar is always a part of granite and other igneous rocks.
The most common colors are white or gray, pale pink or pale yellow, but feldspar may also be olive green or brown.
All feldspars are made of aluminum, silicon and oxygen.

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Feldspar Rock Study.

I would love for you to be encouraged in your rock study by this entry I wrote a few months ago: Teaching the “Hard” Nature Study Subjects – Rock Study. In my experience, I find this to be one of the more challenging nature subjects. But, the ability to take it slow and learn alongside your children can make this less intimidating.

If you have access to the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook, there is a notebook page for you to print and use for your nature journal.

Alternate Study: Here’s an alternate to the feldspar study linked in the Outdoor Hour Challenge this week. If you click over to the Rock Study Grid activity, you can print a notebook page activity to use with other rocks you may already have in your collection.

To purchase an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, you can click on over to the Join Us page at any time.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Please use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist membership.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

You can use the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!