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Posted on September 16, 2020 by Barb — 12 Comments

Members Please Read: Changes to the Outdoor Hour Challenge

I highly recommend that members read this post for important information.

Sitting in my office looking out the window, I see the very first signs of the autumn coming. One thing about where I live in Central Oregon, summer is very short. It barely feels like we’re in the rhythm of summer and then the air turns crisp, the willows start to show color, the leaves rustling on the aspens have a different sound as they twirl in the afternoon breezes and the air just has that certain autumn feel to it if you pay close attention. It all rushes in too fast.

Unlike many of my readers, autumn is NOT my favorite season. I feel unsettled and restless.

With the turn of the calendar to September, I find myself thinking about what is to come as far as creating nature study ideas for the Outdoor Hour Challenge family of participants. 2020 has been a life changer for many of us and with those changes we sometimes see more clearly where we need to be on our personal journey. I’ve loved every minute of my work here on the Handbook of Nature Study, but I think change is in the air here as well. My thoughts are turning towards what comes next.

Don’t panic! The next year here on the blog will go on as usual but behind the scenes there will be a slowing down of writing new materials. Not a true “retirement”, but a slowing of the pace to allow room for exploring the next chapter in my life.

The Ultimate Naturalist Library

I feel like by the end of August 2021, I’ll have enough materials, printables, and activities in the Ultimate Naturalist Library to provide a complete nature study curriculum to most families for many, many years. Just think, I’ve covered the complete Handbook of Nature Study several times through with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Way back in 2008 when I started this project, I could’ve never imagined how much we would accomplish here with the Outdoor Hour Challenge. In addition to using the contents of the Handbook of Nature Study, there are additional topics that were of interest to my family and to participants like regional wildflowers, herbs, more birds, and different habitats. We worked our way through all of the seasons by closely observing many subjects together. The Outdoor Hour Challenge has helped families all around the world to develop a relationship with their own habitat and subjects.

Changes to the Outdoor Hour Challenge

I plan on adding to the Ultimate Naturalist Library for the next year (September 2020-August 2021). After that, I will be keeping the website up and active with weekly challenges from the archives.

What do I plan on releasing during the year from September 2020 to August 2021? I’ll be adding new printables to the library and eventually two new nature-related ebooks (topics to be determined).

Starting in September 2021, I will no longer be adding anything new to the library. Members will still have complete access to the library of Outdoor Hour Challenges and ebooks, newsletters, and printables for the foreseeable future. Your memberships will still be rich and full of all sorts of nature study ideas by gleaning from the library topics of interest to your family.

New Ebooks – Writing and Releasing in the 2020-2021 School Year

During the next year, I have time blocked out to write two final ebooks. I have so many ideas swirling around in my head but I thought it might be a good idea to ask you readers what topics you would like to cover with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

>>>>>>>>Email me your thoughts! Harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Here are a few of the ideas I have and you can add additional ideas if you have them:

Herbs – additional herb challenges
Wildflowers – one last wildflower ebook
Gardening for Kids ebook
General nature study ebook with more “how to” ideas and printables
Nature Journal ebook with simple ideas and examples drawn from past examples
A particular habitat that we haven’t already studied

Planning My Future

I’m not ready for a complete retirement from writing for the Outdoor Hour Challenge yet. It still feels relevant and valuable to keep sharing my love and passion for nature. But I want to take the time to see where the next path is going to lead me. I started off as a busy homeschooling mom of teenage boys who had a love for the outdoors. Now those boys are in their mid-twenties and I’m retired from homeschooling. We’ll be celebrating the first wedding of one of my four children. It’s a time of change.

Thanks for taking time to read my thoughts and PLEASE email me with any questions or comments. Send me your ebook ideas and then keep on going with your family’s nature study plan as we all work through the end of 2020 and face 2021, braced for what that will bring.

My email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Catbird Nature Study

This week we’re going to learn about the catbird using lesson #24 in the Handbook of Nature Study. The pages and activities suggested will be a wonderful start to learning about this interesting bird. I had the opportunity to hear a catbird while on a trip to Florida many years ago and I’ve never forgotten the experience.

Don’t miss the links in the challenge where you can hear what a catbird sounds like too!

Note: The sample for the Autumn 2015 ebook includes the catbird challenge (link below). If you download it, you’ll have the notebook pages to go along with this study.

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

>>>>If you don’t live in the range of the catbird, consider doing an alternate study of the mockingbird or the cowbird.

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

Swallows and swifts
Catfish
Jewelweed
Prickly lettuce
Cockroach
Field horsetail
Catbird
Calcite, limestone, marble
Chicken
Turkey
Hedgehog fungi
Sapsucker
Brooks

Included in your membership will be the Learning About Birds ebook.

Print the ebook sample here: Learning About Birds from the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Swallows and Swifts Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Swallows and Swifts Nature Study

This week we kick off the autumn series of Outdoor Hour Challenges with a bird study! Use the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock (Lesson 28) to learn more about these beautiful flyers.

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Swallows and Swifts.

This nature study lesson not only helps you learn about swallows, it will introduce the idea of bird migration using links and maps.

The follow up pages in the ebook will help you easily record your observations and research.

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

Topics in this ebook include:

Swallows and swifts
Catfish
Jewelweed
Prickly lettuce
Cockroach
Field horsetail
Catbird
Calcite, limestone, marble
Chicken
Turkey
Hedgehog fungi
Sapsucker
Brooks

Included in your membership will be the Learning About Birds ebook.

Print the ebook sample here: Learning About Birds from the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

New Printables for Members: First Day of Autumn and Full Moon

Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:

1. First Day of Autumn Grid Study and Nature Journal Toppers printable: I think we are all ready for a little change in the season! Using these printables in your nature journal will help jump start your nature journaling year.

2. Full Moon Planner 2020 notebook page: I have so enjoyed gazing at the full moons this summer. But, I seem to lack enthusiasm as soon as the evenings turn chilly. I wanted a way to remind myself to get outside and look at the moon in all the seasons so I created the planner page to help encourage our family to take note of each of the full moons over the next year. Please join me and I hope the helps you create a record of your moon observations.

(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)

Full Corn Moon is September 2, 2020!

Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.

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.

It’s time to pull out this autumn favorite!

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – August 2020

This has been a month for insect watching! It’s been a long time since I picked a “focus” nature topic for the month and it’s reminded me of the value of being alert to seeing things I might otherwise miss.

Dragon flies were the star for several of our outings on the water. I have a fun memory of floating on the river with blue dragonflies landing on my arms and hat. Then there were the larger black and white dragonflies that look like small hummingbirds. They were spotted high up on tops of reeds and sticks, hanging out over the water where they sat waiting for a meal.

The wildflower garden has been abuzz with all kinds of insects. It makes me happy to sit nearby and listen and watch as they hop on, hover over, and dip into the colorful flowers.

We decided the meadow out behind the house should be called “grasshopper acres” this month because of the abundance of hopping and leaping that happens as you walk through the grasses. They are everywhere.

I’m keeping myself accountable this month with an insect page in my nature journal. It’s nothing fancy but it will remind me of a few of the insects I encountered during this month of looking for insects.

Our bird list this month has some surprise entries. The most inspiring addition was the Common Nighthawk. I wish I could post a video of the flying acrobatics of this amazing flyer! We noted the pointy wings, the white patches under the wings, and watched it on several late afternoons and evenings over the river.

Then there was the exciting visit of five Great Egrets. We observed them flying down at the river with their long thin necks, stick-like legs, and long yellow beaks. This is the first time we’ve seen a group of egrets here in our Oregon neighborhood.

But, the most compelling visitor we had this month is the Cooper’s hawk. He’s been hunting at my bird feeder. Twice I watched him dive at the feeder as the little birds flew off in every direction. Afterwards, both times, he sat in the tree over the feeder, unsuccessful in capturing anyone. I was able to get a good look at him as he actually posed for a few photos. A rather large and handsome hawk, he sat and patiently waited for a long time before flying off.

window decal review 2020 — It’s hard to capture them in a photo.

On another bird related note, I installed some window decals that are designed to alert birds and prevent bird strikes. Our living room has a HUGE picture window and it has been the scene of many bird strikes and deaths in the past. I purchased the Window Alert window decals in the hope of reducing the number of birds who run smack into our window glass. They were easy to adhere to the exterior of the window. I was worried that they would annoy me as I look out the window but I’m happy to say that I don’t even really notice them anymore.

Do they work? I can’t say they have eliminated ALL of the bird strikes from happening, but I have noted that the very few that still hit the window must see the decals and slow down enough that it isn’t a fatal collision. We haven’t had a single bird death since putting the Window Alert decals up.

I call that pretty successful. I purchased them at our local Wild Birds Unlimited store for $6.95. The package says to replace the decals every four months since the UV coating will eventually fade and not be as effective. I guess I’ll get another set next spring.

Here are a few more fun things we did outdoors this month.

We made a day trip to the Crooked River to have a picnic and go fishing.

We took a new hike at Sahalie and Koosah Falls. What a magnificent place to take a 3-mile hike alongside the McKenzie River. I think this is my top pick for a day hike here in Oregon.

My daughter and I had an awesome time cutting lavender at the Hood River Lavender Farm. What great memories we made that day! It was a hot day and the scent of lavender was thick in the air. We tasted lavender lemonade for the first time and loved its refreshing flavor.

Are you following me on Instagram? I post regularly about my garden, the Central Oregon habitat, and our adventures. If you add the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge to your Instagram posts, I’ll come visit your images!

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

Answer all or just one of the prompts in a blog entry on your own blog or right here on my blog in a comment. If you answer on your blog, make sure to leave me a link in a comment so that I can pop over and read your responses.

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
One last image…

All members here on the Handbook of Nature Study have access to the 2020-2021 nature plan for the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Look for it in your library.

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Poison Oak Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Poison Oak Nature Study

I raised my four children in California. Poison oak was always a part of our outdoor time together. Whether it was hiking a favorite trail, or just visiting grandparents, poison oak was just a part of the landscape. It was very important to me that my children could spot poison oak and avoid any contact as much as possible.

Here is something you can teach your children:

Leaves of three… let it be!

Use this week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge to prepare your family for a possible encounter with poison oak in your future.

Gather some facts about poison oak:

Read about poison oak in your field guide or online here: Poison Oak.
Here’s a printable information sheet about poison oak: USDA Poison Oak.

Make sure to look at the images so you can easily identify this poisonous plant during your outdoor time. As an alternate study, you could learn about poison ivy instead.

See the Creepy things ebook for more poison oak nature study ideas, videos, and printables!

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog. You’ll find the detailed challenge in the Creepy Things ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

Download a sample from the Creepy Things ebook here: Banana Slug Nature Study.

We will soon be finishing up this Creepy Things series of nature studies and starting the Autumn Nature Study (2015 edition) ebook. It hardly seems possible that it’s time for the new school year to begin. But, I’m anxious to welcome all of the new families that will be joining us on September 4^th.

It’s not too late to purchase a membership and become a part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Join Us! Autumn Outdoor Hour Challenges Start Soon

Autumn Nature Study Ebook Series (2015 edition)

As the new school year starts for many families, the Outdoor Hour Challenge is getting started too! Starting September 2, 2020, we’ll be working our way through the Autumn Nature Study (2015) ebook.

In September the topics are:

Swallows and Swifts

“The swallows are very graceful birds and are exceedingly swift fliers….The chimney swift is not a swallow; it is more nearly related to the hummingbird than to the swallow.”

Catbirds

“The catbird has a beautiful song as well as the harsh “miou”, and can imitate other birds, although not as well as the mockingbird.”

Cockroaches

“The American species live in fields and woods and under stones and sticks and only occasionally venture into dwellings.”

Field Horsetail

“The horsetail is a plant that develops spores instead of seeds, and has green stems instead of leaves.”

Here’s a sample nature study from this ebook that features the catbird:

Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

Join us this year for a fantastic lineup of Outdoor Hour Challenges; many of them are brand new to the website. You can see the ebooks and topics by clicking over to the plan page. Members have access to all of the ebooks necessary for the complete year.

If you still need a membership, please click over and join us now as we start the new school year. It isn’t too late to get started!

Discount Code GETSTARTED for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Offer expires 9/19/2020.

The Outdoor Hour Challenge is proud to have been voted the top elementary science program by homeschoolers. I’m so appreciative to be able to help so many families get outdoors and enjoy the amazing things found right outside their own back doors….and beyond.

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

2020 Nature Journal Examples and Links

This has been a year filled with personal challenges. My routine has been turned upside down and along with that my habit of creating pages in my nature journal has become erratic and lower on the priority list.

This last month I’ve made an effort to get back into the habit of journaling weekly. I went back and planned out some pages to “catch up” on, so 2020 isn’t light on nature notes and observations. I brought out the nature journal supplies, sharpened the pencils and organized the markers. I plan on making myself more accountable for putting down my thoughts and observations as I go along for the rest of the year.

Stay tuned to see how I do in this endeavor.

Wish List: Creating nature goals for the year is a form of a “wish list” of things I hope to accomplish. Your family can adapt this idea to fit your needs, including any of the suggestions in the wish list entry linked here.

Recap Your Month: Creating a monthly recap page is a simple way to gather lots of details into one place. I enjoy creating a “highlights” recap and your family may like to pool ideas to make a recap page in your nature journal.

Make a List: There’s usually a list of one sort of another each month in my nature journal. It may not be very exciting but it does create a record that I look at from year to year. Comparing lists is something I do all the time.

Sketch Outdoors: I took my journaling supplies along on a recent outing to the Crooked River. We stopped along the river and I realized I had the perfect view and an opportunity to sketch a juniper tree for my nature journal. What an enjoyable afternoon!

The positive news is that I faithfully complete my daily nature observations in my Nature Observer book for 2020. Keeping up on this pre-printed journal will help me reconstruct some of the months I missed in my regular nature journal.

Each month has a blank calendar to fill in with short observations, a bullet grid page for my own customized observation reminders, and a weekly spread for writing more in detail anything of note.

For July, I not only used the bullet grid for daily temperatures and other nature activities, but included a list of the wildflowers and birds observed both in my yard and down at the river. This format can easily be adapted to any bullet style journal page you are using.

The links to Amazon in this entry are my affiliate entries. I have purchased this book with my own money and I am sharing my enthusiasm for this product after using it for 2 years!

Need some more specific nature journal ideas?

I’ve created a page on the website that gathers an abundance of nature journal ideas, suggestions, examples, and links. I invite you to jump over there and find your inspiration.

Are you familiar with the book/system Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes? This incremental, child-friendly, learning to draw plan is a valuable part of an art skills program for many homeschoolers. I loved it so much that when my children were younger I adapted the plans to incorporate nature related topics and our nature journals. I’ve gathered those plans into one file for you to download and use for free.

Download: Drawing with Children Nature Journal Style lesson plans printable

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Millipede Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Millipede Nature Study

This time of year as the weather cools off, many of us head for the woods and trails of our neighborhoods. A favorite child friendly activity is to look under things like fallen leaves and rocks. You may be rewarded with finding some interesting and unique creatures dwelling in these hidden spots.

The millipede may be one of those things you could discover on an autumn’s day hike. Be prepared for this occurrence by using the information in the Outdoor Hour Challenge for millipedes.

Would you like to learn about the millipede?

The millipede is a wormlike invertebrate with an exoskeleton, segmented body, and jointed legs. Each body segment has two pairs of legs. The body is cylindrical or flattened and they have short antennae.
Video showing the millipede up close: Millipede.

See the Creepy things ebook for more millipede nature study ideas, videos, and printables!

Members here on the Handbook of Nature Study have access to these printables in their Library to supplement this week’s millipede study: Under a Rock Notebook Page and Under the Fallen Leaves Notebook Page.

Alternate study this week: Earthworms.

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more!

Use discount code GETSTARTED to receive $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Code expires September 19, 2020.

We’re getting ready to start a new series of Outdoor Hour Challenges in September. Join us for the Autumn Nature Study ebook series (2015).

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Barb — 2 Comments

Renee’s Garden Seeds Update – End of Summer 2020

Renee’s Garden Seeds Update – End of Summer 2020

Our spring was spent building a new section of garden that would be attractive to birds, bees, and butterflies. Renee’s Garden seeds played a big part in filling our new garden beds with color, variety, and beautiful flowers. (See our start to the garden in this entry: Renee’s Garden 2020.)

Because of our harsh climate zone, we’ve struggled with finding garden plants that will survive through the cold, long winter we have in Central Oregon. Our solution is to plant both a mix of annual and perennial flowers, as well as native wildflowers and shrubs. This strategy has worked in our front yard and now we’re continuing that mix in our back garden.

Earlier this year, we rototilled and cleared about 1,200 square feet of scruffy grass and then proceeded to build two long, narrow garden boxes. Our aim was to make it not only more beautiful, but to have a more attractive garden space for bees, birds, and butterflies. A bonus side benefit is that we now have a peaceful spot to sit in the garden to enjoy all of the creatures that visit. The birds love the bird bath for drinking and bathing and they will often come even with us sitting close by.

Here are some of the Renee’s Garden seeds we chose:

Rainbow of California Poppies: This variety of poppies is now my absolute favorite! I love the pastel colors that are in this mix and I go out every day to see which ones are blooming. They are thriving in our climate which is surprising but very much appreciated. I will be planting more of these in years to come.

Early Blooming Beekeeper’s Mix: We enjoyed this mix so much last year that we added it to the list again this year. The sweetly colored flowers are hardy enough to last through our very cool summer nights.

Seeds for a Butterfly Garden: I think I planted too many seeds in our box but the sunflowers and cosmos don’t seem to mind. The zinnias are growing up under the cosmos and need to lean way out to reach for the sun. If I did this combination again, I would plant far fewer cosmos. Still, I’m anxious to see how the sunflowers do once they start blooming.

Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers: LOVE this sunflower! It’s an all time favorite of ours that we grew in California and it thrives here in Central Oregon as well.

Van Gogh Sunflowers: This sunflower with the quintessential shape and color is attracting bees and various other insects to the new garden. The finches are stopping by to nibble on the leaves too!

Heirloom Blue Delphiniums: These seeds have sprouted and are growing….slowly. I’m not sure what to think and I will have to update you later in the season as to whether they actually bloom or not.

Heirloom Pepperbox Poppies: This is our second year growing these magnificent poppies in our back yard. There are a variety of colors and shapes in the packet, producing gorgeous blooms that the bees buzz around all summer long. I highly recommend these poppies.

Please note that I receive some of the seeds as a promotional thank you from Renee’s Garden. I’ve purchased and used her seeds for many years now and I’m never disappointed.

Click over to my garden resources and see if you find some inspiration to get you going.

I post lots of images of the garden on my Instagram account. Click over and follow if you’re on Instagram. Also, if you tag your photos with #outdoorhourchallenge, I’ll stop by and see what you are up to in your nature study.