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

Brand New Outdoor Hour Challenge: Raven Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Forest Fun – Raven Nature Study

Ravens are a common sight to many of us here in North America. This week you can use the link below as well as the challenge in the new Forest Fun ebook to learn what ravens look like, what they sound like, and what their diet includes. Your children should be able to identify the raven by sight and by their sound after you finish your raven nature study time.

Choose a resource to learn more about ravens. A terrific website for bird information is All About Birds: Common Raven.
Ravens are often mistaken for crows so a study of this similar bird might be helpful. Lesson 32 in the Handbook of Nature Study will help you learn more about the crow. In addition, there is an Outdoor Hour Challenge for the crow in the archives: Black Birds.

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you’ll find the detailed challenge in the Forest Fun 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.

We are working through the Forest Fun ebook which is a brand new series of nature studies featuring things you might find in the forest. It’s not too late to join us by purchasing an Ultimate Naturalist or Journey level membership.

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 24 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

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

Brand New Outdoor Hour Challenge: Porcupine Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Porcupine Nature Study

This week we’re going to be learning about one of the most fascinating animals that you can find living in the forest, the porcupine! Most children have seen photos of porcupines and are curious about the quills of the porcupine. Take this week to use the Forest Fun ebook challenge featuring porcupines to learn more about this animal with your children.

To get a basic description and images for your porcupine study, use an online site like National Wildlife Federation or the San Diego Zoo. More advanced information can be found here: BioKids—Porcupines.

If you are having trouble signing into your account, please email me directly and I will reset your password. We recently had a server crash and our restoration did not update all of the passwords. Email me at harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge-Winter Weather Walk and More

Use one of the ideas listed below to take a winter weather walk. There are so many variations of this nature study idea that I’m sure you’ll find one that sparks your interest. Why not pick one and get outside this week as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge?

Winter Weather Walk – with a printable

Winter Nature Walk – with a printable

Winter Wonder Walk – printable in the More Nature Study – Winter ebook

Use Your Senses Nature Walk

Winter Silent Walk

If you’re on Instagram, you can use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge to connect with other families using the Outdoor Hour Challenge all around the world. I also check the hashtag and am always happy to see what families are doing each week to get outside together.

You can follow me on Instagram to see what I’m doing each week.

Have you seen the new ebooks?

We’ll be starting with the challenges in this ebook next week! Click over and see all the interesting topics that we’ll be learning about together with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Barb — 4 Comments

Read About My Nature Study Goals 2020

I started thinking on my new nature study goals about a month ago when I was in the thick of packing up my mother-in-law’s belongings so she could move to Oregon to be nearer to us. It brought into focus for me what is truly important in my life and what brings me happiness and contentment. It was clear that “things” are not my focus but rather making memories, keeping a sense of adventure about the world, and continuing to learn about the creation that I see in my everyday life.

With that experience and insight fresh in my mind, I made a new list of nature study goals for 2020.

Keep a nature journal.
Add to our backyard habitat. We are thinking of adding a water feature!
Take local hikes.
Make notes in my field guides. I love it when I turn to a page in my field guide and I’ve written the date of an observation or a location of a sighting.
Continue to participate in Project Feederwatch and the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Visit a new national park

Please note these are Amazon affiliate links to products I own and love.

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – January World Nature Study

This week we are going to ease back into our nature study routine with an easy activity from the January 2012 newsletter. If you have any level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can access that newsletter in your library. You will need to log into your account, scroll down to the newsletter section, then look for January 2012.

Open the newsletter and look at page 9. You can print a copy of this page for each of your children. Cut out the study grid and adhere it into your nature journal. Use the prompts to make observations about your January habitat and other simple nature-related activities.

You can learn more about how to creatively use the study grid in this entry:

Using Printables From the HNS Newsletter.

Click the button above to see a complete list of newsletters available and their contents.

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Goals -End of the Year Recap

Goal: the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

Well, here we are at the end of another year. 2019 started off with my being extremely hopeful about the prospect of getting outside on my two new hips. I was determined to be strong enough to hike some new trails and to spend a lot of time outdoors.

Then our family situation changed rapidly and it took a rather large chunk of my time and energy. Both sets of our aging parents required us to help them downsize and move out of their homes and into different living situations. We struggled through hospice, strokes, deaths, and moves across state lines.

This was not part of my vision for 2019 at all.

But, because I know it helps us to stay balanced emotionally, we made time to be outdoors when we had the opportunity. I kept my nature goals in mind and made tentative plans each month to go somewhere new and experience the refreshing powers of the outdoors. Those plans didn’t always pan out but it helped to keep them in front of us.

Looking at the definition of a goal I realized that I was indeed working with effort towards an aim or an end. The aim was to use the Outdoor Hour Challenges to learn more about my local habitat, to keep a detailed record of my nature observations, and to keep on hiking/kayaking as much as we could.

I think we achieved most of those goals.

In addition, I visited a new national park and rode my bike far more than I have in the last decade.

I’m choosing to look at the positives of keeping my nature goals, forgetting the perfectionist tendency to focus on what I didn’t accomplish in 2019. I will start again in 2020 with fresh goals and hopefully a little smoother ride through spring and summer than I had in 2019.

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – December 2019

Outdoor Mom – December 2019

Winter Sets In

I’m not sure how it got to be the end of December already, but here we are with a new year staring us in the face. The year 2019 has been a year of family upheaval, interspersed with short stretches of calm and space where my husband and I could get outside to enjoy Central Oregon. We forced ourselves this month to go outdoors even when the temperatures were at freezing or a little below. The key to being outside in the cold air is to be properly attired. Over the last three winters we’ve learned how to layer up to keep out the freezing winds and snowflakes.

During our outdoor time this month we went…

This month our snow started falling and the winter landscape came into view. The mountains in the distance glistened on sunny days with their snow caps. Our back pasture leading down to the river was covered in snow with only the tallest summer grasses still visible with brown stalks and drooping seed heads.

The most inspiring thing we experienced was…

The river has started to ice over and we can see small animal tracks on top of the ice where they crossed from one side to the other.

I also really enjoy the sunrises at this time of the year because of the way the light creates deep shadows and the sky is a kaleidoscope of pastel colors.

I added nature journal pages about…

I’ve been working on catching up in my nature journal. I have several pages started but not completed that record things I want to remember. In my nature journal, I try to record the sweetness of each season by listing the birds we observe, the mammal visitors we encounter and the highlights of special hikes or our travels. I’m currently working on pages for my trip to Acadia National Park, the coyote we see frequently outside our back fence and the mushrooms from our local autumn hikes.

Plans for Winter 2020

I’m planning on a new nature journal for 2020 that will combine daily and monthly observations. I will share about that sometime in January.

Also, my husband and I both decided we need new snowshoes to inspire us to get out on the local trails this winter.

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…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

New Ebook! Bird Set #1

New Ebook is Now Available to Members!

This is going to be an exciting addition to the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership! This new ebook has nine new Outdoor Hour Challenges featuring some of North America’s most interesting birds!

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. Plus, there are alternate study ideas for most of the challenges presented in this series of bird nature study lessons.

This 30 page digital ebook has 9 challenges and supplemental activities.
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 9 coloring pages.
Sample: Print an ebook sample here: Ooutdoor Hour Challenge Bird Set 1 Sample

Here are the specific topics included in this ebook:
American White Pelican
Trumpeter Swan
Wilson’s Snipe
Great Egret
Sandhill Crane
Clark’s Nutcracker
American Dipper
Horned Lark
Black-billed Magpie

How do you get the new Creepy Things ebook?

Members of the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey levels have access to the new ebook in their library. You need to click the “Members Area” button at the top of the website, sign into your account, and the ebook is there to download and save for your family to use when desired.

If you don’t have a membership yet, I’m offering a $5 off discount code that will be good towards your Ultimate Naturalist membership.

Discount Code: OHC10

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge -Winter Berries

This is going to be a fun Outdoor Hour Challenge! During the winter months, there are many shrubs and trees that have winter berries that provide a splash of color to an otherwise drab landscape. You can use the links in the original challenge to prepare for a winter berry hike and then use the notebook page in the Autumn Nature Study Continues ebook to record your results.

Use this link to the challenges in the archives:

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Winter Berries (from the Autumn Nature Study Continues ebook)

If you’re a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can look in your printables library for the berry and shrub set of notebooking pages. There are pages for nine different berries!

This challenge is found in the Autumn Nature Study Continues ebook found in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships here on the Handbook of Nature Study. You can print the notebooking pages and the coloring page included in the ebook to supplement your nature study this week.

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 23 ebooks and so much more!

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge -Mica Rock Study

This week is a great indoor nature study opportunity if you’re experiencing some winter weather like we are in Central Oregon. After reading the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study, use the links in the original challenge to learn even more about mica.

If you don’t have mica to observe, you can do an alternate rock study for any rock you may have on hand. Use a field guide or a book from the library to learn more about your rock. Look in your Member’s library for an abundance of rock study alternative ideas like printables, notebook pages, and newsletters.

Use this link to the challenges in the archives:

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Mica Rock Study (from the Autumn Nature Study Continues ebook)

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 23 ebooks and so much more!

Have you seen the new ebooks?

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!