Posts

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Barb — 2 Comments

Book Review- Natural History of the Pacific Northwest Mountains

It’s been awhile since I wrote a book review here on the Handbook of Nature Study. I try to share only the best of the books that make it to my home nature library shelf, the books I use all the time and LOVE. So, this book, Natural History of the Pacific Northwest Mountains by Daniel Mathews, is just such a book! I use it as a reference when I return home from a hike and I’ve seen something that captured my interest.

It covers all the basics: trees, shrubs, flowers, ferns, mosses, lichens, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, geology and even the climate. (The topics are even color coded as a quick way to flip to the right section.)

The images are full-color photographs which helps make identifying unknown subjects easier. There are also clear line drawings of additional information like the leaf shape and bud shape that make identifying plants a snap.

Since I’m new to this part of the world, I enjoy just paging through the book and digging in deeper where I find something of interest. I’m currently working on the wildflower section since it’s coming up on spring and summer blooming season. I digested the bird section this past winter as I listed in my nature journal the birds that visited my yard and on the river behind our house.

This review includes Amazon.com affiliate links.

I’m also enjoying this book because it’s more than a field guide. There are boxes that introduce people (that plants and animals are named for), boxes that explain fascinating additional information on things like animal sonar, torpor and hibernation, wing shapes, corkscrew trees, and so on. I love learning little tidbits along with my nature study and many of these facts make their way into my nature journal.

Note: My home is not specifically in the range that this book covers, but I still find it particularly useful since we many times travel to the range that is included: western Washington, southwestern British Columbia, and northwestern Oregon.

I give this book two thumbs up if you live or visit this part of the world…my neck of the woods. It’s a valuable part of my local nature study library shelf.

I’ve written quite a few book reviews in the past as part of my Nature Book Projects. You can find the selections from 2016 in the link below. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to see the entire list.

Nature Book Project 2016

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Bat Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Bat Nature Study

From the Archives and from the Summer Nature Study ebook

We’re going to have some fun listening to the sounds of nature at night as we learn about bats! Everyone can get outside in the evening and use their senses to learn more about this time of day when many animals are active.

Make sure to check out the links at the bottom of the archive bat challenge for a closer look at these mammals that fly!

Join us for this exciting series of nature study topics as we work through the Summer Nature Study – Using Your Senses ebook. Don’t get hung up on the title of the ebook because these nature study topics are applicable at all times of the year. Where I live we don’t have summer or even real spring conditions yet, but we’re going to get outside in the evenings as the days get longer to make observations and learn more about things that happen at sundown.

This ebook is found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

May 2018 Planning Page and Printables

May 2018 Nature Planning Page – Print Your Copy Here!

This month we are beginning with a new series of Outdoor Hour Challenges from the Summer Nature Study ebook. These challenges incorporate using your senses alongside observing nature in your neighborhood. All children should develop the ability to use all their senses when making careful observations. Focusing on these skills during nature study is a natural way to take their learning to a new level in a fun way.

New May Printable: This month there’s a fun new printable Farmers Market activity in the Members Library. Look for it in the “garden” section of your membership!

Please note there are additional nature study ideas listed on the planning page for you to use if you have access to the newsletter library. (Right now use the discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.)

Download your copy here: May 2018 Planning Page

Members have access to lots of great printables including this month’s Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt printable.

Print a complete list by clicking the button above.

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Gray Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Gray Birds – Pigeon and Mockingbirds

From the Archives and from the Learning About Birds ebook

Using the link above to the archived challenge, you’ll find a lot of helpful information on getting started with a gray bird nature study. Pick one or two of the ideas to get you started and then make sure to get outside to observe your backyard or neighborhood birds.

An advanced study would be to do a comparative study of the pigeon and the mourning dove.

This is our last bird study from the Learning About Birds ebook. I’ve enjoyed taking a closer look at the birds in our backyard using the Handbook of Nature Study and I hope you have too!

Starting next week, we’ll be working through the Summer Nature Study – Using Your Senses ebook.

It’s found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – April 2018

Nature Observer – Nature Journal Examples

April 2018

Things are starting to look like spring around here and we’ve had an abundance of bird sightings and animals to watch. Seeing these things inspires me to get out my nature journal and get busy. I’ve found this to be the key to nature journaling: Find something interesting in nature to put on the page whether it’s a sketch, some words, a list, or a photo.

I’m still struggling with my sketching abilities (note the ground squirrel page below) but I know that practice makes perfect.

I wrote about this dilemma in an earlier blog post:

Drawing and Your Nature Journal

Here’s another entry I wrote that explains a few ways to get started with sketching:

3 Tips for Nature Journaling When You Think You Can’t Sketch

Above all, remember that a nature journal is a personal record of your own experiences in nature. There is no right or wrong way to do it. The only mistake you can make is to not take a few minutes each week to put something down on paper. Photos are great but taking the process to the next step makes a more lasting impression.

Here are my weekly entries for April!

I’m pretty happy with my lodgepole pine nature journal page. I managed to get a decent sketch of the tree shape along with some facts and a quote. Doing the research for this page has enabled me to pick out the lodgepole pines in our forest. My eyes now see the 2 needle bundles and the dead branches at the bottom of the trunk which helps me identify this particular pine from the others.

In an attempt to get to know my local habitat better, I decided to create a simple chart in my nature journal that compares the most common shrubs in our area. It took some time to do the research but it has already helped me pick out the bitterbrush from the rabbitbrush by contrasting leaf shape and color. I may eventually add a few more shrubs to my journal on another page.

It is thrilling to identify a new bird! We often saw a bird fly up and away from the edge of the slough when we were out river walking. Many days with binoculars and time on the internet have helped us identify the Wilson’s snipe! Of course, he made it into my nature journal and I’m fairly happy with the sketch.

One day we were sitting and looking out our back window. My husband spotted the ground squirrel scurrying along our fence line. It was the first time seeing them outside their holes, which we’ve seen all over the back of our property. Since that first sighting, I’ve seen several sitting up on top of a dead tree stump in the sun.

The forest floor is starting to come alive and one of the first things to be sprouting leaves is the wax currant. The leaves are an interesting shape and the little bell shaped flowers are pretty. We’ll be watching to see the berries later in the season.

I loved working on this page from the Nature Observer journal this month. The prompt was to note one surprising thing in nature each day for a week. I may do this again in my other journal.

What’s made it into your journal this week?

Have you taken a look at my updated nature journal page? Here’s a link to see some ideas to inspire you in your journaling efforts.

Don’t forget that I’m sharing a nature journal page each week on my Instagram account if you want to see the pages as they unfold. Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. And, if you want to create a page and share it on your Instagram for me to see, use the hashtag #OHCnaturejournal.

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Black and White Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Black and White Birds – Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Towhees

From the Archives and from the Learning About Birds ebook

The birds in this week’s challenge are some of my favorite birds! There’s such a great variety of birds to choose from. To learn more, use the link above to the archived challenge. Which bird will you choose?

Woodpeckers: These are some of the most interesting birds that come to our backyard. They’re usually bigger than the rest and will cling to the tree trunk, pecking for their next meal. You can often hear them before you see them if they’re tapping on a tree or fence post.
Chickadees: Chickadees are very social little birds that have a simple to identify song. Listen for them with their chickadee call from the tree limbs. They’ll also come close to you if you sit next to your feeder.
Nuthatches: These little acrobats will climb up and down your tree trunks. They often remind me of little clown faces. They are fast!
Towhees: You will pretty much find towhees under your feeder and not perching at the feeder itself. They have a funny way of scratching around under the feeder to find their seeds. My favorite are the spotted towhees!

Pick one of the birds in this challenge to read about and then go outside and look for them!

This black and white bird challenge is from the Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study. It’s found in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Bonus Notebook Pages!

I am including two bonus notebook pages to all subscribers this month.

Download your notebook pages below!

Bird Study with Nest and Egg Notebook Page

My Nest Study Notebook Page

Make sure to save this email or download and save these pages now for future use. I will be eliminating the link 604/26/18. All new subscribers will get these two notebook pages in their follow up email after confirming their subscription.

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Barb — 1 Comment

Outdoor Mom – April 2018

Outdoor Mom

April 2018

I was born and raised in California and California spring is all I’ve ever experienced until this year. Central Oregon has rocked my conception of what March and April weather should be and how it should look. Usually by now, I’m in the thick of spring wildflower season, taking hikes to see the lupines and poppies. Not this year.

April has been a subtle changing of the season. Our landscape is just now starting to show some signs of green and I actually spotted my very first dandelion in my yard. Our temperatures are getting warmer and we had some rain this week rather than snow so maybe, just maybe, we are headed to spring.

This new version of spring has not stopped us from getting outdoors. In fact, my husband and I take a daily walk to check out our river and the changes that are happening there.

Changes in Our World

We’ve spotted more birds, including new ones for our life list like the Wilson’s snipe, the wood duck, and the common goldeneye. Also, we spied our very first rufous hummingbird scouting out our backyard. I had an inkling that they were around so I’d just hung our feeder and sure enough, they visited while I was watching. I’ve been super happy with the Merlin Bird ID app from Cornell. This is a free app that helps you identify a bird without the use of a field guide. I find it very easy to use and pretty much every time, I can use the app to find out a bird’s name.

We’ve been observing the Belding’s ground squirrels with binoculars. I’d noticed activity around the holes out back and one afternoon they made their appearance. They’re such busy little creatures as they scratch around on the ground looking for something to eat. They’re smaller than I thought they should be and their tails are much shorter than expected. But, there is something quite entertaining about these ground squirrels and I love their cinnamon color.

We’ve been talking about taking the kayaks out on the river and today it was so sunny and warm that we just did it!

We’ve started exploring our area some more and all of its many lakes. My son and I drove up to the Twin Lakes, stopping to hike completely around South Twin Lake. What an enjoyable mile or so hike! There are some gorgeous ponderosa pines along the trail and we saw quite a bit of green manzanita just starting to blossom. It’s great to have my hiking buddy living with us for now…hoping to find some more trails to explore soon with this guy.

I’m eagerly anticipating a great upcoming month of outdoor time as the spring weather really hits. It’s like awakening from a long winter’s nap to find a new world to observe with new plants, animals, birds, and insects to get to know.

How are you enjoying your spring?

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you’d like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

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 April 16, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

What is Nyctinasty?

Why do Flowers Close at Night?

Nyctinasty

Simple definition: The movement of leaves or petals in response to light; the closing of flowers at night. This may help to protect the pollen from dew.

I love learning about amazing things that happen right under my nose. Many of us have observed the way our dandelions are closed up tight in the morning and then the bloom opens up in the sunshine each day. But, have we taken the time to really understand how that happens and why it happens? Just recently I did a little research to find the answer to that question. Now when I take note of my sleepy little flowers, I can appreciate the mechanism for this phenomenon: nyctinasty.

Examples of flowers that open and close:

Tulip
Crocus
Dandelion
Poppy
Daisy

Fun fact – The leaves of some plants, like those of certain legumes, open and close as well.

Try This! Something to Observe

Find a patch of daisies or dandelions in your yard. Observe the flower at different times of the day. When are they opened up? When are they closed?

Advanced study: For an additional experiment, try covering a dandelion with a box to shut out the light. What do you think you will find when you take the box off the next day?

Taking time to notice these changes will help your child make a more intimate connection with the world around them. I guarantee you will look at dandelions differently after observing them up close!

If you’re an Ultimate or Journey level member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you have a custom notebook page for creating a nature journal entry for nyctinasty in your download library.

Additional Links:

Why do plants close their leaves at night? – Audio explanation of nyctinasty.

Flowers on the Move – Super simple explanation of nyctinasty.

List of Flowers That Close at Night – Here’s a list to get you started.

Outdoor Hour Challenges for Flowers That Close At Night

If you would like to purchase a membership to have access to all 21 of the ebooks here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can click the button below to view the titles. In addition, members receive access to all 76 archived issues of the monthly nature study newsletter, and new monthly printables.

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Black Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Black Birds – Crow, Red Winged Blackbird, Cowbird, and Starling

From the Archives and from the Learning About Birds ebook

The birds in this week’s challenge are some of the more common birds most of us see during our daily activities. The challenge is to take a few minutes this week to observe and learn about one of the birds listed above. Currently, we have starlings and red winged blackbirds in our birdfeeders so we might do a compare and contrast of these two black birds.

The secondary part of this nature study challenge is to focus on looking at a bird’s eye color. Many times eye color is a field mark in identifying a particular bird. For example, some of the blackbirds in our feeders have a gold eye. This helped us to determine that we have brewer’s blackbirds and red winged blackbirds.

Note: There is a fantastic crow video in the archive link above so don’t miss it!

This black bird challenge is from the Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study. It’s found in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Barb — 22 Comments

Spring Wildflower Study with the OHC

Spring Wildflowers with the Outdoor Hour Challenge

Don’t miss the giveaway below!

Here in Central Oregon we haven’t experienced many wildflowers yet but I know they are coming! I’m trying to support the Charlotte Mason homeschoolers who are following the Ambleside Online’s nature study schedule so I’ll compile some ideas for studying wildflowers. As you observe the wildflowers in your neighborhood, check with the Handbook of Nature Study (the book and my website) for information and inspiration.

Here are some of the main wildflower links for you to use here on the website.

Gardens Tab at the top of the website. This page lists all of the wildflowers we’ve studied here with the Outdoor Hour Challenge in the past. You will find them listed by ebook and then at the bottom of the page in alphabetical order. These links are available to everyone.
Wildflower Nature Study Set #1. This ebook contains 5 wildflowers not specifically covered in the Handbook of Nature Study book. This ebook is part of the Ultimate and the Journey level memberships. Purchase a membership by following this link: Handbook of Nature Study membership information.
Wildflower Nature Study Set #2. This is the second set of 5 wildflowers not specifically covered in the Handbook of Nature Study book. This ebook is part of the Ultimate and the Journey level memberships. Purchase a membership by following this link: Handbook of Nature Study membership information.
Wildflower Printables: There are 6 additional wildflower printables available to Ultimate and Journey level members. Purchase a membership by following this link: Handbook of Nature Study membership information.

Getting Started

I hope these links help you locate the wildflower study that your family is interested in completing this season. There are so many to choose from so don’t be overwhelmed. I decided when I first started out identifying wildflowers with my children that we would take each flower one at a time. We aimed to learn a new flower each time we took a walk and that strategy helped us not be overwhelmed. Take it one flower at a time and use the Outdoor Hour Challenges to help you dig deeper and then follow up with a nature journal entry of some sort.

Is it important to know each flower’s name?

I recently took a hike with a friend and she was hoping I could teach her the names of the wildflowers we saw as we walked. I told her that once you know a flower’s name, you think of it as a friend, the kind of friend you look forward to seeing. She laughed at first but later realized that it does change your view of a wildflower once you know its name.

My Best Hint: Take lots of pictures for future reference!

It’s much easier to identify a wildflower with a field guide if you have an image of the flower, its leaf, and its stem.

Some Links to My Past Wildflower Studies You May Want to View for Inspiration:

California Poppies: We have spent many hours observing the poppy and its many interesting features.

Hike to the River – Spring Wildflowers: When we lived in California, we had our favorite trail to the river and at this time of year it was full of wildflowers. Be inspired to take your own walk!

Spring Wildflowers: Here is another one that is full of our California wildflowers.

I’m giving away 5 copies of each of my wildflower ebooks. I will randomly draw 5 winners to receive Set #1 and Set #2 of the new wildflower ebooks here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Use the Rafflecopter gadget below to enter.

I’ll be picking the winners on 4/14/18 so enter today.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nature Observer – Nature Journal Examples

April 2018

Bonus Notebook Pages!

How are you enjoying your spring?

Why do Flowers Close at Night?

Nyctinasty

Spring Wildflowers with the Outdoor Hour Challenge

Don’t miss the giveaway below!

I’m giving away 5 copies of each of my wildflower ebooks. I will randomly draw 5 winners to receive Set #1 and Set #2 of the new wildflower ebooks here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!