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Posted on May 12, 2017 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge- Yarrow Wildflower Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Yarrow Wildflower Study

Inside Preparation:

Yarrow is a plant that most of us will regularly see alongside our hiking and walking trails. In addition, many garden nurseries have cultivated varieties of the yarrow plants if you are not successful in finding one in a more natural setting.

¨ Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium )You may wish to check the range of this particular plant on USDA.
¨ You may wish to view and download this fact sheet about the common yarrow: USDA Yarrow.
¨ The yarrow plant is the host plant for the Painted Lady butterfly so make sure to look for this pretty insect when you find some yarrow.
¨ Bloom time is usually April to September. Yarrow grows in full sun or part shade in dry habitats.
¨ Aster Family: check out this page with an informative video.

Outdoor Hour Time:

¨ Yarrow is found just about everywhere in the United States. Look for it in dry sunny spots starting in April. We see it alongside most of our hiking trails and is easy to spot because it is usually about 3 feet tall. If you find a patch to observe in person, use the observation suggestions on the following page to make a careful study of this beautiful flower.

Follow-Up Activity:

Note: Ebook users can find custom notebook pages to use for the yarrow flower and the aster family.

¨ Create a notebook page for the yarrow.
¨ Start an aster family notebook page. Keep a running list over time of the flowers you observe and/or study in this plant family.
¨ Advanced study: Learn the medicinal uses of yarrow. Here is a link to use: Herb Wisdom.

The Yarrow Plant Attracts the following Butterflies:

Banded Hairstreak, Lorquin Admiral, West Coast Lady,

American Copper, Red-banded Hairstreak,

How do you get the new Wildflower Nature Study 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 am offering a $5 off discount code that will be good towards your Ultimate Naturalist membership.

Discount Code: Wildflower5

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Posted on May 10, 2017 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom’s Nature Goal Update- First Quarter 2017

Nature Study Goals 2017 – 1st Quarter Update

Create monthly entries for my Outdoor Mom experiences as I share our nature study using the Outdoor Hour Challenge, our travel experiences, and any of my family’s nature adventures. This was accomplished. You can read my entries here: January, February, and March.
Focus on my nature journal and create at least one page weekly. I have kept this up! I am most proud of accomplishing this goal.
Post images of my nature journal pages on Instagram each week. If you follow me on Instagram, you get to see a new nature journal page every Wednesday.
Read and review 6 nature journal related books. Oops! I really need to get myself organized for this goal. I just ordered my first book from Amazon so look for a review soon.

Have you created your own nature study goals this year? How are you doing?

I will update you when I finish the second quarter!

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Barb — 1 Comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Purple Chinese Houses

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Purple Chinese Houses Wildflower Study
Wildflower Set #1

Inside Preparation:

There are 20 species of Chinese houses, most found in California. Their common name suggests the look of a Chinese pagoda.

¨ Purple Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla) Look to see the range on USDA.
¨ Sticky Chinese Houses (Collinsia tinctoria) Look to the range on USDA.

Outdoor Hour Time:

Look in sandy soil on shaded flats or slopes.

¨ Usual bloom time is March to June. In my experience, these showy flowers are found in large patches on sunny slopes along the trail.
¨ You may wish to look for the Checkerspot butterfly since this flower is a host plant for this insect.

Follow-Up Activity:

Note: Ebook users can find custom notebook pages to use for the Purple Chinese House flower and the figwort family.

¨ Create a notebook page for the Purple Chinese house flower.
¨ Start a figwort family notebook page. Keep a running list over time of the flowers you observe and/or study in this plant family.

How do you get the new Wildflower Nature Study ebook?

Discount Code: Wildflower5

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Posted on May 1, 2017 by Barb — Leave a comment

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter – May 2017 Beach and Fish

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

May 2017 Beach and Fish

Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.

The newsletter link is not in this email but will come separately. Members should have received their link already.

If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.

If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.

If you need to subscribe:

You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link for the current month’s newsletter.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of May so be sure to download it before 5/31/17.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level!

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

This month the theme of the newsletter goes along with the Ambleside Online theme of fish. I expanded on that theme to include beach nature study ideas.
There is a Nature Study Planning Page for May with lots of great ideas related to the monthly theme.
Don’t miss reading this article by contributor Jamie Worley from See Jamie Blog
Printable: Fish Grid Study

Resources for your Nature Library: I have started to build a nature library store on Amazon that will feature by category my favorite nature study books and resources. Take a look and see if there is anything you would like to put on your wish list for your family’s nature study library: Handbook of Nature Study Nature Library Suggestions on Amazon.com. Note this is my affiliate store to items I personally recommend and have read or seen in person.

Please note that Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level members have access to members only printables each month in addition to the newsletter printables. You will need to log into your account and then go to the “Other Releases” section.

This new ebook is found in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships.

As a special promo, you can use the discount code WILDFLOWER5 for $5 off the Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Membership

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Wildflowers

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Wildflowers- Dandelions

From the archives and the Spring Nature Study ebook.

This week is going to be fabulous! We are going to be on a dandelion hunt with our children. This cheerful flower has so much to teach us as we look at the leaves, the flower shape, and the seeds. You can find these little beauties everywhere now that spring is bursting out all around us.

Use the ideas in this week’s challenge to dig into the Handbook of Nature Study lesson on dandelions. Create a record of your observations in your nature journal.

You can see our family’s dandelion study here: Dandelion Morning.

You can also give this challenge a try: Dandelion and Wildflower Photo Hunt

How do you get the new Wildflower Nature Study ebook?

Discount Code: Wildflower5

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Barb — Leave a comment

Renee’s Garden Seeds 2017

Renee’s Garden Seeds
2017

When the package arrives each spring from Renee’s Garden, I get a little thrill! Seeing that envelope in my mailbox reminds me that garden time is just around the corner. I ordered my seeds before I knew we would sell our house so a few of the selections may not grow so well in my new climate zone.

I will be sharing my seeds with friends instead. This way I can still see how they perform and I won’t be sad that the seeds are going to waste.

Here is what I ordered this year (free from Renee’s in return for my sharing our results).

Old Favorites:

Pixie Sunshine Container Zinnias

Astia Container Zucchini

Classic Slenderette Bush Beans

Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers

Van Gogh Sunflowers

Baby Belle Mini Snack Peppers

Watercolor Silks Container Dahlias

Snow Sonata White Cosmos

Heirloom Chocolate Daisy

New to Me:

Bee Heaven Container Salvia

Pepperbox Poppy Heirloom Herbs

Summer Splash Marigolds

My current garden is in climate zone 8A and my new climate zone is 5A. Big difference!

“According to our data, you have a very, very short growing season.”

The National Gardening Association

Yep, 53 days for a growing season is very short! We will not be trying to grow things like tomatoes or peppers unless we create a greenhouse sometime in the future. I am told there is a very nice Farmer’s Market in our new area that I can visit to get loads of fresh veggies. I think that is a much better strategy for 2017.

I will look at creating a new garden as a challenge. If you have any experience with growing a vegetable garden with a really short growing season, I would love to hear your comments.

Join us for this new series of wildflower nature study challenges. Wildflower Nature Study Set #1.

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Posted on April 14, 2017 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Shooting Star

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Shooting Star Wildflower Study

From the Wildflower Nature Study Set #1

Inside Preparation:

¨ Look up and read about this beautiful showy flower in preparation for your outdoor time. Make sure to share images of the flower with your children so they know what they are hunting for. Look for shooting stars any time between April and August depending on the variety you have in your local area.

¨ The flowers look like rockets atop a long erect stalk growing from a basal cluster of leaves.

¨ Few-Flowered Shooting Star (Dodecatheon pulchellum) See the range: USDA.

¨ Alpine Shooting Star (Dodecatheon alpinum) See the range: USDA.

¨ Sierra Shooting Star (Dodecatheon jeffreyi) See the range: USDA.

¨ Eastern Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia) See the range: USDA.

¨ You may wish to watch most of this video that features shooting stars: Shooting Stars.

Outdoor Hour Time:

Look in sunny grasslands and shady woods.

¨ The shooting star’s unique dart shape and coloring should make it easy to identify. Look for a rosette of leaves at the base, a smooth stem, and then a cluster (or umbel) of flowers at the top.

Follow-Up Activity:

Note: Ebook users can find custom notebook pages to use for the shooting star flower and the primrose family.

Create a notebook page for the shooting star and be sure to include a sketch with the flower parts clearly labeled. Record the date and location of your shooting star for future reference.
Start a primrose family notebook page. Keep a running list over time of the flowers you observe and/or study in this plant family.
Advanced study: Learn how the Shooting star flower is pollinated. Also, sketch the life cycle of the plant in your nature journal.
Advanced study: The genus name dodecatheon means “twelve gods”. Research to find out why they chose this genus name.

How do you get the new Wildflower Nature Study ebook?

Discount Code: Wildflower5

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Barb — 3 Comments

Outdoor Mom – April 2017

Outdoor Mom’s Journal

April 2017

The past month has been a month of wildflowers. Coming out of the wettest winter in our memory, we are so grateful for the green sprouting grass and the pops of springtime color.

It has been a time of yard work as well. We listed our house on the market so that meant a whole yard tidy and sprucing up. I weeded and weeded until my hands were sore and I still didn’t get them all.

Last week we flew to Southern California to meet up with my son who was out from New York to be in a friend’s wedding. What did we do with our time together? We hiked of course! I realized we could take advantage of the “super bloom” of wildflowers and using Instagram search, we found a place near where my son was staying to visit for a long afternoon hike in the hills.

Point Mugu was a perfect place to hike right along Hwy 1 on the coastline of California. You start at the day use parking lot and head up the hill on the fire road. Masses of wildflowers covered the hillside!

We could identify many of the flowers and the others I have images of to use with a field guide. I quizzed my son about flower names and he remembered quite a few which made my Outdoor Mom heart happy. Don’t be fooled…they are paying attention even when they don’t act like it.

I have been struggling with keeping up with my nature journal but I am determined to keep my page a week goal. Look for my nature journal entry later this month or follow me on Instagram for my Wednesday nature journal posts.

Many of you have heard by now that we sold our house in California and we will be moving next month to Central Oregon. I am so excited to start learning about my new habitat along the Little Deschutes River. I am going to try to keep up my posting routine here on the Handbook of Nature Study so hopefully you will not notice much difference here on the blog except for the topics I will be covering in my nature journal.

How Do You Join?

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 week 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…
A photo I would like to share…

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Field Mustard and Wild Radish

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Field Mustard and Wild Radish

From the Wildflower Nature Study Set #1

Inside Preparation:

The two wildflowers in this challenge are usually considered weeds and grow along the roadside or in fields. They bloom in early spring and are easy to spot with their colorful blossoms. Look for the mustard and/or wild radish plants in the early spring and on through the summer months.
Field Mustard (Brassica rapa)- Read about this plant. See the range: USDA.
Wild Mustard (Sinapis arvensis )- Read about this plant.
Wild Radish: (Raphanus raphanistrum)- Read about this plant. See the range: USDA.

Outdoor Hour Time:

Look in fields and along roadsides.

The challenge this week is to get outside and look for wildflowers, especially those in the mustard family. If you made a list of plants to be on the lookout for in addition to the mustard or radish, keep those in mind as well.
Make careful observations (Ebook users look for a notebook page to print and use.)

Follow-Up Activity:

Create a notebook page for the field mustard and the wild radish plants. (Ebook users look for a notebook page to print and use.)
Start a mustard family notebook page. Keep a running list over time of the flowers you observe and/or study in this plant family.
Advanced study: Research how the wild radish was introduced and spread across a lot of the western U.S. landscape.
Advanced study: Printable for field mustard.
Advanced study: Research and list in your journal the many edibles found in the mustard family.
Eat something with mustard!

Note: This week’s challenge is also the sample for the ebook: Wildflower Nature Study Set #1 Sample

How do you get the new Wildflower Nature Study ebook?

Discount Code: Wildflower5

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Posted on April 7, 2017 by Barb — 2 Comments

Special Note:Mustard OHC Postponed

Rarely I have to postpone an Outdoor Hour Challenge, but this is one of those times.

My husband and I have been in Oregon all week looking for a new home. We found the best house in the most gorgeous setting ever. This of course took up much more time than I anticipated and coupled with the fact that I can only use my iPhone for posting, the Mustard and Wild Radish Outdoor Hour Challenge will be posted tomorrow.

I am looking forward to sharing our new habitat in Central Oregon in the years to come.

Thank you for your patience!

For Ultimate and Journey level members, you can download the challenge anytime by logging into your membership. You can click the Join Us button at the top of the website to learn more about the benefits of purchasing a membership on the Handbook of Nature Study. Or, look for the mustard nature study challenge tomorrow on the blog.

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

May 2017 Beach and Fish

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!