Have you ever used green bean seeds and plants for your nature study? This is a wonderful way to share the complete growing cycle. With your children start your study with the bean seeds, then the plants, then the flowers, then the beans, back to the seed again!
I also want to share a link to one of my gardening entries from 2009 that I think will inspire newbies to gardening. Take a look at this entry and find some encouragement to start even a small garden:
Gardening Doesn’t Need to be Complicated
If you are a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you will find this archive challenge in the Crop Plants Challenges ebook. In the book, you will find a custom notebook page to use with your green bean study.
This is such a gorgeous colorful time of year in the garden. I thought I would do a little update on my Garden Planning nature journal page and share how my April 2016 recap page is coming along.
At least this is the plan as of today…I know when the actual planting time comes I will probably adjust a bit but this gives my husband an idea of what irrigation I will need for him to set in up in each box. The one box is labeled as the “herb box” which it used to be in the past but now it is just a regular box…it will probably always be known as the herb box.
I’ve left some blank space for recording experiences as we finish up the month. I find that keeping the page going during the month is the best way to assure that it will actually get done. I used some watercolor pencils, gel pens, and a ruler to create my page.
Use the ideas in the archive link above to go on a spring green photo hunt. Find as many shades of green as you can during your outdoor time and take photos.
If you want to purchase the Spring Nature Study Continues ebook, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Spring Nature Study Continues – New Ebookannouncement page for more details.
Join us for nature study challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
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.
On our February trip to Southern California we had the opportunity to spend an afternoon at Cabrillo National Monument which is right in San Diego.
In the image above you can see from the peninsula where the park is located that you are just across the water from the city of San Diego. It was a gorgeous day with lots of sunshine which inspired us to walk up to the lighthouse from the visitor center.
This is a gigantic statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo the explorer for whom this park is named. The view from this spot out onto the water with the many ships and sailboats was amazing.
The lighthouse was open the day we were there and they had it set up to show what life was like back when the lighthouse was in operation. The historical information was interesting and helped us gain an understanding of how lighthouse life would have been.
Walking out onto the point beyond the lighthouse, we were able to view the ocean for migrating whales. No whales on this day but this a prime spot to watch for these awesome creatures. There was a shelter around the point so you would be protected from weather or wind if you needed. On the day we visited, there was no need because it was picture postcard perfect. I can’t help but be disappointed that we didn’t spot any whales but you can’t have everything.
The highlight of the visit was our time spent at the tidepools at Cabrillo National Monument. We had checked the low tide time on the tide tables before visiting and then again at the visitor center to make sure we hit it just right. The low tide allows you access to places covered in water at other times. We saw many tidepool creatures, including an octopus!!! The hike down to the water was a little slippery and rocky so I would highly recommend some sort of water shoe or sandals.
There were people with jeans and sneakers on but they were having a hard time wading through the water to see the best of the tidepools. There were quite a few people in the tidepools, including some park rangers, but it never felt crowded. I highly recommend this activity when you visit if you can time it right. Here are a few treasures we found (and left) during our wading expedition in the tidepool area.
This is the biggest intact shell I have ever found in my life. It was gorgeous and as much as I wanted to take it home with me….I left it for someone else to discover and enjoy. I have this amazing image to remind me of the excitement of pulling it up from the sandy area around the tidepool.
Additional Tips:
There is a $10 entrance fee.
There are very strict hours for the park so make sure to check before you drive out there – Park Hours.
As noted before, wear appropriate clothing and footwear
There are restrooms at the visitor center and down at the tidepool parking lot.
Tidepool visit:Learn ahead of time what you can touch and what you can’t and leave it all there. Prepare ahead of time. The tidepools might be hard for very young children but I would say 5 and up.
The historic exhibits at the visitor center are small but interesting.
Each month I add printables to the Ultimate and Journey level memberships here on the Handbook of Nature Study. In doing some revamping of the website, I thought it might be helpful to keep a current list of printables available in the library for you to use as a reference.
Click the button above or use the button on the website sidebar to always keep up with the current printables available along with the ebooks and newsletters in the various levels of membership.
Ultimate Naturalist Library- Current Contents
17 ebooks!
60 newsletters in the archive
51 printables including notebook pages, planning pages, nature grid studies, coloring pages, and nature walk ideas
Current members only need to access their membership library by clicking the “members area” on the website to find this wealth of nature study goodness.
If you are not yet a member, you can join us at any time and your library access will immediately activate when you purchase a membership.
“She who opens her eyes and her heart nature-ward even once a week finds nature-study in the schoolroom a delight and an abiding joy….She finds, first of all, companionship with her children; and second, she finds that without planning or going on a far voyage, she has found health and strength”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 3
It has been a great month of outdoor activity here in our household. I tend to forget how much better I feel when I get outside and walk/hike regularly. It is a cleansing of the everyday anxieties that is only found with fresh air and physical activity. I would love to share some highlights of the month so far with you.
It is always so exciting to find and identify a new wildflower! We were on a hike at a very well known trail and there it was…a new flower. I took some photos and then later used my field guide to find out what the name and some interesting facts. This is Johnny-Tuck or Butter and Eggs (Triphysaria eriantha). When we were looking at it closely to make some notes of what it looked like, I noted that it reminded me of owl’s clover and sure enough it belongs to the owl’s clover group. I love the connections that we can learn to make over time between similar flowers and plants.
This has been a wonderful year for all my favorite wildflowers with the amount of rain we have received it has been a bumper year for flowers. Above you can see the special plant that lines one section of our local trail. This Hairy lacepod (or fringepod) is actually blooming right now and developing these jewel-like pods with lacy edges. I enjoyed showing this plant to a friend of mine who has come to appreciate the diversity of plants in our area. [Thysanocarpus curvipes]
We took three different hikes to the American River this month so far. The section above is on the South Fork of the American River and you can see the lupine blooming in the foreground.
This image is from our hike on the North Fork of the American River, again with lupine in the foreground. Two different areas but equally as wild and beautiful.
This image is from a little close to home…my frontyard! I have been working in the yard and enjoying the living creatures that visit each day. This honeybee has his pollen baskets full! That is really the color of the flower on the California lilac…so amazing and perfect to brighten the sides of my front steps.
This is taken from my front deck where I spend a lot of time each day as I sip coffee or read, enjoying the view and sunshine. This Outdoor Mom has come alive alongside the plants and insects this month….feeling more myself than in a long time. I am going to be taking an unexpected trip to the East Coast soon and I hope to carry on with some unique outdoor experiences as I visit my children.
I also hope to work a bit in my daughter’s garden as it comes alive with her New York spring weather. We planted spring bulbs last fall and they are already making a showing…perhaps we will add some summer bulbs on this trip. The image above shows a couple of her garden friends….the chickadee and the ground hog!
Here is a photo from my husband’s travels this month. Taken from his regular walking spot on the river at daybreak. He takes this loop trail a few times a week and he always sends me an image. The water is very high in this picture from all the rain and snow we have experienced in the last six weeks. Such a welcome change from the years of drought!
I’m looking forward to the rest of the month and the Outdoor Hour Challenges that will fill my time. Join me every Friday for more nature study fun!
Outdoor Mom’s Journal
Whether your family spends a few minutes a week outside or hours at a time, share what is going on in your world.
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…
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.
Need help getting started with your nature study using the Handbook of Nature Study? Check out the fresh “Getting Started” page here on the website!
We received our seed order from Renee’s Garden and it inspired us to get out into the garden and start our spring clean up. The end of March and the beginning of April is the time we can get out and start weeding the boxes and dreaming of the summertime garden goodness that will be coming fast!
Here’s the garden before the clean up.
With all of our children living away from home, the garden chores all fall on my husband and I. I have a hard time bending over for very long so I decided to work a half hour every afternoon and with three days of doing that and one rather long afternoon with my husband, we finished the initial clean up.
Here is the after image.
Now we can make a list of things we still need to do to get the boxes ready including a good composting. The drip system needs a bit of revamping as well but we have a month or so before we will need to have the irrigation ready.
In the meantime, I will be planting several veggies in containers up on our deck where I can nurture them through the early spring. I will also be planting veggies in the garden boxes but I have enjoyed watching and eating the veggies on our back deck in the past few years and don’t want to miss that experience this year.
As part of the Garden Seeds Challenge, I started on a Garden Planning page in my nature journal. I sketched a few of the seeds we will be planting this year and included some of my garden growing thoughts too!
We looked up our hardiness zone to remind ourselves of when we can plant each of the vegetables we have on our list: Plant Zone Hardiness Calendar.
We can usually count on having a good garden if we get our seeds in the ground by May 1st. I don’t ever plant anything fancy so here is our list for 2016.
Vegetables
Lettuce: Baby Leaf Lettuce,
Green Beans – French Mascotte (container bush beans), Classic Slenderette (bush beans), Blue Lake pole beans.
Now that spring is really here, let’s get our gardening started! Of course, that means picking seeds and for all nature loving families we can make that into a simple and meaningful nature study. Taking time to note the differences and unique shape, size, and color of flower and vegetable seeds will make an impression on your young naturalist. Even if you just pick one kind of seed and do a thorough job with your observations there will be long lasting benefits to this type of seed study.
You may also want to use this printable activity if you plan on visiting a garden nursery.
If you are a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you will find this archive challenge in the Garden Flower and Plant Ebook in your library. In the ebook you will find a custom notebook page designed for use with this particular challenge.
We have enjoyed the sweet, sweet days of early spring this week. A little shower of rain and abundant sunshine after that have made for the world of spring to magically open up around us. My gardening days have begun and along with that comes a renewed inspiration to get my nature journal supplies out and create a record of the things around me.
We have early spring bulbs with a fragrance from heaven. I cut a few to put in a vase for the counter behind my kitchen sink. It makes for a beautiful visual and scent as I do my chores. You can see more ideas for enjoying your Early Spring Bulbs in the Outdoor Hour Challenge from a few weeks ago.
We have many blooming bushes and plants in our yard…here are a few of my favorites. Use the ideas in the Signs of Spring Outdoor Hour Challenge for your early spring nature study.
It was fun to create a Signs of Spring 2016 nature journal page while I was outdoors. It made me more aware of the surroundings and the many ways we can use our senses to experience the early spring. I could hear the birds singing in the neighborhood, the bushes were moving slightly in the breeze, I saw some sort of insect fly by, and I could feel the warm air and the sunshine on my skin. There is no better way to mark the beginning of the season!
I hope you can get outdoors and mark the change of the season in your world…try to make a detailed record of the day.
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. There may be a delay in your receiving the email so please don’t email me until the second day of the month if you haven’t received the link on the first. For some reason, some email providers take longer to receive the newsletter email.
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This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of April so be sure to download it before 4/30/16.
April Nature Study Planning Page with field trip ideas, nature photo ideas, and a special 15 minute challenge for parents.
Garden Seed Study printable notebook page which can be used as a nature journal topper as well.
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.
Need help getting started with your nature study using the Handbook of Nature Study? Check out the fresh “Getting Started” page here on the website!
Renee’s Garden has provided me with my seeds again this year in exchange for my writing about my experiences with these wonderful seeds from a fantastic company. I love picking my year’s selections from their website which is both informative and beautiful. I have some seeds left from last year that I will be planting but here is my list from this year’s package!
