Use the ideas in this challenge to look for lacewings to view up close.
“Flitting leisurely through the air on her green gauze wings, the lacewing seems like a filmy leaf, broken loose and drifting on the breeze. But there is a purpose in her flight, and through some instinct she is enabled to seek out an aphis-ridden plant or tree, to which she comes as a friend in need.”
“Look for the lacewing on any plant infested with plant lice, and the lacewing’s egg or eggshells on the long stalks are also readily found.” Handbook of Nature Study
Here is the link to the Outdoor Hour Challenge for the lacewing in the archives: Insect Study – Lacewing.
This challenge is found in the Summer Nature Study Continues ebook if you have an Ultimate Naturalist or Journey Level Membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study! Download a copy and use the custom notebooking page for your nature journal.
I saw this sign in the gift shop at Yosemite National Park and it expresses how I feel about the time I spend hiking in the mountains. I remember saying on a hike this month that I could spend all day, every day hiking and never get tired of it. The minute my feet hit the trail, my cares melt away. We have spent many days this month hiking and walking outside in the sunshine. May is a month of great contrasts in weather and by the last week, we hiked under a blazing sun.
My California habitat is shown in the photo above. I told my friend that oaks and poppies on rolling hills just feels like my “home”. We took a new hike at Hidden Falls Regional Park (about an hour from home) on a whim. I had read about it in my hiking book, did a quick search on the internet, and then we jumped into the car early one Saturday morning. The parking lot was almost full when we arrived and it sort of concerned us that we might have a crowd on the trail. But, our worries were for nothing and it is such a big place that we never encountered any congestion and felt as if we had the place to ourselves most of the morning.
Wow! It was a wonderful day of hiking. We did see waterfalls and an area called Seven Pools. This is definitely a spring hike because I’m sure it is HOT here during the summer months.
Our second most exciting day trip was to Yosemite National Park. We wanted to view the waterfalls and valley this spring after all of the wet winter weather. We were not disappointed. We took a friend along who hadn’t seen the waterfalls before and it was fun to see everything from her eyes.
This is Yosemite Falls from a distance, taken from the Swinging Bridge. The river is up over its normal banks and nearly to the level of the bottom of the bridge. There is a lot of water!
We hiked to the top of Columbia Rock and this is the view from my resting spot. What an awesome perspective! We sat up here for a long time, quietly taking in the view. That is the Merced River down there as it meanders through the valley, near Yosemite Lodge (newly named Yosemite Valley Lodge).
Here is the view from Columbia Rock turning the camera in the other direction. Half Dome dominates the landscape. We never tire of this place…I would go back today if I could squeeze it in.
Closer to home, we saw this Mariposa lilyon a hike near our home. We normally see one or two of these at a time but this year the whole hillside was covered in them. I love the side view!
I need to share one image from my backyard garden. I chose this image because it has my Disneyland rose in all its glory and my Kona dog in the background. Look at all that green grass! After 3 years of drought, it is wonderful to see my yard all lush and green.
It has been an amazing month for our family. We made lots of memories, saw gorgeous views, discovered new trails, and observed about 50 different wildflowers (kept track in my journal).
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…
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!
Outdoor Hour Challenge Insects with a Magnifying Lens
“In elementary grades, nature study deals with objects which the children can see with the naked eye. However, a lens is a help in almost all of this work because it is such a joy to the child to gaze at the wonders it reveals.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 9
Let’s face it. Sometimes we need to add a little special interest into our nature time. We can be doing everything “right” by making time for outdoor exploring with our children but it can fall flat if the children get distracted. One of my secret weapons is a magnifying lens. Tuck the lens in with your nature study items when you go on a hike or even when exploring your own backyard. Pull the magnifier out if you see the attention of your children wandering. Model how to use the lens with something simple and then see if you can challenge your children to find an insect to view. Even better, for advanced students, challenge them to find an insect wing to observe up close.
You also may be interested in reading more ideas and suggestions for a Magnifying Lens Study that I wrote a for my readers.
Here is the original Outdoor Hour Challenge for a magnifying lens: Outdoor Hour Challenge #8(from the Getting Started ebook). The ebook provides the challenge as shown above as well as custom notebook pages for your follow up nature journal if desired.
This challenge is found in the Getting Started ebook which is included in every level of membership.
Are you looking for a pre-planned summer nature study idea? My daughter and I designed two kits for families to use to easily include nature study and art appreciation in their homes. These kits have been such a hit, we are offering them again this summer.
We have prepared a limited number of kits – first come, first serve.
US addresses only
Kits are $10 each or $16 for two kits, shipping included. This is a really good deal and we hope to sell out of these kits fast. If you want to buy a kit, click over to the Hearts and Trees website and look on the left sidebar for the appropriate Paypal buttons. It is possible to purchase one of each kit by clicking the option on the sidebar.
· Sticky Garden Fun Window Project (instructions and contact paper)
· Stiff Felt Magnet Project (instructions, 4 pieces of felt, magnet)
· Foam Stamp Project (instructions and foam)
· Easy Tissue Paper Mache Vase Project (instructions and tissue paper)
· Botanical Solar Print (instructions and 2 sheets of paper)
· Sidewalk Garden Scavenger Hunt (instructions and sidewalk chalk)
· Renoir print: Monet Painting in His Garden at Argenteuil
· Renoir art print notebooking page and index card for viewfinder
· Garden Journal (instructions, construction paper for the cover)
· 3 Garden-related notebooking pages/activity pages (2 lima beans, 3 kidney beans, 3 pinto beans, 1 sunflower seed, 1 corn seed, paper towel and baggie)
· Garden Scavenger Hunt laminated card
These kits include everything you need to complete the art and nature study activities. All types of learning will take place and these kits are appropriate and designed for children ages 6-12 years. Summertime is the perfect time to add in some meaningful activities without a lot of fussing from the parent.
I know you will love both kits…so much fun and learning to fill your summer hours!
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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Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.
This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of May so be sure to download it before 6/30/16.
Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:
This month the newsletter focuses on taking a closer look at insect wings. For many people, insects are a difficult topic of study so choosing to look at just one part may help get you over the initial fear of an insect study. Choose a butterfly, a month, or a dragonfly to view up close and just look at the wings!
Contributions from Outdoor Hour Challenge participants- Heather Woodie from Blog She Wrote. Heather has gathered many of her family’s best insect study information for you to view and be inspired by. Thanks Heather!
June Nature Study Planning Page with field trip ideas, nature photo ideas, and a special 15 minute challenge for parents.
Insect Wing 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. I added some things for your insect 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.
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!
This has been a month of wildflowers for our family. The quote from the Handbook of Nature Study that I put on the front page of this month’s newsletterreally sums up my feelings well.
“Thus by beginning with the child in nature-study, we take him to the laboratory of the wood or garden, the roadside or the field, and his materials are the wild flowers or the weeds, or the insects that visit the goldenrod or the bird that sings in the maple tree, or the woodchuck whistling in the pasture.”
We aimed at going out to look for wildflowers and we were rewarded with meaningful nature study. The incidental things that came into view when we slowed to observe the flowers closely brought other subjects into view as well. The insect on the flower, the birdsong as we walked, and the snake and newt that crossed our paths.
Don’t ever imagine that you can study in nature one subject without being drawn into seeing the relationships between the amazing things happening around you.
Here is the results of our color hunt from the Wildflower and Weed Study Grid (May 2016 Newsletter). I have picked my favorites for each color for you to enjoy.
Light Pink
Dark Pink
Yellow
Orange
Red
Purple
Lavender
White
I am still keeping my running lists of wildflowers that we find by hike in my little journal. It is very helpful to stop during a hike and make some notes as we go along. Also, afterwards, sitting with the images and a field guide, we try to identify any flowers we didn’t recognize during the hike. I have learned about a few new flowers this month by keeping careful track of the wildflowers seen.
Wildflower and Weed Grid Study (from the newsletter)
Use the printable study grid from the May 2016 newsletterto inspire some wildflower and weed related nature study this week. Don’t worry about completing all of the prompts but rather pick a few that interest your children or you think will be easy for your family to accomplish.
This grid can actually give you a plan for a whole month of nature study if you work on a few of the suggestions each week.
You can also use the Nature Photo Ideas from the May 2016 newsletter as part of this week’s challenge if your child enjoys taking pictures. It is my hope that you can use some of these ideas with your children to get to know some of the wildflowers and weeds in your local area.
All of the archived newsletters are available at every level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. I invite you to take a look at the benefits of membership and to see the great value it can hold for your family.
My recent trip to the East Coast (last week of April) allowed time for a visit to a national park. We picked Shenandoah National Parksince it was a little more like spring in Virginia than it was in New York! At least the trees were green and the wildflowers were beginning to make an appearance. We entered the park at the Front Royal entrance and drove south along Skyline Drive.
Please note that we had a short visit, stayed in a cabin, and because of the weather only did a few hikes. There is so much to do in this national park that I can’t adequately write about in this entry. Please do some additional research on the national park website and there are quite a number of excellent YouTube videos to inspire you as well.
Of course, first stop was the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center for information and stamping my national park passport. The exhibits were pretty ordinary at this visitor center (so if you have to pick one to go to, plan on the Harry F. Byrd Visitor Center at Big Meadow). We did watch the introductory video which was well done and informative. After that we tried to get some advice on hikes for our stay from the ranger. Maybe it was an off day but he didn’t seem very helpful. I told him we were interested in day hikes where we could see wildflowers and/or waterfalls. He told us we were too early for flowers…glad we didn’t listen to him. He gave us a map and sort of circled a few things but I was glad I had purchased a day hike book from Amazon before the trip (Best Day Hikes -Shenandoah), it was far more useful. We ended up seeing lots of flowers during our stay at the park.
We made our way down Skyline Drive from north to south. Interesting fact: all trails are off this road, they interconnect with other trails, and signs have landmarks and direction on the top on metal bands. This was helpful information I did learn from the ranger. Make sure to pick up a map when you enter the park so you can choose your hikes accordingly.
Spring at Shenandoah National Park means waterfalls, dogwoods, flowers, and trees getting their leaves. I had a blast looking for wildflowers and taking tons of photos. I have spent the days since I returned home with the images and my wildflower field guide adding flowers to my nature journal list.
The Appalachian Trail runs length of park and many times the park trails are part of the AT or at least cross over it. I got to see lots of the AT on this trip which makes me happy!
Skyland Resort(inside the park) was a perfect central place for our trip but if you have time to camp, I would think that this is a glorious place to camp. We stayed in the Hazeltop building right on the side of the ridge. It was a short drive from registration to the cabin. You could walk but it was difficult at night after dinner.
The room was super clean and comfortable. There was a balcony where we could see out over the valley and the lights of Luray at night. The way the sunlight changed the view with light and color was amazing, reminding me of the Grand Canyon.
The Pollock Roomwas perfect for breakfast and I had the best grits ever there. We had dinner both nights at the Tap room and both nights there was live entertainment- bluegrass and cloggers.
Stony Man at sunset was awesome! This is a must do hike on a visit to Shenandoah. The trail is not very long and it is not strenuous at all. There was plenty of parking at the trailhead but no restrooms.
Little Stony Man Trail
This hike was equally as rewarding at sunset and I would highly recommend it for all visitors as well. It is a perfect hike for families.
You can just drive skyline drive and stop and look at views if you have a really short time here at this park but you would miss much of the real Shenandoah experience. We settled on Dark Hollow Falls and Rose River Falls(done in a loop). We had the trail to ourselves in the early morning that was filled with birdsong, the sound of trees swaying and water cascading. The early spring wild flowers made this such a fun experience as we hiked down into the hollow and then back up the fire road.
My son had a great time climbing around on the rocks….see if you can spot him in the photo above.
This was a great hike and we wish we could return in the summer to see the forest with leaves…or the fall with color!
After this hike we ate at the Big Meadows Wayside which is one of three little cafes along Skyline Drive. It was raining here so we didn’t get to see much. We also went to the Harry F. Byrd visitor center which was far superior to the one at Dickey Ridge. The natural and cultural history are well represented. The view out onto the meadow was pretty in the rain. It was a misty day and we decided to head way back down to lower elevations for a hike and it paid off.
My best tip: If you can stay overnight, you truly would see how this is a magical place. The million dollar sunset, the early morning colors out over the valley, the birdsong, the trees and flowers…all of this is enjoyed much more at a slower pace.
Additional Tips:
$20 entrance fee. There are four park entrances- see park page for maps and directions. It is approximately 70 miles from Washington, D.C. to the north entrance.
Make sure to check operating hours for the visitor centers, the restaurants, lodges, and campgrounds before heading to Virginia.
You can read more of my national park entries by following these links:
This week we are going to start a dandelion study. This should be something that almost everyone can complete without too much trouble since dandelions are found just about everywhere! I have seen them in the desert, in the woodlands, in parks, in lawns…keep your eyes out!
This is one of my favorite flower studies. Make sure to read the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study before you go out on your dandelion hunt. There are lots of wonderful and simple ideas to study dandelions in this lesson and I encourage you to try a few to learn more about this interesting plant.
Additional Resources:
April 2014 Newsletter– You will find a dandelion related nature journal topper to use in your nature journal. All archived newsletters are available to all levels of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
You can glimpse into one of our dandelion studies here: Dandelion Morning.
This challenge is found in the Spring Nature Study ebook that members will have in their Ultimate Naturalist Library! Download a copy and use the custom notebooking page for your nature journal. More information on this ebook is found here: Spring Nature Study Ebook (including a sample).
This entry includes my Amazon.com affiliate link. I purchased this book with my own money and am providing my personal opinions about this book.
Somehow I missed writing a review for this book in April but I am making up for it this month!The Practical Naturalist published by DK and Audubonis a strikingly visual book. Its image rich content is appealing to all ages and the text is written in a way that concentrates lots of information in short easy to read snippets. (ISBN: 978-0756658991) This entry includes my Amazon.com affiliate link. I purchased this book with my own money and am providing my personal opinions about this book.
The subtitle really explains the foundation of this book: Explore the wonders of the natural world.
It tackles many of the fascinating aspects of the natural world around us, organized by habitat. This book is not like the Handbook of Nature Study which organizes its lessons by specific topics but rather it creates a close up picture of a sampling of the plants and animals that you may encounter in a particular habitat.
Habitats Covered:
Close to Home
Forest
Farm and Field
Scrub land and Heath
Grassland
Mountain and Hillside
Lake, River, and Stream
Coast
Tundra and Ice
Desert
Quick Thoughts on The Practical Naturalist
I tend to like to study things by habitat so I enjoyed the way the material was organized.
The images are large and colorful. There are even some “sideways” two page spreads which are a nice way to present the material.
The vocabulary is rich and creates a basic understanding of more complex biology-themed ideas.
I would consider this a living book because it intersperses text, images, and activities in such a way that the topics come alive for the reader. It would make a great foundation for a natural science or nature study course for children perhaps 10 years old and up. I could see how this book would have been a wonderful read aloud with my younger children as well.
One possible negative about the book is that it will require additional research to thoroughly cover each topic. This is not meant to be a nature encyclopedia.
I think this book is a great addition to a nature study reference library that you will use over the years as the opportunity arises. Nature loving kids would like to have a copy of their own to read and flip through at their leisure. Perhaps in the future I will use this book as a supplement to the Handbook of Nature Study plans!
This book is part of my Nature Book Project for 2016.
Note some of the links below are Amazon.com affiliate links.
