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Posted on October 6, 2014 by Barb — 3 Comments

Petrified Forest National Park – Tips and Images

I am excited to share some information about a national park that you don’t hear too much about. Petrified Forest National Park is located in Arizona and we visited in May 2014 as part of our cross-country road trip.

It is a park that you can visit as a day trip. There are no hotels or campgrounds at this national park so you will need to find accommodations outside the park. We stayed in Flagstaff, Arizona which is less than a two hour drive.

We entered the park at the southern entrance. As we entered, we were told of the strict rules regarding collection of petrified wood. You cannot take any petrified wood from the park and you must declare any in your possession as you enter so if you are stopped in the park, you will have a record of your purchases made outside the park’s boundaries.

This is a national park that you drive through, stopping at the many viewpoints to see the petrified logs and to learn more about how they were formed. The visitor center helps explain the process that made the petrified wood and then how it ended up in the middle of the desert of Arizona.

We stopped and walked through the Giant Logs trail near the Rainbow Forest Museum. It was a great way to learn more as you saw different pieces of petrified wood.

Isn’t it beautiful with all its colors?

We so enjoyed driving through and seeing the various land formations along the road. Once you stop your car and get out, you realize that there are living things even in this stark harsh place. It is a different kind of beauty that you find in the deserts of the southwest. The sky is so blue and seems to be wider and never ending.

Then we viewed a portion of the Painted Desert and visited the Painted Desert Visitor Center.

Photos really don’t do this landscape justice. The colors give such beauty to any way you look out your window.

Additional Tips and Links:

There is loads of information about what you will see here on this page: Brochures.
$10 entrance fee
Petroglyphs are accessible within the park.
Geocaches!
Near-by camping is available: Camping.
Visitor Center and Rainbow Forest Museum

You can read more of my national park tips in these entries:

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Ash Tree Nature Study

Inside Preparation Work:

Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 658-661 (Lesson #181). The lesson suggests starting an ash tree study in the fall and continuing it in the spring. Choose a few activities from the lesson to complete when you identify your ash tree.
Learn about tree bark: Parts of a Tree.
How to Identify an Ash: http://youtu.be/2CE3zvSuZqE

Outdoor Hour Time:

Use your outdoor time this week to take a closer look at tree bark. If you have an ash tree in your yard or local area, make sure to notice the particular look of the bark.
You can also look at the ash tree’s seeds using the suggested observations from the lesson (#3).
Take a rubbing of a tree’s bark or sketch it in your nature journal.
Advanced study: Compare the bark of three trees. Use your senses: sight, touch, smell.

Follow-Up Activity:

Discuss the role of the tree’s bark as a means of protection. Afterwards, create a journal entry for one of the trees you observed during your outdoor time. You can use either one of the notebook pages in the ebook if you wish. Younger children can use the Mountain ash coloring page or the White ash coloring page (included in the ebook).
Advanced study: Research the Emerald Ash Borer to learn how this insect is killing ash trees in the U.S. and Canada. Here are a few links to information on this invasive species: Woodpeckers Feeding an Emerald Ash Borers, Emerald Ash Borer, and a video Emerald Ash Borer.
There is also an advanced notebook page for older students to use (in the ebook).

Join us for this series of challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study. If you want to purchase the Autumn Nature Study Continues ebook so you can follow along with all the notebooking pages, coloring pages, and subject images, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Autumn Nature Study Continues content list on the announcement page.

Note this is an affiliate link to a product I love.

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Barb — 3 Comments

Handbook of Nature Study – October 2014 Newsletter

October 2014 – Fall Trees

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.

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.

This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of October so be sure to download it before 10/31/14.

Remember! All of the archived and current newsletters are available as part of the Ultimate Naturalist Library…every level! You may wish to download and use the October 2012 newsletter with additional autumn tree ideas and printables for your family.

Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:

3 fall tree related articles with loads of practical ideas
Tree book review
Nature journal idea tutorial
Nature Study Grid and Nature Journal Topper printable ideas
Coloring pages!
Spotlight Family – The Kordishes
Preschool nature table ideas and printables
Mom’s Planning Page: Use this printable page to plan your month’s 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.

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Barb — 4 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival – September 2014

September for our family was spent trying to avoid the wildfire smoke and closed roads in our area. It was a unusual month for us with very little outdoor time. I didn’t like it! We are determined to be back in our regular routine in October and even have a few day trips planned to make up for September’s craziness. Thank you to all of the blog carnival participants, making this a lovely gathering of nature study from all parts of the world.

Our family’s September entries from this month’s study (in case you missed one):

Salvia Study

Angie from Petra School is back with the carnival this month sharing their entry, Outdoor Hour Challenge – Salvia. This is such a great example of how to conduct nature study with older kids, helping them to make connections.

Photo Credit: Shirley Ann from Under an English Sky

Teasel Study or Other Wildflower

Shirley Ann from Under an English Sky shares their entry: OHC – The Teasel for you to enjoy. Oh, this is such a wonderful entry…I love seeing their teasel and then their nature journals too!

schoolhouse on the prairie monarch — Photo Credit: Barbara from Schoolhouse on the Prairie

Barbara from The Schoolhouse on the Prairie submits a glorious entry with their thistle study, monarch study, and leaf miners too: September Adventures. This makes me wish I lived in their neighborhood so I could tag along with their nature study. They also have some wonderful nature journal pages to share.
Anne from Harvest Moon by Hand has shared their Milkweed and Monarch Butterflies entry with the carnival. This entry is full of amazing images and loads of information.
Kerry from Keeping Up With The Kordishes would love for you to see their entry: Thistles.
Desiree from Out Homeschool Notebook has submitted their Queen Anne’s Lace Nature Study entry for you to enjoy. They found a wonderful patch of flowers to observe up close and then sketch for their nature journals.

Burdock Study or Other Weed

Kerry from Keeping Up With The Kordishes shares their wildflower/weed entry with the carnival: Milkweed, Goldenrod, Queen Anne’s Lace, Mullen, and Clover. They have been busy!

Potpourri

Anne from Harvest Moon by Hand has submitted their entry, Blue Jay – Outdoor Hour Challenge for carnival readers to read. This is a nature study rich entry, two of my favorite things are the milkweed seeds and the horses running. Check out their nature journals too!

Anne from Harvest Moon by Hand also would love to share their Ants – Outdoor Hour Challenge entry with you in this edition of the carnival. Make sure to see images of the giant puffballs.

Anne from Harvest Moon by Hand would love for you to view their entry: Goldenrod Outdoor Hour Challenge. They did a very nice study of this plant they have on their property. (Love the grasshopper image too!)

Cara from Brooketopia has written this entry for you to enjoy: Vera Scarth-Johnson Wildflower Reserve. In this entry she is letting us glimpse into your Australian landscape….beautiful! She would also love for you to read and enjoy her entry: Rainbow Lorikeets. This amazing birds are in your backyard! One last entry for you to view – Nature Walk at Sharon Gorge. Gorgeous!

Janet from Pursuing Joy in the Journey has submitted their entry for carnival readers: Foraging, Spiders and Webs. They took a closer look at some webs they found this month. She has some really nice images to share.

Carol from Journey and Destination shares their entry with the carnival: Nature Study in the Kitchen Garden. They are growing and identifying so many interesting things in their world. Enjoy a glimpse!

Michelle from Following Footprints has submitted her entry, Nature Study-Going on a Feather Hunt. Looks like they really enjoyed their day! She also has a very encouraging post for you to read, Happier Homeschooling-Taking a Nature Walk.

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in October are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 10/28/14 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com or submit them at the blog carnival site (link on the sidebar of my blog).

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Photo of the Week Recap – September

I have slowed down in my photos pinned to the board…see the note at the bottom of this entry for an explanation.

Please feel free to join us over on the Nature Photo of the Week Pinterest Board.

Silhouette: That is the sun behind a very smoky sky. We have had a week of wildfire in our area and the mornings are dense with smoke…smells like a campfire burning even with the doors and windows shut. King Fire.

Furry: My cat on the roof….we were sitting outside after dark and with the moon so bright behind her we could see her little cat silhouette.

I have had some trouble this month getting photos for my remaining topics left on my list.

Here’s what I have left….decided to make a list to carry in the notes section of my phone for easy reference.

Crystals, berries, fish, cold, refreshing, simplicity, energy, , bridge, bubbly, sparkle, feather, reflection, self-portrait, Just do it!

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

New Printables for Members – September

New Printables in the Member’s Library!

There are new printables for you to use with your family if you are a member of the Ultimate Naturalist or Journey level memberships. You need to log into your account and then check the “Other Releases” section for brand new printables to enjoy as you observe trees in your neighborhood.

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Barb — 9 Comments

Burdock Nature Study

Here is our burdock nature study entry..so happy to have had a chance to see it in person!

Hiking in Utah we saw an area with these plants that had HUGE leaves. I was intrigued and took a photo so I could later look it up in my field guide. I had no idea that what I was looking at was first year burdock!

Later on in the hike, we spotted these blooming plants and I was pretty sure what we were seeing was burdock. I had read all about this plant when I was writing the current ebook and was sort of on the lookout for it in our travels this summer. I apologize for the blurry photos but it had started to rain and we were moving quickly off the mountain.

Here is a closer look at the leaves.

And here is the underside of the leaf. It is much whiter than the top of the leaf.

Here are a couple more images we took to document our discovery.

In reflection, the plants and flowers are much larger than I anticipated.

The flowers look like prickly balls with purplish color. The flower is ringed with spiny hooks all around.

We noted that the first year leaves are large and wavy looking while the second year plant with the flowers are much smaller and less wavy.

This was a case of preparation in identifying a wildflower/weed…reading up on things and then looking for them when you are out for your Outdoor Hour Challenge time creates such a sense of satisfaction. Since the Handbook of Nature Study was written for a specific region, many of the topics are not found naturally in California. This never stumbles me since I view the time reading and researching topics for future use a very valuable tool in learning more as I go through life.

Did you find some burdock this week?

But, guess what? We found something right alongside our walking trail that looks remarkably like burdock. We snapped some photos and made some observations.

Doing some additional research online, we found out that this plant that looks like burdock is a the cocklebur plant!

Both the cocklebur and the burdock plants are in the asteraceae family…which is probably why they have some of the same characteristics.

What a great find and discovery!

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

Year-Long Study Reminders – Autumn Season

Here are some ideas from year-long nature study topics we have done in the past:

Year-Long Big Dipper Study – with free printable
Seasonal Cattail Study – with free printable
Seasonal Milkweed Study – with free printable notebook page
Year-Long Pond Study – with a free printable notebook page
Year-Long Queen Anne’s Lace Study and a free printable notebook page
Seasonal Autumn Tree Study – with free activity and notebook page
Year-Long Thistle Study
Teasel Study – start a year-long teasel study
Autumn Weather Study- free printable notebook page

You may wish to start a new year-long study this autumn using some of the ideas above. If you have a continuing year-long nature study project, don’t forget to put it on your calendar or you may forget to make your autumn observations. If you are using the new planning page from the newsletter, there is a box on each page to note the seasonal observations you wish to make during the month…we all need reminders!

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Barb — 7 Comments

Family Weed Study (No Teasel Here)

Teasel New York Trip — The first teasel I ever saw was in New York at Anna Botsford Comstock’s cottage on Cayuga Lake.

This week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge was to look for and observe some Teasel. We were not expecting to see any teasel this week and we didn’t…not too disappointed and we didn’t let it stop us from taking some hikes to see some other weeds with prickles and interesting flowers.

We observed something with prickles….Yellow Star Thistle. This is a menace in our neighborhood and I immediately pull it out by the roots if I see it in my yard. We have friends that have a honey business and they insist that star thistle honey is the best. It is very light tasting and is one of my favorites.

We also observed some Curly Dock. It is so colorful in the landscape right now. (More information on Cal Flora.)

Sometimes you just need to go with whatever subjects present themselves.

We are experiencing the King wildfire in our area which is a little scary. Each day we looked at the smoke and clouds and wondered how far it would come our way. Some of our friends were evacuated but so far we are safe here at home. The drought conditions in California are so severe and those dry conditions coupled with heat and windy afternoons make for perfect “fire weather”. This is from the bottom of my road.

This is from yesterday in town looking towards the fire. They call those clouds above the smoke “pyrocumulous“.

Yikes.

We are all praying for the fire to be contained and for all those evacuees to be allowed home to their homes. My husband is working on this fire but is in management with a job behind the scenes at base camp. He is tired but doing okay…this is what they do and they are accustomed to being under stress in emergency situations.

Hope you had a chance to get outside and look for some teasel or other weeds this week!

This Outdoor Hour Challenge is included in the new Autumn Nature Study Continues ebook. It is only one of fifteen nature study topics included along with notebook pages and coloring pages. If you have an Ultimate or Journey level membership, you will find this ebook in your library!

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Study Goals 2014- Update

September 15, 2014 Updates

#1- Visit two new national parks in 2014. Complete.

We have had the opportunity to visit four new national parks this year! Petrified Forest National Park, Hot Springs National Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, and Great Basin National Park.

#2- Identify and journal three new birds. Two out of three done!

I have completed the Bewick’s Wren and Clark’s Nutcracker.

#3- Identify and journal three new rocks. Once again, I am failing at this goal. I need to refresh my memory and make a plan. (See below for my new plan to accomplish my goals.)

#4- Three new hikes. Complete!

We accomplished this goal with these three hikes: Mount Arab in the Adirondacks of New York, Round Lake on the Tahoe Rim Trail, and the Bristlecone Pine Trail at Great Basin National Park.

#5 Visit a new-to-me nature center. Complete.

We thoroughly enjoyed the nature center at Great Basin National Park.

#6- Post a nature photo of the week for the entire year. Up to date!

#7- Camping in all four seasons.

So our spring trip didn’t happen because of my road trip to the East Coast with my daughter…BUT we have gone on three camping trips this summer! (We have a camping trip planned for the end of September and then another in December…plus a trip for spring 2015 to the Grand Canyon!)

My New Plan For Accomplishing my Goals

I have added a Nature Study Goals box to the Nature Study Planning Page in the newsletter for October (take a peek at the original page in this entry). This may remind me and all of you too of your nature study goals each month. Let me know how it helps you or if you have any other ideas for the planning page.