Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.
This is the first month of using the new email system to deliver the newsletter to subscribers. I have now totally shut of the Feedburner blog forwarding and you need to be signed up for the new email service.
If you don’t receive the 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.
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 May so be sure to download it before 5/31/14.
Thank you to all of you who have already moved to the new email system and I hope you enjoy your newsletter! (Your newsletter link will come in a separate email today.)
I know that this has been a month of transition here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Please be aware that I have heard and tried to respond to every email and comment from readers, keeping up has been a big job but I value your thoughts and hope to clear up any questions you have as time goes by. The core of this blog is the Outdoor Hour Challenge and that will remain the core for the next few years as we finish up our work in the Handbook of Nature Study. There will be lots of new challenges starting this coming September (posted to the Ultimate Naturalist Library during August 2014.)
Today is the last chance to use the discount code for $10 off the Ultimate Naturalist Library.
Discount code: APRIL10
Keep sending in your nature study blog entries for the carnival! It is always such a joy for me to read and then share with everyone else the ideas and experiences that each contributing family has during their month of nature study activity with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.
Here are our family’s entries just in case you missed them this month:
Photo Credit: Janet from Pursuing Joy in the Journey
Spring Bird Observations
Janet from Pursuing Joy in the Journey would love for you to see their Spring Birds at a local pond there in the UK. What a beautiful place to take some time to observe the springtime birds. She also submits there Garden Birds entry along with some images of their nature journals. Excellent!
Kerry from Keeping Up With The Kordish’s shares their Spring Bird entry with you. They observed an early spring Red-Wing Blackbird and then created some journal entries.
Barbara from The Schoolhouse on the Prairie has submitted their Birds in Our Backyard postwith the carnival. You are going to LOVE their bird drawings this month!
Photo Credit-Lisa at Pilgrims at Tinker Creek
Spring Wildflowers and Dandelions
Alex from Life on a Canadian Island has a wonderful entry for you to enjoy: Signs of Spring – Crocus. She has some beautiful images and a few thoughts from the Handbook of Nature Study.
Michelle from Following Footprints shares their Outdoor Hours in April entrywith the carnival. They studied dandelions, took a nature walk, and found some turtles. make sure to see their nature journal entries!
Lisa from Pilgrims at Tinker Creek would love for you to take a look at their Dandelions entry. This entry will make you feel the spring time goodness with its dandelions and violets. They also have some wonderful nature journal examples.
Photo Credit: Shirley at Under An English Sky
Spring Cattail Observations
Shirley from Under an English Sky has started a year-long study of cattails. See their entry for a great start to their observations: OHC Spring Cattail.
Window Nature Study – April: Alex shares the next installment of her monthly window nature study…showing a bit of a sign of spring!
Kerry from Keeping Up With The Kordish’s has submitted their Nature Study April entrywith the carnival. They have had a snowy month still but they did manage to fit in some outdoor time. Take a look at her awesome images.
Nature Notebook April 2014:Carol from Journey and Destination shares their natural surroundings with some fantastic images from their nature walks.
Outdoor Hour Challenge #1- A Springtime Walk: Heather shares their “signs of spring” which look more like “signs of winter”. Hopefully they will see warmer temperatures and far less snow this month!
Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in May are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 5/30/14 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).
The month of April has FLOWN by for our family! My kids are currently all spread out around the world, including South America! I have been home keeping the household running and trying to catch up on nature study stuff for all of you after the big switch to the new way of doing things here at the Handbook of Nature Study.
Our challenge from last week was to find and observe some spring cattails: Springtime Cattail Observations.We headed over to our local park where we had observed some fabulous cattails last year. Because of the drought, there are not as many as we had noticed during the summer of 2013 and they were much smaller than expected. We are going to mark our calendar to make some summer observations and compare our results.
There was enough water in the pond to see a beautiful reflection of the clouds and there were insects making little ripples and bubbles in the water. We estimated that the cattails were about three feet high and we will compare the height when we return this summer.
When we took a closer look at the water’s edge, we saw an old cattail that had disintegrated into a soft pile of fluff. What a great find!
Using the Nature Journal Topper from the April 2014 newsletter, I created a nature journal page with some of my observations and a simple sketch.
Hopefully, your family will get a chance to find a place with cattails for your springtime observations. If you started a year-long study already, return to your cattail spot to make some comparisons for your nature journal.
Do you know where there are cattails in your area?
This is a classic springtime study here on the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Take a few minutes this week to think about where you might find some cattails to observe. If nothing else, take a walk at a local stream or pond to explore the springtime weather with your children.
Take some time this week to pull out the watercolors to record your springtime cattail in your nature journal. Fun Suggestion: Use the water from your stream or pond to watercolor!
I searched on Pinterest for “watercolor cattails” and I found loads of inspiration to get started: Pinterest – Watercolor Cattails.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #2. Take a walk and then discuss with your children what they enjoyed during their outdoor time. Help them find words to record in their nature journal or you can follow up with the accompanying notebook page from the ebook. Additional idea: While you are out during your outdoor time, find a wildflower, weed, or leaf to put into your flower press.
I am working on creating a page with my web designer for the Frequently Asked Questions here on the Handbook of Nature Study. In the meantime, here is what I have so far. What happened here on the Handbook of Nature Study?
I have been creating, sharing, and selling ebooks as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge for many years. The library of challenges and ebooks had grown to such a size that it was becoming hard to navigate or to use easily, especially for newcomers. The decision to create a membership site was a BIG decision and not taken lightly.
Creating the Ultimate Naturalist Library and then offering it as a membership access site was the most efficient and reasonably priced way of allowing access to a lot of great nature study resources for families. This level of membership is perfect for the family that is getting started with nature study, wants a lot of choices, needs the archived newsletters, and would like all the new releases during the year(see below for a list of the ebooks scheduled to be released during the up-coming year). I always like having every challenge at my fingertips so I can pull one as the topics present themselves during our nature study time and I know you will too!
I realize that there is a core group of OHC families that have made purchases in the past so the Journey level of membership is perfect to keep your nature study journey rolling. You have access to the Getting Started ebook, new challenges, and the archived newsletters (just in case you missed some along the way).
There are some new faces here at the OHC as well so the Discovery level of membership is a perfect way to get your feet wet with the Getting Started ebook, the new challenges, and the archived library of newsletters.
Can I purchase the ebooks separately?
At this time you cannot purchase the Outdoor Hour Challenge ebooks separately. Just remember that with your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership you will get EVERY ebook available on the Handbook of Nature Study for a value of over $87 dollars PLUS the new ebooks that will be released during your membership year.
What does the Ultimate Membership include?
The Ultimate Membership includes all 12 ebooks listed on the library page, all 36 issues of the archived newsletters in their original format, and ALL new items to be added in the next year. You have the ability to download and save every ebook, newsletter, and printable available right to your own computer for future use…even after your membership ends. You just need to download and save the resources DURING your membership period.
What are the new items scheduled to be released during the year (April 2014-April 2015)?
There will be three ebooks with brand new challenges based on the information in the Handbook of Nature Study.
Fall ebook– loaded to membership pages on 8/15/14.
Winter ebook– loaded to membership pages on 12/19/14.
Spring ebook- loaded to membership pages on 3/20/15.
In addition to the new ebooks, there will be 2-4 various printable notebook pages and activities posted to the library each month.
Will I have access to all the ebooks after my membership ends?
No, you will need to download and save to your personal computer the ebooks (and newsletters and printables) during your membership period.
Can I purchase a membership to the Ultimate Naturalist Library this year and then purchase the Journey level next year?
YES!
I just need the back issues of the monthly newsletters. Where can I get those?
Every level of membership to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, including the Journey and Discovery levels, includes the archived newsletters.
Where do I see a list of the ebooks available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library?
You can visit the Join Us page for a complete explanation of the ebooks included in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.
Are the challenges on the blog different from the challenges in the ebooks?
Each Friday I post a nature study challenge on the blog featuring a topic from the Handbook of Nature Study. These challenges are and will continue to be from the OHC ebooks. So what are the advantages of having the new challenges in ebook format? You will get the challenges ahead of time so you can plan your family’s nature study for the quarter. Also, you will have access to the custom challenge notebooking pages not available to non-members.
Can I get a refund?
No. At this time, I am not processing refunds. There are plenty of samples for each ebook out there so there should not be much of a surprise once you purchase your membership. I am happy to answer any questions about the memberships BEFORE you purchase. I want you to be happy with your membership and I will explain anything that isn’t clear up front.
Can I print the ebooks for my family?
Yes, you are welcome to download and print the ebooks for your family’s use, making multiple copies of the notebooking pages for each member.
Do I need to print the ebook?
No, you can work right from your computer, iPad, or Kindle for each lesson. You will only need to print the notebooking pages if your family desires to complete them for their nature journal.
I am new to the Outdoor Hour Challenge, can I try the Discovery or Journey level of membership and then upgrade?
YES! If you purchase the Discovery or Journey level membership and then decide you want to upgrade to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, contact me directly and we will set that up for you.
I want to receive your monthly newsletter. Where can I subscribe?
At the top right of the website there is a subscription box for you to enter in your email address. You will receive a confirmation email that you will need to reply to and then you will be all set to go!
I don’t want to purchase anything. Can I still follow along?
Yes, of course. You can subscribe to my free monthly newsletter for continued nature study encouragement. Also, there will be challenges posted each Friday that you can use for free but you won’t have the plans ahead of time or the custom notebooking pages .
Our weather has dried up again after about twelve more inches of rain. We had a week of rainy wet skies which were much welcomed in our drought-restricted area. My garden is much happier!
My faithful readers know once the trails are dry and the sun warms the air that I itch to get outdoors for a good springtime explore. My husband and I carved out a whole day for a good hike…traveling out of our county, through another county, and arriving at a spot that we love to ramble down to the river. There were two cars in the parking lot at the trailhead but we never saw anyone until we were returning back up the trail much later in the day. I love that!
This time of year the hiking story is really about the wildflowers. You can hike along for a bit but you do need to stop and take a few photos along the way. Here are a few of the highlights. I know for many of you that spring has not yet arrived….so enjoy my images and dream of your springtime coming soon!
The Blue Dicks or Wild Hyacinth is in full bloom at the top of the trail. As we began our hike, the slope from the parking lot down to the little ravine was dotted with pretty bluish/purple flowers.
Another one of our regular early spring wildflowers is the Shooting Star. Once it starts blooming, you can be sure it is spring for sure and the days will get warmer.
I am pretty sure this is a new to me wildflower…I have seen something very similar but a different color. Using my field guide and the CalFlora site, it looks like this may be a Brown Bell or Brown Fritillary
This is such a beautiful blue wildflower! There were several spots along the trail that had Hounds Tongue. We have this on our local trail as well and it is just starting to blossom for the early spring bloom.
This Caterpillar phacelia has such a unique looking flower that I never forget its name. It really does look like a caterpillar!
Coyote Creek at the bottom of the trail, beyond the natural bridge, runs cool, clear, and fast over the marble rocks. It is a great place to sit a few minutes and listen to the birds singing and the insects buzzing. This is where we observed our new spring bird, the Black Phoebe!
Hopefully this is the start to a fantastic hiking season!
Did you know you can get access to all the archived newsletters (all 36 issues) with every level of membership?
This week we are going to get started with a spring wildflower or dandelion nature study challenge! This is always a favorite study and I look forward to seeing how your family completes some of the ideas in the following challenges. As always, if you don’t have any wildflowers or dandelions, take a walk anyway and see what you can find or talk about the up-coming wildflower season to create some enthusiasm. See the ideas below for a dandelion hunt.
This month’s newsletter includes a page of Nature Journal Toppers. One of the suggested activities outlines some ideas for observing a dandelion that you may find during your outdoor time and then creating a nature journal page with all your measurements and comparisons.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #6. You can work on your nature table collection or pressed flower collection this week as part of your follow-up time. See the ideas in this challenge from the Getting Started ebook for more ideas and a custom notebooking page.
We have had a new regular bird under our birdfeeders this past Project Feederwatch season. I wasn’t able to identify it right off the bat since sparrows are some of the more difficult birds to distinguish in my feeders. I was finally able to take a really good photo of him and that certainly helped.
He is actually a Sooty Fox Sparrowwhich is found here on the West Coast. This was the bird that kept flying into my back window…in fact I got to look at one really close because it was dead on my back deck from a crash into the window. (That was a sad day!) I used a photo of the bird this time in my journal just to make it easy. I followed the prompt from last month’s newsletter Nature Journal Topper to list at least five things we observed about our bird. My rule is to get the page done in your journal and not worry about how fancy or creative it is…
Death Valley National Park is a surprising place! I had lived in California all my life but until 2006 had never visited this amazing place. Our family took a trip during the first week of April 2006, escaping to the warm temperatures and dry landscape for a few days. My boys had a blast in this vast and awe-inspiring place.
Hottest, Driest, Lowest…all describe this unique place on earth called Death Valley.
We stayed two nights at Furnace Creek Ranch, making that our home base for the three days we were there. The hotel and rooms were nice but the highlight was the swimming pool! My boys enjoyed swimming in February and I relished the time to have bare feet as I watched them splash around mid-February. There was a diner type of restaurant, a small store, and a the Visitor’s Center. It was super expensive so if we ever go back, we are going to go camping!
We started our visit with the Visitor’s Centerto get our bearings and to learn more about his unique habitat. We talked to the rangers about hikes to take with our boys to give us the flavor of Death Valley. I purchased Hiking in Death Valley and Mohave Desert Wildflowers to have as references during our stay.
Yes, wildflowers! Can you believe wildflowers in the desert? This was our first experience with this kind of habitat and right away I knew I had been wrong about what we would find to observe and study there in the desert. I had expected only rocks but found a whole array of wildflowers and plants to learn about as we hiked and explored.
These are affiliate links to books I own and love!
I highly recommend both books we purchased because I think we did get more out of the experience knowing where and what to look for during our stay. Several of the hikes that were listed in the guide book are not clearly marked from the road and we would have driven right past them.We concentrated on the Furnace Creek regionof the park and there was plenty to do just exploring this part of the vast desert.
Our favorite was “Canyon at second dip” along the Artists Drive. Sure enough, the canyon at the “second dip” was just as described and a favorite of the boys because the start of the trail is a scramble up a “short pink fall 50 yards from the road”.
We experienced natural bridges.
Hiked to the end of box canyons.
Explored places carved by flash floods.
Marveled at the stunning colors we observed.
Found surprising creatures.
Wondered at the way plants could grow right out of the rocky, sandy, graveling floor of Death Valley.
This is an amazing place to explore a study of botany, geology, ornithology, and zoology.
Look at that incredible sky!
Death Valley as 3.4 million acres to explore…be prepared! Water is a necessity at all times of the year and we also carried a good map, wore sturdy shoes and hats, and made sure to gas up the car. You can see this page for a list of places within the park to fuel up.
You will need a car to explore Death Valley National Park. It is reachable from just about any of the major cities in California. Please note that many of the highway passes going west-east in California are closed in winter. Check with Cal Trans information before planning a drive over
Also, your cell phone will not work in Death Valley National Park so be prepared for that if you need to make a call.
We also visited Scotty’s Castleon the way out of the park, heading towards home. This is a lot of fun to tour with the kids and we enjoyed seeing this unusual place and hearing the story of how it was built.
You may be interested in reading more in my national parks series:
