Brook and Stream Archives

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Autumn Brook Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Brook Nature Study

It may take a bit of research but it is entirely worth the effort to find a small brook or creek that your family can visit frequently as part of a yearlong brook nature study.

Our family found that on homeschool days that went awry, a little jaunt to the creek always cleared up the bad moods and attitudes. Combine your visit to the brook with a few observations and use the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study in Lessons 207 and 208 along with the Outdoor Hour Challenge to really get to know the geology and the living things in your brook.

“The best time to study a brook is after a rain, and October or May is an interesting time for beginning this lesson. The work should be continued during the entire year.”

Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 207

Your frequent visits may lead to many questions that can be answered over time about the water, rocks, plants, birds, and other animals that inhabit this pleasant ecosystem.

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Brook Nature Study.

If you have access to the ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal. One of the notebook pages can be used in each season to record your observations and the other is a more advanced style notebook page where your child can record a more thorough report of what they observed and learned about the way a brook is part of the larger ecosystem.

Members can use page 4 of the February 2016 newsletter that outlines a four seasons creek study. Page 5 of that same newsletter has a printable creek study nature journal page.

Sample to view: Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Nature Study 2015 Sample Pages

If you don’t have a membership yet, click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 26 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

Swallows and swifts
Catfish
Jewelweed
Prickly lettuce
Cockroach
Field horsetail
Catbird
Calcite, limestone, marble
Chicken
Turkey
Hedgehog fungi
Sapsucker
Brooks

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Summer Brook Study

Summer Brook Study – From the Archives

Brook Study

For Members: This challenge is found in the Autumn 2015 Nature Study ebook.

We last visited our brooks back in December and I always like to do a comparison study in a different study. Even if you didn’t complete the brook challenge back in the winter, get started with your own brook nature study now during the summer. We always find something interesting along the water’s edge and if you can take a container to dip and fill with water, I am sure you are going to find even more to be excited about. Use the ideas in the archive challenge to get started.

Make sure to look for things like tracks in the mud, insects hiding under gravel or rocks, and insects (like the caddisfly or the water strider).

For Members:

Look in the Ultimate and Journey level printables for this Brook and Stream Nature Study printable.

Plus members can download and use the February 2016 Rocks and Creeks newsletter for additional ideas to use with this challenge.

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Barb — 1 Comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Brook Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Brook and Stream Nature Study

Inside Preparation Work:

Read pages 736-742 (Lessons #207-208) in the Handbook of Nature Study. These lessons are helpful in learning more about a local brook or stream in your area, noting the changes and movement of soil, sand, and rocks.
Advanced study: View this video to learn more information about River Erosion.

Outdoor Hour Time:

Take the Handbook of Nature Study along with you to your brook or stream visit. Use some of the suggested observations in the lessons to take a more careful look at what you are seeing. If you can, visit a brook before and after a storm to note the changes.
Make a note of where you took your observations and then mark your calendar to come back in the next season to create a year long picture of your brook.

Follow-Up Activity:

Create four pages in your nature journal for your seasonal brook observations. Label them at the top with the season’s name and leave room to write the actual dates as you create a year long study of your brook.
If you collected water as part of Lesson #208, use the experiment instructions to learn more about sediment.
Advanced study: Create a nature journal entry that explains how a brook’s water carries stones, gravel, and sediment. Make sure to include a diagram of where and how the water deposits its load.

If you want to purchase the Autumn Nature Study 2015 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 2015 announcement page for more details.

Please note that I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com. This is a product I have used for many years and highly recommend.
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Posted on October 2, 2015 by Barb — 2 Comments

October 2015 Printables for Members

I’m really trying to encourage you to go a little deeper in your reptile study using the brand new reptile reproduction notebook that has been added to the membership library. Also, it isn’t too late to take a brook or stream walk this season using this mini grid notebook page. Print one for each member of your family and take a walk sometime soon!

Remember the Ultimate and Discovery levels of membership receive access to all of the monthly printables.

Reptile Reproduction Notebook Page – perfect for more advanced students who are taking their reptile study to a higher level.

Brook and Stream Mini Grid Notebook Page and Activity – print one for each member of your family and use it to have some fun at a local brook or stream.

These new printables are in your membership library 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 along with the Outdoor Hour Challenges in 2015. Currently there are 36+ printables in the members library in addition to the ebooks and newsletters.

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