Tag: Family Outdoor Hour Challenge

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Homeschool Garden Activities for May Nature Studies

These homeschool garden activities are perfect for your May nature studies. Includes outdoor activities and gardening tips for kids.

These homeschool garden activities are perfect for your May nature studies. Includes outdoor activities and gardening tips for kids.
Image by Amy Law

Nature Study Encouragement for Your Outdoor Hour Family Time

Before you begin homeschool garden activities, enjoy these ideas for getting outdoors with your family.

Nature Study in Ripples: Simple Ways to Study Nature

Simple Ways to Study Nature – Here are some simple ways to study nature in your homeschool. Start in your own yard then let your discoveries grow out like ripples in a pond.

“Nature study is, despite all discussions and perversions, a study of nature; it consists of simple, truthful observations that may, like beads on a string, finally be threaded upon the understanding and thus held together as a logical and harmonious whole.”

Handbook of Nature Study, page 1

99 Homeschool Nature Study Ideas to Get Your Family Outside

Be inspired with 99 homeschool nature study ideas and outdoors sorts of things! Make a list of your own and get outdoors!

Homeschool Garden Activities Perfect for May Nature Studies

“A child who makes a garden, and then becomes intimate with the plants he cultivates, and comes to understand the interrelation of the various forms of life which he finds in his garden, has progressed far in the fundamental knowledge of nature’s ways as well as in a practical knowledge of agriculture.”

Handbook of Nature Study, page 20 in the section “Gardening and nature Study”

Here are some great nature study ideas for your May homeschool!

Garden and Wildflower Nature Studies with the Outdoor Hour Challenges

You can enjoy a simple garden and wildflowers homeschool nature study with these resources we have gathered for you to use in your own backyard. It is such a delight to study and learn about a garden and the beauty of wildflowers!

Make a Wagon Garden

For this particular garden, I have a rusty old Red Flyer wagon that has wheels that no longer turn…How to Make a Wagon Garden.

These homeschool garden activities are perfect for your May nature studies. Includes outdoor activities and gardening tips for kids.

World Turtle Day Nature Activities

Turtle Nature Study for Your Homeschool – Learn about pond life, pondweed and a pond habitat with this fun turtle nature study for your homeschool. Includes activities for learning about tortoises and microscopic pond life too.

Mammals: Goat Nature Study

This goat homeschool nature study is packed with fun from fainting goats to advanced mammal studies! Bring the Handbook of Nature Study to Life in your homeschool! Here’s a peek at what you can expect to enjoy in this Outdoor Hour Challenge for Homeschool Nature Study members.

earthworm nature study

Earthworms Invertebrates Nature Study

This earthworm homeschool nature study is packed with great learning for all ages and even includes advanced invertebrate studies!

Butterfly Nature Study: How to Make a Butterfly Puddle

Over the years, I’ve observed butterflies along hiking trails in the muddy edges. There will sometimes be 10 or 12 butterflies sitting on the mud slowly opening and closing their wings. This behavior fascinated me! After a little research on the internet, I discovered that butterflies are attracted to mud puddles for not only the moisture but the minerals and salts that are present in the mud. Learn How to Make a Butterfly Puddle!

great sunflower project

Homeschool Garden Activities: The Great Sunflower Project

What is the Great Sunflower Project? This is a citizen science activity that you can participate in with your children. If you can grow a sunflower (or selected other flowers), you can join the project with just a few minutes invested later this summer.

Beautiful Queen Anne’s Lace Wildflower Nature Study

Our family made great memories together one year while noticing and studying Queen Anne’s lace throughout the seasons. Enjoy this beautiful Queen Anne’s lace nature study for your homeschool and see what you notice in each season too!

These homeschool garden activities are perfect for your May nature studies. Includes outdoor activities and gardening tips for kids.

Charlotte Mason Nature Study: Simple Ideas for Wildflowers

These timeless Charlotte Mason nature study ideas are as relevant today as when they were written and I’m forever grateful for the encouragement these gave me when I was a new homeschooler.

Gathering Things for Your Nature Table

Unsure of what a nature table is exactly? Here is a simple definition with some ideas and tips. These will help you begin the habit of gathering things for your homeschool nature table during your Outdoor Hour Challenge time.

plan an outdoor picnic for your homeschool

Plan a Picnic

You can plan a simple outdoor picnic with the benefit of homeschool nature study! Even a snack in your backyard will make for a fun time together outdoors. You will be surprised at all you notice while you are outside.

These homeschool garden activities are perfect for your May nature studies. Includes outdoor activities and gardening tips for kids.

The Ultimate Guide to National Parks Nature Study

Ready to enjoy a trip to a national park? Use this guide to national parks nature study for your homeschool and enjoy nature study learning while you explore the great outdoors!

More Homeschool Garden Learning

Gardening in Your Homeschool – As the plant world comes alive again in springtime, what better way to teach our children about nature, food, hands-on history, and practical skills than by gardening? Whether we do a formal study or make gardening a purely hands-on project, our children will learn with a homeschool garden. 

Get Them Gardening! Fun Garden Books for Kids – As spring starts to roll in, we turn our thoughts to finally getting outside and enjoying the nice weather. Along with this comes budding trees and growing plants, and gardening both for food and flowers. This collection of garden books for kids will help you include gardening in your homeschool.

Mother’s Day Garden activities – Paint some garden flowers for a lovely Mother’s Day gift!

12 Delightful Farm Activities for Kids – These 12 delightful farm art activities for kids include fluffy baby chicks, a tractor, a barn, ducklings, a lamb, a cow, a piglet and even the chicken life cycle. Such fun learning for your homeschool!

Out of School and Into Nature

More Nature Study Ideas for Your May Homeschool

Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story – Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story is a beautiful picture book biography about the author of The Handbook of Nature Study. Anna Botsford Comstock was passionate about children getting out of the classroom and into nature to learn first hand about our beautiful world.

3 Tips for Nature Journaling When You Think You Can’t Sketch – Here is some encouragement for you with 3 tips for nature journaling when you think you can’t sketch. My personal nature journal is a source of great joy and it gives me such pleasure to create pages that record my observations and memories of a particular day, excursion, or season.

How Nature Study Enriches Your High School Biology in Your Homeschool – Just how to include homeschool nature study as part of high school biology? Here you will find a break down of nature study suggestions and accompanying resources for each module of your homeschool biology lessons. I really think it depends on the family and how much nature study you have time to fit in with your high school age children.

You might also like to explore some May Homeschool Celebrations.

Homeschool Nature Study membership calendar activities
Our May Homeschool Nature Study membership calendar is FILLED with fun garden activities and MORE!

Garden Activities in Homeschool Nature Study Membership

Enjoy all of these and more in homeschool nature study membership:

  • Garden Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum
  • Herbs Outdoor Hour Challenge Curriculum (annual members)
  • Flower and Gardening Activities and Notebook Pages
  • Learning leaf parts
  • Poppies and buttercups
  • Ferns
  • Looking for pollen
  • Pressing flowers
  • How to draw flowers
  • Learning flower parts and dissection of flowers
  • The garden snail
  • Garden Seed Ideas
Homeschool Nature Study May Nature Craft - Nature Coronation Crown. Victoria Vels shares, "May's nature craft has landed for our lovely members and we're feeling rather patriotic with these stunning Nature Coronation Crowns, just in time for the crowning of King Charles II."

Coronation Crown Nature Craft for Annual Homeschool Nature Study Members

Victoria Vels shares, “May’s nature craft has landed for our lovely members and we’re feeling rather patriotic with these stunning Nature Coronation Crowns, just in time for the crowning of King Charles II.”

You will find hundreds of homeschool nature studies plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

The Outdoor Mom in May

Outdoor Mom Encouragement for Annual Homeschool Nature Study Members

The Outdoor Mom in May Helps Us Refocus

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to attend your own business and work with your hands –

1 Thessalonians 4:11

It reminds me to re-focus my goals and ambitions so that they align with God’s will rather than my own, often more worldly, ambitions.

This verse grounds me. When I put this verse into action in practical ways in my everyday life I find that life slows down and I have enough head space to allow my thoughts to centre on what is important.

The May Outdoor Mom includes:

  • Choosing a journaling spot
  • 10 (!) May nature prompts for outdoors, for journaling and for either the seashore or mountains
  • Ideas for working with your hands
  • Six ideas for making the ordinary extraordinary – including planting a kitchen garden!
Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

These homeschool garden activities are perfect for your May nature studies. Includes outdoor activities and gardening tips for kids.

Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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Delightful Preschool Nature Study Plans for Your Homeschool

Enjoy relaxed preschool nature study plans for your homeschool with nature table suggestions, simple nature study activities, field trip ideas, images to print, coloring pages, and so much more. What a privilege to introduce children to the glorious world God created!

Have children eager to be outside? You can think of the earliest years outdoors with your children as the way to grow a love and curiosity about the natural world. This habit develops gradually over their childhood. The earlier you start building a habit of nature study in your family, the easier it will be to encourage children to be engaged in nature study.

Don’t miss the free sample of preschool curriculum, below!

Delightful Preschool Nature Study Plans for Your Homeschool

Delightful Preschool Nature Study Plans for Your Homeschool

Preschool nature ideas for each month of the year include:

  • an animal, bird, flower and tree of the month – that is four nature studies each month!
  • nature table suggestions and items for free play
  • image cards
  • monthly activities
  • library books suggestions
  • casual monthly nature study
  • preschool hands on activities for active learning: singing drawing, tasting

“..the mother must not miss this opportunity of being outdoors to train the children to have seeing eyes, hearing ears and seeds of truth deposited into their minds to grow and blossom on their own in the secret chambers of their imaginations.”

Charlotte Mason, Volume 1, page 45

These Outdoor Nature Study Plans Can Be Used Family Style

Most of these nature study plans point to existing Outdoor Hour Challenges in our membership. The new Preschool course includes nature studies plus the plans refer to spring, summer, autumn and winter topics.

These are studies the whole family can explore! So these preschool plans are a great place for the whole family to start with.

48 Outdoor Hour Challenges!

But what if there is a rainy day and you can’t get outdoors? The activities in our Preschool Nature Study Plans will give you new ideas for fun learning.

Sample a Month of Nature Study Plans For Preschool

Try a free sample of the preschool nature study plans included in Homeschool Nature Study Membership. This sample includes a month of nature study plans! Get your copy in the form, below:

Get Your Preschool Nature Study Curriculum Sample!

Subscribe to get your free Preschool Nature Study Curriculum Sample for Homeschool.

    We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    Preschool Nature Study Curriculum Included in Homeschool Nature Study Membership

    Our Preschool Nature Study Curriculum is the newest addition to the Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are even more resources coming to members in the coming months!

    There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

    Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!

    Join us for even more homeschool nature studies for all the seasons! With a new nature study each week, you will have joyful learning leading all the way through the homeschool year for all your ages!

    You might also like:

    This Nature Study curriculum written by founder, Barbara McCoy. Additional resources by Tricia. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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    Backyard Bird Calls: A Cardinal Homeschool Nature Study

    Enjoy an easy way to learn backyard bird calls. Then use the homeschool nature study on the robin, cardinal and house finch to discover even more!

    I thought it would be fun to start to learn some bird calls. Our family is going to try to learn the calls of the birds from the Outdoor Hour Challenge. I have one son that definitely learns things well when we make them into a song so I thought this would be a fun project for him to do.

    Enjoy an easy way to learn backyard bird calls. Then use the homeschool nature study on the robin, cardinal and house finch to discover more!

    Learn Backyard Bird Calls: Robin, Cardinal and House Finch

    If you would like to join us, here are the links to a website where you can hear the bird calls.

    Robin
    Here or Here

    Cardinal
    Here or Here

    House Finch
    Here or Here

    Let me know how it goes in your family.

    Enjoy an easy way to learn backyard bird calls. Then use the homeschool nature study on the robin, cardinal and house finch to discover more!

    Robin, Cardinal, and House Finch Nature Study for Your Homeschool

    No need to stop at the backyard bird calls! This series of Outdoor Hour Challenges is going to help you study birds, their habits and their unique features. Learning to really see the parts of the bird in order to not only identify it but to see how each bird fits into the overall world of animals. I have decided to emphasis the most common backyard birds.

    enjoy indoor nature study in your homeschool

    Your Inside Backyard Bird Homeschool Nature Study Time:

    1. Read the Handbook of Nature Study pages 27-28 to get a general overview of bird study using this book. In addition, read pages 43-44 for some ways to attract birds to your yard. I highly recommend hanging a feeder of some sort and providing water as well.

    2.Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 57-62 about the robin. There is so much information about the robin on these pages that it is a little overwhelming. I would read the information and mark any ideas or facts that you are interested in sharing with your child.

    3. Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 127-130 about the cardinal grosbeak.

    4. Backyard Birds: Read aloud with your child the introductory pages and the section on red birds: the robin, the cardinal, and the house finch. Take note of each bird’s field marks for future reference. Notice the difference between the female and male birds for each kind of bird.

    Peterson Field Guides for Young Naturalists

     5. Peterson Field Guide: Backyard Birds: Read the introductory pages 17-22(W) or 23-30(E). Look up in the index the robin, the cardinal, and the house finch. Observe the illustrations carefully and read the narrative descriptions and explanations.

    Please Note: (W)=Western Birds and (E) Eastern Birds

    Your Outdoor Hour Time

    Take your 10-15 minutes of outdoor time to enjoy your own backyard. Since this series of challenges is about birds, be aware of any bird subjects that come your way. This could include feathers, nests, bird tracks, or the sounds of bird calls.

    Enjoy an easy way to learn backyard bird calls. Then use the homeschool nature study on the robin, cardinal and house finch to discover more!

    You could also use your outdoor time to hang a bird feeder and talk about what kinds of birds you hope to attract. You could talk about the different kinds of seeds. The more you include your children in the process of setting up the bird feeder, the more excited and invested they will be to watch for birds to visit.

    Your goal this week is to spend the time outdoors with your children and perhaps observe a bird. What particular aspect of the bird are you observing this week? How about the color, size, and shape of the beak? This should get you started in your bird study.

    Robin Redbreast - what robin told by George Cooper

    Follow Up Bird Homeschool Nature Study Activities

    For your follow up activity you can learn more about the particular bird that you observed. If you know what kind of bird it is, look it up in the Handbook of Nature Study for more information. You can also use the Peterson Field Guide or an internet resource such as whatbird.com or Cornell’s bird website.

    The above websites also can help you identify an unknown bird. We will be learning in the upcoming challenges how to use a field guide to identify birds so don’t worry if you don’t find an exact identification for your bird.

    The most important part of this challenge is getting outdoors with your children and beginning a search for birds. If you have a nearby park, you can try visiting there during your week to see if there any different birds for observation. Many parks have ducks and geese that make excellent subjects for bird study.

    More Bird Nature Study Activities for Your Homeschool

    Birds are such a joy to learn about. Here are some more bird nature studies you can enjoy!

    Hopefully during your outdoor time you found something to investigate further. Questions are always a great way to extend your nature study to other days of your week.

    Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!


    This red bird challenge is from the Birds Course in our Homeschool Nature Study membership using the Handbook of Nature Study. You can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

    Enjoy an easy way to learn backyard bird calls. Then use the homeschool nature study on the robin, cardinal and house finch to discover more!
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    Discover a Dandelion Nature Study for Your Homeschool

    Though you may consider the dandelion a weed, there is so much to discover in this dandelion wildflower nature study for your homeschool. This is simple and delightful learning in your own backyard!

    Though you may consider the dandelion a weed, there is so much to discover in this dandelion wildflower nature study for your homeschool. This is simple and delightful learning in your own backyard!

    Dandelion Nature Study for Your Homeschool

    Start with a little bit of inside preparation before you head outdoors.

    Dandelion Nature Study in the Handbook of Nature Study


    Read in the Handbook of Nature Study about dandelions on pages 531-535. After reading the suggestions on pages 543 and 535, choose several ideas from the lesson to complete during your Outdoor Hour Time.

    Though you may consider the dandelion a weed, there is so much to discover in this dandelion wildflower nature study for your homeschool. This is simple and delightful learning in your own backyard!
    Dandelion Outdoor Hour enjoyed by Tricia’s family

    Finding Dandelions in your Outdoor Hour Time


    Spend 15 minutes outdoors this week in your own backyard or a near-by park. As you walk along, keep your eyes out for dandelions.

    Suggestions for Dandelion Wildflower Observations

    • See if you can find several dandelions in various stages of growth.
    • Look at the leaves and collect a few for sketching later in your nature journal.
    • If it is growing in your own yard, you might like to dig up the complete dandelion plant and observe the roots.
    • Measure the height of several different dandelion plants and compare them.
    • Examine an unopened dandelion flower.
    • Watch a bee working in a dandelion.
    • Observe the seeds and how they are dispersed.
    • Observe your dandelions on a sunny day and then on a cloudy day. Note any differences.

    Follow-Up Dandelion Nature Study Activities


    Take some time to draw the dandelion in your nature journal or complete the notebook page from the Spring Series ebook. Make sure to record your observations of the dandelion and make a sketch of the leaf and flower. If you would like to see our sample study of a dandelion in our backyard, here is the LINK.

    Studying the dandelion as a composite flower

    Composite Flowers: Supplement to the Study of a Dandelion


    The dandelion is a composite flower and the Handbook of Nature Study has a section to explain just what that means.

    “Many plants have their flowers set close together and thus make a mass of color, like the geraniums or the clovers. But there are other plants where there are different kinds of flowers in one head, those at the center doing a certain kind of work for the production of seed, and those around the edges, doing another kind of work. The sunflower, goldenrod, asters, daisies, coneflower, thistle, dandelion, burdock, everlasting, and many other common flowers have their blossoms arranged in this way.”

    Handbook of Nature Study, page 503

    Observe your dandelion, perhaps with a magnifying lens, to see if you can observe the parts of a composite flower:

    • Look at the center of the flower for the disc flowers and around the edges for ray flowers. (illustrated in the diagram on page 575)
    • Examine the disc flowers in the center and see if they are open or unfolded. How many ray flowers are there?
    • Locate the bracts (green cover of the flower before it opens). Can you see the bracts on the back of the flower?
    • More ideas for studying a composite flower are found on page 503 in Lesson 131. Note: This lesson will be Lesson 135 in the older edition and in the Plants and Trees pdf it is on page 68.
    art and nature for your homeschool

    More Spring Nature Study Activities

    Here are some more dandelion resources to enjoy!

    • Dandelions Outdoor Hour – I’ve always viewed dandelions as either a childhood delight or a nuisance. They tend to spread so quickly in a yard you are trying to keep free of weeds. But their seeds are also so much fun to blow and spread. A joy to watch catch the wind!
    • How to Draw a Dandelion Art Lesson – One of the icons of warm weather is the dandelion. Have you ever studied the detail of this beautiful creation? Oh there are so many ways you could paint it! This dandelion chalk pastel art tutorial is inspired by a photo I took last spring.
    • Take Along Nature Guides for Homeschool – I’m always looking for appealing books to help us out in our nature study to help spark my kids’ interest in all things outdoors.  When I found my first “Take-Along Guide” at a used book store, I was interested so I purchased it.  But it was later when I began really reading it that I became really interested.
    Getting Started nature study close to home

    Get your FREE Getting Started: Nature Study Close to Home (includes three challenges!)

    Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

    Can you believe all of these spring homeschool resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing homeschool nature study series plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

    Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

    Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

    Though you may consider the dandelion a weed, there is so much to discover in this dandelion wildflower nature study for your homeschool.

    Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy. Additional resources by Tricia. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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    Delightful Dogwood Tree Nature Study for Your Homeschool

    This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.

    “But when spring comes, these bud scales change their duties, and by rapid growth become four beautiful white or pinkish bracts which we call the dogwood flower.”

    – Handbook of Nature Study
    This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.

    Dogwood Nature Study to Enjoy Indoors

    This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.

    Your Dogwood Nature Study Outdoor Hour

    • Enjoy your outdoor time for this challenge looking for blooming trees. Spend a few minutes observing the colors of the blooms and look for any insect visitors. If appropriate, gather a leaf and a blossom to sketch in your nature journal.
    •  This is the perfect time to begin a year-long tree study. For ideas on how to get started, see this entry: Year-Long Tree Study.
    • If you have a dogwood to view up close, use a few of the lesson ideas to make careful observations. Look at the bark, the flowers, and the arrangement of the flowers on the branches.
    • Advanced study: Bring along your sketching supplies and sketch or watercolor the bracts and flowers.
    This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.
    Dogwood Tree Art Lesson at Your Best Homeschool

    Follow Up Dogwood Nature Study Journaling Activities

    • Take a few minutes to sketch your tree, the flower, the leaf, the bark, or fruit of your tree. You can use this website’s images as a reference for your drawing: Identifying Dogwood Trees (They call the bracts “petals” but otherwise this is a very good page.) Homeschool Nature Study Members: There is a notebook page and two coloring pages included in the ebook curriculum for your dogwood study. There is also a notebook page for any flowering tree.
    • Advanced study: Complete a nature journal entry for your dogwood or other blooming tree. Homeschool Nature Study members: There is a notebook page to complete using a field guide or the internet.
    • Advanced study: Pick a tree from your local area and do additional research. Record your findings in your nature journal.
    dogwood art lesson

    Dogwood Sketching with Chalk Pastels

    We had been noticing the dogwood blossoms for a full week as we went back and forth, in and out of the neighborhood and thought it was time to take an up close look. It was time for a dogwood nature study and chalk pastel sketches.

    This dogwood tree nature study is a wonderful addition to your spring homeschool. Enjoy time outdoors as a family and learn together.

    Additional Dogwood Nature Study For Your Homeschool:

    Handbook of Nature Study for your homeschool

    Outdoor Hour Challenge by founder, Barbara McCoy. Additional resources by Tricia. Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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    Summer Nature Study: Learn And Have Fun When It’s Hot Outside

    Here are some tips for enjoying summer nature study when it’s hot outside. I live where it gets really hot outside in the summer. We have had just a taste of the heat so far this year but it has been enough to remind me just how hot it can be in the sun in the afternoon.

    I want to encourage those that have emailed me lately telling me that it is too hot to participate in the Outdoor Hour Challenges right now in their part of the world. I sat and thought about how we can accomplish the Outdoor Hour even when the temperatures and humidity get up to the point where staying outdoors is unpleasant and potentially dangerous.

    Homeschool Family Tips for Enjoying Summer Nature Study

    Here are homeschool family tips for enjoying summer nature study (what we do in our family).

    We try to get outside early in the day when there is still a little shade. We take a few minutes first thing to take a walk around the garden to pull a few weeds, make sure the watering system is working, harvest any goodies that are ripe, and enjoy the progress of the garden.

    This gives us an opportunity to watch birds, look for worms, see butterflies, look at spider’s webs, watch ants, pick up some acorns, feel the cool breeze, look at signs of nocturnal visitors, and so many other everyday sorts of nature study.

    Other than working in the garden, we many times take a short walk just around the perimeter of our property just looking for anything interesting. Ten or fifteen minutes is usually all that takes. Do we sometimes get hot? Yes we do but then we come inside and get something to drink and take a little time looking up anything we found interesting online or in a book while it is fresh in our minds. It might be a feather we found or an interesting rock. It could be a new flower blooming or a spider we don’t know the name of. Here is a quote from a newer participant in the Outdoor Hour and what she wrote on her blog.

    “I have noticed in our studies that if we wait, nature will come to us.”

    Paula, from Wakefield Academy

    I love that and it is so true. It is the little things that come your way during your everyday business and travels that enrich your nature study.

    It really isn’t about the big field trips or the nature study classes, it is the day to day, ho-hum stuff that is fascinating. The house fly that you look at with the hand lens, the ants crawling on your front step, the bird gathering twigs for a nest outside your window, the things we so many times fail to notice.

    Nature Study When It’s Hot Outside

    Here are some simple tips for summer nature study:

    Have a Focus for Your Nature Study

    I think in the heat of summer you just need to plan and have a focus for your nature study. You may want to focus your Outdoor Hour Challenges on garden flowers. Each challenge can literally be completed by taking a ten to fifteen minute period of time outside. You do not need to travel to a nature study area or spend a half-day or a whole day outside. For instance, challenge #17 was to look at leaves. My son and I went out and found about ten different leaves to look at and we were only outside about five minutes. We brought the leaves inside and we looked at them and then he drew them in his nature journal in the comfort of the cool indoors. You really only needed to find one leaf and bring it in to look at….tops outdoor time would be five minutes and that is still doable in hot weather.

    Involve Water in Your Nature Study

    I find that if I involve water in some aspect of our outdoor time the children and I enjoy it more. Watering the grass or watering with a watering can can provide just the touch of coolness to our time even if the temperatures are soaring. How about a squirt bottle to cool off with as you take a few minutes in your yard or neighborhood exploring?

    Have a Cool Snack

    The promise of a cool snack at the end of a short period outside is always a great way to keep spirits up as you have your outdoor time. We keep popsicles and Go-Gurts in the freezer for a refreshing snack in the shade after we have made our observations.

    Remember That Your Children Are Developing Their Senses

    The other aspect of nature study is that we are really training our children to see the differences in their world in each season. So many children today are raised in houses heated and cooled to a comfortable temperature year round. Our cars and the grocery stores are temperature controlled as well. Our kids need to feel the hot air of summer and the cold air of winter. It is part of growing up and experiencing our world and developing their senses.

    I think that until we recognize that our children need outdoor time in nature close to their own homes, we do not make it a priority or think that it is worth while. Richard Louv in his book, Last Child in The Woods has a chapter titled “A Life of Senses: Nature vs. the Know-It-All State of Mind”. He makes some excellent points. Here is just one quote.

    “Children need nature for the healthy development of their senses, and, therefore,
    for learning and creativity.”

    More Ideas for Your Summer Homeschool

    You might also like these fun ways to enjoy summer homeschool nature study:

    Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership for New Outdoor Hour Challenges Each Week!

    Do you think this will help those that are hesitant to have nature study in the summer? I hope everyone that has a willingness to try will now not use the heat (or cold) as a reason to procrastinate nature study and participating in the Outdoor Hour Challenges any longer.

    The best tips for enjoying summer nature study, even when it's hot outside.

    By Outdoor Hour Challenges founder, Barbara McCoy

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    Fun Bird Nests and Eggs Activities For Nature Study

    Enjoy these fun activities for learning about bird nests and eggs. Includes ideas for getting outside, bird resources and suggestions for follow up activities as well.

    Enjoy these fun activities for learning about bird nests and eggs. Includes ideas for getting outside, bird resources and suggestions for follow up.
    Photo by Amy Law

    Activities for Learning About Bird Nests and Eggs

    Spring is the time for birds to nest and currently we have nesting boxes up for a variety of birds: bluebirds, swallows, flickers, chickadees, and new to us is a robin’s nesting platform.  Every bird has its own unique nest and as we learn about birds, take time to look up and learn about their nest and eggs.

    Enjoy these fun activities for learning about bird nests and eggs. Includes ideas for getting outside, bird resources and suggestions for follow up.

    In Homeschool Nature Study Membership, there are several notebooking pages to use to record information about birds and their nests and eggs.

    Enjoy these fun activities for learning about bird nests and eggs. Includes ideas for getting outside, bird resources and suggestions for follow up.

    Bird Nests and Eggs Homeschool Resources

    One of my favorite resources is the book Birds, Nests and Eggs.

    The book Birds, Nests, and Eggs is the perfect beginner’s book for homeschool nature study. It’s also a wonderful take along guide that features many of the common birds that we see in our yards and neighborhoods.

    Examples of Nests and Eggs: This is a page on the Cornell website that shows actual nests and eggs for many common birds. Spend some time with your children clicking the images and viewing them together.

    Nestwatch: This citizen science program is something your family could participate in if you have a nest in your yard. Take a look and see if it’s something you can incorporate into your nature study plans.

    Beautiful Birds Nests: Your Spring Homeschool Nature Study: There are so many wonderful homeschool resources for birds nests in your spring nature study! These are some of our favorites. Nests are each unique and colorful!

    bird art lessons

    You ARE an ARTiST has over 25 bird art lessons to enjoy! Browse A Bird Study with Chalk Pastels.

    Learn how to draw a bird’s nest with this video art lesson.

    Listen to Nana of You ARE an ARTiST’s John James Audubon podcast. He was the famous ornithologist, naturalist, and painter that documented all sorts of American birds in their natural habitats. He also identified 25 new species!

    Homeschool Nature Study members can find Bird lessons in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter courses alongside the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

    Bird Nests and Eggs Studies in our Homeschool Nature Study Membership

    You can use notebooking pages in Homeschool Nature Study Membership to complete a bird study that focuses on the nest.

    You can find even more bird nature study ideas in the Learning About Birds Outdoor Hour Challenge curriculum. This ebook curriculum is available in annual Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are also bird studies in each of the seasons. So many resources to enjoy!

    Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!
    Enjoy these fun activities for learning about bird nests and eggs. Includes ideas for getting outside, bird resources and suggestions for follow up.
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    February Homeschool Nature Studies Great for Bird Watching

    These February homeschool nature studies are great for bird watching and study. Includes The Backyard Bird Count and more!

    These February homeschool nature studies are great for bird watching and study. Includes The Backyard Bird Count and more!

    February Homeschool Nature Studies Great for Bird Watching

    There are so many ways to enjoy bird watching this month (or any month). Here are some ideas to get you started.

    Great Backyard Bird Count Resources: Everything You Need

    Are you ready? Enjoy these Great Backyard Bird Count Homeschool Resources as you watch birds in your backyard this February!

    What Is The Great Backyard Bird Count?

    Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days we invite people to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to us. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.

    Birdcount.org
    Are you ready? Enjoy these Great Backyard Bird Count Homeschool Resources as you watch birds in your backyard this February!

    Bird Watching 101: Attracting Birds to Your Yard

    Here you will find all sorts of ideas for attracting birds to your yard for homeschool nature study and birdwatching. We love to watch birds and do so on a regular basis without ever leaving our backyard. We can watch from our window or our deck and see usually around 4-5 different kinds of birds each day. At sometimes of the year, we have a lot more than that and it is exciting to see a new kind in the feeders.

    Fun Bird Nests and Eggs Activities for Nature Study – Enjoy these fun activities for learning about bird nests and eggs. Includes ideas for getting outside, bird resources and suggestions for follow up activities as well.

    Ultimate List of Bird Nature Studies Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges

    You can enjoy a simple birds homeschool nature study with these resources we have gathered for you to use in your own backyard. It is such a delight to study and learn about these beautiful creatures! Find the list HERE.

    These February homeschool nature studies are great for bird watching and study. Includes The Backyard Bird Count and more!
    Photo by Amy Law

    Make Bird Feeders and Bird Crafts for Your Backyard Birds

    We created these amazing bird feeders in a special winter event with our sister site, You ARE an ARTiST! There are even more bird feeders/crafts you can enjoy in the replay. Find out more in this Winter Tree Homeschool Nature Study!

    You might also like:

    These are such fun with sayings such as: "Bee Mine", "I'm Nuts for You", "Owl Love You Forever" and "I Love You Deerly". Perfect for exchanging Valentines with friends or for mailing to grandparents!

    Send Nature Valentines – Free Printable

    These are such fun with sayings such as: “Bee Mine”, “I’m Nuts for You”, “Owl Love You Forever” and “I Love You Deerly”. Perfect for exchanging Valentines with friends or for mailing to grandparents! (Homeschool Nature Study members have these in your Resources course and on your February Nature Study Calendar!)

    Get Your Printable Nature Valentines!

    Subscribe to get FREE Nature Valentines to print and share.

      We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
      homeschool nature journaling
      Photo by Amy Law

      Start the Nature Journal Habit

      Keeping a nature journal and building the homeschool nature journal habit can be a wonderful extension of your outdoor learning time. You will find nature journal ideas for everyone from young children to the homeschool mom!

      You can even start a Calendar of Firsts – such a wonderful habit that will hep your children notice seasonal changes and more.

      Spring Homeschool Nature Study with Music and Art

      Because by the end of February we are all ready for spring! You may even have some early spring bulbs poking through the soil! Take a peek at this Spring Homeschool Nature Study.

      Join The Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

      Can you believe all of these bird resources you will find in membership? You will also find a continuing series on bird nature study, bird watching and attracting birds plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

      Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership HERE!

      Our family is going to be counting in the Great Backyard Bird Count! Join us! and be sure to share on social media and tag @outdoorhourchallenge on Instagram or Homeschool Nature Study on Facebook with your results too!

      Looking For More Activities For February Homeschooling?

      Groundhog Day Homeschool Nature Study Activities

      Whether it is Groundhog Day or you are just wanting to learn more about these mammals, enjoy these homeschool nature study activities about woodchucks, groundhogs, prairie dogs and marmots!

      These February homeschool nature studies are great for bird watching and study. Includes The Backyard Bird Count and more!

      Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.

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      10 Fun Groundhog Day Homeschool Nature Study Activities

      Whether it is Groundhog Day or you are just wanting to learn more about these mammals, enjoy these homeschool nature study activities about woodchucks, groundhogs, prairie dogs and marmots!

      Enjoy these groundhog homeschool nature study activities about woodchucks, groundhogs, prairie dogs and marmots - whether it is Groundhog Day or not!

      10 Groundhog Homeschool Nature Study Activities

      Have fun learning about these mammals! If you don’t have groundhogs near you, enjoy the alternate nature study activities for mammals.

      Read About Groundhogs in The Handbook of Nature Study

      1. Read pages 229-232 in the Handbook of Nature Study. As you read, highlight or underline some facts you can share with your children. There are observation ideas on page 231 and many of these suggestions are ones that you can continue to make over the next few seasons.

      More Fun Learning About Groundhogs

      Have you ever seen a marmot or a groundhog? Here is a cute video to introduce you to this mammal.

      Read About The Groundhog in The Burgess Animal Book for Children

      Enjoy this supplemental reading in The Burgess Animal Book for Children: Read Stories 7-8. After you read each story, pause and let your child narrate back some facts they learned from the reading.

      This could be as simple as looking at the illustrations on pages 48 and 54 and having them tell you a few things about the woodchuck, the marmot, or the prairie dog.

      Mammals: Groundhog Homeschool Nature Study Activities

      Groundhog Outdoor Hour Nature Study


      Spend 10-15 minutes outdoors on a nature walk. Look for signs of mammals as you walk. Look for tracks, burrows, holes, or scat. If you are able to observe one of this challenge’s featured mammals, be sure to use some of the observation ideas from page 231. Be alert for any opportunity to observe a mammal during your outdoor time. So far we have learned about rabbits and squirrels, but be on the look out for more common mammals like dogs, cats, or horses.

      Don’t have groundhogs near you? More ideas for a mammal nature study in the Ultimate Mammals Homeschool Nature Study Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

      Enjoy founder Barb McCoy’s family study of groundhogs and a foggy day walk.

      Groundhog Nature Journaling Activity

      After your outdoor time, if you observed a mammal, you can look it up in the Handbook of Nature Study. For your nature journal you can sketch something you saw during your outdoor time. One additional idea is to compare two animals that we have already studied. You can compare a rabbit and a prairie dog or a squirrel and a prairie dog. Make sketches or make a list of the comparisons. You may also use any of the additional resources for your nature journal.

      You ARE an ARTiST Groundhog art lesson
      You ARE an ARTiST Groundhog art lesson

      Additional Groundhog Resources for Your Homeschool

      Join The Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support

      You will find a continuing series on mammals plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!

      Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership Today!
      Enjoy these groundhog homeschool nature study activities about woodchucks, groundhogs, prairie dogs and marmots - whether it is Groundhog Day or not!

      Written by Outdoor Hour Challenges founder, Barb and updated by Tricia.

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      January Nature Studies Perfect for Winter Homeschooling

      Enjoy January nature studies perfect for winter homeschooling! Make plans to get outside for a brisk nature walk and then to follow up with a nature journal page recording all of the interesting things you found while outside.

      Enjoy January nature studies perfect for winter homeschooling! Make plans to get outside for a brisk nature walk and then to follow up with a nature journal page recording all of the interesting things you found while outside.
      Photo by Amy Law

      January Nature Studies Perfect for Winter Homeschooling

      The best times I can remember with my children are the times we just took it slow and easy, looking for the little things that most people pass by. Turn over a rock and see what’s underneath. Look up in the branches of the trees and see if you can find any birds or other critters. Take a walk and listen to the crunch of the snow. Breathe the air and enjoy the day.

      Go On a Winter Nature Walk

      Getting outside for a walk in winter may be one of the most refreshing activities you could do with your children. Simple and fun!

      snow experiments for your January homeschool
      Melting snow nature study activity

      Learn About Snow in January

      In this homeschool snow study there is so much to discover! Included is a field guide to snow, experiments like filtering, guidance from the Handbook of Nature Study and more!

      Enjoy January nature studies perfect for winter homeschooling! Make plans to get outside for a brisk nature walk and then to follow up with a nature journal page recording all of the interesting things you found while outside.

      Study Insects In Your January Homeschool

      We are focusing on winter insects in our homeschool nature study outdoor hour challenges. We are using the Winter Wednesday course and Handbook of Nature Study curriculum with our members. You can join our membership at any time. You will find a button at the end of this post that will take you to the signup page.

      When Winter Weather Drives Your Homeschool Nature Studies Indoors

      Taking your winter nature studies indoors when the weather outdoors is proving to be a challenge may be just the thing you need every once in a while. We have a lovely post from the archives to inspire your homeschool nature studies indoors for those days that you can’t face getting outdoors.

      Are you ready? Enjoy these Great Backyard Bird Count Homeschool Resources as you watch birds in your backyard this February!

      January Homeschool Bird Study

      Winter Bird Study for Your Homeschool – Even when the landscape is covered in snow or ice or mud, there are always birds that will come to visit if you create a little bird-friendly habitat with some seeds, suet, and freshwater. You can observe birds right from your window if the weather isn’t friendly. Or, if you have the right conditions, take a bird walk in a nearby wood. Winter is an amazing time to stroll your neighborhood looking for resident or visiting birds.

      January Stopping By the Woods Study and More

      January always brings with it new hope and promises of a fresh start. We are going to kick off our January homeschool nature studies by using Robert Frost’s beautiful poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” as a springboard. Explore them here.

      As we move through the month we will be on the hunt for gall dwellers, looking at quartz and learning all about mullein.

      Winter Nature Study Crafts for Kids

      Winter is in full swing so with the plummeting temperatures looming on the horizon let’s take advantage and make these beautiful ice sun catchers! Victoria shares how in the Nature Crafts in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. Find out more about our nature study crafts for kids!

      Winter Homeschool Nature Study with Art and Music Appreciation

      This winter homeschool nature study curriculum contains all the nature study Outdoor Hour Challenges, custom notebook pages for nature study as well as art and music appreciation, and three months’ worth of art and music appreciation.

      Writing this winter homeschool nature study curriculum has helped us appreciate the winter season more than we ever have before. Part of our enthusiasm has come from spending more time outdoors bundled up with our families exploring the winter landscape.

      Enjoy all kinds of January nature studies perfect for winter homeschooling! Get outside for a brisk nature walk and follow up with a nature journal page.
      Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Tree Silhouettes
      Enjoy all kinds of January nature studies perfect for winter homeschooling! Get outside for a brisk nature walk and follow up with a nature journal page.
      Enjoy all kinds of January nature studies perfect for winter homeschooling! Get outside for a brisk nature walk and follow up with a nature journal page.

      More Winter Homeschool Nature Study Resources

      Here are even more winter nature studies for you to enjoy together:

      Join Homeschool Nature Study Membership For a NEW Outdoor Hour Challenge Each Week!

      Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

      Enjoy all kinds of January nature studies perfect for winter homeschooling! Get outside for a brisk nature walk and follow up with a nature journal page.

      Tricia and her family fell in love with the Handbook of Nature Study and the accompanying Outdoor Hour Challenges early in their homeschooling. The simplicity and ease of the weekly outdoor hour challenges brought joy to their homeschool and opened their eyes to the world right out their own back door! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at You ARE an ARTiST and Your Best Homeschool plus her favorite curricula at The Curriculum Choice.