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Outdoor Hour Challenge -Hedgehog Fungi Nature Study

Going on a fungus hunt is one of my favorite things to do! As I was planning this entry, I was so enthusiastic about it that I dropped everything and convinced my husband to go wandering in the woods with me to look for mushrooms. It had snowed a bit a few days before and it was cold as we hiked along, but we were rewarded with finding several different kinds of fungus to look at and take photos of for my nature journal.

fungus collage october 2020

If your family is new to mushroom hunts, you might want to give a little instruction ahead of time about whether you should touch or pick the mushrooms you find. As a rule, I don’t pick mushrooms but get down on my knees to look at them closely. I take a few photos and let them stay where they are as part of the habitat.

Mushroom+Cap+Sketch+Notebook+Page.jpg

You can use this Outdoor Hour Challenge as a means of learning the different shapes of mushrooms. See this post from the archives that focuses on mushroom cap shapes: Mushroom Nature Study with Cap Printable.

Fungi Photo Hunt Notebook Page

Also, there is a new Fungi Photo Hunt printable activity in the Member’s Library if you’re interested in using that idea during your outdoor time this week.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Hedgehog Fungi @handbookofnaturestudy

View the original challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Hedgehog Fungi.  Visit our Outdoor Hour Challenge hosts OHC Fungi post on her blog Building A Household of Faith.

Hedgehog fungi notebook page 3
Hedgehog fungi notebook page 2

If you have access to the ebook, there are two notebook pages to choose from for your nature journal.

Newsletter Resources: Members also have access to the two newsletters in the archives that feature fungus/mushroom studies: March 2013 and November 2016.

Alternate study: Within the lesson is the suggestion to read Lesson #198 in the Handbook of Nature Study on mushrooms. I would suggest using the lesson ideas from Lesson #198 to observe any fungi you find for this challenge.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image

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
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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Hedgehog Fungi

Outdoor Hour Challenge Hedgehog Fungi @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Hedgehog Fungi

Inside Preparation Work:

  • Read page 725 (Lesson #201) in the Handbook of Nature Study.  This is one of the shorter lessons in the Handbook but it will get you started with your fungi study.
  • Within the lesson is the suggestion to read Lesson #198 on mushrooms. I would suggest using the lesson ideas from Lesson #198 to observe any fungi you find for this challenge.
  • Youtube: For the most part this video is about the hedgehog fungi: Hedgehog Fungi.
  • Advanced study: Use this page to glean more information about the hedgehog fungi.

Outdoor Hour Time:

  • Go on a fungi hunt! This challenge can help you slow down to look for any fungi in your area at this time of year. In my research, I found that the timing for looking for hedgehog fungi will vary by region. On the East Coast, you can look for this fungi from July through November. On the West Coast, prime time is in January.
  • If you find a hedgehog fungi, look for the fringe!
  • Print and take along the Mushroom Cap Shape printable for your study.

Follow-Up Activity:

  • Follow up your nature study with a nature journal page. Use the notebook page included in the ebook, a printable Parts of a Mushroom page, or create your own page in your blank journal.
  • Advanced study: Draw the hedgehog fungi and label its parts. Include a complete and detailed description of this fungi for future reference.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library
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.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image