Tag: High Desert

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Elk Nature Study

Learn about the majestic elk as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge. I never had any real experience with elk until we moved to Central Oregon. Now, each spring, we have them right out our back door.

With this nature study lesson, you’ll have a chance to learn about this large mammal and do some comparing to other mammals you see more regularly.

Elk Nature Study and Facts will help you discover more interesting facts about the second largest animal of the deer family.

Elk Nature Study & Facts

Male elk are called Bulls and only bulls grow antlers.

Elk are the second largest animal of the deer family, weighing up to 700lbs+. (moose are the biggest)

Elk are the loudest species of deer, their mating call sounds like a bugle.

Elk can run up to 40 mph and jump 8 ft high.

Elk are very good swimmers.

The word “elk” comes from the German “elch,” the name for the European moose.

The elk was nearly killed off by early US settlers, but now thrive, especially in the Western United States. 

Elk Nature Study and Facts will help you discover more interesting facts about the second largest animal of the deer family.

Where can you find elk?

An estimated one million elk live in the western United States: Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, and seven Canadian provinces.

Elk Nature Study

The full elk Outdoor Hour Challenge is included in Homeschool Nature Study membership in our High Desert course. This study includes:

  • suggestions for study and your Outdoor Hour Time
  • elk notebook and coloring pages
  • pages in the Burgess Book for Children
  • research to see if elk live near you
  • plus suggestions for advanced studies for high school students.
  • and more!

Here are a few ideas to get you started with an elk nature study:

Choose your resource for learning about the elk. This could be a field guide, a book from your local library or an online resource. Here’s a link to a webpage that has an abundance of information on elk in North America: Elk Network.  You will find facts, videos, and range maps on that page that will help you learn about this magnificent animal.

 Join the Homeschool Nature Study Membership

There are so many benefits to joining. You will access our full range of curriculum, our interactive learning calendar as well as a homeschool nature study challenge for each week!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

Original post written by Barb 2020, updated by Stef Layton 2024.

 

 

 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge- Bristlecone Pine Nature Study

The bristlecone pine is a truly unique and amazing tree for a variety of reasons. For this challenge you will more than likely be using links and images to glean the interesting facts about the bristlecone pine rather than observing it up close in person.

Great Basin (38) Bristlecone Wheeler Peak hike_original

Our family was able to hike to the bristlecone pines in Great Basin National Park a few years ago (see my account in this entry: Great Basin National Park). It took some effort but it was one that left an impression on us, the sense of time and the history that the trees have lived through. It also taught us that even in the harshest of environments, life can survive. What a metaphor for us right now!

Outdoor Hour Challenge Bristlecone Pine Nature Study

Use these these links to learn a little about the bristlecone pine:

See the High Desert ebook for more bristlecone pine nature study ideas and printables!

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that is available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

 

 

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge- Juniper Tree Nature Study

I love the juniper tree habitat found here in Central Oregon. It’s the quintessential landscape of the western United States with its rough and rugged tree bark and gnarly limbs. The juniper tree plays an important role in the habitat as shelter and food for the local animals and birds. Take some time to learn about this tree with blue berries as part of your nature study lessons this week.

I’ve included a few ideas below to help you get started. Then turn to the challenge in the High Desert ebook available in the Ultimate or Journey level memberships for more ideas to use with your family.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Juniper Tree Nature Study

Common Species Found in the Western United States

¨ Western Juniper  or Juniperus occidentalis

¨ Rocky Mountain Juniper or Juniperus scopulorum

¨ Utah Juniper or Juniperus osteosperma

Use these ideas to get you started with your juniper tree study:

  • Look in your tree field guide for juniper trees or use the links above for detailed information, including range maps.
  • You may wish to view this helpful video: Rocky Mountain Juniper.

See the High Desert ebook for more juniper nature study ideas!

 

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog.  You’ll find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

Use the discount code NATURESTUDYFUN for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

 

 

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge-Turkey Vulture

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Turkey Vulture Nature Study

We know it’s spring in our area when the turkey vultures return and begin soaring and spiraling in the sky. They are often seen gliding along the tree tops as they look for their next meal. Although they’re not a very attractive looking bird, once you learn about their abilities and the reason for their ugliness, you can appreciate the important role they play in the habitat.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Turkey Vulture nature study

Use these ideas to get you started with your turkey vulture study:

¨ Turkey vultures are large birds often seen soaring overhead. This makes it important for you to know what a vulture looks like when it’s flying.  You can view a video on the AllAboutBirds website.

¨ Make sure to look at the range maps in a field guide or on All About Birds because they are found in a widespread area depending on the season.

See the High Desert ebook for more turkey vulture nature study ideas!

 

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog. You’ll find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

Use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

 

 

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge: Greater Sage-Grouse Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Greater Sage-Grouse Nature Study

Have you ever read about the greater sage-grouse? Have you ever heard what it sounds like? Have you seen its beautiful mating dance? Not many of us will be able to observe this magnificent bird in person, but there are many wonderful online resources for viewing and learning about the greater sage-grouse.  The habitat for this bird is decreasing and the numbers of greater sage-grouse are decreasing with it.

The value of studying such interesting birds is in exposing your children to the challenges of development and the impact on certain species of birds and other wildlife.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Greater Sage Grouse bird nature study

Use these ideas to get you started with your greater sage-grouse study:

  • Choose your resource to study the greater sage-grouse.  A terrific website for bird information is All About Birds: Greater Sage-Grouse. Make sure to listen to the sound of a greater sage-grouse: AllAboutBirds.
  • Make sure to look at the range maps in a field guide or on All About Birds to determine if you have this grouse near your home.
  • For this challenge, practice listening to birds during your outdoor time.  We know there will be times that we can’t see a bird but we can hear it in the trees or in the brush. The skill of listening carefully to distinguish a particular bird is something that will be helpful to anyone wanting to be a good birder.  Here’s a link to an Outdoor Hour Challenge I posted in the past that will help you with your building of this important life skill: Birding by Ear.

 

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook. It’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

 

 

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge: Succulents Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Succulents Nature Study

There are so many succulents you can use as the subject of your nature study this week. Look at your local nursery or garden center for a succulent you can buy and take home to feature in your nature journal and watch over time as it grows and even possibly blossoms.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Succulents Nature Study

Common Succulents to Grow at Home

  • Aloe Vera
  • Sedums of all kinds
  • Hen and Chicks
  • Dudleya
  • Pig’s Ear
  • Pincushion Cactus
  • Jade

Please note that I won’t be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

 

 Use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge: Snowberry Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Snowberry Nature Study

I realize that many of you will not have access to this interesting shrub to examine in person this week. But, you can read all about it and then think of shrubs you have in your local area to compare it to during your outdoor time.

  • You can look for shrubs with berries, use a field guide to identify that shrub and then make some comparisons to the snowberry.
  • Then, in the future when you come across a snowberry plant, you will be armed with a little knowledge about what makes this shrub interesting and adapted to its habitat.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Snowberry Shrub Nature Study

Please note that I won’t be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that is available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

 If you would like to purchase a membership, you can use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER to receive a $10 discount on an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge: Bitterbrush Nature Study

Our family currently lives in a bitterbrush habitat in Central Oregon. Each spring as the leaves unfold, we are amazed at the shrub’s ability to spring back from its winter deadness. It only needs a bit of coaxing from April sunshine and warm temperatures and once again it fills the spaces beneath the pines and blossoms with its butter yellow flowers.

If you watch closely, you’ll see insects, birds, and even a few mammals come to visit the bitterbrush. The bitterbrush provides shelter to the small scurrying creatures that inhabit this landscape. The bitterbrush plant is a vital part of the ecosystem here in the high desert region of Oregon.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Bitterbrush

Use these ideas to get you started with your bitterbrush study:

  • Choose your resource for learning about bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata). You can use one of the resources listed on page 5 of the High Desert ebook. Or, if you would prefer, look for resources at your public library, perhaps a field guide for wildflowers or shrubs.
  • In addition, look up these online resources for facts and a range map:  USDA Forest Service or USDA printable.
  • You can watch a YouTube video featuring bitterbrush here: https://youtu.be/XS_zwxx9z0E

Note that an alternate study this week could be done for rabbitbrush (found in the Forest Fun ebook).

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

 Use discount code SPRINGTOGETHER for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library Membership.

 

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge Big Sagebrush Nature Study

The sagebrush habitat is filled with interesting plants and animals, least of which is this week’s subject, the big sagebrush. Looking out over a sea of sagebrush gives the impression of it being an empty, dry wasteland. But upon closer inspection, it becomes a richly interconnected collection of living things all coexisting in a harsh landscape. Sagebrush is the thread that holds it all together.

You may wish to view my picks for resources to learn about the sagebrush habitat in this entry: High Desert Resources.

Big Sagebrush Shrub Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenge

Use these ideas to get you started with your sagebrush study:

  • Choose your resource for learning about big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata).  You can use one of the resources listed on page 5 of the High Desert ebook. Or if you prefer, look for resources at your public library, perhaps a field guide for wildflowers or shrubs.
  • In addition, look up these online resources for facts and a range map:  USDA Forest Service or USDA printable.

Note that an alternate study this week could be done for rabbitbrush (found in the Forest Fun ebook).

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

Use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER to receive $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

 

 

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge: River Otters

River otters are a favorite animal around our house and this week’s nature study is going to introduce you to this active and entertaining animal. We frequently see them along our local river and are amazed at how fast they can swim! Check your local resources (nature centers, aquariums, or zoos) for a place to view river otters on your next field trip.

In the meantime, use the information in the Outdoor Hour Challenge to learn more about river otters and follow up with a nature journal page. I’ve listed a few activities below to get you started, but please remember that members have access to the full and complete challenge in the High Desert ebook.

Outdoor Hour challenge River Otter Nature Study

Here are a few ideas to get you started with a river otter nature study:

Otter at High Desert Museum

Please note that I won’t be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

Alternate study: Outdoor Hour Challenge-Beavers

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 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:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

Please use the discount code INITTOGETHER to receive $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership