Tag: Promotion

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Spring Wildflower Study with the OHC

Spring Wildflowers with the OHC ebook giveaway and links

Spring Wildflowers with the Outdoor Hour Challenge

Don’t miss the giveaway below!

Ambleside Online Approved @handbookofnaturestudy

Here in Central Oregon we haven’t experienced many wildflowers yet but I know they are coming! I’m trying to support the Charlotte Mason homeschoolers who are following the Ambleside Online’s nature study schedule so I’ll compile some ideas for studying wildflowers. As you observe the wildflowers in your neighborhood, check with the Handbook of Nature Study (the book and my website) for information and inspiration.

Here are some of the main wildflower links for you to use here on the website.

  1. Gardens Tab at the top of the website. This page lists all of the wildflowers we’ve studied here with the Outdoor Hour Challenge in the past. You will find them listed by ebook and then at the bottom of the page in alphabetical order. These links are available to everyone.
  2. Wildflower Nature Study Set #1. This ebook contains 5 wildflowers not specifically covered in the Handbook of Nature Study book. This ebook is part of the Ultimate and the Journey level memberships. Purchase a membership by following this link: Handbook of Nature Study membership information.
  3. Wildflower Nature Study Set #2. This is the second set of 5 wildflowers not specifically covered in the Handbook of Nature Study book. This ebook is part of the Ultimate and the Journey level memberships. Purchase a membership by following this link: Handbook of Nature Study membership information.
  4. Wildflower Printables: There are 6 additional wildflower printables available to Ultimate and Journey level members. Purchase a membership by following this link: Handbook of Nature Study membership information.

Wildflowers lupine and poppies at the OHC

 

Getting Started

I hope these links help you locate the wildflower study that your family is interested in completing this season. There are so many to choose from so don’t be overwhelmed. I decided when I first started out identifying wildflowers with my children that we would take each flower one at a time. We aimed to learn a new flower each time we took a walk and that strategy helped us not be overwhelmed. Take it one flower at a time and use the Outdoor Hour Challenges to help you dig deeper and then follow up with a nature journal entry of some sort.

Is it important to know each flower’s name?

I recently took a hike with a friend and she was hoping I could teach her the names of the wildflowers we saw as we walked. I told her that once you know a flower’s name, you think of it as a friend, the kind of friend you look forward to seeing. She laughed at first but later realized that it does change your view of a wildflower once you know its name.

Wildflower OHC

My Best Hint: Take lots of pictures for future reference!

It’s much easier to identify a wildflower with a field guide if you have an image of the flower, its leaf, and its stem.

Some Links to My Past Wildflower Studies You May Want to View for Inspiration:

California Poppies: We have spent many hours observing the poppy and its many interesting features.

Hike to the River – Spring Wildflowers: When we lived in California, we had our favorite trail to the river and at this time of year it was full of wildflowers. Be inspired to take your own walk!

Spring Wildflowers: Here is another one that is full of our California wildflowers.

Spring Wildflowers with the OHC ebook giveaway and links

I’m giving away 5 copies of each of my wildflower ebooks. I will randomly draw 5 winners to receive Set #1 and Set #2 of the new wildflower ebooks here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Use the Rafflecopter gadget below to enter.

I’ll be picking the winners on 4/14/18 so enter today.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Nature Book Club – My Favorite Tree

 

 

My Favorite Tree Nature Club Printables

April Nature Book Club

My Favorite Tree

Trees Buds and Branches

I’m excited to participate again this month with the Nature Book Club group! I love trees and this month’s book selection is one that we have used in our family over the years. I still like to page through it and learn little tidbits about each of the trees.

This is an opportunity for you to join in with the club your own tree book entries by using the linky tool below to share your own tree related links this month too!

 

My Favorite Tree-Terrific Trees of North America by Diane Iverson is one of my all time favorite tree picture books for children of all ages. (Note this book is only available used on Amazon and this is my affiliate link) This book features trees native to Canada, Mexico, and the United States (including Hawaii). This is not a comprehensive field guide sort of book but it introduces a variety of trees from around North America along with interesting facts and much more.

FullSizeRender

¨ Tree Traits-excellent concise information on habitat, height, bark, leaves, flowers and seeds.

¨ Wild Companions-features a bird, mammal, or insect that makes use of the tree

¨ It’s a Fact-beyond the basic facts, this section shares fascinating historical and practical facts

¨ Hall of Fame-Location of the tallest or biggest specimen, state tree information and other “champion” information.

This is a book that would be a terrific addition to your nature study library if you live in North America.

My Favorite Tree Printables button

Download your copy here:  My Favorite Tree Printable Unit and Notebook Page

I have created a printable chart that coordinates the trees in the My Favorite Tree book with the Handbook of Nature Study lessons and then the corresponding Outdoor Hour Challenge. You can use this information to help you provide a more thorough tree study for many of the trees covered in the My Favorite Tree book.

There is also a custom designed notebooking page to use with each tree you learn about from the My Favorite Tree book. You can print this out as many times as you need to create a lovely record of your tree studies.

Additional Tree Study Idea

Year+Long+Tree+Study+2008+@handbookofnaturestudy.jpg

You may wish to start a year-long tree study, viewing a tree in all four seasons. Click over and read this blog entry for some simple ideas to get you started: For the Love of Trees.

Handbook of Nature Study Subscribe Now 2

Make sure to subscribe to my blog to follow along with all of the nature study ideas offered every week.

 

 

Link Up Guidelines

          • Choose an engaging nature book, do a craft or activity, and add your post to our monthly link up.
          • The link up party goes live at 9:00 a.m. EST on the 20th of each month and stays open until the last day of the month. Hurry to add your links!
          • You can link up to 3 posts. Please do not link up advertising posts, advertise other link up parties, your store, or non-related blog posts. They will be removed.
          • By linking up with us, you agree for us to share your images and give you credit of course if we feature posts.

         

              • See all the great posts from The Nature Book Club’s co-hosts in March:


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Winter Mammal Study – Tracks, Scat, and Signs

Tracks Scats and Signs Nature Book Club

It’s another month of nature book fun here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Last month we were learning about birds using the fantastic resource, Backyard Birds. This month I’m again joining with the same group of bloggers for another fun nature topic: small mammals!  We’ll all share a book and activities that go along with that theme.  You can use the links at the bottom of this post to see all of our books/activities.

 

Nature Book Club Mammals Feb 2018

Tracks, Scats, and Signs: So many people have this book on their shelf but have never actually used it for their nature study.  (It’s part of the Fun With Nature Take Along Guide as well!) I’m hoping to help you use the fantastic information in this book to get outside and look for some signs of animals in your yard and neighborhood.  Look for the book at your local library!

(Note there are affiliate links in this post)

Simple Idea for Using Tracks, Scats and Signs for Your Nature Study

  • Read the book Tracks, Scats and Signs with your family before you go on a nature walk. Keep it light and enjoy the words and illustrations, noting any animals you may have in your local area. Each topic in this book shows an illustration of the tracks and the scat that each animal makes so you know what to look for during your outdoor time.  You will need to explain the word “scat” to younger children; expect giggles as they realize it’s just a fancy word for animal poop. Along with each selection, there’s a short description of where to look for each animal and a little bit about their behavior.

 

tracks in the snow

 

  • Take a nature walk looking for tracks, scat, and signs. We were always excited when we found animal tracks in the snow, mud, or ice!  Take photos of any animal tracks you find as you explore.  You may wish to bring along a ruler to measure the size of the animal tracks you find for future reference.  Take a few minutes to use your imagination about who made the tracks and what they were doing.
  • When you get back home, make a nature journal entry recording any observations you have from your nature walk. I have used the illustrations in the Tracks, Scats, and Signs book to help me draw the tracks and scat into my own nature journal.

elk scat

I’ve written a few Outdoor Hour Challenges that you could use along with the Tracks, Scats and Signs book.

  • Winter Mammal Tracks: Use the idea during the winter months to learn more about the animal tracks you observe during your outdoor time.
  • Signs of Mammals: We’ve found in our family that many times we don’t actually see small mammals but we observe signs of them during our outdoor time. This challenge helps you do some research about signs you find and then make a nature journal entry.

Tracks Mammal Activity

Look for these additional books at your library:  Track Finder by Dorcas Miller and   Whose Tracks are These? by Jim Nail.

Winter Nature Study ebook @handbookofnaturestudy

I’m hoping you will consider using my Winter Nature Study ebook with your family in the future. There are many more winter nature study ideas for you to include with your outdoor time each week during the cold winter months.

NOTE: There are ebooks for each season here on the Handbook of Nature Study. You can find a complete list of the ebooks in my library here: Join Us! Right now I’m offering a $5 discount for every level of membership. Use the discount code OHC10 at checkout.

Handbook of Nature Study Subscribe Now 2

Make sure to subscribe to my blog to follow along with those mammal-related nature study activities.

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Backyard Birds – Learning about Black and White Birds

 Nature Book Club Backyard Birds Jan 2018

 

This post is the first in a monthly series of posts I will be writing as part of a fantastic group of women who I’m linking up with on the 20th of each month. There is a topic of the month and we will all share a book and activity that goes along with that theme.  You can use the links at the bottom of this post to see all of our books/activities. Use the linky tool below to share your own bird related links this month too!

Nature Book Club January Birds

Backyard Birds!

One of my great joys in life has been observing my backyard birds. When we moved from California to Oregon, one of the first things I requested of my husband was to put up all our birdfeeders. I could hardly wait to see who would visit in this new habitat!

We started watching our own backyard birds many years ago when my children were all still homeschooling. The boys created birdfeeders to put up right outside the window so we could look for birds while we were working on our school activities. At first we didn’t know very many of the bird’s names, but using a field guide over several years we were able to correctly identify about a dozen birds. The habit of bird watching has continued even into their adult years and I like to think that starting them young was a motivating factor for their love of birds.

A Valuable Addition to Your Nature Library

(Note there are affiliate links in this post)

One of the books we had on our windowsill was the Peterson Field Guides for Young Naturalists – Backyard Birds (written by Jonathan P. Latimer ISBN 9780395922767). It was simple to page through and use as a way to familiarize ourselves with many of the most frequently seen birds in North America. The book is organized by color of bird and is beautifully illustrated. It’s a wonderful supplement to any bird nature study activity or even as an additional resource for a study of flying creatures. It has always had a special spot in our nature book library.

It’s a valuable first bird guide for your children and it will lead you right into a more thorough field guide as your skills improve and you become more engrossed in identifying every bird that visits your feeder.

Backyard Bird Activity

 

Black and White Birds Nature study @handbookofnature

Black and White Birds Nature Study Using the Backyard Birds Book

Would you like to see an idea for using this book with your own backyard birds?

Black and White Birds and Bird Feet: – Click Here!

Use this activity (see step #3 in the challenge for the reference to the Backyard Birds book) to learn more about the chickadee, nuthatch, and woodpecker. I have included lots of links and ideas for you to use with your family.

 

Learning About Birds 3D cover

I have written a whole series of bird related nature study challenges that go along with the Backyard Birds book. You will find the details here: Learning About Birds with the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Make sure to scroll down on the page and find the link to the sample for this ebook.

You can find this book in both the Ultimate and Journey level memberships on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Handbook of Nature Study Subscribe Now 2

Please note we will be working through all of the Outdoor Hour Challenges in the Learning About Birds ebook starting on March 2, 2018. Make sure to subscribe to my blog to follow along with those bird-related nature study activities.

Link Up Guidelines

      • Choose an engaging nature book, do a craft or activity, and add your post to our monthly link up.
      • The link up party goes live at 9:00 a.m. EST on the 20th of each month and stays open until the last day of the month. Hurry to add your links!
      • You can link up to 3 posts. Please do not link up advertising posts, advertise other link up parties, your store, or non-related blog posts. They will be removed.
      • By linking up with us, you agree for us to share your images and give you credit of course if we feature posts.
The Nature Book ClubThis post is the first in a monthly series of posts I will be writing as part of a fantastic group of women who I’m linking up with on the 20th of each month. There is a topic of the month and we will all share a book and activity that goes along with that theme.  You can use the link below to see all of our posts and you’ll be able to add your links as well.


The Nature Book Club is brought to you by the nature loving bloggers and your cohosts! Be sure to follow them.

Here are the bloggers, their choices of books, and activities for the month.

The Nature Book Club 2018 Topics

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Back to School Homeschool Giveaway at NotebookingPages.com

2017 Back-to-School Homeschool Giveaway

Many of you know that I am a big fan of NotebookingPages.com and their many homeschool related products. Because of that, I am making sure you know about their current promotion.

This giveaway is worth taking a look at and you may be the Grand Prize winner of an outrageously amazing prize package, including an Ultimate Naturalist Membership here on the Handbook of Natuer Study.

I invite you to click over and enter to win! Plus, if you sign up for a subscription, you get a free Notebook Sampler.

Make sure to enter by September 8th!

 

Please note I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com and I receive a small commission if you end up making a purchase.

Notebook Pages in Your Nature Journal

How to Organize Your Nature Notebook Pages

Free Notebooking Pages Product Sampler from NotebookingPages.com.

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Autumn 2017 Nature Schedule and a Giveaway

I’m hoping there will be many of you who will be joining us for the up-coming autumn season of nature study. I’m all geared up to jump into an ebook from the archives with fresh eyes in a new location.

I am by nature a planner, and I know many of you are likewise, so here’s the plan for the next few months here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

 

Autumn 2010 Outdoor Hour ChallengeThe majority of the challenges from October through December will be coming from the ebook shown above: Nature Study with the Outdoor Hour Challenges – Autumn 2010. This ebook is found in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. See below for a chance to win a copy of this ebook!

October 6 – Signs of Autumn

October 13 – Nature Journal – How to Get Started

October 20 – Geese and Ducks

October 27 – Horse (and dog)

November 3 – Apples

November 10 – Seasonal Tree – Leaves

November 17 – Year Long Study –  Queen Anne’s Lace

November 24 – November World

December 1 – Seasonal Weather

December 8 – Pine Cones

December 15 – Trout and Salmon

December 22 – December Mini Challenge

 

1 Outdoor Hour Challenge Oct 17 to Aug 18 Plans

If you want to see the complete plan for the next year, you can pop over to this entry to see what will be covered: Plans for October 2017 to August 2018.

 I’m giving away 5 copies of the Autumn 2010 ebook!

Would you like a chance to win the Nature Study with the Outdoor Hour Challenge – Autumn 2010 ebook? Here you go! Enter by leaving me a comment and then using the Rafflecopter gadget to make your official entry. The giveaway will end on Friday, September 8, 2017 at midnight. You can enter once a day until then!

I will be choosing 5 winners at random!

The giveaway runs until Friday, September 8, 2017 at midnight so enter now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudyUse the discount code NATURE5 to receive $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership!

 

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Mystery Photo Contest

Mystery Photo Contest @handbookofnaturestudy

Interested in entering a giveaway for a $10 Amazon.com gift card?

  • This month’s newsletter has a “mystery photo” for children (under the age of 18) to try to identify. Full instructions for submitting a guess are included on page 3 of the September newsletter.
    Make sure to submit your guess according to the rules in the newsletter by 9/7/14 at midnight in order to have a chance at a $10 Amazon.com gift card.
  • Have fun guessing!

NOTE: All subscribers to the Handbook of Nature Study blog entries will receive the newsletter download as a separate email on the first of every month. Some people have this email go to their SPAM inbox so check there if you don’t see it in your regular email inbox. If you are a new subscriber, you will get a follow-up email upon subscription with the current newsletter downlink inside. Also, Ultimate and Discovery level members have each and every newsletter in their download library. Members will need to log into their account to find the download links.

HNS Newsletter Sept 2014 Fall Flowers Button

 

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The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

Nature Study Just Got Easier For Your Family

-with hundreds of resources gathered into one convenient Ultimate Naturalist’s Library.

 

What Will Stay The Same Here At The Handbook Of Nature Study?

  • I will continue to publish weekly Outdoor Hour Challenges and topical blog posts for your family to follow along with if you choose. I am passionate about nature study and it brings me such joy to share my experiences with all my readers so that will continue as long as I possibly can, hopefully for many years to come.
  • The free monthly newsletter for email subscribers will continue to be published to encourage your family with their nature study. *Make sure to confirm the email coming soon to your inbox so you will continue to receive all the blog entries, monthly newsletters, and special offers from the Handbook of Nature Study.
  • All the past Outdoor Hour Challenges (150+) organized by topic and season will continue to be available .
  • Access to all the current free printables will remain available.
  • The monthly Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival will continue to be published at the end of each month.
  • We will keep working through the scheduled 2013-2014 Bundle of challenges until the end of August 2014.

 

What Is Brand New?

Your family can choose from three levels of immediate access to the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library, each level containing valuable resources to make nature study easy and fun.

Ultimate($45) – All 12 Outdoor Hour Challenge ebooks ($87 value), all 36 archived newsletters (May 2011-April 2014), monthly printables, any new challenges for a year.*

Journey ($30)– Getting Started ebook, all 36 archived newsletters, monthly printables, any new challenges for a year.*

Discovery($20)– Getting Started ebook, all 36 archived newsletters.

*There will be quarterly releases of 6-9 Outdoor Hour Challenges and additional monthly releases of 2-4 printable resources. The first new challenges will be added to the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library in August 2014 for fall season nature study.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

For the month of April 2014, I am offering a $10 discount towards the Ultimate level of membership. Just use the discount code: APRIL10.

 

The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library Is The Ultimate Nature Study Resource

  • Imagine having access to all the resources here on the Handbook of Nature Study,  gathered into one convenient Ultimate Naturalist’s Library!
  • You will no longer lose your ebook files or forget what resources you have on hand because you have them all organized and available right here in the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library.
  • Ebooks, notebooking pages, newsletters, and printables are all organized and available 24/7 for a complete year.
  • There will be regular additions to the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library as we work through each year of nature study. Look for brand new challenges every quarter, monthly printables, and other valuable resources to be added throughout the year.
  • Equip yourself to guide your family’s nature study with the very best resources available here at the Handbook of Nature Study.
  • The current 2013-2014 Bundle will be available until 8/1/14.
  • The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library is going to provide support for all ages in your family with endless ideas for activities and follow-up work.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

 The Ultimate Naturalist’s Library is going to be the resource you love for years to come!