Tag: Spring Seasonal Observation

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Spring Ebooks from the Ultimate Naturalist Library!

Spring Ebooks from the Ultimate Naturalist Library!

I think we’re all ready for some awesome spring nature study after a long winter’s stretch of cold and gray days. Spring is the perfect time to get started with nature study if you’ve been putting it off! If you use the Outdoor Hour Challenges, there is no shortage of fun and easy nature study activities to choose from…just see the list below.

Spring Ebooks Graphic button

Spring Nature Study Continues

More Nature Study Book #3 Outdoor Hour Challenges – Spring Splendor

Spring Series 2010 Ebook Challenges:

The Garden Flower and Plant Challenges in the Ebook: 

In addition to the Outdoor Hour Challenges listed above, you can use any of the spring newsletters in the archives if you have a membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

Use the code OHC10 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Benefits by Level graphic 2019 to 2020 updated January 2020

 

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Spring Reminders – A Few Fun Ideas for Nature Study

Spring Season Nature Study Reminders @handbookofnatuestudy

Spring Nature Study Ideas and Reminders

Here are a few of my favorite spring nature study challenges from the archives.

Spring Weather Observations-free printable notebook page

Spring Splendor Walk – spring nature walk scavenger hunt

Spring Earthworm Study – There is an earthworm nature journal topper in the May 2014 Newsletter (in the archives).

Spring Bird Observations – free printable bird list


Spring Season Reminders -This post has many of the year-long spring season reminders.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

 

 

 

 

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Your Garden in All Four Seasons

 

Seasonal Garden Notes Ideas from the newsletter @naturestudyhomeschool.com

“Nature study should be a matter of observation on the part of the pupils. The teacher’s part is to indicate points for observation and not to tell what is to be seen.”

~Anna Botsford Comstock in Suggestions for Nature Study Work

Our yards and gardens tell an ever-changing story from season to season. It is a story of birth, life, and then death, leading to rebirth the next year. It is a intertwining story of plants, insects, birds, animals, and our family too.

It is a delight to learn the story that unfolds as we work from spring and on into summer. Take a few minutes this week to make those important observations together as a family, learning the story of your garden.

I have created a follow-up notebook page for children to use if they desire. You will find it in this month’s Handbook of Nature Study newsletter which is free to subscribers. It is also found in the Ultimate Naturalist’s Library and in the Journey level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study (Scroll down on your membership page to the Printables section.)

 

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Cattail Observations

Outdoor Hour Challenge Spring Cattail Observations @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge:

This is a classic springtime study here on the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Take a few minutes this week to think about where you might find some cattails to observe. If nothing else, take a walk at a local stream or pond to explore the springtime weather with your children.

Spring Cattail Observations: This challenge has some simple cattail observations to try with your family.

Spring Cattail Observations: You will find a free printable notebook page in this challenge.

Special Activity:Watercolor Activity


Take some time this week to pull out the watercolors to record your springtime cattail in your nature journal. Fun Suggestion: Use the water from your stream or pond to watercolor!

I searched on Pinterest for “watercolor cattails” and I found loads of inspiration to get started: Pinterest – Watercolor Cattails.

Getting Started Suggestion:

If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #2.   Take a walk and then discuss with your children what they enjoyed during their outdoor time. Help them find words to record in their nature journal or you can follow up with the accompanying notebook page from the ebook. Additional idea: While you are out during your outdoor time, find a wildflower, weed, or leaf to put into your flower press.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

Note: You can find the Getting Started ebook in all levels of membership here at the Handbook of Nature Study.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Spring Weather Observations

 

Outdoor Hour Challenge:
This week use the ideas in the challenges listed to make some simple Spring Weather Observations. 

 Spring Weather (2010) –Suggested Observations
  • Have your children describe any clouds they see in the sky.
  • Notice how hard the wind is blowing by how things are moving: leaves rustling, trees bending, etc.
  • Notice the wind’s direction. Where is it coming from?
  • Describe the temperature of the air and/or look it up on a thermometer.
  • Notice any precipitation that you may have this week: sprinkles, rain, mist, sleet, snow, fog, hail.

Printable Notebook Page: 
During your seasonal weather observations, take a photo of something that shows your current weather conditions. Better yet, let your children take the images and then print them out for a personalized nature journal entry. This can be done in each season and recorded in your nature journal’s seasonal section.

Printable Notebook Page:My Seasonal Weather.

Nature in Verse by Mary Lovejoy is a whole year’s worth of poetry organized by seasons. You can click the link and scroll to the table of contents. Look for any poems that relate to spring. Read some aloud to your children and perhaps pick a line or two to copy onto a nature journal page.

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #3.  Make sure to read the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study for this challenge. We all need reminders about how to encourage our children in their nature journals. Along with a sketch, your child can add a verse or two of spring poetry to their nature journal. Keep it simple and light…

 


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First Day of Spring Activities

March 20, 2014

Can you believe we are almost to the first day of spring for 2014? Our winter here in California was so warm and dry and it will be interesting to see how the spring season goes. Will it be warm? Will it rain at all? We will have to wait and see!

Take a few minutes on the first day of spring to record some weather related observations. You can use the printable notebook page below or you can record your observations right into your nature journal on its own page.
First Day of Spring 2012 notebook page

Have you had an unusual weather year so far?
Weather Record Chart
I was thinking our family may start a daily record of the weather just to observe the statistics over time. We have done this in the past and it always proves to be a great way to focus some attention on weather as part of our nature study. This page can then go into a nature journal once completed for future reference. (See this entry: Dry December Leading Into a Dry January.)

Perhaps you are not seeing the start of spring just yet. I know many around the country have had record amounts of snow and long, long days of cold temperatures (like my son in New York).You can use the notebook page below to record any signs of spring.

I invite you to complete one of the ideas above and share your experiences with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Make sure to send in your entries before 3/30/14.

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Year-Long Nature Study Reminders – Spring


 
Seasonal Topics – Spring Reminders

Here are some ideas from year-long nature study topics we have done in the past:

You may wish to start a new year-long study this spring using some of the ideas above. If you have a continuing year-long nature study project, don’t forget to put it on your calendar or you may forget to make your spring observations.

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California Spring Wildflowers – First Wave is Here

Spring wildflowers cheer my very soul. They seem to sing out to all of us that warmer days are coming and we don’t need to stay so much indoors anymore. We took a walk near the river yesterday and found so many pretty little flowers to enjoy. Above there are Baby Blue Eyes and Fivespot…there were whole patches of them on a sunny little hillside.

Round every corner there were more blue flowers….how many blue flowers do you know?

Okay, I have to admit that this is by far the best image I have ever taken of this particular flower….and it was with my iPhone! I love that you can even see a little ant enjoying the golden yellow color in the sunshine. These meadow buttercups are everywhere right now and they make the day seem brighter.

Here is going to be my first shrub for my Nature Study Goals for 2013. I will do my research and identify the shrub and add it to my nature journal…watch the blog for more information on this one.

This is our local Miner’s Lettuce in bloom – Claytonia perfoliata. Read more about it here: Claytonia perfoliata.

Nothing so pretty as Sierra Nevada Pea…..just now starting to shoot up and twine itself among the other wildflowers and weeds. Love this pink one the best!

So hopefully my wildflowers have cheered you up if you are having cold weather….and inspired you to go look for your own wildflowers if you have the opportunity.

Have you seen any wildflowers in your area yet?

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5 Spring Nature Study Ideas

 

1. How about a spring cattail hunt? Find your own patch of cattails and complete some observations using the Handbook of Nature Study. There is even a free Seasonal Cattail Notebook Page to print!

2. Look for signs of spring in your part of the world. What better way to enjoy the early spring time outdoors? Use the suggestions in the challenge and then print the Signs of Spring notebook page for your nature journal.

3. One of the most popular “wildflower” challenges of all time is the Dandelion Challenge from the Spring Series! Everyone loves a good dandelion study and with this commonly found plant your family can enjoy a little flower study too!

4. Here is one that all of you gardeners will enjoy…earthworms! We love digging down into the fresh spring soil and that means lots of earthworms. My boys loved to go on an earthworm hunt while I pulled a few weeds in the garden boxes.

5. Everyone has weather….you can all take some early spring weather observations no matter if there is snow on the ground or you are experiencing rain showers or you have blue skies and white puffy clouds. Print a weather notebook page and have some fun outside recording your weather and observations.

There are lots more spring nature study ideas on the Spring Tab at the top of my blog. Pick one and enjoy a few minutes outdoors this week.

  Have you seen some signs of spring in your neighborhood?

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Seasonal Weather: Photo and Picnic


Outdoor Hour Challenge:
This week spend your outdoor time enjoying the daily weather. Keep track of your weather for a week, recording the temperature, rainfall, etc. You can use any of the free printables on my Freebies Page. Look there for the seasonal weather pages and the weather chart.

You can also use any of the Seasonal Weather Challenges from the past that are appropriate for your time of the year:

Printable Notebook Page: 
During your seasonal weather observations, take a photo of something that shows your current weather conditions. Better yet, let your children take the images and then print them out for a personalized nature journal entry. This can be done in each season and recorded in your nature journal’s seasonal section.

Printable Notebook Page:My Seasonal Weather.

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #10.  I realize that this is a cold time of year (or hot for you Southern Hemisphere folks)  for many of you but there are ways to make a “picnic” happen even if you just drive in the car, park under a tree, and enjoy some sandwiches and hot cocoa. Get creative! If you have a picnic, make sure to take a photo to include in your nature journal. I will challenge myself to taking a picnic in the next few weeks with my family and I will post our experiences here on the blog. 

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