Handbook of Nature Study - January Newsletter for Subscribers

Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter

Companion to the Outdoor Hour Challenges

Supporting a Global Community in Their Nature Study

I have attached the newsletter download link to the bottom of my blog feed so if you are a subscriber you will receive the link to the latest newsletter at the bottom of every post for the month of January. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can still subscribe and receive the newsletter in the next post that comes to your email box. You can subscribe on my blog by filling in your email address in the subscription box on my sidebar.

Make sure to click and save the newsletter link from the email for future reference.

The OHC Newsletter is a companion to the Outdoor Hour Challenges that are posted here on the blog every Friday. There are special printable activities, additional links and ideas, as well as articles and photos from a variety of OHC participants. I invite everyone to subscribe and get the newsletter each month in your inbox.

If you have trouble getting the newsletter to download, try right clicking the link, save the link, and then open it.  (The link is in the email and not in this blog post.) I am not going to be archiving the newsletters at this point. You will need to SAVE the FILE on your computer each month if you want to save back issues.

The link will be attached to every post for the whole month of January...so if you subscribed, you should get the next entry with the link. 

Enjoy!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom


Available Now! Watch my introductory video on YouTube.com.

Perfect Winter Hike - Looking for Color

Just another day of perfect December hiking and taking in the challenge to find some color. Our winter nature study is shaping up to look more like fall....warm temperatures and dry, dry, dry. We looked at each other after lunch today and everyone was in agreement. We needed to be outside.

I quickly filled the backpack with water, snacks, and camera then we were out the door. The parking lot at the trailhead was about half full of vehicles and most of those were trucks with horse trailers, a few with bike racks. We opted to hike since the Kona dog wanted to take a swim at the river. It was that warm.


The trail starts off on a downward slope and if you look in the distance you can see our landmark "lollipop" tree (farthest hill with a single tree). We aim for that tree and know that the river is somewhere over there. It is an easy hike with several trail options. We took the Long Valley Trail down to the river and the South Fork Trail back up.


Along one section of the trail we observed lots and lots of goldfinches having a seed feast. Amazing yellow color in real life...our first real color of the hike. We also stopped to observe another little bird who sat on the cattails in the ditch. It was a new bird and we took the time to really look with the binoculars, noting shape, size, color, eye-stripe, beak shape, tail shape, and song. (We identified back at home as a Bewick's Wren=new to our life list!)


The river was running high and we had the place to ourselves, except for some barn swallows swooping overhead and a couple of fellow travelers on horses. This is a gorgeous section of the river all lined with oaks in the winter sunshine.


Kona took a swim right off the bat and I decided to rest on the rock overlooking the river. She splashed and retrieved sticks for the next half hour. One man in a canoe and one woman in a kayak went past. I was happy to be dry up on my rock but I waved a friendly wave as they floated past.

I soaked in the sun, watching the water rush by, and contemplated the beauty.

I was grateful. My heart felt refreshed or maybe just cleansed of the everyday.


The view from my rock spot was enjoyable and it is easy to get lost in your thoughts as the water rushes by you. So much power and so much potential...wondering where the water will end up at the end of its river journey. I even thought for a few minutes about the rocks just under the surface of the water, the rocks the kayaker succeeded in navigating around on her trip down the river. We all need to know where the rocks are.



Here is my favorite image of the day showing the winter color of my world. The shore of the river is always changing but these multi-colored rocks keep the river from eroding the banks away except in the highest storm waters. What are your favorite colors found in the rocks? The green? The pinkish orange? The speckled? The white? I put one in my pocket and now it is sitting on my shelf as a reminder of my winter color walk afternoon to the river.



We had to drag Kona away from her beloved stick fetching and started back up the hill towards home. Along the way we watched two birds in flight over the rolling hills...stopping to hover over some prey. We used the binoculars but were unable to really identify this second new bird of the day. We noted behavior, wing shape, size, color. At home we identified this new bird as the White Tailed Kite.  How exciting is that?

It was a very good day.



My December nature journal entry in progress...notes and things I want to remember about this month....to be continued as the month rolls along.

Outdoor Hour Challenge - Winter World Colors

Join us this week for a simple December Color Walk. 

Here are some ideas:

Outdoor Time:

• Pick a color to focus on during your outdoor time. Look for things both natural and manmade that are that color. (The Hodgepodge Family recently took a red and green walk.)
• Give your child the camera and let them snap photos of the different colors they see during their outdoor time.
• Try to find a color rainbow.
• Use some natural items and gather some color. Take a photo.

Follow up with some journal time:

• Record your color items with little sketches all over your journal page (or you can use the notebook page from the December Newsletter.)
• Print a photo and add it to your journal. Make sure to give it a date and a caption.
• Color a winter rainbow.

Make sure to share your December blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.


Scheduled Publish Date: 12/28/11

More ideas on my Winter Wednesday Squidoo lens.

Outdoor Hour Challenge - Preparation for Winter #2 Animals

"The same thought should be applied to the animals. Most of the birds have gone south because of the cold, and also because their food is gone; the frogs, turtles, and toads are going to sleep all winter down in the mud or earth below the frost; the caterpillars are waiting in their cocoons for the warm spring sunshine; most of the other insects have laid their eggs for the next season, while a few of them have crawled into warm places to wait; the squirrels have gathered a store of nuts, and will soon be asleep in the old tree-trunks; the cats dogs, horses, and cows have grown a fresh coat of hair and fur. Nothing is forgotten; each is ready in its own best way."
Nature Study by Months

Prepare: This will be another easy week of nature study that will blend easily with last week's challenge. Take the opportunity to spend some time outdoors noticing the way that animals prepare for winter. Make this one an investigation! You might prepare with a little discussion about the various animals and birds that live in your local area. Some ideas to get you started: migrating or visiting birds, squirrels gathering nuts, insects in cocoons, changes in color of various animals as they prepare for the white of the snow time. You can also read this article: Animals in Winter.

Get Outside! Bundle up and spend fifteen minutes outdoors enjoying the December world. Look for signs of animals and think about ways they prepare for winter. You can also make bird and animal observations, noting their behavior. How are they staying warm? finding food? sheltering from the weather?

Follow Up:

• After your outdoor time allow time for a nature journal entry. Use the notebook page or the journal idea from the December Newsletter to record your observations of anything that your child finds interesting. I also have a December World Notebook Page from last year that you can download.
• Maybe this week you could use a different art medium in your journal...many of us get stuck in a rut. Offer colored pencils, thin markers, watercolors, or pastels (messy but fun). 
• You could also try offering modeling clay as an alternative to drawing the subject this week and then take a photo of the finished product to include in the nature journal. 
• Additional Link: Animals in Winter lapbook - free printable

Make sure to share your December blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.


Scheduled Publish Date: 12/28/11




Did you read my guest post over on Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers about nature study and high school age children? I describe how we use nature study as a supplement to our more formal science courses. I answer these questions and more:

"Is science meaningful in your family? Can you think of a way to spend time outdoors with your children that will enhance their appreciation of nature? Can you balance their text work with some active learning by giving them the opportunity to explore an area of nature study they enjoy?"

 Click over and read the entire entry and feel free to bookmark and share. :)

Nature Loving in February-It's For the Birds

"To the nature-lover February is the winter month of special charm. The forests on the snowy hills take on many lovely tints varying from dull to dark blue and from lilac purple to amethyst. The snow is toned with purple shadows and the skies in the morning are dull blue at the horizon and rosy and misty above until the blue of the upper skies is reached. Let us enjoy every day of February whatever the weather and then will our spirit be strong for blustering March."
Anna Botsford Comstock, The Nature Study Review.

Yes, we really do get snow here in our part of California.....not much and it doesn't stick around too long but this was the second of our snowstorms of the season and we are expecting a much bigger storm over the upcoming weekend (predicting 4-8 inches). We will get to enjoy some winter nature study and winter walks in our own neighborhood. 

For now our focus outdoors is observing birds as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count but now that the counting time has passed we will continue to enjoy our feathered friends.

I already shared our first list of birds spotted on Friday and pretty much our list didn't change for Sunday and Monday except to add Lesser goldfinches and Canada geese. I love sharing my snow day with the birds.

I think part of the charm of participating in the GBBC is that we get to see what other homeschooling families observe along with their list of common birds. Apparently this is something that has held its charm for over a century. I read this excerpt in the Nature Study Review....copyright 1917. It was titled, "A List of Birds That Easterners Would Like To See".

"The editor is recipient of the following record from Miss Barbara Marx, eleven years old, and a member of this bird class."

"I am enclosing the list of birds we have observed. We means the fifth and sixth grades of the Catilleja School of Palo Alto, California. The other morning Miss Hayes, our teacher, divided us up into groups so that we wouldn't frighten the birds away, and it was then we the owl, cedar waxwing and woodpecker. The only peculiarity we have found worthy of note is that the towhee scratches with both feet at once.

White Crowned Sparrow, Gold Crowned Sparrow, Oregon Robin, California Robin, California Towhee, Willow Goldfinch, Bush-tit, California Jay, Crested Jay, Anna Hummingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Bluebird, Woodpecker, Barn Owl, Cedar Waxwing"

It warmed my heart when I read that little letter. I realized that watching birds was an activity that children enjoyed a century ago and today we still enjoy taking a few minutes to observe the many birds we have in our own neighborhoods. Let's hope that in another hundred years children are still taking time to learn about the birds in their world....whatever that world may look like. 

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Moon Gazing and A Few More Winter Sky Moments

We finally were able to view the moon and it was worth the wait! Mr. A and I spent quite a bit of time gazing, watching, and then photographing the moon.

It is very hard to get a good photo of the moon when it is super full and bright.

Here is our best attempt.


I took this photo of Mr. A up on the roof with the tripod where he was trying to capture a good shot of the moon. He decided all of his photos looked like UFOs. Too funny.


Now two last winter sky photos from the last week or so.

This one was about 4:45 in the afternoon when I was out in the garden. The sun was darkened by the clouds passing in front and it was very dramatic.


This was a different day at sunset...about 5:15 PM. Pink...pink sky.


I find myself watching the sky more and my boys are too. It is wonderful to have them notice a cloud formation or the moon before I do. I love sharing "moments" with them.

Winter Series #4 Seasonal Weather

Weather Statistics for February 4, 2010

Sunrise: 7:06 AM
Sunset: 5:28 PM
10 hrs and 22 min of daylight-tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 8 seconds longer
High temperature: 50.8 degrees F
Low temperature: 38 degrees F
Winds: 7 mph S
Rain is predicted to start anytime this evening and rain through Saturday.
No snow...snow level is going to be at around 4500 feet in elevation and we live at around 2300 feet.

Here is a photo from our walk today. The weather was actually pretty overcast and a little chilly. The grasses are turning green though and that is encouraging.


Here are a couple of weather related photos from the last few weeks.

We took this photo a few weeks ago as part of our weather nature study. My son was trying to gauge how much rain we were having and then it started to drop in temperature and to snow. His water in the gauge froze. He noticed there was a thick layer on top and a slushy layer underneath. We had a lot of rain.


I thought this was a funny photo. There was a big frozen ice cube on top of my leftover broccoli in my container on the deck.

This week though we have had signs of early spring popping up in our backyard.



Violets....mmmmmm. They smell so delicious.


Daffodils in big bunches all around the yard. I can hardly wait!

We are hoping for some good rain and then perhaps some snow next week so the boys can go snowboarding. I will pack up my snowshoes as well in hopes that I can take a romp in the snow.

Bright Shiny Day Snowshoe Hike

The sun was out and we jumped on the chance to go to the snow for some fun and refreshment.

Let's just say it was breathtaking....far too awesome for words.
(Not sure if you are on an email subscription if the video shows up, but you can click over to my blog and view a 30 second video of the landscape.)




It was so quiet and we had the whole place to ourselves. This is the best kind of hike...time to enjoy the quiet and the beauty. Look at those cattails. It reminds me that in the summer this place is hopping with red-winged blackbirds and egrets. This day we saw nuthatches, mountain chickadees, and a raven. It was surprisingly quiet.


The beavers have actually dammed up the regular waterway and it is now flowing around the right side instead of straight through. Fascinating.


Some of the creek is actually all covered over with snow...you can see openings where the water is frozen over. As many years as we have been coming here in the winter, we have never seen this before.


Not very many tracks in the snow this time...


As usual, we end up spreading out and just taking the trail at our own pace. We are usually all within eyesight of each other but keeping a nice distance in between.

As much as I hate to miss a day of regular schoolwork, we really needed this day to wander out in the sunshine and fresh air.

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Winter Series #4 Winter Weather

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Winter Series #4
Winter Weather

Winter weather is usually pretty interesting to children. Observing snow, ice, rain, fog, hail, or just feeling the cooler air is enough to get them interested in going outdoors for this week’s nature study challenge.

I have a vivid memory from my childhood of taking a walk in a raging downpour. I challenge you to experience your weather outdoors at least for a few minutes this week. Properly dressed, your children might just make a fond memory of their own.

"There is no reason why the child's winter walk should not be as fertile in observations as the poet's; indeed, in one way, it is possible to see the more in winter, because the things to be seen do not crowd each other out."
Charlotte Mason, Volume 1, page 86

Inside Preparation Work:
You can read the section in the Handbook of Nature Study on water forms to arm yourself with some basic weather information. Pages 808 to 814 have lots of fun ideas for learning about different aspects of our winter weather.

Optional Inside Preparation Work:
More ideas for winter weather study are found in chapter two of Discover Nature in Winter. There are so many great ideas for studying snow in this chapter that you will find at least two or three that you would like to try with your family. Use your highlighter or sticky notes to mark the places that you find with interesting information or ideas for including in your winter nature study.

Check out the Winter Wednesday entry from last year to glean some ideas for your Winter Weather study: Winter Snow

Outdoor Hour Time:
This week you can use your time to enjoy the winter weather in your backyard. If you have chosen some weather related activities to complete outdoors, make sure you bring any items you need for your study. You may wish to bring along your weather notebook page or your nature journal with pencils to take a few minutes of your outdoor time to record the weather conditions. If your children are enjoying their time outdoors, you probably want to wait until you go back inside to talk about the weather.



Follow-Up Activity:
Be sure to complete your Seasonal Weather notebook page from the sidebar of my blog or the Winter Nature Study notebook pages (see link below). You could talk about the differences between what you observed in autumn and those things you recorded this time.

How is the scene you drew this week different from the autumn scene?
How are the temperatures different?
Is there a difference in the number of hours of daylight?


If you would like all the Winter Series Challenges in one book, I have an ebook gathered for you to purchase for your convenience. The ebook also contains art and music appreciation plans for the winter months as well. Please see this entry for more details:
Winter Nature Study Ebook Now for Sale. You can also purchase just a set of custom notebook page for the Winter Series Challenges by following the link above.

My daughter also has a complete Weather Lapbook Kit for sale on her blog, Hearts and Trees, for $2.95. Pop over there and check that out if you would like to spend a little more time on weather as part of your nature study. She also has a Clouds in Art Mini Unit with custom notebooking pages for $4.95. This is a fantastic art study with a weather theme. I highly recommend both these products as a supplement to your nature study. Sidenote: Amanda is getting ready to release her latest kit any day now....stay tuned for more details!

Make sure to come back and enter your blog entry for this challenge in Mr. Linky.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Winter Series #3 - Winter Sky

We have had nothing but cloudy, rainy, snowy weather since this challenge was posted. There has been no opportunity for much stargazing or moon watching. But, my son noticed this beautiful sunset a few weeks ago and we both had a grand time taking photos of the ever changing light and color.

He took just as many photos as I did I am sure of it. We both remarked that you really need to be watchful for opportunities like this one because they don't happen every day.



What a wonderful way to marvel at the gifts we have in the every day if we are open to seeing them.


Here is a moon shot we have from a few days ago at sunset. We have some clear weather in the forecast so we hope to get out past sunset and work on our constellations.

We are prepared.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Winter Hike to the River

Before all our rain and snow, we had the opportunity to visit one of our favorite spots on the river.


We chose the Long Valley Trail this time which is a little less than two miles down to the river. It is a long sloping walk so it is very enjoyable even on a chilly, hazy day.


The first thing we noticed was that their were many brown cattails along the trail where there is a little creek running. Of course we had to stop and take a look.


You see right where the water runs because the cattails are growing along the edges of the creek.


About half-way to the river, there is an old homestead with some lovely old oaks. The tree swallows were swarming in the tops of the trees and we enjoyed stopping to watch them and listen for a few minutes. I love the silhouettes of the winter oaks.


The greens and reds on this rock caught my attention and I loved the composition of the various mosses, lichens, and plants growing together on the rock. Very pretty.


Once we reached the river, the kids and our dog were all off and running. Some climbed rocks, some skipped rocks on the water, the dog went swimming for sticks and I spent some time enjoying the reflections and ripples in this little eddy off the main part of the river.


How do these trees grow so large out of the middle of a huge rock? Perseverance.


Eventually we all sat at the river's edge and watched the water flow by on its way down the mountain. This is the American River where gold was discovered in 1848. We all joke about someday finding a gold nugget along the edge but for now we are content to marvel at all the different types of rock found all together in one spot.


One last photo to share of our day. Winter weeds can be quite lovely if you really take a look at them. I found these growing on the edge of the water and with the nice backdrop, it makes for a nice photo.

Well, there are a few of our experiences from last weekend. What started out as a chilly, dreary day turned out to be quite refreshing. We headed home hungry so I was glad I had planned a big spaghetti dinner.

If you are looking for some winter nature study ideas, you may want to check out the entry I wrote last year giving some simple ideas for winter nature study...most indoors.

Winter Nature Study-Taking it Inside

Have a great nature study weekend.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom