OHC Blog Carnival - September Newsletter Edition

This has been a very busy month around the Handbook of Nature Study blog. Not only with a new ebook and new series of Outdoor Hour Challenges but I got a completely new blog design. I was aiming at making the navigation easier for new readers and to have all the challenges, ebooks, free stuff, and nature journal ideas all organized for ease of use. There are two places to look for challenges now on the blog: Tabs at the top are grouped by season and buttons on the sidebar by topic. I think the blog turned out so much better than I ever imagined. (Thanks go to Emily Abramson from PolkaDotPixels.com....a dream to work with!) She even made us a pretty new carnival button...feel free to grab and link.

This blog carnival is so filled with outdoor goodness that it makes me smile from my top of my head all the way to my toes. You are in for a real treat this month. I know I pretty much say that every month but honestly, you all blew me away with your wonderful studies and the awesome nature journal pages are something we can all be inspired by as we move along the road with our nature study. Take a deep breath and dive into this edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.
(If I missed your entry, please email me or leave a comment and I will add it ASAP. This was a huge carnival.)

Photo courtesy of OHC participant: Nicole at One Hook Wonder

Milkweed (and other Fall Blooming Flowers)
Nicole and her children were able to observe some Magical Milkweed for this challenge. She shares some awesome images of their pods and seeds (see above for an example). Thank you so much for sharing your OHC. Nicole also submitted their Summer Wildflowers entry which includes some thistles!


Now that you are all warmed up with the milkweed pods...check out Ellen's entry: Milkweed Update! She shares their pods and their magnificent nature journals. Don't miss the images in this entry. 

Heather from Kingdom Arrows shares their Autumn Outdoor Hour Challenge...they didn't find milkweed but a jungle of other weeds provided some outdoor enjoyment. 


Kim from Tolle Lege Christian Academy writes about their Milkweed Study with milkweed right in their own yard. I loved seeing the colorful blossoms and the many insects they observed during their outdoor time. 


Angie and her boys didn't find milkweed either but they write about their Wildflower Study as part of this challenge. I love that Angie adapted the notebook page to fit their study and their display of Oregon wildflowers.  


Jennifer and her daughter share their September Nature Study with goldenrod, thistle, and Queen Anne's Lace. Wonderful entry showing their nature study finds and notebook page. 


Janet from Across the Page has written and submitted an entry sharing the culmination of their Monarch Study which goes hand in hand with a milkweed study. Please don't miss seeing her entry Monarch Madness. I was fascinated with their study and I highly recommend reading her ten year old's journal: Watching Peeper.

Here is another family that was able to observe the milkweed plant, the pod and seeds, AND a monarch caterpillar and butterfly. Read Monica's entry on her blog Discover Their Gifts: Our Nature Study: Milkweed and Monarch.
 
Susan from Learning All The Time didn't have any milkweed but they did have asters which were an alternate study from the Handbook of Nature Study suggested in this challenge. They brought in flowers to observe over time and then did their reading in the HNS. Wonderful follow up artwork too!

Taunya joins the carnival with their Know Your Own Backyard - Weeds entry.  They did their outdoor observations and then completed the notebook page from the September Newsletter. So what is a weed?



Leaf-Miners and Leaf-Rollers
Amy from Hope is The Word did a great job of documenting their Leaf-Miner/Roller investigation. They found some leaf-miners and some other interesting leaves too. They tried out the suggested nature journal entry from the September Newsletter and they turned out beautifully. You can see their nature journals above.

Angie from Petra School submitted with a smile their Leaf Miners and Leaf Rollers entry. They had trouble getting the enthusiasm up at first but with a little help from the suggested video her boys finally were interested and successful. Read her complete entry for details. 


Makita shares their Leaf-Miners and Rollers entry on their family blog Academia Celestia. They spent some time hunting for insects in two different environments and ended up with some wonderful journal pages. 

I know that Tricia (Hodgepodge Mom) titled this one Weeds, Seeds, Insect, and Signs of Fall but I think it is a great entry showing how when you start out looking for one thing, you are often led to five other interesting things as well. Thanks for sharing your adventures.  

Shirley Ann shares their Leaf Miners and Leaf Rollers entry from the UK!  They had success in finding some interesting subjects without even leaving their own garden. They even found an insect friend to observe up close and record in their nature journals.


Cobwebs
All kinds of webs and a few spiders too! This is what Zonnah writes about in this entry: Spiders and Cobwebs.

Image courtesy of OHC Participant: Tricia at Hodgepodge

Pears
Zonnah submits their family's Pear Study. It has inspired me to try a few new things....and eat more pears.

Tricia and her family spent some time looking at their pear tree, some pears, and then completing notebook pages from the More Nature Study ebook. They also completed the suggested nature journal idea from the September Newsletter. Great job! You can read their entry: Pears, Apples, and Nature Journal Art. 

Kirsty joins the carnival for this edition with their families Pear Study. She tells of their wonderful day outdoors in the autumn sunshine.  

Ellen and her children share their colorful pear study along with their very well done journals. Their entry, Double Duty, shows how they completed this challenge and then made something yummy. 

Shirley Ann adapted the pear study to fit their opportunity to pick and take a closer look at their apples. You will enjoy seeing their account of their Pear...I Mean Apple Study.

Image from OHC participant: Barbara at Schoolhouse on the Prairie

Potpourri
Barbara from Schoolhouse on the Prairie shares their Monarch butterfly tagging project: OHC #4. You are going to see some fantastic photos of them catching and recording their monarch butterflies. The photo above is from their entry....stunning images and I think we all want to know the answer to this question: How do you know if it is a male and female Monarch butterfly? You can read their OHC #5 for the answer to that question! (Photo above is from their OHC #4 entry.)

Shirley Ann and her daughters did a fantastic job on their First Nature Walk of the School Year. They went with the focus of weeds and seeds and they found two additional delights. Don't miss viewing their journals!


Julie from Homeschool Balancing Act shares their Outdoor Hour Challenge #4 Part 2 and their  Outdoor Hour Challenge #5. They took their nature study ideas along on their camping trip to Sequoia National Park. Excellent!


Last Days of Summer....Tricia and her family share their late summer outdoor time with carnival readers. Check out their collection of shells!


Kim shares their Nightshade Family and a Little Surprise entry with the carnival. They also completed an entry about Feeding The Birds (An Experiment or Two). They had one more study: Citronella Ants Go Marching. Making nature study an investigation always brings rewards.


Nadene is joining the carnival for the first time with their entry Starting Nature Study With The Handbook of Nature Study. They share their South African spring time study. Welcome to the OHC! The also completed their Spring Maple Tree Study for the OHC. Some of us are a little jealous that they are in their spring season but will enjoy watching their world change as they work through their challenges.

Kristen from Broom and Crown shares their Finding Dragonflies in the Desert entry with carnival readers. They were able to use a field guide and identify their Amberwings...check out the images to see why they are called amberwings. :)


Heather from Kingdom Arrows writes about their Canada Goose Outdoor Challenge. She shares how much her daughter's complete nature notebook page means to their family. Special story showing how nature study can bridge some important gaps for our children. Thanks Heather. 

Anne from Harvest Moon By Hand shares their two nature studies: Woolly Bears and Isabella Tiger Moths and  White Pine Tree. Their family has started out on a study of each state's bird, tree, flower, rock/gem. What a great idea! One last entry from Ann showing their Black-Capped Chickadee study...check out their journal for a fantastic idea (hint: coins)!

After a random drawing, the September Newsletter giveaway gift goes to Taunya from Taunya's Place. She will be getting the download link for the Hearts and Trees Mammals Lapbook. Congratulations and please email me to verify the email address you would like the link to be sent to: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.


See you all next month! Remember that October's Newsletter link will be for subscribers of the blog only. Please click over to the blog and subscribe using the form on the sidebar.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival - August Newsletter Edition: Ponds and More

This is a very full carnival! Lots of new faces along with our carnival veterans....lovely to see how everyone is jumping in with the newsletter challenges but remaining flexible to follow interest and opportunities. I am overwhelmed with all the wonderful nature study that you have allowed time for in your busy lives...you will be blessed with children who are happier and healthier.

I am announcing two things before I share the carnival entries.

1. My new More Nature Study With The Outdoor Hour Challenge ebook will be ready for purchase on September 5, 2011. This ebook includes ten nature study challenges focusing on topics you may find this autumn season. In addition to the usual challenges, follow-up suggestions, and notebook pages, I have included "Advanced Follow-Up" activities and "Upper Level" notebook pages to take each challenge a little further for advanced or older students. Please checkout the sample HERE. All of the ten ebook challenges will be posted on the Handbook of Nature Study blog over the course of the autumn season starting Friday, September 9, 2011. More information to come.

I have also included a special discount link in the September 2011 Newsletter. Make sure to read the newsletter and find the link there to use for your discounted price of $6.95 for the month of September.

2. Starting with the October issue of the Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter, the newsletter link will only be available to those that subscribe to my blog. Please make sure to subscribe to the Handbook of Nature Study so you do not miss the October 2011 and future issues of the Newsletter.
Subscribe to Handbook of Nature Study by Email

Now for the carnival!

August Newsletter Topics


Dragonflies
Amy at Hope is the Word shares their entry: Pond Study - Cows and Dragonflies. She captured a beautiful dragonfly and their study ended with some very well-done journal pages. Their family shares another entry from their pond study with lots of great experiences to write about: Turtles, Geese, and Herons! She also shares why their nature study time is the highlight of their week. Awesome.

Phyllis writes about Nature Study of Water Habitats which shows their multifaceted nature study featuring many water creatures.This entry will inspire you to do some research about your local water habitat.

Don't miss reading Erin's entry for their Dragonfly Study.  She has some awesome images for you to enjoy!

Nicole (Journey to Excellence) seized the newsletter topic and they have started an ongoing pond study. Here in Pond Study #1 she shares their observations and journal entries using the suggestion from the August Newsletter. How about her follow-up entry? Here is Pond Study #2.

Kirsty joins the carnival with their family's Dragonflies Entry. They all did journal entries and share their outdoor time with carnival readers. They also submitted their pond dipping activity. I loved seeing their list of pond creatures they were able to observe with this project. Great job!

Leslie and her daughter had a chance to study some dragonflies at a local pond. You can read their entry here: Outdoor Hour Challenge - Dragonflies!

Jamie spent the day with her family on the river canoeing (not exactly a pond habitat but still on the water). They took the time encourage some water habitat nature study....their entry Canoeing the Chestatee shows a list of the things they observed  on their trip. Jamie has even started journaling about her experiences...great example Jamie. Would you like to read her daughter's blog entry, you can read her view of the day HERE.
 


Frogs
Tricia shares their very unexpected nature study with Fabulous Find of the Frog Kind. Wonderful example for all of us to keep our eyes open and then let our schedule be flexible. Thanks for sharing! I am going to share another of their entries that shows more of their backyard tadpole habitat along with some other great nature study: Summer Nature Walks and Discoveries.

Jamie and her daughter are trying to start a year of nature study and they visited a near-by pond. They share their entry Pond Critters with carnival readers. 

Ducks
Nicole from One Hook Wonder shares their duck observations at a near-by lake. They combined some family time, a bike ride, and a little nature study. Perfect!

Cattails
Nicole and her family did a great cattail investigation as part of the OHC this month. They not only observed and recorded their cattail study but they found other things to learn about as well. Read their entry: OHC - Cattails.
 
Tricia's family had a day with their Creation Club at the pond. Guess what? They found cattails! Make sure to check out their wonderful pond study: Lily Pad Pond.

Jennifer joins the carnival with her entry: The Pond Outdoor Hour Study.  She shares their very successful pond nature study even with a toddler along for the ride. So glad they jumped in and gave it a try.

Amy from Hope is the Word writes about their second trip to the pond to view some cattails. Read all about it in her entry Pond Study: Cattails.  Don't miss their very well done nature journals.She enjoyed her study so much that she wrote a recap entry here: Pond Flora and Fauna.


Potpourri

Kim shares their entry, Experiments in Flight: Lift, Thrust, and Drag. Their family did direct observations of their backyard hummingbirds and then learned more in the more formal science study. Great job!

The Schoolhouse On The Prairie is just starting out with the challenges...they share Outdoor Hour Challenge #1. I'm sure she would love to have you leave her an encouraging comment. 

Amber is joining the carnival with Outdoor Hour Challenge #2....using their words.  Make sure to make Amber feel at home....let her know you read her entry. :)

Janet has submitted a great post on their Milkweed Adventures which also includes some other insect study as well. This is perfect as a warm up to next month's up-coming challenge for milkweed (stay tuned for that one).

Phyllis writes about their millipede and has some great images of this big guy in their submission to the carnival: Nature Study-North American Millipede. Phyllis also shares their water lily study...complete with pastel artwork to put the finishing touches on a already great study: The Water Lily and Lotus. How about one more from this family? Check out their Queen Anne's Lace study using the Handbook of Nature Study. Great job on all of these studies!

I have read about sunflower houses before and have always wanted to grow one. Amanda and her boys have one this year, complete with vining morning glories. Check out their entry on their blog: Our Sunflower House.  They also submit a very encouraging entry sharing their summer nature study in their own backyard: Gourd-eous.

Kristen shares their Leaf-cutter Bees using the Handbook of Nature Study. What a great example showing how to take advantage of the opportunities that come along in your own backyard. Their family also had a chance to study their Beetles and Cicadas..another great desert nature study. A trip to the ocean beach provided another opportunity to introduce some nature study objects for her young family: A Little Nature Study on Vacation.Thanks Kristen. 

Julie is jumping into the Carnival this time with Outdoor Hour Challenge #1. She shares their walk on the coast of San Diego. Here comes Outdoor Hour Challenge #2 as well...great job with this one too. On to Outdoor Hour Challenge #3....they are most definitely on a roll. Welcome Julie!

Nicole (One Hook Wonder) has written and submitted their Outdoor Hour Challenge Squirrels entry showing how they have enjoyed observing a squirrel visitor. Fun!

Kim shares her entry from her blog, A Child's Garden, in this carnival entry: Little Brown Birds.  What a wonderful entry showing how to pull so many resources together to tie your nature study up with other areas of learning. They also encountered a Hummingbird (Sphinx) moth which she writes about in another wonderful entry. Thanks Kim.

Amanda is back from her maternity/summer break to share her latest nature study with carnival readers....their family enjoyed observing, listening, and learning about crickets in this entry: A Cricket Cage.

That wraps up this edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Make sure to check out the September Newsletter for a fresh batch of topics and ideas for your nature study. You can submit entries to the next carnival HERE.

August Newsletter Giveaway
After generating a random number, it was determined that Tricia (Hodgepodge Mom) is going to receive the August Newsletter Giveaway prize of the Dover Backyard Nature Coloring Book. Congratulations Tricia! Send me an email with your mailing address and I will get that mailed out to you ASAP.

Our Mallard Duck Study - Unexpected Place and Time

We have been on the lookout for an opportunity to study ducks this month as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge newsletter suggestions for August. Our local pond is usually a good spot but we cruised by there earlier in the month only to discover that there were in fact no ducks on the pond right now, only geese. We were a little discouraged and trying to brainstorm another pond in the area to visit. As if they knew we were looking for some ducks to observe, a small group found us while we were out on a near-by lake having some fun with our boat.



We were out on the lake taking a break from our water sports activities (wakeboarding for Mr. A and water-skiing for the Dad) when a mama and some juvenile mallard ducks came up to visit. There were six smaller ducks that we are assuming were the babies of the female in the group. The water was very clear and we could easily watch them use their specially designed feet to paddle around in the water. We noted that the little ducks had fluffy feathers on their backs and were not as smooth yet as the adult female in the group. We observed the flat long beak that they were dipping into the water. 



I am pretty sure they were inquiring to see if we had any crumbs or goodies to share with them. They were very bold and came right up to the side of the boat...not really quacking but making a sort of peeping/squeaking sound. We didn't see any males out on the water. We did read later that it is the females that incubate the eggs and take care of hatchlings so this fits in with our observations.


Here is what the AllAboutBirds website says about the female mallard (love the word dabbling):

• Large dabbling duck


• Streaked brown and tan overall


• Dark blue patch on wing


• Dull orange and black bill

We wondered as always why the females are not as colorful as the males....she does have a pretty blue spot on her wing which really is her only decoration.

We enjoyed our encounter with the lake ducks and it was fun to observe them from the waterside instead of from the shore. We could really see their swimming and paddling abilities in action. We could also note the way the water does really run off the feathers on their back, making them appear water resistant. Maybe next time we will observe some ducks flying....giving us another glimpse into this beautiful creature.

Make sure to submit your entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Tomorrow afternoon is going to be the deadline for entries since I need to finish it up early this month. You can submit your entries by following this LINK.

Frogs of the Sierra Nevadas and the Handbook of Nature Study

I was given the opportunity to purchase a 1911 version of the Handbook of Nature Study....with all its well worn pages...all still intact and in very good shape. I jumped at the chance to have as a keepsake the volume in its original form. Thanks Anna Botsford Comstock for caring enough to write these lessons down for all of us that follow you.



My new Handbook is very similar to the current version that I use but what makes it nice is the layout....only one column on a page, original clipart, diagrams, little extra references to books and brochures that probably no longer exist. The charm of this book is how it is still relevant today.....one hundred years later.

Frog Pond

We had the chance to visit Grandpa's pond last week and since the weather has been so dry, the creek fed pond is getting a little low. There is still a spring underneath keeping it wet enough for the critters that depend on it for water. We were surprised to see all the frog heads with bulging eyes sticking up above the water. They really do blend in except if they move....the duck weed is thick on the top and it makes the frogs look like they have beards.

Where's the frog?

You need to move slowly or they plop under the water very fast. I was able to zoom in and get a few images of the frog heads for us to look at on the computer screen. We consulted our favorite frog and toad website: California Frogs and Toads. We are fairly sure it is an American Bullfrog.... we are going back later this week and we will take our field guide to confirm the identification.

In the Handbook of Nature Study in lesson 47, the suggestions are all things that we would need to really spend some time investigating and perhaps even catching one and taking a closer look. We decided to narrow our study down to a few things:
#3 Describe the colors and markings of the frog on the upper and on the under side. How do these protect it from observations from above? below? How do we usually discover that we are in the vicinity of a frog?
#4 Describe the frog's ears, eyes, nostrils, and mouth.
#6 How does the frog feel to your hand? Is it easy to hold him?

Those seem like logical questions to keep in mind when we go back again next week. We will update this entry when we answer the questions.

I look forward to seeing some of your pond studies or any other nature studies you have completed this month. Make sure to submit your entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. You can submit your entries by following this LINK.

Summer Cattails - Revisted Using the Handbook of Nature Study

"They usually occur in marshy zones along lakes or streams; and such a zone is always sharply defined by dry land on one side and water on the other."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 502

We did a little research about cattails in California and were interested to find out that it is considered an "invasive weed". I can see where it might be trouble in irrigation ditches but it is hard for us to put the cattail into the invasive weed category. They are so green and pretty in the summer and they provide such a great habitat for the red-wing blackbirds and other animals as well.

If you remember from the spring we were a little worried that our cattail patch, wondering if it would recover from some pruning that the neighbor did to clear out their ditch. Well, we returned in July to check things out.



Our patch has grown back! The ground was nice and damp which was perfect for getting those cattails going again and the green leaves were sprouting up everywhere. We were so encouraged.




Here is the actual cattail part that is usually brown but it is still green in July. The shape is there but it is not the brown cigar-shaped flower head that we are accustomed to.

As part of the August Newsletter challenge, we returned again to our cattail patch and took a look at what had changed since spring and since last month. We were in for a surprise!


The county has dug up the creek just above our patch of cattails and has rerouted the water into a pipe. Now it appears that unless there is a spring for our cattails that they might be doomed without water.


We walked down the trail to our patch and it was still there but the ground is not as damp as it was last month. The cattails have turned brown and are covered in pollen.


I could just brush the flower head and the pollen would puff out like smoke.

"These flowers may be studied in the schoolroom with suggestions for field observations. A lens is almost necessary for the study of most of these flowers."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 503.

We were able to examine the different parts of the cattail, wishing we had our hand lens. We will try to remember to throw in the hand lens for our next trip to the cattails.

Here are some other interesting things we saw on our walk.


I have no idea what this plant is but it was right in among our cattails. The tiny seeds and the way it grows make this an interesting plant to observe.


Our Queen Anne's Lace is so small this year...the plants are small and the flower heads are small. It is amazing to see the difference in how this plant looks from last year's crop.


The wild sweet peas are just about finished blooming and all the surrounding areas are brown. The pink really stands out as you walk the trail....the bees love it!

I look forward to seeing some of your pond studies or any other nature studies you have completed this month. Make sure to submit your entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. You can submit your entries by following this LINK.

Dragonfly Study Using the Handbook of Nature Study

Pond study is always a great summertime activity and that is one reason I chose ponds as the theme of the August Newsletter challenges. We spend one day a week at Grandpa's helping him with yard work and he has a small pond that is spring-fed and we enjoy investigating it when we visit.

Dragonfly in our backyard earlier this summer

We started off our dragonfly study with the dragonflies that visit our backyard everyday during the summer months....some looking like little hummingbirds and others looking like helicopters. We sometimes even have a swarm of dragonflies all at once in our yard and then they disappear.

For the August Newsletter challenge to observe some dragonflies, we visited Grandpa's pond with the intention of expanding our dragonfly study. He has blue damselflies which are so pretty and before we knew any better, we called them dragonflies. There are some simple differences between dragonflies and damselflies.

• Dragonflies land with their wings out and damselflies land with their wings in


• Damselflies have wing pairs that match and dragonflies the wing pairs are dissimilar


• Dragonfly eyes touch or nearly touch and damselflies have clearly separated eyes

We read in the Handbook of Nature Study about the dragonfly and made some notes on our nature notebook pages. Mr. B drew both the Bluet damselfly and the Red skimmer dragonfly and they will go side by side in his nature journal.




For more information on using the OHC to learn more about dragonflies, you can see OHC #28.



I cannot resist sharing the prettiest dragonfly I ever saw and was able to get a good image for my nature journal. This one we saw when we were in Atlanta, GA a number of years ago. I think he is magnificent!

Dragonfly Link to Lapbook Pieces on HomeschoolShare: Dragonfly Animal Study. If you have little ones you could print out the "What is the difference?", "Dragonfly Design", and "Dragonfly Diagram" pieces and include those in your nature journal. What could be easier?

I look forward to seeing some of your pond studies or any other nature studies you have been cooking up this month. Make sure to submit your entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. The link is at the top of my blog and on my sidebar. 

Handbook of Nature Study - August Newsletter: Pond Edition

The August edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletter is ready to be downloaded! The theme for the newsletter is Ponds and Pond Creatures....one of our family's favorite topics to explore this time of year. I have included some new features in the newsletter and hope you find it useful.

Please note that you are encouraged to try to use the topics suggested in the monthly newsletter but if your family finds another topic of interest...always follow your interest. You can still submit the entry to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. You can submit more than one entry to the carnival. The deadline for the next Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival will be August 30, 2011.

Here is the August 2011 Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletter. 

Exciting Features:

• Summer Pond Study Notebook Page


• New Nature Journal Idea


• Pond Links


• Newsletter Specials - Autumn Series - Outdoor Hour Challenges


• Pond Nature Study Grid


• Marsh Pastels Tutorial


• Interviews with Outdoor Hour Challenge Families


• Guest Post Opportunities

I also have put together a new Pond Study page on Squidoo:  
Pond Study Using the Handbook of Nature Study.
I hope you find it helpful!

(If you have trouble downloading the newsletter and you have Mozilla Firefox, right click the link, save it, then try to open it from your desktop.)

I drew a random name from those that participated in the July Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival and Susan from Learning All The Time is the winner of A Kid's Summer EcoJournal. I want to thank all of the participants in yesterday's blog carnival....what a great bunch of entries! Congrats to Susan!