Spring Series Nature Study with Art and Music - Update to Composer

It was brought to my attention that the composer links for Schubert on page 20 of the ebook are no longer working.

Here are the updated links...you can print out this email and put it with your ebook so you will have the updates when you need them:

· Listen to the entire Piano Sonata in B flat Major D. 960 on YouTube.com.

      Movement 1: http://youtu.be/Ok9tofNmqNY

      Movement 2: http://youtu.be/G2AIMQ0-zWY

      Movement 3: http://youtu.be/zD12AOCty0Q

      Movement 4: http://youtu.be/p2YbCgudmc0

Outdoor Hour Challenge-More Nature Study Book 3 Spring 2012

Spring is upon us and now is the time to get outdoors with our families and really observe the wonders of nature all around our neighborhoods. Whether you make this series of challenges a part of your homeschooling week or you are a family who will complete these challenges on the weekends, the simple nature study ideas you find in this ebook will give you the tools to get started. We are going to have fun exploring our neighborhoods for flowering trees, press flowers for our nature journals, learn about a garden critter, and so much more together with this season of nature study.

The sample linked below lists the topics covered in this new series but  don't be discouraged if you look at the list and think you don't have that particular subject close at hand. There are suggested adaptations that will allow any family to complete this series of nature study activities in your own backyard or neighborhood.

The More Nature Study Book #3 challenges were written for families with children of all ages.You can keep it simple and enjoy your outdoor time with your little ones using the basic challenge. If you have older children or find your child is particularly interested in a certain topic, there are ways to increase the depth of each challenge by adding in additional notebook pages or further research using ideas and suggestions in the ebook.

I am really looking forward to getting started on 3/23/12 with the very first challenge from the ebook.  


Outdoor Hour Challenge: 
More Nature Study Ebook #3 Spring 2012
Spring Splendor

• Ten completely new challenges using the Handbook of Nature Study. See a list of topics and a Sample Challenge.
• 13 notebook pages and 11 coloring pages
• 17 additional Upper Level notebook pages for advanced or experienced students
• 10 Charlotte Mason style exam questions
• Complete list of supplies needed (nothing fancy or expensive)
• Detailed instructions for each challenge, including links (including YouTube videos) and printables
• Nature journal suggestions and examples
• All the challenges will coordinate with the March through May Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletters
• Alternate ideas to adapt the challenges to your local area
• 74 pages
• $8.95 and includes the Spring Art Prints download (extended) until 5/25/12.

•  Please note that I send the ebook personally so it may take up to 24 hours to receive your download link. Download links will be sent to the email address associated with the Paypal account.

Special Bonus Offer!
For the month of March 2012 (extended until 5/25/12), every purchase of my More Nature Study Book #3 Spring Splendor ebook will include a special Spring Art Prints download to use along with your nature study. This download includes nine spring themed art prints to view or print and enjoy with your family. This resource is perfect for Charlotte Mason homeschool families who wish to include picture study that goes along with the nature study topics (instructions included).

You can now purchase the new spring ebook as part of my Spring Bundle of ebooks.
You can read about each individual ebook on my Spring Nature Study tab.

Bundle Includes:

• More Nature Study Book #3 Spring Splendor (new 2012)
• Spring Nature Study with Art and Music Appreciation 2010
• Garden Flowers and Plants Challenges Ebook
• Bonus! Spring Art Prints (described above)
• $28.80 value

Special Bundle Price is $19.95 

This is a huge library of thirty spring themed nature study ideas with fifty notebook pages! Also, there are spring themed art and music appreciation ideas to complement your nature study.  

See the Spring Nature Study tab on my blog for additional specifics for each ebook and a sample.


 

Winter Series of Outdoor Hour Challenges-Ebook Now Available!

I am really excited to announce that I have finished writing a completely new ebook for the Winter Series of Outdoor Hour Challenges. This ebook is a unique product that includes not only ten nature study challenges but three months' worth of art and music appreciation with a winter theme! This is the first time I have combined all three elements into a full length ebook and I am anxious to share it with all of my readers and their families.

I have worked hard to produce an exciting ebook to help you with simple winter nature study and give you some help and direction in providing art and music appreciation.

Here is an overview!

• 10 Winter Series Outdoor Hour Challenges
• 13 custom notebook pages to complement those challenges
• 3 different artists to study-one per month (Caspar David Friedrich, Gilbert Stuart, and Claude Monet)
  
• 3 different composers to study-one per month (Vivaldi, Waldteufel, and Dvorak)
  
• 11 custom notebook pages to use in following up your art and music study
• 3 paintings included for you to print or view
  
• Ideas for art projects to complete your art appreciation with common art supplies you probably have on hand
• Resource list
• Clickable links 
• View a sample HERE.

In total, this new Winter Nature Study ebook is 56 pages long. You will have a complete plan at your fingertips for your winter nature study, art appreciation, and music study. All of the art prints are included in the ebook and there are links to viewing them online as well. All of the music planned is available to listen to online. You will need to have the Handbook of Nature Study in order to complete the nature study challenges. I have aimed to keep these challenges and studies as simple as possible with very few additional resources needed.

Please realize that the challenges are listed on the winter tab at the top of my blog but the ebook gathers the challenges all into one easy to use resource along with the custom notebook pages. If you purchase the book now, you will have the complete ten week plan all at one time for you to use as you find time. The notebook pages will *not* be offered on the blog for free this time.

To recap how this all works-

Winter Nature Study with Art and Music Appreciation Ebook: Contains all the challenges, custom notebook pages for nature study as well as art and music appreciation, and three months' worth of art and music appreciation. 56 pages for $8.95.
(This is the complete project and includes all the items listed above in one ebook.)
Note: There might be a delay in you receiving the ebook in your inbox. I am emailing each book out myself and the delay can be up to 24 hours. Also, I will be emailing the book to the email address on your Paypal.com account.

Edit to add 1/11/11:
I would like to announce that you can now purchase all four seasonal ebooks for the Outdoor Hour Challenge in a bundle for a discounted price of $29.99. Click the button above to order the Four Seasons Bundle.

You will receive all four of the current seasonal ebooks.
If you have any questions, please email me or leave a comment.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Glorious Fall Day and a new Fish Study

We had a glorious day trip yesterday. Our annual fall color drive took us through some of the most picture postcard perfect landscapes in the world. I thought you might like to see a little of our day. I could fill a whole blog with the photos, but I will restrain myself.


I told you....it was a postcard perfect day. You can click the photo to make it larger.


The aspens were like explosions of fire and it was as if everywhere you looked there was a photo to be framed.


A little family shadow portrait on the bridge over the salmon creek....just me and the men on this day.


The salmon were still busy spawning and dying. What a sad ending to a fish story! My boys and I sat on the bench watching the salmon activity and talking over their life cycle. Their glorious ending of life, in blazing reds and greens, in such a beautiful place , made us a little reflective about our lives.


Here is another view of the creek on this autumn day. Can't you just hear the water babbling?

Our discussion of the salmon life cycle reminded me that I have been holding onto something that I can now offer here on my blog. Originally, these plans were a part of NotebookingPages.com's Back to School event. I am now pleased to offer it here on my Handbook of Nature Study blog for my readers.

Looking for something a little different? I know not everyone has salmon close-by to observe but many of you may have a goldfish in a bowl in your home. These new plans combine an Outdoor Hour Challenge featuring a study of your goldfish (or really any other aquarium fish you may have) with art and music study....my favorite combination.

These sampler plans include instructions for completing a nature study unit using the Handbook of Nature Study focusing on the goldfish along with complete instructions for following up with an art activity featuring a Henri Matisse painting and listening to a classical music selection by Claude Debussy. Three notebook pages are also included to round our your unit. This is a complete study and will take at least four days to finish.

Goldfish Nature Study on Lulu.com
Plans available as an immediate download from Lulu.com.

Guess what? We have never completed a study of our goldfish. What a great idea for a cold day's nature study! The next time we have a day where we can't go outside during our Outdoor Hour time I will be starting this unit with my boys.

Let me know if you like these mini unit studies that include art, classical music, and nature study. I know they are a little different from the normal Outdoor Hour Challenges, but sometimes my love of art and music creeps into our nature study.

Enjoy the photos in this entry and hopefully you can use the Goldfish Study plans with your family soon.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Harmony Fine Arts: Free Summer 2009 Art and Music Appreciation Plans

Please pop over to my art and music blog to read all about my FREE offer for summer art and music appreciation plans for you to download for your family.

Harmony Fine Arts: Free Summer 2009 Art and Music Plans

Please pass the word if you would like to on your blogs....you can grab the button and make a link.

Thanks so much,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom