How to Make a Waxed Paper Pouch For Your Nature Journal or Notebook

I have been experimenting with a variety of ways of putting pressed flowers and leaves in my nature journal. The latest way is to use a small piece of waxed paper, folding it to make a pouch. The pouch can then be adhered to the nature journal page or notebook page

Steps for Making a Waxed Paper Pouch 
for Your Nature Journal or Notebook Page


Step 1: Cut a strip of waxed paper about 6 inches wide.


Step 2: Fold the two long edges and one small edge up about half an inch.


Step 3: Remove your pressed flower from your press. For instructions on how to make a flower press with cardboard, copier paper, and rubber bands, see my tutorial in this entry: How to Make a Plant Press.


Step 4: Place the pressed flower into the pouch with the folds of the waxed paper holding it in place.


Step 5: Fold the top flap over, crease the wax paper, and insert the flap behind the bottom fold. This will keep the flower from slipping out of the pouch and it will allow you to open the flap and view the pressed flower when desired.


Step 6: Adhere the pouch in your nature journal or onto your notebook page using double sided tape or a tape runner.

You can custom make the pouch to fit any size space you have in your nature journal. Adjust the amount of paper you start with and how large you fold the pouch. 

Adding pressed flowers and leaves to your nature journal gives them a more personal touch and will remind you of your time outdoors. Enjoy!

More Nature Study Book #4 - Summer Weather Study

More Nature Study Book #4
Summer Sizzle
Weather Study

Inside Preparation Work:

• Brainstorm ways that summer weather is different from weather the rest of the year. Make a list of summer weather words to be recorded in your nature journal (or notebook page from the ebook). 

You may wish to include some of the ideas from the Summer2010 Weather Challenge.

*Sight: Observe where the sun rises and sets on the horizon

*Smell: Does the air have a certain smell when it is hot?

*Touch: Can you feel the hot sun on your skin? Make sure to cover up or put on sunblock when you are outdoors in the afternoon to protect your skin from the sun’s strong rays.

*Hearing: Observe the sounds of weather: wind or breeze, rain, thunder.

Outdoor Hour Time:

• There is so much to see outside during the summer. Birds, bees, butterflies, squirrels, and many other creatures are active during the daylight hours. There are plenty of trees, flowers, and summer views to be seen as well. Even though your weather may be hot, fit in some outdoor time for this challenge to observe what your summer world is like, paying attention to describing the season’s weather.  
• Ebook Users: There is a small scavenger hunt grid on your notebook page...have fun! Check the July 2012 Newsletter for another grid you can use as part of this challenge.

Follow-Up Activity:

• You may wish to keep a weather chart over the next few weeks or perhaps once a month for the next year. Here is a free printable Weather Chart from the Handbook of Nature Study.
• Advanced Study: Complete a nature journal recording your summer weather observations. Include temperature, cloud types, precipitation, humidity. Ebook Users: There is a custome summer weather observation notebook page for you to use with this challenge.
• Advanced Study-Optional Activity: Design a summer weather related project to complete during the next few weeks. Ask a question or make a prediction about your local weather. Write up your experiment in your nature journal, recording your results or your data gathered. You can make it simple or complex depending on your interest. Ebook Users: There is a notebook page in the ebook for you to use to record your weather related project.

Additional Links With Ideas for a Weather Related Project:

• Weather Wiz Kids—Read through some of the activities here to make up a question or to find an area that interests you.
• Weather Science Fair Projects—This list will get your juices flowing.
• Weather and Atmosphere Projects

All the summer challenges for 2012 are included in the new More Nature Study Book #4 Summer Sizzle ebook. The challenges in the ebook are the same challenges that will post every Friday here on my blog. If you want to follow along with notebook pages and coloring pages, click over and learn more about the ebook.

OHC More Nature Study Book #4: Turtles and Duckweed

More Nature Study Book #4 
Summer Pond Study: Turtles and Pondweed 

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read in the Handbook of Nature Study about Turtles on pages 204-209 (Lesson 52). Also read about Pondweed on pages 498-500 (Lesson 130).
• Ebook Users: Use the Pond Study Cross-section Notebook page as a way to generate interest for this challenge. You can complete the page during your outdoor time if you would like. Here is a link to something similar online: Pond Habitat.
• Advanced Study: Pond Life– Watch this YouTube on Wetlands/Ponds. View and read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 400-403 (Lesson 102). Use this information as you make your observations at your local pond. Here is another idea for the field: Guide to Pond Dipping.

Outdoor Hour Time:

• Look for opportunities to spend your outdoor hour time at a pond. Ponds are a center of many nature study opportunities. Let your child lead your pond time (with your careful supervision).
• Use the ideas from the lessons in the Handbook of Nature Study to observe closely any turtles or pondweed that you find. Make sure to keep an eye out for anything of interest that you can follow up with in the Handbook of Nature Study (see the box below for more ideas for your pond study).

Follow-Up Activity:

• Follow-up with any interest that you found during your pond study. Use the Handbook of Nature Study as a reference for any additional subjects that came up. Make a nature journal entry for your turtle or pondweed. Ebook Users: There are two coloring pages to use in your nature journal: Pond Turtle and Box Turtle.
• Advanced Study: You can research individual turtles for you nature journal. Use this website for more information: Turtles and Tortoises of the United States.
• Advanced Study: Use the information from the Wetlands/Ponds video and create your own pond life images. You can record any pond dwellers in your nature journal. Ebook Users: There is also an additional notebook page to use if you have more to record.

Additional links:

Western Pond Turtle Project on YouTube.com
Painted Turtle Digging a Hole to Lay Eggs on YouTube.com
Painted Turtles in a tank habitat on YouTube.com—Nice way to see the turtles eating...just like a field trip to a zoo.
My Pond Study page on Squidoo.com.

Free Printable Notebook Pages

Summer Pond Study and Pond Grid 

As a bonus for this challenge I am including the Summer Pond Study notebook page and the Pond Study Grid from the August 2011 Newsletter!



All the summer challenges for 2012 are included in the new More Nature Study Book #4 Summer Sizzle ebook. The challenges in the ebook are the same challenges that will post every Friday here on my blog. If you want to follow along with notebook pages and coloring pages, click over and learn more about the ebook.

Great American Backyard Campout - Nature Study Style

It's a whole different world...your backyard at night.

I encourage you to open up a new level of nature study, done at night under the stars in combination with the Great American Backyard Campout!



Watch an introductory video!
June 23, 2012 - The National Wildlife Federation is sponsoring the Great American Backyard Campout and you are invited. From their website,"Spend the night under the stars with National Wildlife Federation and take your family’s first step into a lifetime filled with healthy, outdoor fun."



If you have been reluctant to try camping, this is an easy way to test it out with your family closer to home. You may just end up liking it! Who knows where you will take your tent next?

My boys put their tent on the back deck during the summer.

I know that sleeping outdoors can seem scary and unfamiliar but overcoming the fear of being outside at night is worth the effort. You will realize there are some amazing things going on between sunset and sunrise right in your own backyard!

Combine nature study with an overnight backyard campout 

and you will build family memories that last a lifetime.

Prepare with some nature study ideas from the Outdoor Hour Challenge!

• #2 Using Your Words (Getting Started ebook)
• #23 Moths  and Summer 2010
• #24 Crickets and Summer 2010
• #49 Bats and Summer 2010
• Fireflies (Summer 2010 ebook)
• Stars and Moon (winter study you can adapt - Winter 2010 ebook)
• Sounds (Summer 2010 ebook)
• Night Blooming Flowers (Summer 2010 ebook)

Pick a challenge, read the pages in the Handbook of Nature Study, and then look for an opportunity to apply what you learned. Keep it fun and always, always, always follow your child's lead if they find something they are interested in. You can follow up with a library book or a Google search in the morning.

Bring a few art supplies outdoors and your nature journal so you are prepared if you find something of interest. If you have a nature related storybook or a favorite outdoor adventure book, bring it out for some after dark reading with a flashlight.

More than anything else, be aware of your surroundings and use all your senses, when you can't rely on your vision...listen, feel, and smell the nighttime in your backyard. Try to spend a few minutes just sitting quietly in the dark if your children are able and see what you notice. Even a few seconds of quiet is good for younger children.

If you are new to nature study, you may wish to download and print out my free nature study guide:

Nature Study-Three Steps to a Better Nature Experience.

How about a free printable notebook page?

My Backyard at Night.

As part of this great event, I am teaming up with five other bloggers to promote getting outside and having fun with your children. All of us have put together some exciting, informative, and easy ideas to get you started planning your own Great American Backyard Campout for this coming weekend.

The tips in these posts will apply to any camping you do with your children so make sure to bookmark, Pin, and promote these links! We even started a Camping With Kids Pinterest board for you to follow and glean even more ideas as the summer goes by. I know for my regular readers the list below includes a few new faces and I encourage you to click over and visit these awesome bloggers who take getting outdoors with their children seriously. Leave them a comment and let them know you popped over from the Handbook of Nature Study.

1. Adventure Tykes – Melissa
2. Go Explore Nature - Debi
3. Hodgepodge – Tricia
4. Spell Outloud – Maureen
5. Tales of a Mountain Mama – Amelia

Newsletter Challenge: Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Extraordinary Defined: 

Going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary. 

Noteworthy or remarkable. 

The Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter for May 2012 builds on the theme of Noticing Nature in the Everyday. One of the activities from the newsletter is to find something extraordinary in the ordinary....by using the May Grid and Printable Bookmark. I encourage you to spend time in your own backyard, helping your children find something of interest.

I wanted to expand that a bit with this post and offer a printable notebook page to use to follow-up your Extraordinary in the Ordinary outdoor time. I challenge you to find at least one thing to take a closer look and to then complete a notebook page or nature journal showing what you learned. My family will be participating in this challenge too!

See if you can find something extraordinary right under your noses.

You can see a past example from my post: Extraordinary in the Ordinary.

Free Printable Notebook Page: Extraordinary in the Ordinary - In Your Own Backyard.


Please feel free to submit your entry to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.

Note: If you would like to receive a copy of the May 2012 Newsletter, please make sure to subscribe to my blog and you will receive the link to download the newsletter in the next blog entry emailed to your inbox. 


Now is the time to renew or purchase a membership to the Notebooking Treasury. She is offering 25% off and three extra months PLUS you will have access to all the new features when they become available June 2012. At that time, they will be releasing The Notebooking Publisher, a new web-application for creating, customizing, and completing your own notebooking pages. With The Notebooking Publisher, your children can create and complete their notebooking pages on the computer!

5 Easy Nature Study Suggestions for the End of April

If you have been too busy this month to keep up with the Outdoor Hour Challenge, you many want to consider this week a time to get a few final April nature study activities. If you blog about it, you are welcome to submit your link to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.

Five Easy Nature Study Suggestions for the End of April

1. Just get outside and take a walk! Informal nature study done while spending time together as a family is often the most meaningful. Get outside for a quick walk when you have a few minutes to spare. Printable Scavenger Hunt available from Hearts and Trees: Spring Nature Walk. You can also use my free Signs of Spring Notebook Page to follow up your walk.
2. Keep track of temperature for three days in a row. Record it in your nature journal to compare with future months. You can print and use my free Printable Weather Chart Notebook Page.
3. Observe clouds over the course of a week. Print out a Cloud Chart (scroll down and there are two choices). Record your cloud observations in your nature journal with sketches.
4. Complete a Seasonal Weather Notebook Page.
5. Finish the grid suggestions from the Apri 2012 Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter. Note: You will need to subscribe to my blog to receive the download link for the newsletter at the bottom of the next blog entry email.

Spring Wildflowers- California Poppy Nature Study

"One of the most interesting performances to watch that I know is the way this poppy takes off its cap before it bows to the world. Like magic the cap loosens around the base; it is then pushed off by the swelling, expanding petals until completely loosened, and finally drops off."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 563

Way back when I was planning the challenges for the More Nature Study Book #3, I had no way of knowing what perfect timing I would have with this particular Poppies and Buttercups Challenge. We were treated to two events this week in connection with our poppy study.



1. We took a day trip to Yosemite National Park and even though parts of the park still have quite a bit of snow, when we left the park through the southern El Portal entrance and out Hwy 140 there were millions of poppies blooming along the hills that run alongside the Merced River. It was breathtaking! I have lived in California all my life and I have never seen such a display of poppies...miles and miles of poppies in bloom.



2. The California Poppies in our front yard garden decided to start blooming on Monday. I am serious....Monday, right on cue! We took some time to closely observe the way the caps tip to reveal the petals (see the top photo in this entry). We marveled at the light shining through the bright orange petals. We peered into the inside flower parts and remembered Anna Botsford Comstock's remarks about sleeping inside a poppy. We observed the lacy leaves and decided to do some sketches and rubbings of the leaves in our nature journals. You can view a previous more thorough study of poppies in this blog entry: CA Poppies-Using the Handbook of Nature Study.

"The insects in California take advantage of the closing petals and often get a night's lodging within them, where they are cozily housed with plenty of pollen for supper and breakfast.."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 564

As part of the advanced study suggestions for this challenge, we are keeping a spring list of wildflowers in our nature journals.

Advanced Study Notebook Page - More Nature Study Book #3 Spring

Mr. B also completed an additional notebook page for the Hound's Tongue wildflower that we saw blooming this week on our hiking trail. This is one of the early wildflowers that we see in our local area. It's distinctive leaves make it an easy flower to identify. The flowers are almost blue which is unusual and beautiful.


I enjoyed the lupine on the way home from our Yosemite trip. We had a wonderful week of focusing on wildflowers, increasing our desire for spring to really come and stay in our part of the world.




Don't forget to share your Spring Nature Study blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival.You can submit any entries from April to the carnival or directly to me if needed: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Spring Green Nature Journal Ideas

So many shades of green!

The spring world just begs to be sketched in our nature journals. The colors of the flowers as they blossom in the warming sun just cry out to us to observe them closer, to see their intricate details. As I gather a few of our early spring flowers to record in my nature journal, I am struck the with the varying shades of green that appear in the leaves of these springtime beauties.

Each stem and leaf is a different shade of green, or they are even a mixture of greens that need our careful scrutiny if we are going to get them just right in our journal. Some leaves are olive green, some are emerald green, and some are dark green. I invite you to look at your garden greens and see if you don't notice it too.


I count myself a very careful observer of nature. I spend lots of time in my garden enjoying the many varieties of plants, bushes, and trees, but I didn't even notice the reddish edges on this leaf until I brought it inside to sketch into my nature journal. This illustrates the value of slowing down and taking the time to keep a nature journal...you are blessed with better powers of observation.

This is true in adults and also in children. We can help train our children to have better observation skills in all areas of their life if we use nature journaling as a skill-building tool.

Out of sheer self-indulgence I decided to make a couple pages in my journal with all the different greens I have in my colored pencil collection. I made small little sample splotches of color for each of the greens in my watercolor pencil and regular colored pencil sets. I labeled each color patch with the name on the pencil or in some cases the number on the pencil. This way I can use it as a reference whenever I need to find just the right green for a sketch. The color palette of spring is very different than that of autumn or winter. 

Note to self: I think I have a lot of shades of green pencils...no need for any more.

Now I am ready to make some nature journal entries!

You may be interested in seeing my fall color palette. I did a similar nature journal entry last fall with my fall colors nature journal.



You may wish to include this nature journal idea as part of your Spring Wildflowers study.

NotebookingPages.Com's Nature Study Sale

What timing! If you are at all interested in getting started with nature notebooking, now is a perfect time to purchase the nature study pages from NotebookingPages.com. They are offering 50% off their individual nature study sets from now until April 20, 2012.

You can see some examples of our pages if you go to the Nature Journals tab at the top of my blog.



Note I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com. I highly recommend their nature study pages.

How To Organize Your Nature Notebook Pages

Over the years I have accumulated many nature journal entries recorded on notebooking pages. I started off keeping them chronologically in my nature notebook binder but that didn't make sense after awhile. I would go to look at my list of backyard birds and it would be mixed in with the wildflower notebook pages. I would try to find the list of Yosemite birds and it would be hidden in among my local wildflower pages. You get the idea...it was not very organized.

I needed to come up with a way to organize my nature notebook pages in a way that made sense. I needed a system that worked long-term and would keep my treasured memories in a way that I could refer to them easily when desired.

Here is what I came up with for my nature notebook. Feel free to adapt my idea in a way that works for your family.

This system will work with many styles of notebook pages including those you purchase, make on your own, or print from the Outdoor Hour Challenges. 






If you start this system with your child's notebook, they can keep adding to it from year to year with ease.

Things You Will Need to Gather:

• Binder - I use a 1.5 inch size binder and find it easy to take with me when we travel.
• Cover and spine labels - Make your own or if you have the NotebookingPages.com Treasury membership there are some to print.
• Tabs - Either tab pages or Post-It tabs (I like the Post-It ones so I can move them easily.)
• Sheet protectors (I buy the heavyweight kind so I can use them for pressed flowers and feathers.)
• Completed notebook pages (I also include blank pages in my binder-see below.)

How I Organize My Pages

• Organize by category (birds, trees, wildflowers, insects, etc)
• Organize by location (see below for explanation)

Now for some visual aids....

I use Post-It tabs to categorize my notebook pages, organizing them so I can easily find a page I am looking for and I can put a few blank pages for future use.




I also have sections for places we spend time when we travel. We regularly go to Yosemite, the deserts of California and Arizona, and to Oregon. I found it easier to keep these pages under their own tabs so I can add to them from year to year.


I also like to include sheet protectors in my nature notebook binder. I slip a sheet of white paper in and then insert items that I want to save like feathers and pressed flowers.


Sheet protectors are also a wonderful way to add miscellaneous artwork to your nature notebook. I sometimes work on watercolor paper for a journal entry and this way I can take it out of the pad and insert it in the proper section in my nature notebook binder.



Here is an example of how I add to a running list in my nature notebook. This is a page from my Yosemite Creek - Birds section. I started the list in 2010 and then on a trip in 2011 I add the Raven we observed. I have several Yosemite bird lists going, keeping track of exactly where we observed a particular bird. (You can download this free notebook page from my Freebies tab at the top of my blog.)



I have found it helpful to add a few blank pages to each section so when I am out exploring (especially when traveling and I don't have access to a printer) I can complete a specific notebook page. Last fall we observed milkweed at Yosemite so when we go back and see it again I will complete the official notebook page for my records. I do this with birds, trees, insects, and wildflowers. This would work well for your local area as well if you regularly spend time working on your nature journal while out in the field. (This is a notebook page from the More Nature Study - Autumn 2011 ebook.)




Don't forget to keep a few generic notebook pages in your binder as well. This will give you a place to record a special find while you are taking your outdoor time. I find it very enjoyable to pull out my notebook and work for a few minutes at the end of an excursion. Being prepared sometimes means the difference between actually completing a nature notebook page and letting the opportunity pass without creating one. (This page is from the Freebies tab at the top of my blog.)

Keeping a nature notebook is a joy! It is a treasured record of our family's outdoor time. I encourage you all to build your own notebook one page at a time and over the years you will have a richer nature study experience and a wonderful keepsake.


Many of the pages in our nature journals come from NotebookingPages.com. You can buy the individual sets or you can purchase the Treasury Membership and have access to ALL the notebook pages on NotebookingPages.com.

Please note that I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com. I would love to pass along some discount codes for you to use with your purchases:
Use discount code discount5 to save $5 on your $10+ purchase at NotebookingPages.com
Use discount code discount10 to save $10 on your $20+ purchase at NotebookingPages.com 

 

If you are new to notebooking and would like to learn more about it for your family, I highly recommend Jimmie Lanley's new Notebooking Success ebook. She will get you started with some practical tips and lots of great examples. Please note that I am an affiliate for Notebooking Success. When you click over to the ebook, you can scroll down to read my full review.

For more information about using notebooking pages with high schoolers, you can see my Squidoo page for lots of specific links, tips, and resources: Notebooking for High Schoolers..

First Day of Spring - Printable Notebook Page

After Sunday's snow, it is hard to believe we are at the first day of spring for 2012. We have had a crazy weather year but it is going to be fun to record our spring thoughts today..perhaps even taking a long walk this afternoon.

Here is a printable notebook page to inspire some springtime nature study or at least some looking out the window time today on this first day of spring.

First Day of Spring Notebook Page - 2012

I would love to hear how you incorporate a little nature study or outdoor time into your first day of spring. Leave me a comment or send me a blog link!


Remember we start with the first challenge from More Nature Study Book 3 this coming Friday, March 23, 2012. I welcome all to join us for the first challenge: Spring Splendor Walk.

Updated Free Nature Notebooking Pages

When I released the very first Outdoor Hour Challenge ebook, there was also a set of free notebook pages that was offered by my friend Tina Joyce. Since then the files were somehow deleted from Lulu.com and it was not until this week that I was able to get them uploaded to my file share site.

Thanks so much Tina.


You should now be able to download each page for free.

Blank Nature Journal for the Outdoor Hour Challenge
Blank Nature Journal Page #2
Blank Nature Walk Journal Page
Blank Nature Journal Page for Older Children
Running List of Thinks Observed (I use this one all the time!)
Record of Things Collected
Mammal Outdoor Hour Challenge Notebook Page

You will find more free pages here: Handbook of Nature Study Free Downloads.

To subscribe to updates to the Handbook of Nature Study blog and the monthly Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletter (including free printables), you can enter your email in the box below and you will receive each blog entry in your email inbox.

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