Home Christmas top10 Winter Snow! Nature Study Backyard Nature about us Catholic Audio Spring Geography audio Autumn Shakespeare Audio Audio Newbery Poetry Fun and Games Swallowdale Summer Audio Downloads 9th Gr. Literature Wild Monthly Music High School Science Elementary Science Field Treks Children's Fantasy Math Camping 

MacBeth's Autumn Opinion

"Copses, dells, quarries and all hidden places, which had been mysterious mines for exploration in leafy summer, now exposed themselves and their secrets pathetically, and seemed to ask him to overlook their shabby poverty for a while, till they could riot in rich masquerades..."--The Wind in the Willows

 

Have a Delightful Autumn Read!

 

Moominvalley in November

(Funny Fall Fantasy from Finland.  Click on the link to read a few pages!)


Nature journaling favorites:

Start your school year off right with this book:  Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie.  In it you will find more suggestions to make you nature study permanent--by keeping the ultimate nature notebook!  Other books for inspiration:  Leaf Bird Days and Firefly Nights, A Life in Hand, and Making Handmade Books (new!).  And for crafty ideas, try Nature's Art Box

 

Looking for a way to kick off your time outdoors?  Try The Squirrel Project!

Enhance your nature study with bird watching!  Birding is a terrific pastime for all ages, and can even be done inside, with a bird feeder set at just the right window.  Use a variety of seed to attract a variety of birds.  A good guide to who eats what is the Backyard Birdfeeder's Bible.  Find a field guide that's right for your area.  I prefer to use Peterson's Guides.  These are available for Eastern Birds, Western Birds, Mexican Birds, and Advanced BirdingHandfeeding Backyard Birds is a one of a kind how-to  book.  Feeding wild birds by HAND will change your view of birds forever.  Kids love this!  They all look like little St. Francis statues while feeding the birds.  Get a closer look at owls with an online owlcam. If your family is very interested in birding, you can participate in Cornell University's annual bird count, Project Feederwatch.   

 

NEW!! Click here for a squirrel-proof feeder!   Or click to see video!

Of course, you'll want some great living books about birds to fill out your ornithology program this fall.  Here are a few of our favorites:

 

 

 

Crisp was the air, and bright was the sun,

Brilliant and clear dawned this October day:

Flinging out pennons of victory won,

The trees stood flaming in gala array.

 --Helen Hawley

Preserving Leaves

(modified from Victorian Family Celebrations by Sarah Ban Breathnach)

Select large branches when leaves have first turned color.  Split the stems of your branches about three inches from the bottom; stand them in a bucket of warm water for several hours.  If some of the leaves begin to curl, remove them.  Prepare a solution of glycerin (available in the laxative section of your local pharmacy) and water by combining two parts water to one part glycerin.  Bring the solution to a boil, simmer gently for 10 minutes, and let sit until completely cooled.  Cut the bottom of your branches at a very sharp angle and stand your branches in the mixture, storing the container in a cool, dark place until all the glycerin mixture has been absorbed.  This will take about a week to 10 days.  When you first notice tiny beads of glycerin forming on the leaves, remove them from the solution, wipe down the leaves with a damp paper towel, and dry thoroughly.  They may last several seasons!

 

This is the best time of year to--

 

Collect wild edibles (to get started, see Wildman Steve Brill's book:  Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (And Not So Wild) Places  We have had more fun with this book than any other.  Brill not only includes accurate descriptions of the edible plants, but also includes folklore and personal anecdotes.  This book is so easy to use you'll be eating your lawn in no time.
 

Bake bread with wild nuts and berries (recipes are in Wildman's book)

Cook outdoors

Hike an old trail

Hike a new trail

Learn the Beaufort scale

Track animals

Collect dried wildflowers (make sure you have permission, and that the flowers are not endangered)

Press flowers (see above)

Build a "survival shelter" from fallen branches and leaves

Sleep in your survival shelter :)

Dig up some pond muck and see what's hiding in it--how do animals live through the winter?

Turn that compost pile and see what's hiding there

Visit a county fair

Go pumpkin picking

Record the temperature daily

Watch clouds

Picnic at an old mill, castle, estate, garden--some place with history

Breath deeply

Listen to Vivaldi's "Autumn" from The Four Seasons (listen to Amazon samples here)

More living books and "how-tos" for fall:

Looking for ways to make that "Not-back-to-school" time of year special? Try a few good books with "not-back-to-school" flavor:

  • Prince Caspian  The Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy think that they are on their way back to school, but Aslan has other plans--terrific outdoor adventure!

  • The Castle of Llyr The Princess is supposed to be taught how to be a lady, but is kidnapped and the adventure begins!

  • The Hobbit I know it begins in summer, but this book is one I like to read in the fall

  • I Am a Home Schooler Photo essay of a homeschooling family

 

Home Christmas top10 Winter Snow! Nature Study Backyard Nature about us Catholic Audio Spring Geography audio Autumn Shakespeare Audio Audio Newbery Poetry Fun and Games Swallowdale Summer Audio Downloads 9th Gr. Literature Wild Monthly Music High School Science Elementary Science Field Treks Children's Fantasy Math Camping