Your BEST Homeschool

The art and heart of homeschooling

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • About Us
  • Art Lessons
  • Blog
  • Tricia’s Book
  • Homeschool
  • Recipes
  • Shop
Home » Blog » Winter Outdoor Hour: Weeds and Seeds Homeschool Nature Study

in HomeSchooling· Nature Studies

Winter Outdoor Hour: Weeds and Seeds Homeschool Nature Study

On this day, we ventured out into the backyard for a winter outdoor hour challenge to soak up some sunshine and spot some winter weeds and seeds. Our homeschool nature study time is always a wonderful and well needed break in our homeschool day.

We went to the known spots. First, the althea bush.

Enjoy a homeschool nature study with a winter outdoor hour challenge to soak up some sunshine and spot some winter weeds and seeds!

Winter Outdoor Hour: Weeds and Seeds Homeschool Nature Study

Back on a recent winter Outdoor Hour snow day, we had noticed some seeds. This bush produces beautiful purple blossoms in summer. We’ve entered a blossom in our state fair several years in a row and won ribbons each time. (The althea bush started from a cutting from my grandmother, Mama Ann’s, house.)

But, we’d never taken the time to look closely at the althea and its seeds in winter before. Guess what? We thought the seeds were just about as beautiful as the summer blossoms. They almost look heart-shaped and have little tufts to carry them on the wind or on the back of a bird or animal.

althea seeds with winter outdoor hour challenge homeschool nature study

Next we searched out morning glory vine. Shriveled near the water hose and little balloons of seed pods. Pop them open and those seeds are tiny! This vine loves to climb the bird feeder. Little purple or deep blue blossoms greet us, sparkling with the summer, morning dew. Saying, “good morning, glory!”

Then it was time on this winter outdoor hour for a simple tromp through the woods for collecting. Mimosa pods were everywhere of course! Eldest boy picked up a pine cone, declaring it a seed as well. Yes, we’d learned before where to find the tiny seeds of the pine cone.

Enjoy a homeschool nature study with a winter outdoor hour challenge to soak up some sunshine and spot some winter weeds and seeds!

I love how these winter homeschool nature studies all flow into each other. Evergreen pine cone, seeds, weeds.

discover a pinecone with your winter outdoor hour homeschool nature study

Then… this always seems to happen when I go back inside. The children make a discovery on their own! Love it when that happens.

I noticed them all around one spot. “What did you find?” I ask.

you might discover a woolly caterpillar in you winter outdoor hour challenge homeschool nature study time

A woolly bear caterpillar! He apparently came out of his winter hibernation. He was a bit shy of all the attention and curled up into a ball. You can’t see it but he has a nice red band of those spiky, porcupine-looking things around his middle.

So, since we remembered back to our caterpillar and butterfly homeschool nature studies of last year, we decided to house this little guy.

We found the caterpillar habitat and researched the caterpillar’s care. More on this in our next study of winter insects!

Enjoy a homeschool nature study with a winter outdoor hour challenge to soak up some sunshine and spot some winter weeds and seeds!

Inside, we took a closer look at those seeds and sketched in our nature journal pages.

 (It always helps to have your favorite stuffed animals close by  🙂

So glad we took a few minutes outside to really notice. A beautiful winter day with hints of spring! You can join in the Outdoor Hour Challenges with Homeschool Nature Study any time! Here is the Winter Weeds Homeschool Nature Study.

Have you noticed anything special in your Winter Outdoor Hour Challenge or your recent homeschool nature studies?

-first published February 2011, updated January 2022

Related

3 Comments

About Hodgepodgemom

Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. The biggest lesson she’s learned? At the end of the day – when the dishes are put away and the children are tucked in bed – truly what matters is each child’s relationship with the Lord. Raising children is a God-given privilege and, folks, the time is short.

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Previous Post: « 5 Ways to Weave Hymns into Your Homeschool Days
Next Post: Spring Nature Study for Homeschool with Multiple Ages »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. All Things Beautiful says

    February 16, 2011 at 8:35 PM

    Beautiful weed study!!

    Reply
  2. Barb-Harmony Art Mom says

    February 16, 2011 at 10:40 PM

    Excellent study of weeds/seeds in the winter. I agree that really taking the time to look at the seeds gives you a whole new respect for the design of life. Bonus caterpillar too!

    I would love to use the photo of the kids and the caterpillar as the OHC Photo of the Week. Could you please send it to me so I can add it to the sidebar? (I can’t grab your photo.)

    Thanks so much for sharing your study and the link with the OHC.

    Reply
  3. Monica says

    February 22, 2011 at 7:04 PM

    What a great study. We just found a few caterpillars for our insect study too!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Your Best Homeschool!

Thanks for visiting! I'm Tricia and I've been homeschooling since 2000. I share the art and heart of homeschooling and help you bring joy, fun and freedom to your days. It’s a Hodgepodge! Read More…


Free Homeschooling Download

{FREE} Download, ebooks and subscriber-only art tutorials

Success! Please check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.




Get Tricia’s book!




Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Our Sister Websites





Art for All Ages



Categories

Follow Tricia Hodges | Hodgepodge's board Best of Hodgepodge on Pinterest.

Recent Comments

  • Hodgepodgemom on Dandelions Homeschool Nature Study: Outdoor Hour
  • Jenny Young on Dandelions Homeschool Nature Study: Outdoor Hour
  • Kathy on Frozen Fruit Salad and Rich’s Tea Room
  • Hodgepodgemom on Nana’s Fudge Pie Recipe
  • Hodgepodgemom on How Do You Homeschool in December?
  • Contact us
  • Best of Hodgepodge
  • Parenting
  • Healthy Mama
  • Essential Oils
  • Recipes

Copyright © 2008–2022 · Your BEST Homeschool, a Southern Hodgepodge, L.L.C. site. | DMCA Notice