TrixieB Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I am thinking about buying the Handbook of Nature Study (Comstock). I just wonder, will it help me teach nature study? Will it help my dc learn more about nature? They already enjoy getting out on nature walks, which we really should do more often. That is one of my goals. We have several field guides for our area -- mostly birds, plants, and trees -- and I'm not sure how the Handbook of Nature Study will help. I read that people who live in places other than the eastern U.S. find it less useful. We are in the Pacific NW. So: talk me into or out of it! Please tell me why or why not you think I would (or wouldn't) find it useful. How did/didn't it work for you? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 You can actually download the book for free from the Internet Archive. Take a look at it and see if it is worth your while to buy a hard copy. http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofnature002506mbp Be forewarned that it is an enormous file, as the book is near a 1000 pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I bought mine used and have not had time to actually sit down and look through it yet. So, I'm not the best person to answer. Why not look for a used copy? I know Barb has a link to her Green Hour Challenge using this book as her "lesson" for each day. We haven't joined the Challenge, yet, but it looks like fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Okay, I have this book. I love it, it has gorgous and quite simple ideas and I would love to use it but . . . I don't. My problem is access. Opening the book to the first series of lessons I need a hen or rooster. I don't happen to have one but I could substitute. I don't have a substitute, though. In one of the lessons I need a cockroach. I don't have one of those, either, Blessed Be God Forever! There are all kinds of neat lessons but I just can't get it going. I think that if I lived in the country or at the very least in a suburb (thanks to sprawl the 'burbs here encroach ever more on the habitats of some of the animals we could study) I think I might be able to use it but living in an urban center, I don't think so. Some things you could buy: mouse, tadpole, snake, spiders, et c. What about a woodchuck, though? You could also just use it for the animals you have access to or take it on vacations. For example, I don't have a horse or a cotton plant, I don't even know anyone who does, but if I did, I could ask leave to study them for a while. KWIM? Also, there is a lot of assumed knowledge/extra work for the teacher. For example, to study soil the children should gather as many soil samples as possible. Using a hand lense study the samples up close. Classify into gravel, sand, loam, clay. Then into sandy-clay, clay-loam, et c. IN this case, mom needs to know these things to set up the activity. She may know or she may need to google all this for herself, find some photo samples, et c. I'm not saying that any of that is bad, just time consuming and extra. It is a wonderful resource and I'm glad you asked about it. It got me looking at it again and thinking of it in a new way. When I first got it though, I was really disgusted b/c I had planned to just start with chapter one and progress through. Not having a chicken or even access to a bird that wouldn't fly away as soon as I approached it, stymied our progress from the outset. I like the book. I don't use the book. That's my review. Good Luck!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThelmaLou Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 No help here. I posted a question a couple of months regarding my guilt over wanting to get rid of it. It was one of those things that I wanted to love and use, but didn't. But then again, I'm not a hands-on/nature study type at all. Reality for me with a 7th, 5th, 3rd, 1st grader and baby does not include nature study. I feel great when I accomplish math, grammar, history, science, writing, etc...all the bookish things. I've beat myself up for years over what my kids are missing as a result of my particular bent. But I think I'm over it now. Out the door went my Handbook of Nature Study. Considering I hadn't cracked it more than once or twice since my oldest was in kindergarten, I think it was the right choice for me. Good luck deciding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmnwife Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Here is what I do on books that I am not sure about. Check it out at the library to see if I like or use it. Then if I am still not sure or don't want to pay full price, I put the title as a favorites search at ebay. Then I am notified if it when it is listed for sale or bid. I have bought many books this way pretty cheap. I have one that is in my favorites that is too pricey yet. So I will wait. judi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trivium Academy Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 We're studying birds right now and I've used the outline in HNS for our study which is two months long. What is a bird? Feathers as Clothing Feathers as Ornament How Birds Fly Migration of Birds Eyes and Ears of Birds The Form and Use of Beaks The Feet of Birds Songs of Birds Attracting Birds Value of Birds then we're reading about different birds and classifying them, reading what I find useful about the birds in HNS but also from other books. We're creating a poster about birds, which I hope to share more about later. I would get a copy from your library or look at the online version to determine if you would truly use it. I know a few hslers have used it for 6 years as their primary resource 1-6. It would be an all-in-one resource for nature study, it does tell you how and why to approach nature study. Hth, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbaby Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 We purchased it and are finding it a great asset to our nature studies. I had access to the online book also but it was so frustrating to scroll through the entire thing. I would rather have the book in front of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelroper Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 It is a fabulous resource here. Lots of great ideas and plenty of guides for all kinds of nature topics. I would check it out online first too, just to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 oops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I know Barb has a link to her Green Hour Challenge using this book as her "lesson" for each day. The Green Hour Challenges are here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HarmonyArtMom/480223/ I would suggest taking a look at the website (the link is the first challenge). If you look at the menu on the right, find "Green Hour Challenges [+]" & click on it to get a drop-down list of all the challenges. You just start w/ the first one & work on a new one after you finish the previous one. I looked at the Comstock book (in the bookstore) various times over the past couple of years. I wanted to like it (and did), but had no idea how to actually go about using it, so I never bought it. That's where the Green Hour Challenges have come to the rescue (at least for me, lol). At the same time I had heard about Green Hour Challenges (just about 2 weeks ago on the board here), I happened across a used copy of Comstock's book. I took the plunge & have decided that we'll start using the book a la the Green Hour Challenges. I figure that will get me over the hump of getting started & figuring out how to use the book. Don't know if any of my rambling helps, but I figured I would mention what we're planning to do. And, a big thanks to Barb at Harmony Fine Arts for posting the Green Hour Challenges & for the ladies here who pointed out that it exists (and creating notebooking pages you can download)! :001_smile: It was a book that I really wanted to use & now I have the tools to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmonyartmom Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I decided a few months ago to really delve into the Handbook of Nature Study and it has turned into a life project for me. I started a blog recording our family's use of the book and how it works and doesn't work. From that experience I was encouraged by several others to start some nature study posts on my main blog based on the Handbook of Nature Study. Those posts turned into the Green Hour Challenges. My experience has been so wonderful with this book but only because I finally decided to conquer it with small chunks. It is sort of like the old joke about how to eat an elephant....one bite at a time. I have heard from many all over the world that this book has made such a difference in their own attitude towards nature study and outdoor life in general. In the Green Hour Challenges I give specific pages to read and then suggest a follow up activity for you to complete. Many families stick closely to the plan but many are now going even further with the challenges or adapting them to their own interests. The book is applicable to everyone in my opinion. It is not a field guide meant to cover ever variety of tree, bird, flower, or fungus. You read the introduction to each section and then if there are particular subjects that apply to you, great. If the tree you want to study is not listed, you can read about other suggestions for tree observation and adapt them. There are families in Spain, Brazil, Australia, England, Wales, Hawaii, and more that participate using the Handbook of Nature Study. There are several families from the Pacific NW participating. Give my Handbook of Nature Study blog a try and make sure to read the sidebar links for how to use the book entries. HandbookofNatureStudy.blogspot.com Then check out the Green Hour Challenges on my main blog. Heart of Harmony -Green Hour Challenges I hope you consider this great book and you can even join in with us with the GH activities if you want some extra support from the group. Barb-Harmony Art Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaChristina Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 We love the Comstock book here! We use it for our nature studies and nature journaling. My dc go out and draw animals and plants they see outdoors. Then we come in and look them up and read about them. This book has worked great for this. I would recommend purchasing a used hardback version of this as it is a thick book and the hardback version lays open and flat very nicely. That has made it much easier for us on several occasions. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted April 30, 2008 Author Share Posted April 30, 2008 I picked up a copy at the library today. It looks good, but big... overwhelming even. But packed with info. One of my dds wants to read it! I am also going to look more carefully at the Green Hour info. At a quick glance it looked very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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