For The Love of Nature!
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Nature study is, by far, the most important and best subject for our children. It opens the door to all other learning!
Nature journaling: a definition
This is my definition: to admire nature, observe it and write or draw about it. I have loved nature journaling since I was in scouting, then our nature journals were called Hunting Notebooks. Every day we were supposed to take fifteen minutes to quietly sit in nature, observe and write down or draw what we had observed. I loved that time, such peace can be found in quietly sitting in the middle of nature.
Quietly sitting
What does quietly sitting look like? First you need to find your spot. Personally I love a grassy area against a large tree trunk, in the shade or a flat rock at the top of a mountain. Once you have settled yourself down, take a deep breath and start looking around. You can look from the top down or from the bottom up, it does not matter, just embrace your surroundings until you find something that triggers wonder and excitement.
Wonder and excitement
Personally I love light, sunlight is a mystery that I crave daily. I love the way sunlight plays through leaves, the shadows playing hide and seek, the bright light under a steel gray sky on a golden wheat field. Light is definitely something that makes me wonder and excites my curiosity. I wish I could capture light, I keep trying, mainly with pictures, words never seem to be good enough to describe it.
Equipment
What do you need to do nature journaling? Nothing fancy, nothing crazy, keep it simple.
For a journal we usually use the cheapest sketchbooks we can find, spiral bound so that it is easier to lay flat, usually small. My current one is 8.5”x6”, but choose whatever size you are comfortable with and that calls you to put pen to paper. Watercolor pages seem to work well for any media you might end up using.
Drawing tools
I like a nice fine black ink pen such as the Millenium 08 tip. I use it to write and to draw. It’s light and writes well every time.
I also use a pencil to first trace the outlines of what I am observing.
Then if you want to add colors, watercolors or watercolor pencils are the easiest to carry with you.
I keep a ready to go nature bag at all times, as you never know when the wonder will strike.
Bag
I made myself a simple crossbody bag, I would make a larger strap next time, as a thin one ends up cutting in your shoulder. I made it with lots of pockets to carry everything that I need to take with me, including my wallet. Lesson learned after an unfortunate incident of my driver’s license falling into the lake: have a safe place, other than your back pocket, for your driver’s license!
Many pockets make taking everything with you easy.
The extras of nature journaling
Binoculars, field guides, compass, maps are all wonderful resources to have on hand, but they are not a necessity. The most important thing to bring with you on a nature walk is your curiosity. You can even forget your journal and just spend time admiring nature. There is no right or wrong way to nature journaling.
Where to go
Anywhere! Your backyard, your balcony, the local park, it does not have to be a full day trip. Again, keep it simple. If it is not simple, it will not happen. Find a corner of nature, settle down, drink it in, and start wondering.
At home
For the last few years we have been watching John Muir Laws The Nature Journal Connection episodes on Mondays and then (hopefully) doing our homework at some time during the week. And sometimes we fail to record anything at all… Usually when I don’t make it a priority for our week.
The Nature Journal Connection (NJC)
John Muir Laws started filming episodes for the NJC during Covid. They are wonderful, short videos in which he will run you through one aspect of nature journaling. Then at the end of the episode you are challenged to put the technique presented into practice. Some are fun and easy, others are more difficult, but all help you appreciate nature better. It has been a great help to have these episodes to keep us moving and learning on the more technical side of nature journaling.
This year
This year it was recommended during the Denver Homeschool Conference to choose one location and to return to it weekly rather than to always try to find a new spot. I find that very intriguing, as well as a huge relief. We have enough space on our property to find one spot to go back to over and over again. The girls and I will be deciding which spot we want to select and go from there. I am excited about observing the same space through the changes of the seasons.
Nature journaling with little ones
Nature journaling with little ones is challenging if you are trying to do it perfectly. Forget perfect, just ignite their wonder and excitement. Take your journal along but have very low expectations of having time to work in it. Have each little one carry a clipboard, with a couple pieces of paper and a few pencils in a ziploc bag, that’s all that is needed. Start teaching them to sit quietly in nature. Start with 3 minutes (truly) then increase by one minute at a time once the first 3 minutes are acquired and build your way up to fifteen minutes. Teach them the name of the common trees in your area, common flowers and birds. Spend time looking at beetle tracks in the dirt. Just enjoy discovering nature with your child. And then, if you really want to spend time on your nature journal, teach your child to respect your time while you work.
Do you have to be an artist to nature journal?
No, absolutely not! I can’t draw to save my life, but I try.
Currently I am taking a watercoloring class from the Great Courses, in the hope to understand watercolors better and be able to use them more adequately.
I can only get better as you try to draw, I can’t really get worse, lol!
If drawing and painting are too intimidating, start by just writing your observation, or take a picture with your phone. There are so many ways to record what you see and what you want to remember. You could even write a poem about it, or a song.
Where to start
Start this week, pick one day and make it the priority over math and reading. Pick a spot and go there, spend 3 to 15 minutes just observing nature, enjoying it and taking it in. Then do it again next week, and the next. And soon it will be a habit that your family cannot live without.
Being outdoors is the best place for you to be, in all weather and at all times of the year. It will never be perfect but do it anyway.
Go, steep yourself and your children in nature. The reward will be tremendous.
Love,
Mattie
Resources
Nature journaling books and courses
- Peggy Dean’s Guide to Nature Drawing and Watercolor: Learn to Sketch, Ink, and Paint Flowers, Plants, Trees, and Animals, by Peggy Dean
- Tin Cups & Tinder: A Catholic Boy’s Little Book of Fire, Food & Fun, by Alice Cantrell
- 1000 Hours Outside: Activities to Match Screen Time with Green Time, by Ginny Yurich
- The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, by John Muir Laws
- Wild + Free Nature Journal Course by Kritin Rogers
