Reuniting Children w/ Nature – Nature Journals

Nature Journals are the perfect way to document all of your outdoor adventures! By writing down their observations, children process their experiences and get to utilize a different way of learning! By showing children the importance of keeping a journal (whether they be nature journals or any other kind of journal), we’re showing them that not only do their experiences and perspectives matter but that their documentation of them matters for both reflection and later learnings. Plus, nature journals are just plain fun to make because the sky is the limit on how creative one can be!

MATERIALS:

Recycled paper, cardboard, cardstock or any other thick paper for the cover, regular printer paper for journaling (10 sheets is a good start), a stapler, crayons, markers, stickers, or anything else you like to decorate your cover with, scissors

TIME FRAME:

30 – 60 minutes

PROCEDURE:

• If your cover paper is larger much larger than the paper you will use for your journaling, carefully cut it down so it is about an inch larger on all sides
• Fold your cover paper in half
• Fold your printer paper in half and stick it into your cover
• Carefully staple your cover to your filler paper to bind it together
• Decorate, decorate, decorate!

REFLECTION:

What type of cover did you choose for your journal?  How did you decorate it and why?  When will you first use your nature journal?

TIPS & IMAGININGS:

• If you make your journal a size that is easily transportable, you can take your journal and writing utensils out with you each time you spend time in nature.
• Write down or draw what you see, what you smell, what you hear, what you imagine…the possibilities are endless!

CONNECTIONS:

Nature journals are not only a fun way of keeping track of your experiences, but they can also hold important reminders of the observations you make while spending time in nature.  A few weeks, months or years from now, you might not remember all of the wonderful creatures and plants you’ve observed, but your words and pictures will happily remind you!

xoxo,
M