DIY Nature Journal
Make your very own nature journal with items found around your house!
Nature Journals can be a fun way to slow down and take time to appreciate the world around you.
They are a wonderful way for kids and adults to express their creativity and also to take note of the little moments we tend to skirt over. Nature Journaling is individualistic and reflects a person’s unique style. They are a wonderful instructional tool that encourages imagination, creativity, observation, scientific thinking and reflection. So during these unique and difficult learning times we all need to take time to enjoy the outdoors and what better way than with a nature journal!
What you will need:
a box from your recycle bin (cereal boxes work well)
scissors
paper
a sturdy stick about 8 inches in length
a thick rubber band
tape
a pen/pencil
clippers if your stick needs trimmed
Ways to use your Nature Journal:
· Keep a journal of all the critters you encounter while out in nature. This is called a biodiversity log. You can record the name of the critter and date you observed it or draw a sketch of the critter & look up the name when you return home.
· Start a sit spot journal. Find a special place outdoors that you can get to easily and often. Call it your sit spot or nature place or come up with a special name for your place. Go there often to just wonder, think, observe and dream. Record your thoughts, dreams and observations each time you visit. Note the differences you see on each seasonal visit.
· Make a collection journal and add small collectible items to your journal. Make leaf or bark rubbings in your journal for a fun way to remember the trees you encounter on an excursion outdoors.
· Try a curiosity journal. Take photographs of interesting things that make you curious, print out the pictures and keep them in your nature journal. Add interesting information about the items as you learn more about them. (You can also sketch or write about the curiosities you see)
· Turn your journal into a poetry journal. Use your nature journal creatively and write poems about how you are feeling outdoors or what you see, smell, hear or touch in your outdoor environment.
· Make a tree journal. Select a special tree in your area and make it the focus of your journal. Sketch it in all seasons and note changes. Write or sketch the critters that inhabit your tree. How did your tree end up in that place? Do research to find out or make up your own story about the tree’s origin. Add a leaf rubbing and bark rubbing of the tree.
