Comments on: Teaching with Nature Journals

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 05:57:29 +0000

I’ve just found this post and am so excited to begin!
The link you have for the sketch books is no longer working…could you possibly tell me the measurements and number of pages in your notebooks?
Thanks so much!

By: Kimberly @ Raising Olives

Kimberly @ Raising Olives — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:22:29 +0000

Our little girls (6 and 7) will look up the leaf/rock/bug/bird/insect whatever in our field guides and copy something about it from there. Sometimes it may just be the name of the item and a brief description or something interesting about it. Other times they are more interested and will look it up online.

I teach them “how” and “where” by doing it with them the first several times. I show them the different field guides and nature books that we have available and show them how to look it up on the computer. Then they do it on their own. If they run into problems or need help they just come ask.

By: Twila

Twila — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:34:05 +0000

AWSOME IDEA! I could see my kids loving this! Could you explain further what you mean by “meaningfull research” What does research look like to a 6 and 8 yr old (especially when they don’t know how to do creative writing yet?)

“As soon as she understands how and where to find information, she no longer needs help with what to write unless she is having
difficulties” ….How did you teach them the “how and where?”
Thanks again!
twila

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:07:43 +0000

I have tried instituting nature journals several times, but it never stuck. This is a terrific post — very inspiring!

By: Hiking with Kids | Raising Olives

Hiking with Kids | Raising Olives — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:21:07 +0000

[...] Nature journals and pencils [...]

By: Homeschool Curriculum: 4 Moms, 35 Kids | Raising Olives

Homeschool Curriculum: 4 Moms, 35 Kids | Raising Olives — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:27:01 +0000

[...] Nature journals on days they play outside – focus on trees and shrubs. [...]

By: Raising Olives

Raising Olives — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:43:37 +0000

Melissa and Rachel – We use hardback, spiralbound art quality sketch books. I updated the post to include a link to some books that look identical. I’m not sure about the paper weight and how it would hold up to paint. Our books do fine. We bought them at a local art shop.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:48:50 +0000

Thanks for the great ideas. I’ve been wanting to start nature journals with my preschool-aged boys but didn’t know where to start. They are currently obsessed with any kind of bugs, so it would be entertaining to see what they come up with. They are just starting to enjoy drawing, so I think they would really enjoy this activity. I am also curious about what kind of notebooks you use.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:24:41 +0000

Hey! I followed the link from WUH, Wonderful post on nature journaling!

~Michelle

(I’m a Crew mate!)

By: melissa

melissa — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:02:53 +0000

where and what kind of journals did you get? i always have trouble finding exactly what i want which is a spiral bound book with heavier weight paper to hold up to paint.

By: Kris @ Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Kris @ Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:26:53 +0000

Thanks so much for submitting this post for the upcoming Homeschool Showcase. I was so excited to pick up Handbook of Nature Study in like-new condition for $10 at a recent used book sale. I can’t wait to begin putting it to use when we resume school next month! Thanks for the great tips and suggestions.

By: Shanna

Shanna — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:14:40 +0000

Really great tips on how to use a nature journal! I struggle with incorporating this into our weekly routine, but really want to!…Off to get the nature journals out…..again )

By: Sebastian (a lady)

Sebastian (a lady) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:07:13 +0000

Nature journals are something that I’ve struggled to incorporate more in our homeschooling. It just seems to be one of those things that I want to have done, but rarely make time to do. I think that I need to put our notebooks and drawing tools in a more prominent place and get back to scheduling nature time into our day.
Funny how we dropped off in our nature time right around the time that we moved from lovely Hawaii to an apartment in Japan. Thanks for the reminder of what we’re missing out on.

By: Pink and Green Mama MaryLea

Pink and Green Mama MaryLea — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:54:45 +0000

I’ve been doing a nature journal with my 6 year old this school year but I really liked your suggestion to add my Caran D’ache crayons – I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. We’ve done leaf rubbings, added pressed flowers, mushroom spore prints, and observations from the microrscope as well as science experiment results. Thanks for the great ideas!!

By: Homeschool Dawn

Homeschool Dawn — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:10:00 +0000

I enjoyed this post. I just started a nature journal with my children last week. Thanks for the encouragement.

By: Laryssa @ Heaven In The Home

Laryssa @ Heaven In The Home — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:35:00 +0000

Thank you for this practical way of keeping a nature notebook!

By: Tanya

Tanya — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:26:00 +0000

That’s a great idea for my 4 year old. Well, she is not quite old enough yet, but she loves nature and she is very creative. I’ll try to introduce it in the next year or so. Thanx