The Nature JournalKeeping a nature journal is one of the most important activities youth can do in NC classes. To the left and below are some examples from my journals. There are many types and styles of journals and you can decide what best fits your style of journal keeping for this class. I will share several resources and videos about keeping a journal.
You can be as elaborate or simple as you'd like. You can purchase a simple composition notebook like I did pictured on the left with a nature theme, or just a plain solid colored cover. You can be artistic and make your own covers decorate with paint, magazine cutouts, dried, pressed leaves and more. You can be as creative as you like. |
Natureglo's Nature Journal Pages
(Above) This page is about Trout Lily, a spring ephemeral.
(Above) Pages from my MathArt journal about early spring tree buds.
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My Journal PagesI have kept many different types of journals throughout my life including diaries, nature journals, and special types that I came up with on my own.
When I was a child, I kept a diary. During my adult years, I have learned to keep various types of journals. When I came to study patterns in nature, I kept what I call a "Math Naturalist Journal", which I "invented" and will be sharing in my MathArt class. Some of the pages from my journals are shown here. When I did my naturalist training through the Wilderness Awareness School (WAS), I learned to keep a different type of journal. It was much more detailed and I learned to do what WAS called, sketching and writing from your "mind's eye". Journaling from your "mind's eye" means you carefully study the images and information of a plant and animal (which you find either at your sit spot or from anyplace in nature) from either real life and or a field guide, and then close the field guide or look away from your real object or living thing. From memory, you try your best to sketch the plant and animal and write all the information you can remember about it. You too can try this technique. This may be more appropriate for older students but younger students may like to try it as well. |