HOW TO NATURE JOURNAL FOR KIDS

Ned Smith was many things -- artist, writer, photographer -- but perhaps above all he was a naturalist. His art, his writings, his photos all reflected his passion for the natural world around him. Ned spent countless hours in the out-of-doors, experiencing what nature had to offer. But he did not simply experience it. He fully observed it, he recorded it in one or more ways, and if what he observed was not immediately clear to him, he also tried to interpret it.

A naturalist must, above all, be a good observer. In order to understand and appreciate what is happening in nature, first one must observe what is happening. But as Ned explains, there’s a bit more to observing than meets the eye.

From Gone for the Day – “To the outdoorsman, ‘seeing’ is more than merely looking. It is a multi-faceted art, refined and developed through constant use. It is not enough to have 20/20 vision (nor is it necessary). Many a person with perfect vision sees nothing, in a manner of speaking, in the woods, and many an all-seeing woodsman has relatively poor eyesight. No, seeing involves noticing things.”


What is Nature Journaling?
You won’t find the word journaling in your dictionary. It is a word we created as an action form of the noun ‘journal’. Simply put, nature journaling is the regular recording of observations, perceptions, and feelings about the natural world around you. That is the essence of the process. The recording can be done in a wide variety of ways, depending on the individual journalist’s interests, background, and training.¹

Styles of Natural Journaling:
There are no set rules or standards that need to be followed while nature journaling. Everyone needs to find their own particular style. One might be interested in tracking certain birds at certain times of the day at certain locations. Another may enjoy counting insects in a patch of grass. It’s up to you. As Leslie and Roth state in their book Keeping a Nature Journal, “The journal is yours to use as you wish. This book is not about a prescribed activity that is done in the same way by everyone; in fact, it is about developing a very personal book of life, one that reflects the life around you – the experiences, encounters, reflections and observations that you are moved to record, remember, study, and reflect upon.”

Types of Journals:
Again, the type of journal you choose depends on your individual style. If you tend to write more than sketch, you may choose an ordinary tablet. If you are an artist at heart and prefer to draw, you may want to use a sketchbook with smooth, unlined pages. If one wants to work with lined and unlined pages, you could get a clip board or three-ringed binder and mix the types of pages as needed. A homemade journal is a very creative option, too. Find two pieces of cardboard or some heavy paper for your front and back covers and a few pieces of string or yarn. Simply punch holes into your front cover, back cover and the insert pages and tie them together with the string. The choice is yours.

Let’s Get Journaling!
Why do you want to journal? Do you have a certain goal or objective? It is perfectly acceptable to have no purpose other than to learn about your surroundings. But, if you are interested in tracking the types of birds in your back yard or how many squirrels visit your bird feeders at a certain time of the day, this should be determined. Keep in mind, the more you use your journal, the more your goals and ideas will change and develop. All journalists and journal styles are different, yet they all have the same purpose – to study nature, to have fun, and to feel pleased with your own learning style.¹

You are now ready to get out there and start recording! There are lots of ways to layout your journal, but here are a few things that are important to include: your name, date, location, time, weather, and first impressions. Start noticing the distance to different objects from where you are sitting or standing. This will help you focus on things all around you. Other types of observation that will be helpful are: ground, eye-level, overhead and whole-landscape observations.¹

“Being a confirmed writer-downer I have accumulated reams of notes, stacks of sketches, and a shameful number of color photos by which these things are recorded. But not only have these notes and pictures been of inestimable value to me as a wildlife artist and nature writer, they have also recalled with poignant pleasure many of the nearly forgotten incidents that make nature snooping so much fun.” – Ned Smith, Gone for the Day.

For more information, tips and advice on nature journal, we recommend Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth’s book “Keeping a Nature Journal.”

1 Leslie and Roth, Keeping a Nature Journal. 2000