10 Unexpected Reasons Why Families Should Start Nature Journaling
If you’re looking for a fun and educational activity to add to your homeschool routine, nature journaling might be just the thing! Here are ten unexpected reasons why you should consider starting a nature journal with your kids:
Practicality
Reason #1: Nature journals are super portable and convenient. Try a 5” x 8”, spiral-bound version to prevent losing pages. Then place on a clipboard to have a hard surface for writing.
Reason #2: Nature journals are inexpensive. They cost as low as $3 on Amazon. Then add in pen, pencils, colored pencils and a small watercolor set and the total cost is only $10 – $15.
Organization
Reason #3: A nature journal helps keep you and your kids’ work organized. You only have to keep track of one thing for field trips; just keep it accessible in a backpack. Added bonus is that entries are in chronological order for portfolio reviews.
Flexibility
Reason #4: Nature journaling fits into a wide variety of science and nature activities. To illustrate this, here are some samples of nature journaling pages from two different community science projects, the Cherry Blossom Blitz and Firefly Watch. The pages include drawings, labels, and field notes about what was interesting to the journal observer.
Reason #5: Nature journaling can help you take full advantage of spontaneous learning opportunities. You can use it when you stumble upon something interesting outside. You can also turn a homeschool hangout into an educational experience. Therefore, it’s handy to have a nature journal to write, draw, and record.
Reason #6: Nature journaling is well-suited for multiple learning styles. For example, kinesthetic kids can describe step-by-step what they are doing while number-oriented kids can do measurements and create data tables. Visual learners can sketch and draw and verbal learners can write descriptions and tell a story.
Reason #7: Nature journals are easily scalable for different ages and abilities. In addition, nature journaling can be modified for different outcomes or expectations depending on the learner.
Deeper Learning
Reason #8: Nature journaling can be a springboard for other activities at home. It’s nice to be able to extend learning at home. For example, in a macroinvertebrates module that is part of The Field Trip Academy’s Monthly Membership, learners do a data table at the stream but then wait and do their calculations at home.
Social and Emotional Benefits
Reason #9: You can have a nature journal too! Buy your own nature journal and then set the intention of working alongside your kids. It’s okay to start with whatever skills you have.
Reason #10: Nature journaling can help promote emotional well-being. It helps your child practice how to be quiet and still. It allows them to take in the sounds, sights, and smells of nature. It gives them the opportunity to pay attention to little things. They can then capture all of it through words, pictures, and numbers. As a teen once commented, “nature journaling helped reduce my anxiety”.
So if you want to get your feet wet today with nature journaling, check out our FREEBIES. The prompts are suitable for all ages. Just click below and sign in!
At The Field Trip Academy, we incorporate nature journaling into ALL of the modules of our Monthly Membership. We make it easy to do real science outside all year. Take a look at what we have to offer in our membership HERE.
