Nature Journaling in Forest Homeschool
A nature journal is a tool for helping us slow down and record in-depth observations about what we experience in the natural world. Nature journaling can include scientific data like sketches, maps, diagrams, and measurements. Many famous naturalists like Charles Darwin and John Muir kept detailed nature journals as a tool for research. However, nature journaling can also include poetry and prose as well. It’s not about making the prettiest picture or getting everything exactly right; it’s about getting up close and personal with nature and using observation to fan the flames of curiosity.
At Forest Homeschool, we use nature journaling to help students cement and interpret what we teach them into their own words. Phoebe, age 12, recently engaged in a nature journaling activity where all the students picked a plant and were tasked with making as many observations as they could about it.
To start, Phoebe recorded the date, air temperature, time, and weather (indicated by a small drawing of a cloud). This data will help her make connections between changes she notices in plant and animal life and changes in time or weather. Next, she made a color sketch of her plant, labeling details. While sketching the plant, Phoebe had to look at the plant over and over to get the attributes right. This helps her notice things she could have missed on casual observation.
Turning the page over, Phoebe described how the leaves feel, where she found it, and a diagram of the leaf arrangement on the stem. Details like these are crucial when identifying plants in the field.
After spending so much time interacting with this plant and interpreting its attributes into numbers, pictures, and words, Phoebe came away from the activity with an understanding of and connection to the plant she might have missed out on otherwise.
If you would like to learn more about what our Forest Homeschool students get up to, click here! Stay tuned for more exciting posts about our students and their work.
