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Fostering Environmental Storytelling Through Eco-Zines (Moving Writers website)

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Fostering Environmental Storytelling Through Eco-Zines (Moving Writers website)

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The question-What kind of access to environmental news stories do we have?- is one that arouses concern in my classroom. According to my high school students, unless you're taking an AP Environmental Science class, chances are slim that climate change is being addressed, let alone mentioned. This is troubling for students who are mindful of the fact that the behaviors we practice on Earth Day need to be practiced every day. It calls to mind Aldo Leopold's description in A Sand County Almanac of how the ecologist might choose to "harden his shell" in the effort to distance himself emotionally from the facts of environmental devastation, as he feels alone in "a world of wounds."

Writing teachers have a unique opportunity to help students communicate stories about the climate crisis that we all need to learn. Environmental storytelling transcends disciplinary boundaries-when my students are able to weave their learning from their biology class with their learning from their history class, they exhibit a sense of satisfaction that they can bring the seemingly disparate hours of their learning day together. We can support emerging environmental storytellers by integrating ways of thinking about our connections to the natural world with our focus on literacy instruction. As we help students craft narratives with an audience in mind, we can reflect on how to broaden the reach of environmental storytelling and ideas for problem-solving.

During remote learning here in Los Angeles last year, some of my students had passed the time watching YouTube videos of crafty things that they could do at home. They loved learning about making zines: the tactile experience of creating a magazine in miniature allowed them to explore and document sources of passion or objects of curiosity. Because a zine is curated to reflect something meaningful to its maker, it seemed a fun way to foster environmental storytelling: my students and I would make mini-zines and share them with an audience of sixth-graders at a nearby middle school.

We'd been exploring environmental podcasts, and again and again, my students mentioned how much they appreciated the shorter, "bite-sized" podcast episodes they found. We decided to make 8-page zines to choose an aspect of environmental stewardship we wanted to educate about, aiming for the clear, conversational brevity we associated with podcasts episodes found on TILclimate Podcast, and the podcast format of How to Save a Planet, where every episode ends with a specific call to action.

Barriers to Access
Creating mini-zines was a way to address a perceived vacuum in accessible news reporting about the climate crisis. We drew on storyboard methods I described in my October post about designing environmental justice comics. During this series of lessons, I wanted to think more concretely about why this vacuum exists. We discussed the applicability of Rob Nixon's definition of "slow violence": "a violence that occurs gradually and out of sight, a violence of delayed destruction dispersed across time and space..." Because we cannot comprehend the scope of ongoing environmental degradation such as deforestation or the acidification of oceans in one glance, stories about the climate crisis are not easily adapted to TV news segments that average 3-4 minutes in length.

Moreover, the most convincing and credible sources of scientific data are found in documents requiring multiple sittings to read. The recent UN Climate Report (IPCC 2021), written by 234 authors and containing 14,000 citations from scientific studies world wide, is nearly 4,000 pages in length. In discussing what what the most important takeaway for the stories we wanted to tell, we decided that communicating the relationship between the zine topic they chose and the goal of reducing atmospheric carbon (critical for keeping the global temperature from rising to a catastrophic degree) was key to effective storytelling.

Due to the compact nature of a mini-zine, we strove to convey the essentials of our stories in three parts: impact, access, and practice. Being able to describe an environmental problem in terms of its impact is vital because the impact can be difficult to discern. It was important to us to engage in storytelling that provided concrete ideas for taking action, but was also accessible to a younger audience. This knowledge helped us adjust the scale of intervention our zine stories recommended. The calls to action embedded in the mini-zines were designed to be local and doable.

One of my students playfully invoked story tropes related to superheroes. Her zine described the biggest villain of all: pollution. She directed us to join other superheroes at a nearby recycling center and to remember: "Your impact may not be seen but the earth 100% feels it."

A zine called "Saving Green Eggs and Ham" addressed local food waste and connected solutions for it to concerns about malnutrition. This student was able to thread solutions for an environmental problem with a public health emergency, indicating how frequently the two are linked.

As seen below, a zine called "Friendly Fashion" taught readers about the relationship between carbon emissions and fast fashion. The author suggested some of the best places to support eco-conscious brands in Los Angeles, while explaining the difference between fast fashion and sustainably made clothing, upcycling, and thrifting.

In his zine, "Save the Bees," one student brought up the idea of rewilding in one's own yard or community garden (planting lavender, sunflowers, and mint for our native honey bees). Sometimes we think rewilding has to be large-scale, but tilting the balance locally "in our own corner" is just as important.

As I read a student's zine about a neighborhood menace called "litterbugs," I saw how effectively the author was teaching his readers to rethink what is expendable and disposable: "This menace isn't anything super villainous or evil, but they look like the average person. They are just average people...they are litterbugs."

These were such fun days in class: watching students do research on a topic they care about but looking for ways to make information clear and digestible in a colorful, foldable format. Reading their zines and seeing my students teach younger students made me realize much of environmental storytelling is about adjusting mindsets for new habits. Crafting a story for an authentic audience affects the stakes of the storytelling: you hope the message finds a home in a specific listener's heart. But there is a multiplying effect as well. Young people sharing stories of environmental problem-solving are a vital model for other youth voices, especially when accessible environmental news stories are hard to come by.

-Xochitl

How do you foster environmental storytelling in your classroom? Share your reflections in the comments below or find me on Twitter @dispatches_b222.
At Moving Writers, we love sharing our materials with you, and we work hard to ensure we are posting high-quality work that is both innovative and practical. Please help us continue to make this possible by refraining from selling our intellectual property or presenting it as your own. Thanks!

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Fostering Environmental Storytelling: Making an Eco-Zine

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The question-What kind of access to environmental news stories do we have?- is one that arouses concern in my classroom. According to my high school students, unless you're taking an AP Environmental Science class, chances are slim that climate change is being addressed, let alone mentioned.

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Wondering what to do with a Nature Journal? Learn the basics and start recording observations in your own yard and neighborhood. There are countless discoveries to be made!

WHERE
Anywhere outdoors - or indoors with materials collected from outside or when reflecting on outdoor experiences and observations.

Some of the observations you record in your nature journal may be of big things (landscapes, wind patterns across large bodies of water, cloud shapes, tree dimensions, etc.) and some may be so small that if you hadn't paused to look more closely you may have missed them altogether.

MATERIALS
- A notebook (preferably with blank pages) or clipboard and stapled together blank paper
- pencil/pen and/or other drawing/painting supplies

This observation is missing a key piece of information. Do you notice what it is? The date, time, and location of course! I like to include information about the weather with my journal entries as well.

TIME
5 minutes to 1 hour (5-15 minutes several days a week is great!)

WHO
Kids and preferably their adults as well!

Making observations is the first step to creating entries in your nature journal.

WHAT
A nature journal is a place for using drawings and words to record observations you make when you're outside.

What questions do you have about the leaf and the frog in this picture? Record your questions about your observations in your nature journal too!

HOW
Use nature journals to keep track of stuff when outdoors - your experiences, what you notice, what these things remind you of, questions you have, and how all this makes you feel... noticing your feelings is an important observation too! Be sure to date each entry so you can flip through to look for patterns throughout the days, weeks, months, and even years.

Including how you FEEL about your what you see is an important observation to include in your nature journal as well.

EXTENSIONS
- While the above instructions are for recording free-form observations, there are countless structured activities that use nature journals as an important tool. Check out some of our favorites: Make a Sound Map, Draw Together, Watch it Grow, and Tiny Adventures.

- FREE activity guide: Opening The World Through Nature Journaling (Integrating Art, Science, and Language Arts) by John Muir Laws. This link has all sorts of great resources for teaching Nature Journaling.

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How to Nature Journal - Greenwood Schoolhouse

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Wondering what to do with a Nature Journal? Learn the basics and start recording observations in your own yard and neighborhood. There are countless discoveries to be made! WHERE Anywhere outdoors - or indoors with materials collected from outside or when reflecting on outdoor experiences and observations.

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Description

31 hands-on field activities to connect art, science, math, and critical thinking, while encouraging students and mentors alike to recognize and record the wonder and beauty in the natural world.

Expanding on the philosophy and methods of my last book, The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, I teamed up with experienced curriculum developer and educator, Emilie Lygren, to develop this unparalleled and comprehensive guide to using nature journaling as a tool to engage young people with the outdoors. This teacher-friendly book combines curriculum plans, practical advice, and in-the-field experience so that educators of all stripes can bring journaling to their students or families. Full-color illustrations and sample journal pages from notable naturalists and novices show how to put each lesson into practice.

Best of all, it encourages the things we need most at this moment: routines and rituals, creative expression, observation and concentration, engagement with nature, and connection with each other (even if from a distance!).

Are green spaces near you closed or inaccessible? Nature journaling can happen anywhere, from a kitchen window to a neighborhood stroll. With the right tools and ways of observing, you can document the bird sitting on a telephone wire, the beans in your pantry, the flower blooming in your neighbor's front yard, the weed pushing through the cracks in the sidewalk, or the vine creeping up the side of your apartment building.

Learn How to:

give students step-by-step strategies for effective nature journaling

manage student groups in the outdoors

encourage participation from all learners

modify instructions to meet your students' needs

teach drawing, math, writing, and scientific thinking

connect journaling to educational standards

incorporate journaling into longer lessons

Can be used with:

5E Instructional Model

Charlotte Mason-Inspired Education

Common Core State Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

Waldorf Education, Forest Schools, Outdoor Education, and more

A great way to get started is to watch this video workshop from a class I gave on how to teach Nature Journaling.

Free download! You can download the book today. If you like the book, consider also buying the full version and making a donation to directly support Heyday, our amazing non-profit publisher. You may download the book for use in your home, classroom, or at your institution. You may not reproduce any part of the book for sale. The version with double-page spreads is best for viewing on a screen or device. If you plan to print the book at home, download the single-page version but be aware that for close to the cost of printing you can get the bound full-color book. Home printing is a good option if shipping the book is too expensive.
Read the foreword by Amy Tan.
Praise for How to Teach Nature Journaling

"From the beginning of time, we have been connected to nature, but for the first time in history, that connection threatens to be broken for most of an entire generation and perhaps generations to come. In this book and this work, I find hope. Laws and Lygren have created a powerful and practical resource for teachers to help children and adults discover, explore, love, and protect the natural world around them. Nature is magic, and everyone needs it."

-Robert Bateman, artist, naturalist, and founder of the Bateman Foundation

"Here is a natural way for parents and teachers to integrate the beauty and mystery of nature into the lives of children. The book itself is a work of art."

-Richard Louv, author of Our Wild Calling and Last Child in the Woods

"This book beautifully demonstrates how nature journaling is a valuable, multidimensional approach to science. Through this work, students build neural pathways that enable different brain regions to communicate with each other, resulting in more flexible thinking and creative problem-solving in all areas of life. This approach to nature journaling also offers students an excellent way to learn and practice a growth mindset through nature and science."

-Jo Boaler, Professor of Education and Equity, Stanford University; founder and faculty director of youcubed.org; author of Mathematical Mindsets and Limitless Mind

"The writing, the illustrations, the demonstration of an intentional, informative, and wonderfully educational approach to nature journal writing-it's all here. From field activities with clear examples to an inquiry-based approach to learning, this book is a gem for educators, first-time journalers, and for the experienced naturalist as well. It's art, it's writing, it's education, it's science, naturally so."

-José González, Founder of Latino Outdoors

"Engaging students in learning about nature is a compelling need in these turbulent times. Just as important is communicating clearly, precisely, and truthfully. Naturalists and educators John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren help teachers achieve these goals with How to Teach Nature Journaling. This is a wonderful response to educators' request for meaningful ways to implement contemporary standards. The book is useful, full of activities, and manageable for classroom teachers."

-Rodger W. Bybee, Executive Director, BSCS Science Learning (Retired)

"Imagine if every teacher taught nature journaling, every student spent enough time outside to fill a journal each year, and our kids were becoming writers, artists, and scientists all at once. I'd send my kid to that school. Thanks to Emilie Lygren and Jack Laws, we now have the vision and the tools to make this our reality."

-Craig Strang, Associate Director, Lawrence Hall of Science

"Nature journaling is the single most valuable tool and skill a teacher can possess and use to move the Next Generation Science Standards and environmental literacy forward in their school. You need to do this!"

-Rob Wade, Science & Outdoor Education Coordinator, Plumas Unified School District/Plumas County of Education

About the Authors

John Muir Laws is an award-winning scientist, educator, artist, and author of The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling and The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, among other titles. For a wealth of nature journaling resources, visit johnmuirlaws.com.

Facilitator, author, educator, and poet Emilie Lygren has co-written dozens of outdoor science publications with the award-winning BEETLES Project and has published poems in a range of literary journals.

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How to Teach Nature Journaling (Print and free PDF download)

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31 hands-on field activities to connect art, science, math, and critical thinking, while encouraging students and mentors alike to recognize and record the wonder and beauty in the natural world.

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Scientists strive to help us understand the world around us-poets, to understand how we feel about it. To accomplish this, scientists try to create a replicable experience using the scientific method to prove a hypothesis; poets try to recreate experiences using language to forge new connections-with readers, within their own realm of understanding, and with language itself.

Much has been written about how poetry and science differ. They might be compared to siblings having similar DNA yet diametrically opposed personalities. Poets often welcome ambiguity and use specificity as an invitation to readers to relate and draw their own conclusions. Scientists, on the other hand, try to eradicate imprecision so that everyone may arrive at the same conclusion.

While their approaches may seem incompatible, scientists and poets can learn much from each other in their shared endeavor to explain the inexplicable.
How might poetry benefit from a scientific lens?

Grounding-while some science is purely theoretical, it always involves the physical universe in some specialized way or place.

Accurate descriptions-toward replicable data.

Methodology-asking questions like a scientist. Example: participant observation in anthropology-what better way to write about a family recipe than to ask a family member to show you how to make it?

Experimentation-approaching writing as an "experiment," giving yourself permission to play with forms, perspectives, scientific concepts, and language.

Objectivity-scientific language can provide a more objective way to talk about difficult subjects. For example, employing clinical language to describe a traumatic medical event can create greater psychological distance that may feel "safer" or "colder." In the same vein, feelings come across more powerfully when unspoken or understated than if simply named.

Lexicon-precise and unusual language from which to draw and learn.

Invention-where two worlds of knowledge meet lies the greatest potential for new connections.

What constitutes a science poem?
While science poetry is not new, it has not been well defined (perhaps because both "science" and "poetry" branch into such a broad range of subjects and conventions), so I will offer my own definition: science poetry uses a scientific lens with which to view the world and to try to interpret experiences. It explores what is observable through our senses, and may acknowledge that our senses are not always accurate as to causality. (For example, from where we stand, the sun appears to orbit the earth, when in fact the earth is orbiting the sun.) It may also reflect the understanding that the scientific lens and language are human constructs and therefore fallible.
What makes for a good science poem?

Seeks balance between conveying human experience and scientific concepts or explanations.

Rich imagery and sensory details (what is experienced through the senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, etc.), which bring the reader bodily into the poem.

Uses scientific language with both literal and figurative meanings, and that can be appreciated on its face, or its meaning can be intuited in the poem's context. In other words, the poem's meaning doesn't fall apart if the reader doesn't know or look it up.

Not just spouting scientific facts, but sharing information meaningful to the poem's speaker.

Contrasts objective scientific language with the deeply personal and intimate.

Explores rather than offering conclusions-allowing the reader to draw their own.

Science and poetry are both ways of looking closer. For more essays on science and poetry, I recommend The Measured Word: On Poetry and Science, edited by . Science poem examples are below, but what better way to define science poetry than to write it yourself?
Prompt:
Write a poem using a scientific concept and language as a metaphor-a way to talk about an entirely different but somehow comparable human experience. Find a science article, or start with an everyday phenomenon like how insects appear to walk on water and find a scientific explanation for what might cause it. Read and note any interesting findings, thoughts, and images or concepts that remind you of something-potential metaphors. Then, write about a memorable experience using scientific language from the article as a way to explore, explain, not explain, or talk about X.
Science Poems:
The Collection-Poets for Science (various)

The Universe in Verse-The Marginalian (various)

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The Scientific Lens: An Exploration of... | Poetry Foundation

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Scientists strive to help us understand the world around us-poets, to understand how we feel about it. To accomplish this, scientists try to create a replicable experience using the scientific method to prove a hypothesis; poets try to recreate experiences using language to forge new connections-with readers, within their own realm of understanding, and with language itself.

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"What a joy to travel these paths alongside Kathryn Aalto and such fierce, trailblazing, and perceptive women." - Sarah L. Kaufman, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post critic and author of The Art of Grace

"An impassioned and illuminating anthology that serves as an act of recovery and discovery, a personal celebration, and a timely reminder of the wealth and sheer power of women's voices." - Rob Cowen, author of Common Ground

"Kathryn Aalto brilliantly braids engaging personal narrative with accessible literary biography, to take readers on an inspiring pilgrimage." - Michael P. Branch, author of Rants from the Hill and How to Cuss in Western

"An amazing, rich resource that rises above visions of conquest and domination to reveal the possibility of meeting eye-to-eye with wildness, and of being broken open and changed." -Foreword

"This book is a wonderful jumping-off point for anyone who loves the outdoors and wants to know more about the many talented female writers who have made it their work's focus." -BookPage

"A fantastic resource for readers looking to grow their TBR piles." -The Los Angeles Times

"Exciting, inspiring, intimidating, and bold." -San Francisco Book Review

"A luminous collection of mini-biographies of female nature writers past and present. Beautifully illustrated by Gisela Goppel, Aalto's book champions historical figures like Rachel Carson and Vita Sackville-West, and contemporary writers like Rebecca Solnit and Robin Wall Kimmerer. She makes a point of including Indigenous and Black female authors, ending each chapter with a list of (even) further reading to explore." -Shelf Awareness

"A heartening book, granting attention to women who dared to write and ramble wild." -BBC Countryfile

"This fine and thoughtful book puts these remarkable women writers right smack bang in to focus where they belong-as key shapers of how we see the natural world." - James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd's Life

"Writing Wild is an illuminating examination of voices often pushed to the side, challenging the canon of nature writing as it stands. It's a book I'll keep on the shelf-I'm certain I'll return to it often." -Buzzfeed Books

"Writing Wild re-centers and gives voice to a diversity of women naturalists and writers across time. It charts often un-heard women's voices in naturalist writing-from long-dead women such as Dorothy Wordsworth and Gene Stratton Porter to more contemporary voices such as Gretel Ehrlich, Leslie Marmon Silko, Lauret Savoy, and Camille Dungy." -Cultivating Place

" Writing Wild celebrates 25 women who opened the door to the outside and led readers through it." -The Jefferson Exchange

"A succinct introduction to women nature writers, this elegant compilation should have a broad reach and inspire readers to seek out more about the authors featured... Aalto writes in an easy, friendly style that makes readers feel as if they are walking the paths of these women with her." -Library Journal

"A great bibliographic source of the works by women that have written about nature." -The New Jersey Mycological Association

" Writing Wild celebrates women who did not let gender inhibit them. With Nature being an intrinsic part in their lives, this is a fascinating read." -Friday Magazine

"A fresh perspective on connecting with and understanding the natural world. So many (s)heroes." -The Seattle Times

"What a joy to travel these paths alongside Kathryn Aalto and such fierce, trailblazing, and perceptive women." - Sarah L. Kaufman, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post critic and author of The Art of Grace

"An impassioned and illuminating anthology that serves as an act of recovery and discovery, a personal celebration, and a timely reminder of the wealth and sheer power of women's voices." - Rob Cowen, author of Common Ground

"Kathryn Aalto brilliantly braids engaging personal narrative with accessible literary biography, to take readers on an inspiring pilgrimage." - Michael P. Branch, author of Rants from the Hill and How to Cuss in Western

"An amazing, rich resource that rises above visions of conquest and domination to reveal the possibility of meeting eye-to-eye with wildness, and of being broken open and changed." -Foreword

"This book is a wonderful jumping-off point for anyone who loves the outdoors and wants to know more about the many talented female writers who have made it their work's focus." -BookPage

"A fantastic resource for readers looking to grow their TBR piles." -The Los Angeles Times

"Exciting, inspiring, intimidating, and bold." -San Francisco Book Review

"A luminous collection of mini-biographies of female nature writers past and present. Beautifully illustrated by Gisela Goppel, Aalto's book champions historical figures like Rachel Carson and Vita Sackville-West, and contemporary writers like Rebecca Solnit and Robin Wall Kimmerer. She makes a point of including Indigenous and Black female authors, ending each chapter with a list of (even) further reading to explore." -Shelf Awareness

"A heartening book, granting attention to women who dared to write and ramble wild." -BBC Countryfile

"This fine and thoughtful book puts these remarkable women writers right smack bang in to focus where they belong-as key shapers of how we see the natural world." - James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd's Life

"Writing Wild is an illuminating examination of voices often pushed to the side, challenging the canon of nature writing as it stands. It's a book I'll keep on the shelf-I'm certain I'll return to it often." -Buzzfeed Books

"Writing Wild re-centers and gives voice to a diversity of women naturalists and writers across time. It charts often un-heard women's voices in naturalist writing-from long-dead women such as Dorothy Wordsworth and Gene Stratton Porter to more contemporary voices such as Gretel Ehrlich, Leslie Marmon Silko, Lauret Savoy, and Camille Dungy." -Cultivating Place

" Writing Wild celebrates 25 women who opened the door to the outside and led readers through it." -The Jefferson Exchange

"A succinct introduction to women nature writers, this elegant compilation should have a broad reach and inspire readers to seek out more about the authors featured... Aalto writes in an easy, friendly style that makes readers feel as if they are walking the paths of these women with her." -Library Journal

"A great bibliographic source of the works by women that have written about nature." -The New Jersey Mycological Association

" Writing Wild celebrates women who did not let gender inhibit them. With Nature being an intrinsic part in their lives, this is a fascinating read." -Friday Magazine

"A fresh perspective on connecting with and understanding the natural world. So many (s)heroes." -The Seattle Times

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"What a joy to travel these paths alongside Kathryn Aalto and such fierce, trailblazing, and perceptive women." - Sarah L. Kaufman, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post critic and author of The Art of Grace "An impassioned and illuminating anthology that serves as an act of recovery and discovery, a personal celebration, and a timely reminder of the wealth and sheer power of women's voices."

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More information about this year's event is coming soon. For now, explore the website - there is lots to discover! You can Start Here and then find out How to Participate in the week. There is a page for Parents & Teachers, one for the Reluctant Artist and a page on sharing the Written Word in our nature journal pages. On the Blog you will find posts from nature journalers around the world, sharing ideas and knowledge on different aspects of journaling. The Books & Inspiration page will point you to books and websites where you can learn more about nature journaling and nature connection. Sign-up to the newsletter to receive updates and ideas.

If you have enjoyed the week, please consider making a donation to help cover the cost of running this event.
Your generous support helps make International Nature Journaling Week possible.
Thank you!

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More information about this year's event is coming soon. For now, explore the website - there is lots to discover! You can Start Here and then find out How to Participate in the week. There is a page for Parents & Teachers , one for the Reluctant Artist and a page on sharing the Written Word in our nature journal pages.

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Choose your adventure! Drawing bugs (NEW!) Go up Drawing outdoors Go up Live recordings (new ones added monthly!) Go up Drawing indoors Go up This project was developed by Bea Martin and was possible thanks to a Neighborhood Small Grant by Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives. All rights reserved.

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Journaling With Nature is a podcast for those who want to turn curiosity into wonder, a pencil sketch into a rabbit hole of discovery, a moment of stillness into a life full of joy.

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Michelle Fullner

Host

Michelle is an English teacher, California Naturalist, mom to two kids, nature podcaster, pursuer of too many hobbies, and generally curious, adventurous type. Childhood dream jobs included: tiger trainer, marine biologist, and being on SNL. Hobbies include: having more plants than she can take proper care of, intermittently practicing Spanish, following drawing tutorials on Youtube, hiking short distances with regular stops to flip over logs, travel, iPhone photography, and creative writing.

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Michelle Fullner Host Michelle is an English teacher, California Naturalist, mom to two kids, nature podcaster, pursuer of too many hobbies, and generally curious, adventurous type. Childhood dream jobs included: tiger trainer, marine biologist, and being on SNL.

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Listen to FVCC Nature Journal on Spotify.

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The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling

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Amazon.com: The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling: 9781597143158: Laws, John Muir: Arts, Crafts & Sewing

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Posts about Keeping A Nature Journal written by raisinglittleshoots

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This process has students closely examine objects in nature and then use the same observational tools to improve their analytical writing skills.

In my AP Language & Composition classes, most of my students have the requisite skills of reading comprehension and basic structure for analytical writing. However, they generally fall short on the depth of their analysis sections: the evidence and commentary portion of the AP Language rubric. Most students can find evidence, but explaining the important elements of how that evidence proves their point or why the author made the rhetorical or compositional choices they did tends to stymie students.

This difficulty arises because analytical thinking and writing is a complex process that requires a child's cognitive skills to be appropriately developed. Before students can be asked to analyze, they must first learn how to observe and inquire. There is no better way to learn the astute skill of observation and observational compositions than through nature writing.

Analytical Writing Process

On a chilly October morning, I took my AP Language & Composition classes outside with their notebooks and pencils. I had them find space well away from each other (and without their phones, of course) to sit and observe an object in nature. Students often feel giddy, and their energy surges outside of the classroom, in part because being outside is freeing, and an assignment like this is less stressful than the majority of the rigorous analysis of the coursework.

In this case, our school has plenty of natural features: trees, grass, and dirt for them to observe. I have also done this activity in classrooms that are in the middle of urban settings by bringing in plants, rocks, leaves, and other elements of nature. Nature is subtle, and observers must be still and silent to truly grasp the details and nuances of their subject.

To set up the assignment, I tell students that this is an anticipatory lesson or mini-lesson to prepare them for something else, like analytical writing. Generally, the nature writing activity takes between 45 minutes and an hour, and it provides a nice transition into more complex analytical writing pieces. I may, for instance, have students complete nature writing on a Monday and then delve into the more analytical elements throughout the week. Ideally, regular time in nature followed by these activities allows students to get into the writing and thinking space more efficiently. The more teachers can do it, the more detail-oriented the observations become.

Observation: The goal, like any good nature writing, is to first observe. It is difficult to provide an analysis of anything if we do not fully understand it. Learning how to observe natural elements helps students look at the nuances of their subjects. I first ask them to come up with 20 adjectives or phrases to describe the object they're focusing on.

At first, many offer broad observations like "The leaf is yellow." But as they spend more time and run out of obvious things to say, the observations become more nuanced and even beautiful: "The leaf is a heart with veins receding in size from the central stem." The observations are a natural part of the analysis where the student is gaining familiarity with the subject.

Questions: After writing 20 descriptive statements or observations, they then write 10 questions about the observations. Many are scientifically based, like "Why do leaves turn yellow in the autumn?" or "What happens to this leaf after it snows?" Some are more profound: "What did this leaf do to contribute to the world?" Kids love to learn and ask questions about what they are observing, and this is the next logical step in understanding their environment.

Answering questions: After my students have crafted 10 inquisitive questions, I have them posit their answers to five of their favorite questions. The answers may be very scientific: "The leaves turn color because the creation of chlorophyll has stopped and the leaf is essentially suffocating." Others may be more imaginative: "The autumn fairies move through the trees and paint the leaves the color of the season in preparation for old man winter."

Some teenagers prefer the philosophical anecdotes: "The leaves are only small elements of the oxygen production that the Earth needs, but if they all stopped doing their jobs, there would be no life on the planet." These creative expressions begin to connect to the analytical element of their brains when they respond to their own inquiries of their observations without being held to a "correct" answer.

Writing explanations: Finally, I ask them to explain the answers to three of the inquiries they posited. Some students may explain how photosynthesis works and what happens to the leaves when it stops for autumn. Others will explain how nature fairies all work together to shift seasons for the larger entities of the natural world. And others will develop a response fraught with deep philosophical wisdom.

This explanation element is the heart of analysis and a demonstration of how they have the cognitive capacity to write analytically. They have essentially primed themselves for the development of analytical writing through a low-stress, high-engagement activity. Now, these students are ready to take the same approach to a text as they did in their nature writings.

Application to text: When we come back into the classroom, students then use the same observational tools they used for their nature inquiry and apply them to a close reading of a text. I ask them to perform a close reading of a text, observe 10 elements of the writing they think are interesting, ask five questions of the text, posit responses to three of those questions, and pick one element to explain in a paragraph. This progression gives students a concrete understanding of what they are essentially being asked to do in analytical writing-the same cognitive function we did in nature writing.

I've found that students are less likely to be consumed with finding the "correct" answer and more open to expanding on their own insights and interpretations of the text. This assignment effectively moves students into an inquisitive state of mind rather than focusing on a "correct" answer or checking boxes in a rubric. The skills they learn go beyond writing and develop a mindset of inquiry that they will be asked to use in postsecondary writing and critical thinking for life.

If we want students to improve their analytical skills, then developing the foundational skills of observation and inquisition should be paramount. All students could benefit from spending more time observing their world and less time trying to decode it or find the answers in black and white. Let the kids' natural inclination for seeing the natural world guide them. To build analytical minds, take them outside.

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Using Nature Writing to Develop Analytical Skills

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This process has students closely examine objects in nature and then use the same observational tools to improve their analytical writing skills. In my AP Language & Composition classes, most of my students have the requisite skills of reading comprehension and basic structure for analytical writing.

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Event Comic Lesson from "How to Teach Nature Journaling"

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Event Comic Lesson from "How to Teach Nature Journaling"

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Species Account Lesson from "How to Teach Nature Journaling

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Species Account Lesson from "How to Teach Nature Journaling

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Development and review of an environment-based curriculum for kindergarten through grade 12 in the subject-matter areas of history-social science and science.

Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculum
The EEI was adopted by the State Board of Education in 2010 with the goal to increase environmental literacy for California's kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) students. The curriculum can serve as a useful resource for teaching academic content standards within an environmental context.

Environmental Principles and Concepts
These Environmental Principles and Concepts serve as the foundation for developing the Model Curriculum for California's kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) students that is mandated under the Education and the Environment Initiative.

Questions: Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division | CFIRD@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0881

Last Reviewed: Monday, February 28, 2022

Recently Posted in Science

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Education & the Environment Initiative Curriculum

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Development and review of an environment-based curriculum for kindergarten through grade 12 in the subject-matter areas of history-social science and science. Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculum The EEI was adopted by the State Board of Education in 2010 with the goal to increase environmental literacy for California's kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) students.

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Nature Journaling

" Nature journaling is an extremely effective and engaging way to teach observation, curiosity, and creative thinking. Journals are the ubiquitous tool of scientists, naturalists, thinkers, poets, writers, and engineers. Using a journal is a skill that can change students' lives forever." - John Muir Laws, Emilie Lygren,How to Teach Nature Journaling
Alan and Linda Zuckerman share some great tips for nature journaling in their article Keeping a Birdwatching Journal:

If you are intimidated by your lack of writing ability, remember that you don't need to share your journal with anyone if you don't want to. You don't even have to reread what you've written. The point of journaling is the activity itself.

Spelling and grammar don't count - even for the kids. The quickest way to destroy the joy of creation is to demand perfection.

Try drawing some things. It doesn't matter how they come out - though your attempts will surely get better over time if you stick with it.

Your journal can't be ruined. It is a record of your learning experiences and failed experiments, and dead ends are part of learning. Crossed out words and imperfect drawings are found in the best of journals.

You don't have to write in your journal every day. In fact, it's best if you wait until you're in the mood.

The BEETLES Project at the Lawrence Hall of Science uses "I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of" prompts to support exploration of outdoor areas. These prompts are a great way to focus your nature journals - whether you're out exploring a nearby park or watching an ant crawl across your kitchen table.

I Notice: Focus on drawing or writing about what you can observe with your senses. What sounds do you hear? What colors, shapes, and behaviors can you see? Try to describe what you observe (blue, smooth, etc.) instead of just identifying it (an egg).

I Wonder: As you write or draw, note questions you have about what you are observing. Did you observe an interesting pattern or behavior that you wonder about?

It Reminds Me Of: Does what you are observing remind you of something else you have observed? Does it remind you of an event in your life when you observed something similar or felt the same way? A nature journal is a great place to record memories, feelings, and connections.

Nature Journal Activities

Biodiversity

Description: Journaling Prompts:
We all depend on biodiversity for our survival. For example, we eat living things, and we breathe oxygen that comes from plants.

What living things do you depend on for survival? For enjoyment? List as many as you can. Some may still be alive, but others may be products made from organisms that are no longer alive.

Think about a time when you felt very aware of the living things around you. Maybe you were enjoying the sounds of plants blowing in the wind, or you were worried about an insect stinging or biting you. Write about the experience and how you felt.

Weather

Description:
Spend 10-15 minutes (or more!) watching for weather changes out your window or while outside.
Journaling Prompts:
Sit outside or at your window and observe the weather.

Record the date, weather conditions, location, and your observations:

Weather station observations: If you built weather observation tools, record measurements.

Clouds: Is it sunny, partly cloudy, overcast?

Wind: Is the air calm? Light breeze? Steady wind? Gusts of wind?

Temperature: Does it feel warm? Cool? If you don't have a thermometer, you can describe it as "t-shirt weather", "sweatshirt weather", or "jacket weather".

Humidity: Does the air feel dry or wet? Is it raining? Is there dew on plants or other signs of moisture?

Pressure: If you have built a homemade barometer, can you see any change in pressure from the previous day?

Change: Is the weather changing rapidly or is it steady throughout the day?

Other patterns: Do you notice other patterns during different weather conditions?

Are insects or birds more/less active? Do they do different activities in different weather conditions?

Do trees or other plants change in noticeable ways?

Return to the same spot multiple times per day or week to observe the changing weather.

How do different types of weather make you feel?

What does a sunny day remind you of? What about wind?

Clouds

Spend an hour (or more!) looking at clouds. It's a great way to pass an afternoon.
Journaling Prompts: Take a seat in your yard or at your window to look at the passing clouds.

Record the date, weather conditions, location, and your observations.

Try finding different shapes or animals in the clouds and draw them in your journal.

Return to the same spot or window multiple times to observe the clouds. Draw the clouds you see, or record whether there are no clouds.

Are the clouds always moving in the same direction? At the same speed?

Can you notice any daily patterns, such as a certain kind of cloud that only appears in the morning?

Which type of cloud would you like to learn more about? Write or draw and write what you already know about it, and then list some questions you have.

Which direction are the clouds coming from? Based on what you know about the area around you, what might the clouds have passed before they reached your location? What will they pass as they are moving away from you?

Watersheds

Description:
Let's think about our own watershed and try to draw and label the different parts.
Journaling Prompts:
Think about your watershed. Draw and label these aspects of your watershed in your journal:

What is your home river or creek?

What is the tallest peak around your home river or creek?

Where does the water from this river or creek drain to?

What does it pass by or through as it drains downhill?

Where does it end up?

What surfaces slow it down? Speed it up? Hint: think about (or try) the experiment with permeable versus impermeable surfaces, from the Nature Observations link associated with this activity.

Look out your window (or explore outdoors if you can), and record the different surfaces you see. When it rains, how does water flow along these surfaces? Are there high points and low points? Are there permeable and impermeable surfaces? Draw and write about them.

Soil

Description:
If we take the time to look closely, we can find many shapes, colors, and sometimes even crawling critters in a tiny bit of soil.
Journaling Prompts:

Scatter a handful of soil on a white piece of paper and look closely.

Sketch the different particle sizes, describe the texture, and things you notice in your journal. What do you notice, what do you wonder about, and what does it remind you of?

If you are able to get soil from more than one location, compare and contrast the colors, particle sizes, and textures of multiple soils.

Write about a memory from your life that is related to soil. For example, maybe there was a time you got mud all over your clothes, or a time when you planted seeds in soil. Write about what happened and how you felt.

Find your location on the USDA's maps of soil colors. (Select the OR.pdf file for Oregon's map.)

Describe what you notice about the soil color in your area and how it compares to nearby areas.

What patterns do you notice in the state map?

Write a few "I wonder why..." statements about what you observe on the map.

For a fun way to record the types of soil you are observing, try Painting with Soil!

Arthropods

Journaling About Arthropods:
Think about the experiences you have had with arthropods in your life, and take the time to observe arthropods in your life today! Record your thoughts and observations.
Journaling Prompts:

Write about an experience you have had with arthropods. Maybe you were chasing butterflies or you walked into a spider web. What happened and how did you feel?

Which kind of arthropod would you like to learn more about? Write or draw what you already know about it, and then list some questions you have.

Are there any arthropods that are special to you or to your friends or family? What makes the arthropod special?

Record the date, weather conditions, location, and your observations of arthropod activity:
What are the arthropods doing? (describe what you see, hear)

Can you observe an arthropod up close? Draw it in your journal. Pay special attention to the shape of its body parts and how/where different parts are connected. For example, how many main body sections does the arthropod have? Where are the legs attached?

Pollinators

Safety Consideration:
While most pollinators, such as bumble bees, mason bees, and honey bees are docile, it is important to be careful and give them space when observing them as they pollinate flowers. People with allergies to bees and pollen should take particular care.
Journaling About Pollinators:
It may be difficult to find a pollinator that will sit still for a drawing, but there are lots of ways to record your observations and thoughts in a journal. If you are able to take pictures of the flowers, with or without the pollinators, that could be a great way to record what you see.
Journaling Prompts:

Try to find a place where you can make close observations of a shrub, tree, or other flowering plant. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes, and spend some quiet time watching the plant(s), especially the flowers. Record the date, weather conditions, the plants you are seeing, and your observations of pollinator activity:

What are the pollinators doing? (describe what you see, hear?

How long do they stay at one flower?

Do they visit other flowers?

How many pollinators are around?

If you are able to get a close look at a pollinator, draw what you see. Include the plants/flowers! You could also draw a pollinator that you observe in a photo or video.

Imagine YOU are a pollinator. Write a short story or paragraph describing your activities. What/who are you? How do you interact with plants? Why do you visit certain types of plants?

Write about a personal experience you've had with pollinators. Maybe you saw a hummingbird visit a feeder or a flower. Maybe you were stung by a bee! What happened? What did you notice? How did you feel about it?

Flowers

Journaling About Flowers:
Flowers are great journaling subjects because they have so many different colors, textures, and scents. If you can't visit any flowering plants outside or see flowers through a window, check to see if there are flowers inside! Some houseplants have flowers, and some of the food we eat is made of flowers. For example, when you eat broccoli, you are eating tiny flower buds! If you don't have any live flowers to observe, you might be able to find artificial flowers or photos or drawings of flowers in the newspaper, in books, or on clothing.

Journaling Prompts:

If you are able to observe flowers close up, choose one flower (you can leave it attached to the plant) that you would like to observe. Record every detail you notice about the flower. It can be tempting to say, "I'm done!" before you have noticed many of the details, so you might choose to set a timer for five or ten minutes to make sure you take the time to move beyond the "obvious" details.

Go on a shape hunt! Choose a shape (triangle, circle, or another shape) and try to find flowers or parts of a flower with that shape. Record your observations in your journal with drawings and words. You can use photos of flowers if you are not able to observe any live flowers.

Write a poem about how you feel when flowers first begin to bloom and signal that spring has arrived.

When you look out your window or walk around outside, make a color map that shows where you can find flowers of each color. Repeat this process in a week (and in another week after that, if you want!) to see how the colors of flowers around you are changing.

Trees

Journaling About Trees:
Trees are great journaling subjects because they don't crawl or fly or squirm away as we try to look closely. You can observe trees indoors by looking out your window or outdoors by sitting quietly near the tree. When you do this, record what you notice, wonder, and feel.
Journaling Prompts:

Make a sound map using your sense of hearing with this Project Learning Tree activity. (Sounds Around en español )
You could make a sound map that includes multiple trees, or you could make a sound map of one individual tree by mapping how sound moves through the tree when the wind blows on the leaves or branches.

Observe the same tree each week throughout the spring season to track changes in how it looks. If you are able to observe a tree up close, also record how it smells and feels.
You can usethis template if you would like some structure for your journal entries, or you can develop your own format.

Write a poem about your tree, either on your own or usingPoet-Tree ( en español).

What organisms are using your tree as part of their habitat? Record your questions and thoughts about the habitat your tree provides.
Some organisms may be large enough to observe through a window. If you can go outside to observe a tree, look closely at the bark to see if you can find any small plants, animals, or fungi!

Birds

Birds are perfect subjects for nature journaling. Most of us can observe birds in our every day life, by watching them, hearing them, or both! Birds have interesting behaviors that can inspire many questions, especially if we take the time to observe them closely.
Journaling About Birds:
You can observe birds by looking out your window or sitting quietly to listen for them. When you do this, record what you notice, wonder, and feel.

In their guide for Keeping a Bird Journal, Alan and Linda Zuckerman recommend that every journal entry contain at least this information:

The date.

The location of your observations.

The weather.

What plants are blooming. (Describe them if you don't know their names.)

The birds you observe and what they are doing.

Return to the same spot (for example, look out the same window) more than once to see whether you notice different birds (or different behaviors from the same birds) at different times or on different days.

Journaling Prompts:

Sometimes a blank page can be intimidating. For help structuring your journal entries, check out this journal template, which you might choose to copy by hand onto your own paper.

Write a creative story that uses some of the birds you are seeing as characters.

Write a poem about birds, either on your own or using a Poet-Tree. (en español)

Record your questions and thoughts about a bird's habitat needs and life cycle.

Drawing Birds:

Do you want to draw the birds you see but don't know where to start? The naturalist, author, and educator John Muir Laws has a How to Draw Birds guide on his website that will lead you through the steps.

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“Nature journaling is an extremely effective and engaging way to teach observation, curiosity, and creative thinking. Journals are the ubiquitous tool of scientists, naturalists, thinkers, poets, writers, and engineers. Using a journal is a skill that can change students’ lives forever.” - John Muir…

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Feb. Lesson from "A Guide to the Natural Year"

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Feb. Lesson from "A Guide to the Natural Year"

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Spark Bird!  (This American Life podcast)

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Spark Bird!  (This American Life podcast)

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Stories about birds and the hearts they sway, the havoc they wreak, the lives they change.

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Ologies is comedic science show named one of Time Magazine’s top 50 podcasts. The full episodes may not be 100% child-appropriate, so look at the "Smologies" episodes for classroom use.

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Listen to Ologies on Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts.

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Hear the late Karuk poet and artist, Brian D. Tripp, sing and read "From the Spawning Grounds"

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Hear the late Karuk poet and artist, Brian D. Tripp, sing and read "From the Spawning Grounds"

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From the Spawning Grounds

Thomas B. Dunklin | 2011 | 3 min.

2014 Official Selection

Take a 3 minute plunge into the clear cold water of the Salmon River and get a fish-eye view of the river and its inhabitants. This tributary to the Klamath River is the largest stronghold for spring Chinook salmon. The underwater footage of salmon and steelhead is accompanied by a song and poem from Karuk singer, artist and poet Brian D. Tripp.

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From the Spawning Grounds - Wild & Scenic Film Festival

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Take a 3 minute plunge into the clear cold water of the Salmon River and get a fish-eye view of the river and its inhabitants. This tributary to the Klamath River is the largest stronghold for spring Chinook salmon. The underwater footage of salmon and steelhead is accompanied by a song and poem from Karuk [...]

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Science Journal for Kids translates scientific studies into kid-friendly, accessible language.

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Science Journal for Kids translates scientific studies into kid-friendly, accessible language.

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Hundreds of scientific articles. Written for kids. Approved by scientists.

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Scientists strive to help us understand the world around us-poets, to understand how we feel about it. To accomplish this, scientists try to create a replicable experience using the scientific method to prove a hypothesis; poets try to recreate experiences using language to forge new connections-with readers, within their own realm of understanding, and with language itself.

Much has been written about how poetry and science differ. They might be compared to siblings having similar DNA yet diametrically opposed personalities. Poets often welcome ambiguity and use specificity as an invitation to readers to relate and draw their own conclusions. Scientists, on the other hand, try to eradicate imprecision so that everyone may arrive at the same conclusion.

While their approaches may seem incompatible, scientists and poets can learn much from each other in their shared endeavor to explain the inexplicable.
How might poetry benefit from a scientific lens?

Grounding-while some science is purely theoretical, it always involves the physical universe in some specialized way or place.

Accurate descriptions-toward replicable data.

Methodology-asking questions like a scientist. Example: participant observation in anthropology-what better way to write about a family recipe than to ask a family member to show you how to make it?

Experimentation-approaching writing as an "experiment," giving yourself permission to play with forms, perspectives, scientific concepts, and language.

Objectivity-scientific language can provide a more objective way to talk about difficult subjects. For example, employing clinical language to describe a traumatic medical event can create greater psychological distance that may feel "safer" or "colder." In the same vein, feelings come across more powerfully when unspoken or understated than if simply named.

Lexicon-precise and unusual language from which to draw and learn.

Invention-where two worlds of knowledge meet lies the greatest potential for new connections.

What constitutes a science poem?
While science poetry is not new, it has not been well defined (perhaps because both "science" and "poetry" branch into such a broad range of subjects and conventions), so I will offer my own definition: science poetry uses a scientific lens with which to view the world and to try to interpret experiences. It explores what is observable through our senses, and may acknowledge that our senses are not always accurate as to causality. (For example, from where we stand, the sun appears to orbit the earth, when in fact the earth is orbiting the sun.) It may also reflect the understanding that the scientific lens and language are human constructs and therefore fallible.
What makes for a good science poem?

Seeks balance between conveying human experience and scientific concepts or explanations.

Rich imagery and sensory details (what is experienced through the senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, etc.), which bring the reader bodily into the poem.

Uses scientific language with both literal and figurative meanings, and that can be appreciated on its face, or its meaning can be intuited in the poem's context. In other words, the poem's meaning doesn't fall apart if the reader doesn't know or look it up.

Not just spouting scientific facts, but sharing information meaningful to the poem's speaker.

Contrasts objective scientific language with the deeply personal and intimate.

Explores rather than offering conclusions-allowing the reader to draw their own.

Science and poetry are both ways of looking closer. For more essays on science and poetry, I recommend The Measured Word: On Poetry and Science, edited by . Science poem examples are below, but what better way to define science poetry than to write it yourself?
Prompt:
Write a poem using a scientific concept and language as a metaphor-a way to talk about an entirely different but somehow comparable human experience. Find a science article, or start with an everyday phenomenon like how insects appear to walk on water and find a scientific explanation for what might cause it. Read and note any interesting findings, thoughts, and images or concepts that remind you of something-potential metaphors. Then, write about a memorable experience using scientific language from the article as a way to explore, explain, not explain, or talk about X.
Science Poems:
The Collection-Poets for Science (various)

The Universe in Verse-The Marginalian (various)

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The Scientific Lens: An Exploration of... | Poetry Foundation

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Scientists strive to help us understand the world around us-poets, to understand how we feel about it. To accomplish this, scientists try to create a replicable experience using the scientific method to prove a hypothesis; poets try to recreate experiences using language to forge new connections-with readers, within their own realm of understanding, and with language itself.

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Nature Journaling/ Art and Science Integration

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Nature Journaling/ Art and Science Integration

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https://www.artsintegration.net/outdoor-art-lessons.html

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Outdoor Art Lessons

There is much to see and experience when we go outside. These lessons come from Allison Poklemba, Humboldt County Office of Education Environmental Education Teacher and Greenwood Schoolhouse blogger. We recommend these lessons for their integration with environmental education, botany, nature journaling, drawing, creativity, and relationship building/ socialization with family. Some of the creativity skills strengthened in these activities include Notice/ Wonder, Develop Craft, Reflect, Envision, Create, and Collaborate.

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There is much to see and experience when we go outside. These lessons come from Allison Poklemba, Humboldt County Office of Education Environmental Education Teacher and Greenwood Schoolhouse blogger. We recommend these lessons for their integration with environmental education, botany, nature journaling, drawing, creativity, and relationship building/ socialization with family.

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Native Perspectives on the Gold Rush with Native Voices/Interviews

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Native Perspectives on the Gold Rush with Native Voices/Interviews

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NW Indigenous Gold Rush History Booklet.pdf

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Sparking Student Curiosity Through Nature Journaling

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Students can explore science concepts through an activity that encourages them to record their observations in thoughtful ways.

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Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved nature. Some of my earliest memories involve being fascinated by all the things I saw in nature-a carpet of goldfields, a hummingbird visiting the sage bush in our garden, the new green leaves of the California Buckeye, and the little boats I made out of leaves and sailed down the creek near my house. When I was about 8, I went on a backpacking trip with my family to a lake and I remember spending all afternoon building a little house out of bark and flowers and acorn caps for my favorite stuffed animal. I loved to stand by the lake and watch the frogs sitting in the algae on the surface and see the wind making ripples across the water. My elementary school included plenty of nature as part of the education. I spent a lot of time playing in the mud, collecting brightly colored leaves, hiking with my class and looking in wonder at the patterns of the frost on the classroom windows in the winter. And though I am older now, I still feel like that child, fascinated by the sparkles of rain on a spider web and the smell of the air after it rains. Nature is still one of my favorite places to be.

Drawing is also something that I love. I started drawing at a very young age and I have been an avid sketcher for almost my whole life. When I was very little, I would draw fairies and gnomes and mermaids from my imagination and make up stories for them. I always took colored pencils with me wherever I went. When I got a bit older, I started to draw from life. I drew everything: landscapes, the lavender bush below the kitchen window, a portrait of my favorite pet chicken, maps of my local trails and the first apricot from our tree.

When I was thirteen, I had a chance meeting with author, artist, educator and naturalist John Muir Laws . He introduced me to nature journaling and my life was forever changed. Nature journaling is taking a notebook and some simple art supplies out into nature and using words, pictures and numbers to describe what you notice, what you wonder about and what things remind you of. What really drew me to nature journaling is that it combines two of my favorite things: art and nature. After meeting John Muir Laws, I immediately started my first nature journal and began to fill it with sketches and notes about the many wonders of nature that I saw around me. Since my thirteenth birthday, nearly five years ago, I have created more than two thousand journal pages-filled with sketches, diagrams, maps, paintings, observations and questions.

WHY KEEP A NATURE JOURNAL?

Nature journaling is an amazing way to connect with the natural world. I find that when I journal, I lose track of time and get swept up in whatever it is that I am drawing and wondering about. I focus for much longer when I am journaling because I have to look again and again while I'm drawing. Keeping a nature journal helps me remember more of what I see in nature and it is a lot of fun. Research shows that when we draw and write, we remember more. I have definitely found this to be true: when I look back at my journal, I can go right back to that day and vividly remember where I was. It's incredible the way just making a sketch or writing something down can help you remember that experience months or even years afterwards.

When I journal, I notice more, and the more I notice, the more fun it gets. Let's say I'm drawing a wildflower: I have to look at it very closely and by doing that, I might notice something interesting about how the petals attach. That might spark a question that gets me very excited and curious about this little flower. I wouldn't have gotten so excited about it if I hadn't stopped to wonder about it. Journaling also helps me to articulate my thoughts and questions on paper. Once I write down what I am thinking, I no longer have to keep holding that thought in my mind and then my mind is free to think of more things. This also allows me to look at my thoughts and questions on paper and make connections between them. This practice of journaling has benefited me in other parts of my life as well. I recently took an honors botany class where we did a lot of careful drawing and learning about the plants through artistic observation. Since I had spent so much of my time doing just that, this class was so much fun for me to attend.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Nature journaling is open to everyone regardless of age, location or experience. A little grey bird in your backyard can be just as interesting to watch as any rare or "special" bird. You can be just as fascinated with a little clover flower on your front lawn as you would be with a plant in Yosemite Valley. There is no one right way to keep a nature journal and everyone has different materials, different strengths and different styles. These are some of the things I use and how I journal, but I want to invite you to feel free to do this in whatever way feels comfortable for you. If you are out enjoying nature and having fun in your journal, you're doing it right.

My kit for journaling is fairly simple and I keep it all together in a lightweight bag hanging by the front door so it is easy to take with me whenever I head out on a nature adventure. I have a hardcover journal with thick paper and an assortment of pencils, brushes and pens, as well as a watercolor palette. I also have a lightweight pair of small binoculars that work for birding but also have a short focal length and enable me to closely study flowers and bugs. One of my favorite tools is a non-photo blue pencil. This pencil is very pale, and I use it to block out the general shapes of what I'm drawing. Since it is so pale, it is easy to stay loose with the drawing and change the lines if I want. Once I've got a shape I like, I move to a mechanical graphite pencil and go over the lines that I want to keep. Then I will usually paint what I drew and give the page a title. Next, I add some metadata in a little box, which includes where I am, what the weather is like and the date. Finally, I start writing down my observations and questions.

One of my favorite parts of journaling is the joy of curiosity. It is so much fun to slow down, look closely, start wondering about something and fill my page with questions. And research shows that the act of getting curious helps pull me into a state of heightened awareness and focus, priming me to notice and learn more. I will often start with really simple questions. I have noticed that when I begin with simple questions, and keep asking questions, I find my way to more interesting and complex questions. In that moment, I don't worry about finding the answers to all of my questions because the act of getting curious and asking questions takes my brain to a place it wouldn't have gone had I answered every one as I asked them. (If I stopped to look up every answer, I would also ask a lot fewer questions.) For some of my questions, I will look up the answers later or ask someone about it, but often, those answers lead to more questions. Building the skill of curiosity and being comfortable with asking questions-on my journal pages and in my life-is one of the most powerful tools I have developed from nature journaling.
DRAWING IS A SKILL
People sometimes tell me that I have a talent for drawing. I would disagree. Drawing is not a gift that some are born with and others are not. It is a skill. If you practice, over time, your drawings will improve. A "growth mindset" is very important to journaling. If you believe you will improve with practice and if you put in the time practicing, you will get better. ( Carol Dweck, author of Changing The Way You Think To Fulfil Your Potential, is one of leading voices advocating this idea of a growth mindset.) Since I have been practicing drawing since about age 3, I have put in thousands of "pencil miles," as my mentor, John Muir Laws, likes to call them. It is so inspiring for me to look back at some of my earlier work and see how far I've come. Even in a year, my drawings have become so much better. And because I have seen in my own work that practice leads to improvement, I know that if I keep drawing, my drawings will be even better a year from now. There is no point at which I will become a "good" artist. I am always growing and learning, and I will continue to do so as long as I am outside and exploring and observing this extraordinary world around me.

YOU CAN DO THIS, TOO!
Next time you are heading out into nature, I encourage you to bring a notebook and a pencil along. Find something that makes you stop in wonder or in awe and give it a little sketch, write down a few things you notice or something that surprised you, and jot down a couple of questions. Then, when you look back on that page, you will be able to remember your experience in nature so much more vividly.

As my mentor, John Muir Laws, says: "Love is sustained, compassionate attention." When we give this kind of compassionate attention to the natural world, we fall in love with it. Nature journaling is one of the most powerful ways to fall in love with the natural world. And when we fall in love with the natural world, we are much more likely to protect it.

RESOURCES: For lots of free resources to help you (or your children) get started nature journaling, including free lesson plan downloads and hundreds of hours of video tutorials, visit johnmuirlaws.com .

Fiona Clare Gillogly

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Falling in love with nature through journaling - Children and Nature Network

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Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved nature. Some of my earliest memories involve being fascinated by all the things I saw in nature-a carpet of goldfields, a hummingbird visiting the sage bush in our garden, the new green leaves of the California Buckeye, and the little boats I made out of leaves and sailed down the creek near my house.

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Opening the world through nature journaling

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Opening the world through nature journaling

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nature jOurnaling

IntegratIng art, scIence & Language arts