Week 4:

Tree Exploration

Nature Journaling: Tree Exploration

We can learn more about a tree by exploring many of its different features. There is as much to learn about trees by looking at them from far away as there is looking at different things up close. In this activity, we'll be exploring bark, buds and leaves, and seeds by drawing them in our journals.

Step-by-step guide:

Grab your journal, a pencil and crayon, and head outside! You will want to use 2 pages for this activity (journal page layout below).
Record your metadata.
Pick a tree you'd like to investigate.
Using the top half of a page, make a texture rub of the tree bark using your crayon.

Tip: Hold the journal up to the tree keeping all other pages folded back except for the page you are using. If that isn't working, do the crayon rubbing on a separate piece of paper and tape it into your journal page.

With the bottom half of your page, draw different parts of your tree: a bud, a leaf (if it's there), and the whole tree (Visit Nature In Your Neighborhood with Neature Nate to learn more about parts of a tree). Drawing help and tips below!
Try and find a seed from the tree (make a second journal page).
1. Describe the seed using your observation skills.
2. Draw the seed in your nature journal.

Drawing help!

This activity is not about how "pretty" your drawings are. It's all about what you observe and notice! Your goal is to represent what you see as best as YOU can. If you're unsure where to begin with drawing, here are some helpful tips.

Where to start:

Draw the shape outline with light pencil lines (so you can erase them later if needed). Try to make your drawing the same size as your fist. It's so easy to start drawing and find your picture is too small to work with.
Modify the lines until you think the outline matches the shape of your object.
Draw a darker line on top of your light lines to block in your shape.
Add color and value. Value is the range of dark to light: can you capture the light or dark parts of the object in your picture?

Notice the difference between lightly using a pencil and then pressing hard - the difference is value : light to dark. You can even practice this with crayons and colored pencils!

It's good to stop your drawing before it's "overworked." When you think you might be done, you most likely are.
It's OK to label what you feel you can't accurately represent in your drawing. Pairing words with pictures help you remember more of what you see!

Post-activity question:

You've probably spent some time now with this tree. How would you describe it now after investigating its texture and drawing different parts of the tree?

Challenge:

Create a nature narrative for the seed you found! How did it get there? Even further, how did your tree get where it is now?

Here's what I did!

Layout page #1

Layout page #2

my page #1

I added labels and notes with to my drawings! This helps me form connections and remember what I saw.

my page #2

My drawings aren't perfect, and it's OK. The goal is to be as accurate as you can.

Share what YOU did! Take a picture of your journal page and send it to kgroen@duneslearningcenter.org! I would love to see what you journaled about and discovered!

AND... here's a new coloring page for you to try!

Fox Squirrel Color Page.pdf

Fox squirrels like to eat raw fruits, roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Animals that eat these foods are called frugivores, as mentioned in Episode 4 of The Search for Sandsquatch!

Click here for the latest with Nate and "In Touch with Trees" on Nature in Your Neighborhood!

Click here for the latest episode of "The Search for Sandsquatch" with Chief Naturalist Anthony!

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