IF YOU ARE NEW TO NATURE JOURNALING PLEASE LOOK AT OUR NATURE JOURNALING PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Nature Journaling is an incredible tool for students to look for unity and harmony, colour, lines and space in their natural surroundings.  Their nature journal allows them to write/draw their observations helping to cement the concepts being taught.

 At this age all three prompts "I notice..., I wonder...?, and It reminds me of..." become very intuitive.   However the statement "I wonder..." becomes very important at this age all the way up to 18 years as students deepen their understanding of the world around them.  Encourage students to begin writing using single words, simple sentences, lists, point form, paragraphs and even poetry.  Please note that spelling is not the focus in a nature journal.  At this age you may start to see art fears - ensure you are re-iterating it is not about a pretty picture.  It is about their observations.  Please see the link below for tips on giving feedback.  Using a combination of words, pictures and numbers allows the students multiple tools to document their observations. With permission Bethan Burton has allowed us to link to her website as she has written a blog post for Teaching nature journaling at all ages.  

Here are some more  ideas to get you started.

• Engage the fives senses (whenever possible)

• Make leaf prints ( paint the leaf and press the print into the journal)

• Make leaf rubbings

• Trace the items they are looking at 

• Add items into the journal using tape

Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. All resources shared with permission.  "I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of..."

GIVING FEEDBACK here is a fantastic resource from Jack and Emilie

NOTE: You are encouraged to spend time in the outdoors Nature Journaling.  However, you can also bring nature inside, look out your wonder window, have a refrigerator Safari or even observe a house plant or pet.

Making mandalas is a fun and relaxing art form that can be done inside and outside.

• Go for a nature walk or explore throughout your home to find and collect many items of different shapes, sizes, colours and textures (flower petals, rocks, sticks, leaves, beads, marbles, pasta etc.)

• Have a clear space to create or you can even draw a pattern on a piece of paper to follow when placing your items

• Start with the outside circle to define the space.  Work your way around the inside placing shapes in alternating, repeating patterns until you have a beautiful design.  You can try to create different patterns or different shapes within your art. 

Focus on unity and harmony: 

• radial balance

• similarity (consistency and completeness through repetition of colours, shapes, values, textures, or lines) 

• continuity (treatment of different elements in a similar manner); alignment (e.g., arrangement of shapes to follow an implied axis)

• proximity (grouping of related items together) 

Photography is an incredible way to look closely at the natural world around you and express your creativity! 

What are the benefits of "looking closely?  

• It allows you to slow down and take time in nature

• It allows you to notice things you may not otherwise, for example if you look at the pictures on the left; the snapping turtle has moss growing on its shell, or their eyes have yellow in them.  The second picture, of the flower, allows you to see that the plant grows in an amazing repeating pattern.

• It also allows you to be creative with how you are capturing and framing your photographs

For this activity you will need the following materials:

• Any device, phone, tablet or camera that will take a photo

• If you have access to a macro lens that attaches to one of your devices this can add a whole new element of fun but it is NOT essential

Here are some tips to remember when using a device for photography:

• Focus picture by tapping the screen

• Keep device steady (helpful to place one end against something sturdy, i.e. the ground)

• Get down to eye-level with the subject for a better perspective and to portray nature in its own habitat. Look straight up or down to discover beautiful natural patterns in plants and trees - the view up a tree-trunk or down, to show repeating patterns in plants.

• Photographing from below will make things look larger

• Slow down and take time to think about composition

• Look for bold colours, striking patterns or exciting action to create stunning photos.

• When photographing animals - focus on the eyes, or other body parts, remember to ALWAYS give them space and use the zoom to get a closer picture.

• Experiment with composition by moving your subject away from the centre and using the rule of thirds

Activity

• Head outside, look out your window or photograph items inside your home.

• You may also want to think about a project or theme for your pictures for example:

  1.  Flowers/Trees/Clouds

  2. Family/Neighbourhood

  3. Insects/Animals

  4. Geometric shapes

  5. Take photos of things really close up and get others to guess what they think the picture is actually of when zoomed out.  The book series "Looking Closely" is a great resource!  Here is an example of what the inside of the book looks like.

  6. Get really creative and try some forced perspective photos examples can be found here!

  7. Any other theme you choose or it can be just for fun