G8:Social-Emotional

Nature Journaling: I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of...

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 geometrical shapes as well and looking for symmetry in natural phenomena. 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 last statement becomes very important for connection making. Encourage them to begin writing themselves using single words or simple sentences. Please note that spelling is NOT a focus in the nature journal. At this age you may start to see art fears - please ensure you are re-iterating it is NOT ABOUT A PRETTY PICTURE. It is about their observations. Please see the link feedback at the bottom of this lesson for tips on this. Using 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 leaves into the journal using tape
Count the birds/squirrels/insects etc.
Measure as much of the phenomena as the students can using non standard and standard units of measurement.

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 encourage 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.

Photo by: S. Moye

Fight, Flight, Freeze: Do Animals Feel Anxious?

This activity will teach you about how your brain works like an animal (after all, humans are animals too!). You will be able to identify sources of stress and be introduced to strategies to cope with anxiety. You will be able to use this knowledge to create a proactive plan for when you are feeling stressed to make reasoned decisions and take appropriate actions in stressful situations.

Step 1:

Imagine you are a rabbit. You are hopping along looking for some yummy clovers to eat in the grass, suddenly you see a fox on the other side of the creek. You stop and freeze, taking short fast breaths. You stand completely still hoping the fox doesn’t see you. You feel hot, your heart beats faster, you can’t think of anything except staring back at the fox.

The fox’s eyes lock onto your own. A huge feeling of heat goes through you and without even knowing it you are running, you don’t know where, you are just running.

Step 2:

Research a mammal of your choice and how it responds to danger.

Step 3:

Now imagine you are you. It’s Monday morning, you just had a fun weekend playing a new video game and spending some time with your best friend. You are as happy as can be. Then you realize, you forgot there is a test today, you forgot to study. Your hands get sweaty, your heart is beating fast, you feel blood rushing to your head. You can’t think of anything except, “I didn’t study” “I won’t know the answers” “I’m going to fail.” Your teacher hands out the test and all you can do is stare.

Step 4:

Record in a journal or notebook any connections you notice between your responses to stress, the rabbit’s response to danger and the animal you researched. Consider why these responses might be similar.

Step 5:

Watch these videos about how your amygdala works like an animal’s brain

Fight, Flight, Freeze

How Your Brain Works

Step 6:

Unlike rabbits, our amygdala activates not only when we are in danger, but when we are stressed. Sometimes our brain is not able to realize that we are not in immediate danger and this feeling continues and is called anxiety. We can help our brain realize that no danger is present and reduce our anxiety by practicing breathing and mindfulness. Try some of the examples below:

Which one did you find the most helpful to reduce anxiety or tension, why?
Practice this exercise every day to have a strategy ready when you are in stressful situations. Record your thoughts, and feelings before and after each exercise.
What are some other strategies you can use to reduce or cope with feelings of stress and anxiety?

Try some of these examples or visit our Fresh Perspectives Page

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