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

Nature Journaling is an incredible tool for helping students to add numeracy to their observations by making connections to numbers used everyday.  Fractions can also be added by looking at an area and figuring what faction is covered in flowers, grass, a certain colour, etc.  These can then be connected to decimal points.

 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 making the connections.  Encourage students to begin writing using single words, simple sentences, lists, point form, paragraphs etc.. 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 of Bethan's 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. 

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.

Go outside into the garden or use containers indoors to plant some seeds.  

Read the seed packaging to determine the appropriate number of seeds to plant, at what distance to plant them from each other and the depth to plant the seeds. If you cannot find these details be sure to research online for best practices.

As you plant your seeds consider using your counting skills to:

• To organize your seeds and your planting rows

• Multiple the number of rows by the number of planted seeds in each row, to determine the total number of seeds planted

• Use these skills to determine the number of rows to use based on the space you have and the distance each seed needs to grow

If available, look at feeding your plants with plant food. Many varieties require you to mix a solution with water. Compare the amounts suggested in fractions and then using decimals. Which method makes more sense in this instance, fractions or decimals?

Curriculum Links:

• See Writing

• See Measurement

• See Data Management & Probability

• See Life Systems

NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.