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 collect data based on what they are observing.  Graphs can be added to a journal displaying the data they have collected. 

 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 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 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 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.

First complete the activity found in Measurement.

After you have finished planting your seeds revisit your plants daily to check on their progress. Don't forget to water your plants when the soil is dry. 

Use standard units (mm, cm & m) to measure the following:

• Height of the plants each day, once they start to sprout

• Use the data collected for growth each week and determine the mean every week for the growth of all your plants

Keep track of which seeds sprout by: 

• Counting the number of plants that sprout in each row and recording this as a fraction (example: 7/10 plants sprouted)

• Document one fraction for each row and then add all fractions together to determine the fraction of seeds that sprouted

• Convert the fraction of seeds sprouted into a decimal number. Example: 7/10 = 0.7

• Determine the probability of a seed sprouting using this data

Determine the mean for daily temperature recordings.

Keep track of any observations you see that show your garden or plants indoors are a habitat for other living things.

Curriculum Links:

• See Writing

• See Measurement

• See Number Sense & Numeration

• See Visual Arts - Flower Fun

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