It is once again that time for another blog. This month, I thought I would do something a little different. In this blog were are going to learn about Nature Journaling.
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| Photo by ME |
Here we go:
Nature journaling is a great way to get out and up close to the outdoors as well as, get away from so much television and other electronics ( which are great in moderation, but people just do not out like they use to, particular, kids.). It is great way to relax and escape stress for a bit. It is also a great way to learn about and study nature, in fact:
"The overwhelming majority of people who become good naturalists don’t gain their knowledge from formal schooling. They get it in the field, by devoting themselves to direct observation and spending time with other largely self-taught naturalists. Nature journaling is a process that fosters self-learning, challenging the observer to combine intellect with experience” (Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You. Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth. Foreword by Edward O. Wilson)
So, you see many of the experts got their start from simply just exploring the outdoors and journaling. I have learned a lot as well about nature from journaling. For one thing, taking notes of nature finds and trips has helped me to have a better understanding of when to go look for certain animals I want to find, It helps me to know where to go and what kind of habitat I need to look for, Or, where I previously went if I have found the animal(s) before. So, keeping a nature journal is helpful in that regards. I also write scientific names next to the common name I write down in my journal, this has helped me memorize scientific names.
Getting Started:
To begin nature journaling, you of course, will want to get a journal of some kind. There are so many possibilities of what you could do and use. You can simply use a note book or a sketch book or even a fancy journal from the internet. The neat thing about a nature journal is that you can be as creative with it as you want, it is YOUR journal. Pictured below is a few examples of my nature journals ( the one pictured at the top is mine as well) so you can go with whatever you like. You can get journals anywhere really. Walmart, Target, Barnes and Nobles, etc. The internet is a good place to look as well.
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| Photo by ME |
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| Photo by ME |
You will also need writing utensils of some kind. As far as writing in the journal, I go with a pen of some kind. When I started out nature journaling, I primarily used a pencil, but decided to switch to a pen as I liked it better and it looks nicer.
So those are essential items, but other item you may want to get are: colored pencils, water colors, stamps, crayons, etc. Again, it is your journal, you can be as creative and wild with it as you want to be! Photos below from Internet.
You may want to also get a small backpack or some kind to keep your journaling supplies in for storage and carrying purposes.
What To Put In Your Journal:
Again, you can put whatever you would like in your journal. With a nature journal, you generally put nature related things in it. For me, whenever I come across a cool animal or a nature related thing, I write about it. I write what I saw, where I saw it, when I saw it, and anything else that sticks out to me. Sometimes, I will put down what the weather was like when I saw the animal or plant or whatever that sticks out to me. I have also drawn pictures of neat animals I have seen as well as put in pictures and stickers too.
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| One of 3 examples of what you can do with a nature journal. These are some of my journals. |
You can write about things you observe or find. Things that you do or learn about or notes from a lecture you have attended. Really, the sky is the limit in regards of what to put in the journal. Something else you can do, is if you see a plant of some kind that really sticks out to you, you can do a rubbing. Stick a leaf from the plant underneath of the pages in your journal, then on top of the page, start coloring the whole page with a crayon or other utensil.
Where To Go To Observe Nature:
So, some of you maybe wondering, where do I go to observe nature and journal? Well, there are so many places you can go. You can simply sit on your porch and observe things in your yard. Setting a bird feeder is a great way as it will attract many different sorts of birds you can observe and learn about. As far as observing nature in my yard, in addition to having a few bird feeders, I have also built a pond in my back yard with my dad's help. Setting up a pond will attract various wildlife to your yard. I set my pond up for amphibians and have successfully have attracted many different species over the years.
You can also go to various parks and preserves to observe nature. They are great as most of them have set up various feeders and hiding places to attract wildlife to give people opportunities to see them. So I would encourage you to go check those out; google search for local parks. Also, feel free to ask me if you would like; I can point you in the direction of some good places to observe nature.
Other places include: Zoos, gardens, museums, aquariums (many of them have outdoor hiking trails) as well as greenways.
Again, feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I hope you have learned something and that you will be inspired to go give nature journaling a try.
