Oxbow At Home Nature Journal

Nature Journal

Objective

Join us as we create our own Nature Journals using what we find around us. Grab your paper and a pencil and let’s go!

Standards

Grade Level: K-6th

Subjects Covered: Math, Science, Language Arts, and Art

Students will: Observing, writing, sketching, sequencing, data collection, reflecting

Time: 45min+

Nature Journals, the Basics

Examples of Nature Journals

notes about birds with drawings of birds

notes about different plants and drawings of different plants

drawings and notes about birds, butterflies and plants

“All art is but imitation of nature.”
~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Materials

You can use almost anything in your nature journal as you create. As we write, sketch and collage here’s a few things we might use:

Pencils and Pens
Markers
Watercolors
Stickers
Tape (for leaves or flower we might find)
Other paper
A camera to take pictures to print and paste in our journal

Make Your Own Nature Journal

If you would rather work on a single sheet of paper you can print out this simple nature journaling template to use!

Nature Journal Template (PDF)

Let's Get Started!

Find a good place to sit for at least 15 minutes outside. (Make sure to watch where you sit and look out for ants or poison ivy!) Take a deep breath and relax. Focus on the nature around you. Look around and make a list of some of the things you see. Does anything stand out to you? Are there any plants you can name? What about any animals? How many clouds are in the sky? Count the points on a leaf and try to draw it in your journal if you found it on the ground, maybe tape it in your journal alongside your sketch. Write about how it feels. Is it waxy, soft, smooth, fuzzy? Keep observing and most of all have fun. Your nature journal can be whatever you want it to be!