Nature Journaling For Beginners

A couple of years ago, when homeschooling first became a topic of curiosity in our family, I learned about nature journaling.

What intrigued me most about this practice wasn't the intricate watercolor images or the hope that my children would sit still for long lengths of time to complete their masterpieces. No, it was the genuine wonder that the act of nature journaling seemed to capture.

We've always loved the outdoors as a family. So, if a simple act such as journaling our finds would help instill a deeper love and curiosity, I was sold.

Spoiler alert: our images have looked nothing like those that grace the covers of nature journaling curriculums, my boys often struggle to sit still for longer than a blink, and our introduction to journaling was initially met with a surprising amount of resistance.

Regardless of the struggles, it's been worth it. My boys now beg to bring their supplies on adventures, can identify many native plants, and have developed the ability to study details often missed by the hurried human eye.

If you're looking for a new practice to help your children (and you!) engage with nature in a more intentional way, I can't recommend nature journaling enough.

Without further ado, here are my top 3 tips for nature journaling beginners:

Art Supplies

My biggest personal hang up to nature journaling was supplies. The more I researched the more I wanted the beautiful, luxurious materials. The gorgeous hand-bound journals, fancy calligraphy pens, and delicately molded ceramic pallets had me drooling quick. But I hesitated: is that realistic for this season of life with littles and our budget--especially when purchasing a plethora of homeschooling materials? Well folks, it isn't.

One day we will lounge in a field with wooden easels and fragile tools but not today and, most likely, not for a couple of years. If your Beatrix Potter dreams are also on hold--but you'd still like to nature journal--here are the supplies we've come to love:

-Prismacolor Colored Pencils: They're affordable, bright, great for big or little hands, and come in travel tins--perfect for on-the-go journaling.

-Windsor & Newton Water Colours: Because most of our nature journaling is done outside, we love this little pocket book of water colours. The pigments are striking but the ability to easily pack & transport it seals the deal for us.

-Traveler's Notebook: While I can appreciate a beautiful nature journal, my boys aren't yet at an age where they value or care to preserve precious items. These simple, blank paged notebooks have been the perfect solution for this season of life.

-Juniper Grove Journals: If you're on the hunt for a beautiful nature journal that's heirloom quality, I love my Juniper Grove Journal. Juniper Grove is a family ran, small shop that specializes in journals with removable inserts. Their nature journal insert comes with thick card stock, perfect for watercolors.

Resources

While resources for nature journaling are, by no means, necessary, we have found a couple of items helpful for identification, developing drawing skills, and learning more about our subjects.

-Audubon Field Guides: The field guides by Audubon are my personal fav. They don't hold a plethora of detailed information inside but they do have a vast array of variety. Our Audubon field guides are our go to resource when we are struggling to identify a find. Plus my oldest loves to pick a quiet spot to flip through and read the names of each species to himself--makes my nature-loving heart turn to mush.

-Nature Anatomy: If you haven't heard of the Anatomy series by Julia Rothman, prepare to be amazed. We specifically appreciate Nature Anatomy because it's essential a detailed nature journal created by a talented artist. Not only do we learn loads from Rothman's notes, we've been inspired by her skill and layouts when making our own journals.

-Handbook of Nature Study: Wanna learn about nature from an old school, detailed naturalist? Look no further than Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study. Whenever my boys have an obscure question about nature, the handbook comes off the shelf. Comstock gives a detailed, comprehensive look at a variety of animals and plants. We don't come here for the images, but we most definitely come here to gain knowledge.

-The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing & Journaling: This is a new favorite, shared with me by a fellow homeschooling Wild + Free mom. Written by John Muir Laws, The Laws Guide gives a detailed approach to the mindset and skill behind nature journaling. As a now rusty adult who once drew daily, I'm finding this book the most helpful for honing in on specific drawing skills.

-Seek App by iNaturalist: This amazing app has taught us SO much! Seek uses imaging technology to identify a plant or animal for you. While it isn't fail proof, it's helped me learn a lot of our local flora & fauna (and it's better than the built in iphone feature, promise). Plus, it's always in my pocket. It doesn't get more convenient than that.

Community

As a mom and home educator, I'm forever appreciating community. With nature journaling specifically, I have come to value the community we have in our Wild + Free group. We have recently started journaling once a month as a group after doing a simple lesson. My boys love that their friends also nature journal and it's instilled a deeper love for the activity & nature in general.

If you're homeschooling and looking for a like minded community of moms, make a free account on Wild + Free's website. Once you've made an account, check out Wild + Free's world map to see if a group is near you! And, if there isn't, start one yourself--I promise it isn't as scary as it seems.

I hope this list of tips is helpful in your nature journaling journey. Supplies, resources, and community are all great tools when nature journaling but, truthfully, even they aren't necessary. At the end of the day, the goal is to raise children that love, see, and value the beautiful world they live in.