Kids love to learn about nature, and a nature journal is a great way for them to do that. This type of journal is perfect for kids because it’s easy to use and keeps track of the things they’ve learned. Here are some tips on how to use a nature journal with your kids.
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5 Ways to Use A Nature Journal with Kids
Why do you want to use a nature journal with your kids? To keep their memories, to let them document what they are learning. A nature journal is the perfect way for them, your children, to write or draw their own thoughts, memories and such.
Get Organized
Help kids get organized by choosing the right supplies and setting some ground rules. A good notebook, with thicker paper is a worthy investment. You don’t have to get anything expensive but I recommend something better than composion notebooks.
Markers that are in a slim take-along case are perfect for taking along in a backpack when you go for a nature walk.
Get Inspired
Show kids how to find inspiration in nature and get them excited about journaling. There is no better way to encourage your kids to journal than having seen you do it. They always want to do what their parent or teacher is doing.
Go for a walk along a forest trail and see what you can find.
Document Everything
Encourage kids to document everything they see and do in their journal. There is nothing wrong with taking your journaling tools along with you and stopping to draw, or write about what they see halfway through your walk.
Be Creative
Help your kids unleash their creativity by showing them different ways to use their journal. A simple Google search will do that for you.
Keep your own journal and journal along with your children. There is no wrong way to journal, no wrong way to write down memories or things learned on a walk, or a trip to a park.
Have Fun
Encourage kids to have fun with their nature journal and make it their own. Let them draw instead of writing. Let them write and get the spelling wrong, or forget to use puntuation. Their nature journal should be free from corrections or imput from us.
Teach them how to press flowers in the pages of their nature journals.
Using a nature journal with kids is a great way to connect with the natural world and learn about plants, animals, and ecology. It can also be a fun way to keep track of your outdoor adventures. So get outside and start journaling!
More on Nature Studies in Your Homeschool
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