9 Diverse Children’s Nature Books to Add to Your Collection

This is the first part of a two-part series about nature journaling. In this article, we'll cover the benefits of fostering a nature journaling habit in kids. In part two I'll overview how to get started and foster a nature journaling habit with your children. Let me share a little secret with you. Nature journaling can be easy and incredibly beneficial for both you and your children. What is nature journaling? Photo by: Katie Fox The art of nature journaling is really not about the art at all. It is a science-based process. Journaling is a huge part of the science community. It is how data is tracked, how observations are recorded, how information is compared, and how hypotheses and ideas are remembered. I cannot stress this enough. It is not about the beautiful pictures! Though if you are artistically gifted please enjoy making your journals beautiful too. Nature journals are literally a place to record your nature observations. Think about it as a place for you and your kids to record the things you see, smell, touch, feel, and maybe even taste while on your nature adventures. Benefits of nature journaling with kids There are so many benefits that come from spending time nature journaling. Here are a few: Spending time outside is good for us and nature journaling literally gets us outside and connects us to nature in ways we may otherwise miss. Nature journaling forces us to slow down and fosters the ability to focus on things. This is where the Sherlock Holmes quote is particularly spot on. The practice of sitting in nature and recording your observations, literally trains you to better notice what you’ve always seen. Since we are forced to slow down, it enables us to be more present in the moment. Thus, nature journaling also enables us to learn mindfulness practices that can be fostered and used throughout life. Through simple observation, nature journaling can deepen our observation and learning skills. Drawing requires looking at an object many times, which helps boost your memory, and writing helps us learn to better organize our thoughts. And using numbers can reveal patterns and so much more. Nature journaling also engages us with real scientific practices. It makes actual scientific methods accessible to anyone. When children (and lets face it, most of us) can see science happening all around, it makes science focused learning activities more fun. There is a plethora of research on this topic and if you really want to dig deeper, I encourage you to read How to Teach Nature Journaling by John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren. You can download a free PDF of the 282 page book or purchase a printed copy from their website or Amazon. A lot of the above information was pulled from this book. Although it is geared toward teaching school-aged kids, it provides a foundation to create and foster a nature journaling habit with kids of any age. Additional Resources: Can You Take a "Hike" in the City? Introduction to Nature Journaling - John Muir Laws Nature Rich Resources for Distance Learning and Homeschooling Words, Pictures, and Numbers - John Muir Laws  What are your favorite nature journaling adventures? About Hike it Baby Hike it Baby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to getting families outdoors and on trails across the U.S. and internationally, supporting, educating and inspiring families through their more than 300 communities across North America. Since its grassroots inception in 2013 in Portland, Oregon, Hike it Baby is now a growing community of 270,000 families and 500 volunteer branch ambassadors hosting more than 1,600 hikes per month. More information, as well as daily hike schedules, can be found at HikeitBaby.com, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.   Editors Note: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from Hike it Baby. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you.   But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.

This is part two of our nature journaling series. In part one we explore the benefits of fostering a nature journaling habit. In this article, you will learn what you need to know to create and foster a nature journaling habit with your kids. “I see no more than you, but I have trained myself to notice what I see.” —Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier As the Sherlock Holmes quote above alludes, learning to nature journal takes time. It is a process and you and your kids will be training yourself to really notice all the things you see in nature. Use the tips below to help you create a nature journaling habit with your kids, and in turn a stronger connection to the great outdoors. How to create a nature journaling habit with your kids Step one: Pack a backpack or bag with a notebook (or pieces of paper) pencils, water, and snacks. Step two: Go for a walk anywhere outside (neighborhood, park, playground, hiking trail, etc.) Step three: Find a spot to sit with at least one item in sight to observe. Encourage your children to help you find the perfect spot. Step four: Get out the notebooks, pencils, and snacks. While everyone is enjoying their snack, briefly talk about observing nature and recording your time in nature (ideas on how are listed below). If you are doing a specific activity (more on this below as well), then go over those details at this time too. Step five: It’s time to nature journal! Get up close and investigate the object of your journal. Use as many senses as possible and record these senses in your journals too. Spend as little or as much time as you'd like. What to do while nature journaling Photo by: Katie Fox There are so many options. John Muir Laws (which is the gold standard of nature journaling for adults) suggests including drawing, words, and numbers in each journal entry. But, it is your journal and you are exploring this activity with your children. It is meant to be enjoyable, so make it fun for your family. Here are some ideas: Draw what you observe. Write about what you observe. Use numbers as descriptors (such as counting or measurements). Collect nature samples and tape them in your journals. Take photos and tape them into the journal. Record the date, time, weather, and/or location of the journaling activity. Write a poem or story inspired by your observations. Use the nature items to make art. Note your first finds in each season or year. How to lead a journaling session with your kids There are many ways to lead a nature journaling session with your children. It will vary depending on the skills your children already have. First, introduce the activity. This can be very brief and broad for young kids and more in depth and focused for older kids. Explain what the activity is and why you are doing it. Also, make sure to remind your children to use pictures, words, and numbers in their journal entry. Joining in and do each entry also. Kids learn best by example, so setting the example of how to nature journal is an important step. If you have easily distracted children (like I do), it is important to gently re-direct them back to observing nature when needed by drawing their attention back to the activity. Using phrases like, “what does the leaf look like on the other side?” or “look at all the colors on that flower,” or “how many objects is that spider web attached too?” can help refocus their attention. Follow the lead of your children when it comes to how much time to spend on the activity. It should take about 10 minutes for children to draw and write out observations. If one of your children feels done very quickly after starting, maybe try redirecting them gently back to the task. Don’t force it though. Fostering this habit can take time. Finish up with a short discussion of the activity. This can be very simple for young children or a bit more in depth for older kids. How to foster a nature journaling habit with your kids Make it fun. This might be the important part in turning journaling into a regular practice. It needs to be enjoyable for everyone. So do what works for your family. Do it often. Pick one day each week to set aside time to nature journal with your kids. Our family journals each Monday morning on our already regularly planned nature hikes. For another family, it may be on Saturdays when their whole family goes to the park. And yet for another family, it may be done at home after they go for a walk around their neighborhood. The key is to do it at least once a week to make it part of the routine, and something the whole family can look forward to. Be flexible. These nature journaling ventures may often not turn out how you pictured. This is okay. If your scheduled journaling time doesn't work out, try again later in the week. If you miss it altogether, that is okay too. Sometimes, your children may see a frog (or any other nature object) and this new discovery may completely derail the whole activity. Be flexible and create space for this discovery in the journaling activity. And keep in mind you will need to be flexible in your nature journaling practice as well. While journaling with your kids sounds lovely, often you may only get a few minutes to jot down observations and will have to come back to it later. But modeling the activity is important, so keep at it. Now get out there! Explore nature and harness your inner Sherlock Holmes and train yourself (and your kiddos) to notice what you’ve always seen! It is time to create and foster a nature journaling habit with your kids. Additional Resources: Can You Take a "Hike" in the City? Introduction to Nature Journaling - John Muir Laws Nature Rich Resources for Distance Learning and Homeschooling Words, Pictures, and Numbers - John Muir Laws  What are your favorite nature journaling adventures? About Hike it Baby Hike it Baby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to getting families outdoors and on trails across the U.S. and internationally, supporting, educating and inspiring families through their more than 300 communities across North America. Since its grassroots inception in 2013 in Portland, Oregon, Hike it Baby is now a growing community of 270,000 families and 500 volunteer branch ambassadors hosting more than 1,600 hikes per month. More information, as well as daily hike schedules, can be found at HikeitBaby.com, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.   Editors Note: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from Hike it Baby. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you.   But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.