Something that I have wanted us to be more consistent with is nature journaling. I learned about nature journaling from John Muir Laws. I am still very much a beginner but I’m really enjoying the process and excited to learn more as I go.
“When we see with clear eyes, we know that we are surrounded by beauty. Let yourself fall in love with your life by paying attention. As David Steindl-Rast says, “It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It’s gratefulness that makes us happy.” As you record what you see in your journal, give thanks for what surrounds you. When you celebrate the world through the pages of your journal, every stroke of your brush or pencil can be a song of gratitude for the opportunity to be alive.” (John Muir Laws, The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, pg. 2)
As we draw/color something from nature, we also are thinking about and taking notes on these 3 things…
I notice…
I wonder…
This reminds me of…
Nature journaling helps to develop attention skills, wonder, curiosity, association skills, gratitude, and more.
One of the best parts of the Well-Educated Heart philosophy and teaching/learning style is that I as the mother/teacher set the example for learning and then my kids follow (not by force, but because they want to follow my example.)
I love the moments that I see the fruits of this with my kids, where they see me do something positive and they decide all on their own to follow my example. 🙂
I have been trying to be more intentional and consistent with nature journaling lately. I have been taking my nature journal with me when we go to the mountains for campouts or campfire dinners.
When I sat down to nature journal on Saturday evening when we were in American Fork Canyon, Roxanne came over and said she wanted to nature journal too. So she sat beside me and drew pictures of the surroundings.
A couple nights ago when we were going to the park in our neighborhood, Roxanne stopped, got off her tricycle and picked some of these flowery grass pieces that were growing in the sidewalk cracks. She said “I am going to pick this and take it home so I can nature journal about it tomorrow. I am going to draw it.” And then she put a few pieces in the trunk of her tricycle. 🙂
Yesterday, she pulled out those dying leaf/flowery grass pieces from her tricycle trunk and nature journaled.
The rest of us decided to use Evelyn’s flowers that she’s been growing as our nature journal subjects.
Last night as we were getting the kids ready for bed, I asked Roxanne what her favorite part of the day was. She said “nature journaling.” 🙂
