Is nature journaling with kids the same as nature journaling with adults? What about teens? Why is it good to nature journal with kids? These are some of the questions that I asked educator Kate Righter in this recent interview on the Nature Journal Show.
Top Tips for Nature Journaling with Kids
First, we dove right into some actionable tips for any teachers, parents, or homeschool families out there.
- Be flexible and embrace chaos. Things might not go according to you plan or perfect curriculum. In fact, you might not even pull out you nature journals on some days. Instead you might all get covered in mud while exploring a new trail. Nature can be distracting. Kids are distractable. Spoken like an experienced educator and parent.
- Follow the kid’s curiosity. Similarly, be prepared for when the kids focus does suddenly snap on. You might want them to do a nature journaling prompt with a plant but then suddenly they are super interested in a spider or ripples in the creek. Can you adapt? Can you go down the rabbit hole with them? This is where you can unlock the self-driven learning that is the holy grail of homeschooling (especially with teens). Go see this interview for more about nature journaling with homeschool teens.
- Finally, SNACKS! Bring lots of snacks. One of your jobs is to take care of the physical basic needs of the kids so that their mind can do the work of learning. Kids can think better, focus more, and take more cognitive leaps if they know there are snacks at the end of the tunnel. Clothes, water, bathroom breaks also fall into this category.
Why Teach Nature Journaling To Children?
“You can be the sort of adult that you wish you had in your life when you were a kid.”
That was a powerful quote that came from Kate when I asked her the “why” question. How many of us wish we had learned about nature journaling when we were little? Kate describe a childhood rich with nature experiences but she thinks it would have been even richer if she had a nature journal with her. She also pointed out that a nature journal allows for youth to bring something back from their experiences. It is a concrete visual aid that can help with learning and sharing. This is also very important for homeschool families or formal educators that might need a visual record of the learning process. Instead of just saying that your kids have been running around in nature for the last month you have a stack of journals documenting their learning adventures. There are many educational benefits of having this record.
Through the process of nature journaling kids also learn how to creatively process stimulus from the world instead of passively consuming it. . Compared to previous generations much of what they do seems like passive consumption and mindless scrolling. Nature journaling goes in the opposite direction and teaches transferable skills and mental habits. Instead of taking a photo or using an app the child must make their own observations, draw something with their hands, try to understand what they are looking at and then communicate through their page to other people. All of these life skills can be emphasized and developed by the capable teacher or homeschool parent. Nature journaling offers a framework that allows the parent/teacher to instill the lessons they want for their students.
Nature is the Source
Kate pointed out that when nature journaling we are getting inspiration directly from nature, not from a screen, not from TikTok, not from a corporation, not from some authority figure. This is contrary to much of the digital and educational world experienced by children today. Nature is real, nature is vast, nature can be the curriculum. You just need a tool to help the kids channel and process this infinite source. Ideally, a flexible tool that can be adapted to your educational goals and the desires of the individual kid. The tool should allow for growth and increasing levels of application. It should be highly personal and work well alone but also work for communication. The tool should also incorporate basic thinking tools such as words, numbers, and visual problem solving. Guess what? Nature journaling is the tool that meets all these criteria.
Learn More About Kate Righter
Whether you watched the full interview or not you can learn more about Kate Righter at her website here. In addition I have included an excerpt from her About Me page below.
I collaborate with local families, schools, and nonprofit organizations to teach these lessons both inside and outside of traditional classrooms. From farms, to parks, to schoolyards, to backyards, I want to share the importance of observing and documenting the world around us – and the inner life inside of each of us.
I believe that creativity can help people of all ages deepen the connection between themselves and the natural world. This belief inspires my own creative practice of drawing, painting, and writing abut Hawaii’s unique environment, as well as my educational philosophy. It also is the guiding motivation behind my art-based activism – creating images speaking to urgent environmental concerns.
But what if I’m completely new to nature journaling?
One of the great things is that you don’t need to be an expert at nature journaling to share it with kids. In fact, there are many benefits of teaching nature journaling while you yourself are a beginner. Nature journaling is focused on learning not knowing. The main enemy of learning is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. When you can model intellectual humility to kids it can be very motivating. However, it might take some practice. You have to get rid of the desire to know more than the kids. The best place to start is “I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of.”
Regardless of your experience, we got you right here. Below are links to some super resources for beginner nature journalers.
Are you just getting started with Nature Journaling?
Here are tips and motivation for beginners.
