Welcome to the series on Nature Journaling! If you would like a general overview, check out this post.

Today we’re going to just scratch the surface of how LEARNING can help us on our Nature Journaling journey. Future posts will explore each of these elements in more depth.

Nature Journaling is LEARNING

As a classroom teacher, I have always loved a good acronym. ESPECIALLY when it spells out a word. And as I started doing more nature journaling and prepared for my first nature journaling class, I wanted to come up with a way to capture some of the big ideas of Nature Journaling. And what better word than LEARNING?

So here is a brief overview of each of the ideas.

L – is for Label:
Labels can help us add details about what you have observed, from common or scientific names, colors, unique features, and more.

E – is for Explore:
Take the time to look carefully at the world around you. Look for new things, new places, new sounds – all of those new ideas that can be added to your journal.

A – is for Ask:
Curiosity is one of the best characteristics to grow. And what better way to be more curious than to ask questions? One question can often lead to another. Don’t worry about having the answers – you can always add them later if you want.

R – is for Reflect:
Take some time to think about what you’ve learned. You can also leave space to add to journal entries at a later time.

N – is for Notice:
Use your senses and take time to engage closely with the world around you. Zoom in and pay attention to the details or zoom out and take in the bigger picture.

I – is for Imagine:
Be creative. Tell a story about what you’ve observed. How did it get there? What might happen next?

N – is for Navigate:
Make a map. Where are you now? What path did you take to get there? Where did you find something?

G – is for Grow:
The more you practice, the more you learn. And the more you use your nature journal, the more interesting it will be.

Future posts in this series will dive in more deeply to each of these.

Happy Exploring!

– The NW Naturalist

*NOTE: If you like the printable shown above, click here to download your own copy.